Amelia was bundled up, ear muffs and mittens and all. “So here’s the plan,” she started, “we’re going to build a snowman.” Maybe freezing your arses off in the dead of winter wasn’t the perfect idea for a second date, but it’s what Amelia wanted tonight.
When: 15 April 1980
Where: Low Street
Who: Hollie + @adrianvallancourt
“Oh, my god! Do you make it a habit to hide in foliage?” And was Hattie in there with him? Although sure that wasn’t what Adrian was doing when she stumbled upon him, she was still very much startled while on her trek back from the castle. Obvious tear lines traced her face, stained with the new dark green mascara she was testing out to make her hazel eyes pop. The attention to every detail tonight hadn’t mattered in the eye of Professor Egg, though. It seemed it never would.
The last place Clem ever expected or wanted to find herself was at number one; in fact, it was quite possibly the last place she wanted to be right now. But, when she left Percy’s, today’s newspaper still clutched in her hands, crumpled from her anxious fiddling, she couldn’t go home either. The thought of it made her feeling nauseous, everything she didn’t know turning over in her mind. Where was Bertie? Was he okay? And if he wasn’t, what was not okay? Not okay could be so many things, a spectrum that stretched in so many directions. But the question that ran around her head the most was, how the fuck do I find anything out? Right now she was standing in the abyss, a dark void of nothingness. It was as though someone had tied a blindfold around her eyes, so that she was fumbling in the dark, trying to find a solid wall that was not there. She felt completely useless, unable to do anything.
Which was what found her here, in the garden of Adrian Vallencourt, having climbed over the fence after her knocks at the door went ignored. He was the one who had got Bertie the job there, wasn’t he? And he couldn’t ignore her if she was in his garden. She knew this much: she wasn’t going to go home until she’d got at least some answers. “I know you’re in there, I can see your lights on,” she called. “You can’t ignore me when I’m already in your house, technically.”
( Why are you still here then, Rose? Just go. Just go. )
She knew everyone was talking about it--the large explosion. Usually that would’ve been a literal thing, but these days, in times of peace, the only weaponry that ever seemed to misfire was words. And usually--if not always--it was Rose’s drama that seemed to be at the forefront of it all. Ground zero. She couldn’t help it. Partially because she herself loved the attention, as much as she wished she didn’t, and partially because there was nothing more interesting to most people than the love lives of other people.
This time the fight was worse than usual. Dimitri had quietly brought up their future, about adopting, or even finding a surrogate. Rose was going to let it slide like she usually did, and chalk it up to Dimitri stumbling upon a child, and deciding that maybe he should ask once more. But then he pressed on. And he kept pressing. With every word, Rose became twisted, like a spring tightly coiled and ready to pop. There had been a time when the thought of a family wouldn’t have felt so ridiculous and wrong, but right now? Right now it made her unreasonably angry, as if it was an offense to her. Maybe it was. A child would mean an entirely different life--one where one of them would have to give up their jobs, and she couldn’t picture anyone telling Dimitri to set his career aside.
Or maybe it was just the simple fact that family was very much a foreign concept to Rose. A mother and a father together? Their child being raised by both of them? It felt like a fairytale, one that had been twisted a long time ago into something that almost seemed like a nightmare.
But there was something else besides her fear and hesitation. There was Dimitri himself. They hadn’t had sex for a few weeks, and Rose knew it wasn’t because of exhaustion. They had always managed it perfectly fine before. No, it was because of the words that both of them refused to say, because admitting it would be like admitting everything they had done up until now had been for nothing. And what were either of them without the years of struggle? None of it was fair. Leaving Dimitri would feel like cutting off a part of herself, but staying with him felt like suffocating.
Adrian just added to the problem, and while Rose knew it was no fault of his own, him being at the Palace had changed things. It wasn’t an immediate change, but a gradual one. Dimitri had noticed. He always noticed things like that, like Rose staring at the annoying royal for a bit too long, or the way her eyes lit up every time Adrian threw a snarky comment her way. He told her as much during the argument. Nothing was more frustrating than having someone else see the things that you couldn’t.
Rose proceeded to do the most Rose thing possible--she ran. Not far of course, especially considering that Lissa was near and Rose never wanted her friend out of her sight. She did, however, manage to find an abandoned room, one that clearly wasn’t being used as evidenced by the inches of dust that covered everything. Somehow, it felt peaceful. Maybe it was the way the night threw itself into the corners, making her feel invisible, or perhaps it was the knowledge that at least Dimitri wouldn’t find her here. At least she could finally have a moment for herself, one that didn’t revolve around a slowly shrinking future.
It was then that Rose heard a noise, and her entire body tensed as she scrambled for the silver steak that she always carried on her leg.
“Who’s there?” She said, her voice quiet, yet firm. “If you’re here for a show, then you just missed it.”
