reverberation

blood is red and sweet as cherry wine;

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

“Don’t worry,” Henry replied. “The blood lust becomes easier to manage. I haven’t had an incident in 300 years. Not that I haven’t wanted to, mind,” he added.  “I think it’s like what they say with alcoholics. You never stop wanting a drink. At least vampirism cured my alcoholism!”  He laughed. “Sorry, bad joke. Yet, not entirely untrue.”

“Understood. The blood bank it is. Lets head that way, it’s not far.”  He started off in the direction of the blood bank, back toward the street and out of the park.  “Would you like me to accompany you, or are you sick of me yet?” He rather hoped Irene would let him come, not because he didn’t trust her, but he actually was enjoying the company. And also, well– maybe it would be best to keep an eye on her just a bit longer.

“I hope so,” Irene confessed, “Some days it’s so bad I can hardly manage, but I do have to agree that it is getting better.” Lately, she’d been able to handle herself, but something about today had thrown her off her balance. She laughed at his joke despite not quite understanding it. While she had never really had much of a chance to drink alcohol as a human, excluding the occasional drink of wine with dinner, but she had an idea based on Henry’s comparison.

“I’d love your company,” she said earnestly. Despite the little hiccup, which was completely her fault, she had had a lot of fun talking to him about not only his life but also her own. Being so secluded most of her life had lead to her bottling up a lot about her past, and talking to Henry about it gave her an opportunity to get some of it off her chest. “Also, I don’t like drinking alone.”

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Closed Start; Butterflies

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wcvingtheflcg:

“You’re welcome here any time or day or night so you can’t possibly intrude” He can’t help it, the dazzling smile is back in all it’s blinding brilliance as he takes her in “besides all the shirtless action is going on out back so you’re safe from any embarrassment.” He missed her a lot more than he should probably admit to, their relationship so far was brief and so probably wasn’t appropriate to go in quite that hard already which would only serve to scare her off “The place has seemed lacking without your smile in the mix.” Pulling his shirt back over his head he hopes it at least hides the expression on his face lest it reveal to her how much deeper his words went, for now they should just remain as the light jest their conversation was taking. “I do have something amazing to show you though” His face lights up as he remembers their surprise gift, motioning for Irene to follow him into the kitchen so he could show her the cheque himself, practically bursting with state of delight the entire Prattes family had been in since it’s arrival.

Irene’s smile widened at his compliment, her cheeks flushing at a combination of his kind words as well as his bare chest, which she did her best to avoid looking at out of fear for getting caught. “I don’t know how anyone could miss my smile with yours hanging around,” she pointed out, feeling herself getting caught up in the dazzling feature. She felt mild disappointment as he tugged his shirt back on, but she immediately disguised it with a charming grin as he motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. Seeing the check, which she had written and had delivered earlier that morning, she did her best to act surprised. “Wow! August, that’s amazing,” she said enthusiastically, resting her hand on his shoulder as she leaned in to get a better look. While she wasn’t the best actress, she hoped that her feigned shock could be convincing. 

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Closed Start; Butterflies

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wcvingtheflcg:

It was the fifth time August had checked his watch in the last five minutes, while he thought that he was being subtle he was sure that his siblings also on the building site of the extension would probably disagree. Though they had no idea of his motivation for the repetitive action. He wasn’t exactly in a rush to admit to them he was eagerly waiting Irene’s arrival when he was still totally unsure if the connection he felt had been a two way deal, he’d been out of the game for a while now so admitting any crush right now would lead to endless amounts of teasing. Of which he would gladly take on, once he knew exactly what he was dealing with. With the help of the enhanced senses makes it inside to the front door just after one of the other volunteers opens it, revealing the radiant vampire that had been hogging most of his thoughts since they met, he really was like a teenager all over again. “You don’t have to knock, it’s always unlocked so just let yourself in.”

Irene tapped her foot anxiously as she waited outside. The place was still as beautiful as when the day she had toured it the first time, but it had lost some of its attractiveness as August was absent from her side. As the door swung open, she felt disappointed that the face behind it wasn’t his. However, he did run into the picture shortly, causing a beaming smile to spread across her features. “I didn’t want to accidentally intrude,” she blushed, stepping inside next to him. Her senses were quickly overwhelmed by his scent and the warmth radiating from his muscular frame. “Did you miss me?” she asked jokingly, but secretly she wanted him so badly to say that yes, he did miss her. 

