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The afternoon sun was strong though one would never know it if they were to glance upon the red-head’s apartment. Of all the windows, only the kitchen seemed to be bathed in the light, while the curtains remained drawn tight across the others. The property owner was to be found curled up into the corner of the couch lost in thought.

In truth, she was stuck in an endless loop of the events of the night prior trying to figure out how it had gone so wrong so fast. While, yes, it had been the first time she actually saw a friend die, the snowball effect from it seemed way out of proportion. The reaction itself, initially, seemed normal, at least that was a consolation. Then why had the reappearance of Llangort set her off so? It was a mystery that plagued her as did half her words even if the majority were true; the delivery had been far removed from the method she’d normally had chosen. If she had even voiced them to begin with.

She hadn’t felt like she was in control but rather just as if she was just watching things unfold as if in a movie. It wasn’t normal and there was no way most of the city would accept that it had occurred anyway. Still, she needed to know for herself. To put a name to it if she could. Hell, she’d just settle for someone to talk to at the moment.

Doc and Azraeth were likely out of the question given it was currently mid-afternoon. A text was sent to Doc asking to speak with him; the other she would just go knock on the door. Azraeth might not be awake, but she suspected Flynn might be home and he would be a good sounding board. He was in the knife-edge walking position just as she was so would have an unique perspective. Double-checking she was properly dressed, as she didn’t recall ever changing; she slipped out of her apartment. A quick jaunt down the hall brought her to the proper door, she knocked firmly.

Amalea
The moments stretched out as she waited for the paladin to come to the door. Amalea was patient; she knew that her visit was unexpected and she wasn't really sure how the man spent his days as of late. He had only recently been released from the hospital and was likely still trying to recover from it. Idly, she wondered if her brother would willingly let the human out of his sight. Then again, unless he had Flynn in a cage, it was a hypothetical question at the current time; daylight and all. The door opening answered her question; his words weren't an exceptionally promising indication of her state. "Nice to see you too," she smiled, though it didn't meet her eyes as she leaned forward to brush her lips against his cheek. "It was you I was hoping for. Yes... No... I don't know anymore."

Flynn
Okay, so maybe his greeting wasn't exactly boosting the woman's confidence, but he called them as he saw them. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and that smile didn't reach her eyes. Clearly, she wasn't in the best place, but it wasn't his job to speculate as to why. Mirroring her smile, he gestured for her to move further inside so he could shut the door behind them. "You know I love your company, Little Red. It's just unusual to get it while Az is...otherwise occupied." The Paladin rolled his eyes with a good-natured shake of his head. "Your answer isn't instilling a whole lot of confidence, here. What's going on?"

Amalea
It was unusual to be seeking the Paladin's company without her brother around; that was true. It was a situation that needed changing particularly since the pair had a fair bit in common. The red-head slipped inside so they need not have the forthcoming conversation in the hall. "It is," she admitted softly. "Need to change that; you're good company on your own." Her red-tresses shook lightly, lightly warning, "It's a long story."

Flynn
"I like to think so, but then...that may be a biased opinion of myself," he replied with a quirked eyebrow and that smile shifting into a much more subtle smirk. The warning came, and he stared at the woman for one quiet moment before finally nodding his head. "Sounds like something we need to sit down with a cup of tea for..." he said, glancing around the apartment with a wrinkle set in his nose. "Do you mind if I hear this story at Harmony? P.O. Azraeth still has me on house arrest, and if he wakes up to find me gone...I'll be going right back to the hospital. In pieces."

Amalea
She laughed softly, delighted to see that the attack and his time in the hospital hadn't broken his spirit, "You're incorrigible." It was hard to miss the quick change in demeanor at her warning. It was fair; she knew not his schedule and didn't want to take him away from something of importance. The stare unnerved her slightly as she subtly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Sitting would be good," she agreed quietly, "a cup of tea as well." She hadn't been fond of the beverage before moving to the city but had come to learn to like it. Her head shook slightly, "That's more than fine. I prefer seeing you in a single piece outside the hospital."