Celeste: "Are you always this, how do you say... self-centered?" She asked, straightening up in her chair. It was a joke, but Celeste stayed serious. "I know because there is no other creature who could dream walk. I suppose someone celestial would be able to," she shrugged a bit. "But it's also around your aura." There was just something around a witches aura... She could just feel something there. "And you're not dreaming because this isn't your dream," she said simply, as she made everyone go back to what they were doing. "Do you want more coffee?" She snapped her fingers and a waiter came immediately.
adriel: Adriel had never been called self-centered before, and the biting remark stung. "Hold on, dream walk?" the witch asked, the phrase ringing a very faint bell in the back of her mind. She had learned something about it in the past, from her mentor, but the details were too foggy to remember. Adriel was able to conclude that the woman she was sitting with must've been a witch as well - for how else could she know about witch auras and dream walking? "How am I dream walking? I've never been able to do that before."
Celeste: Since the other witch didn't say anything, Celeste ordered herself another strawberry lemonade. At her question, she shrugged. That sounded more like a personal issue. "Maybe you tapped into your magic? I do not know. Perhaps it is that illness going around..." She paused and eyed the other witch "Are you sick?"
adriel: The illness. It made perfect sense. Adriel hadn't heard of what the next stage in the illness was, but seeing as she had uncontrollable magic spurts, it didn't seem unlikely that dream walking was another symptom. "Yes, that must be it," she agreed with a nod, sitting back in her chair with a sigh. She had to admit, the dream world was much better than the real one, and at least now that the confusion was sorted out she could enjoy what it had to offer. "How much longer do you think this will last?"
Celeste: "Seeing a doctor should be your first stop when it is morning," the witch suggested. The more people that were sick, the more likely it was for the illness to spread even faster. "Are you not enjoying my company?" She asked, offended. Celeste moved her head so she wasn't looking at the other witch. Another joke, not that the other woman knew that. "It will last until I wake up. Or you get killed. In the dream of course."
adriel: A solemn nod was all Adriel offered as a response. She had been dreading a trip to the hospital; with all the others that were far worse than her, it didn't seem fair. But, if her condition really was spiraling down, she might not have another choice. "No, no, it's not that at all," the witch answered quickly, "Although, it is weird being in someone's dream without even knowing their name. Mine is Adriel." One of the two options to end the dream walking experience didn't sound pleasant Though she knew the pain would only be temporary because none of it was real, the idea of dying still wasn't appealing to her. "I guess we'll wait until you wake up, then."
Celeste: Celeste nodded her head towards the other witch, Adriel. "Enchante. Je suis Celeste," she said introducing herself in her native language. "And I went to sleep a bit late, so we may be here for a while..." She stood up , stretched out her limbs and looked towards Adriel. "Shall we explore a little?"
adriel: Adriel didn't know French - her knowledge of the language was based off of subtitled movies on Netflix - yet she was able to understand the introduction. Celeste. A beautiful name. As Celeste stood up, Adriel nodded and followed suit. "That sounds like a good idea, seeing as a day this perfect shouldn't go wasted," she replied as she walked beside Celeste. After a few moments, a faint sound of knocking seemed to be coming from Adriel's right. A quick glance in that direction offered no clear source of the sound, yet it continued. None of the strangers on the sidewalk seemed to have heard the noise, either. Curious, Adriel glanced back at Celeste, an eyebrow raised. "Are you doing that?"
Celeste: As they both began walking, Celeste pulled her hair up into her usual ponytail. It was true, in her dream world the day was perfect. And it would stay this perfect unless she changed something. Though, she tended to keep her dreams simple and easy. "Am I doing what?" She turned towards the other witch and looked around. They were on a path that would lead them towards the park, the residents occupying her dream world seemed to all be fine, her emotions were in check and the world wasn't crumbling. Everything appeared as normal as it could be. "What are you talking about?"
adriel: Celeste's apparent uncertainty about the knocking made Adriel wonder if she was just imagining the noise - maybe a side effect of the illness? Just as she was about the disregard the whole thing, a voice was added to the crescendoing knocking. A male voice - and though it was distant, Adriel could just make out the words it was crying out. Adriel. Her name. The witch's heartbeat quickened, and she looked around wildly. "I-I don't know what's going on - there's knocking and now there's a voice and it -," she paused as she listened to the voice. "it sounds like someone I know."
