Zion Kellen-Child

A vampire in a cage

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Mother Knows Best

[noskova]

ZION

“Milena is intelligent, but she underestimates others.” Kellen had an answer for all her actions. Not hatred or disappointment had stopped her from barging into the fire to rescue her, it was the consequences. “Perhaps you want everyone to see me as your biggest regret then, but here…..it is as if it is you are still putting on the show. I understand the reasons you must leave me to my own capabilities. I take that as a compliment.” Zion turned away from her maker’s eyes. There was no connection between them like there was with other vampires and their children. Zion felt so distant.

“I do not think either case would have been an immediate win.” She had bled, healing slowly from lack of food. She had been lucky enough to have the restraint needed to talk her way out of Milena’s mouse trap. “You will be happy to know that Milena believes you want nothing to do with me. I portrayed myself the disappointment you most regret.”

“We can’t hang everyone. Unless you plan on us surviving together alone forever.”

   Kellen’s eyes were keen on Zion as she mulled over everything, watching the machinations within both the body language and mind of her own progeny with the utmost care. She would love to tell Zion how it was that she truly felt, but in the end it wasn’t a good idea for either of them to truly go down that road. The more Kellen had to lose, the more likely she was to slip — or, Gods forbid, for someone to take advantage of her — and so she let silence fill the spaces between accusations and curiosities.

   “People will think what they think regardless of what either of us do. I imagine Milena and Wolfgang are both fully aware of how much I despise them, but are also aware that my loyalty is what it is: bought and paid for. Granted, they need not know the bill is due and they’re both too busy in their… own affairs to notice…” Kellen lifted her shoulders in a shrug and glanced over at her daughter, watching the profile of a girls he had chosen, yet the girl acted like she was only a burden.

   Another shrug, and silence for a time as Kellen allowed those thoughts to rattle around in her brain; Milena was good at the underestimation of those around her, and it came from a life of much the same. She understood it, Kellen did, and would take advantage of it when necessary. After a moment, however…

   “Only those who hang themselves. With every domino so too topples a few others, but as many will soon find out they never behave quite as you’d wish. You push one over and one remains standing, defiant of the rest, and suddenly an entire line of people are saved because of those actions. Perhaps we are those points.” A sigh parted Kellen’s lips and she threw back the rest of her own drink, setting the empty glass aside, “Do you have a better plan?”

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“A better plan? Hmmm.” Zion smiled at her chance to be a strategist. “I rather like being underestimated. While the enemy is busy with other affairs, it gives me time to study them. Like Milena believes I am her link to sensitive information. As you said, we feed the information we see fit. I play the

rebellious act, a vampire without loyalty in this cage we call sanctuary. My loyalty is not bought, it’s owed to you.” Zion could live without affections, without feeling that connection she so desperately craved. She could do it because Kellen had earned her undying respect and love when she liberated her. “I say we keep studying the caged animals. Learn their bad habits, gather evidences. Ayanna, I think she is genuine in her convictions. She wants a safe place here and I have gained respect for her. I think she could be an ally.”

Zion shrugged, unsure of what Kellen might have to say about that. Humans and vampires were not exactly fine with each other. “What is your endgame? Who do we want to upset, kill? I want to know the outcome you are striving for.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

noah-the-strong‌:

“Not all, most were just nests that needed to be cleared out.” Granted, a great deal of them were the type that just went after anything that had blood for them to drink. Letting more than starving animals looking for and devouring whatever came their way between meals. Others… well, quite a few of them were little more than nests they knew about and that alone was enough needed to wipe it out as they passed by.

“It sounds like you’re one of those people that really likes pain. Not sure that I can ever really go with that notion myself. Probably a vampire thing? or something made bigger when you turned into one?” Letting out a sigh, Noah took a second to decide if it mattered at this point given her attitude. “But I suppose if you’re literally asking for it and provided the head doesn’t come off, they won’t mind a bit.” Curving his hand, Noah focused it on her knee for it to snap and turn in backward. Then spreading his hand open more as he caused his telekinesis to burst blood vessel after blood vessel in her head to cause pain.

She had not expected him to act. No, he was human and vulnerable. Zion’s smirk remained etched in stone as he spoke casually of here desire for pain. A split second into his words and she knew he was not going to hold back. Before she could brace herself, her knee let out a deadly crack causing her to drop. Pain licked at every nerve ending, pulsing like fire. It started in her knee and slowly spread from her foot to her thigh.

“Bastard!” She growled through gritted teeth as the blood vessels burst. Her brain thrashed against her skull, pounding to the beat of his heart. She knew exactly what sort of man he was, a man of action to back up his words. Was the intensity of this pain worth that information? “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”

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Mother Knows Best

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

shoarkellen‌:

   A shake of her head and Kellen merely drew the flimsy curtain back from one of their windows, and beneath that a thicker cloth closer to the pane itself, glancing at a fleeting shadow as it darted across an alley nearby; it gave her something to focus on as Zion spoke, and that was a blessing in and of itself.