Flynn
Making others uncomfortable wasn't something new to the Paladin. Usually, it was intentional, either through his own mannerisms or the help of magic. He could tell that his stare had put Lea on edge, which really only solidified in his mind that this was a conversation he wasn't entirely sure the woman wanted to have. It reminded him a little of Azraeth, in a way, when he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he grew quiet and pensive. Like a tell during a game of poker. "I like being in one piece, too. And since I'm a stickler for my privacy..." he trailed off, reaching for the small tome he had brought with him. "You can use this. Bypass triggering the camera and all. I'll see you in a blink." And with just that, he teleported just outside the small cabin home's door. Vampire powers were such handy things. Thankfully, the human always had his keys so that he could march right inside to meet Lea.

Amalea
She was on edge. She knew it. Flynn knew it. It was hard to miss given the blood-thief was typically in more control of herself. "Good. I'm sure my brother prefers you that ways too." She accepted the tome with a small smile, trying not to chuckle. Typically, when she was making this trip, her brother just willed her there, usually without too much warning. "Alright," she agreed. She waited till the Paladin vanished before quietly activating the tomb to appear elsewhere.

Flynn
As soon as he walked through the door, he moved through the small home until he appeared in the doorway leading into Azraeth's 'office,' which was made up of his ritual table and all the creepy things he used in them. It also happened to be where the tome landed them every time it was used. Once Lea appeared there, he offered her a small grin. "Any preference on your tea? Az has gotten creative in the blends he makes me, now, so...I'm sure I've got a little of everything. Herbal, fruity...just black, like my soul?" So, it was effort to try and calm her. Even a little. "You can go and sit by the fire, if you want. Get comfortable and...start at the beginning?"

Amalea
As expected, she landed at a ritual altar surrounded by a large variety of ingredients. It was a reminder that she needed to pick an altar for her apartment up at some point. Seeing Flynn, she smiled softly as she shook her head lightly, "Whatever you think best." She chuckled quietly, "I'm sure your soul is only polka dotted at best." In truth, though she had come to like the drink, she still wasn't familiar with its variety of forms. Nodding quietly, she followed him out into the main area where she curled up into the corner of the nearest piece of furniture without care as to what it was. The beginning. "Do you recall the Administrator was looking for keys?"

Flynn
Since the kitchen was really only separated from the main living space by an island counter, Flynn had a fairly good view of Lea as she curled up on the couch. He was poking through a cupboard as she posed her question, so his reply was muffled. "Of course. The shady big shot that called on vampires to do his dirty work." Azraeth had filled in some the blanks for Flynn when the Administrater first popped up in regards to the Sirens, and with the search for the keys, they'd made their attempts to find one. Unsuccess as they were, the human hadn't heard much of him since. Turning back around to put the water on, he had decided on linden for their tea. It was known for its calming properties, and Lea seemed in need of it.

Amalea
She'd found a pillow laying about which had taken up residence in her lap. Quietly, she played with one corner of it as Flynn spoke. His reply was obscured a bit by the rummaging he was doing, but she understood. At least she didn't need to explain that. "I got one of them," she quietly informed him. He may have already known that, given she had made Azraeth aware of the fact shortly after she had found it. She couldn't believe that it had been less 48 hours since the little piece of metal had found its way to her.

Flynn
Leaning over against the island counter, he rest his chin in the palm of his hand and watched Lea in interest as she quietly played with the pillow. He didn't make any attempts to fill the silence, as he planned to approach the situation the same way he did with Azraeth anytime he got this way. Lea would talk when she was ready to. When she did, he eyes narrowed incrementally, but he nodded his head in understanding. "And did you find what it was meant to unlock?" he asked, quietly, since it seemed safe to assume the key was meant to unlock something.

Amalea
"We did," she answered the Paladin reflexively; her hands never moving from the pillow. Her eyes seemed to rest on the floor. "I must have found the last one or one of the last. I took it to my father as soon as I left the Labyrinth where I found it. I was on my way home to shower and come see you guys... but something redirected my teleport and I ended up back outside the very place I had found it." Her tresses shook lightly, "Something or someone wanted me there and seemed to compel me through a specific course...a maze of passageways and monsters that seemed to be bored with my presence. At the end...a door and four others bearing keys."

