Path of the Vampire forum

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

[Rion] She was angry.

No, that was putting it mildly. She was furious. With each tick of the clock, she found herself growing more impatient. How dare he act like that - no, treat her like that. She wasn’t a child to be ordered around, and she definitely wasn’t one of his weak minded little bitches that wanted to lick his boots and beg for table scraps of attention. She kept to herself, she minded her own business and she damn well didn’t hurt anyone. To call her a risk - well, that had lit a fire inside of her like none other. She had never been so furious with him, nor had she ever felt so betrayed. He was supposed to be the one she could count on and trust, the one that understood just how her mind worked. He proved the night before, however, than he didn’t know a damned thing about her. Snapping her teeth together, she tossed her pen against the sterile desktop and pinched the bridge of her nose. As if she had been waiting for that exact moment, her assistant stuck her head into the door and frowned.

“You look like ****.”

The words caused her head to snap up and her gaze narrowed on the petite blonde, her blue wide and holding an innocence the necromancer wanted to rip away. And he wants me to let go of my humanity, she thought darkly as she pushed her chair back. “Rough night. Finish up the reports and get them filed by the morning.” Her words were rushed as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and snapped it in place with a rubberband. When the woman didn’t immediately step away, she let her frown darken. “What, Becks? I told you not to worry about anything. I’ve got it taken care of. I’m going to open my own business. He can’t say **** about that, either, without being hypocritical.” When the stress seemed to ease from the blonde’s features, Rion finally stepped around her, hand pressing to her shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. I have kept you with me this long, have I not? Don’t stress so much. Go, get that work done.”

Without waiting for another word, she quickly gathered her bag and headed out into the street. The sky was already beginning to darken, the sun’s rays hidden as the moon began to make itself at home. Careful to keep her head down and to the shadows, she weaved her way through the town until she finally found herself outside of their shared workplace. She knew what he wanted to hear - she knew that she was going to give it to him. However, it wasn’t just because of him that she had finally caved. It was because of Osiris, the look in his eyes and the fierce rage that had been burning there when he spoke of the comments made during their gathering. She had ignored it all - she had let it roll off her back and pretended not to hear, but he had - and he had given her an ultimatum, one that she couldn’t refuse.

It was either give in and relinquish the hold she had on the rest of her human life, or have him risk his own life and safety to defend her honor.

She couldn’t let him do that.

Holding a breath that she didn’t need, she eyed the door until she heard her alarm go off, signaling that she was officially five minutes late. With a smirk, she finally pushed her palm against the door and swung it open, her head held high as she made her way inside.

“Honey, I’m hooome.”

<Micah> She was pissed, and he knew it but he couldn’t bring himself to care that she was. Her reaction to him had told him everything that he needed to know. The killer hadn’t missed Osiris’ comments either and had bitten through his tongue lest he snap back and make an already volatile situation worse. Micah got it. Osiris would always come to Rion’s defense and he was fine with that, understood it even as he did the same for Vel. But it really wasn’t his place to try and tell Micah that he was out of line. Not that those words had actually been spoken, but the implication was heavy in the air. He was unimpressed. The outcome would have remained the same regardless if it had been addressed in public or in private. Too bad if that was a problem.

In order to keep the situation under control Micah had spoken directly into Rion’s mind ordering her to meet him at Masterpiece. A minute past the chosen time was unacceptable as his childe was certain to know. Patience wasn’t something that he had been graced with and everyone knew it. And he was currently out of it in regards to Rion’s job. She’d been given too much time as it was. Others had been in the same situation - Aysel came to mind actually. The killer had discovered that Zakar’s very human mother was making trips to visit with them, and when he had discovered that bit of information he hit the roof and gave a deadline of no more than a week to either enthrall her or kill her. There was no other option. And it was time that Rion was given the same ultimatum. Cut the ties or he would do it for her. She may not like it but she didn’t have to. He wasn’t going to bend on this.

As he sat behind his desk he allowed his mind to drift as he considered the situation. When he had turned Rion she had been working on a case. One that was important to her that she had been on for quite some time. She had asked him for time to see it through. Micah had no idea what was actually involved in her job so he had granted her the requested time thinking that it was just a matter of time before the case wrapped up. How wrong he had been. They were just a few short months shy of her one year anniversary and she was still working at that job, on the case that he never expected to still be going after all this time. Enough was enough though and finished or not the case was closed for her.

