asword4laney {Laney]

[Jedediah]

Jedediah paused, eyes scoping the tunnel as he methodically thumbed three more shells into the big bore Marlin. He had spent the day here in the northern end of the catacombs and had just woke to find two of the twisted and gnarled ancients that inhabited these underground caverns and tunnels slipping up on him. The fringed buckskins that had served him so well as he slipped through the wilds as a human, now served a different but similar purpose for him as a vampire. The soft material made no noise as it rubbed against the stone walls, yet was heavy enough to help protect from the bites of these mindless creatures he now hunted. Reaching down he he scooped a few bones from the crushed skeletal remains before him slipping them into the leather pouch at his waist. Ambrose had asked for them.

Ambrose. Zombies. Ancient zombies. Vampires. Other things that went bump in the night. His world had been changed, his perceptions changed. His very essence changed. He had climbed another step on the ladder of evolution, and become the monster beneath the bed. His mind wandered in the temporary solitude as he thought of how all these things had become part of his life. He had seen some strange things.. . . apparent zombies, the federal military might descending on two section of the city, spirits of nature seemingly come to life and gathering about the city. The legends of the first clans spoke of these and more. Now he knew first hand. Ambrose, a four hundred year old Aztecian vampire, appearing in Harper Rock, seemingly intent on building an army of his own, an army of vampires. It seemed the thirty four year old hunter had been drafted. His induction had came two weeks ago. If nothing else at least he now knew that he was not going crazy from a life spent alone in the wilderness. The monsters were real...and he was now one of them. Much closer to an apex predator than he had ever been as a human.

Slipping the rifle into a low ready position Jed started down the tunnel towards the gateway into the southern catacombs. His mind was still wandering, although his eyes and senses focused on the job before him, hunting and collecting when suddenly a small flash of light caught his attention. moving to the side of the tunnel, the slender necromancer knelt, one hand gently brushing away years of accumulated detritus. Slowly a sword appeared. An elegant looking blade, still holding a fine edge, untouched by the ravages of the dank environment it had been hid in. It was much nicer than the blade he carried, and he thought about leaving his lay in trade. Nah he would keep them both. Slipping his longsword into it’s spine sheath, he smiled at the balance of the new sword, it was obviously created by a master. Turning he headed for the passageway to the south, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

The door was just ahead, but as Jedediah reached for it once more something caught his eye, and he froze in place. This was more sinister than an abandoned sword. The necro studied the ground, the slowly knelt. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a Gerber multi- tool and carefully locked open the bear trap, then slid it to the side. Slipping a small plate to the side, a few snipped wires disabled the sensor turret that had been set up in conjunction with the bear trap. Slipping them into his pack he stood and reached toward the door when he heard a hissing, and felt the sharp sting of a needle hitting his neck. Someone had found a poison that worked on vampires. Jedediah recognized the mist enveloping him as he slid to his knees, energy draining from him by the second. He had missed two traps in the ambush. The mist by far the worst, was sapping energy from him with every second he lingered. He had made a few like this, gas traps using the toxins of black feral blood, but the hunter had still missed the tells, missed the sensors, and was succumbing to the toxin. Forcing the door, he slid into the next catacomb, pushing the door shut behind him. Jedediah’s head hung low, his long, sunstreaked hair covering his face, as he felt the wire beneath his hand. Slowly he lifted his hand, disconnecting the wire from the hidden shotgun, when he heard a loud *SNAP* coinciding with the searing pain in his ankle. This whole area is a minefield he thought as a familiar hiss came from the walls around him. His last conscious thought as the black mist settled over him again, sapping the last of his energy, was of the chamber and as his fingers caressed the tome in his pocket, his body flickered out of sight in the catacombs, and reappeared upon the altar in the Acheron chamber unconscious, blood dripping from his wounds. .

[Delaney]

Laney sat crossed legged in front of the ritual altar in the....whatever this creepy place was. Someone took the idea of rituals a little too seriously-and she bet it was that racist 'head' of Acheron, Ambrose. Who actually used blood from chickens, cows or pigs for this kind of stuff anymore? Then again, she didn't actually know what the blood came from, or from who. It didn't matter where it came from, what mattered was that Ambrose did things with a great deal of overkill in Laney's mind. Not that anyone else in the Acheron lineage was much better.

Jed have given her a couple of odds and ends in the weeks after their siring so that she could learn rituals and perfect them, when low and behold-Jed appeared! There were mixed feelings about the man that was sired the same night she had been sired by the same person-but he had been both nice and good to her after being sired. Prior to this, Jed would have gotten a high middle finger from Laney and her friends. "Jed!" Laney blurted out as he lay there on the altar, bloodied and wounded. The fae creature in the circle snapped its jaws in her direction, mistaking her speech for part of the words needed for the ritual, Laney tossing an ear at it to appease the demi-fae with her offering.

Laney darted up and grabbed at the lanky necromancer, raising his skeletal frame a little as she clutched his shirt in her firm grip. "Sugar, Honey and Ice-tea! I-I really don't know what to do! Get up!" Laney shook him a little before slapping him hard across the face. It made a sharp sound in the room and part of her smiled at that. She did owe him after all. "COME ON!" Laney growled before letting him go and moving away from the altar and away from the angry fae creature as Laney pulled a couple hundred dollars out of her pockets and got two bags of blood. She knew he needed blood, but it wouldn't do him any good in an unconscious state. "Please wake up, I have blood for yooooou." Laney ripped open the bag with her fanged teeth and attempted to coax him out of his unconscious state with the scent of semi-fresh blood.

