It's in the blood—

Helen Steele Twenty-five and counting, trainee law practitioner, and daytime television enthusiast. "Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, and burnt the topless towers of Ilium?"

[theangel-maeveaukland]

"Good," Maeve said with a nod as the girls stood back up. Had the girl been injured she probably would have started treating her right there and freaked the poor girl out a little. She could not help herself as she inspected the girl a little, finding the differences between her and Ellie. But she was most definitely human that was for sure. It was just so odd. "Maeve Aukland. It’s a pleasure to meet you," she said with but then her eyes went a little wide when Helen said her last name, "Steele? You don’t happen to have a brother who works as a doctor do you?" Maeve knew that it was a little odd to ask but she had to. Steele wasn’t really a common last name and maybe, just maybe by pure chance, she had been ran into by Gage’s sister. If it was, the world was really a small place.

[h-steele]

Her eyes widened as she heard her brother's name cross Maeve's lips. "Actually I do — perhaps you're thinking of Gage Steele? If so, you're spot on. We do share most of our DNA." To say this caught her off guard would be an understatement. Although her brother did enjoy some fame and notoriety in the medical field, people rarely made the leap from him to her. The resemblance was there, just not obvious enough. Curious as to how to girl knew her rather introverted brother, Helen came to two quick conclusions — either Maeve Aukland was a former patient or a coworker. Prying like any decent little sister would, she innocently inquired, "So do you work with Gage? I would assume so because if he's not home then he's most certainly working. However, I've never see you at the hospital."

[berges-frisbey]

[resourcefulrobicheux]

Victoire nodded. “Perhaps not all at once was the best idea.” She commented, watching the bags precariously perched in her arms. “Though I’m sure waiting in the lines would be no more pleasant either way.” A quick glance at her watch was all Victoire needed to do to confirm her thoughts. “No, I’m actually doing some shopping of my own. Maybe while I help you with your exchanges and such I’ll be able to find my own things to pick out for some friends.” She smoothed. Victoire chuckled. “It’s a pleasure, Helen,” the name Ellie dancing lightly on Agares’ tongue, wanting nothing more than to be used. “I’m Victoire.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’d offer to shake your hand but…” She gestured about the various bags before offering a polite smile in return. Victoire turned and looked down the semi-crowded streets. “Is there a particular store you’re headed to?” She squinted, noticing the crowd thickening the closer to stores it went. “I don’t suppose you have anything from Marks and Sparks in there?” She teased. It seemed to be about the busiest store on the street.

[h-steele]

Unaccustomed to the kind of altruism the woman — or Victoire — displayed, Helen's formerly content outlook quickly changed to unabashed joy. In her life that spanned a quarter of a century, she had never seen such kindness from a stranger and found it refreshing to encounter such a person. Even when she had been in the hospital, the nurses and doctors were a little too saccharine, acting as if an overcompensation of sweetness would make up for the fact that she was sick. It was all too much and all too fake for her liking. Victoire, however, seemed genuine. She had no possible knowledge of her illness. This couldn't be pity. Laughing at her companion's joke, Helen nodded and added, "Yes, my hands are a bit tied up at the moment but I'll note you tried Victoire. And you are correct again, Marks and Sparks was my initial destination but I'm starting to think that's another bad idea."

[ditzyivoryaislington-blog]

Ivory was filled a sense of relief that she hadn’t finished what she was going to say. Accidentally exposing the Blue Bloods would have been bad on a normal night but on a night where both of their buildings of importance were burned down? That would have been added gasoline into the already lit fire and the brunette thanked god for letting Ellie and Roan cross her line of sight and stop her from making a gigantic mistake. Ivory tried to morph her face into seemed less frantic even though she knew her torn up dressed, wild hair, and smoke covered scent wasn’t doing her any favors. “Helen, I’m so sorry. I don’t know where my brain was and I think I just saw her walk that way.” She had been hoping the girl hadn’t heard the rest of her rant but of course Ivory was never that lucky. “No, no, not an attack but a fire. They’ve both been burned to the ground and Ellie’s husband he is the President of the Blood Bank and he needs to know. She, gosh, she looks sort of like you actually.”