She’s here Master Micah.

The text from Bunny pulled him from his thoughts just in time. A glance at his phone told him that she was late. Five minutes wouldn’t be much of anything to anyone else, but to him it was. She’d done it on purpose and he refused to allow it to nag at him no matter how furious it made him. Oh no, she wasn’t going to get the satisfaction. When the door swung open to admit his childe he plastered a pleasant smile on his face welcoming her.

“I am so pleased that you found the time to join me.”

He was anything but.

[Rion] I am so pleased you don’t have your ***** wrapped around your dick.

The thought slithered into her mind and danced across her tongue, causing her to clench her firsts against her ribcage. She knew that speaking them would make this already uncomfortable meeting turn into battle - and one she was surely to lose. In the deep, dark corners of her mind, she knew that his wife wasn’t his fault. He had put himself on the line more than once to defend her against the volatile tantrums from the older vampiress, but it still didn’t ease the bitter taste in her mouth every time she heard her name. Deciding to keep true to her word, however, she refused to speak to - or about - the other. Without much of an issue, she erased the other from her thoughts and dropped her bag onto the floor. No sooner had the door slammed shut behind her than her cell began to vibrate, and she quickly held the power button to turn the device off. “My assistant. She’s drowning in paperwork,” she muttered before tossing the iPhone onto her bag and making her way towards him.

She didn’t want to get too close, and she kept a wary gaze on his gun hand. Despite the anger boiling inside of her like a volcano waiting to erupt, she knew her boundaries. She constantly toed the line with the man, and by the look in his eyes, she had one foot off the edge and was dangerously close to falling onto the wrong side. With an agitated sigh, she shoved her hand through her disheveled hair and shook her head. “Look, I get it, okay? You’ve given me more than enough time, I just…” she trailed off for a second, as if trying to collect her thoughts. In all honesty, she had every thought in perfect order - she just didn’t want to voice them. Her teeth snapped together in that tell-tale sign of anger and she rubbed her hands against her thighs.

“I’m not a ******* risk, Micah.” The words slipped out before she could control them, and she rolled her gaze to the ceiling in an attempt to calm herself. It was too late now - the damage was done, and so she knew she might as well push forward. “I get what you were trying to say, and I know that you’re worried about me, about the family. I just don’t appreciate being called out in public like a ******* child. This is my career and before you, it was my life. To be put on the spot in public, something you know is hard for me to deal with… that’s what made this all that much worse. You know that. I know, you don’t give a **** about how it made me feel, but I wish you did.” It was the most vulnerable thing she had said to him. She hadn’t realized the words had left her lips until the silence drifted between them, and she quickly turned her gaze away.

“It doesn’t matter. You called me here to deliver your ultimatum, didn’t you? Well, don’t ******* worry about it. It’s done. I just need the week to make sure no trace of me or Becks remains at the office or in the system so they can’t track us down. If that’s alright.” The last part was mumbled quietly, as if it pained her to ask his permission. She had every intention of telling him off when she entered the building, but that unfamiliar - and frankly annoying as hell - bond she felt with him had caused her to cave. It wasn’t something she did easily - or proudly - but it had happened. The anger drained from her face and her eyes, leaving her looking every bit as exhausted as she felt.

<Micah> Oh Rion you are SO predictable. While he couldn’t read her mind, she was transparent and he knew exactly where her head was at. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her if she had some sort of sick obsession with Vel as often as her thoughts and words seemed to center on his wife, but he let it go. This had nothing to do with Vel and unlike Rion he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to let the conversation turn in that direction. If it came up he’d deal with it, though it wouldn’t be in her favor. “Mmm,” came the unimpressed sound from her as he remained in place, pleasant smile remaining. “I find it rude Rion, that you were late. I specifically stated seven, because I have other pressing engagements later in the evening and rearranged things to meet with you.” And no, they have nothing to do with my wife but I’m sure that you’ll think otherwise.

“No matter. Please have a seat.”