[Jedediah]

Time passed slowly. A voice somewhere called his name, over and over. His eyes still closed, the effects of the toxin slowly wore off as his body forced the poison through his pores. His name again. His dried lips quivered as he softly mumbled, "Nag, nag, nag'' The noise didn't carry. More in his mind than a vocalization, but the movement of his lips caught a drop of blood. Live giving, rejuvenating blood. Slowly his eyes opened as another drop hit his lips, soaking right through his skin and replenishing the lost fluids within him. A blurry face hovers over him, but what his eyes focus on is the red bag held before that face. The necromancers jaw cracks as he opens it, fangs appearing with a soft yet harsh whisper, “Please……” The voice trails off as he is consumed with the toxin induced fatigue, His eyes start to drift shut again, but a moment of visual clarity, sends a stab of fear into the shriveled organ that was once a beating heart. The face is Delaney’s. The tree hugger he had paralyzed.

Sure now that he was about to die for the second time, Jedediah laid back knowing that he had lost. Surely this was her way of getting even, she would tease him with the blood, let it drip to him, but ultimately she would have her revenge, and leave him to bleed out, reveling in her revenge. Once more his lips moved slowly. “Please….”. Forcing them, the wounded necromancer pushed his eyes open with willpower alone. If she was to torture him, it would have to be staring into his deep brown eyes. As another drop of precious life giving blood touched his lips, he hears her voice. She is offering the torn bag to him, feeding him, saving him. The scent and taste drive him almost mad as he strains weakly to lift his head towards the bag, praying this is not an elaborate set up.

[Delaney]

Please...what? Laney wanted to ask. What else could she do? Should she do? "Here. Take it, already!" Laney was about to push the bag closer to him when he looked up at her with such ferocity. At least that was how it felt to her. And then he said that one word again.

"It's right here. For you. In front of your face." Maybe he didn't have the strength to reach up and take the blood. That was probably it. With Jed looking like a some roasted road kill critter Laney had seen time and time again driving all over Canada. The red liquid was dripping down the length of her wrist, to her elbow and on his face. The rate of flow was slow, probably too slow to. Please give it to him and give it to him quicker, as what Laney come to assume since all he was saying was a cryptic, 'please.'

"I don't know why I'm even being so nice to you. Must have had some brain damage after you shot me or something." Laney complained softly before she put a hand under his head, the one that was free, and lifted his head. "Don't look at me, killer." Okay, so he hadn't actually killed her, but she probably would have been dead, the permanent kind if Kika hadn't come along. Laney would have probably bled out from the wound he put in her spine the night she was out with Spence and Makayla, saving the woods from poachers.

Laney put the bag closer to Jedidiah's lips and turned her head so that he wasn't looking at her, and she wasn't looking at him. "Hurry up already. I got an angry demi fae chomping at the bite here." Laney said, still avoiding eye contact with her 'twin.'

[Jedediah]

Words assault his ears, but they strike with no meaning, all that matters is the blood, flowing faster now. A crimson stream bathed his lips and slid between them, lending strength and a ever growing hunger for more. Greedily he lapped at the life saving blood as his eyes locked upon the face of the woman that fed him. Like a child, she held his head in her lap, raising it towards the bloodied bag in her hand. Through the haze he caught her voice, telling him to look away, but his unswerving gaze was locked on the features of her face. With his returning strength came clarity to his sight, and for the first time the hunter turned vampire saw the woman’s face clearly. Jedediahs eyes roved over her face, constantly flicking back to her eyes. They enthralled him. Clearly the woman who held him was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he could remember seeing. There was more to her than he had seen resting beneath his crosshairs. An innate beauty that shone through as she cared for the one that had shot her, and would have left her to die alone.

Jedediah had no idea how much blood he had actually lost. All he knew was that this bag was almost empty, but with the returning strength came the realization that it was not enough. The woman was still speaking, but the words were meaningless to him. Sound, clouded by hunger. Vision, clouded by hunger. Thought, clouded by hunger. Only that face remained clear until the last drops flowed from the plastic to trickle across his now crimson painted lips. As his focus finally moved from the angelic face above him to the empty bag, and the blood bathed hand and arm holding it, a growl rumbled from deep within him. Faster than a blink of the eye, the male lunged upwards latching on to the delicate wrist held over him and drew it to him. The necromancers tongue swirled in long strokes as he worked his way up the woman’s arm cleansing it from wrist to elbow of every trace, no matter how minute of the life giving crimson flood. His eyes once more locked on the woman’s visage, he remembered snippets of conversation he had heard about the chamber, her name was Delaney.

The one that had attacked her, sired her, was the same as the one that had turned him minutes later. His chocolate eyes traced over the intricate tattoos not hidden by her clothing as he processed all of this information. Were they the vampiric version of twins? Sired minutes apart? Is that why she had helped him. A his tongue made one last stroke, swiping tenderly across the bend of her elbow, his eyes once more sought hers. The taste of her, her, mixed with the blood was intoxicating. Another lightning fast lunge drew the woman down as he rose, and his crimson smeared lips locked on hers.