[h-steele]

Equal parts of suspicion and panic washed over her as the brunette's statement sunk in. Helen was sure that the girl before her had said "attack" and positive she had meant it too, but after redacting her previous claim, Helen knew it would be futile to press her any further. Careful not to set off anymore of the frazzled stranger's alarms, Helen skirted around topic and pretended to buy her story. "Really it's fine — you're not the first to do that. Let's go find them." Slipping into the multitude of guests, her eyes searched far and wide for a face that resembled hers. As each person turned, they were either a St. Agnes student and too young or lacked the proper features to be the right one. Turning to face the stranger once more, concern overtook her countenance as a thought popped in her brain, "Have you been checked out by a doctor yet? If you were in that fire you might have smoke inhalation injuries or could even still be in shock. Both are quite dangerous."

[lukevanwinning]

"A…cracking sound, perchance?" 

[h-steele]

"Actually, that sounds like an accurate description."

[ditzyivoryaislington-blog]

Noticing the woman wobble Ivory stuck out her arms in case she needed help but by the time she had managed to get her arms to do what she wanted the brunette had already stabled herself. The smell of smoke still clung to Ivory and whether it was after shock or because of her clothes she didn’t know. Glancing at the woman in front of her she seemed familiar for some reason and suddenly it clicked. Ellie. She was exactly who she was looking for and without so much as taking a moment to really make sure it was who she thought it was Ivory was rambling uncontrollably. “Ellie the Blood Bank is burning and Block 122 is as well. I think it’s an attack. I think they are trying to attack–” Halfway through her rant Ivory caught sight of Ellie behind Ellie. Wait? That couldn’t be possible. If Ellie was the one hanging off Roan’s arm then the woman in front of her wasn’t Gabriela at all. “Wait, you’re not Ellie are you?”

[h-steele]

"Uh, no — I'm not Ellie. I'm Helen actually, but that's not important right now. I think she might be back behind me though? Someone said the name earlier over there." She replied, gesturing towards the center of the room where a crowd of extravagantly dressed individuals conversed and lingered about. Ellie. She had met an Ellie recently. Could this be the same Ellie she bumped into on the streets? Helen doubted it, the name was common and popular, especially as a variation of Elizabeth or Eleanor. Turning her attention back to the flustered girl, Helen's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "Sorry, but did you just say that there's an attack? At the Blood Bank and Block 122?" She managed to stammer out, the thick smell of smoke finally hitting her olfactory receptors. "Did you call emergency services? Yes, of course you did. Here, I'll help you find her. Describe to me what Ellie looks like." 

[lukevanwinning]

"Did you just hear that?"

[h-steele]

"I heard something."

[axel--hall]

"After so many years, you learn that excusing yourself is usually the safest option—otherwise their drawl can make your brain explode."

[h-steele]

"Clever. I was just going to stand there until he stopped talking or the Ball ended, whichever came first, but I'm glad I didn't have to. I like my brain."

[gage-steele-deactivated20150226]

"I can’t understand people’s love for fancy clothes," Gage murmured as he stood by the open door of the fancy hall, trying to losen up his tie a bit to give himself more room to breathe but keeping his look classy and sharp. Gage hated suits, specially for the lack of experience using them through his youth, but he knew he needed to look good. He was in a room full of the bastards after all, he had to look the part, impress the boss, act calm and collected but most of all, keep an eye on Helen. "This is absurd and absolutely useless. I’d rather wear my scrubs. This makes me look dumb."