The smile remained in place even as she rushed through her rather flimsy explanation. Silence met her as she finished speaking and he purposely allowed it to grow until it was downright ******* awkward. “No. I don’t think you get it at all. If you did, you wouldn’t push the issue. You wouldn’t purposely avoid me in order to continue doing the job that I gave you a set amount of time to complete. Constantly you toe the line and I’ve allowed that for reasons that I cannot even begin to understand. After all, your entire vampiric existence can be blamed on you and you alone all because you couldn’t keep your nose out of something that didn’t concern you.” The pleasant facade dropped. The anger that he had felt returned with a vengeance and he unleashed it on her full force. Micah was tired of this. Tired of being made a fool of and even if she tried to say otherwise he wasn’t ******* stupid.

“You are a ******* risk Rion. Every single night you go out there pretending to be a human your chance at exposure increases. Every single night you recklessly interact with humans that are smart enough to pick up on the subtle little things that you may not think are important. You’re a ******* necromancer. There are some things that you just can’t hide. Tell me how you hide the fact that you look cadaverous under fluorescent lighting? How do you hide your pale as death skin? The fact that you don’t eat? Or how about that fact that you don’t have a ******* pulse??” He wasn’t yelling at her. In fact his voice was deathly quiet which just made it that much worse. That cold calm that you just knew was a raging volcano somewhere inside just waiting to erupt. There was no holding back now. She could hate him when he was done but at least his point would be driven home and she would be safe. What kind of sire would he be if he continued to allow this farce to take place?

“No. You can’t have a ******* week. You’ve had months to plan for this Rion. I don’t care how you do it. Fake a car accident, leave a note stating you ran off. But you’re ******* done as of right now. I don’t care if you don’t like being called out in the open and taken to task on your **** ups. I can do that anytime that I wish, because guess what darlin? That is my ******* family, Vel and I built it from scratch and we’re ******* proud of it. You are my childe. You don’t have to like or approve of my choices or my actions but you will ******* respect them. Am I ******* clear?”

[Rion] “Oh, come the **** off it, Micah.”

The words came far too quickly for her to control them – or take them back. Instead, she purposefully moved around the seat that he indicated, and crossed her arms over her chest as she lounged back against the nearest wall. It went against everything inside of her to defy him, but she knew she had to hold onto some semblance of independence. She needed something to remind herself that she wasn’t lost in the void he had created for her, and that she was still the same woman she had been. Yet, that person wouldn’t have felt the need to claw her skin from her bones in that instant, nor would she had trembled like a cocaine addict looking for her next fix as she denied his wishes. With an irritated snap of her teeth, she pushed a blue curl from her eyes and leveled her cold, lifeless stare on his.

“I ******* get it, alright? You’ve treated me far better than you’ve treated your other ‘creations’ and I abused it. I already told you I’d fix it, so what’s with the power trip? I won’t hurt your ******* precious family, if that’s all you’re worried about.”

The twist in her chest caused her to flinch, and she pushed from the wall to stalk to the far side of the building, her palms pressing to the cool tile once she had reached it. She needed something to balance her, something to try and penetrate the iron chains she had locked herself in. “I said I’ll take care of it, I don’t know why you want to keep beating the topic. I swear, it has to be some sort of obsession,” she muttered under her breath, her mind drifting to her partner. He had a knack for doing not allowing the subject to drop, and she could see the uncanny resemblance in the two. It left an odd taste in her mouth, the bitterness nearly choking her as she pushed from the wall. She was like a caged animal, unable to sit still, unable to think for herself as she turned on him.

“You’re sitting there, acting like you ******* understand a thing about me. Do you think that I went against you because I don’t understand? Of course I ******* understand, you dick. I just don’t exactly feel like losing what’s left of myself! I said I ******* GET IT!” The words echoed off the walls as the building began to shake, her fingers twisting dangerously into her hair as she felt a scream burn its way up the back of her throat.

What the **** is happening to me?!

The world began to spin as she pressed a hand to the wall, only to feel the plaster break beneath her touch. Breathe, mother ******. BREATHE. Shaking her head, as if the sole action would stop the mayhem inside of her mind, she turned her frightful and enraged blue gaze to focus on him. “I’m so ******* sorry that I put you and your family at risk. I’m sorry I was so ******* selfish as to want to keep something for myself. I won’t be a ******* issue anymore, alright?” The words tumbled in a rushed hiss, the ground beneath her giving a rough shake as pictures began to fly from the walls and crash to the floor. Sinking to her knees, she tangled her fingers into her hair as the scream threatened to spill free and instead gave a choked sob as she clawed her nails down her face. For a moment, all she could hear was Velveteen’s voice in the back of her mind, screaming at her for causing a scene.