Flynn
Apparently, he had asked the right question, because that was the moment the redhead willing gave up more than one tidbit of information at a time. Azraeth had told him about the key the woman had found, but they hadn't heard anything since. Now, it was clear why. Before he could reply, the whistle of the kettle pierced the air and he reacted almost instantaneously to remove it. Rather than make a large pot, he poured them each a cup before adding the linden flowers to two infusers before dropping them into the cups to steep. Taking them both in hand, he made his way to couch and handed off the steaming mug to the woman. "I assume they all had keys, as well...so, what happened, then?" he said, dropping to the chair across from her.

Amalea
The whistle of the kettle caused the blood-thief to jump slightly. The resulting whimper was barely audible to her own ears as her memories dragged her to the night prior for a brief moment. The scent of the tea brought her back to the current moment and she reached out to take the mug with quiet thanks. She took a small sip as she considered the question, "Each got slotted into its own place within the door which opened on its own. The chamber we entered was so very dark. The best I could describe it as would be some sort of throne room for at one end, there was a figure seated upon one."

Flynn
With his eyes having never left Lea as the whistle had sounded, the Paladin had clearly seen the woman's reaction to it. Except, it was possible for anyone to get surprised by a sound like that, so he didn't think anything of it. For the moment. Though, he watched her carefully, regarding her demeanor for any signs that she may need a more comforting hand. But the story had taken a surprising turn and it was impossible to keep that from his expression. "Wait a minute...so what the Administrator wanted to reach...wasn't a thing. It was a...person?" That word was used loosely, as there was any number of things it could have been. "No, actually. Bigger question...who else was down there with you?"

Amalea
"If you can call a rather mummified ancient vampire a person," she muttered softly. "I was surprised to to see a who and not a what. Every plan I had for dealing with it was to grab it and run. Couldn't do that with her." Her head shook slightly as she quietly muttered to herself, "Would have been easier." A sip of tea later, "Every - you met her at the ball, I think. Freyja - I think her name is who was also at the ball with Every, Llangort - you'd know him from VD and Ariadne, if you know her."

Flynn
That's when Flynn went still. He didn't necessarily abide by the inherent distrust that came with their undead counterparts, as displayed in the fact he lived with one, but the realization hit him piece by piece. Every, Freyja, and Llangort were all vampires. He had faces for those names. Ariande wasn't one he had heard before, but that was neither here nor there. "So...you were deep underground...in a throne room of an ancient vampire...surrounded by other vampires?" he asked, his eyebrows rising toward his hairline as if to ask that he was correct. Those were some shitty odds to begin with, and there was this inkling that this story wasn't going to be full of campfire circles and singing Kumbaya.

Amalea
Her eyes caught his form as it stilled, having finally raised from the ground a bit. There was a curiosity as what she had said that caused it, though, she was sure the idea of an ancient vampire would have enough to give most pause. His question though, explained much, "Pretty much, one human and five vampires; though I knew three of them from before this whole adventure." Perhaps, if she had been wise, she would have walked out as soon as she realized she was surrounded. She had stayed, of course, secure in the knowledge she had had a way out, to see what would occur. Hindsight and all.

Flynn
His lips pursed together into a thin line, though he was otherwise quiet in response to her answer. In part, he didn't want to take away from the woman continuing her story, but he also lacked anything constructive to add to the conversation at that point. The images created in his mind as what had occurred were possibly (or he hoped) worse than what actually happened. It was better to let her fill in the blanks. So, he merely gestured for her to continue with a hand.

Amalea
She quietly sipped her tea as he digested that lovely nugget of information. In truth, if she hadn't known several, she would have likely been out the door no matter what. Especially after the ancient had made her proposal. Seeing the gesture, her lips quirked. "I tried to appraise the ancient one. All I got for it was she was a vampire and a nasty headache." Her head shook lightly at the memory, "She didn't speak...She communicated telepathically with both words and images. She told us that were chosen by destiny; apparently for quite some time. Her proposition was simple. In exchange for blood, she'd expand the rift. We were each allowed a single question which she said she'd do her best to answer."