   Plus it meant she knew where her canaries were at any given time, which was also useful.

   “Milena exists for that very sentiment. You’ve no bone to pick with her until you have one and by then she has her claws so deep into your throat you couldn’t voice one if you could remember it with the blood loss.” Kellen offered, having not quite risen to the idea that Wolfgang had dragged her daughter by her hair, instead letting her mind wander briefly through the mental folio of all his secrets (whether she knew them all or not was anyone’s guess, but it was likely she knew enough) and how to properly use them.

   “People should forget I feel anything.” Kellen offered simply, if only for a moment, then glanced over to Zion, “Had I charged in to save you, my hand would be on display; everything I have to offer would be hers for the taking. I’d come to save you, you would then be a tool to use further against me, and not only that she would know just exactly the means I have of getting into her own little sanctuary. You were capable of getting yourself out and are here now. Do not forget the war for the sake of petty wins in small battles.”

   The tone was sharp, and likely one Zion was used to, and Kellen’s mouth had formed a thin line; it was the same look she wore when she was planning to harm someone (however infrequently that came to pass) and  yet she made no motion to do anything of the sort, “Exactly.”

   After a moment, she exhaled and let the curtain fall, her eyes closing and her lips quirked into an expression that was nigh unreadable and foreign on Kellen’s face, to be sure, “We give someone else enough information to hang their enemies and then themselves…”

“Milena is intelligent, but she underestimates others.” Kellen had an answer for all her actions. Not hatred or disappointment had stopped her from barging into the fire to rescue her, it was the consequences. “Perhaps you want everyone to see me as your biggest regret then, but here.....it is as if it is you are still putting on the show. I understand the reasons you must leave me to my own capabilities. I take that as a compliment.” Zion turned away from her maker’s eyes. There was no connection between them like there was with other vampires and their children. Zion felt so distant.

“I do not think either case would have been an immediate win.” She had bled, healing slowly from lack of food. She had been lucky enough to have the restraint needed to talk her way out of Milena’s mouse trap. “You will be happy to know that Milena believes you want nothing to do with me. I portrayed myself the disappointment you most regret.”

“We can’t hang everyone. Unless you plan on us surviving together alone forever.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

noah-the-strong‌:

“Not at all, they were just the most readily available and…. most durable of genuine pigs back when I was being trained to use my abilities.” Noah spoke matter of factly. In truth, he never regretted or liked that part of his past. It was something that happened and that he had to take part of to learn how to control it and protect himself. He neither knew who the vampires were nor did he care to find out. He had learned later anyway, that not all of them were blindly attacking them for ‘food’ as he was told. But at even his relatively young age, he grew to not be so surprised when people sought to use him for what he could do.

His eyes squinted a bit as he listened to this vampire go off. It sounded almost as if she was both trying to goad him, and trying to show some cockiness. Noah had known that he was a cocky lil shit himself, but vampires… well, it was a natural trait of their species. Still, he simply let her continue on. He had a talk on this with Wolf before. One that ended with Wolf informing him that it wasn’t quite something he’d be very happy with Noah doing. Not to mention, it reflecting on Reg, if the vampire ever had considered him for what he was, ripping out this rather mouthy vampire’s heart likely wouldn’t win him any favors. Still, a quick neck snapping would definitely give him some form of satisfaction at this point. “Huh, I kind of make it sound like you want your heart ripped out or something. Not sure your king would like that very much. Although, I suppose living forever can get tiring after a few decades…. or centuries. Or were you looking to have my hand twist and have your knee cap going the other way? might take a while to heal if you haven’t had a good amount of… drink”

“If you knew how my King really felt about me…” She let out a sarcastic chuckle as she grazed her fingers against the roughened tree bark. “Kellen, now she might have a few things to say if you killed me.” Zion walked out into the open, closing the gap between them. She wasn’t impressed by his idle threat. The way he ran his mouth was enough torture at this point. Was she this cocky?

“You got confidence….for a weak little human. You wouldn’t dare use your abilities on me.” She smiled mere inches from him now, “This gift is better suited for making pottery.”

She let her insult linger in silence before continuing. “You tortured vampires simply because that was all you had to hone your gifts? Rubbish.” She grew more angered at the thought. “Do you take me for stupid? You aren’t practicing on vampires now and you didn’t need to then. It was the fact that humans fear vampires and you were a weapon that need to be tested.” Zion poked her finger at his chest to emphasize her point.

“It all boils down to fear and if I wanted you to snap my leg, I would make you scared enough to do it. Humans do not have the guts to do something like that unless provoked. Let me guess, I bet all the vampires in your body count were evil tribe attacking monsters……hmmm?”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Alone

@kngkllcr

Zion would have never envisioned herself in this place, meeting Venera in some desperate isolation. Was it that taboo that they couldn’t be seen? Zion was never one to be concerned by the disapproval of others, but she was in no place to risk undesirable actions from either side. She hadn’t disclosed the agreements she had with Milena, or the fragile standing she was in with her own king. Zion’s survival instincts screamed to tread carefully with her wandering eyes.  

