r i s e with me

LUKE VAN WYN. 31. HEAD OF DOMUS MAGNIFICAT. AAMON; FALLEN ANGEL OF DESTINY. REGIS.

[lukevanwinning]

theangel-maeveaukland:

"Oh well…," she started off, trying to think of some lie or excuse that she could use. But why should she have even bother? Her and Alec’s distance was no secret to the coven. Six hundred years had nothing to repair their relationship, not after she had broken their bond with one human and counted to fall for countless others since even if she had been smart enough to never break the bond she only renewed out of duty again. She cared for Alec, she truly did but she just wasn’t in love with him anymore. No matter how hard she tried to make herself be. "I have actually. Just me and Bronte," she said, picking up her book a little to show him that Jane and Rochester was the only love that she had been experiencing for the day. "And once I go home I shall have some Odette, though I feel like you’re going to say a cat isn’t decent company. But there shall be chocolate as well," she told him with the best little laugh that she could manage, which wasn’t much of one at all. She was trying not to sound so completely alone, which she was used to being. "Well I’m sure she’s going to love them."

"Well...as long as you're happy, I won't say anything at all." Luke replied carefully, expression smooth, though if he had been less-practiced, his eyebrows would have furrowed at her words. Though Maeve claimed that she was content spending the night alone, he couldn't help but suspect, or at least imagine, that the truth was very different. It seemed almost unfair that such an amiable being was without the sentiment of romance, though he himself cared little for it. Reaching over the table to take her hand, he decided that if anything, today was the day to be a worthy friend. "Maeve, I respect every decision you make, but if you are ever in need of companionship, do know that I will always be here for you." It was the line that was heard in sappy movies, in those moments where piano solos would play beautifully into oblivion; but this wasn't like that. He meant it, fully. Though he often acted without regard to his personal emotions, Luke felt his kin's emotions and emphasized deeply with them...he wanted to help. He let go when it seemed like an appropriate time had passed, and laughed, shaking his head slightly. "I hope so, though I suspect that she would prefer something edible." 

[lukevanwinning]

theangel-maeveaukland:

Maeve could not help but jump a little when he appeared at her table. She would have liked to say that the reason was that she had been too engrossed in her book to be aware of the world around her but really she was struggling getting through one chapter. Her mind kept wandering elsewhere. “Luke,” Maeve said with a small laugh. “Happy Valentines Day to you as well.” When he pulled out one of the roses for her, Maeve could not help the large smile that came to her face. She hadn’t expected to get any roses except the ones that she grew herself in her garden. “Oh thank you it’s lovely,” she said, planting a light friendly kiss on his cheek before pulling back to admire the flower, her fingers gently stroking it’s soft petals. “Oh well…perhaps we will. I don’t know,” she said, playing it off with a small shrug. Maeve didn’t want to say the truth that she knew her and Alec would be spending this day ver far apart from each other. “It is very good,” she agreed with a nod. “I suppose the flowers are for Aubrey?”

Luke stayed still as she kissed his cheek, all at once filled with a rush of platonic affection for the other vampyre and her fond ways. His spirits were already brightened considerably, and even the dismal hours of the day were quickly being forgotten, though the uncertainty of her answer was slightly disconcerting. "Don't tell me that you've spent the whole day alone," he half-teased with a small smile, while simultaneously being quite serious. He couldn't imagine why Alec didn't seem to value his bondmate as much as any other blue blood would; she was, if anything, the ideal eternal partner, and Hamaliel was lucky to have been bonded to her. "And if you have, at least tell me that you've had a box of chocolates and a teddy bear as your companions." He wasn't one to speak, he hadn't been particularly close with Aubrey today either, but the feeling was mutual so it didn't matter so much. Maeve was a different story. He could see her care in her eyes. "The one and only," he replied almost on default, glancing down at said flowers. They seemed so insignificant, so false. He should have gotten carnations instead, for friendship, if he and Aubrey were even that. 

[lukevanwinning]

theangel-maeveaukland:

Valentines Day. Unlike most single girls out there, Maeve did not hate nor become bitter over the holiday. No, instead it made her a little happy. After everything that had happened lately, seeing people in love gave her a little hope. There could be chaos and destruction but in the end, there was still love. It was a bright spot in her darkening world. Maeve had let herself take a day off from the hospital. Not that she had any plans for the day but she needed a break before she collapsed. So she sat in her favorite cafe, trying to get herself to relax with hot tea by her side and a book in her hand.

