Path of the Vampire forum

Roleplay between siblings taking place in the Hospital and other areas.

Aisha stood, picking at the cuticles of her nail as she waiting for the subway. The night was a bit overcast and chilly, and Aisha wore a particularly thick sweater over her dress and boots. The station was almost empty, lest for a businessman who looked almost as anxious as she felt. It was strange how in tune she had become to sounds and sights since her turning, so much so, that she swore she could feel the pulse of the man standing a few feet from her. It was a soft, steady, thu-thump-thu-thump in his veins, like the low beating of a drum. Aisha couldn't lie, it was entrancing, but Lancaster had taught her well. She could resit this kind of temptation.

With a woosh of hot hair, the train finally sped into the station, and came to a screeching stop. Aisha quickly got onto one of the empty train cars, and before long was speeding off into the darkness of the tunnel. Quickly, she fiddle for her watch. She was 10 minutes late for meeting Kes. It was to be expected, since having to plan out times and places was pretty new to her. It had taken her a few time of ending up lost to completely understand the subway system, and even then she still had trouble. Thankfully, she was a fast learner, since after all, there was so much to learn. Aisha closed her eyes for a moment, listening carefully to the clattering of the tracks under her, like a fast moving heartbeat. It startled her sometimes how much she missed her own heartbeat, the feeling of blood in her veins that was only her own. Being a live had not been peaches and cream by any means, but some of the small things she missed. It was true, now she was healthy and free, but now there was nothing living or human about her.

Would Kes notice? Aisha mulled that question over in her brain, causing and icky feeling to form in the pit of her stomach. She was going to have to be careful, for her brother noticed everything. The siblings both had the trait of keen eyes and ears, but this time Aisha hoped certain things wouldn't be noticeable. She was already naturally pale, her fangs could be easily hidden, and she doubled he would question why they had to meet at night. It was unlikely he would notice her lack of heartbeat, or the coldness of her skin, or the change in hair color, but if he did....

All too soon, the train came to a completely stop, and the door popped open with a melodic 'ding'. Quickly, Aisha stood herself up, and hopped out onto the cement platform. With swift catlike movement, she tucked her hair behind one of her ears, and made her way out of the station and onto the sidewalk. Aisha had written directions to the diner onto a small slip of paper, and she quickly pulled out to reference her next step. While chewing on the nail of her pointer finger, and holding the crumpled note paper with the opposite hand, Aisha quickly walked along the nearly vacant street, to the left, and then the right, until she finally came upon the neon lit diner.

The place was nearly vacant inside, and it appeared even Kes hadn't shown up yet, so Aisha was given easy pickings of booths or tables. She chose a booth to the far side with a window, marveling at how colorful and unkempt everything was. The hospital sterilized everything, even the food it seemed, and left a smell akin to rubbing alcohol under her fingernails, in her hair, and on every surface. This place smelled like syrup and coffee. "What would you like to drink, ma'am." The womans voice was monotone, and the slightest hint of annoyance hung on he words. Aisha whipped her head around to look up at her, so deep in thought she barely noticed her still standing a foot away. "U-Um...I...," Aisha couldn't tell if she was blushing or not, but if she was, she was beat red. "n-nothing for me...right now...I mean im watching for someone..." The waitress raised an eyebrow, "ok well call when you ready," and finally she turned to leave. Aisha let out a shaky breath, and slumped down in the booth. Her gaze turned back to the window, watching as a soft rain began to fall.

Dammit, he was late! Kestrel Marten drove his Jeep through the streets of Harper Rock, daring to push it past the speed limit, despite the city's reputation for notoriously militant law enforcement. It had been a week since he had seen his sister. He felt terrible that he had missed calls from her in that time, but he had been so busy between work and Simon's training sessions.

And then yesterday he had arrived to her hospital room at their pre-arranged to time to find that she had checked out. Checked out? What was Aisha thinking? She was dying! He couldn't stand to think of it, but deep inside, he knew it was true. His sister had been dying, slowly but surely, in that hospital room for some time now. But at least while she was there she was surrounded by people who could help prolong her life. Was Kes just being selfish keeping her there? Not wanting to lose her? He wasn't sure. But checking herself out of the hospital, and then leaving him a voicemail to meet her at a diner just seemed ludicrous. And now he was late on top of everything else.

