porcelain rouge

the blood that runs through me is as cold as ice, as is your heart if you'd ever choose to stay by my side simply for what you see. pure of heart; 4300 | corrupted soul; 405

[puretalia]

Talia gave a small noise of agreement with her last statement. It seemed as if newcomers were arriving everyday; however, most of them held no innocent reason for their arrival. Being a hunter made Talia far too aware of what Bindlebrim Hallows real main attraction was. As she replied to Hyun, Talia allowed a confused look to cross over her features. “The peace? I’m sorry… I don’t exactly understand.” The last conflict Talia had heard of that included Japan was that of World War II, aside from the near constant tension with China. 

Talia let out a small sigh. “Yeah. Unfortunately I haven’t had any opportunities to travel.” She gave a small shrug to accompany her words. “But I’m guessing it must be quite amazing.” 

[beautygetsyoubitten]

"Believe me when I say almost everywhere I have been there has been some kind of tension. Though saying that I'm sure Bindlebrim houses it too, I just choose to ignore it's presence. I'm tired of seeing conflict." Her face hardened slightly at the girls expression. Talia seemed suspicious, and though Hyun felt the light glare at her, she wasn't entirely sure she was trustworthy. 

"It is, but it's also tiresome. You can absorb all of it's culture, but eventually everything starts to become the same. We all fell from the same tree is an apt expression for humankind." She bowed her head, lowering her eyes to the concrete floor beneath them. "The storm will begin soon, perhaps it's time to depart?" She didn't want to linger with the girl too long. Her vampyric nature had a way of making itself present when Hyun spent long periods of time in the presence of people who weren't consumed by their own issues.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He nodded, shrugging a shoulder. “What can I do?” he sighed, reclining in his seat as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I get nothing from the dead. And of course, I can’t feed off other demons. I can’t even feed off animals, given that they don’t really have souls in the traditional sense of the word. Of course, vampires… they’re a strange case, aren’t they?”

His eyebrows waggled a bit, his chin resting on his hand as he looked her over, considering her situation. “You know, most people think your soul leaves you completely when you die, but I don’t know if I believe that of a vampire. There’s got to be something in there keeping the beast at bay, but maybe it just…splits,” he mused, pressing his hands together and pulling them apart to mimic something rending in half.

"Maybe the uncorrupted part of your immortal soul is enjoying some kind of peace in the afterlife," he suggested with a casual wave of the hand. "Maybe it’s already waiting for you down below. Either way, we all find out eventually," he said definitively, giving a nod. "I just happen to have the advantage of being born in the worst of all worlds."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Hyun listened to her breath as she exhaled, then inhaled slowly. There was no proof that her soul was still there, it was true, but yet the thought hurt her like a shot to the chest. She felt so much, as if her heart still beat each time a new person took a part of it and kept it safe within their working chests. How could her soul not remain when it yearned so deeply to be connected to anothers?

"I'm surprised you don't know all about our kind, though I doubt its something that would be mentioned a lot around hell. Souls. Too emotional. Lucifer intended us to drive a wedge between humanity and humans, it would only make sense that we kept our souls. Though its not like we can sell ours to a demon at any point, so maybe all we have is a reflection of what came before us. Perhaps Hyun is just a imprint of some long lost Geisha." Her eyes glistened, she was losing herself to her own thoughts. You mustn't show weakness. She straightened herself up and once again went back to listening to her soft breaths.

[victoriansaint]

"It is said that we die when our hopes do, so I wouldn’t dare to give myself the freedom of being the one to reap you" he responded jokingly, though his words were nothing short of truth. Dantalion was exactly what his name painted him to be; a supplier and handler of the hell’s nine circles, finest of his sort, crafted from the very flesh of Satan himself. Though his hand has dropped to his lap, his fingers remained seemingly unconsciously locked around Hyun’s own but the demon was very much aware of the intimacy he held onto. He could clearly read the woman’s aura even without so much as a mere touch and her soul was not fit for him to buy, but nevertheless, he chose to make his touch lingering for reasons known to none another but his vessel. This was something he agreed on upon taking his current suit; there were some things he would not question and the desire of his human inhabitant to enjoy a beautiful woman’s proximity was not something he had a reason to deny. "I’ve been here for a month and a half, to be precise, but my arrival here was strictly business-related and I kept it that way until this very day. You could say that this is my first day off and as a workaholic, I’m sort of…lost? Maybe you could help me find me."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

His touch stifled her slightly. She wasn't expecting him to be so... attentive. She knew it wasn't best to judge someone, but by the way he conducted himself she could only assume he was more stoic in nature, yet here he was wrapping her fingers round hers. She smiled at his unexpected warmth. "I'm ashamed to say I happen to be an expert on leisure time around Bindlebrim. I've worked hard my entire life, I like to think I deserve a period of time spent for my own enjoyment. I do hope you feel the same about today." Her eyes glanced into his, their baby blue half-kind, half-cold. It was an interesting combination. Hyun had always found eyes a key to discovering who a person was. Dante didn't seem to exude one individual, a complexity she couldn't quite wrap her head round. It was intriguing, pulling her in, making her lust for more knowledge. "What do you do for work? Maybe we could do the opposite?"