That alone had sparked a secrecy to this meeting. Darkness swallowed all her apprehensions. It left her with nothing but desire. Nothing was out of bounds when no one would be a witness, and there was no one there yet.  Would she even come? Was her request too desperately made? The ruins of a greenhouse settled on the edge of blackness. It was too far off the beaten path to be spotted.  

The night was still young, yet every second felt like an eternity. Waiting for something that may never come was harder than she had imagined. Then there were footsteps in the distance, a gentle crunch of shattered glass. “I wondered if you would come. “ Zion smiled with her back still turned to the Upyr as she leaned her shoulder against the rusted metal frame of a shattered window. “Pity this is all that’s left.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

noah-the-strong‌:

His eyebrow raises a bit at the woman’s request and questions. He could tell that she as indeed a vampire and it surprised him how …. curious she was at what he was capable of. Especially given that vampires were the very thing he had most often trained his powers against. Snapping of bones, limbs, gripping their hearts, and even the blood within them. There was a lot of damage one could do with his ability alone and to someone like a vampire who would eventually heal from anything that wasn’t fatal to them; he could do a lot before killing them.

“It’s not at all hard to chuck a pebble or something right through someone so long as bone isn’t in the way. That requires a lot more effort and breakthrough especially with the more sturdy parts.” His head tilted a bit as he watched the woman, shaking slightly as he though over her request a bit more. “Don’t think you really know what that is you’re asking. I mean, I can just twist my wrist and snap a neck. Open my hand and rip out a heart, or shatter bones with just a few… pulses. One of the best ways to use it on vampires is pulling the blood right out of them as well.”

“Are you threatening to use it on me? You wouldn’t dare.” Zion laughed at his boldness. It was refreshing to see a human so confident. “You seem very confident in your ability. Sounds like you have a grudge against vampires. I won’t take that personally.” She smirked over her shoulder.

“Turning a rock into a bullet, how much force do you think that takes?” She shot him a questioning glance. “I don’t think you want it to go all the way through. It hurts much more when its lodged in the thicker parts. I know how to play the pain game.”  

When he began describing his methods, she chuckled more noticeable. She knew a threat when she saw one and yet she remained calm. “I don’t think you have the balls to follow through on your neck snapping, bone shattering promises. I don’t doubt you are able but considering the circumstances....” She shrugged off his threat, turning her back to him.  

“If that’s all you got then I guess there is nothing more to see.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Mother Knows Best

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

shoarkellen‌:

   Kellen, as was her wont, was quiet for a long time, even after Zion had finished speaking her mind. She stepped forward and pulled the make-shift curtains back from their window — thick, heavy things that kept the light at bay during daylight hours, at the very least — and peered across the shadow-strewn landscape outside their home.

   There were several things going through her mind in what seemed like a fraction of a second at a time. The truth was that Kellen was almost tired of seeing how often their lives got turned on their ear by people who had not concept of how to actually take control of Sanctuary. Everyone was jockeying for power in a way that they just wanted themselves to feel safe, and as much as that might feel a goal that Kellen would appreciate…? She actually thought true peace across them would serve everyone much better.

   It’s hard to incite a riot when you are content. No one wants to kick a hornet’s nest that is off in the distance and unseen. Not many go looking for trouble if they’ve no reason to… Kellen knew this, because it was how she lived her life. But now? Now the hornets were buzzing and she had mind to set the whole nest ablaze and start a home atop its ashes.

   “You know I care about you, don’t be petulant. Just because I do not speak it does not mean it is not there.” Kellen’s voice broke the silence like a crack of a whip. She was not a liar — well, usually anyways, sometimes it served her better to tell half-truths — and would not deny her care for Zion, but neither would she speak it every second of every day.  She had other things to do, after all, “I think it’s time we get a bit more involved. I mean, they’ve already dragged you in by your hair, why should I not get involved too?”

   Kellen had deftly avoided talking about Nadya and her marks, or her knowledge on what might have happened. It wasn’t important in that very moment, but she allowed her lips to part briefly and offer, “As far as Wolfgang goes… we will have to figure something out. It won’t do as it is.”

Zion listened as her maker spoke. The respect she held for Kellen was a thousand times more that the respect she had for her King. “Dragged me in by my hair.” She huffed at the thought of it playing out like that. She had gone down swinging. “At least Milena had the balls to outright demand her terms. Wolfgang is a walking double standard. I have no bone to pick with the bone queen.....yet. She is smart, but she thinks everyone else is dumb. That’s her weakness. The only reason he wanted to keep us alive is because of Ragar. Had it not been for him he would have washed his hands of me.”  

“Sometimes it does feel as if you do not care. Like when I was chained to a chair with only the bone queen for company.” Zion narrowed her eyes at her maker. Deep underneath that hardened exterior was a woman longing to feel something meaningful with her maker. “If you don’t express your feelings then people forget you even feel anything.”