[h-steele]

"Perhaps if you tied your tie correctly Gage, you wouldn't look so dumb." Helen answered smartly while giggling at her brother's appearance. "Here, let me fix it. You can't look like a fool in front of London's elite. They're the toast of the country." Not waiting for a response, Helen then reached out and undid his work, reminiscing about the time she learned how to successfully tie a Windsor Knot. Her adoptive father had taught her when she had first been bedridden by her disease. From that moment on, she tied all his ties, learning other knots as well and together they bonded over it. Looping the silky fabric around once more, Helen then tightened it up and grinned widely at him. "There, much better than your ratty old scrubs."

[ditzyivoryaislington-blog]

She couldn’t help but fear for the party that held almost every single member of London’s Blue Blood coven. Once the police were done she rushed to her car and sped to the hotel. The guards out front gave her a skeptical look as she walked to towards the ballroom the party was being held in but ushered her through the side entrance once realizing her name was in fact on the list. Blue Blood. She needed to find a blue blood or someone who knew of the blue bloods. At this point she couldn’t be picky as she glanced through crowd trying to find someone, anyone. Still shaken up an on edge Ivory wasn’t paying too close attention of her immediate surroundings and accidentally bumped into someone letting out a tiny shriek of surprise.  ”I…I…I’m sorry.”

[ditzyivoryaislington-blog]

[h-steele]

Caught off guard, Helen teetered unsteadily in her high heels as the preoccupied girl collided into her figure. Feet aching, it took her a moment, but she remained upright without making a large scene. Her shoes had been bothering her all event, pinching her toes and rubbing uncomfortably against the heel of her foot, no doubt creating tender blisters. It was a miracle she didn't fall under such circumstances, especially considering that her balance in heels was abysmal, but she didn't have to inform the already shaken girl of that. Waving her apology off, Helen replied, "No, it's fine. It happens to the best of us." Then noting the girl's distressed state, she worriedly asked, "Are you alright?"

[axel--hall]

"It’s my pleasure, but if you’ll excuse me—I’m bored already."

[h-steele]

"I don't find that too shocking, these events tend to make people feel that way, myself included of course."

[purestmichael]

"It’s fine, it’s fine," Roan rushed out, instinctively kneeling down to recollect the girl’s belongings and waving any offer of help away. His thoughts had been otherwise occupied, spread thin between Luke buying people extravagant gifts, to a girl who was clearly not a blue blood telling him he looked like a Michael (he wasn’t quite ready to write that off as a coincidence but he was getting to that point) and the severe lack of a best man… ”Bound to hit someone in all this foot traffic…” Roan finished, stretching back up to full height and looking at the girl before him, at a face he knew — Ellie

            … but not.

The girl who lacked the elegance and regality that Gabrielle embodied every cycle. Even now, when she wasn’t scurrying around the hospital with him convinced his bond mate was having some serious human health problems, she was standing before him with hunched shoulders. Yet he felt an undeniable pull to her. He had been foolish enough to leave her the first time, ten metres away and relieved she was not his future fiancee. But Michael had never literally walked into a person before, and if he and Luke were able to talk pleasantly to one another, Roan might have paid attention to his ex-comrade’s views on fate and destiny. “I - uh - doing a bit of shopping?” He asked feebly, passing the bag back to the girl before him. 

[h-steele]

Huh — that was the only thing she could think of to say. Barely a syllable, much less a word; her chosen response to his question couldn't be found in an Oxford Dictionary as it was just an expulsion of air that happened to emit noise. So much for that expensive top-tier education her parents paid for, Helen still couldn't properly communicate. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she struggled to break through the awkward silence with a coherent answer that consisted of more than just a sound. Without much thinking, she opened her mouth and out poured a reply, "Yeah, you could say that. Are you shopping as well? Or just unfortunate? I can empathize with both." Now, she had gone the opposite direction — too much had been spoken.