Get it together, you *****, is what she would say, and yet, she couldn’t. She didn’t even understand what the **** was happening to her, but the words continued to bounce in her skull. Get it together, get it together, she repeated over and over, even as a lamp crashed to the floor behind her. “You don’t get it, though, do you? You have to worry about every ******* one else. I can’t just ******* disappear, do you get that? You think I’m a ******* risk now – wait until no one hears from me. Even if I stage my ******* death, people will investigate me. I’m one of the ******* notorious examiners left. Little Miss Creepshow will be a household name by the evening news,” she whispered, her voice labored.

Come on, Rion, what the **** is wrong with you?!

<Micah> The killer sat quietly as Rion started into her tirade. He could have cut her off but he chose not to. Let her get it out, tell him how she felt. He didn’t have any fucks left to give and she certainly wasn’t earning herself any points with him. The longer she ranted and raved and screamed to the skies about how unfair he was the angrier he got. He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that she was defiant from the start. It was who she was after all, but it didn’t mesh well with his own volatile personality. When he said something needed to be done he wasn’t asking. He expected it to be done but Rion could and would never give into his demands without a fight. If she thought that she was going to win this one with her over the top dramatics she had another thing coming.

He met her stare and chuckled softly. He wasn’t intimidated. Micah had looked death in the eye more times than he could count and never once flinched. Her cold stare was child’s play compared to the things that he had seen. Laughing wasn’t really appropriate but if it pissed her off then all the better. In this battle of wills he was determined that he was going to come out on top. She could throw herself on the floor and pitch a tantrum of epic proportions but she wouldn’t move him. This game she played was being forced to end regardless if she liked it or not.

Glass shattered, spraying him with tiny shards that left small abrasions behind on his skin. They stung but he shrugged it off. Pictures danced across the surface of his desk and hit the floor. One of the pictures of his mother that Bunny had had restored hit the floor, the glass shredding the image. *****. Now he was pissed off. Micah had seen this before - it had happened when Vel was livid, when Satine was livid so it wasn't something that could actually be controlled. Didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to rip into her though.

“Are you ******* finished yet childe?” It didn’t matter if she was or not. She’d had her say and now it was time for him to have his. She wasn’t going to like it.

Pushing back away from the desk he rose to his feet and walked around, crouching to pick up the picture of Savannah off the floor. The damage wasn’t as severe as he had originally thought so repairing it wouldn’t be too difficult. Glass crunched under his boots as he stood to lean against his desk. “You have abused every single trust that I have given you in one single fell swoop. I don’t know what gives you the impression that you are better than everyone else but that ends here. Now. No one else has been given this long to wrap up their ties to their human lives. A couple of weeks at most but you? You’ve taken what I granted you and ran with it to the pits of hell and beyond. In doing so you’ve put me in a difficult position by making it look like I’ve granted you favors, giving you allowances that others haven’t been granted, making it look as if you’re on some sort of imaginary pedestal. News flash sweetheart. You aren’t above anyone else.”

“You think I’m a dick now? Try and push for more Rion. I’ve been more than generous with you already. I give zero fucks whether you want to lose what you have left in regards to your human ties. You don’t have a choice any longer. It’s out of your hands whether you like it or not.” **** if he didn’t want to reach out and wrap his hands around her scrawny little throat to knock some sense into her. “My precious family? Need I remind you that you’re a member of that family? That Osiris is a member of that family?” **** her. If she could use Vel in an attempt to hurt him then he was sure as **** going to give back as good as he got. “Your selfishness could come back and bite you in the ***. He could be used against you. Do you really want to be the reason he gets killed? Because let me tell you something Rion. I am not above threatening his life if you choose to continue to defy me. I could always arrange for him to have an accident. One little phone call is all it would take and there would be no questions asked.” He offered her a cold smile. “Throw in a little cash and there you go. I’m sure you don’t want me to resort to such tactics now do you, Rion dear?”

One thing she failed to realize is he would do whatever it took to get the job done. It wouldn’t be the first time that he had to resort to stooping to that level and it wouldn’t be the last.