Luke had spent a morning very definitely not at Aubrey's side, preferring to take advantage of the the daylight for more important matters; namely - signing papers authorizing the transfer of funds for rebuilding. Needless to say, the tasks had left him in quite a dismal mood, and it was in said mood that he found himself at the small cafe known for it's good coffee several blocks from the Van Wyn manor. In one hand was a fresh bouquet of roses, bought from the florists on the walk here, and in the other was a warm cup of what he hoped would allow him to regain his sanity. But just as he was pushing open the door into the street, Luke saw a familiar head of dark hair from the corner of his eye, and allowing the door to close again with a soft thump and the jingle of bells; the blue blood made his way to where Maeve sat, notably, alone. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Maeve." As he pulled up a chair to the counter, Luke offered his friend a warm smile, and in a singular fluid motion, procured one of the roses from it's bundle, holding it out to her in charming gusto. "A flower for a pretty lady?" Sitting down opposite her, he stirred his drink thoughtfully with it's straw, before adding, "Shouldn't you be spending the day of love with your bondmate? Not that I disapprove of the choice to treat yourself. This stuff is absolute heaven on earth. Almost as good as the real thing on some days." 

[queenofdeathxlaney]

"Terribly, to be quite honest with you Pooka Shell," she said, closing her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t slept a wink, not since arrival at the hospital and counting the breaths that escaped Lincoln’s lips. Her eyes never drifted once from the rising and falling of his chest and though she was sure the 400 Ball had turned out to be disastrous without she and Lincoln’s presence, she couldn’t have cared less. The world outside had ceased to exist. Instead it was replaced entirely by the smell of stale bread and the white of the hospital walls. "Why can’t they fix him already? We’re missing photoshoots and he only just returned from the Caribbean not more than a month ago. This is so irritating," she snapped. Though she could have cared less about their petty human arrangements, she had to be mad at something… and someone aside from Lincoln. He wasn’t returning her mental calls and she hadn’t the vaguest idea of what could have been going through that mind of his… and it scared her, terrified her even. Furthermore, it made her angry.

[lukevanwinning]

He smiled dryly at her response, fighting off the urge to take a reprieve himself - he had been sitting, standing, pacing; always speaking, the entire day, and now in the hospital darkened room, fatigue was setting in. "Well, if it's any consolation, I don't believe there's a single one of us who's fared much better," he offered, cringing imperceptibly at the petname the other vampyre seemed to have chosen. Maybe it hadn't been a byproduct of drunkenness after all. He was at once struck and slightly in want of her naive concerns. Photoshoots and vacations; what strange and insignificant things to  fixate on in the wake of what was akin to their earthly Armageddon. The past forty-eight hours had blurred into a timeline of confusion, nearly hallucinatory in it's utter desolation. Luke immediately drew his mind away: such matters were better reserved for another day, when his mind wasn't already harried into oblivion. Worrying at the soft texture of the armchair, he weighed his next words carefully. It was his responsibility to inform all blue bloods of the fate of their kin, and he preferred to be the one to do damage control rather than allowing a less experienced angel take Elaine's inevitable blame. "It is a rather extenuating circumstance. Perhaps it will take some time for the humans to understand it," was his slow beginning, and with a sigh, Luke sat up straighter, smile gradually fading. Clearing his throat, he stood (standing was always beneficial in imbuing a sense of control). "Though I'm sure that your photoshoots have been postponed in the grand scheme of things. Have you...heard from the outside since you arrived?"

[queenofdeathxlaney]

Head snapping up from its position from between her knees as she slept by Lincoln’s beside at the hospital, she awoke to the faint sound of silently padding footsteps. Looking around, her pulse slowed when she realized it was someone she actually knew rather than a rabid fan eager to find where Lincoln McLeod was staying at the hospital. Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms defensively. “What?” she snapped. “He’s not dead yet, I don’t particularly see a reason to pay any dues.”