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

Henry let the tension run out of his shoulders as Irene said that she was okay. He believed her; her body language spoke louder than her words. She was still anxious, but it appeared that the danger was over.  He felt bad for her, as he knew all too well what the irresistible pull of the blood scent could do.

“Don’t be silly,” he replied to her self-depreciating comment. “You’re still quite young, and your self-control is still impressive, considering you were a bloody combat nurse.” He chuckled.  “It happens to everyone from time to time, even to elders. But Echo is unusual in that many vampires haven’t lived among humans, and now they’re everywhere. It takes getting used to. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”  He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Now then, are you up for continuing, or should we pop into the blood bank for a nip?”  Henry winked.

As Henry visibly relaxed, so did Irene. She felt more trusting of herself knowing that Henry trusted her to keep control of her impulses, even though the smell of blood still permeated her senses. However, the intensity was wearing off and she inhaled and exhaled deeply to finish fully grounding herself.

“I haven’t had an issue since the 50s, after the war,” she admitted, “I think its because I had suppressed my blood lust for so long that I had to let loose, you know? But I’ve been straight ever since.” Even though he continued to reassure her, Irene still had doubts. She had prided herself for so long on her ability to keep her shit together that any slip-ups hit her hard. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Maybe the blood bank,” she said, “I need to get out of this park...not that its not beautiful, its just, well...” She figured he would catch on to her referencing the blood. 

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Closed Start; Butterflies

Irene’s stomach churned with nerves as she pulled up to the Safe House for her first day as a volunteer. More than anything, she was nervous about seeing August again. Even though they had connected instantly after their first meeting, there was a deep underlying fear that it was a one-time thing. Or even worse, he was just being polite when extending the invitation for her to volunteer there. As she walked up towards the door, the butterflies in her stomach doubling as she got closer. Not sure whether or not she, as a volunteer, could just walk in or needed to knock first, she decided on the latter to prevent invading anyone’s privacy. Rapping on the door a few times, she stepped back to wait for someone to answer.

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

Henry new the signs. It was an impulse that he had felt, and often given in to, many times during his long life. Irene had the blood scent, and depending on her self-control–which admittedly seemed very good– she could go berserk.  Henry instinctively stepped between Irene and path of the scent, and held out a hand. “Stop. Don’t move,” he said. She was, after all, a rather young vampire, and impulse control could be dicey. Lord knows Henry’s was in the earlier days.

Henry quickly stole a glance behind him but couldn’t see the source of the odor. Irene was pale, not breathing, holding her nose. It could have been slightly amusing if the situation wasn’t so serious. When she apologized and said she wasn’t prepared, Henry relaxed a little. It did seem that she had a greater hold of her faculties.

“Are you alright?” He asked it kindly, but forcefully. It was necessary for Henry to ascertain the seriousness of the situation quickly, before anyone got hurt.  

For the most part, Irene was in control. After getting over the initial shock, she managed to calm herself down enough to regain stability. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said aloud repeatedly, mostly to self-soothe herself, but partially to reassure Henry that she wasn’t going to go berserk on some kid who had just scraped their knee in the park. 

Despite the thoughts flooding her mind and masking her ability to focus on anything, Henry’s voice cut though and appealed to her rational side. Every inch of her body was screaming at her to pursue the source of the blood, but as Henry told her not to move she listened. 

“Yeah, I’m just embarrassed mostly,” she laughed shakily, “You’re never going to invite me out anywhere again.” While she was only half-kidding, Irene still wouldn’t blame him if he actually never wanted her to hang out again. She knew it could be annoying to babysit an out-of-control vampire, and she would never want anyone to have to take care of her. Deep down, she knew it would be best for her to stay locked up in her room.

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wcvingtheflcg:

Though August knew that Irene was holding on with all her supernatural strength it wasn’t uncomfortable, in fact it was an incredible feeling to be riding through the late afternoon on his bike with his wonderful companion. He could get used to this. This probably also influenced his decision to take a slight detour on the route back to town, with the speed of the bike it wouldn’t really make a difference except allow them both to bask a little longer in this small adventure. But all good things have to come to an end August thinks bitterly as they pull up in a space next to her car and come to a resounding stop, he pouts momentarily before shaking himself out of it and takes the helmet off. “Well would you look at that, no boot”

It took all of Irene’s willpower to mask the disappointment she was feeling as the neared their destination; the happiness she felt riding through the beautiful was indescribable, and she didn’t want her time with August to end. She blushed when she noticed that he took a detour, but she attributed it to the fact that he wanted to ride his bike a little longer, not that he was trying to spend more time with her. As they pulled up next to her car, she took her helmet off and slid off the back of the bike. “You’re an actual miracle worker!” she said excitedly, throwing her arms around his neck to pull him into a “thank you” hug. After a moment, she realized she might have been holding on too long and reluctantly let him go. “Seriously, thanks so much. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t taken pity on me.”

