Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: Merveilleux

as written by Ronin

Aaro shook his head. He was past the point of negotiation. Jimmy was intoxicated, injured and proposing that they follow a potentially hostile party patron in the name of sex and food. That wasn't going to fly.

"We're going home, Jim," Aaro announced, surprising even himself with the sudden authority his voice mustered, "we've had enough fun. You're hurt, and the last thing we need to do right now is follow the guy that you said you wanted to kill a moment ago. If we're lucky we can still sneak back into the Monastery and get you fixed up without getting caught." He looked to his left and right. "I think Celeste went off with her sister. Where's In?"

---

"I thought I was," Corso smiled, "but I'm not so sure anymore. The more I talk to you the more I notice that there's something not entirely ... human about you." His hand went to his hair and he twirled a black lock between his fingers, cool grey eyes soft and misty as they ran over every detail of Alysa's face ... the freckles speckling her cheeks, the emerald gleam of her irises ... the wolfish grin hiding behind a veil of lipstick.

"Something wild..." he continued, "...something feral."
 
as written by Faithy

“You, Celeste, and In can go home, but I am not going anywhere except with Malcolm so that I can get laid. That is final.” Jimmy stomped his foot down, nearly falling over in the process. In fact, had he not grabbed a hold of Aaro with his good hand, he probably would have toppled over to the floor. Grunting, he released his fellow Proselyte and glanced over towards Malcolm, trying to remember what he was about to say before glancing back at Aaro.

“I don’t know where In is, but Celeste is over there on the couch.” Jimmy pointed at the female who wanted to go home.

“I have an idea! You should go find Inarin. I’ll be fine.” Stumbling again, Jimmy managed to sit down on the arm of the couch, his fingers rubbing his nose.

____

Alysa kept her composure and as far as anyone was concerned, she was one cool cucumber on the exterior. Inside, his words grated on her and she wondered if it was time to vanish before he did or said something that set her off. What if he was a hunter? Swearing internally, the Scion decided to just be coy with him and laugh off his assumptions.

“Really now, Corso. Making assumptions is so ungentlemanly of you. While I might get frisky in bed, I think calling me wild or feral is going a bit too far, don’t you agree?” Alysa leaned in close, grinning a little before patting him on the cheek. If he was a hunter, he would find himself very dead, but if he wasn’t, then maybe this might work out after all for her. Maybe he would be so interested in what she was that he would allow her to show him and then maybe he’d even let her give him a love bite.

“Besides, what’s so bad about being a bit wild?”
 
as written by duramon

Rei was getting impatient, now was the time to leave. Thus the young girl tugged playfully at the monsters arm, smiling up at him and nodding her head towards the exit. "Come on, lets go~" She chimed, tugging and leading the Caer away from the V.I.P area, continuing her playful jaunt across the dance floor to the exit. He'd been prepared to leave anyway, and the Proselyte was very much done with her first "Party". The only prize the evening had wrought was research materials, although she supposed she'd had fun just soaking in the atmosphere and arriving in style with Aurelie. Speaking of, her Motorbike was still parked outside with two helmets on it, and as she came out she glanced at the small crowd that was outside.

Inarin seemed to be having some sort of attack, and an older man was keeping him calm. Aurelie and the twins were also here....outside...with the monster..with their backs turned, fucking fantastic. Before it could escalate into small scale murder, Rei called out to Aurelie. "Aurelie!~ I'm bouncing from the party." She stated, tugging Nox closer to the group with more playful gestures, keeping her arm looped firmly to his. She made sure to let him know he was important, her tugging never seperated her from his side, and as she approached the group she held steadfast to him, as if she was showing him off to the world.

Although, she tried to keep herself and the man out of Inarin's field of view, his exclusion of him in her list of people leaving wasn't an accident. He was having some sort of issue after all, and Nox wasn't the best source of calm.

She looked genuinely concerned however and she looked at the man beside Inarin. "Uhm, I'm Rei, a Proselyte in Inarin's classes. Is he going to be okay?" She asked genuinely.
 
as written by glmstr

"Well I'm glad it wasn't all bad things," Aurelie frowned and glanced to either side, "anywho, let's keep away from this battle of dominance or whatever, there's no need for anyone to get hostile."