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

Micah liked Osiris and it would pain him slightly to have to use his childe in such a way. He wasn’t a nice guy and he never hid that fact. Osiris would get over it and so would she. And if they didn’t? No skin off his back. “Don’t tell me what I do and do not get Rion. As you accuse me of not knowing you, I can say the same. You don’t know **** about me. You don’t know what I’m capable of but keep testing me and you’ll discover first hand that this isn’t a ******* game. You’re putting everything that Vel and I have built together at risk all because you refuse to give up your human life. No more. I’m ******* finished.” His head canted to the side. “Infamous??” He started to laugh. “Darlin look up infamous in the dictionary. Pretty sure there is a picture of Vel beside the word. Don’t try to ******** a bullshitter. You might have been well known when you were a human but as a vampire you don’t have that kind of reputation. You say they’ll come looking for you? Good. Come at me bro. They won’t know what hit them.” He grinned at her, one of those wickedly vindictive grins that said he meant business. They wanted to investigate her? Bring it on. It had been awhile since he’d made someone his *****. Micah welcomed the ******* challenge.

[Rion]

Osiris.

One second, she was doubled over on the floor, her mind racing with ways to control her anger – and the next, she was in front of him, her gun pressed beneath his chin. Her eyes had turned glacial, and with a simple movement of her finger, she thumbed the safety off. “You really want to watch yourself, Micah,” she hissed, her words almost drowned out by the walls as they split in two behind them. “I don’t give a **** what happens to me, but I’m not going to let you play your little game with Osiris. He’s the only one out of this shithole that gives a **** about the real me.” It was then her hand began to tremble, her finger nearly pulling the trigger as a shudder passed through her. “You, Velveteen, Every – you all think this is something I can ******* control, that I do it for ******* attention. You never took the goddamned time to find out what it was really about.” Her laughter was cold as she tipped her head back, her eyes darkening with menace as she locked her gaze with his.

“Good god, how much faster can you backpedal? ‘You never got special treatment, Rion. You’re not that unique Rion! Oh, but wait, I gave you far more time and chances than anyone else was granted, but you need to come off that high horse of yours.’ Get the **** off it, Micah. I thought you were better than that,” she muttered as the gun trembled in her hand. She knew she couldn’t do it. She knew that there was absolutely no way she would be able to pull the trigger, but ****, she wanted to. She wanted to see his brains splatter across the wall behind him, she wanted to see him slump over his desk as the life faded from his eyes. She wanted him to suffer – she wanted him to know how it ******* felt to be helpless for once.

What in the **** has gotten into you, Rion? This isn’t you!

Oh, but it was. It always had been.
She would always be the psychotic freak.

She could feel the madness creep into her skull, pulling her under as it began to suffocate her. Darkness surrounded her vision, the screams bouncing in her mind uncontained. Why can’t you just be normal, Rion? Why can’t you just be a good girl for once? The foundation of the building groaned and begged for mercy as her anger only escalated, a cold burst of wind coming in through the broken windows to kick her hair about her face. She was drowning – and no one was going to save her this time. With a guttural growl, she shoved her hands violently against his chest and spun, the report of her gun echoing off the trembling walls as she fired a single shot into the nearest mirror. She couldn’t even stand to look at herself, at the monster she had become.

The monster he made you.

The truth spoke louder than any of the other voices, and she slowly turned back to him, her gun held limp at her side. “You should have just killed me that night.” Her voice caught as she uttered the words, her throat tightening to the point of pain. “I would have been better off. You would have been better off,” she continued as she lifted her gun to study it. He had given it to her – just as he had given her every other item she needed for survival, and she had cherished each one. It had been more than anyone else had given her – she just hadn’t realized it all came with a price. It had nothing to do with what he was demanding of her, either. That was a price she could pay easily.

No, she wasn’t upset about having to leave her career behind. She knew the heart of the matter, and she could feel the beast of truth twisting inside of her, finally tasting freedom.

There was no turning back now.

“Don’t you ******* get it yet, Micah? I know I’m fucked up. I know I’m broken. I don’t belong here. I didn’t ******* ask for any of this!” The words came out in a harsh, broken breath, the truth finally spoken and hanging in the air between them. “You should have just let me die.” Her shoulders slumped as she finally let the gun fall. The sound of it connecting with the floor was like a crash of thunder as the shaking finally ceased, the chaos she had created snuffed out in an instant. There was nothing more she could do. She couldn’t hurt him, and she couldn’t hurt herself. She knew the moment she tried that he would be on her, and it was a fight she no longer had the energy for. She had exhausted herself both mentally and physically, the words she had wanted to say dying on her tongue. With her body finally drained, she tipped her head back to meet his gaze, her own lifeless as tears stained her pale skin.