[Delaney]

He moved unexpectedly and fast, so fast Delaney didn't have any chance to react. Like pulling her arm away from some guy she barely knew that was licking her arm. He took the meaning 'waste not, want not,' to a whole new level, but that was Jedidiah, wasn't it? Everything about him screamed primal and maybe even primitive.

He had shot her in the back for peeing in his woods-when Laney felt like she was doing him and hunters like him a favor. Not that she liked hunters either-but she despised poachers, and only disliked hunters. "There's more blo-." Delaney shivered and slowly tugged her arm away from Jedidiah as his tongue worked its way up to the inner flesh of her arm, somewhere in the middle of her lower arm.

For the woman that once wanted to keep her eyes off him, they were on him now. On everything he did and had she a heartbeat right now, Laney was sure he would have heard how fast it would have been going. But was it out of fear, or was it out of something else?

There was that shiver again as his tongue glided to her elbow more and her fang pressed on her lower lip, preventing her from telling him there was more blood in a bag at the shops. She didn't want to tell him that, even though she should. It was the right thing to do. He probably needed more blood. No one in their right mind would be licking an arm of someone they didn't know.

As his tongue finished licking the last of the blood off her, Laney realized it wasn't fear that made her shiver. It was because Jedidiah was so close to her and doing something so innate, something so organic on her. With her. His will to survive no matter what the situation was-is profound.

And for the second time tonight he caught the dark haired woman off her guard. He manhandled her for a second and maybe for that second she was afraid. Jedidiah could best be described for as little as she knew about him, as animalistic. Protective and unpredictable. He had shot her in the back and left her for dead because of what she and her friends had done on his land. Any normal person would have told them to get off their land, or had called the cops, but not him.

And then, again, his unpredictable nature shone through when he kissed her. Three times in the span of ten minutes tops, he surprised her. Only this surprise, Laney didn't mind. The once bloodied arm came to his chest and rested against his shoulder, taking a somewhat defensive stance, just in case that unpredictability came to rise in him again and he did...something. Then she could push him away and get out of the chambers before he did...something. What that something was, she wasn't really sure of. But if you found yourself in the midst of a wild animal, you made darn sure you had your guard up. Even if you were playing nice with that wild animal; which she was with her lips.

[Jedediah]

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

<Jedediah> Jedediah continued the slow strong kiss as he drew the woman closer, pulling her body against his. His tongue agilely swept her mouth dueling with hers, before sweeping out to trace her lips with the tip. Finally sated for the taste of her, and mostly sated for his thirst for blood, the necromancer raised his head to stare into her eyes. In slow motion the tip of his tongue flickered around the edges of his mouth sweeping the last traces of the bagged blood into his mouth as his eyes roved her face. “Delaney.” A statement, not a question, but leaving her room to correct if he was wrong. “Thank you.” The seriousness of the statement shown in his chocolate eyes, as he repeated himself. “Thank you.” His eyes lost focus for a moment as he reached inside, calling upon his gifts to replenish his blood from within. Refocused upon her face again a small smile teased the corners of his windworn lips. “You taste good.”

<Delaney> He was staring at her again, and so all she could do was nod when he stated her name. It was the intensity of his gaze that had Laney for a lack of words.

The dark haired, tattooed woman just sat there, nodding like a first class idiot as he thanked her twice. When he commented about how she tasted, Laney looked away and managed to find her voice again. "You're welcome. Any normal person would have done it." As she said that, Laney wasn't so sure he would have done what she did for her. "And it's Laney. For short. I like Laney." She moved past the negative thought to a more positive one.


<Jedediah> Jedediah absorbed her words as he lowered his eyes to study the various inks creeping from beneath her shirt as she finally spoke. He had seen many of the tattoos on her lower half when she had pulled her pants to her ankles in his woods, now he had a better view of what was exposed on her upper half. His eyes rose to hers as his lips parted, “Laney is nice, Delaney has a touch of class to it. I like Delaney. I shall call you Delaney.” The arm in his hand was well toned for a city girl, it had probably cost daddy thousands, to form it that way in the make believe world of a city gym, but it was firm, solid, and …feminine. “And no, a normal person would not heal one so near death, if that one had crippled them. You are… unique.” A single drop of blood was drying on the back of her pinky finger. His eyes had seen it as they caressed her form earlier, and with no further speech he lifted her hand to his mouth and slid the finger between his lips.

<Delaney> Laney didn't correct him on her name preference because Delaney was just as good as Laney. It was her given name anyways.

She did try to take her arm away, subtly, but he didn't seem eager to give it back. "It was the right thing to do. Kika probably doesn't want to see you dead. " Laney said with a short shrug of her shoulders.

"Can I have my-?" And then he stuck her finger in his mouth and her eyes were back on his face and her words vanished.

Normal people didn't do that. That finger could have been anywhere or touched anything. Did she use that hand to toss zombie ears at the demi-fae? Laney thought she did and waited for him to gag, or even puke. Did vampires puke? Laney hoped not. And even though she worried that he might puke on her because Laney had been touching rotting flesh, she didn't take her finger back. She actually helped put her finger in his mouth more and let it rest on the top of his bottom teeth.