Zion despised the Blood King with all of her being. “It will not do as is. I agree, but what can we do about it? We must be very careful about which strings we pull. We do not want to hang ourselves in the process.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

noah-the-strong‌:

“Well…” Noah took a few seconds pause before continuing. “If you’d rather not see it.” He began slamming his foot down on the ground. While the action wouldn’t have done much of anything for a normal human. Noah’s stomping sent a ripple to the ground which throws up a large dust cloud. With a wave of his hand, the cloud remained up becoming more of an orange dusty fog than airborne dust.  It only lasted a few seconds before the dust collected into two large circles. Twirling his hand, he launched one of the circles at a wooden pole he had made into a crude dummy. Once it hit the dummy, the entire top off of the pole broke clean off and the circle exploded back into a dust cloud before falling back to the ground.

“There are a lot of things I can do with my powers. Even the most simply of tricks can be quite useful if you know what you’re doing.” If there was one thing Noah had, it was years of training and practice with his power. The band of wicked that took him in made damn sure that he was capable of using it to not only fight but to his advantage the old fashion way.

“Impressive.” Zion skirted the dust clouds, walking aimlessly around the open area as she watched the spectacle he was creating. “Very open about your strengths. What about weaknesses?” Her wicked grin caught his gaze as the dust settled back from where it came. “I suppose your ability to decapitate a stick is supposed to make me stand here in complete awe. It's something to see but I can snap a twig with my pinky.”

“Who's your friend?” Zion gestured to the dummy on the pole before walking nearer to it. “If you want to simulate projecting earth through a body.... like a bullet.... this will not simulate flesh very well. Can you shoot earth into a human? Now that would impress me.”

“Yes, yes, you can dig foundations and possibly prevent mud slides or rock slides. Quite the philanthropic uses but show me something truly magical. Hit me with your best shot. I want to be impressed.”

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Told You So

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

ailes-de-fleurs‌:

“No, I think you weren’t too… effective in cautioning Nadya,” replied Ayanna with a stony face. The vampire had just voiced the reason why the whole convergence had been essential. The blonde had anticipated an end of the human race, given the pace at which the two predator races were using up their resources.

The moment the vampire suggested that it might be her, Ayanna scoffed. She just couldn’t help it. “After all this time, you really think I’d believe that. You’ve made it amply clear, multiple times, that you aren’t sure you would be able to control the urge if you got a fresh vein. And Zak is still alive. So… try again, maybe?” It was clear that Ayanna was not in a mood for games. The harshness in her tone, the sarcasm in her voice were quite unlike the usual friendliness she treated Zion with.

Kirra. The name stuck in her mind like a poisonous prick. Ayanna knew she needed to find this Kirra soon, else she won’t be able to rest. Though, she didn’t leave just then. Zion had something to say and she was going to extend the vampire the courtesy of hearing her out, after all that the latter had done. “Thank you for trusting me completely. It’s… a big thing,” she replied, with a humble bow of her head. “I will not lie to you, Zion. I wish I could extend you the same amount of trust. I don’t distrust you. But, I don’t trust you as much as you trust me. But, this,” she gestured between the both of them, at their meeting in that pace, “is definitely an improvement.” The Keeper paused. “As I promised, no harm will come to Kirra. And I owe you a favour within the laws of Sanctuary.”

“My mistake. Not the sort of control I meant. I could control myself, but my desire to use my control is lacking.” Zion chuckled at her own twisted humor, “Ayanna, you are smarter than I usually credit a human to be.” The timbre of her voice was music to the vampire's ears. She could feel the frustration between her breath, a rise that Zion lived for.  

“Trust is a big thing for me. You have no idea.” For Zion to trust her, it meant that her walls would need to come down. These walls, forged by the harshness of her human life, treated with the burning of blood lust; were anchored too deeply to let just anyone in.

“Pity you can’t return the favor, but I imagine you can count on your hand the amount of trustworthy people in your life. It’s the fatal flaw that exists among all species. Again, you are smarter than you get credit for.” Zion turned on her heel ready to leave, but one more promise needed to be initiated, “One more thing... You keep my name clean of this. The last thing I need is to be torn apart for betraying my kind.”  

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

noah-the-strong‌:

Noah couldn’t really think of the last time he practiced his powers out in the open such as this. His hand stretched out and his head tilted a bit to the side. A few large rocks levitated a few feet away, each almost as large as his own head. Twisting his hand so that his fingers now fingers now fasted down to the ground below himself. Two of the rocks spun around the one between them, mimicking the same movements of his hand in doing so.

At first, not many knew that he was a Wicked, it was a secret that only a few even thought was a possibility. Ever since his very public bout with Wolfie, in the pits, however, well, that secret wasn’t much of one anymore. Of course, it wasn’t a secret that many liked to know. Noah had noticed that some that greeted him upon seeing him no longer seemed to acknowledge him when he walked by. Some still reacted normally though but now he knew his initial thought of how those humans he lived with would view him, was mostly right.

