Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: Caer Manor Ruins

As written by Script

"Hello."

Jamie tilted his head, observing Noemi for a few moments. Still covered in blood as he was, his clothing in tatters and his right arm still repairing itself, he was quite the sight. He sniffed the air curiously.

"A new Caer," he confirmed aloud, sounding at once impressed and skeptical. Everything about her screamed hostility towards Nox. And he'd given her all that power? She'd likely never surpass her sire, but it still seemed an unnecessary risk. The Évariste were loyal to their sires, raised from birth to be so.

Well, usually. Jamie didn't quite count this as betraying his sire, but rather as investing in their House's future.

He turned back to Nox, shrugging his good shoulder. "Something practical. Easy to move in. Don't spend too much. I'll probably break it if I get into any fights wearing it." There was a reason he favoured cheap, replaceable tees and sweatpants. Morphing your body tended to play havoc with your wardrobe, if you made a habit of getting into scraps as much as Jamie did.
 
As written by Knosis

"Not by choice, Father. Your servants had finally succeeded in hiding all my old clothing and forced me into the clothes you had made for me. I heard the commotion downstairs and I had hoped to come to find news of your demise." She said frankly.

She looked back at Jamie, her eyes like ice. "Good for you, though, you failed to take his life. Should you have succeeded, I would be forced to turn my attention to you and yours." She folded her arms across her middle. "I'm sure you would truly become another loyal dog in my father's services."
 
As written by Emperor Jester

Nox would laugh, buttoning up his jacket and brushing off his sleeves. "Now, now, Noemi, lets not be rude to our guest and new master of arms. He comes from a prestigious house, much like myself, and we must respect his blood line." A dusting of his pants legs revealed blood already drying into the fabric of his attire. A curse. "I'll have to get these replaced. Its worth it though. If all I had to do was ruin all of my clothing for an army of fighters as skilled as you, Jamie, I'd have us all fight skyclad."

There was a note of mirth behind his voice, and he'd suddenly clap. "SO! Are you hungry, either of you?"
 
As written by Script

Jamie continued to watch Noemi thoughtfully as she spoke, showing no reaction to her biting words. His boyish features displayed only curiosity.

Finally, when she and Nox had both said their piece, he spoke to her again. "You're not afraid," he stated, "Not even a little. Of what you are, now. You hate it, but it suits you, I think."

He smiled kindly, expression betraying no malice or ill will. "I hope you get used to it soon."

Then, he turned his attention back to Nox. "I fed recently enough that the hunger is at bay, but it would help me recover my strength faster to do so again. What's on the menu?"
 
As written by Knosis

Noemi's icy stare narrowed onto the newcomer at his words. Her lips thinned as she pursed them together in order to hide the smile that had threatened to appear. Compliment or not, she wasn't sure, but his words did please her. Truth was, she had never minded the idea of being a vampire. That had never been the issue for her, even as she read into the creatures in order to try to find Nox's weaknesses. It was just the idea of being turned by him that had always sickened her stomach.

She wouldn't answer Jamie. Answering him would give Nox satisfaction with her answer. Instead she turned her gaze away as if she had grown bored with looking at him.

It was a silly question Nox had asked though. He knew the only meal the fledgling had had was the first meal he had provided the night she turned. She had refused any offer of a meal since, and now she could feel that all too familiar tug of hunger. Again, her aversion to eating wasn't the fact she loathed the idea, but another spit into Nox's direction. It would seem she was trying her best to displease Nox in every way she physically could all at once.
 
As written by Krysis

Outside, a familiar old car drove past, weaving only slightly. Perhaps it was because the dyed and pierced driver was doing a double-take at the busted door. The angle was such that she only saw the tall figure in the white coat through the gap into the interior. Since Noemi was against the wall, she wasn't silhouetted like he was. Jamie was pretty dark after his beating and didn't show up well against the shadows, so Pierette was oddly reassured. After all, if Nox was still standing, and his posture was relaxed, things couldn't be that out of hand.

The clunker fit the neighborhood well enough that Perilous usually just parked on the street, but this time she pulled into the driveway. There were supplies in the hatchback, and she didn't want to have to carry them further than she had to. Or make the spawn come out where they could be seen more easily. When she got out to open the gate, she was singing. It was only at conversational volume, but hitting the right notes, even when she didn't know all the words to 'Margaritaville'.