<Jedediah> Jedediah’s lips closed around the finger sucking it deeper as his tongue swirled around it cleaning the last drop of blood from it before slowly drawing it through his pursed lips. Turning her hand slightly, the necromancer kissed the dark haired lady’s palm, lightly drawing his needle sharp fangs across it. His eyes never left hers as he completed the kiss. “ I believe there was more to it, than Kika’s wishes for my life.” Rising he easily lifted her with him as he stood. One arm wrapped around her back drawing her closer, pressing her body against his, as the other hand slid up her back entangling itself in her long flowing locks and fisting to hold her still. A slight pressure tilted her head back and he lowered his face to hers pausing just before his lips touched hers. “Wasn’t there?” He queried, his warm breath softly flowing across her parted lips.

<Delaney> With his fangs on her palm, Laney's eyes dropped from his eyes to her palm in his possession. Was he going to bite it? What would happen if he did? What would she do, was the more important question. Thankfully, she didn't have to figure that out right now, because she was in his arms; the palm long forgotten about as Jedidiah manipulated her body for his advantage.

Was there more to it than what he suggested? Her tongue quickly darted over her lips as Laney struggled to come up with a reply again. "No." She said quietly. "I mean yes. Niceness was what it was. Common decency." Delaney said both quickly and quietly, as her eyes landed on his lips, her lids half closed to achieve this. "I am not unique. I just care about things that are bigger than me." She admitted, which was true in a lot of respects, but not necessarily true here. She didn't know him enough to care, right?



<Jedediah>The necromancer nodded slowly, his wind worn lips lightly caressing her soft supple ones with the motion of his head before he straightened, releasing her from his grasp. “I saw you the other night in the sewers, you were trying to fight with a kitchen knife. While they work, they are not designed for fighting things such as those that crawl this city’s sewers. Unless you are one of those that likes to gnaw on those diseased filled vermin that run through the **** and muck.” A raised eyebrow accompanied the last statement , as he finally broke all body contact with the telepath. “Let me repay you for your time then, as it seems it was a task for you.” Reaching beneath his long hair he grasp the hilt of the sword he had found, and drew it with one smooth practiced motion. Turning it hilt first Jedediah held it out to her. “This is a weapon to fight with, Delaney. Take it, it is yours”

<Delaney> "Oh." Was all Laney said about everything Jedidiah said as her eyes made contact with the weapon. Most women, scratch that-most vampire women probably would have said more than that and reacted with a stronger facial expression than she did. But the only thing Laney felt was. ...disappointment. The weapon far surpassed anything she had, that was true, but now that Jedidiah was over there, not touching her and she was here, that's all she could feel.

"I mean, thanks. " Her lips formed a smile as she just looked at the sword. "I wasn't fighting that guy. I was defending myself. Big difference." Laney stated firmly, plainly believing there was a difference. "But yeah, this will work a lot better than a kitchen knife. Maybe scare them off before I even have to defend myself. Thank you, Jedediah. " Even though she thanked him, Laney didn't make a move to take it. She really didn't even know how to hold a sword or use it.



<Jedediah> Jedediah watched her face closely as she spoke reading between the lines though her facial expressions. It seemed she believed most of what she said, though she seemed hesitant to take it. “There is no difference in what is needed to attack, and what is needed to defend.” Slipping out of his jacket, he removed the spine-sheath, he could fabricate another for himself. Slipping the sword into the sheath, Jed leaned it against the wall near her. He began to wonder if she even knew how to use a sword, maybe this was all a mistake. The memory of her taste flickered in the back of his mind, like a broken neon sign, as he started to turn away. Jedediah had lived alone, a long time, often on the edges of accepted behavior. Te took what he needed, when he needed, what he wanted...when he wanted. As he turned to leave, that neon light stayed lit, and he turned to face her, and take what he wanted. Once more it was but an eye blink before his arms encircled her and his lips devoured hers with a short, harsh, kiss of possession. “I have decided I will teach you to use that sword, to defend yourself. I have also decided that i wish to taste more of you.” Lowering his head he let his tongue swirl lazily across her collarbone.

[Delaney]

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

<Delaney> Jedidiah's responses, both vocally and physically were as startling as they were, well, sexy. "Okay." She blurted out, not indicating what she was okaying with her own vocal response, but the fact her hands found a new home on his chest, collecting the fabric of his shirt in them plainly told him that she was okay with his tongue all over her and that her spoken reply was to the sword teaching.

"W-when do we start?" Laney asked through a small stutter of words, distracted by his tongue on her neck. "Maybe, maybe now?" Now would be good. Great. Anything to keep her from sounding like an airhead while she was in his arms and had his tongue crawling over her flesh.


<Jedediah> Raising his face before her’s he let his forehead rest on hers as he stared into her eyes “Now. I will begin to taste you now.” A slow gently kiss was followed by strong arms wrapping her lower body and raising her into the air. As his arms cradled her He once more lowered his mouth to her neck only this time teeth combined with lips as he inhaled sharply, not needing his fangs as he drew her life giving blood straight through her skin, branding her with a mark or possession. “Mine” he whispered as he carried her away from the altar.

<Delaney> Laney wondered if he knew how that actually sounded as he said that. Or if her mind was prone to tripping in the gutter. It seemed hard to believe that someone that would shoot a woman in the back one minute, could be so fricken suave and sexy with her in the next.

