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A Sentence of Solitude

Started by Lion, July 15, 2016, 11:36:26 PM

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Lion

It was a lot to take in and for all Christer could tell, this was nothing more than the ramblings of a crazed woman.  He was quiet for her entire expulsion, listening and feeling himself grow more and more reserved from what he had just done.  He did promise to protect her, but in the end how true was such an oath...

Except he was still a knight, and he'd given her his word...

"Then perhaps I can help you become free.  What do you need me to do?"




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"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

Help her become free? Alison felt desperate frustration welling up in her gut. Even if becoming free was possible, she'd never live that long! He wasn't listening. Although she supposed if their positions were reversed she'd have struggled to fully grasp or understand. She sounded entirely insane.

"I just need to find a new master." Alison could only repeat herself, there was nothing else that could be done. Well, there was one thing. "Or I just need to accept my fate."

Lion

If she was asking him to become her master that notion had completely gone over Christer's head.  Until it slowly began to sink in, like a body laying dormant in quicksand, and slowly sinking to it's demise.  Only then did his eyes widen. 

"Oh....  You want me to become your master?  I...couldn't let anything happen to you.  You're rather pathetic looking, just putting it out there.  But I don't want you to die.  Sure, I'll be your master...  I have to be honest though I don't know anything about ordering anyone else around."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

"I don't know if it will work if you're only my master out of pity. You have to really want to keep me alive and you don't even know all of it..." Alison didn't know if it would work even if Christer did agree to it.

"My master, I wasn't exaggerating when I called him a monster. He was a vampire, and he...did something to me. Only his blood kept me alive, and I don't know if I can even survive with a new master, but I don't want to die." She kept her gaze down on her hands which were tightly clutched together in her lap. "You don't have to do this. You have no reason to do this."

Lion

Christer huffed out a sound that sounded a lot like a laugh.  "Like I've got a lot else to do, here. I'm no better off than you.  I mean...everyone makes mistakes.  But some of them are harder to live with than others," he said with a soft sigh.

"I don't have anyone.  I don't have much of anything.  So, really the question is, what have I to lose?  And nothing is probably the answer," he said with a nod.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

Mistakes had definitely been made, but it wasn't her mistake Alison was paying so dearly for. Christer sounded like he had regrets of his own he was battling with. Well, at least he still seemed willing to help her even after all the incoherent and insane babbling she'd probably done over the past couple minutes.

"Alright, then let's see if you can be my new master. If this works...I'll owe you my life." Alison pointed at his hand. "A small cut should work. I only need a little, but remember - you have to want it."

Lion

"I can try.  I want to help, I do," he said. 

He looked at his hands, pink and warm with blood even with the frigid temperature.  He took a knife and he carefully poked at his palm, in the soft section just below his thumb.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

Alison didn't know why he would really want to help, except maybe Christer was really just that compassionate of a person. She hadn't met many of those.

The why hardly mattered, she wasn't exactly in a position to question any help she could get.

Her eyes widened a little as the knife poked into his skin, but as the first drop of blood welled up she leaned forward, wincing at how eager she was. It couldn't be helped; she was too desperate. With a sheepish glance at his face, Alison scooted closer to him and hesitantly reached for his hand. "I'm sorry. I don't want to need this."

Lion

He held his tongue, finding himself at a bit of a loss for words.  This was about the strangest thing that'd happened to him since ...well, he supposed this whole journey was rather strange.

Being in a strange country didn't help.

"It's okay," he found himself saying and pushed his hand gently toward her.  "I don't see anyone else offering to help you.  I don't see anyone else offering to help me.  What do I have to lose?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

"Maybe nothing to lose, but what are you gaining?" Not a lot, as far as Alison was concerned. I mean, sure, her loyalty, but that was hardly worth much as far as she could tell. She would just have to do her very best not to be burdensome.

If this worked.

Letting out a nervous breath she lowered her mouth to his hand, glancing up at his face as she gently latched on. Unlike a real vampire Alison was fangless. The first thing she noticed was Christer tasted so much different than Vincent. It was warm and coppery on her tongue, but other than the taste she didn't notice anything happening.

If it was working she should have felt something, right? She honestly wasn't sure how it worked. It wasn't as if Vincent had bothered explaining the process to her.

With a soft sound of frustration she pulled away, licking her lips and turning away with a sniffle. Although she quickly wiped at her eyes and bit her lip. She wasn't going to annoy him with more crying. At least he had tried to help her.

"Thank you, for trying, and being kind to me. It's been a long time since someone was truly nice to me." Alison wiped at her eyes again and folded her arms across her stomach, hugging herself in an attempt to self-soothe. That was about the time her tongue began to tingle, a soft rush of warmth coursing through her chilled body.

She gasped softly in surprise and brought her hands up to her cheeks, which flushed softly with the human heat. Sure, she didn't feel strong, but she felt a small change.

Lion

Christer hadn't noticed anything more than the suckling sensation.  He made a face but overall it was painless and he soon tucked his hand tightly, one into the other to keep the blood from flowing.  It would clot soon, most likely.  He watched her, quiet for a time as he thought over what he'd just done.  He didn't feel anything either, other than what was physical.

Did it even work? What if it didn't?  He supposed then all he'd lost was a little bit of blood and his dignity at not having been able to chop firewood.  He knew he was going to hear about that later.