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He shrugged, noncommittal, and shook his head. “It’s been pretty handy, really, what with my diet and all. Makes the job a lot easier when I can see what a person wants, and just give it to them.”

He chuckled a bit, genuine amusement on his face before he gave her a dry, deadpan sort of look. “Hyun, have you ever been to Hell?” he intoned, heaving a bored sigh. “I happen to be from there. And you know what it’s made of? The worst thoughts, the worst nightmares and compulsions and shameful urges ever to occur in man…those make their home in Hell. I think I’d be reasonable in saying I am accustomed to the darkness at the core of so many of these poor unfortunate souls.”

[beautygetsyoubitten]

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as he spoke to her. She hadn't been to hell, and though she had no desire to ever visit there, she knew that in death that's where she would be sent. There was a demon inside of her, the very one who enticed her to kill those men long ago. She was by no means a good person. Not since the bite poisoned her blood.

"It is a shame you can only feed off mortals. We vampires are ridden with such desolate souls, at least if our souls still exist. Some choose to let the demon take over. I've always wondered what happens to the soul when that happens. I don't think I would very much like to find out."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He stared at her a moment, seeming to study her further. He could not get into her mind, but he’d grown into certain alternative methods of reading. Doubtless, though, this woman being as old as she must have been had to have a hell of a poker face.

"Well, I can read minds, for starters." He held up a hand, clearing his throat softly. "Mortal minds," he added emphatically, giving a nod her way. "So you needn’t be concerned about whoever it is you dearly hope I never find."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Though relief flowed through her muscles, reliving their tension, she didn't allow it to spread to her face. Still if he was to read Audrey's by chance, it was possible he could discover their closeness. "Mind reading must be a terrible gift. Personally I would not like to be so submerged in someone else's thoughts. Thoughts can be a terrible place, do you not agree?"

She thought back to her recent experiences with people spilling their thoughts onto her. Some of them she welcomed, supportive in her response. Others, though she remained a solid base for them to confess upon, had been harder on her ears. Hearing the darker minds, the ones filled with so much debt that they contemplate death, resonated more than she would have liked it to.

[victoriansaint]

"Dazed. That is a well picked word." Dantalion agreed, lips quirking upwards in a brighter, all-revealing teethful display of joy this time around. He had learned through his short stay in Bindlebrim that people here had a good way with their words but he could hardly even not be stunned by how quickly he could find himself in those words. After all, he is a demon of arts and what a finer art there is than literacy? Like a gazelle in her natural habitat, she moved almost far too gracefully for a mortal and it didn’t take him long to pinpoint her existence to one of the many purgatory’s fine crafts. Oh how easily would a man sacrifice his blood supplies to have that very same blush creep up on the pale beauty’s skin more often. Feather light fingers tickled their way underneath the geisha’s palm so he could settle her knuckles right beneath his lips. “Perhaps I was subconsciously looking for someone to rescue me from myself and responded to the first I deemed fit for the mission.” he admitted truthfully, still bathing in the ghost of her skin beneath the gentle peck of his. “It is my pleasure, Hyun. You may call me Dante.” 

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Hyun allowed the ends of her lips to turn. "Dante, like the inferno. Quite a name. I do hope you are not destined for your namesake." She herself was beginning to become a little dazed herself. The man spoke with such fluidity, almost poetic in his nature. It wasn't something she was accustomed to in the mortal form. She must have been right at her first assumption, that he was some kind of witch, or another creature that she was not aware existed in Bindlebrim. After all she had just had the pleasure, or in some ways displeasure, of meeting a demon who had invaded her harm. Though the demon was not the biggest issue on her agenda, he claimed to be of some form of decency. She was inclined to believe it, but she was doubtful. Whoever this male was he was certainly not of human kind, and if he was, he was something rather unique. "Have you been at Bindlebrim long? I'm surprised to have not met you prior to today."

