#briellatheborn

[sanguinem-et-dolorem-blog]

Frigoris Vindicta

with @briellatheborn || continued from here

Dante looked down at the sleeping form of the one responsible for what he had become. He knew that, ultimately, it had been Damon’s decision to turn him, but he had always blamed her more. He’d blamed her for taking away the brother he’d loved; the brother that had been a part of him as much as his own heart and soul...if he had a soul. He wasn’t so sure anymore, about either of them. And now, she had told him that Damon would have died otherwise. His mind still reeled from it, still wondered what he was supposed to do now. 

He knew he couldn’t simply leave Aricena laying in the street, but he couldn’t take her back to the warehouse. It was the first place Damon would look and the last thing he wanted was to try to explain this in the wake of his brother’s wrath. He glanced down at her dark hair, spilled around her body, and then gently picked her up, into his arms. After all these years, he finally understood the hold she had over his brother, for the same had happened to him in his travels. Twice, he realized, with a chuckle. She was light in his arms, as if made of air, and he knew he could simply move to where he wanted to be. It would be easy and safer, but he wouldn’t. Instead, he walked through the night, taking her to a small, back alley inn. It wasn’t far and he knew he could trust the manager. 

Once there, he gently laid her down on the bed and then scratched his fuzz covered head. He had no idea what would happen now and his confused, exhausted mind made it hard to think. He’d tried to kill the woman his brother loved, almost succeeded too. A part of him wanted to flee again, to leave and be gone forever this time, but he knew it wasn’t the answer. “Please don’t die,” he whispered to Aricena’s sleeping form and then knelt down and took her hand again. 

[project-patroclus-achilles]

@briellatheborn || continued from x

“Guide?” Seb blurted out. He started to protest further, but instead, simply rubbed a hand over the dark fuzz on his head. Then he snorted and looked back up at her. “Um, OK.” The small smile that had crept onto his face wasn’t lost on him and he hoped she hadn’t noticed the blush that went with it. He felt like a new relationship, even if it was just a friendship, was probably the last thing he needed, but he felt himself growing comfortable with Briella already.

“That’s a beautiful name,” he commented, shyly. “I’m Sebastian. Um, yeah. There’s a great little place in the East Village. It has a ridiculous name, but they have good food, comfortable chairs and you can almost see the O2 out the window. Almost.” He nodded in the direction he was going. “I’m buying,” he added. It had been months since he’d felt this optimistic and he was determined not to question it. 

[sanguinem-et-dolorem-blog]

Frigoris Vindicta

with @briellatheborn || continued from x

Dante shook his head in confusion and knelt by her side again. “What do you mean it was for both of us? I barely knew you.” The truth was, he still barely knew her. Hate and loathing had filled him for years; rage at what she had done to his brother, at what he had become. What both of them had become. He’d never blamed Damon because his brother had become something else, something that wasn’t his fault. But her...he’d had no interest in knowing her and yet...looking at her now, she didn’t seem the monster he’d pictured in his head. 

He’d killed plenty of vampires in his day, but he’d never had to save one. In his shock and anger of being turned, he’d taken out his wrath on human and vampire alike. And then he’d slaughtered what felt like legions of vile, decadent vampires who’d wanted to follow in his and Damon’s footsteps before fleeing the city and the life he hated. 

He moved closer and hesitantly took Briella’s hand in his. It was small and pale compared to his own and he felt strange holding it. Her blood smeared onto his hands and he brought it closer to his face. “What do I need to do?” he whispered.  

[project-patroclus-achilles]

The Apprentice

@briellatheborn

Jasper wasn’t happy. Not long ago, he’d defected from his father’s organization to a rival North London crime boss. He’d been accepted and the man had been keen to learn his father’s secrets. Yet, he was still being made to prove himself further; he had to train a newcomer. He couldn’t believe it. He’d assumed his oath of loyalty and the information he’d brought with him would have been enough. On top of that, training people was not, typically, an enforcer’s job. You either knew how to hurt people or you didn’t.

He walked into the pub, owned by his boss, and sat down at the bar. He wasn’t sure exactly what to expect as no one had seen fit to tell him who he was meeting. That was a dangerous play, for all involved, frankly, but he knew it was all part of evaluation. He knew someone would be watching to see how he and whoever he was meeting would react. He kept everything casual; ordered a drink like he was just there to unwind, but he kept an eye on the door through the mirror. Few people were there that time of day and, after a while, someone came in who caught his eye.

He didn’t make a move, didn’t even turn to look her way, just took another sip of his drink. Slowly, he slipped his hand down to unbutton his expensive suit, freeing the snap on his holster as he did so. He wasn’t sure if this was his new apprentice or not, but in his world, a beautiful woman was always a dangerous thing. 

[project-patroclus-achilles]

"Rough Touch"

21.  Your muse attempts to shove away mine.

Sebastian had a firm grip on the woman’s arm. When she’d tripped right in front of him, she’d tripped hard and it was the only way to keep her from falling. Oddly, she didn’t seem to be appreciating it. He’d seen it a million times before as a detective. People had a lot of hardcore ideas about personal space and whether it was OK to touch them. There were simply people who’d rather fall into a rush of oncoming traffic than have someone help them.

Finally, Seb let go and put his hands up. “Lady, it’s OK. I was just trying to help.” He backed away, giving her some space and gritted his teeth. He glanced around to check if they’d made a scene. He liked to keep to himself these days. Then he looked back at the disheveled woman. Maybe she was the type who didn’t want help, or maybe it had just been his face. 

[after-the-fxll]

Newly Fated || Closed with briellatheborn

@briellatheborn

The park was quiet at night. Really, he should be resting by now, but for whatever reason, Aryx was restless. He took instead to walking through the park, letting the light breeze rustle the feathers of his wings. Feeling quite relaxed, Aryx began to take in his surroundings, noticing almost immediately that a falcon was in the area.

He had seen the falcon a few times, wondering why it seemed to be following him. There was something else he sensed that seemed out of the ordinary. A presence was nearby, more specifically an undead presence. Although this put him on point a bit, Aryx was never one to jump right into a hunt unless it was necessary. Simply being undead was not a crime, and he had met several over the years that defied their natures and led decent lives. It would be wrong of him to assume that this individual was evil without at least talking to them first.

As the falcon flew over him once more, he turned to see a hooded figure with their shadowy face obscured. Aryx’s head canted a bit, wondering if this night was going to end peacefully or not. “Hello,” he said cautiously. “Is that your falcon up in the sky?”