minor moodswings

Piper 315 Vampire I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams.

[agathalenoir]

“Excuse me - Excuse me?” Agatha said as the rain was pouring down. “Can someone explain to me how to stop this shower?” Normally there was a button she had to turn and the shower would stop but for some reason she couldn’t find a button in this shower at all.

[pip-pip-piper]

Piper turned a little too slowly to face the interrupting voice. She stared for a moment before a grin broke out over her face, a delighted laugh echoing from her lips. “You can’t!” Piper threw her hands up, the rain picking up pace as it came battering down around them, and spun around gracefully. “See? See-,” she gripped onto the girl’s arms, still grinning. “Isn’t that something? Something, something, something.” @writtenbcbes​

[pip-pip-piper]

002: When Piper was human, she wasn’t quite human.

Psychics. Born from witches to have no true magic, or born from humans with witch lineage - Piper was the latter. Her parents were human and she had no knowledge of the magical world. So she was always a little odd. A girl in a daydream. She was intuitive, she said weird things at inappropriate times but her family just let her get on with it. Everything was totally fine, promise.

In reality, she had a touch of mind-reading as her psychic ability. When she was human, it was quiet. It was catches of things here and there. She knew things she shouldn’t. Had feelings, inklings, impressions of other people she shouldn’t have.

When Edward came to her home, she was drawn to him. To the power of him, but she had no idea what he really was. He wasn’t oblivious to her though.

Edward murdered Piper’s parents in front of her, then he turned her. When psychics are turned into vampires, their powers can be terribly, terribly amplified. For Piper, it all went wrong. The voices of others- the thoughts of others- were suddenly so, so unbearably loud she could only scream, could only lash out. Could only make it rain blood until it stopped.

As time went on, things settled and she had more of a handle on it all. It took a long time after for her to understand what she had been as a human, why she sometimes can’t quiet her head. It isn’t some usable gift now, just something that twisted her. She can still get impressions, has her intuition but it’s tangled in a bloody history and lack of interest. Mostly, she’s fine.

But sometimes it still gets loud, humanity on or off, and anyone around her then doesn’t tend to survive.

[pip-pip-piper]

starter for; @cristinavampgirlcalero​

Piper had always been a funny girl. A weird girl. That’s what they’d whispered around the castle walls too long ago to say. No one had figured it out then, what was special about her and by the time they might have, she was a vampire. A monster. Still, that weirdness lingered. That sense of knowing. The feelings that had once drove her screaming and screaming and screaming away in her own head. The point was, she felt something. Something about this one. About this girl, this vampire, this monster. But what? She didn’t know. She had to know.

“Who are you?” Piper had never been one for pleasantries and she was sure she needed to know who she was. “Why are you here?”

[pip-pip-piper]

sylvie-dupont.

No. I just got here. And I need a break from the cities. Do you have any idea how exhausting Paris and Seoul can be? Yes, they’re beautiful, but dear lord, the traffic. Maybe you need to learn how to control your appetite. Your complexion would thank you for it.

Then you might just die here. [ giggles ] You're beautiful but but but these streets are going to be raaaaaaing blood very, very soon. No one should have to control their appetites. Not anymore. Not in our new [ takes a dramatic breath before doing a little, evil twirl ] world. So don't be siiiiiilly!

[pip-pip-piper]

miss-molly-v.

[Focus Mols, she reminded herself. That’s what her mother always told her during training, that she was too fast, too eager, that she gave herself away. Don’t do it now, not with a…in front of her. For a second, she squeezed her eyes shut, relieved to be in such a public place. That was the only safety she had. Even a monster wouldn’t dare attack her in a cafe surrounded by people. And then…Molly snapped her eyes open. The woman was right next to her, and before Molly could react, she had kissed her check and then, quick as a blink, was seated again.]

There isn’t going to be a next time. I won’t…The boys? So that means I get to kill more than just you. I’ll look forward to it. Give me a time and a place and I’ll be there, babe. [As soon as the woman stood up, Molly felt her entire body relax. Her hands were shaking a little. After a few seconds, more deep breaths, she stood up, unable to help herself.]