It was a little difficult to manipulate the new padlock she had put on the gate when the old lock had proven to been broken years ago. At least until she remembered to put down her bottle of cognac, safely on the hood of her car so the open, half-full, container would not spill. She'd never had the funds to be able to try certain forms of alcohol before, and was finding that her resistance to substances was completely gone. Probably because her liver and other organs had been repaired by Nox. However, the end result was that she was far drunker than she had intended to be, and the ground was pitching and rolling, making her stumble once in a while.

The intention was to park the car near the kitchen entrance, probably exactly where deliveries had been made back in the days when the manor was new and inhabited by more humans than vampires. From there, some water in the face would be a good idea, and plans could be made when she was a little recovered. Just last week, she could have finished the whole bottle and still been steady, so she was rather out of practice with dealing with the faulty balance and lack of inhibitions.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

"Well, I have a rather small selection at the moment. The little ones are much suited for bringing girls back to the manor alive, so its mostly just what I've brought in. A few young girls I have maturing in the old wine cellar. Feel free to help yourself to one in any way you wish. This roof is now your own." Nox would explain, fixing his daughter with a cold glare for once.

"You however, young lady, have yet to go on your hunt. I understand you may want Father dearest along with you to hold your hand and show you how its done, but I have been rather busy as of late. If you wish, join Jamie in selecting out a dinner. Your time is your own." A dismissive wave as he moved across to a rather rustic liquor cabinet that had been fixed to the manor's floor, for alleviating a guest's thirst as soon as they walked in the door. It had been pilfered long ago, its door's smashed and its contents stolen, but Nox, along with his housemaid, had done a good job of restocking it so far.

Pouring himself a small glass of brandy, he'd turn back to his guests with an audible 'tsk'. "It seems my help is home, and not all...there. I must speak with her for a moment about how to present one's self in front of guests. Excuse me." The master of the house would turn from them once again, heading outside at a brisk pace, shoulders stiff with tension.
 
As written by Script

Through Nox's explanation, Jamie retained a neutral expression, giving a small nod of affirmation once he was done. His only verbal response was equally brief and dispassionate.

"Hm."

In truth, the young vampire had little love of captive prey. Willing was tolerable, but taking from a feeble creature in chains - metaphorical or otherwise - he found disdainful. If he had his way, he'd only feed from the strong: those that could put up a fight before he took what he needed. But of course, that wasn't practical.

Nodding once more as Nox went on to excuse himself, he turned and made his way towards the cellar.
 
As written by Knosis

Noemi ignored the cold glare from her father, finding some fabric on her dress to be more interesting than her father's ultimatum. She brushed back her ebony hair from her eyes and waited for Nox to be gone before turning her attention back to Jamie. He had impressed Nox in fighting skills, enough to be allowed to live. He would be a valuable ally to have on her side as well, as she was sure Nox would not be around enough to learn from.

She followed Jamie silently towards the cellar, biting her lip as she wasn't sure what to do at this point. Feeding from those who Nox had locked up in the cellar for heaven knows how long had not appealed to her. Perhaps Jamie did not care enough about them, but she knew what it was like to be forced into something against your will.

"Could.. Could you teach me?" She asked quietly. Her ice hues shifted downward abit abashedly, and the woman seemed embarrassed instantly by the unclear question. It seemed to be something that was a side effect of becoming a vampire. She had no filter. Whatever her mind came to a conclusion about, it spilled from her mouth seconds later. But it had been said, thus she would follow through with it.
 
As written by Script

Jamie paused on the steps when Noemi spoke her question, glancing over his shoulder with interest. "I've not taught anyone before," he replied after a moment's consideration. "I might not be very good at it. I'm not great at explaining things."

He paused again before going on, as though toying with the idea. "I can try, though."

With that said, he started walking again, as though that was all there was to be said. The gloom of the cellar swallowed him, but posed no obstacle to his vision.

Amidst the broken wine racks and old crates, three girls were bound. Propped up against the wall, both their hands and feet were tightly tied to prevent any chance of escape. By the marks on their arms and legs, it seemed that they had each spent many hours trying to wriggle free, but by now had given into despair.

Jamie grimaced. Not only were they imprisoned, they were broken. He sighed discontentedly.