"Aurelie!~" The vampire heard a familiar voice and pivoted on one heel, using the ball of her other foot to stop herself from spinning too far. She saw Rei, arms locked with 'Malcolm'. She was still slightly concerned, but the Caer definitely seemed to have quite an interest in her, if he was letting her drag him around like this. She exhaled a sigh of relief, glad she managed to charm such a powerful creature.

"Hey Rei! Looks like you made a friend," she smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Say, do you two mind if I come along? You'll be much more interesting than, well, the house mice I'd have for company otherwise."
 
as written by Emperor Jester

Nox let himself be led along by the much tinier female, going along with it gladly. Nox waved to the others as he left, even calling out to Elisabeth. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, beautiful. Until then!" He would say, before being off like a giddy schoolgirl. He had such ideas for young Rei, and fortunately for the girl in question, almost none of them involved ending her short life. The Caer was going to use her though.

Oh yes. He was going to ruin her.

When she tugged him along outside, he hadn't expected to be steered towards a motor bike. The deliciously young proselyte was proving to be far more surprising than Nox had ever expected. Suddenly he found himself changing directions, and lo and behold, there was the young, peppy boy from before, only now in the throws of some kind of attack. The poor boy.

Then his fellow undead spoke to him, and his smile turned somewhat sour in his mouth. "I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as Rei is fine with it. What do you say, hmmm?" The Caer would inquire, tucking his arm around his companion's shoulders, keeping her close.
 
as written by Script

Elisabeth offered Nox and Rei a small wave as they departed, before settling down to recline on the couch with her drink until Arien was done dealing with the proselytes.

____

Arien raised an eyebrow at Celeste, "If that's what you want, then of course. Let me go and find the twins - they should have a driver who can get you back to the Monastery safely."

He paused, before placing a hand gently over Celeste's, "I'm sorry if I overstepped in separating you from your sister. I'm sure you could have handled yourself, but I just didn't trust her not to do something irresponsible."

Trust. Reassurance. Safety.

He couldn't stop Malcolm taking Rei tonight, not without causing a scene that wouldn't endear either of them to Sanina. But at least he could try and make sure it didn't cast him in a bad light. He was helping. Their safety was his priority. Anything that happened had been out of his control. At least, that was what he wanted to impress upon Celeste's mind.

With another small smile, he stepped back to look over at Aaro and Jimmy. "Aaro," he called, "Keep an eye on both of them for me. I need to find the twins, and Inarin was with them last. I can find him."

Pausing only a moment for affirmation, he turned to sweep towards the door after Nox and Rei.

____

After taking a moment to make sure Inarin was on the road to recovery, Aurelion rose from where he was sitting to turn to face Nox and Rei. He smiled to the latter, nodding his head. "He's going to be fine. It's just one of his panic attacks."

The other proselytes would no doubt be aware of Inarin's recurring panic attacks - usually two or three a month. They were far from crippling, but more than a little inconvenient. Many felt that it would preclude him from ever taking the silver, in case he suffered an attack while out in the field. It was a liability.

Aurelion's smile faded into a frown as Aurelie and then Nox spoke. Before Rei could reply to Nox, he cut in.

"Sorry, but did you say that you're going with him?" The paladin's expression was painted with disapproval, "Now, don't get me wrong. I understand that you've got to live a little. But I'm not sure of the wisdom in that."

There was something unnerving about the freakishly tall man. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was a stranger met at an illicit party, but Aurelion didn't like the idea of one of the monastery's students going home with him.

"You may be able to get back into the Monastery tonight with the brothers and sisters none the wiser, but if you're still gone come morning, they will ask questions. And by the oaths I've sworn, I'll have to answer them. In full. You'd be risking blowing not just your cover, but that of the others."

He got the sense that appealing to the girl's better judgement about going home with a stranger wouldn't work, based on her smile, but perhaps she'd be more concerned about risking bringing down the monastery's ire on her friends.