- fin -

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

Honestly, I think saying that I’m a millenial at heart is worse than saying I’m an old soul. It’s not exactly cliche, but a huge yikes if there ever was one. Not that it’s really going to stop me from saying it. [He let out a laugh, as he shook her hand and then he was already in the process of pulling out his phone to find a meme that wasn’t entirely stupid– but also one that wouldn’t confuse the hell out of her. Finally he settled on a dark Kermit meme and offered her up his phone.] That’s Dark Kermit and the idea of that is normal Kermit is trying to be responsible and good, and the dark Kermit is his inner devil on the shoulder.

It is? A huge yikes... I don't even need you to clarify that one, it's obviously the worst thing you could be and must be avoided at all costs. Then again, what if you really are a millenial or old soul at heart? If the truth is yikes then I don't know what we can do. That's good. [ Piper raised her eyebrows, trying to keep up with everything he was saying and doing. How had she gone from murderous intent to learning about memes? There...was still time. Maybe Edward's impending decapitation could wait, especially since she found herself laughing after a long pause. She got it. She thought, anyway. ] I see. That's funny. And about dogs. What's not to love? Did you...make it?

[seychelle-gabriel]

[pip-pip-piper]

seychelle-gabriel:

Happy Valentine’s Day!

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

Matt could feel his entire body relax when her hand accepted his and for just a split moment, he offered her a kind smile. It was a cheap offering, in all sense of the word, but he hoped it’d be enough to help her feel comfortable with her decision to trust him. He almost worried that she would remember his name, as the name Murdock was almost as popular as the name McReid. Almost, being the key word there. But as a newer vampire, she probably wouldn’t recognize the name and that’s what he was hoping for right then.

“I do mean it,” he started, taking a moment to let her feel comfortable enough with him before he started leading her towards his go-to haunt. He hated that this was a thing he had to do, hated that he was constantly at war with his own morality as well as his family. How was he supposed to rationalize hurting someone else? Wouldn’t that put his own humanity as risk? And yet, from a young age he had been told that these “monsters” deserved to be put down. He had been told he’d be doing them a favor, ending their lives.

“There’s a studio a couple blocks from here, they’ll recognize me there and we’ll clean you up. Just-” He turned back to look at her, taking note of how much blood was truly visible. Neither of them would want someone asking questions, which meant they would need to hide those wounds before entering the building. “We’ll have to cover you up a bit, hang on.” He pulled her around the corner before letting go of her hand long enough to shrug off his oversized hoodie, offering it up to Piper. “Wear this.”

Piper watched him intently. Contently, even. She was very interested in him, how he treated her, how he held himself. She couldn't look away. Three hundred years on and this felt almost like the first time she'd ever felt truly perplexed. A lot of hunters had tried to hurt her- her clan- and every one had paid a bloody price for it. Hunters were monsters. They didn't have teeth or claws but she had seen cruelty and bloodlust reflected back at her from them many times. Ironic considering they often appeared when her own cruelty and bloodlust got the better of her; not that she needed to control herself. After all, they were the ones at the top of the food chain. Kings and queens of the whole world... That's how her own maker had made her feel when he'd first taken her shaking hand so long ago.

That was interesting though. He was interesting because he really did mean it. Who had a soft spot for vampires without questions asked? Moments of humanity, weakness or pity she had seen, could understand but the conflict she felt from him was new. Piper was sure it wouldn't take too long for her to figure it out, make sure he was a good fit. There were already so many fighters, so many bloodied masterpieces in her life, her clan... A gentle heart would be a welcome change. Someone who could care like she did. Overwhelming care. Ferocious, terrifying care.

"Right... The blood. I don't- Oh. Thank you," she said it slowly, taking the hoodie from his hands as a surprised sort of smile tugged at her lips. How human. How... She didn't know. It almost made her feel like... Like this might have been her life, if she had been human too, now. In this time. "I guess you can't just walk into any old place with some random, visibly bleeding girl with wood chunks in her, huh?"

Pulling on the hoodie, she gave him a shy smile as her hair got messed up in the hood. She had to pull up one of the sleeves to free one of her hands. It had been oversized on him so it certainly engulfed her. Piper's fingertips brushed his as she made to take his hand again but wasn't quite sure about it. "Studio it is. Are, uh, you an artist or something?" 

[pip-pip-piper]

this was piper the whole of human day ;

[pip-pip-piper]

danny-mcr.