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wcvingtheflcg:

“Just what I wanted to hear” Both because he loved every opportunity he got to show off his bike, but he couldn’t deny he rather liked hearing Irene call him handsome. It certainly gave a guy hope. It only dawned on him once her hand slipped from his that it was the first contact they had actually had all day, besides random shoulder nudges which as far as he was concerned didn’t count, and now that he had experienced it the feeling was electric. Only intensified as her arms wrapped securely around his torso, would it be bad of him to go really fast to make her hang on tighter? “Well the good news is if we do crash I know a great prosthetic guy” She probably couldn’t see the smile for the helmet but it was there, with the ease that he felt around her it was quickly becoming a permanent feature. Revving August flips down his visor “Hold on as tightly as you need” said with the knowledge Irene would hear him easily over the sound of the engine with her enhanced hearing he waits briefly in case she has changed her mind before pushing off, roaring towards the gate.

The butterflies in Irene’s stomach multiplied as she wrapped her arms securely around August, bracing herself for what was to come. While she was slightly nervous about this new experience, August had still managed to make her feel completely at ease. If she had known that a boot on her tire would have lead her to this moment, she would have put it on her damn self. Giggling at his joke, she felt her stomach flutter at the smile that while she couldn’t see it, was surely gracing his handsome features. “I’m going to take you up on that, but I think you might underestimate how strong I am” she pointed out, already grabbing onto his waist tighter in preparation. As he took off towards the gate, the smile on her face grew exponentially. The feeling of freedom as the wind whipped around them was indescribable, but was nothing in comparison to the feeling of being so close to August. “This is amazing,” she said, not bothering to specify if she was talking about the bike or the man driving it.

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

“Ha, I never considered the possibility of finding a vampire nurse to help me.· I was pretty solitary; I had a few vampire friends, but in those days I tried to mingle with humans as much as possible. I went through a bit of a self-loathing phase.” Henry said, rolling his eyes.·“I think I sort of forgot that there were so many of us around.”

Henry listened to Irene’s field experience with fascination. He’d never seen battle, and wondered how any vampire could stand to be around that much blood without snapping. Preparation did make sense, however.··

When Irene mentioned her period of blood lust, Henry understood.· “Yeah, mine was in the beginning–”· He was cut off when Irene said suddenly,·“Is that blood?”

He froze, and smelled the air. There it was, the unmistakable coppery-sweet tinge of blood, and it was fairly close.··“Yes, it is,” Henry replied.·“I wonder if someone is injured nearby. We should take a look.”

She couldn’t reply to anything Henry had just said because her mind had focused solely on the smell of blood filling her nose. While she had been able to control herself when it was necessary as a nurse in the war, it had been more difficult than ever lately to do so, especially when she had little to no warning that there would even be blood. 

“I, uh...I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” she said, all the color draining from her already pale face as she struggled not to breathe in the scent. She was counting back from ten rapidly, like that would help her at all, and had pretty much stopped inhaling at that point. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, holding her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose in both an expression of same and also to further block the scent from reaching her. “I wasn’t, uh, prepared or anything.”

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wcvingtheflcg:

August had long ago grown used to admitting that the women in his life were right, between his numerous sisters and his alpha mother he had very little chance against them. And he didn’t mind one bit. “Honestly I’ve only just been able to ride again, it’s taken a while to get used to” he smiles sheepishly, awkwardly twisting his prosthetic leg as if to remind himself of the difficulty he has had to overcome “so I’m really glad you’ve agreed.” Grabbing his spare helmet from a chest located nearby he holds it out for her before putting his own on and climbing onto the bike, leaving plenty of space for his guest to join him “Need a hand?”

Irene smiled reassuringly at August as he momentarily relived the struggles he had gone through to get used to living with his prosthetic. “Of course I’m going to agree. How could I pass up the opportunity to ride on such a gorgeous bike with such a handsome face?” she said, revealing the biggest reason she even agreed to get on the thing in the first place: August. Despite not actually needing the helmet, she put it on anyway for his benefit; she didn’t need his help on the bike, either, but how could she pass up that opportunity? Holding onto his hand, she used it to help lift herself to settle in behind him. Her hand lingered in his for an extra second before she moved her arms to wrap around his waist. “I hope you don’t mind me holding on so tight,” Irene joked, “I may be immortal, but a fall off the back of your bike would still leave me a bit sore.”