Laney heard the singular word he whispered, and she shivered at its possessive claim on her. What did that mean, exactly? His? His to do what he wanted with? Did that include shooting her again? Or had the tides changed? Laney hoped so, but again. ...wild animal kept coming to mind. And it... excited the dark haired beauty.

He wasn't asking for her permission, but she was going to give it to him anyways. With her eyes swinging down to his, instigating a shared look between them finally, Laney nodded her head. "Okay." Her right hand found a home on his high cheekbone as she kept his gaze.

<Jedediah> Jedediah’s gaze darkened as he walked, wondering if ‘laney’ knew what that small word she had just uttered portended for her future. ‘Okay’ was a word uttered one hundred times daily by this younger generation, usually without even paying attention to what they were talking about. Unfortunate if that was the case, as that had been her last chance to dispute his claim. Gaining some distance from the altar that was the center of this chamber, the stoic hunter settled to the ground with Delaney in his lap. “I have watched you. I know that which you do and the items needed for it. I will supply them for you. I will supply your blood. I will fulfil your needs. You are mine, and I will provide for you.’’

<Delaney> Laney listened to Jedediah as he moved them away from the altar. He watched her? Did he want to learn, or was it for some other reason?

She sat in his lap, facing him, her hands tracing over his features as she listened to the rest of what he had to say. And her perceptions of him started to sway. There was a cold, focused and determined side to the male below her; someone she met the night she became a vampire. Then there was this side under it. Caring, and compassionate. “What do you want in return?” Laney's hands dropped from his face so her arms could wrap around his neck. “I could help you with your dexterity. Or if I have the ingredients I could help with rituals. Tell me how I can repay your kindness.” Laney crooned as her eyes moved off his face. Those eyes were dangerous when fixed on her own pair; in the fact they made her forget how to use her basic motor skills.

<Jedediah> There was something about this woman that was almost childlike, but it dre Jedediah’s attention even more to the one that he had crippled such a short time ago. “Your trust, loyalty, and obedience” He answered her question simply and straightforward, this necromancer didn’t play mind games. “Of your own volition, if you offer these three things to me, you will never want or need for anything” He smiled slightly at her sweet offerings to help him, but waited to see her response before going further.

<Delaney> Trust. Loyalty. Obedience. Laney’s dark hues stayed focused on his face as she processed what he said. What exactly did that all mean? Did she look untrustworthy? Actually, she probably did. People looked at her-more specifically her body art and immediately grouped her in a not so positive category. Loyalty was something that was hard to gauge just by looking at someone. And obedience? Laney never heard anyone even say that word after the age of seven.

Delaney laughed a little nervously. “I don't know what you mean by obedience, Jed. Is this some kind of religious thing?” God, Laney hoped not because she sure wasn't the type and she wasn't sure she could be one of those seen in public, but didn't talk types. Laney had a lot of opinions on how screwed up society was and nothing was going to get her to curb her tongue on that front.

<Jedediah> “Obedience”, Jed paused, not sure why that word was so hard for the younger generation to understand. “obedience means trusting me enough that if i make a decision regarding you, to follow my wishes of your own free will. Any decision i make, will always leave choices for you, the results of which may or may not be pleasurable. If I am happy, you will be happy. It is a simple matter of if you trust me or not. If you think I will abuse the position you put me in, by agreeing.” Jed paused gathering his thoughts, he wished his words to be clear, and not confusing. “I have different views and values then many of this day, age, and civilization. I have chosen you to be mine, now it is your choice, if you wish to be mine.” A slight emphasis on the work ‘mine’, lent an air of possessiveness to the statement as he stared into her eyes.

<Delaney> There was that word with the use of that tone again. It had Laney inching into his frame a little more as she thought on the choice to be his. There was a phrase that was eating at the back of her mind. Something that needed further clarification before she made her choice. “What do you mean by may or may not be pleasurable?” If getting shot in the back was a possibility, as much as Laney wanted to know how pleasurable life could be with Jed when he was happy, Laney wasn't sure that was something she could sign up for. “Maybe give an example?” She suggested softly as light fingers came to rest on the back of his head, intensifying the shared look between the duo.

<Jedediah> Jedediah looked into delaney’s eyes. Nothing moved on him as he let a soft smile creep to his face. One arm pivoted as the rest of his body was sat still, solid as the bedrock beneath the city. Suddenly that arm pivoted, the cupped hand landing resoundingly on one of delaney’s padded but firm buttocks with a solid *Cracck* “If I am pleased, something like that done softer, as been known to bring pleasure, among many other rewards that are possible. If I am displeased, something like that done harder, may not be pleasurable…” The hand gently caressed circles over the spot easing away any lingering sting. “I have found that physical examples are more effective than words, which is why I seldom repeat myself.”

<Delaney> When his hand landed on her butt, Laney jumped in surprise. She hadn't seen that coming, both mentally and physically. But even though it stung a little, a smile couldn't help but appear. Jed was a freak. Capital F-R-E-A-K. And Laney could certainly get behind that. “I want to be yours.” She blurted out without thinking on it any more.