Quickly, Noah shut his hand into a fist and all three rocks exploded in a shower of dust and dirt. It was only then that his eyes noticed movement and darted the person that caused it. “Didn’t see you there.”

The wicked was a marvel. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he exploded all three rocks with such subtle movements. Zion was intrigued by those select few humans whose abilities were so diverse and powerful. “You are human, expected nothing less.” Zion crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned into the tree. There was a slick smirk sticking to her lips as she watched him. “You put on quite the show I must say. Is there a second act?”  

She had seen him in the pits, though she never fought in them. She liked to watch and take mental note of all the fighting styles. Mostly she was afraid of going too far with a fight. “All the great power a wicked could have and your great skill is to smash dirt clods.”  It was meant as a jab, even if she truly might admire his gift. She knew better than to show her true colors to a stranger.  

“You make playing in the dirt look good. All the fun and none of that mess of getting your hands dirty. Interesting set of talents you have.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Told You So

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

ailes-de-fleurs‌:

The Keeper chose to ignore the tactless vampire’s. She had lived a life long enough to pick up a hobby before she was turned into a bloodthirsty monster, in Ayanna’s opinion. A part of the blonde, however, countered with the thought that in her frustrations she was being unfair to the vampire. Maybe, after the transformation, people lost their earlier selves. She didn’t know what all changed, so she could always give Zion the benefit of doubt. And, more importantly, not take out her frustrations on the woman.

Though as soon as Zion said ‘Nadya’, Ayanna’s demeanor changed. Her jaw clenched so tight that she was sure it had caused some damage to her teeth. “That little…” The words were muttered under her breath, while she made a mental note to keep a close eye on the troublemaker.

“Just because there hasn’t been an incident doesn’t mean that there’s a guarantee that nothing will go wrong. Rules are in place for a reason,” the human ground out. “I will not wait for a human to die to make laws for something.” She took a deep breath to calm down. “We have a deal. But,” she paused, a finger lifted dramatically, “on one condition.” Ayanna knew Zak won’t like it if he came to know about it, but she needed to do this. “I want the name of the vampire who was feeding off Zak. I promise I won’t harm them.”

“You think I haven’t told her that?” Zion wasn’t all that surprised at the keeper’s disregard for Zion’s ability to ponder the many troubling outcomes. “Being a vampire, I know how hard it is to resist latching onto a vein. Though I may not like living a deprived life, there is a need for it. On the outside it is hunt to kill and kill to kill. Gluttony at its finest. What happens when the vampires effectively exterminate the entire human population?”  Zion had to smile fondly as she muttered beneath her breath. Nadya was all to a familiar thorn in her own side. Yet, there was a bit of admiration there between the annoyance.  

The last demand hit her conscious harder than she had anticipated. Of course, she would want the name, “What if I told you it was me? Would you leave well enough alone then?” Zion felt the weight of betraying her own kind then. It was more than she realized it could be and Kellen’s words were the only thing keeping her calm and collected in front of the human.  

“Who am I kidding. I think we already established that my only talent is killing. You know better than to believe my lie. The Vampire who was feeding on Zak. She is no threat to this place. Nadya does her homework when she selects clients. Turned me down.” Zion chuckled at the thought of being included in this ring of fire. “Kirra.” the name slipped more easily from her tongue than it should have. “Now I am the betrayer. If the others find this out....I will be dealt with. You understand that to give you this information, I must trust you completely. Do you give me that same trust in return?”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

ashescshes‌:

Once upon a livelier time, Milena had retreated from her lessons with her mother wondering, every single time without fail, why she had been forced to endure such torture. She did not know the true value of all she had learned until she met the creature beside her.

It was in those lessons she found solace, and was able to divert the negotiations back to where they needed to be: in her favour.

“I have no interest in pocketing anything.” But her information was curious nevertheless. If it were to slip out in the Tribunal meeting that there was the heinous possibility of vein feeding going on in the shadowed alleys of the Blood District, they could be tied up for weeks with investigations and accusations. Then again, it would also deter them from the true focus: the things lurking on the horizon. 

Without solid proof her accusation would only sever the delicate ties she had bound the Blood King with. Something to look into, no doubt. But not to be mentioned until it was useful. There was no point in starting a war before either side was armed. 

“You’ll have to provide more than that if you wish for anything from me. I need information I can use little creature. Not whispers without basis that could easily be explained by a clumsy child in the wrong place.”

“I see,” Zion rolled her eyes as the Upyr downplayed the curiosity of what she had disclosed. It was clear that the woman was over her company in every way imaginable. Of course, Zion was making it easy to assume that so, “My word is not good enough for you. Look at the wicked yourself..... Nadya even. You will find a set of fang marks on both.” Zion was not surprised that her word meant so little in the way of Milena’s big plans, but why ask her to obtain information in the first place?

“No interest in pocketing anything? Do you really think I am that stupid? Lie to me again and this will be the last conversation we have. A woman as intelligent as you will always be interested in pocketing valuable information, people, me.”  