By the time Faith was fully out of view, Danny had made up his mind. His fists were clenched, nails biting slightly into his palms while he stormed down the street, wearing his vendetta on his sleeve. His mom was going to kill him. This was the definition of doing something stupid but he just couldn’t see another way. Sure, the lines- the morality- of what he was, who he was… Being a hunter, it was the grey area. Vampires were already dead so you weren’t really killing them, right? That was at least one justification. The other, the main one, was that they protected innocent people. Danny couldn’t think of anyone more innocent than Faith. She wasn’t tangled up in any of the blood or darkness that followed his family around. She wasn’t a part of the supernatural world. She was innocent from that. Or, she should have been.

Piper was too strong and too powerful. She had too many loyal friends or subjects, or whatever. Today might be the only chance that he had to do something about it. He wasn’t really thinking about the implications of that- what it really meant. Murder. What he would do after… All he knew was that he needed to protect Faith. He needed to kill Piper. It was by luck or chance or fate, or the size of this town that he managed to clock her. She looked as if she was wearing a vendetta of her own which was probably the only reason that he managed to get the jump on her.

Danny shoved her, hard, into the alleyway as his hand made a grab for the axe in hers. It shouldn’t have been so easy but it was. After all, she was human now. Still a monster, still a murderer. Still a manipulator and ultimately, he knew, the one who would kill Faith if he didn’t do anything about it. He pressed his forearm to her throat, the sound of his own heart thudding in his ears. What was he doing?

“We need to talk.”

Piper was blinded by rage. Imagine over three hundred years worth of atrocities running through your mind, remorse and guilt and devastation hitting you all at once. Imagine knowing that there was someone to blame for it all, someone to be held accountable for the terrible things you had done. Edward was no friend, no lover, no mentor to her. He had torn her life apart quite literally, blood raining on the shattered pieces of her life as she could do nothing but watch as the two people she had held closest died. Were murdered. It all led back to her maker, everything. For the first time in her whole life, Piper could see clearly. She could see the whole picture.

She wasn't some broken bird desperately seeking comfort even if it was from a monster. No, she was finally fully in control of herself and her feelings. She knew what she wanted, she knew what she had to do. Her maker had to die. She'd cut his head off just to make sure he couldn't crawl back out of the dirt once again. In hindsight however she really should have watched where she was going.

“In my experience, anyone with an axe in their hands doesn't want to talk.”

Daniel McReid. The baby hunter. Her son. They'd tried to kill Piper before. Of course for him, her actions, her plans were far more personal than ever before. He was in love with Faith and Piper planned on turning her, had compelled her- had compelled her to stab him in fact. Clearly she wasn't the only one who was hard to kill. Piper clenched her jaw, holding back the human urge to scream or lash out and instead lifted her chin in challenge.

“Well, if you're going to do something,” she bit out, eyes burning, “You better make a move. I'm on a time clock.”

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

“It matters. It–” Matt could feel the panic rising up as he considered the possibilities. There were so many hunters in town, it could be a number of them, and yet… for someone to attack someone who wasn’t doing anything, the number dwindled drastically. There were only a few– if that many– families that attacked the innocent. Could it have been his? God, he hoped not, but he knew what the chances were. If it was his family, he needed to get her out of there now. “It matters.”

But to be able to help her, he needed her to trust him which wasn’t going to be easy. If he was in her shoes, he’d be the last person he trusted. “It was Piper, wasn’t it? You probably don’t remember me but I’m Matt and I promise, I want to help you. I can, uh–” He couldn’t take her home, but maybe he knew a place that’d be safe for her… The dance studio was usually pretty vacant and if they could just get her out of the open and away from whatever hunter was coming after her, she’d be safe. He doubted she’d ever trust him to take him to her home. “I can take you somewhere safe and get those out, but we have to hurry. Whoever it is isn’t going to be long.”

Once again he reached out for her, this time extending his hand out as an offering. He was putting himself at risk doing this, but to Matt it didn’t matter. This woman hadn’t done anything wrong and she didn’t deserve to be killed for being a vampire. “Please, trust me.”

Conviction. He spoke with such conviction when he said it. He may have stumbled over his words before, been keen to talk about silly human things and even shake her hand as if they were in some other century Piper had already lived through but when he spoke to her now- when it most mattered- it was with conviction. That was a leader. That was potential. She looked him over with crafted caution and genuine curiosity. Who was he exactly? Not your typical hunter, holding his hand out to a vampire he knew nothing about. Not even a McReid would have been so careless, or maybe it was kindness. Either struck her, made her feel something she couldn't quite put a name to.