Training had gone long. Something seemed to be troubling Simon the last couple of days, and he was working Kestrel harder than he ever had. But there were payoffs as well. Tonight, Kestrel had felt the energy flowing through him. In the wooded clearing where they trained, Kes and Simon had been going through one of their sparring routines. Suddenly Kes could feel the chi flowing through his strikes, more so than it ever had before. One of them had finally connected, and he could see Simon visibly wince and shudder, as if an electric shock had coursed through his body. Kestrel had immediately broken off the match and rushed to the older sorcerer's side, worried that he had actually managed to hurt him. But Simon had smiled (actually smiled!) at Kestrel. "It appears you are finally learning, Mr. Marten. Good show indeed." Understandably, the excitement of this breakthrough came at the expense of watching the clock. But this was not something he could ever tell Aisha. He couldn't risk putting her in danger. If she were to ever find out that he had been chosen to be a sorcerer...

As Kestrel pulled up to the front of the diner, he checked the time. He was thirty minutes late. Dammit! Kes jumped out of the Jeep and hurried into the diner. Scanning the place, he saw Aisha sitting towards the back. She was watching the door, and saw him right away, her eyes lighting up. He practically ran over to her.

"Hey, I am so sorry I'm late." Kes gave her one of his bear hugs, then stood back to look at her. He tried to hold it in, but he just couldn't. "Aisha, what the hell were you thinking checking out of the hospital?"

Aisha sat in her booth, fiddling her thumbs, a cold cup of coffee sat infront of her untouched. She didn't want to think about what could possibly make Kes thirty minutes late. 'Traffic' she kept telling herself, ' its just traffic." The rain was still falling, and Aisha stared out onto the shimmering pavement, her mind like a a thousand spinning tops.

Suddenly she turned, by some unknown urge, to look at the door. A few seconds later, her brother came rushing the doors of the diner, and Aisha could physically feel her soul soar. She shot up like a spring into his hug, a few tears welling up her eyes held him closer, her feet barely touching the ground. He was warm, warmer than she remembered, despite the chill of the rain. "Its fine, " she sniffled, smiling as he released the hug, "Your here now!"

The smile she had been saving was quickly gone, as Aisha heard the question she inevitably was going to here. What could she say that he would believe? Aisha tried her best to have a decent poker face, and blinked up at there brother. "There was...a treatment, they didn't know if I would survive it so I didn't want to worry you...,"
she paused, her voice still level and calm, "and it worked....oh Kes it worked! I can walk now and I don't have to take any nasty medicine." She motioned for her brother to sit, as she too wedged herself back into her side of the booth, "When I came too...I was different person, " this wasn't entirely a lie, nor was most of what else she said. She tried to as Lancaster did, weaving truths with fantasies. "All that matters now is that im health...and that you don't have to work so hard anymore," Aisha's lips curled into one of her half smiles, her hand rested on her brothers arm,"I'm not a burden anymore..."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was cured? Was that even possible? Kestrel had dreamed of this moment so many times, of his sister well again, of her having a normal life away from hospital beds and I.V. drips and the specter of death hanging over her. The part of Kestrel's mind that might have questioned this unlikely turn of events was drowned out by the rushing wave of joy that washed over him.

He beamed at his sister as he joined her in the booth. "Aisha, this... well, it's just incredible! I'm so happy for you! You're going to get your life back!" His smile slipped a little. "I feel terrible that you weren't able to get ahold of me sooner. I'm sure you were excited to give me the good news." Though why hadn't she left him a voicemail when they had begun the new treament? he wondered, but decided for now that it wasn't important. "You're absolutely right. Now that you are out of the hospital, we need to spend a lot more time together. I'm going to cut my work hours way back. In fact, maybe we should take a trip somewhere!"