[victoriansaint]

Sonnet 116, Shakespeare. Let me not to the marriage of true minds. Admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O no! It is an ever fixed mark…fixed like the eyes of a stranger’s silent curiosity. A mark heavy and scarring, demanding attention just like his own wandering gaze did. It would’ve been easy to ignore if it wasn’t burning holes in his head and what was seen could rarely be unseen. First to acknowledge the female’s presence were the slightly parted lips chapped from the cold air and the nervous tick of damping them with his tongue that he’d inherited from the human he was wearing. The pink flesh stretched into an unstable smile, muscles twitching for he was obviously fighting the facial reaction back “Do I really look that pitiful?” he insinuated only when the blue laments of his met the glass masked orbs of woman’s, words obviously painting his physical appearance as the reason of being someone’s center of attention. 

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Hyun was thankful that she had blood could not rush to her face for it would probably make it flush a tinge of pink. She was embarrassed to have been caught watching, usually she wasn't so obvious in her observations. "Pitiful isn't the word I would have used no. A little dazed? Slightly." She moved towards the man, her graceful steps making barely a sound on the otherwise crunchy grass. "The park is a very beautiful place to think, but I'm not sure it can give the isolation that one would desire during its daylight hours. Someone is bound to notice when another is lost in thought." She took her place next to him on the bench, feeling the cool breeze against her skin, softly blowing on her pristine hair which seemed to never fall out of place. "My name is Hyun." She held out her hand, palm facing down to the floor. It was an old custom of hers to have the male take her hand. Something in her Geisha blood that she just couldn't shake, no matter how long she decided to remain on American land.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He sighed, shaking his head in theatrical lamentation. “Oh, if only I could just feed from other demons and vampires,” he moaned. “My work would be made out for me. But sadly, it’s gotta be the mortals. You know how it is,” he shrugged a shoulder, giving her a bit of a wistful pout. “Always the mortals.”

He held up a finger. “But,” he chimed, bringing the finger to his mouth to lightly tap his lip. “I’d like to think I’ve put myself in a decent position to reap from those who have it coming to them, and I have a few skills to help me cull the unworthy from the innocent.”

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Curiosity plagued Hyun's delicate features. "Really? What skills would these be?" She dreaded to think of what he was capable of. Torture? Mind reading? She had come across a few types of demons before, not too many but enough to be able to distinguish similarities between the species. As far as she could tell they were capable of pretty much anything.

[victoriansaint]

When off duty, demons don’t just do regular human stuff; thankfully, off duty is something demons rarely face seeing how humans are just about the most masochistic beings ever to exist but when it does happen it’s chaotic. Perhaps to a commoner of a passenger, he’d look like just another absentminded mortal burdened with the everyday’s stress to the point where he had to get out and sit on the nearest park bench just to star in the distant nowhere in particular - but in fact, what he was stressed about was having nothing to do. And making up something meant having to socialize, mostly, which wasn’t Dantalion’s forte really but he figured if he looked genuinely disinterested in it, people will hoard around him because that seems to be the pattern of Bindlebrim hallows. He calls it Rhine’s handbook on how to attract attention; lesson one - look like you don’t want attention. 

[beautygetsyoubitten]

She'd been staring at the male who was absentmindedly sitting on a park bench for almost ten minutes. There was something a little off about him, as if he didn't fit. She thought it seemed similar to herself, where she would blend but not quite be part of the world she lived in, though for as much as she could tell he was not a vampire. Nor was he a werewolf, perhaps a witch? Though through all her pondering he could just as well be an extremely odd man. She actually found him to have classically handsome features, ones that would not go unnoticed by women, including herself. Not that was why she was staring. Hyun had no interest in finding herself a man, not since the bite made her stronger than any of them. Yet her eyes were still fixated on him, after ten minutes of considering what type of person he was. She wasn't going to approach him. It wasn't like with Marcus where she told herself she'd keep her distance and then ended up bonding. Or with Brandon where she had noticed something wrong and instantly felt the need to be of assistance. No this was just her observing, watching the oddness of Bindlebrim at its peak. She wasn't going to ask the man why he seemed so lost in his own thoughts. No, she'd leave it. It wasn't any of her business and he didn't need her help. She was just about to turn around where she could have swore he met her eyes.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

"Sometimes, it’s not even a matter of time," he noted casually, finishing off his drink before it would have a chance to fully cool. "Sometimes, it’s just a matter of picking the wrong person."

His brow lifted as he looked at her for a couple seconds’ assessment. “I’m going to guess you may have some suggestions for me on who it would be wise to avoid?”

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Her eyes glanced over the demon. "I would suggest that you target the guilty rather than the innocent. The Hallows harbor many interesting individuals that I do not care for, some might as well be vampires or demons themselves, but there are others who I would not be too grateful to see harmed. I'm simply telling you to be... selective. It might make your feeding much easier." She wouldn't utter Audrey's name, not when she didn't know the demon well. It could make her a target and if Belial was to make a move on her than Hyun would have to deal with a hungry demon. After seeing the aftermath of such a thing, she wasn't keen to delve into it herself.