"He makes a valid point," Arien cut in as he emerged out the front, shrugging his shoulders non-committally. "Your place is pretty far away, right Malcolm? There's not much chance of getting back in time from somewhere so remote, however the night goes."

He held up a hand, "It's not my call, of course," he added as a proviso, flashing a smile at Nox before he turned his eyes onto the twins, who had been watching the exchange with amusement. "I think Celeste and Jimmy need to head home now. Could you two get a car for them?"

"Of course," Alveré said, as though it were a ridiculous question. He stepped back and away from the conversation a few paces as he pulled out his phone to make the call.
 
as written by duramon

Live a little. Rei snorted inwardly You don't know the half of what I've found.. Rei waited for whom she now pieced together was Inarin's brother, to finish, then before she could speak she was interrupted again by Arien joining in. Apparently he'd exited the party looking to get a ride for Celeste and Jimmy. Rei sighed and finally saddled up to speak.

"I'm almost always late, and come morning I'm never found in bed. They'll assume I'm with Master Romstone, working on the Bloodbane, or somewhere on academy grounds. Grunxa will put me on clean up duty again, Romstone will chastise me for causing a fuss and they'll put up with me because the Order knows I'm one of their top potentials. In the worst case scenario, I get caught coming in through my back entrance, after all this isn't my first out of Monastery foray. In that case." She reached into her bag and fiddled around for a bit, pushing things aside that made a metallic cling as they knocked together before fishing out a copy of the schematics she gave to Inarin earlier.

"I've got a set of schematics that would put any other Proselyte two steps from The Silver and high enough grades for the academy to believe I can make full on my promise." She paused for a moment to look at Aurellion. "I respect your advice, but you should focus on taking care of the others, Jimmy's drunk and may have a broken arm and Celeste has been drugged. They're more likely to get caught then I am." She stated, turning to Aurelie and Nox "Let's go, having Aurelie along is fine~ It'll give me a church-affiliated guardian too, so it all works out extra well." She chimed, back to the playful atmosphere.

Rei was a known rogue element, and the chance of observing the monster, and possibly monsters who were supposedly long dead, was far beyond any opportunity she'd get again. If she'd wanted to, sitting on that couch, loaded with bloodbane and knives, arms wrapped around his neck. Maybe she could have even been the first in so many years, to kill a Caer, it was too bad the risks outweighed her current rewards. Besides, the Proselyte had something in mind to further her own agenda.
 
as written by glmstr

Aurelie sighed and shrugged.
"Rei's right, she's no stranger to a bit of misbehavior," she flashed a smile and gave a small chuckle.

"I don't know if I count as a church guardian, but I guess it'll have to do," the vampire grinned and scratched her head. The church was going to be furious, but she felt it was worth it. These kids never got a chance to go out and do things like this, so a party or two couldn't hurt, right?
 
as written by Emperor Jester

A searing spear of emotion shot through Nox's features as the brother of the bitch-boy spoke to him: annoyance. He'd been fine at containing himself all night long and the vampire felt like he was owed something for it. As Aurelion continued to drone on to no end, Nox's grip on the proselyte next to him would continue to tighten, his blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I believe it would be fine. My intentions don't go so far as to break any church tenants, or doctrines or whatever have you, and..." He would turn to look at Arien, a thin smile on his face, a warning of sorts. "...my place isn't all that far away, not if we take a taxi, or her motorbike."

Rei siding with him did somewhat calm his fraying nerves, though it didn't help much.

Or he could rip her head from her spine here and now and kill them all...

That idea was rapidly becoming more and more tempting...
 
as written by Ronin

Aaro moved to steady Jim as he lost his balance. His face was hard, his brows knit. "Jim, ordinarily I'd let you have your way on this, but as your friend, I'm telling you that you're not in the right head to make this decision for yourself." He slipped a hand under Jim's arm, letting the older boy using him as a crutch. "Come on. We're finding the others and we're going home." Aaro was now attempting to physically move Jim off the couch towards the exit.