[lukevanwinning]

Luke raised his hands in a relenting gesture, not wanting to begin anything or feed the fire of either set of frayed nerves. It had been an inconceivable weekend, and he, in a way; was glad that the twins had been spared the gruesome sight which the others had witnessed. Perhaps, in a small way; Lincoln's untimely injury had been something beneficial to him. Glancing across the sparse, orderly room at the blue blood silent at the bed, Luke took a seat in only other visitor's seat in the corner, fighting back the wave of exhaustion which was edging at him. He had spent the past 24 hours visiting every household, every comrade; evaluating their loss and providing comfort if feasible. "A friendly check up," he tried to crack, but it sounded flat. "I have no doubt that he's alive and well, Elaine. Catastrophic as the ball was, we both know that Abbadon is stronger than that. As are you." He met her gaze, wondering if she had yet heard of the losses aside from her brother. "How are you holding up?" 

[purestmichael]

Roan looked around the room, where his remaining 400 angels had sat, lounged, perched wherever there was room — even what Ellie and Roan called a home was barely large enough for their fellow blue bloods. It made Roan feel like they were stronger than they were, that there was more than just a remaining few hundred. “Thank you for your attention.” Roan finished meagrely. His speech had held every ounce of his Regis cool that he was able to muster, though his mind was racing and twisting into confusion. “Feel free to come and see me if you have any concerns or questions… ideas, if you need consoling or comfort. Or to stay so you can spend time with others. It is more important than ever that we pull together to be the strongest versions of ourselves possible.”

[lukevanwinning]

As expected, Luke had been at the forefront of the room, framed in stoic profile as he nodded seriously at all the right intervals of the Regis' speech; the perfect module of blue blood society. And yet, beneath his veneer, was a very separate entity, one who replayed the plaguing images of carnage which still haunted him — it had happened again. Michael's ignorance, his inability to act when he had warned him...and now dozens of innocent children lay cold and dead, their families caught in perpetual mourning. As for those lost in the fire...Aamon had yet to reconcile with the fact, finding it too unbearable to entertain. 

"An inspiring speech," he began in a dead tone, approaching the archangel without the shadow of a smile, without any joy in dark orbs. The affable Luke Van Wyn had withdrawn, and in his place was a grim representation of a man who had lost much more than immortal friendship. "It's a shame that you had to deliver it. In different circumstances, today would have been a day of congratulations rather than eulogy." He didn't even have the heart to put spite in the words.

[lukevanwinning]

ditzyivoryaislington:

So lost in her own world of fear, paranoia, and panic Ivory hadn’t heard the sound that the man mentioned. Her eyes quickly following his to the group of people huddled around something in the corner. Dread filled every inch of her soul, something was telling her they weren’t in a circle to watch a cute kid perform an even cuter dance. Something had to be wrong and Ivory didn’t know how much more wrong she could handle. Snapping her eyes away from the people she looked back into the green eyes of the man. Finally recognizing him to be Luke Van Wyn. “I’m fine. Good. Perfect. Do you know where Roan is? I have…I have news to pass on to him.”

While she was distracted by the commotion, Luke took in the state of her being: from the charred, smoking fabric of her dress, to what seemed like angry burns upon the girl's arms. His eyes widened and the worry plaguing him only increased - what in god's name was going on? "Alright," he acquiesced slowly, still eyeing the wisps of steam eminating from her person. At the mention of Roan, however, Luke tensed, which had become something of an instinctive reflex. "I don't. But  - I would gladly take the message in his stead, if it's urgent. It may take quite a while to find him in this," he gestured to the cavernous hall, putting as much emphasis as possible into his persuasion, "endless festivity." 

[lukevanwinning]

theangel-maeveaukland:

"The most important of the year probably," Maeve agreed. New vampyres being welcomed into their society, the start of the year, nothing could compare. "Always charming Luke," she laughed as she took a sip of her drink. And he really was. Always saying the right thing, having the perfect manners. She hadn’t forgotten the macaroons he had sent to her for Christmas. "Oh well yes I did," she answered. God only knew where Alec was, probably flirting with pretty human girls.

'It's always a pleasure to introduce a new generation into our midst," he replied, as they walked the perimeter of the east side of the hall. The first dance was drawing to a close, and the next would likely begin in moments, allowing any latecomers to join in. "As are you, Maeve. As always, your presence is a shining beacon within any room." It was true, the very sight of Maeve lifted his spirits - which certainly couldn't hurt on a night as substantial as this. The infectious spirit of her seemingly boundless joy and pleasantness always put a smile upon his face. "Ah," he exclaimed, one of those smiles appearing now. "Than you and I both seem to have found fitting company." He offered an arm to her, placing his flute of champagne upon the nearest table. "Then...may I have the honour?"