Flynn
At some point in her story, he sat back in his chair and cradled his own mug between both hands, letting the sweet aroma fill his nose. It helped keep him present, rather than letting his thoughts get away from him. The second that Lea mentioned the expansion of the rift, that earlier expression dropped into something of a frown. Flynn's position on the rift was a touchy subject, in that he toed the line between vampire and human interests. Lea did, too. And Lea was the only human in that party with blood to give. "I already don't like where this is going..." he sighed, choosing to be honest with the woman across from him, rather than keep quiet for any longer.

Amalea
Her mug was raised to her lips as she waited his reaction. Small sips of the fragrant beverage seemed to help soothe her frazzled nerves. It was all still fresh in her mind not even a day old yet. She flinched slightly at his words, quietly shaking her head.

Flynn
Lea flinched and that was indication enough that the redhead didn't like where the story went, either. She shut down on him and after only a second of biting his lip, Flynn was up and out of his seat. In a few steps, he was at the couch and he lowered himself down beside her without getting too close. "I don't have a whole lot of experience in comforting people outside of Az...but I can always try," he offered, opening his arms for her to lean into, if she so chose. "You don't have to tell me the rest if you don't want to."

Amalea
She felt rather than saw the Paladin seat himself on the couch. At the opening of his arms, she scooted over to rest in them, burying her face in his chest for a moment. The red-head sighed lightly before turning sightly so she could still talk. Her head shook against him, before speaking quietly, "Better you hear the rest." He needed to know; they both needed to know.

Flynn
She positioned herself within his arms and they wrapped around her, keeping her close. One hand idly smoothed over red tresses for a moment before the opposite hand began to make soothing circles against the woman's back. "Take it at your pace. I'm not going anywhere" he assured her, making no moves to pull away and create the previous distance. It was probably the closest they had ever been, as most other interactions involved only a quick hug or a kiss to a cheek, but as Azraeth's sister...Lea deserved to know that he was there for her and this was clearly hard for her. He just needed her to tell him why.

Amalea
She settled quietly in his arms for a moment soaking in the soothing motions. This wasn't precisely typical for the two humans but this an unique situation. She nodded quietly at his words; silence spanned for a couple minutes. "Each of us asked our questions. She indicated closing the rift would be akin to trying to fix a vase and expect it to hold water again. It would also weaken the vampires. It also wasn't an option she gave us, but I suppose good to know. When asked about opening the rift and its benefits, she was rather clear that freedom would be the largest. She likened us to being pent up in a dark, unescapable prison and not knowing what true freedom really is. Other questioned if she would be in contact if the rift was open. As long as she could keep coming up with her creations, she said she'd be happy and would be available to us, but that somethings we would have to learn for ourselves."

Flynn
The silence stretched between them, and still he never rushed for the story to be continued. He was perfectly content to sit there for as long as necessary, until she felt comfortable going any further. His hand kept up those slow circles, and he damn near started humming. Like trying to calm a child with music. When she began to speak once more, he frowned, though it was an expression she couldn't see. An ancient vampire offering freedom to the other vampires of the room seemed like a sure as **** method of getting what she wanted. "And once everyone had asked their questions..?" He purposely strayed away from commentary, knowing he needed the whole story.

Amalea
She was content to stay like this; to not see the expressions on his face as she spoke. She knew what was to come. That this was just the prelude to the real action. She shifted slightly, "I had asked how she came to be trapped in that room without any real companions. She showed us how she was hunted in Europe, I think, ages ago. They thought she was a witch. She walked under the ocean to come to this continent. She settled south but her followers kept dying so she fled to here... built a city and some catacombs. When her city was destroyed, she retreated to her current resting place. The last question was the simplest. How much blood did she need. Just enough to be able to move. Hell broke loose then."

Flynn
An ancient from Europe. One accused of witchcraft and forced to flee. Maybe it was this preconceived notion of what the ancients of vampire-kind were like, but Flynn had never really assumed them to be the type to just flee for their lives. That was pretty stereotypical, though, because he knew of vampires that were no more courageous in death than they were in life. The ancient built a city and was forced to flee that, too. But, it was the last bit that had him taking in a deep breath through his nose, only to release it slowly. "Please tell me that no one tried to offer you or your blood up to her..?" he asked, almost dreading the answer that might follow.