The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he had said. He had always dreamed of being able to travel with Aisha, to get her out of that horrible hospital bed and see the world with her, like they had always talked about as kids. And yet, now, even with her well again, well there was just no way. Simon would never agree to let Kestrel take a vacation from their training. Especially with all of Kes's recent breakthroughs. Simon had called what Kestrel had done tonight a "charged touch." He said it would bring him one step closer to evening the odds in a battle with a vampire. Simon had told him that the chi that Kestrel was focusing was now being channeled out through his hands. Kestrel had wisely refrained from irritating Simon when he was in such a pleasant mood by making a comment about Street Fighter II. Kestrel had loved that game growing up.

Besides, it was important news. Kestrel's training was all focused on the singular goal of ridding the world of vampires. Simon had told him when they first met that Harper Rock was the currently the world capitol of vampire activity. Of all the places, Kestrel had thought, this quiet little town in Ontario, the town he and Aisha had just happened to move to, was currently a hive of supernatural creatures. He couldn't have that. Especially now that Aisha was out of the hospital, the last thing he would ever allow to happen would be for her to become a victim to one of those bloodsuckers.

Before Kestrel had an opportunity to sheepishly retract his offer of travelling, he was given an out by the return of the waitress, who seeing the new addition to Aisha's table, had decided there still might be half a chance of getting a tip tonight. "What can I get ya hon?" She asked Kestrel, smiling suggestively. The mild flirting was nothing new for Kestrel, and something which by now he had gotten used to. At six foot four inches, and with a body toned by hours of heavy lifting on the construction sites where he worked (not to mention the martial arts training he was doing with Simon), Kestrel was frequently the recipient of admiring looks from members of the opposite sex. Not that he paid it much mind. There was no time in his schedule these days to even consider something like dating. His first concern was his sister, his second was his training. Though he wondered, thinking back on Aisha's missed calls from the previous week, had those priorities become reversed? The thought deeply disturbed him.

"Just a coffee for me. Did you want anything sis? Are you... able to eat ok?" He felt bad asking the personal question in front of a stranger. But Aisha had asked to meet him in a diner after all.

Aisha could feel her excitement fluttering around in her chest like a thousand butterflies trapped in a jar. All the emotions she felt were written across her face, all her love shinning through in a big smile. It was like they were kids again, looking out at the world with such trust and innocence. Part of her wished this feeling would freeze in time, and become something she could wear like a trinket. She was equally as happy that for now at least, the questioning was over.

"A trip? I would love that...somewhere warm of course...," he voice drifted off as her brothers tone noticeably changed, and her own self doubt took hold. Aisha could tell by the way his brow furrowed slightly, that there would be no trip, even now that she was well again. Even if it was a reality, Aisha would never be able to walk with her brother in the sun again. This thought pained her incredibly, as she started to understand what it truly meant. Aisha would be forever trapped in the shadows, and a trip in the sun was nothing but a fantasy now. Aisha tried her best to hide how she felt, giving her brother a shallow half smile. "Well...maybe not right now, but some day, right? We have our whole lives now..."

Aisha quickly tried to collect her thoughts and emotions. Sure she was now confined to the night, but at least she was alive. It was a blessing to at least have her freedom, right? These were at least things Aisha could tell herself, to make it seem worth it. Aisha looked up as the waitress returned to their table, noticing with some amusement that the top button of her blouse had become undone. "Um...I ate before I came, " she said with a slight smile, "I just thought maybe...you would be hungry? So eat all you want!" How stupid could she be? Of course she couldn't eat, and yet she had asked to meet in a diner. Thankfully, Aisha guessed she had played it off pretty well. The waitress shrugged, took the order, and left after passing Kes a playful smile. Aisha tried to her best to hide her giggle; some things just never changed.

She was happy to hear, at least, that they could spend more time together. After all, Kestral wouldn't have to work so hard anymore, and Aisha could start to help out and maker her own money. Still, Aisha had started to become awfully curious about where his time would be spent now, but quickly brushed off the feeling, wanting to respect her older brothers privacy. "Now that i'm living my own life...I will need a job," she paused, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, " I was wondering if...you had any suggestions?"