[lukevanwinning]

cleamarquedt:

"Hear what?" Clea frowned, looking around. The quiet murmurs of people talking all around them and the occasional sounds of glass were all she heard. "Pardon me, I meant, what did you just hear?"

He turned, seeing a girl looking about her as he had just been. "Ah - nothing," he quickly fabricated with a reassuring smile. It was no use referring to a human for confirmation, and he never liked to alarm the younglings over anything unnecessary. "I imagine it was only the cracking joints of an elderly dancer. Nothing to fret over." 

[lukevanwinning]

gage-steele:

"… You mean the music? It’s quite lovely and fitting for the ball. Can’t say I’m impressed though."

"I believe that the music has been continuous since the ball began," was his unintentionally curt reply. In truth, the very prospect of anything going wrong tonight sent anxiety shooting into his chest — he'd been planning this night for weeks. "I was referring to that cracking noise. Did you happen to..." He paused at the distant sound of Elaine McLeod's devastated gasp, amplified a hundred-fold; and the anxiety quickly morphed into a very acute fear that the night was taking a turn for the worse. "...hear it?"

[lukevanwinning]

resourcefulrobicheux:

"Heaven, how could you not. Was that someone’s—" Victoire licked her lips. "Better yet, who was that?”

"I think so — " he began, but then in the same state of disarray, changed his path of speech. "It may be a human - and if there's blood..." he let the warning hang in the air, knowing full well that Victoire would understand the dire situation at hand if that was indeed true. "I'm going to go take a look." 

[lukevanwinning]

uncorruptedthrone:

"Roan should know I can take care of myself." Ellie shot back, but hesitated in tugging away. He’s not the enemy. Clearly, there were larger forces at work here, something they might have to bind together to defeat. Nodding at him slowly, she followed him as they weaved in and out the group of people.

"He should. But he probably distrusts me in every aspect, and I doubt that you're an exception to the rule," was his offhanded reply, as they pushed closer to the site of the incident. Upon breaking through the last of the obtrusion, Luke was momentarily stunned, staring at the bizarre sight before him - at the blood upon the cold marble floor and the head which it so ungraciously leaked from. "Good lord." 

[lukevanwinning]

h-steele:

"Actually, that sounds like an accurate description."

At the confirmation of his fears, Luke started forward, away from the young human girl and towards the source of the sound, which he pinpointed with a slight tuning. "What a night," he muttered, more to himself than to her; as vampyres hesitantly moved aside for him to get through. 

[lukevanwinning]

uncorruptedthrone:

"It sounded like…it doesn’t matter." Ellie turned her head to face the direction Luke was staring in, where a crowd was quickly gathering. A bone… "Who’s hurt?" She anxiously asked, breaking forward past Luke to try and get a look, her concern fully and only for the person hurt.

"Hey, slow down." Catching up with his nemesis' bondmate, out of natural concern, Luke instinctively took hold of her wrist; to prevent her from tripping over the carpet as he had witnessed Elaine McLeod do only half an hour prior. "Roan would kill me if you were to take a fall with me in the fifty foot vicinity." His own eyes straining ahead and hearing tuning in to the cacophony ahead, Luke fell into step with Ellie and began to weave his way through the crowd. 

[lukevanwinning]

h-steele:

"I heard something.”

"A...cracking sound, perchance?" 

[lukevanwinning]

ditzyivoryaislington:

Paranoid at his question Ivory frantically looked around for a source of anything odd but was only greeted with happy party goers. “W..what did it sound like? Crackling? Like..Like a fire?”

He shook his head, curiously casting a glance over the desolate state of the young woman's clothes. "No, more like something - or someone, falling." More than slightly unsettled at both the nervous antics of the figure before him, and the source of the loud crack that had sounded moments ago, he started towards the commotion, tossing over his shoulder, "Are you alright? You look like you've been through..." hell was too impolite. "Some extreme circumstances." 

[lukevanwinning]

uncorruptedthrone:

I really hoped you weren’t going to say that. I think it’s from outside.

"What? What did you hear, Ellie?" Luke craned his neck anxiously to see over the crowd, which seemed to be drawing towards a particular area of the ballroom. "I was referring to that crack — it sounded like a bone just snapped."