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

“Oh how fascinating,” Henry responded, after Irene finished talking about her past volunteer efforts. “I may have lived through the revolution, but I wasn’t in the thick of it like you were for the World Wars.  In fact, the Great War was the reason I left London; It was getting bombed like crazy, and there was no place safe to go to ground during the day. For years the Germans bombed the city and surrounding areas, killing thousands.” He shook his head. 

“I wanted to join and fight, but a friend cautioned me against it, saying the army would notice some alarming symptoms of death during my physical examination. The funny thing was– I never would have even thought of that in my eagerness to assist.” He shrugged. “So I left, and bought a mountain retreat in the Catskills, far from prying eyes and bombs. You must tell me more about your battleground experience, if you don’t mind talking about it.”

Henry stopped walking at the entrance to the trail head.  “Do you want to keep going?  I haven’t been down this one yet.  I think there may be a map posted somewhere nearby, otherwise I don’t know where or how far it goes,”

“The Blitz,” Irene recalled aloud, nearly shuttering at the name. While she hadn’t been stationed in London at the time, she did hear the stories from people who had survived it. Hearing Henry’s account so many years after it happened was still horrifying to even think about. 

“Your friend is very smart. On several occasions, vampires were referred to medical because their superiors thought they were sick or injured,” Irene explained, “I often covered them by volunteering to conduct their physicals and whatnot, but a lot of them barely scraped by.” Despite the horrors she had seen, it didn’t bother her to talk about. Maybe that was because she never feared the possibility of losing her life, but it could also be attributed to the fact that she was proud of the work she was doing. “It wasn’t all bad. The troops were always thankful and kind, for the most part. But that just made it so much harder when we lost some of them.” No matter how sick anyone got, though, she would never turn them into a vampire to save them. She wouldn’t doom someone to this life without being in the right mind to make the choice, just like what had happened to her.

“We turn around; wouldn’t want to get lost,” she replied, before continuing on about her time in the field. “Now that I think about it, the blood didn’t bother me as much. I would say it’s most likely because I was prepared to see and smell it, you know?” She explained, “The 50s, however, were bad for me. I went off the deep end for a bit.” A lot of vampires experienced a time of extreme blood lust, but one way or another, they got through it. Just as she was recounting her experience, she could smell it.

“Is that blood?” 

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wcvingtheflcg:

August reluctantly looks at the watch face on the inside of his wrist, rubbing the hair on the back of his neck awkwardly “You know, I think you’re right.” And if it wasn’t yet it surely would be by the time they made it back into town. Stuffing his hands back into the pockets of his jeans he leads them back up towards the house, trying not to dwell on the disappointment he felt at their parting so soon. Though it had been a few hours, and she was coming back he tries to reason with himself. Arriving at the small parking lot, a patch of grass long since dead with various cars sat upon it, August motions to his pride and joy the motorbike “Or we can use my sisters car again, up to you.”

Despite being the one to bring up going back to check on the car, Irene couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach at having to be more than an arm’s length away from him. What was going on with her? She had never felt that attached to anyone, and especially not in such a short time. “I’m always right,” Irene joked, “You’ll figure that out eventually, don’t worry.” Glancing between the car and the motorbike, she rested her hand on the bike. “You have to know I can’t pass up a chance to ride a bike as cool as this.” Not that she would tell him, but they scared the shit out of her. In reality, she just wanted a chance to be close to him. 

[benedictixnus-blog]

⤿ Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.

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wcvingtheflcg:

“A very interesting time period, yes” He’d already heard a lot about the time from both his parents (not his ideal topic for a conversation with his parents) and from the stories his elder siblings had told him of their participation, due to all of this he had heard way too much. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was suddenly a lot more interested now. “Like I said, don’t get lost and it won’t be a waste” He nudges her gently “I’m looking forward to having you around the place so I would also be more than happy with that.”

Irene blushed as he nudged her. It was embarrassing for her to admit, but she liked how close they were walking next to one another. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach multiply as she felt the warmth of his arm on hers. “I won’t get lost, I promise,” she winks, “Vampire senses, remember?” As came to a stop back at the front of the complex, she admired him a moment before remembering how she got there in the first place. “Oh shit,” she said suddenly, “Do you think my car’s done?”