<Jedediah> Solemnly Jed nodded, “I accept.” Leaning forward he drew her into a kiss, as *craack* his hand once more landed on the same buttock, in the same place, instantly moving into soothing circles. It had not been much lighter, but it was indeed lighter than the first. “Mine” he whispered from his lips to hers as his fangs worried her lower lip. “Sword lessons begin tomorrow night. Tonight I will show you to my...our lair” He paused, once more staring his chocolate eyes into hers. He was about to utter two words that never slipped from his lips, and made sure he had her full focus, before continuing. His hand slowed to a stop , resting on her buttock, then slowly raised til one finger rested on the point of impact between his bullet, and her spine. “I apologize”

<Delaney> The kiss was short lived before his hand smacked her butt again, resulting in Laney breaking the kiss Jedediah initiated due to the surprise motion from him the second time around. Sword lessons, lair, obedience and accept. All very old, outdated and maybe even slightly archaic terms used had an amused smile on Laney's facial features. Jed thought she was unique, but Laney had the sneaking suspicion it was the other way around with them.

She felt his fingers move up and come to a stop, her smile faltering a little. Even though he held her line of vision, Laney couldn't help but wonder what he was going to do. And then Jed apologized. “I turned out better than the other guy.” She said softly before using his own wording. “I accept your apology.” Laney pressed forward and let her lips fall against his softly.

<Jedediah> Formalities concluded, Jedediah rose to his feet with his delaney in his arms and confidently crossed to the southern reaches of the chamber and stepped into one of the swirling fadeportals, reappearing inside the QZ and quickly dropping thru the sewers, Stepping thru a hidden wall he entered the training roop and stepped to the corner elevator, his eyes seldom leaving the prize in his arms. As the elevator slid to a silent halt Jed carried his delaney towards his lair bringing her across the threshhold in his arms, before smiling to her, “Ours”

<Delaney> Just as they made their way to the fade portal, Laney laughed and pointed to the angry demi-fae that was trapped, but it was gone as Jedediah continued on their journey. Laney internally cringed, thinking how much more angrier it would be when she finally returned.

They were in the sewers not much later, and then taking a secret way somewhere. Laney had been down here in this spot countless of times and never knew it existed. When they emerged from the sewers they were inside a building she had seen at least a dozen times, and then they were in what was now their place.

After high school, Laney had moved out and lived with various friends-all with the help of her parents of course. But this-this was going to be a lot different she suspected. Her eyes traveled from him to take in as much of the apartment that she could see in the immediate area while still in his arms. And then her eyes landed on the couch-the one that seemed very. ...leathery. “May I bring some of my things here?” She asked, her eyes returning to him.

<Jedediah>Jedediah ran his fingers through her silken locks, “You may, as this is where you now live, you will stay with me. We are now a team together, you and I. A pair. A couple. You are mine.” Setting her down, he held one hand of hers as he led her about the apartment. I will get you an altar. It will make it easier for you, if you do not have to find a public one, or go to the chamber. you will be more comfortable as well, as no one else is allowed in here.” One finger traced the sharp line of her jaw. “I am lucky in that you chose me.” He whispered softly.

<Delaney> The telepath vampire looked around the apartment as he answered her question and continued talking. Her own altar. The public one was clean enough, unlike Kika’s sire’s altar, but Laney always felt like she had to look over her shoulder and deviate her focus between the ritual and prying, busy eyes. Even still, in less than ideal circumstances, she preferred it to the altar in the private chambers for family members.

Laney wasn't sure what she was going to bring to the apartment; other than her clothes, and with her chin in one of his fingers, it wasn't easy to think of those things. Delaney blinked at the way he phrased his final thoughts. She had chosen him, but Laney really hadn’t thought of dating him as that. “Thank you for choosing me and letting me live here with you.” Laney breathed out finally, her eyes deviating from his. “Are there things I should know? Things I should or shouldn't do? Touch?” Laney had learned when she was young to respect people's belongings when she went through her younger sister's baby things and what she thought was lotion was diaper rash cream and pasted it all over her face and in her eyes. It was a tough lesson to learn, but a valuable one.

<Jedediah> His delaney had a… cute?.... naivete about her. He watched as she looked about, and took in what she said, it seemed almost as if she mused to herself. “Within these walls, what is mine, is yours. If at some juncture this changes, you will be informed. It is unlikely that it will change often, and if it does, it will be for short periods. I have considered your own personal St Andrew’s cross for assistance in helping your memory, but until a need is demonstrated, space is limited here. As far as touch, just be aware, an unloaded gun, is a club, and a dull knife is worthless. So treat all deadly items here, as if they were deadly, and that is your first lesson on my gift to you, it is deadly, it’s purpose is to protect you for me, to kill. It is not a toy. The world we live in now much more resembles the one I left, then the one that you left.” He considered his words wondering if they were to harsh, but she needed to learn.

<Delaney> Her eyes continued to look around as Jedediah spoke and then returned to him sharply when he expressed his view on the world. From everything she's seen so far (which wasn't much), her world hadn't seemed to change.

Before immediately disagreeing with him, Laney decided to try and understand him. “The world that I left was a place where people were trying to find who they were. Find meaning and purpose. To make their mark on the world. I hope that hasn't changed.” Laney expressed her opinion openly with Jedediah, wondering his own thoughts on that and the way he saw things now.

