Path of the Vampire forum

Ash Shevon
is sitting on the floor of the apartment, conversing with Shailu, the spirit filling him in more on everything he'd missed out on while he'd been gone. Looks the same as he had before, if maybe a little more pale. His long black hair falling across his right cheek and down to his lap. His purple eyes aglow with power.

Vi
Vi walked slowly into the apartment, having not been in it since Ash had died, fingers curling loosely over the doorframe as she stared at the apartment before finally noticing Shailu floating in the air, Ash sitting on the ground. Pale lavender eyes focused on him for a moment, staring without seeing before her gaze moved past him and she moved to slump against the wall and gently shut the door so it clicked shut. Her eyes focused to him, but it was a guarded expression, no shock in her eyes from how many times she had thought she had heard Ash's voice, felt his hand in her hair while she slept, or heard him walking around the apartment. The phantom noises and presence had pushed her to leave the apartment, unable to handle facing the sadistic presence that toyed with her mind and threatened to drag her further into the Void.

Ash Shevon
He glanced up when the door opened, seeing Vi caused a smile to break out across his face. "God...seeing you is a sight for sore eyes...I'm glad you're still here."

Ash Shevon
"You worried me...saying you were going to try to come after me."

Ash Shevon
"How long was I gone?"

Vi
Vi's eyes flicked to him again and she listened to the words and watched him for a moment, before her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Four months."

Vi
"Six? Eight? Two? One? I don't know."

Ash Shevon
"It felt like an eternity."

Vi
Vi eyed him, looking him over like he was a figment and not real, arms folded over her chest and knees brought up to meet them. Her eyes focused in on his face again, and she sucked in a breath. "....Did it?"

Ash Shevon
"It did." The agreement was soft, his voice a soothing sort of thing. He'd always had a quiet nature about him, even after turning and discovering latent magical powers that he never would have believed possible, his entire demeanor still screamed gentle. Despite the pallor that stained his skin from how long his body had been lost, he hadn't lost muscle mass and he didn't look sallow or insane. He moved to get up to his feet easily enough, no sounds of pain or groans escaping him and then he was walking towards her. "I could use a hug though..."

Vi
Her eyes moved to him when he stood and she watched him approach her and frowned, shoulders hunching and fingers curling against her knees. "...You disappear when I hug you..." She always found comfort in him being gentle, always found him calming in a sense. Which only derailed her off the deep end when he was suddenly gone and she had no means of regulation. She stared at him, didn't want to reach out and have the apparition vanish again, have his voice leave her again for days.

Ash Shevon
"In the Fade my fingers would go right through your body. And your voice would warp...and you would list off the reasons why you were disappointed in me. How I had failed and you were suffering because I wasn't here to provide for you and you weren't safe. Every time I thought others of our kind had discovered what you were...and I thought you had died...when Shailu couldn't find you and I didn't hear your voice in my head...I assumed that's just how it would be...where even if we were there together...we'd never be able to enjoy each other's company again..." There was a quiet sort of pain in his words, an eloquent sort of sorrow and apology in his eyes. "It wasn't until Shailu found you a few days ago I realized that I had something to come back to...reach out to my mind Vi...I'm so much closer now. You'll feel the pain of the sun biting through newly reformed flesh and the terror and exhaustion that overcame me that had me sprawled out on the street for two days before I could remember how to walk and get home."

Vi
Vi stared at him, and his words scrunched her face up in confusion. She hadn't said those words, she hadn't even been in the Fade, and he was saying he saw things, heard things. But Jazir had also said that the Fade held the darkest parts of their minds, and fears, and their very souls. She stared at him and then looked at his leg, and not having to energy to stand up only to crumple again from disappointment and feeling like a failure for not being able to protect Ash, she stayed where she was, reaching up to him, fingers reaching out for him. "Please don't leave this time..."

Vi
"I'm not disappointed in you, you haven't failed me, I...was suffering, but it was my own fault. I was safe enough, but I did things that weren't safe. I attacked people to try to feed because they stopped carrying the blood packs I could use in the stores. You can always come back to me, I...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

Vi
Tears flooded her and escaped her eyes in a rush, and she found that she hated the way moisture felt on her very dry skin that had avoided crying for the past day. "I just wanted you back...I was ready to come find you but...I was afraid you wouldn't want to come back or that I'd find out you left the Fade a long time ago and just didn't come back to me, and..." She sucked in a breath. "...I'm sorry..." She couldn't voice what she wanted, couldn't express it in a way that made sense, but she was trying, but damn it all, it was exhausting to try to explain what it was like to live with phantoms and demons and voices and lies for the past six months and vividly believe someone was there only to have them vanish at first touch of contact.