"It's okay.  It was worth a shot," he said, not hearing her gasp.  Instead he turned to pour some water from a skin into a kettle to boil over the small fire just outside the tent.  He returned and pulled the blanket that'd been his horse's and gently placed it over her shoulders.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

Alison was still struggling to decide if it had actually worked or not when Christer left the tent to boil some water. She felt different, but was it because it had truly worked or because the human blood was having some strange effect on her? The only blood she had ever needed or craved had been Victor's, and vampire blood was different than human blood.

For starters it was colder. Christer's blood was so warm, and it made her feel strangely warm and tingly.

She jumped slightly when the horse blanket was gently laid over her shoulders. Her attention had been so focused on trying to decipher what her body was feeling that she hadn't noticed him coming back. Sheepishly she pulled it closer around her, sparing a soft smile for her would-be knight-in-shining-armor.

"Thank you." Alison's voice was quiet, but she felt stronger than before. Yes, yes she definitely felt stronger. The ache in her stomach had even faded some. "I'm starting to feel a little better. If nothing else, you helped, but...I think it might be working."

Lion

It was strange.  How could he go so far and somehow achieve nothing in the entirety of his miserable life.  "Stupid, stupid," he murmured to himself, brewing the tea he was now making for himself.  And her, although she didn't say she wanted any.

Still, he wasn't going to let a guest in his company go without it's warmth.

He turned to her, unsure if what he heard was correct.  "It's working?" he said, eyes wide with wonder.  It was working?  "But how?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

How?

"I don't know how exactly it works." Victor hadn't exactly shared his secret methods with her, but Alison didn't care how it was working as long as it was working. "But I feel so much warmer."

She moved closer to him to place a hand on his cheek so that he could feel the difference in her hands. They had been chilled and almost lifeless when he'd found her, but now there was a soft glow of warmth pulsing under her skin. "See?" Tears welled in her eyes again, but from relief rather than despair. "Everything hurts less. Oh thank you Master, thank you."

Lion

"Oh-OH!"  Feeling her touch made Christer's eyes widen considerably.  He'd forgotten the tea in that moment and found himself staring into her eyes.  Feeling her hands on his his face, his own reached up to brace the back of hers, and the dull cold was gradually fading away.

"That...is fascinating," he breathed.  He didn't hear the word she'd called him, as strange as it was.  "It's almost like...magic."  How else did he know to describe it?  "Why it must be?  But...why would your former master do this to you?  Make it so you need another for your very survival.  Many people need..but not like this."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

The tingling warmth deepened on her cheeks as his hands moved to cup around hers. It was probably a slightly strange sight, the two of them staring at each other in that position. Alison hadn't really taken the time to notice Christer's eyes until then, they were rather unusual and beautiful.

"I think it is magic." She said softly, blinking and dropping her eyes down as she gently tried to pull away, feeling awkward again. "Victor did it to punish my father, and to make sure that I could never try to run away from him or be rescued by my family." An old, familiar welling of shame gripped at her. "The last time I saw my father he looked at me in disgust and called me an abomination. All because of what Victor had done to me."

Lion

It broke his heart to hear that.  And suddenly he started to feel ashamed of himself.  Who was he to think his plight was terrible beyond all others?  Christer turned his eyes away, and felt his chest burn painfully.  He needed that tea now.  Still, his hands fumbled with it.

"That's...incredibly sad," he said, his hands finally finding the tea he'd had in his tent, and placed it in a small screened receptacle and carefully poured the water into the cup.  He let it brew, sitting more comfortably.  "You said Victor did this to punish your father...did he ever tell you why?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

Was it sad? A long time ago she had felt a lot of things about her situation. Alison could remember feeling angry, sad, and bitter for the longest time, but fear overshadowed everything even now. She shifted around until she felt more comfortable, pulling the blanket around her a little more.

"He did, many times, but he didn't have to. My father belonged to The Order of the Moon. They kill monsters like Victor. When father heard of an infestation of vampires he took his men and destroyed them. Except their leader escaped. Since father killed his "children" Victor took me. I was the youngest, and father's favorite so he knew it would hurt him most."

Alison paused to shudder. "Victor said I wasn't worthy of being a real vampire, but he forced me to drink his blood. He was my master after that. He made father bury all of his children, except me, before killing him too. Then he left me to die since my purpose was over."

Lion

Maybe Christer didn't have the capacity not to share his sympathy.  He was never so heartless, and perhaps that was his own undoing.  Not to pursue someone he was supposed to protect, to let them run off to some terrible fate...  That happened anyway, and it wasn't like he saved anyone anyway.  What kind of knight was he?

Oh there he went again feeling sorry for himself, he thought.  What good did that do for anyone?  He tilted his head to her story, understanding her plight a little better.

"That's tragic," he said.  "Almost like a fairy tale read to children."  Except this was real and the truth was huddled in a blanket right in front of him.  Christer kept his hands busy, making the tea at last once it was done brewing and offered her the cup.

He smiled and tried to appear welcoming.  Perhaps as a means to distract her from recalling those terrible memories.  "Here, for you," he said.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Zero

"Tragic? I guess...after so long I've become a little numb to it." Alison couldn't even recall the faces of most of her family members. Well, she remembered her father's face, that moment he found out what Victor had done to her. Her older brothers and sisters had aged without her and she hadn't exactly been welcome home after becoming a vampire's slave. "I'm surprised you believe me. I doubt everyone would. Or even most people."

She made a soft sound of surprise when Christer offered the tea to her. Looking rather sheepish she wrapped her hands around it. "Thank you. Here I am the one that should be serving you and you've been so kind to me. I promise I will make your trouble worth it. I can do lots of things now. I learned how to be a good servant. Mostly."

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