“Funny how you chain me to a chair...” Zion rolled her eyes as she leaned against the wall. Milena could be intimidating but Zion was equally adamant in her sass, “and when I comply with your offer, you wound me with distrust. Sounds like you played me right into your pocket. The wicked would be an asset so I know your ears perked up. ”

Zion chuckled as she pranced around the Upyr, “Power is not something you can just have. You must maintain it. Maintaining power and getting what you want is tricky when there are so many of us living together. No, I am not as dumb as you think I am. Never have been. Not that it is an unfair assumption to make given that so many of my kind …. mmm yeah.”  

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Mother Knows Best

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

shoarkellen‌:

   The way that Kellen was calculating was far different than Milena. They differed in several ways, truly, but it was easy to tell that Milena —  ambitious and capable though she was, as Kellen would never disparage the hard work of another female — had expected things to go her way; she was owed it. Kellen, at least at the time, had no designs on the throne or want to take it, but the problem was that someone had gone out and kicked her child…

   … and Kellen might be cold, calculating, withdrawn, and aloof, but she is also Zion’s mother, loath though she may be to publicly admit it — whether because of the stigma that came with loving another person or the fact that she didn’t want anyone to come after Zion to begin with — and was fierce in that single aspect. It wasn’t as if she weren’t dangerous by her own right, but to get Kellen to move to any sort of action required the appropriate force to be applied.

   Her weakness, in some ways, was Zion herself… and now truly, seeing what could happen and using over her child’s own words about Milena’s purported designs for total control, she felt less inclined to stick with her status quo. The one thing, however, that she held to through all of that… was her calm nature. She had not stirred yet in a way that would make anyone scared, dangerous though she may be, and even as Zion continued on with her speculation the elder Vampire stood still in the shadows of their home and looked almost statuesque (both in stature and in movement) for a span of beats.

   Movement came before words, and she actually went to get Zion a drink. She had her own stores of things and though she wasn’t inclined to share normally, today was an exception. A glass of amber liquid was poured, and she moved to Zion to hold it out, arm stiff and face a mask of nothingness, “The thing about Milena is she’s cornered. She has the power she wanted and yet still sees how hard it is to actually get what you want without inciting a riot. She thinks if she shakes the right trees the answer will fall out and her power can be activated in totality… the issue is, she might have shaken the wrong tree…”

   After Zion’s drink was delivered, Kellen moved back to pour her own, throwing the liquid down her throat with all the pageantry of a necessary function; she was thinking, and it was almost visible, “What about Wolfgang? Where did he play into all of this?”

“Whatever negotiations she held with the King were only on Ragar’s behalf. We both know how Wolfgang feels about me.” Zion let the contents of the glass slide slowly down her throat, a grateful hum of appreciation following as she finished. A clear mind comes with a quenched thirst. “Milena doesn’t wear that fear on her sleeve, but I do agree with its existence. She is not afraid to take her power, but she can't have all that she desires without causing riots in the streets.” Zion loved the way Kellen turned things over in her mind. It was almost as if she could feel the thought vibrations prickling her skin. Zion liked to think she herself capable of untangling the web of intentions dangling around her, but she paled in comparison to her mother.  

“Wolgang....there is something there is something going on and I am not sure his part in it yet. Have you noticed anything strange about the human Nadya? I ….. noticed marks in suspicious places.” Zion was insinuating vein feeding. Did her mother know about it? Was she involved? “I would love to be able to feed straight from the vein, but this is going to end very badly if what I suspect to be true is true. “  

When Kellen mentioned shaking the wrong tree there was a glimmer of something she couldn’t quite explain. Her Maker was far more intimidating than she was loving but there was a tone in the way she said it. Was she being protective of her child? “Shaking the wrong tree? Careful Mother, they might actually think we care deeply for one another.” The only thing wrong with her smile was the longing behind it. Zion wanted to feel wanted. Without the blood and violence there was nothing to mask the desire for it anymore.  

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

Mother Knows Best

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

shoarkellen‌:

   It was a part of Kellen’s character to stand there and listen as she was spoken to, taking in everything said and allowing a moment of thoughtful reprieve for her own mind to process what had been said to her — what they might mean, even — and though there was no outward show of calculation, her brain was firing on all cylinders. Nothing slipped past Kellen, anymore than she would expect things to slip past her child.

   She was watching Zion as she moved, taking in every twice of her fingers, the way her forehead wrinkled with certain words and the overall cant of her body with the pain she knew was shooting through the other’s body at any given time. If Milena knew anything it would be how to dole out pain that would last, small things that seemed so trivial but continued to quake through your system with aftershocks for weeks. She hated Milena, truly, but she could appreciate the art.

   … at least, she could have had it not been pressed upon her daughter’s flesh and mind.

   “I will tell you something, Zion. Something I have never spoken to another living being. The reason to survive is just that. You keep going in hopes of finding a reason to keep going.” Kellen’s face was hard, and though her words had a similar edge there was a nigh-pleading tone underlying her usual harshness, “You can find NOTHING worth living for if you die. Life is living. Life is continuing to search for it. If you are tired of that search then we should both just give up now because eventually it will — trust me on this, I know — get us both killed.”