“I wasn’t worth saving.”

<Micah> The cold steel was unforgiving as it dug into his skin, and the click of the safety switching off seemed to echo around them. He never flinched. His eyes dared her to pull the trigger. If a reaction was what she was looking for she was going to be disappointed in the lack of one. “You forget yourself. Who the **** do you think you are to stand there and tell me to watch myself? And who the **** do you think you are to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do?” His eyes flashed with a challenge that he dared her to take up. “Do it darlin,” he spoke to her softly but his words held a hint of steel. “Pull the trigger. I dare you to do it. But you only get one shot to ensure that I don’t get back up. Because if I do, you’ll be the one turned to ash at my hand. You want to play? Think long and hard about the consequences.” He could have left it there but he didn’t. He wasn’t quite finished with her. “It’s kind of hard to find anything out about you when you’ve been avoiding me and everyone else for months. Don’t stand there and try and push the blame onto everyone else. It goes both ways Rion, and when you push out that whole **** off and die vibe it kind of puts a crimp into anyone’s plans to get to know you.”

“Backpedaling? Are we even having the same conversation or am I talking to the voices in your head?” His fingers curled around the edge of the desk to keep from wrapping his hands around her throat. Black spots decorated his vision as the rage he’d been trying to contain grew and burned through his body like a raging inferno. “I stated the truth. You aren’t special, you don’t get preferential treatment but yet here you are dragging this whole ******* situation on. You’ve gotten more time, simply because I haven’t seen you to force you to cut the ties that hold you to your human life sooner.” The gun started to tremble as her hand did but he still wasn’t afraid. One small slip of her finger was all that it would take and it was impossible to dodge a shot to the head at point blank range. The killer hated to think what would become of her if she went through with it. Regardless of the fact that he was openly taunting her, challenging her to do it well - she’d be killed. That was just a cold hard fact.

The shove came as a surprised but it wasn’t enough to move him, but the shot that came from her gun had him ducking just to be on the safe side. The mirror shattered and he stared at the shards as they hit the floor in dismay. His office was a wreck and he was pretty sure that the shop itself hadn’t escaped her wrath. The foundation of the shop itself protested and he found himself growing angrier still. The damage of her tirade was going to be massive, and expensive. The more he thought about it though, his anger over the damage to the shop started to cool. It was no different than the time Satine and Vel had gotten into it and destroyed his garage. It would be hypocritical of him to remain angry at Rion for the same thing. Inwardly he sighed and made a mental note to have Bunny contact the contractor to get an estimate of the repairs. He’d have to close the shop until the work was finished but he could redirect any appointments that couldn’t be rescheduled to Adrenaline.

As soon as the gun hit the floor he moved to kick it out of her vicinity. “So? We’re all fucked up Rion. Every last one of us has demons that we have to fight. I know what I did to you. You weren’t given a choice in the matter, but if I were given the choice to go back and do it again i wouldn’t do anything differently. Why? Because something in you drew me to you. Yeah you poked your nose into things that you had no business knowing. I could have killed you, yes, but I didn’t. Because I saw something in you worth saving.” He moved to stand in front of her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. “Don’t you get it Rion? I turned you because I saw the potential in you to become something great. But until you allow yourself to shed that ice cold ***** shell you have wrapped around yourself, you aren’t going to flourish. You’re going to stumble and fall, and fight me every step of the way. I don’t do this to be a dick. I do this because I give a ****.” Maybe now, she’d actually ******* get it.

[Rion]Her nerves were fried, her mind exhausted.

There was nothing left in her to give – nothing left for her to say. Yet, he seemed to have not gotten the memo. She watched the emotions flicker across his face, the way he seemed to fight his own battles inside. She hadn’t missed the grip of his hands, and for a moment, a memory flashed into her mind. Her own hands were bound behind her back as a large hand applied pressure to her throat. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t scream. Spots had flickered in and out of her vision as she fought for life, for survival. Why did she fight then – but she couldn’t find it in her to give a **** now? Turning her head away, she brushed a shaking hand through her hair and blew out a deep breath. She was two people inside. One was clawing for acceptance, to be heard – the other was holding her back with a chokehold. She couldn’t give in, she just couldn’t.