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

Henry had to think for a moment about where he was during the French Revolution. “England? Yes, I was in England at the time, so naturally it was all over the papers. The English nobility predictably decried it as an abomination, with the higher classes having the ‘god-given’ right to retain wealth and title and the peasants needing to know their place, and so on.” Henry rolled his eyes. “As a reformed noble myself, I couldn’t really advertise the fact that I rooted for the bourgeoisie, but I did. I just wish it could have happened without all of the bloodshed.”

“I agree, more people should take advantage of the day. You’d think there would be more vampires hanging around, gawking at the sunshine after being given their ring.” They walked a little further into the park, heading toward the border of the forest where a trailhead was located.

Henry was impressed to hear that Irene was volunteering. “How wonderful! And here I’ve been, babbling on about myself. You must tell me more about yourself, like; what sorts of careers have you had?” 

Irene listened intently to Henry’s account of what happened during the French Revolution, extremely intrigued by the events he was recounting. History was already her favorite subject to talk and read about, so she was hanging from every word out of his mouth. “That’s really interesting,” Irene said earnestly, “I can’t believe you’ve lived through all of that. And you’re right- the overuse of guillotines was a bit distasteful.”

At the mention of the rings, Irene began to fiddle with her own. “Exactly,” she agreed, “What nifty inventions these are. Very handy.” Being able to be out in the sunshine was always her favorite thing to do as a kid, and when that was taken away from her it was tragic. However, now she could truly appreciate the feeling of the sunshine warming her skin.

“Well, I was a midwife for awhile,” She started to explain, “Then the first war hit, and I volunteered as a field nurse for the French side and then again for the US in World War II. Since then, I’ve really just been floating from place to place. I do like volunteering, though, and just kind of do it wherever I can.”

[benedictixnus-blog]

wcvingtheflcg:

“Deal” Though most of his stories weren’t all that fun, between the event that triggered his gene and his stint in the military that ended with a missing leg he hadn’t been able to do much else in his thirty five years. God, he was willing to tell it all to her anyway. As they wandered through the grounds the sound of the kids playing faded until he couldn’t hear them at all, though if he was in one of his different werewolf states he would be able to hear it all clear as day. “Well I would mind” He turns to Irene, eyes sparkling with humour “I’ve just used up my favour with the parking attendants now, don’t want to waste it.”

Irene warmed at the promise of hearing more about his life. Truthfully, she felt like she could listen to him talk about almost anything for hours. “And, in return, I can tell you about the free love movement in the 60s,” she winked playfully before adding, “Not that I participated, but it was definitely fun to observe everyone else’s behavior.” The hum of the kids in the background buzzed in her ears, but all she was really focusing on was the heartbeat of the man standing next to her. It comforted her to hear the steady beating of it. "Well, now I owe you a favor, don't I?" Irene pointed out, "Is there any way I could make it up to you?"

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Closed Start; New Connections

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henryclaypoole:

Henry nodded in understanding as Irene spoke of reverting to old habits and hiding away. “Yes, I struggled with the same thing in the beginning. But it does get better.”

As they walked, Henry listened to Irene speak with great interest. “Oh I do appreciate Hugo,” Henry agreed. “And what an important novel. It actually influenced policy in France because it brought the issues to the masses. It was a pretty intense time. I wasn’t there for it, but I read about it in the papers.”

When Irene suggested they visit the park, Henry was actually a bit relieved. He loved communing with nature and began to feel its pull the moment he caught sight of it. “Excellent choice, and I don’t mind the slightest bit; I’ve got nowhere I need to be, and the day is fine for the park.”  

They entered the green space and followed a stone walkway to a fountain with a plaque.  “This is a monument commemorating the amendment to the Suras Act that made all of this possible,” Henry said. “It’s a nice spot to come and relax; sometimes people picnic, or just lounge about and read; it’s nice.  Volunteers keep up with the planting of flowers and landscaping. You might be able to inquire about helping out, if that’s something you would be interested in doing.”

Irene perked up at the realization that Henry was alive for the French Revolution; while it was a somewhat obvious thing considering how old he was, it just wasn’t something she had managed to put together until that moment. “Where were you at that time, if you don’t mind me asking?” she questioned. She didn’t want to pry too much, but she had always found the lives of older vampires so intriguing compared to her own.

“It truly is beautiful,” she agreed, enjoying the lushness of the park and the blue of the sky. “I’m surprised more people aren’t out to take advantage of the wonderful weather.” There were a few people here and there as indicated by the low hum of conversations floating around, but it wasn’t anywhere near the volume of what she had expected.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, taking a moment to read the plaque and admire the fountain, “And I do love volunteering; I actually just got involved as one at the Safe House.”