Amalea
His question was answered with a vigorous shake of her head against him, "I made it clear that mine wasn't up for the using. They seemed to be ok with that. Every said she'd use her thrall if it came to that." She sighed, snuggling in, "As soon as she spoke of her blood requirements, Ari tried to shoot her and was stopped by some fancy shooting by Freyja. At the time we hadn't even established if the Realm reached that low so we had no way of knowing for sure if the mummy was killed, whether she'd stay dead or we'd simply be unleashing a pissed off ancient onto the city."

Flynn
A nod of his head was the only acknowledgement of Amalea's shake of her own and the words that accompanied it. He wasn't offered much time to process all he had already heard before she was telling him about the series of events to follow. "At the time? You mean you established another way?" he asked, though he felt sure that somehow, the woman's vampire counterparts had got into it pretty good after an exchange like that.

Amalea
She flinched in his arms at the question, shaking slightly. "It was," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Freyja summoned some sort of creature and took blood bags from it and tried to feed them to the ancient. Llangort popped up with what he said was a bomb and pretty much said it was 'his way or the highway'. Right before Ari attacked Freyja and they started fighting."

Flynn
The woman was shifting his arms again and his hold on her tightened in best attempt he had at reassurance. Assurance that she was okay, that she wasn't still in the place. "Every single one of them had something to say about it, I see. And what about you? What part did you play in all that?" What he was really asking for was an understanding of what she had wanted to happen, or whether she was part of the violence.

Amalea
The tightening of his arms settled her slightly as it forced her to realize she wasn't really alone. "There was quite a bit of debate. On if the Realm reached there, making it dangerous to release her. On expanding vs just walking away. I've never wanted the rift closed, I said as much. I could see the benefit of expanding it, but we had no idea the cost. We had no idea if the cost would be higher than the benefit gained." She shook her head, "I stayed out of the fight. Every was trying to hack the bomb and I was ready to shield should the damn thing go off. He ended up claiming it wasn't real and disappearing. Every joined the fight on Freyja's side. I couldn't join the fight then. I couldn't pick between people I called friend fighting on opposite sides. Nor could I figure out how to break them up."

Flynn
So, basically, what he was hearing at that point...was that the most vulnerable person in the room (to an extent) was the only one acting with any caution, whatsoever. Vampires turning on each other without a second thought, just as Azraeth had said when the discussion the sirens had first come up. Flynn nodded, again keeping quiet as he allowed her to move on with the story.

Amalea
"Every had asked the ancient to summon her thrall and told me it would obey me, before jumping into the fight. It was horrible..." she spoke quietly, "Ari killed Freyja and Every both." She winced then, the memory incredibly fresh in her mind. Tears silently slipped down her face, "Shadows disperse in a black misty cloud unlike some of the others." Quietly she added, "I don't recommend watching a friend die."




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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Auberouge Centre F2 area. Participants and rewards were: Amalea earned 3163 RPP. Flynn earned 3134 RPP.

The red-head could only nod slightly against the Paladin’s chest at his comment. Of course, no one sane would want to see their friend or someone else they cared about die even if they knew that person would likely return within the week. It was a bit different this time as they hadn’t known if they were still in the area covered by the rift after the windy journey it had taken to reach the room in which they found the ancient. ”I would hope not,” she finally whispered even she sensed the other occupant of the house was moving to join them.

That the vampire joined them wasn’t a real surprise; Amalea had been expecting it at some point though she was slightly astounded that enough time had passed that it was late enough for him to rise. She hadn’t felt like such amount of time had passed which was a testament to the fact her sense of time was still skewed. At his weight settling on the couch on her other side, she shifted in the Paladin’s arms so she could see Azraeth. Well, more specifically, she could see his rather obnoxiously patterned pants that were so him. On another day they would have rated a giggle from the blood thief, today, though, there was only a hint of a smile at the sight.

”Not hungry,” she supplied quietly at her brother’s statement to Flynn. She hadn’t eaten since before heading to the Labyrinth the day before which should have meant the red-head should be famished. The thought of food just didn’t appeal to her currently. Their poor mugs of tea had been been abandoned the moment the paladin had taken up residence on the couch. While the warm beverage still sounded delightful, she far preferred the warm, safe embrace in which she was currently cocooned.