Sheepishly retrieving the items from him, Helen's hazel eyes met his light ones as she shyly smiled and murmured a soft, "Thank you." The stranger seemed familiar yet unknown to her, like something that lingered in the back of her mind unseen but still felt. Resisting the urge to stare dumbly at the man, her mind fought to place his face in her memories, only to fail time and time again. Finally after another quiet interval had passed, Helen bluntly blurted out, "Have we met before? I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to remember."

[resourcefulrobicheux]

"It’s honestly fine." Victoire soothed. Her words were slightly distant as she stared at the girl however. It was so strange, she thought. For long enough to intrigue the angel, had the girl in front of her seemed every bit Ellie, until Victoire had entirely noticed. As she looked directly at the girl and studied her features, it was much easier to make out the differences. But even those difference didn’t blind Victoire to the coincidence of her appearance. The angel stood slowly, still carefully watching her as she did. "You sure have a lot of bags. What could you possible be doing with them all?" She fought the tiniest war in her mind to deep a certain dryness from her tone. Victoire shifted her weight. "You wouldn’t happen to need help?" She kept the offer light, but hoped the girl might agree. There was something interesting about her, perhaps even past her physical features than intrigued Victoire.

[h-steele]

Relieved, the corners of her lips quirked up to form a small smile. "Oh, just some after Christmas returns and exchanges. Looking back on it now though, I realize that it wasn't such a good idea to do it so soon. I'm only contributing to the chaos." When the thought had occurred in her mind, Helen had weighed the pros and the cons against each other. She knew that it would be crowded and hectic, but even then she had underestimated the enormity of it all. Lines snaked around building corners and display edges, creating labyrinth-like structures that made it difficult to navigate. People snatched and grabbed popular sizes and colors off the many tables and racks in a hurried frenzy, pushing and shoving to get the items. It was a miracle she hadn't collided with another sooner. Nodding in response to her question, Helen added, "Only if you're not offering out of politeness. I would hate to further inconvenience you. Also, I should probably introduce myself — my name is Helen."

[theangel-maeveaukland]

Sometimes Maeve did not understand how people could be so rude. She moved with her quick grace to help the girl collect her things before they could be completely trampled. “You shouldn’t worry yourself,” Maeve said as she looked up to hand the girl back her things. But when she did look at her Maeve could not help her small intake of breath. The girl….she looked just like Ellie. Well not just like, there were the differences, but so similar that she found herself shocked, something that she rarely was. “Are you...are you alright though?” she asked once she had found her voice again.

[h-steele]

"Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine. Mortified, but still fine." A light chuckle followed. The girl was young or at least she appeared to be. An oval face with pretty features, Helen found her to be seemingly genuine and kind. Of course, one could hardly tell all that from just a brief glance but that was the feeling she got from the stranger and she was hardly in a position to form critiques. Repositioning the bags on her wrist to prevent her circulation from being cut off by their handles, she decided then to introduce herself, "Uh, I'm Helen by the way. Helen Steele."

[gage-steele-deactivated20150226]

"I know you are and danger is everywhere, Helen. You getting a cold and weakened is what I would call unnecessary danger, specially if you’re so keen on having your own life and prancing around carelessly," he smiled with a mixture of tenderness and sarcasm. He loved Helen, he really did, to the point where he would be willing to sacrifice his own life for her but she was incredibly selfish when it came to her health. She was sick, dying, and she only thought of living her life when taking care of herself was more important. Gage needed her to be alright and she didn’t get it. "You are my sister, Helen," he murmured walking closer to her and kissing her cheek before stopping in front of her to look into her eyes. "That’s why I’m so careful with you. I love you and I’ll always take care of you, not like a patient but like my family. And hey, I could throw in a couple of cakes or cinnamon rolls too if it helps my case?" 