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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Apt. CF 6004 area. Participants and rewards were: Ash Shevon earned 655 RPP. Vi earned 984 RPP.

Ash Shevon
He reached out when she reached up for him, his fingers catching at her hand securely and then he was pulling her up, drawing her into his arms to hug her securely even as she responded to what he'd said. A hand went into her hair to cradle her head and his other arm went securely around her back. He let her get it all out and then just held her, the slight body heat he had surpassed by the caged comfort of being in his arms. "It's alright...I'm here now. None of what either of us thought was true it seems like."

Vi
Vi couldn't help but cling when Ash proved to be able to catch at her hand and pull her to her feet. It took her a moment to absorb the shock, her fingers hesitating before latching onto his shoulders, and her head burying in his shoulder as she sobbed out in relief and shock, the overwhelming rush of emotions hitting her as she felt Ash's arms go around her and finally realized that he was there, physically, with her, and was speaking the truth, so much kinder than the phantom lies. "Ash-" Her voice was broken, months of being alone and distraught and lost in her own mind escaping her in the brief name before she clung tighter, held him close and inhaled him, enjoyed the slight heat he gave off and the way his hand cradled her head. "I missed you-I couldn't stand it-I had to leave the apartment, I brought the dog with me. She's fine, but-" Her voice cracked again and she pressed her face into his shoulder, inhaling deeply, shakily, before she glanced up at him. Her fingers moved to catch in his hair, the gentle way they twined a stark contrast to her desperate clinging, and then she was leaning up to softly kiss him, and prove to herself that he was really and truly in front of her.

Ash Shevon
"I missed you too...the dog..." A disbelieving laugh escaped him, he'd almost forgotten the puppy they'd gotten before he'd been killed. "How is she?" He stared back at her, as though he couldn't get enough of the way she looked and she was the only thing in his universe. The way her fingers played into his hair to feel the long strands out had his eyes closing. So her kiss was a pleasant shock, one that had a soft gasp escaping and then he drew it out, enjoying the feeling of it. "I wouldn't ever just leave without telling you."

Vi
Vi smiled a bit in response, the laugh he let out had her slowly feeling more at home and slowly getting back to herself as he held her and stayed close. She traced fingers down his shoulders, up to his hair, just memorizing how he looked with relief, and then found him kissing her back and drawing out the contact, which had her gasping a little in response. "...I know...I just...when I heard you were killed, I-" She shook her head and looked at him, lips pressing into a line as she traced fingers through his hair again. "...I lost it...I lost my ******* mind..."

Ash Shevon
"I was so close to making it home too. It was just one hunter after the other...like they were communicating with each other. I couldn't navigate the city at all. I was actually terrified to be out there alone when I came back, I half expected to find one with a gun pressed to my head again." He shook his head, a soft sigh escaping him as he let out the stress that had tensed his shoulders up.

Vi
Vi frowned at hearing this and listened, shaking her head and tracing her thumbs across his cheekbones. "I'm so sorry...that's terrifying...they've been more adamant lately...it's been insane to go outside..." She shook her head and let out another soft breath and looked him over. "How are you feeling now?"

Ash Shevon
"It was...I might have nightmares. I haven't tried to sleep since I got back." At her tracing touches his eyes closed again. "I'm feeling good, much better than before for sure. There's no pain in the Fade...but you're not really aware of that...it wasn't until I felt how it felt to be corporeal again that I realized how much I missed sensory perception."

Vi
Vi's eyebrows scrunched at that and her lips pursed in frustration. She looked at him and then bit her lip lightly. "...We can go out and buy some furniture today, bring it back, and I'll stay here to sleep with you to make sure you're okay..." She blinked at him saying he missed sensory perception and then tilted her head. "...Would calm music help? We could buy just a basic double bed and I'll play music on my phone for you."

Ash Shevon
"Okay, honestly Vi just having you here with me would be all I need. It's nice to not be alone. I didn't see another soul down there except the ones I couldn't feel. I haven't heard music in a long time. I suppose it would depend on what we played."

Vi
Vi looked at him for a moment and then nodded. "...Okay. I'll stay here. We have blankets so the floor isn't bad..." She blinked at what he said and then nodded. "...Whatever you want to listen to...we can look through a bunch to see what helps you feel okay..."




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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Apt. CF 6004 area. Participants and rewards were: Ash Shevon earned 629 RPP. Vi earned 793 RPP.