---

"Nothing bad," Corso replied, not shying away from her touch but neither leaning into the contact. "Just out of the ordinary. I rather like it." Another drink slid into his hands. Corso brought the glass to his lips without breaking eye-contact, downing the liquor in a smooth swig. "I haven't been 'wild' in a long time." He smiled. His eyes glimmered grey in the dim lights of the club. "Perhaps you'd like to remind me how it's done?"
 
as written by Script

"Regardless of your prowess, Rei, it would be irresponsible of me to look the other way on this. I've already pushed it by not reporting your plans tonight. The behaviour that all of you have engaged in here, whilst I understand it, would not be seen so kindly by your tutors and guardians." Aurelion held Nox's gaze, still trying to place what felt wrong about him.

His possessiveness of a young girl he'd only just met for one. There seemed to be a great deal of cold aggression behind those narrowed eyes.

Even if there had been nothing wrong with Nox, he would have thought along the same lines. The downside to the Monastery's strict policy on teaching celibacy was that many students went their whole lives entirely uneducated on sex and intimacy. Contraception and other forms of sexual safety were gaps in the knowledge of even some paladins. That Rei saw no issue with going home with a large, domineering stranger spoke volumes about the flaws in the Church's policies.

"I'm afraid I must invoke my authority as a paladin to instruct you to return to the monastery with the others. Your duty to the church should take priority over personal desires, so long as you remain within the order."

"Ah..." Arien grimaced as he felt the tension in the air building, "Is there no compromise we can come to? Perhaps Rei can arrange to meet Malcolm at a later date, under circumstances less worrisome to you?"

Please, gods, don't let this turn into a blood-bath. Not now. I can't deal with this.

But Nox was about to snap. He could see it in the large man's eyes, and his body's tension. If he didn't act now, everyone here was dead.

It was time to gamble. Blood pooled in his mouth as he bit down on his tongue, hard. He winced at the pain, but ignored it, drawing on the power within it.

Then he turned his magic not just on Rei and Aurelion, but on Nox, too.

The Caer would no doubt be resistant to his push, but if he put enough into it... perhaps he could nudge this towards a peaceful resolution? Even if it didn't last long, it might last long enough to get him and the paladin separated. Maybe even enough to save Rei.

Directing such a complex weave of influences on multiple targets was difficult, to say the least.

To Rei poured an influx of doubt, concern, paranoia. Fear for her safety. This creature she was with wasn't to be underestimated. It was terror incarnate. It was a Caer. And it would destroy her in so many ways worse than death.

Find safety. Get away. FEAR.

Aurelion found his suspicion peaking, transforming to another form of fear. This man that stood before him was not to be trifled with. He knew, as if from nowhere, that should things come to blows then dozens could die.

Caution. Don't anger him. ESCAPE.

And to Nox ... a push stronger than the others felt. Thick smoke poured from the blood in Arien's mouth, his nails dug sharply into his hands, and his eyes - now dark with crimson swirls, almost imperceptible in the dark of the night - widened as he fought not to choke on it. To Nox he channelled apathy. Disregard. These people weren't worth his time. They were weak. Unimportant. Meaningless. His anger should be saved for more worthy victims.

Relax. Relent. CALM.

Arien gasped, doubling over as he broke into a fit of coughing to try and disguise the flecks of blood which fell from his lips and from his palms. They dissipated before they hit the ground in tiny wisps of smoke - they too, almost invisible in the darkness. The only person there who might have noticed them was Aurelie - provided Nox's attention remained focused on the paladin.

"Arien? Are you alright?" Valère's voice was laced with concern as he stepped forwards. Arien held up a hand to ward the boy off. The cuts on his palm were already gone.

"Fine. Just got something caught in my throat. Bug, I think. Eugh."

____

Elisabeth cleared her throat as Aaro began to lead Jimmy away.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she called.

She pointed towards where Celeste still lingered near the couch, raising an eyebrow.
 
as written by Krysis

Celeste hadn't sat down when Arien tried to get her to rest, and it had taken more effort than was pretty not to follow him when he just walked off, and so was several feet from the couch before her legs had gotten tangled in the pounding beat of the music. That had made her stop long enough for the others to zip around in the corners of her awareness like jeweled lizards on a cracked wall, flickering out and out of sight. In one part of her mind, she knew she didn't usually think in such vivid metaphors, but it was a pleasant change of pace.