She couldn’t stand to be hurt again.
With her thoughts racing, she never heard him approach. When the heavyweight of his hands pressed down on her shoulders, she flinched from him, as if expecting his thumbs to press against her trachea. When he merely held her in place, she slowly swung her gaze back to his, knowing that she looked like a complete ******* mess. There was a childlike desperation in her shimmering gaze, and there wasn’t a damned thing she could do to stop it. He had managed to catch her on an off day, a day she hoped that no one would ever see.
“You don’t have any fucks to give, remember?” Her voice was choked as the emotions threatened to spill forward, and she dropped her gaze to look past his shoulder. Now that the fury had drained free, she couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. It was another fucked up thing about her, to see the emotions in someone’s gaze – to see the hatred, the judgment – it would be too much.

“I never said I was special, Micah. That’s the ******* thing, I know I’m not. I’ve never mattered to anyone, not the way I guess I should have.” Trailing her tongue over her suddenly dry lips, she lifted her hand to curl her fingers around his wrist. She had no idea what she was going to do. She didn’t want to move him away, but she didn’t want him to keep touching her. Yet, the connection seemed to steady her, and her mind was finally beginning to quiet enough so she could pick the more coherent thoughts. “I avoided you because I couldn’t get close to you. What is between us ******* terrifies me, and now I realize that sounded like it came right out of one of those chick flicks. That’s not what I meant,” she growled beneath her breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “I feel something for you that isn’t normal. I can’t define it. No one would have escaped my bullet for threatening Osiris. Yet, the thought of hurting you ripped through my heart like a ******* machete. That’s not right, and it’s not safe.”

Her voice trailed off then as she focused on the fabric of his shirt, her lips moving as she silently began to count backwards. She could feel the tremor in her body, feel the emotions threatening to spill free again. She knew she had to control it, she had to fight through it. She had already caused enough damage, and she wasn’t sure he’d forgive her if she brought the entire building down on their heads. “I’ve been abused, neglected. I’ve been insulted and used by the two men that were supposed to love and protect me. I know my story isn’t anything special or unique, but it’s the truth. My father would beat the **** out of me if I even as much as spoke. My husband…” she trailed off then, her gaze growing distant before she turned her head away to hide her eyes. “Let’s just say whatever self-esteem I had left, he made sure to rip it to shreds in a matter of seconds.”

His words still echoed in her mind, the insults nearly stealing her breath – if she had any left to give. “There’s a reason I am the way I am, Golem. There’s a reason that I’m terrified of letting anyone close. Yeah, I’m ******* terrified. I barely survived the first time. I can’t be hurt again.” Her voice broke again, and she quickly cleared her throat.

She needed to stop this.

Steeling herself, she began to build the walls back up – but they wouldn’t go. She still felt raw, exposed, even as her heart began to shut itself off. Muttering an oath, she scrubbed her face and peeked out at him from behind her fingers. “That’s why I fought so hard for my job. It was the only thing I had left that hadn’t let me down or hurt me. It hadn’t betrayed me, and it was where I felt comfortable. I get your reasoning and I’m done arguing about it, but I never told you. I never told you anything. Hell, Osiris doesn’t even know about my father. He just knows that he was an ***,” she admitted, her hand dropping from his wrist as the last of her resolve dissipated.

“I’m sorry for the damage. I’ll pay for it.”

<Micah> A glimmer of a smile. She was joking with him and he took that to be a good sign. He had hopefully gotten through to her enough for her to understand what he’d been try to say, to understand why he was pushing her to do this. Though she was right about one thing - he didn’t have any fucks to give. Usually. When she had first walked into the shop he had had every intention of laying it out there on the line and letting her know in no uncertain terms how it was going to be. She didn’t have to like it. He didn’t care. All he cared about was getting this **** ended once and for all. In true Rion form she reacted and in turn fed his own reaction. That was never a good thing.

He ignored the flinch. It was a reaction, a deep seated one that just wasn’t going to go away. The killer was careful to keep his touch light to make it easy to break his hold should she choose to do so. “You know that’s not true Rion,” he spoke quietly, relaxing ever so slightly as her hand wrapped around her wrist. She was starting to calm down and in her doing so he allowed himself to do the same. “You matter to me, to Osiris and you’d matter to others if you would just allow them in. These walls you have up aren’t healthy. I know you know that.”