Celeste: The witch stopped walking and stared at the other woman as she tried to explain what was happening. It was odd... Then again, if it were happening to the other's body and not her own, she would have no way of knowing. "Like someone is in your home?" Celeste looked up towards the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Perhaps you should go back? I could kill you if you'd like. It will be painless, like falling asleep." Her words were not promises. She could not promise that, the French Witch had no idea if it would hurt or not. She murmured a spell into her fingers before reaching into the back of her shirt, touching the skin there. With a touch to the ink that was on her back, she pulled until her swords were physically in her hand. "It will be quick too," that she could promise, she was skilled afterall.
adriel: "I-I don't know, maybe?" Adriel stammered, trying to concentrate on the voice. It was getting louder with each passing moment, and suddenly it dawned on her who it was. "Adrian," she said aloud as the revelation hit her. What if he needed her help, if he was in trouble? Before she could say anything else, she was watching Celeste literally pull out a sword from behind her. Did that appear because it was a dream? That question wasn't important for the moment; Adriel watched the sword with wide eyes and nodded, collecting herself. "Yes, yes, okay. He might be in trouble, I need to wa-"
Celeste: Adrian? She could have sworn she heard the name before, perhaps from her employer or one of her clients, she just couldn't put a face to the name. It didn't matter anyways, the other witch needed to get out of her dream. Celeste swung her right sword in a half circle as Adriel spoke. It would be best if she just.... Mid-sentence, Celeste plunged her left sword into the witch's heart. "Au revior," she murmured before pulling out the sword. It was only a moment later before she all but disappeared. Finally, she would have peace and quiet.
adriel: Fire. That's what Adriel would equate the feeling of a sword being plunged into her chest to. It was a searing pain, and as soon as she felt it, the witch was suddenly in her dark room, sat up right and her neck wet with a cold sweat. Instinctively, she had her hands placed over her heart - where just moments ago a sword had been - and was working on controlling her breathing. She suddenly became aware, slowly, of her environment - Larkspur purring peacefully at the edge of the bed, the warmth from her blankets, and the knocking. Adrian! Adriel jumped out of bed, threw on a large cardigan, and had the front door open in a matter of seconds.
Adrian joined the chat 4 days ago
Adrian: He was just about to knock again when the door swung open. He stared at his friend before waltzing in. "So uhm, I have a problem." That would be an understatement. Funny, how he had had such a wonderful afternoon speaking with his wolf and now.... "You heard about those killings right? The vampire ones? I mean, could we consider it murder? We're already dead," he laughed. The vampire was babbling, but he couldn't seem to /stop/ talking. "So yea, they got burned right? Well okay, so. A portion of my house is kind of the same now. " He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed again.
adriel: As soon as the door opened, Adriel's wide eyes focused on Adrian. Immediately, she tried searching for any signs of injury or a twisted expression - but only found her friend in a relatively normal state. He walked in from the dark hallway, and Adriel quickly closed the door behind him and listened as he spoke, wondering why he came at such a late time if nothing appeared wrong. Then, she heard the last sentence - almost didn't even notice the gravity of the words because of Adrian's laughter. Her next questions came out in a flurry. "Wait, /what/? Someone set your house on fire? Oh my - Did you get hurt at all? Did you see who did it? How bad is it?"
Adrian: He settled himself onto her couch and put his face into his hands. "It's uhm.. The fire was put out, but. A good portion is, well, /gone/. My bedroom was in that area. " Adrian turned up to look at her "I've died before you know, but... I mean, I could have /died/ died tonight? That was my /room/. I just.. I'm baffled? Flabbergasted? I'm fucking pissed." The vampire let out a rather large sigh. "But no no, I'm not hurt. I kind of just walked up and my house was on fire.. I didn't see who did it." He quickly stood up and gave her an apologetic smile "I didn't actually realize how late it was... I'm sorry for bothering you.. I'll just let myself out."
adriel: Adriel sat in the chair across from the couch, angling herself so that she was fully facing the vampire. With his own realizations, Adriel felt her chest tighten as she thought about how close Adrian was to being /dead/ dead. The witch had always looked at him as an immortal creature, and though she knew vampires had weaknesses of their own, she never imagined that Adrian would die before she did. The thought scared her, as she realized that losing him would be a huge heartbreak she might not recover from. "No, don't be silly," she interrupted his intentions of leaving. "I always have time for you. I know you don't need sleep, but you can rest here for the rest of the night."
Adrian: As she spoke, he couldn't help but smile. Adrian took a hold of Adriel's hands, brought her up to a standing position and pulled her into a rather large hug. He buried his nose into her long,dark hair and inhaled deeply. The vampire could trust this witch, he would trust this witch with his immortal life. Indigo had made a very good point earlier that day, not trust anyone. But he knew he could trust both this witch and the wolf. "Would you mind terribly.. Would it be okay if I did stay here? I don't want to be a bother or anything?" He took a step back, his leg hitting the back of the couch and plopped down, pulling her along with him.
adriel: though she was rather taken aback by the sudden hug, Adriel wasted no time in reciprocating the gesture. Her arms wrapped around the vampire's back as she rested her head on his shoulder. It was a fleeting moment, yet it was also one that transported her briefly away from the troubles and tragedies of the world. For a moment, in her friend's arms, the only role that mattered was her being there to console one of the most important people in Adriel's life. "The day you become a bother to me is the day I've officially gone off the deep end," the witch joked. She allowed herself to be pulled down to the couch with Adrian, and rested comfortably against his side. "You can stay for however long you need - no need to waste money on a hotel or anything."