Piper offered kindness. She offered a hand to hold when lost vampires were running and running and running from death, long before they'd realise they had nothing to fear from it. She pressed her lips together, closing her eyes as if to find some composure. Her part was that lost vampire. New. Formerly human. Scared and alone, looking desperately for help; for a hand to hold. In fact, she didn't even have to act much, just...remember.

"You sound like you really mean that." With one last moment of hesitation, she reached out and took his hand. "That it matters, that you want me to trust you. Even that you think I wouldn't remember your name... Murdock. Matt Murdock," she even smiled a little then, an unplanned yet genuine slip. Her grip on his hand tightened so slightly. He wanted so badly to help her. "Okay. I'll- I'll come with you. I'll trust you."

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

I think technically I’m a Gen Z or uh, [he used actual finger quotations around the next few words] the “iGeneration” but I’m a millennial at heart. But hey, that’s not bad! Really, I don’t think anybody understands memes and even though I’m half tempted to pull out my phone and waste my time by showing you some, they aren’t that great. I guess you’re right. Th- uh, Thanks again. [He smiles and holds out his hand for a proper handshake, painfully aware of how oldschool that was.] I’m Murdock. Uh, sorry, Matt. Matt Murdock.

This is becoming more and more complicated by the second I think... Stay a millennial at heart, forget about the [ she copied his use of finger quotations around her own next words ] Zs and Is. That's nice of you to say, thank you. Especially since you're clearly a meme expert. [ Piper couldn't help but smile which was just...ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. It had been over three hundred years since she'd last smiled so fondly at a human just for being, talking. As damned as she was, as damaged as she was...a part of her wanted to latch onto this moment, onto his humanity- the silly simplicity of it. ] Maybe you could just show me one. An easy one. No um, problem. [ Now she was laughing of all things. Still, she held her hand out to shake his. ] Matt Murdock. It- It's really nice to meet you today.

[pip-pip-piper]

miss-molly-v.

[All Molly could choke out with a noncommittal noise of…something. It wasn’t agreement, because Molly would never agree with this…No, it was not a noise of agreement. It was just a sound to distract the person in front of her, to cool her quickly jangling nerves. But then, the woman moved in closer to her and any sense of ease that Molly might have felt quickly vanished.]

I don’t. I don’t remember. I wasn’t there. I was inside. I wasn’t there.

[ At the little huntress' reaction, Piper almost bit her own lip with her fangs and it had been so long since she'd tore into one of their necks... But there was a plan. An order. Step, step, step. Piper suppressed something akin to a growl, pulling another sweet smile onto her face as she answered. She moved a little closer but only to peck her cheek almost as fast as she'd originally closed the space between them. Pulling back, Piper was suddenly on the other side of the table again and the specific tension she had created subsided instantly. ]

Whoopsie! That's my bad, I thought you had better seats. Oh well... Maybe next time. Or not. I might keep the boys occupied with someone else's neighbours this time. [ She flashed another grin, standing up and backing away ] Anyway, I better get going. Miss me?

[pip-pip-piper]

sylvie-dupont.

[The other woman was a vampire with a capital V. A blood thirsty vampire with no control, clearly. How exhausting. How boring, in Sylvie’s opinion. They were all almost the same, and she had no time for such basic, such base desires.] Well, I’ll figure I’ll make do. I almost always have managed.

Have you? Maybe you'll leave town, find somewhere a little less bloody for your- [ She paused, a pretty smile smacking onto her lips suddenly as she canted her head ] taste. Wait a while but time is tick, tick, ticking away for sweet little Havensdale Valley and everyone in it. We don't want any pretty wastes.

[pip-pip-piper]

miss-molly-v.

Mmm, indeed. [Why wouldn’t the girl leave? Molly could feel the hairs on the back of her neck slowly rise up. If her mother were here, she knew that she’d be yelling at her to get out of there, get out of there now, but there were too many people around. Don’t cause a scene. That was one of the key rules. Especially in a tiny little town like this. And the mention of sad big brown eyes. And…No. Focus Molly. Big, tight smile and focus, girlie.] It seems like you’re able to remember some really key details. Interesting how memory works, huh?