If he was surprised at her confession his face didn’t show it. It just confirmed what he had already suspected. She felt something for him but it wasn’t what Kleo felt for him. Micah wasn’t sure what it was but he didn’t think that it was a threat to what he shared with Vel. It was clear that her affections were with Osiris but it still didn’t explain what the connection between them meant. He knew that what he felt was just a normal sire/childe bond, and that was it. He hadn’t noticed anything like what she was describing so whatever it was, it was only on her end. “Is that such a bad thing? Not being able to hurt me. I mean, I can take it but having someone constantly wanting to beat my *** because I turned them my seriously cramp my style.” A bigger smile this time.

There was more that he could have said but Rion wasn’t finished. The killer remained quiet as she spoke of her husband, of her father, and of the way she had been treated. It was no wonder that she had such powerful walls in place around her. She didn’t want to be hurt again. Micah had the power to do that to her, as did Osiris. He wasn’t sure about Osiris but Micah knew hew that he wasn’t going to hurt her like that. She was his responsibility now and it was his job to protect her even if it was from her demons. The wheels in his mind started to turn, a plan starting to form. He’d have to speak with Osiris because Micah was sure that he’d want in on it. “Don’t you worry Rion. They can’t hurt you anymore. Osiris and I will never let that happen.” And he meant it. “Don’t worry about the damage. It’s insured.” The building could be replaced. She couldn’t be.

[Rion] Applying pressure to her grasp on his wrist, she slowly pulled his hand from her shoulder and took a step away. The distance did little to calm the racing of her thoughts or the twist of her emotions, but it allowed her to control what little dignity she had left. His touch felt as if it was anchoring her in place, and she knew that she had to show she could stand on her own. He had never asked for her to prove herself to him, and yet she realized that was exactly what she did. She constantly grasped at anything and everything she could to show that she wasn’t as worthless as she felt herself to be.
God, you sound like such a little *****, Rion.

With a resigned sound, the necromancer brushed her fingers through her hair and began to settle herself. Her mind shut down first – then her emotions. Soon, that distance reflected in her eyes, the blue shining with a chill that kept the world at bay. “Yeah, the jury is still out on you two. I think I’ll wait for the verdict before letting anyone else in.” Her lips twisted in that familiar smirk as she brushed some debris off of her shirt. “We’ll see. These walls haven’t let me down yet, but we’ll see.” It was as much of a promise as he was going to get from her. She wasn’t ready to concede yet, she wasn’t ready to just put her heart on the line and risk everything she had done for herself. He made it seem so easy, but she saw through the mask. He was as guarded as she was.

In all honesty, the similarities between the two of them astounded her.

As much as she wanted to hate him, how could she when he reminded her so much of herself?
Twisting a stray blue curl behind her ear, she stretched her back out and gave the building another once over. I miss the days when it was all in my head, she thought acidly, before shaking her head. There was nothing she could do. She knew that. She knew she couldn’t control the insanity any more than she could control the changing of the seasons. It was out of her hands. The thought depressed her, and she forced it to the back of her mind as she gave a choked laugh as he continued to speak. The sound was broken and rough – but it was a start. “That would mean you had any style to begin with,” she countered before taking a step further from him. He didn’t understand.

What she felt for him went far beyond love and reason. There was nothing romantic about it, and it made it all the more dangerous. If she loved him, she could quit him. It would have been easy to throw in the towel and tell him to shove his blade up his *** and spin, but she couldn’t. “It’s a bad thing, Micah, because it means there is not a damned thing I can do if you were to kill me. I don’t think I could even defend myself. Whatever this is isn’t good for my health. I don’t love you, I don’t desire you, but I can’t hurt or walk away from you. I don’t care who you **** or what ***** you’re with, but the thought of anyone hurting you pisses right the **** off.” She gave a hopeless shrug then, and pulled her jacket on before turning for what remained of the door.

“I need to go. I need to think or kill something. I don’t ******* know, but I just need to go. I’ll pay for it. Don’t even bothering arguing.” Without bothering to wait for his response, she quickly ducked out into the night, her hands trembling as the walls she hastily built began to crumble at her feet.