She looked down at the teacup that had been left to chill, knowing that by now it was probably much too cold. She picked it up regardless and sipped the cool liquid, echoing his movements.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He considered her question, finally nodding slowly. “Women,” he answered, honestly. “But I don’t make it unpleasant for them,” he added, reassuringly. “They pretty much ask for it, actually…”

Small town or big city, it didn’t matter. He still had to play smart to avoid trouble. “I’m not one to stay in a little place like this longer than is practical. Humans are pretty wise to a lot of old tricks these days. Can’t really afford to make too many waves.”

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Hyun's face dropped as he spoke of his type. Women. She wasn't exactly a feminist as such, but something about the way he said 'they pretty much ask for it', so nonchalantly, made her feel sick. Audrey asked Odette to feed from her, to drain her blood so that the other could survive. Could she offer the same to Benial? Could the demon find a way into her precious, beating heart? "Well that's good to hear. I dare say you might make a few enemies if you linger too long." She gave him a cold gaze, making it known that she was a threat if he was to step out of line. He seemed logical. She could only hope it wouldn't go unheard.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He made a face, best described as exaggerated indifference. “I guess as far as my people go, I’m kind of a slacker. I’m not too closely tied to Hell these days, given me semi-pariah status.” He gave a shrug. “I’m not trying to fill any quotas or break any records. I’m only interested in my own prosperity. I told you, I’m just trying to survive.” He took a couple measured drinks of his cappuccino, folding his arms after putting the cup back down on the table.

"It just so happens I’m not able to feed like you."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Perhaps if she had found the demon elsewhere, in a bigger cities where she didn't care so much for its population, she would have liked him. Yet while he remained here at Bindlebrim, she was on edge. Just the thought of him feeding off someone she had bonded with made her shiver with repulsion. "Yes, it is the misfortune of a demon I suppose. Do you have a preference of who you like to feed from?"

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

"I used to do what I was assigned to do," he explained, crossing one leg over the other, leaning back in his seat. "Hunt. Fight. Kill. I didn’t much care for it," he admitted with an ambivalent shrug. "As soon as they offered me the rank to speak up, I did. The guys in charge…didn’t appreciate my input. Either way, I’m digging re-assignment. Polyester beats the hell out of chain mail."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Hyun shot him an intrigued glance. "So what is your assignment here? Collect as many souls as possible?" Though her dislike for his kind was still strong, he was warming to her. Not by much, Hyun knew better than to ever trust the word of a demon, but a little. He seemed less... chaotic than the kind she had come across before. Less blood thirsty. To be candid, it was rather refreshing.

[misssodetteellis-blog]

Hyun’s words barely registered through the loud screams echoing in her head, a fusion of joyous sound from the children she once cared for and screams of terror. She had never caused anyone such dread, the pained cries of terror were a simply a product of her own imagination and of the panic she herself had felt when she was turned, but all of it seemed irrelevant to her in that moment. She was a monster, after all.

It was only once Odette understood what Hyun meant that she found the strength to stop crying. Her voice was still shaky, but she wiped the tears from her eyes, doing her best to regain her composure. “I… I know…I will…” It’s the only thing I can do. Isn’t it? It’s the best I can ever hope for…The realization that all she had once loved had been permanently lost, that there was no way to go back to her previous life wounded her once again. “That’s kind of you to say…But just because there are bigger monsters out there, it doesn’t make me any less of one…” But Hyun’s words had been enough to drive away the bleak though of suicide. The memory of the man she had killed, and the life he had given to preserve her own was still too strong, reminding her of what she had done to survive. It would be selfish to throw his life away, to waste it on something that was too weak to go on.  “I will never hurt Audrey again. I promise.” There was a certainty in her words that Odette hadn’t heard in her own voice in a long time. 

[beautygetsyoubitten]

The strength in Odette's words lifted a weight off Hyun's burdened shoulders. She wasn't going to touch Audrey, at least not with the intention of harming her. Hyun was sure of it. At least, she believed that it was true. She had been around long enough to know that some people's strength did not last for long. "Thank you. I agree we are monsters and we can't change who we are, but we can certainly define ourselves. You can't be darkness if you do nothing to create it."