"Lame."
 
As written by Krysis

Pierette was unaware of the storm about to descend on her. After all, from her point of view, she had done nothing wrong. A little self-reward for a few days of hard work was not out of line, and it wasn't like she had Stopped working, since Robert and Remy had been with her. Sure, her older brothers were more specialized in larger projects, ones that required steel beams and cranes and shit like that, but Remy was also knowledgeable about the guts of buildings and how they flowed, and Robert did know how to do the interior of buildings pretty well.

All afternoon they had hunched over the old blueprints of the Caer manor, which had been on file in the planning office. Of course, it had been modified from the original, but enough seemed to be the same that Remy could tell Perilous what to look for and where, and Robert could explain about plaster walls. So a drink to lay the dust in their throats had seemed logical. It just got a little out of hand was all, since Pierette was used to being able to keep up with her barrel-chested brothers, with their much greater body mass.

Dreams and plans had been started for the Hogan family that afternoon. Both brothers interested in forming their own company, perhaps with the aid of Felipe if the brother-in-law was willing to take time off from horticulture and landscaping to help out. Not that they knew what exactly the project was. All they knew was that Pierette had found a wealthy benefactor, and she would rather depend on the silence of her blue collar family than risk a stranger butting in.

So when she heard Nox approaching, she stopped what she was doing and gave him a big grin, "Heeeeey! My beloved master, things are going well!" and offered the fancy bottle in his direction.
 
As written by Knosis

"I'm a quick study." She assured. "Besides, the worst that could happen is I prove a failure." The intoxicating smell hit her part way down, and her eyes dilated as she felt the hunger hit her. The burning sensation in her throat that threatened to overwhelm her senses if she didn't quench the unquenchable.

But the sight of the girls stopped her in her tracks. Fury mixed with her hungered look and she willed herself to stay where she stood. "Seems my father is good at forcing everyone to his will, when it comes down to it." She bit the words, the exertion of fury and will obvious as her voice trembled slightly. "Is every vampire as cruel as him?" She asked. "Is it unusual that I would be more willing to take the blood of those who are free and are able to fight back or the willing than those who are trapped and broken? Or is it over time, I will just simply learn to not care because it is no longer me in their position?"

"I hate him." She added more quietly.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

Nox stopped before her when she would thrust the bottle before her, his eyes narrowing sharply. He could smell her from the house, and up close, the scent of alcohol was almost overpowering. The thought of a rather sloppy celebration ran through his head, and the Caer couldn't help but grimace internally. It would be no fun if she puked half-way through their time together later. Taking the bottle in his hand, he'd examine it. An expensive brand that was popular even when his family was at the height of their power. At least Perilous had bought a reputable brand.

"I trust things have been going well, and you're using the good fortune I've bestowed on you to justify coming home like some kind of stumbling harlot? While normally I would not mind..." A pause to sample the fine spirit before smashing the battle against the path on which they stood, his voice rising from an even pitch to an infuriated rage.

"We. Have. Guests! And you represent me in everything you do. So you will go inside. You will make yourself something to come down from this...behavioral disgrace, take a shower, get cleaned up, and present yourself in a reasonable, dignified manner! You are meeting my first-turned daughter tonight, and I want you to make a good impression." There was a baleful light in his eyes. In truth, his real anger came from being constantly interrupted tonight.

"And later, after the festivities have died down, we'll discuss what you've been up to and where we stand in our plans, and this will be forgotten. Now. Inside."
 
As written by Script

Jamie looked across at Noemi, and for the third time fixed her with a curious and assessing gaze. "Perhaps unusual, but not unique. Taking from the broken is sometimes necessary, but never satisfying. It's not a prize, if you don't have to work for it."

He tilted his head ponderously. "No, that's not quite the right metaphor. But I can't think of a better one."

Sighing, he looked down at his arm. The worst of the damage had already repaired, and he could move it again. "But I'll be weak if I don't drink," he finally said, shrugging. He paced over to one of the girls - by the look of her, just shy of her twenties, her hair a dark and tangled bob that had obviously seen better days - and crouched beside her, tilting her neck to one side as he did.

"Sorry," he said, before biting down. It would be quick and clean, but still she whimpered in horror.