[h-steele]

"Careless?" Helen repeated in suspended disbelief, "I'm careless? What does that even mean?" Her gaze immediately dropped down to her attire. Thick coat, warm scarf, laced-up boots — she was hardly frolicking around in her underwear, yet according to the picture Gage painted, Helen was doing exactly that. Hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket, she stopped suddenly when he cut her off with a peck on the cheek and easy grin. "It's always going to be wet, cold, and rainy. We live in London not the Sahara Desert. If it hasn't killed me yet, I doubt it will in the next hour or so. Anyways, it's not like I'm climbing Mount Everest or circumnavigating the globe. This is menial and easy; I can certainly do this." He loved her, that much was apparent. He wouldn't care so much if he didn't. Gage wasn't one to feign affection when it just wasn't present. She knew all that. He was her family too and if the roles were reversed, she was sure that she'd react the same way, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier to accept. Hypotheticals were worthless, because in the end they were fiction. The reality was that she was sick but still alive and Gage seemed to always forget that. She never did though.

"It helps."

[uncorruptedthrone-deactivated20]

"Must be."

The lie slipped easily from Ellie’s lips. If the girl before her could not recognise that she was eyeing up her living, breathing self - close to a doppelgänger, then Ellie wasn’t going to shatter the illusion for her. She had no intention of dragging the innocent in a world spurned by corruption, sin and conflict. Far from the paradise she had once intended it to be, with no clear path to its redemption. For a moment, Ellie allowed herself to consider this girl, whether this girl was going to live the life Ellie could not - one of freedom, decisions made by herself, rather than fate. Or perhaps it was a sign from their creator, a sign of her redemption - of her success. Perhaps it was nothing at all. Perhaps she was simply dreaming too far and wide. Dreams were both the most beautiful thing and a curse. The pain cut deeper than happiness.

"You must think me rude. I’m Ellie."

[h-steele]

"Oh no, no, no—" She insisted, "Not at all. If anyone is being rude, it's me. I'm the one who tackled you today Ellie, but now I'm getting off track. Anyways, I'm Helen." In an futile attempt to stop the words from spilling out her mouth, she pressed her lips together in a rigid line. Situations like this made her rattle on for ages, a nervous tick she had picked up from her younger years. While she focused on preventing her locution from embarrassing herself, nothing stood in the way of her body. Arms still full with various items, they lifted automatically to shake Ellie's hand, but midway she consciously realized that such a feat could not be done in her condition. Dropping them from their position in handshake limbo, a hesitant smile forced itself upon Helen's face while she spoke and openly admitted, "I don't know what is wrong with me right now, it's like I have forgotten how to act out in public. I guess this is just me post holiday." 

[resourcefulrobicheux]

Victoire had spent one of the lonelier Christmases this cycle. Zadkiel was busy, not that she’d have wanted to spend time with it anyone, Koji and Evan had most likely taken each other’s company and there wasn’t much anyone else that Victoire could stomach for more than a few minutes that was available. So after the time alone, she’d decided to go out and get a few things for people she would eventually have to see. Though she’d always thought it odd that the vampyres celebrate Christmas. She was so lost in that thought she hadn’t seen the girl in front of her. “No, it’s fine.” She replied dryly. She knelt down and start to pick some of the bags up for the girl. “Here you g—” Victoire couldn’t help but pause as the girl removed her hands from her face. It was so strange… For the briefest moment she’d thought it was Gabrielle. “Your bags.” She added as she gave them back.

[h-steele]

Helen cringed inwardly as she heard the stranger's clipped words. She had always been one to bumble around and though she hated to own up to the flaw, it was not particularly unusual for her to stumble into things, people, and etc., but after decades of experience, she thought that maybe she would at least be better at it. Helen had no such luck though, not only did she crash into another, but she had also managed to make a mess of things as well. Cheeks flushed a telltale pink, she scooped up the bundle of bags handed to her in a hurried motion, causing her to drop the last two on the ground again. Bending down to retrieve them once more, a nervous chuckle escaped her chapped lips followed by an equally nervous, "Thanks," and "Sorry." Apologies seemed to be the only thing she was capable of doing right today.