<Jedediah> Continuous eye contact, showed that her words meant something to him, and that he was truly listening to her. She was the sole focus of his attention when she spoke, and this time was no different. “Those are lofty, and commendable goals, but before ninety nine percent of the city did not consider you a monster. Nor hunt you as one. It was not necessary to slip through the sewers to avoid police shooting at you on sight, even though you are no threat to them. People did not stalk the sewers, attacking you at every turn. You did not wake from a nap, blood pouring from where some psycho had slashed your neck” Pulling his collar to the side he showed the two healing scars. Lifting the hem his finger traced the pink puckered wounds from the day before. “See these four… they were gifts from Harper Rock’s finest. The humans want us dead. They fear us. You are an educated woman, throughout history, humans kill what they fear.”

<Delaney> The second he showed her his healing wounds, Laney was in front of him, fingers kneading at his skin. He appeared to be a lot more unluckier than she was in this life. But then again, Laney hadn't gone to a lot of places. The altar in the QZ and the altar in the chamber.

“Please be more careful. I'm not very educated on the plastic surgery front.” She exhaled heavily, the exhale sounding like a sigh. Deep down she understood him and agreed with his statement, but she hoped he was wrong. Or that things would change for the better. For him personally, and for their kind.

<Jedediah> Once again, her concern amazed him… and proved his choice right. This was one that could fulfil his other half. One to be light to his darkness. He silently watched as she checked the healing wounds. “ Care is the reason there are so few. the ones that have hit me are a small number, compared to those that i evade and avoid” one finger tipped her face to his as he willed her to understand. “They will kill you. They will kill you if they catch you. We are no longer a part of their world. As such, I must insist that you learn at least some skills to help you defend as I cannot always be there to protect you.”

<Delaney> Her hands dropped from his wounds when Jed demanded her attention with just a finger. His words were harsh and seemed like a blanket statement. Some vampires, like Jed might be at a higher risk for attacks, but a nobody that kept to herself? “Why? I wouldn't kill them. Or even hurt them. We were like them. That's always been the problem throughout history. People don't recognize that others are fundamentally like them. We all have the same parts, all have similar passions, ambitions and dreams.” Laney shook her head. “I won't let them catch me, but I will learn if it makes you happy. Everyone should learn some defensive skills.” The world was a crazy place for anyone; human or vampire.

<Jedediah> “Training begins tomorrow, it is almost light, this night has ended” The necromancer decided not to shoot arrows into her bubbles of naivete on the first night. It would take time for her to learn, and her life had just taken a huge turn. Bigger than she knew, he was quite sure. Now was not the time to push a battle that did need fought at the present. Silently Jedediah lead her to the bedroom. “Tomorrow night we will gather that which you need. I will procure what you have not. You may have this room.” Turning the male slipped quietly back to the small living room, resting his pack and weapons at the head of the couch, he studied the sec camera settings, then undressed, folding and neatly stacking the clothes by the couch. Stretching once to his full height, he settled and laid out on the leather, slipping the afghan from the back to cover his scarred body.

<Delaney> What did someone need for sword training other than a sword? Laney found herself frowning in confusion on a couple fronts. The things she would need tomorrow and then the fact he was giving her what Laney presumed was his room. She just stood in the doorway, looking into the room as he left her there and claimed the couch. “But-” Laney turned around and inched her way into the living room. “Isn't that your room? I've slept on a lot of couches before. I don't mind.” Delaney looked down at him, her arms coming together at her chest.

<Jedediah> Slowly his eyes opened as he looked up to the woman with her arms defensively crossed before her. He watched her for a moment before speaking. “It is my room.” Pausing his eyes roved over her face. “You are mine” Raising an eyebrow he continued “Therefore there is no reason for you to not be in, the sun rises shortly”

<Delaney> Her lips twisted in mild amusement. How could she argue with that logic? It was so basic and even primitive in response. “The sun can't get in here.” Laney replied before shrugging her shoulders and retreating back to the bedroom. Once she was there, Laney shimmied out of her skin tight jeans after she peeled off her calf length boots.

The jeans were folded and put on the dresser, the boots placed on top of the jeans and her v-neck t-shirt finding a home on that.
Delaney moved to the light switch, turned it off and found her way into his bed without another word or opinion about anything. There was always tomorrow for that.

[Jedediah]

Jedediah woke, eyes snapping open, instantly aware. The necro had always awaken fully aware, none of the drowsiness so many other exhibited. He knew there was another in his apartment, and where she was to the fraction of an inch. His nude body uncoiled sinuously and silently from the leather coach as he stalked towards his intended prey. An unconscious ripple of his muscles moved from his shoulders towards his feet, each individual muscle flexing and contracting as it prepared for the perpetual state of fight or flight that the tall gaunt male lived in. Pausing in the doorway to his bedroom, chocolate orbs took in the sight of the nubile young woman sprawled across his bed in a perfect picture of disarray. Her soft silken tresses faned out in a in a dark halo around her head as the mussed sheets crisscross her body exposing tantalizing glimpses of lace and smooth soft feminine inked flesh. A hunger grows within him that has nothing to do with the lack of blood caused by his wounds, and a tumescent surge in his loins accompanies the tip of his tongue tracing the contours of his lips as his eyes drink in the masterpiece draped across the black silken sheets of his bed. His bed. His sheets. His woman. A low growl rumbled deep in the cavern of his chest. “Mine” He snarled quietly to the silent world around him as he laid claim.