When Jamie was done, he stood back up again, wiping the corner of his mouth. "I can tell, by the way," he added. "That you hate him, I mean. It's pretty obvious."
 
As written by Knosis

As he broke flesh into the poor girl, Noemi discovered for the first time since turning she didn't have to breathe. She closed her eyes and dug her nails into her own skin to keep herself from descending upon the poor girl like something from a bad horror movie. She could easily hear the rapid thrashing of the girl's pulse, sending a sickening reminder of her own pulse coming to an end. She turned her back to the women and the male vampire.

"Good." She said briefly, edging back towards the stairs. "I don't want any mistaken assumptions when it comes to me or him." The fledgling was about to break.
 
As written by Krysis

"Did you know that your eyes actually glow real pretty when you are angry?" Pierette asked, perhaps a little imprudently, and then laughed when he smashed the bottle, delighted by the destruction. Of course she had no way of knowing that he would have an unexpected guest when she drove up, and it wasn't like she had walked in on them or anything. She was even on her way to the kitchen entrance, as instructed, when he stopped her.

"Shouldn't be this drunk. Dunno what you did to me, but I like it. It's easier to get fucked up now." Perilous swayed a bit as she made it up the path, only staggering once when she had to maneuver around the white-coated obstacle in her way. Her tattered old boots crunched over the glass carelessly. The amber fluid that had splattered her baggy jeans added to the perfumes of sweat, blood, smoke, and beer that had already soaked into her short, colorful hair and the t-shirt with red and silver writing on black cloth (Sometimes I wrestle with my demons; Sometimes we just cuddle). But Pierette always had a faint smell of blood about her because she was so careless with her body, and a smokey smell, like burning leaves, that was just her.

After getting some water splashed on her face and a glassful down her throat, she'd be much steadier. The smell of good coffee perking in the pot would further help restore her and prove that she was indeed following instructions. Never mind that those things were exactly what she would done even if Nox hadn't made his wishes known.
 
As written by Emperor Jester

A heavy sigh as Perilous brushed past him, obviously not comprehending his anger. Despite himself, Nox could find it in himself to be truly wrathful. The girl was troubled, but more importantly, she was ignorant of the world she had stepped into. She was resourceful, and far smarter than she let on, so Nox was sure she'd pick up on social queues and the like sooner or later. And if she didn't improve, well...there were plenty of women in this city he could replace her with.

Turning back towards the house, he couldn't help but smile. Noemi was close to breaking. She wanted to feed so badly, and fighting it was killing her. It was cute, thinking she could resist such temptation, such sin. Feeding from those helpless girls was akin to killing a dove or a small, baby animal. They were so helpless and frail, so innocent...for a reason. Once his daughter got a taste of what a...of what...

Licking his lips, Nox decided then and there to not join his house keeper in her bathing, but instead his guests in the cellar. He too was feeling a tad...famished.
 
As written by Script

Jamie nodded his head slowly, before pausing to think once more. "You should feed," he said after a moment. "They're stuck down here suffering either way. The only thing you achieve by not feeding is making yourself weaker. You want to be strong, don't you? Strong enough to hurt him."

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "You need to get used to what you are eventually."

It was a blunt statement, and entirely pragmatic reasoning. It seemed that whilst Jamie wasn't proving to be cruel, neither was he particularly empathetic.
 
As written by Knosis

Her cold eyes opened again, the icy glare like needles upon Jamie. "Feeding on them would also please him to no end. I have no qualms of what I am. He may be why I'm everything that I am. But everything I will become, will not be by his molding." She hissed angrily. She found herself no air left to speak, and so had to draw the breath in that finally broke her.

Within a hair's breath, she found herself by another one of the young women. She seemed younger, and the fear was evident in her eyes as Noemi found herself leaning towards her. "Forgive me." She found herself saying. The fledgling hesitated only a brief moment longer, unsure how this was to work but in the end it worked itself out. She tenderly dug her fangs into the woman's neck, being rewarded with what she craved. Noemi's hands instinctively drew the woman closer, biting down a little harder as she drained away the woman she had chosen. The woman whimpered and thrashed in pain and fear as her life was slipping away.
 
As written by Script

"She'll die, if you don't stop."

Jamie stood by impassively, watching. Despite his words, his tone gave no indication that he was concerned for whether Noemi chose to heed his warning or not.
 
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