Adrian: "Oh really?" He chuckled and nudged her slightly with his shoulder. Adrian leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her temple. "You're the best. Though I can always get a hotel, money is no issue... I'll have to start fixing up my place. Shit. Perhaps I should tell Bellissa..." He was mostly speaking to himself, but it was true. If a portion of his home was burned to a crisp, he really need to get that fixed as soon as possible. He probably needed to text Indie as well... Tell him before he saw the news. "You know, I feel tired? And it's irritating because I know I can't sleep it off. You mortals have it so easy," he teased.
adriel: "You think I'm going to let my best friend stay in a hotel when there's a perfectly good, welcoming apartment right here?" Adriel asked rhetorically, nudging him back. "Maybe you inhaled some of the smoke and it's making you not think clearly," the witch teased. She scoffed at his remark, pretending to roll her eyes at the vampire. "Says the vampire, who never has to deal with a sore throat or stuffy nose," she pointed out. The mention of sleep reminded her of the events that transpired before his arrival. "If anything, I wish I didn't have to sleep. I think I was ... Dream walking? It was weird, and I'm glad you woke me up from it. I don't want to experience /that/ again," she commented, remembering momentarily how it felt to have a sword thrust into her chest and wincing at the thought.
Adrian: "Well listen, I'm not used to living in these sorts of conditions?" He sniffed and stuck his nose up in the air, laughing after a moment. "I just hope it won't be too crowded for you? I mean, it would be you, me, your genie and cat. One of us is going to go insane I think. But I promise to do... stuff... around the house." By that, he meant hiring someone to do the cleaning up, but /she/ didn't have to know that. "Oh yea, that's true. I don't want to remember what it felt like to get a cold or sore throat," or be cold and hungry. His thoughts quickly shifted from his human life to the idea of dream walking. "I've heard of that. It sounds like fun? I want to dream walk, it would be so cool to see what others are dreaming. I didn't even know you could do it."
adriel: "'You, me, a genie, and a cat' sounds like a cool idea for a supernatural sitcom, don't you think?" Adriel reasoned aloud, giggling softly. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can all handle each other around. And trust me, I don't expect you to do too much around - just don't, like, break anything, okay?" she teased. His comment caused her to shake her head as she sighed. "I wish it was as fun as it sounded. Maybe it was just because of who it was with. I mean, she /stabbed/ me. Like, a sword and everything. It didn't hurt when I woke up, but still, who stabs a stranger, you know?"
Adrian: "I would pay good money to make our lives into a sitcom or a reality tv show. Though, we would really have to spice up our lives." In truth, he would hate being filmed the entire time.... Well after a while. For a bit in the beginning he was sure it would be fun. "I won't break anything and I won't bring anyone home, cross my heart and hope to die," he gave her a wide grin. Adrian listened to her story and squeezed her shoulder "You got stabbed? Where? Here?" He began to poke her sides then started tickling her.
adriel: "Good, I'm going to hold you to that promise," Adriel warned in a feigned commanding tone, though she knew there'd be no real penalty for breaking any of the rules. As soon as Adrian began poking her, Adriel knew how it would end. No amount of mental preparation could aid the witch in her resistance against Adrian's tickles. Her laughter rang out loud as she tried to wiggle from his grip - a hard feat to accomplish against a vampire - until she twisted at just the right angle to slide from his hands move to the other side of the couch. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. "/Rude/. I'll get you back for that one of these days, Belluci."
Adrian: He shrugged, then took a hold of her feet to drag her back to his side, gently of course. Having a good laugh with a friend is what he needed to calm down, though he was still upset about his home. He let out a breath through his nose deciding to just take it a day at a time. He would have his house fixed in no time and perhaps they could catch whoever did it. In the mean time, he refused to live in fear... But living with a friend did mean he was putting said friend in danger. They all needed to be careful. "Oh pfft, you wouldn't. You can't take me on Reed." The vampire patted her head and turned towards her TV "Can we watch something on Netflix or something?"
adriel: "I think you underestimate my abilities," Adriel crossed her arms over her chest defiantly - though the whole gesture lost its power after just being dragged back to her friend's side by her feet. "It'll be a sneak attack - you won't see it coming," she warned with an overly dramatic eerie tone. At his question, she extended a long arm to grab the remote from the coffee table and flicked on the TV. After scrolling through the titles on the Netflix page, Adriel giggled in glee and selected a movie. "Trust me, you're going to /love/ this one," she replied as the Disney logo appeared on the screen.