Hyun gave the girl a small smile, letting her lips twitch. Her eyes were still burning from the temptation to cry, her finger beginning to quiver as her control loosened. "If you need me, whether it be for advice or simply for a listening ear, you will always be able find me." She bowed her head, then walked back towards the butchery to collect her weekly blood supply. She was ashamed to admit that at first she was angry. Angry at Odette, at Audrey, at herself for allowing it to happen; but now she was a little less heavy, a little less hardened. While they all might be to blame for the actions of that night, none of them were guilty. No one was trying to harm anyone. After all, it had always been her manta to forgive and she had no intention of letting herself to succumb to any philosophies that were not her own.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

He chuckled faintly, shaking his head. “But are we not all God’s creatures, in the end?” He gave her a dubious look at her claim of never having fed from a human. Maybe she just didn’t know what she was missing. The ones who didn’t know any better were usually the ones to look out for.

"Sadly, I am unable to take any sustenance from animals," he sighed, giving a soft pout. "It’s not how I’m built. But, now you mention it, I actively abdicated a life of slaughter and mayhem, which is considered a great dishonor where I’m from, in case you weren’t aware."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

His smug face bothered her deeply, much more than it should have. It was that glint in his eyes that suggest she was anything less than truthful. She wasn't going to admit to him the short period of her life where she drained men's blood, not when he'd only use it against her.

"Our heritage may be derivative from God, but we are not his creation. Though I am fascinated by this 'abdication'. I've never met a demon who dishonored demon kind, but then again I suppose that is mayhem in itself, not playing by their rules."

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

His eyebrows raised. Several centuries, was it? Something told him this one was probably was even older than that. Young vampires didn’t often keep the company of demons. Judging by her appearance, her manner, her speech, she was of Japanese descent…

"Watashi wa onide wanaidesu," he said with a grin, his bright eyes shrouded in pitch black, just for a quick blink. "I happen to be of a different sort than the ones you knew. But, correct me if I am wrong, Hyun-san, do you not also feed on these creatures?" He licked his lips, a subtle sweep of the tongue, as he glanced over the crowd again.

"I am simply attempting to survive, just as you are. Bodies are messy, and they’re no fun, and frankly I’m old enough to be over the thrill of a high mortality rate. It’s impractical to kill one’s crop when it can be harvested again later, isn’t it?"

[beautygetsyoubitten]

"No. Human's are not creatures, creatures do not have souls much like yourself. I feed off animals, as I have done my entire existence." Pride edged into Hyun's voice as she explained her feeding habits. Her voice was hard, matter of factly - she didn't want him to detect her disdain for his kind any more than she had already let him on to. This was a new variation of demon she had not came across, she knew better than to offend him.

"I agree, it's highly impractical. Clearly you demons have learnt from your ancestors - they used to create quite the blood bath in their day." Memories of burnt down villages, hoards of bodies lying in the middle as sacrifices. They were dark days, ones Hyun would rather forget. She knew that somewhere, isolated from the western world, they still took place. All the dead, intended for a God and collected for the devil. What a waste of human life.

[beautygetsyoubitten]

Dark Encounter | Hyun & Belial

[forwhombelialtolls-deactivated2]

Oh, he had no intention to menace her, so fear was no issue here. He had no idea if a fight would even work out to his benefit. He was old, but she was a different sort of creature than he, and she could have been ancient, for all he knew. The fact that she could sit here in a crowded, busy cafe and still look so tranquil suggested she had some years and some miles on her.

"Just a demon," he answered, giving a casual shrug. "Nothing to brag about, really."

He tilted his head, sending a glance out to the room. “How are the townsfolk here?”

[beautygetsyoubitten]

The demons eyes were opaque, without life. It wasn't something Hyun noticed when he walked up. Perhaps because they were a distracting light shade of blue, and he used his mischievous smile to reel her in. For someone who seemed to so easily blend into the shadows, he was rather captivating.

"It has been a long time since I've seen one of your kind. So long in fact, back when I was acquainted with a group of you, you didn't care much for the human form. As I said, the was several centuries ago, you must forgive my ignorance." She recalled those red faces, and the horns and the over decorated armor. She disliked demons. They wreaked havoc, tricked thousands and took souls that weren't theirs to take. Hyun would rather have a flock of vampires infest her town than one demon; at least vampires had an ounce of humanity.

"Some are kind with many allies; some are violent with murderous tendencies. You certainly picked a dangerous town to serve as your platter. Not even a demon such as yourself should assume themselves safe." Hyun's face was now stiff, her body erect. Demons fed on the vulnerable and his appearance in Kaffiene meant he was looking for victims. Victims such as Audrey. Her dislike for the creature was relevant to his kind, judgmental she knew but a demon didn't have much variation when it came to desires, but her hate for him would grow if he was to touch a single hair on an innocents body. Especially one who she knew, and loved.