She didn't even notice Elisabeth pointing at her, so intent on her task of getting away from all these people that kept trying to put her on a shelf and leave her. Pierette's harsh jibes and cruel jokes would have been better than being ignored. She could bear up under opposition, but apathy could suck her down and destroy her. The athletic girl was glaring in determination as she focused on putting one foot in front of the other, slowly making her way towards the exit of the VIP section, with her arms partly outstretched for balance.
 
as written by glmstr

Oh no, no please don't do this now..
Aurelie tensed up at Nox's impending rage, she feared for Rei's life at this rate. She thought about intervening and trying to diffuse the scenario, but then Arien showed up at the perfect opportunity. She watched him carefully, trying to observe how he managed to diffuse the last near-disaster.

She raised an eyebrow as she noticed him wincing and clenching his hands, his palms seemed to bleeding. That must have been intentional, she mused over the concept to herself when he doubled over and began coughing, but she still clearly saw the blood dripping from his mouth and hands not only into the air, but seemingly burning before it could reach the ground.

"Are you alright?" Valère stepped towards Arien to help him, only for the man she suspected of vampirism to be unscathed almost immediately. She smirked at him, as if trying to project what she was thinking: "Clever."
 
as written by duramon

Rei felt a prickle of doubt begin to grow in her mind, her fear of the best beginning to take roots deeper within her psyche. She felt the need to leave, to abandon her search..no, that wasn't right. That wouldn't work, it wouldn't advance that way, things would just say the same. She had to leave, but she couldn't. The mental walls within her mind had begun to sprout doors but they were incomplete, there was a monster in these rooms with her and she had to leave, she had to distance herself from the Caer. But the doors weren't there, they wouldn't open, she couldn't leave. She wanted to abandon the hunt for her research, but she was rooted, the other half of her was screaming no.

Deep in the back of the girls mind something repelled the suggestions from taking full roots, conditioning that said that everything was okay as long as it advanced. The girl was second guessing, trying to think of reasons to leave, but everything was rendered a blank and she found herself stuck with the monster.

"I....I need to go, just this once." She pleaded, looking conflicted. "Besides, all I did tonight was try to make my first friends, and I stopped Jimmy from attacking innocents. If I crumbled everytime a Paladin denied me, half of what I own wouldn't exist, and the next generation will be exactly like the last and the one before that. If you people trusted me more and let me have what I needed things would be a lot better off to begin with, Romstone's the only one who understands and pushes me." She ranted, folding one arm across her chest defensively to meet up with the arm hooked around Nox, although she still appeared nervous and uncertain.

She started tugging the monster towards the bike "If I'm this close to The Silver and I can't handle myself or make my own decisions, then I might as well leave the Order entirely. That kind of person, isn't fit to walk the road of a Paladin." She stated coldly, looking up to Nox "I'm sorry you have to deal with all this, I promise things'll get more interesting later~ Just, church stuff, y'know?" She said awkwardly, pressing her body tight to his side.

Sweet Selene what was she getting herself into?
 
as written by Emperor Jester

Nox had felt a roar building in his throat, saw his vision going red. How dare any of these insects seek to impose their will, or worse, the will of the hypocrisy ridden church on him. HIM! Did they really not realize who he was? Was his acting that impressive? Or did they really seek to court death that much.

He'd almost taken a step forward, towards the paladin. Almost. This was microseconds before something washed over his mind, something foreign and, strangely powerful. Almost familiar. He felt his anger leave, though not entirely, instead returning it to more manageable levels. The Caer still wanted to strike out, hurt someone or something, though now Nox felt far more at ease, his shoulders even returning to their somewhat slack disposition.

"I can see...all of your points..." The words struggled through his clenched teeth, though his tongue quickly loosened his unwilling lips. "However, I still believe, despite your protests..." He'd almost purr, glad Rei was being so clingy, glad to feel the fear leaking from her like a veritable faucet. "I think its her final choice which holds the most sway here. And if she really wants to go with me, I don't think anyone can stop her."

That soothed feeling was fading fast. Rapidly.