Bare feet padded silently as a stalking wolf allowing Jedediah to draw closer to the sleeping telepath. No breath, nor heartbeat escaped the male’s frame as he halted at the side of the nest the woman had created for herself during the day’s dreams. A predatory mask descended over his features as he noted that in all her twinings and twisting she had not wrapped herself into a silken sheath, instead the sheet lay fulling free upon her, its edges baring the teasing glimpses that he had noticed from the door. The sleek toned edge of a thigh. The lightly muscled crook of an inked arm tossed carelessly above her head, resting on a pillow cased with her silken tresses. The intricate pattern of an expensive lace, gently encasing the firm full curves of her generous breast, partially covered by the black silk of the sheet. Slowly he reached out a hand, grasping the edge of sheet and gently folding it back to the foot of the bed exposing delaney, his delaney to his appraising gaze. The calculating experienced gaze of a life long hunter swept over her exposed supine body, taking in and memorizing every curve, valley, and flat plane of it as she lay sprawled in careless abandon across the tight fitted sheet, small wrinkles in the sheet surrounding her like the neon arrows of carnival, all pointing to the main attraction. A knowing nod tipped Jedediah’s head, his own long tresses making a slight whisper against his shoulders as her pose showed to him that she fully accepted the safety of his lair, and the protection that being with him, being his afforded her. There was no defensive curl to her torso, no tucked knees nor crossed arms, just the relaxed acceptance that here, she was safe.

The raspberry colored mark of possession he had placed on her neck was faded, almost gone. Jedediah frowned as studied it knowing that with her rising it would be gone, her healing accelerated so much more than that of the human she used to be. Something more permanent was needed. Something that would constantly remind her of the commitment she had made to them, and something that would signify to others that she was taken, that she was his. The necromancer’s eyes continued down the trail, taking in the black lace encased mounds that proudly rose above her sleeping form. A word formed in his mind as his eyes soaked up the treasure before him. Jacquard. As he took in the rose tinted circles peering through the expensively knotted lace, he wondered if this loose floral pattern had a name. Jacquard was a process, but the weave and intricacy of ‘laney’s lace deserved a name. Once more his focus narrowed as the sides of her waist did, before swelling out into her generous hips. A matching scrap of lace seemed to hide a narrow strip of jungle and as Jedediah leaned in closer his gaze was drawn down the sculpted thighs he had first noticed as she squatted in his woods. Shapely calves ended in delicate ankles. A truly exquisite woman. Drawing back again he slid the ebon silk sheet up over her, spreading it to conceal all. A faint hint of musk wafted up as the sheet settled. Jedediah froze, inhaling once more as his olfactory nerves analyzed and memorized. That was his delaney. Pure unadulterated natural musk, no processed fruity floral concoctions to hide an aversion to soap and water. Just her. Inhaling softly once more, he brushed a few stray hairs from her cheek, and headed out the door, his nudity highlighted briefly as he turned to the sofa.

Something definitely more permanent was needed. Swiftly he dressed, touched his tome and concentrated, then stepped into the center portal. A few moments later the Newborough transit dropped him off in Gullsborough, and he entered the gift shop.

[Delaney]

It didn't matter if Laney was a vampire or not-she was usually a late riser. The woman was still young, and didn't really have to be anywhere important before she was sired, and that still rang true after being sired. Laney had never held a job before-because her parents supported both her and her sister, and uni wasn't mandatory, so if she showed up, she showed up. If she didn't, no one would know but her and maybe the professor. Depending on the class and the size.

The first sign of movement and life from the woman was an arm stretching high above her head, as the other came under the soft pillow and hugged it to her head. From there, one leg crossed over the other and eyes fluttered opened as she took in the darkness of the room. Her ears tuned to the sounds of the apartment, mostly listening for Jedediah. The shuffling of feet, a creak of furniture, running water from a tap. But the woman didn't hear any of these things.

She sat up, the cover that was high on her body fell to her abdomen and came to rest on her lap. "Hello." It wasn't a question, more like letting Jedediah know that she was awake. Delaney waited, still sitting on the bed. His bed. Her bed. Their bed? He said what was his was hers because she was his, but it was hers. So it had to be theirs. Yet, he didn't sleep in the bed with her. Why? Jedediah was a tough cookie to crack.

Laney tossed the cover aside and smoothed along the glossy, soft fabric of the bottom sheet until she was on her feet next to the bed. By now her eyes had adjusted to the blackness of the room. Her bare feet padded across the floor of the apartment as Laney moved to the light switched and flipped it on. Her eyes moved to where her clothes were, debating on dressing, but decided against it and remade the bed. While Laney might take life casually (minus all things that were personally important to the girl), she wasn't lazy or inattentive to things that mattered. Like keeping things clean and nice. Especially since those things belonged to someone else.

Laney moved from the room, to the large, open living room area, eyes still seeking for Jedediah. "Hello?" She called out, this time in curiosity. Where could he have gone to? Her shoulders lifted high as she sighed outwards. With a twist of her feet, Laney moved away from the bedroom and to where the bathroom was. She remembered they were going to train with swords, which meant they were going to go out. Shower first, then clothes.

The woman foraged through the bathroom for a wash cloth and towel, but only came up with a towel. She wasn't an overly girlie girl, and so no wash cloth just meant she was using what god gave her-her two hands. The dark haired woman shed off the remainder of her clothing, cut on the water and stepped in the metal tub, allowing the water to rain down over the art that honeycombed over her body.