Aisha wrote: "Now that i'm living my own life...I will need a job," she paused, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, " I was wondering if...you had any suggestions?"

Kestrel laughed. "Whoah, slow down sis. You just got out of the hospital for crying out loud. Don't you think you should take it easy? You can always stay with me if you need to save some money." Aisha's undimmed enthusiasm had consistently been one of the things that kept Kestrel going. Their visits in the hospital had always been filled with laughter. They weren't sob fests, though the thought of what the disease had put her through had certainly made Kestrel want to cry. But he had been strong for her, and she had been strong for him, and it pleased him to no end to see that enthusiasm finally rewarded now that she was out, and with her whole life ahead of her again. She had plenty of time to get a job and all of those other normal things that people did, the things she could only dream about while stuck in that god forsaken hospital bed. Kestrel hoped he would be able to convince her to take it easy.

He knew inviting Aisha to stay with him could be problematic, what with the late hours he spent training with Simon in the woods, but he could always play it off as being at work, especially if he really did cut his hours back some. "You know what I think you should do? I think you should spend some time just being a lazy bum!" He laughed. "Go to coffee shops and read and work on your poetry. Have you started writing again? I know it was hard, with everything going on in the hospital, but you used to love it so much! God, I wish mom was here to see this."

The comment brought an unexpected sadness to Kestrel's features. He suddenly felt guilty. If he had been somewhat neglectful of Aisha with everything else that was going on, he had practically forgotten his parents existed. With his dad, it was understandable. Thoughts of John Marten, their father, only brought Kestrel bitterness and anger. But as much as he felt like he should resent his mother as well, for allowing their father to do the things he did, he found he just couldn't. He still missed her, and her sweet smile, her kind eyes. And yet, she had been wholely absent from his thoughts for how long now? Perhaps as much as a month. Kestrel worried again that his training and his new role as a sorcerer were taking over too much of his life.

CLINK

Kes's brooding was interrupted by the waitress setting the coffee down on the table. "There ya go, hon," she smirked at him before moving on to her other tables. Kestrel smiled politely at her and turned back to Aisha, taking a sip of the hot bitter drink, hoping it would clear his thoughts.

With her middle and pointer finger, Aisha smoothed the fold of a napkin, then folded it again, making it as small as she could. The repetition did little to quell her feelings of eagerness from building up inside of her. Things were different now, her outlook on life having done a complete 180, and Aisha knew there was no going back to how it was. It wasn't Kes's fault, of course, he was oblivious to her current state. "I have so many poems and drawings...three journals full to be exact," Aisha laughed lightly in the palm of her hand, then added playful, "Perhaps I should write a book or two?"

Where as before, frail and sickly, Aisha could barely rise from her bed every morning. Now she had all the energy in the world, and could probably out run even him if she tried. Still, his advice had always been something she had taken to heart, and Aisha feigned a half smile. "I actually did find a place to stay...with a friend," Aisha bit her lip, choosing her words carefully, "It feels so good to be independent, but if I feel like i'm struggling in any way, ill knock on your door first."

Aisha felt a subtle warmth when her brother mentioned their late mother, a woman who she resembled in almost every way. It had been so long since Aisha had even thought of her mother , and the memories came flooding back like crashing wave. How many years had it been? Almost as long as Aisha had been sick, her mothers dead, and her imprisonment seeming to go hand in hand. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the small details. Long black hair, smelling of jasmine, their mothers favorite scent. Cool, pale hands caressing Aisha's head as she struggled with a fever. Aisha noticed the subtle changed in Kestrel's expression, obviously caused from the mentioning of their mother. "Yeah...I wish she was here too," she said, smiling softly, and giving her brothers hand a comforting squeeze.

Aisha looked up as the waitress set down the coffee, amusement played across her face as she watched the exchanged. "What about you?" Aisha rested her chin in the palm of her hand, her lips curled into a half smile, eyes glimmering, "You have yet to tell me what you've been up to?" There was no denying the curiosity in Aisha's tone, and the girl tried her best not to seem nosy. Kes had spoken to her about his jobs for sure, but this was a chance for Aisha to become apart of his daily life in a greater sense.