The red was starting to come back but Nox was trying to control it, so very very hard.

"And I think you're right, Rei. Lets finally leave these...people behind us, and enjoy ourselves for once tonight."
 
as written by Script

"I-" Aurelion began to speak once more, but something held him back. His words caught in his throat with the realisation that he was stood face to face with something truly terrible. He knew not what, but he could see the creature's rage painted clearly on its face.

His eyes flicked briefly to the cluster of teenagers that stood around them. To Inarin on the curb, still shutting out the rest of the world.

He couldn't let this turn into a confrontation here.

And so he allowed his words to die, and watched with obvious conflict as Rei led the man away.

I'm sorry. I failed you.

It was then that Alveré walked back over the the group. "A car is on its way..." he began, before trailing off when he took in the expressions on everyone's faces. He blinked.

"Did I... miss something?"
 
as written by glmstr

Aurelie let out a sigh of relief, and stepped over to Alveré to fill him in. Her voice dropped to a very low whisper, so only he would hear it.
"Don't worry about it Al, there was just a bit of a disagreement between Malcolm and Aurelion. Nobody got hurt, thankfully," she gave the twin a playful pat on his back, and then trotted over to the bike that she and Rei drove to the party in the first place. Next to it was a black duffel bag, that (surprisingly) was not stolen.

She scooped up the bag, briefly opening it to make sure her things were still inside, and then slung it over her shoulder. It contained her standard attire, her sword, her cane, and a few other items she would normally carry on her person.
 
as written by duramon

Rei turned and headed for the bike, fastening her bag tightly to herself and gesturing to Nox and Aurelie. "Uhm, I'm not sure how comfortable the bike will be for us but, I'm sure we can manage. I'll drive, Aurelie's got the back end." She half-ordered playfully, taking her position to drive and tossing her helmet to Malcolm gently.

"I got us here in style, might as well leave the same way~ Paladin's know how to handle a good bike after all. I'll be fine without the helmet, so let's ride~" She chimed, bringing out a set of tools to fiddle around and start the engine, bringing the bike to life in an enthusiastic rev of the engine.

She extended her hand to her companion and smiled "You better give me good directions big boy, a gal could get lost in a dark alley if you're not careful." She teased. She could feel the roots of doubt and fear in her mind receeding slowly, but they still pricked at her mind, it became a genuine fear that he may mislead her into an alley to have his fun. In that case, he'd have to rely on Aurelie to help get her out.

If she could find the strength to leave.
 
as written by Emperor Jester

"Don't worry. Once we get to Lumenia Square, its pretty much a straight shot east towards the edge of the city. Shouldn't take us more than half an hour to get there." Almost sensually, Nox would slip onto the bike in the middle, looking at the helmet with curiosity. Well, when surrounded by strange customs and strange people, better to go with the flow. "Malcolm" would smile towards the paladin, his tongue feeling quite sharp as he spoke.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine, sir. I swear on it, on the honor of my late father. You have my word I won't be despoiling her or the like." And even as he made these promises, his intimacy with the girl would only publicly increase, especially considering their sitting position of the motorbike.

Hands traveling everywhere on the young proselytes body, leaving a trail of tingling cold wherever he touched.
 
as written by Script

Aurelion's scowl deepened and he clenched his fists in anger. It took all his willpower to stay where he was and hold his tongue. He mentally filed away the information. East from Lumiena Square. Half an hour.

It was far from an address, but it was something.

At that moment, however, several sets of headlights rounded the corner at the far end of the street. A brief blip of sirens followed, and atop the cars, red and blue lights flashed to life.

"Ah, fuck," Alveré muttered, "Already?"

It seemed that the police had arrived to clear out the rave. It was then, perhaps, a very good thing that Nox was already on his way.

Valère turned to the 'bouncer' on the door who had been watching the exchange outside with slack-jawed astonishment. "Let Necro know that the police are here, and start clearing people out," he said, waving the boy off with a dismissive gesture. The teenager nodded hurriedly and slipped inside.

The police cars rolled unhurriedly towards the warehouse, only occasionally flaring their sirens.
 
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