“Have you not found it yet? If we are living in this moment...we have each other. If I trust you to live for me and I will live for you, have we found it?” Zion rolled the words over and over in her mind. What would she sacrifice for Kellen? EVERYTHING, a confession kept concealed beneath the fine layers of pride. Zion would fight for her maker with everything she had.  

“I killed some of them, but Milena let that slide. She is after something she values more than her own people. What are we willing to sacrifice to play this game? You did not raise a blind follower, I see the world as it is. Logical reasoning says that Milena wants to eliminate all the vampires rather than just a handful. She could have killed enough of us to start a war and she didn’t. There is a strategy to this.”  

Zion sat herself on the couch drawing her legs up beneath her as she leaned her chin to her palm, “She wants information on the vein feeding. Yes, I know about it and no I haven’t done it. The way blind eyes are being turned toward it.... Milena would have enough to shake the pillars of this fragile throne.”  

Kellen should be Queen. Why she wasn’t, Zion would never understand. “I need a drink in a bad way.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

brazen-tenacity‌:

Nadya wanted to utter the words she had so fervently repeated time and time again, but she clenched her jaw, refusing the repeat herself. The fact that she was still breathing, proved that vampires didn’t need to kill. Vampires weren’t in need of domestication, they were civil all on their own, but their culture drove them to the savage, murderous ways, not their natural way of being. She earnestly believed it to be so and the control shown by her clients only proved her point. The fact that she now had two of them caring about her on a deeper level proved that point. Being removed from a place where killing was the only way of life had opened their eyes to new options.Things weren’t as black and white as Zion claimed things were.

Her gaze whipped towards Zion as she practically asked to be one of her clients, pure disbelief oozing from her expression at the vampire’s words. ‘’You’re kidding me, right?’’ she spoke, a humorless chuckle slipping from her lips as she stared at Zion incredulously. ‘’I just told you I didn’t trust you, and your solution to that is, ‘I want in’? You can’t be serious…’’ she shook her head as she folded her arms over each other. ‘’Aside from your hypocrisy for even wanting in, you’re blackmailing me into letting you in?’’ she exhaled a breath, taking a moment to consider what Zion was saying. She hadn’t allowed anyone to take from her vein for the longest of times. At first it had been because of fear, now it was because… it felt wrong? The ban had lifted and there hadn’t been any indication that she couldn’t offer, but she only wished for two pair of fangs to pierce her skin, and no others. ‘’It’s not happening.’’ the uttered. ‘’I can’t trust you. I just can’t. And something like this, is based on that trust. Can’t you find anyone else that feeds from the vein to try your luck on?’’

“I am not kidding. You preach a sound message on making the lives of vampires better and yet here you are refusing to make mine more enjoyable. You think I am lacking control.... Please spare me the bias words of a terrified human. I have no qualms with what I am, accept it gladly. I know just how much I can drink before you die, it's not much. You push your limits every time you let us close. Nadya, you either stand behind your belief fully or not at all. You almost had me convinced to back off it but it’s clear that you lack the balls to support your reform.”  Zion cracked a smile as she dusted Nadya off. Pushing her around was a lot of fun but perhaps she had been too harsh with her. After all, wasn’t her vision a very nice thought?

“Trust? Have I ever tried to kill you? No, I dislike you in the way I would dislike anyone. It’s not based on your weaker status as a human. Ironically you are one of the strongest humans I know.” Zion tapped Nadya’s forehead with her pointer finger. “I think you have a strong mind. Maybe I dislike you because you remind me of me. Yes, it's true that if ever this place fell.... I would come for you first. Consider that a compliment because I am quite certain I would not kill you in the sense you fear.”  

“I don’t trust just any human to let me take a bite. It’s a two-way street. If you bring me in, then who am I going to blab to without compromising myself? HOWEVER, if you do not see this as leverage then perhaps your mind is not that strong. Blackmail? My dear, the blackmail works for both of us here.”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

ashescshes‌:

Good enough to be in chains was an understatement that Milena would not deign to even give detail to. But there was already such time wasted that the Upyress was content to disregard the nigh-overwhelming desire to correct and educate the Vampire spawn. For another time, perhaps. Not that she ever wished to be in present company unless the situation was absolutely necessary.

And it should have been clear to Milena that the fanged beast would continue to chit and chat until she got what she wanted out of their little bargain. Though how explaining what Milena was going to do with the information she was given hardly seemed relevant. 

Her Raven’s did not ask, only obeyed. Something the woman before her could stand to learn a thing or two about.

“Perhaps your brain might be rotted through to a level where you can’t recall,” an insult pressed forward through gritted teeth, “but I’ve already told you the value of your information. The more you provide to me, the easier it will be for me to find time to ask that my soldiers back at Court take the time out of their patrols to… acquire what you so desperately desire.”

She always knew her younger brother would come in handy, though she had no idea how much until recently.