Interesting. [ She elongated the word, said it as if it held a terrible and bloody secret and well, it did. What a brave little hunter she was... Of course Piper was on her very best behaviour, only allowed to play with her food for the time being and really, what a small request from her beloved maker. Although sometimes she just couldn't help pushing things just a little too far... It was crowded, she must want to leave. Piper pushed herself up from her seat across from Molly suddenly, moving around so she was closer but not too close. A smile creeped over Piper's lips as she kept her voice low. ] What do you remember, hm?

The key details, I mean. Some people say it’s the sounds, the sirens, the loud, flashing lights... Or maybe the blood. Did you see any of it? You probably didn't but--- AH, spoilers. Next time you should be quicker and then the neighbours might...just...live.

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

Matt was a hunter by every definition. He had been born and raised into the lifestyle by his entire family. He had done the research and heard the stories (always about the monster that could never be redeemed.) He had even tagged along on hunts before… watching his father or his mother or his cousins make a kill that he wouldn’t even dream of making. He had done it all… except actually make the kill himself. Hell, Matt’s body was prepared to make a kill. More times than one he’d managed to get the upper hand on a vampire. One, he let go. The other had hurt him, but– no, he didn’t want to think about that.

He could sense them, too. There were too many at his school he started to just ignore it, but outside of school it was hard. It was just something built into him. A little Ping!, like someone was sending him a message on Facebook. So, naturally, when the woman came running around the corner, it was just there. She didn’t have to say or do anything, he just knew, and yet unlike most of his people, he didn’t immediately get some murderous intent. His arms moved up on instinct, grabbing at her arms to settle her (ignoring the pang of pain that shot up his still healing hand), quickly taking in the scene.

He had met her before, but back then he hadn’t gotten that feeling, that creep underneath his skin he always got when vampires were around. Was she a new vampire? Or had something else happened? That didn’t seem to matter, though. There was blood and a definite look of pain and– fear? No, that didn’t– One of them. A hunter was after her. “Hey, hey, heyheyhey, it’s okay,” he said, trying to sound soothing. He held his hands up almost defensively, shaking his head. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” He wanted to soothe her, but he had to be quick, too. He knew how this went. Once they hit their pray, they’d be fast to retrieve. “Who- Uh, what- What happened?” It was a stupid question, but hopefully she got that he was asking for more detail.

Piper had played the victim before. It was an easy ruse for her to pull off be it to lure in a tasty snack or to beckon her intended target over close enough so she could strike back. People were naive but hunters were arrogant and this trick worked well on both. But there was something different about the way that Matt approached her, the way he spoke to her and for a moment she forgot what she was doing. That concern, the way he'd easily slipped into the role of caregiver and even the attempt at soothing her, was familiar. An echo. The same tone, the same intentions she herself had time and time again when she'd saved each member of her clan. Taken them in as her own.

More than even before, Piper was sure of him. "Is it?" she asked, swallowing back her forced tears as she looked back up to him, careful not to make her gaze too sharp. "Because I- Ah---," she hissed in an unnecessary breath, her hand covering one of the self-inflicted wooden bullet wounds, hesitating as if she were about to pull them out before stopping. "I don't know. I- I didn't do anything! I swear, I didn't do anything but he- I don't know who, some guy. He came out of nowhere and he shot me with these- these wooden bullets and- and I didn't do anything." She hung her head for effect, breaking eye contact and reiterating a same-old-story she'd heard many times from baby vampires with no hand to hold.

"I don't even... I was in the woods. Because I don't even drink-," another breath, another tear but she composed herself well enough to move this along. "I don't hurt people. But that doesn't matter," she met his eye straight on, "Does it?"

[pip-pip-piper]

sincerelymurdock.

Uh…. [He let out an uncomfortable chuckle, ducking his head.] Maybe? It’s that, uh…. Millennial humor meme culture kinda thing. Start saying it ironically and then next thing you know, it comes out in a serious conversation and you’ve forever marked yourself as That Guy. [He rubbed the back of his head.] I wouldn’t call myself an expert on anything, but… thanks.

Right... [ Piper said it slowly, trying to work through the jumble of words he'd just said that she really didn't understand (meme culture?) but nodded all the same. ] Millennials. I have heard of you. Oh please, if anything I'm the one who should be marked down as uh, That Guy? I don't really know memes. Better you be the expert on yourself than anyone else or anything else, believe me. I- You're welcome. [ She should leave, she's wasting time and in the grand scheme of things he's just another human. But she doesn't move despite her previous undeniable rage-fuelled urge to go and murder her maker. ] I'm Piper.