Amalea was able to bite back the whine that threatened to pass her lips as the other human mentioned passing her off to his lover. It was nothing against the vampire; she was just comfortable in her current position. Still, she nodded against the Paladin’s chest before moving to lean against her brother in the same manner. She couldn’t help the short, quiet giggle that met Flynn’s statement about Azraeth’s hair, especially after she had caught a glimpse of it before she had settled into the man’s chest. She felt the human relinquish his place on the couch which drew a small frown from her. ”Sorry to have barged in on you guys like this,” she apologized lightly as she sensed Flynn rejoin them on the couch in some manner. While she knew it to be a silly gesture as they were both family and friend and this was the type of thing they did for each other, she still couldn’t help herself.

The red-head stiffened against Azraeth at Flynn’s gentle question. She didn’t particularly want to continue the tale she had begun even though she knew she must. It was one they both needed to hear to its conclusion from her. Looking up at the vampire for a moment, she searched from a sign that she would need to begin again or, at the least, give a Cliff Notes version of the already described events. Either he had been awake longer than she had sensed or her had been in her memories playing catch up as she didn’t see the signs she was seeking; which is was didn’t matter, she was just grateful there was no need to rehash anything.

”Every, bless her, reached out telepathically to confirm the pair had indeed ended up in the Shadow Realm. Before that, there had been a bit of debate on whether or not it reached to wherever this room was. With the maze of halls and all the descents, it wasn’t clear if we were still inside the ‘safe zone.’ She also indicated that her thrall, which she had asked the ancient to guide to the room, would be instructed to listen to me. She also wanted me to stay safe.” She paused, both to mentally collect her thoughts and to steady her nerves. From this point forward, her tale ventured into uncharted territory as this was were things went beyond her realm of understanding.

She looked up at the pair before continuing, her voice more than a bit shaky, ”I was relieved by that revelation but seeing her die… something happened I can’t reliably explain. In truth, her message had barely registered in my conscious mind at the time. Seeing that black shadowy cloud had seemed to unleash a myriad of questions in my mind; all which I had no answers for then or even now. While her voice had seemed to drag me out of it, mostly, it remained. At the very least, I now knew killing the ancient wasn’t an option. She’d just come back in a week seeking revenge.”

A soft sigh filled the momentary silence before Amalea picked up her tale again, ”At the same time, I began to feel like I had lost myself and instead of being a full participant was now just a member of the audience watching a movie unfold. Like it was me but it wasn’t me. It wasn’t like being controlled by an external force, though. Something like a split personality is probably the only other way I could describe it, honestly, though I don’t think that was it either.” Her eyes had lowered back to the vampire’s chest early in her explanation and she couldn’t bring herself to peek to see their reactions. It still sounded incredible and like something out of the movies when she talked it out to herself; she could only imagine how insane she currently sounded to the pair of males.

”At some point Ari had come over to me. She was pretty injured and was willing to leave the room and seal it behind us if Llangort had really set out the explosives he had mentioned earlier. She had hoped opening the rift was no longer an option to be considered. Llangort reappeared before I could answer Ari. He surprised me and ended up mind blocked because of it out of instinct. It was the second time he had appeared from nowhere. He said somethings about the four female keyholders being chummy and how he figured he’d end up looking like Ari did at that moment instead of it being her. He spoke in riddles since he doesn’t have the ability to mindspeak.The only real bit of it I understood between that and my emotions playing war in my mind was that he preferred a minimum amount of change.”

Her red-tresses shook against Azraeth as she lightly shook her head before burying it against her chest for a couple moments. Eventually, she turned it slightly so she could talk and be understood rather than mumble against fabric. ”I had been trying to reign in my emotions at that point. Counting to ten and even twenty didn’t really do much, maybe because of the whole ‘outside watching in’ thing. I’m not sure. I kinda went fiery tempered red-head on them… at least verbally” Her head ended up buried again in attempt to hide the blush that threatened to match her hair. It was an embarrassing admission for a woman who typically kept a tight leash on her emotions.