“Rotten brains? Is that a delicacy for your people?” Zion pressed back against the grinding insult with her own twist. She never let Milena’s sour words affect her much. There were more interesting Upyr to entertain these days. “Have I told you my deepest desires yet? If this relationship is going to work, then we are going to have to slow down. “Zion blew her a sarcastic kiss. The vampire was far livelier than the night they met. She had been injured and starved then. “I was half passed out and bleeding the last time we met. You will have to enlighten me on the value of my information. I have some I think you might like but maybe it’s not worth it anymore. You did pressure me in a vulnerable state.”  

Zion leaned against the same wall that housed the window that Milena was far too interested in. “Who’d ya bring to watch your back?” Zion was too close to the upyr, a dangerous game to play with power. “Could they really get here before I ripped off your head? That’s not a threat. It would be a stupid move to go murdering you now. Influential people are nice to have ties to...even a conspirators tie.”

“Vein feeding is the big issue. Sources have seen Zak, Ayanna’s little pet wicked, stumbling about the vampire district at night. He may have even passed out from the blood loss. Word is the scarf isn’t covering much up, but I suggest you talk to him. Given his intricate past with your people, it could be fun. Maybe put another Wicked in your pocket?”

[rose-red-sinner-blog]

ailes-de-corbeau‌:

Parnus‌:

While the goal had been to keep everyone together during their excursion it wasn’t… entirely foolish for them to split up while they waited for the sun to set. Parnus didn’t even seek Lilita’s approval or companionship as he followed the paths of the drawings, detailed as they were, towards a corridor off to the side filled with similar images.

What fascinated the vampire so much was the world captured within the image. If he stood there long enough he could imagine the sights, the sounds, the smells of these long-gone worlds under the same sun that cursed them now. Some of the faces captured were blurry, while others were in striking detail. Yet no matter who was shown each new picture told a story that he wanted, no, needed to desperately understand.

The people in those images were long dead. Yet there were stories of them right in front of him. They were remembered long after they were gone. Parnus, unfortunately, didn’t have the same luxury.

He reached and brushed his fingertips over a glass sheet. A thick film of dust streaked away in the shapes of the pads of his fingers and revealed a dulled scene of a bustling path: the very path they had walked to get into the city ruins.

His heart ached for them.

( @ailes-de-corbeau​ ) ( @rose-red-sinner​ )

With the two vampires wandering away, Lilita was left looking to decide what to do. She could always go out and look for useful scrap, as they were supposed to. The only potential dangers she could encounter outside were wild animals, which generally didn’t bother another predator unless it was in their area. However, she decided against that on the off chance that something goes wrong. Then the two vampires, rendered useless by the sun peeking from the horizon, wouldn’t be able to help her out. And the very thought of being in a position where she’d need their help made Lilita bristle.

So, she too decided to stay inside this building and explore it a little.

Nothing caught her fancy as she wandered down the halls that might have once been pristine, now covered in layers of dust. Side stepping shattered glass, easily stepping over fallen models of what had once been a bear, Lilita wandered down what was the museum. Descending a few flights of stairs, she stopped randomly on a floor that must’ve been two levels before the surface.

An arched doorway with, what was once, an ornate door hanging off its hinges, caught her fancy. Guided by interest but not leaving caution behind, the upyress strolled inside. On either side of the doorway were two statues, that looked humanoid, holding torches with their heads and bottom half in gold, chipped and broken in places. Now, she didn’t need fire to see clearly but, she wondered if those torches still worked.

Intrigued she went further in.

( @rose-red-sinner​ )

Zion’s laughter only grew while she placed the head piece, was it a crown? It was golden or was golden at one point. It had all but lost its luster. Zion knew a lot about crowns and the power they held. Funny how such a little thing could amount to so much. A throne set on mountains of the dead. Both the vampires and the Upyr ruled viciously and as she continued to move along the wide-open area, it became clear that these people were capable of ruling with the same brutality. White statues of men and women, all set with a beautifully stern air of power.  

Her hands brushed along the marble; legs and arms, swords and shields. They were all so delicately crafted into life-size figures. How could someone do this? How long did it take? Faces with blank eyes directed her gaze toward a series of statues. A story that could last forever, preserved in stone. The minor imperfections of age were not nearly as severe as they should have been. The building had served as protection from the elements.

A gilded statue of a man with a spear, the three tipped spear. “Is that a pitchfork?” Zion looked puzzled for a moment. A king with a pitchfork and a fair looking girl. The next statue was a woman, the same powerful expression she had seen in Milena bore directly toward the fair female figure. Anger, that was pure uninhibited anger. Zion trailed after the story constructed in various figures. The next scene was clearly the punishment. The fair female figure was weeping, and her good looks were replaced with gigantic slit eyes and a head full of snakes.  

“So, the guy with the pitch fork screwed you sideways and you got the blame.... Typical.” Zion could totally relate the to the dire situation this girl was in. Looking down, Zion noticed a mirrored shield. Both sides were overplayed with a smooth reflective surface. “I’m taking this.”