SUMMARY: While having a drink at a bar, Kabil gets mistook for Metzli by Rosemary, who wants to get through to them. The two get to talking and decide to make a plan.
WARNINGS: Mentions of emotional manipulation and abuse, mentions of child death
Going out wasn't the best idea. Los Sombras were hot on Kabil's tail, and both Metzli and their friend had discovered the area he'd been hiding in. He'd been smarter the last few weeks, keeping his distance and avoiding stepping in any time Metzli looked to be in trouble. They didn't need him.
Ever since they were changed, they never had. But he couldn't help it. Kabil had failed their little sibling countless times, and the ache of those failures never shrunk. The only moments of respite were the fleeting glimpses Kabil caught of Metzli living. When he saw Eloy's hold on them loosen.
It really seemed like they'd found a home and that they were finally processing the loss they'd experienced last year. Kabil really thought he'd lost Metzli then, but something changed. They looked almost exactly like the little sibling he'd grown up with, albeit a little more weathered, but the point stood. Perhaps, not for long though.
Kabil's more lucrative connections had let him know that Los Sombras had made a base out of an old mansion. Typical. Eloy was never one to shy away from the spotlight. Ironic, really. But whatever. The stress was enough for Kabil to risk being seen and he'd found himself sporting a hoodie and cap in ninety degree weather, throwing back a few drinks at some dive bar. The Wormhole, or something. Kabil didn't really bother to look. He was more focused on being inconspicuous and unseen, unable to get all his curls under his cap.
“Another.” He tapped on the bar, “Make it a double.” The bartender gave Kabil a raised brow, and he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. “I got a high tolerance, what can I say?” She chuckled and shrugged, filling his glass with no issue. Kabil raised his glass in gratitude, about to shoot back the drink when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Despite everything else in her life going relatively well for the time being, there was one remaining thorn in Rosemary’s side. Metzli.
It was none of the witch’s business. Absolutely none. If they wanted to sacrifice their chances at a life, far be it from her to stop them. She had herself to worry about. After all, it would have been easy. Oh so terribly easy for her to do exactly what Metzli was doing. To bow her head. To give in and placate those who deemed themselves in charge of how she spent her existence. But instead Rosemary had refused to sacrifice her desires, and she’d fought for what she wanted. She’d fought, and she’d succeeded . Why, then, was the vampire who had clearly fought for their freedom, submitting when it was their turn to solidify their claim on their own life.
So when she was sitting in the corner of the bar with her book, and she caught a glimpse of a familiar head of hair, the frustration that hadn’t had an outlet simmered to the surface. Go away Rosemary. You’re so wonderful, I don’t want you to get hurt, blah blah blah. The witch’s mind bubbled over as she stalked up behind them at the bar and tapped an insistent finger on their shoulder. “Look I don’t know why the hell you think this isn’t a solvable problem, just because they’re an extra large dickhead of a -“ the witch froze mid sentence as they turned around. “You’re not Metzli.”
–
“¿Que?” Wide-eyed and confused, Kabil turned around to find himself being reprimanded in his own sibling's stead. While the stranger spoke, he kept still, nearly sinking into himself at the sharp tone in the woman's voice. It'd been days since Kabil was able to keep track of their sibling, and he couldn't really place where he'd seen her from before. Regardless, he began to lean back slowly and away from the finger that had poked at him so adamantly.
And here he was thinking that Eloy was a real problem.
One small wringing and Kabil was mildly intimidated by some small, blonde-headed woman. He was actually surprised Metzli hadn't folded under her scolding instead of Eloy's. They always responded well to authority.
“Uh…no.” The vampire tipped back his drink and let the burning sensation down his throat ground him. “I'm the brother they hate.” Kabil cleared his throat as he took a risk. Under normal circumstances, he would've let her mistake slide and move on, but the subject was his very own sibling and some apparent dickhead. Kabil couldn't ask Metzli himself what was going on, but a stern friend was probably a good source.
“What is this about a dickhead and a problem?” Kabil rose from his bar stool, towering over the small woman with the Bernal height. “You wanna sit somewhere and tell me?”
They weren’t Metzli, but damn if they hadn’t been a dead ringer (pun only kind of intended) for them. She’d stormed over full of bluster and motivation to help someone who teetered on the border of scary acquaintance and friend, and had, instead, started scolding a complete stranger. Whoever he was, he was inching away from Rosemary with the kind of bewilderment reserved for circus sideshows.
Brother. Rosemary blinked. “Well that explains the hair.” She said. Then they stood up, and the witch blinked at him owlishly. “And the height, Jesus Christ, are you two descended from giants or something?” She mused. The witch mentally flagged the fact that Metzli supposedly hated their brother. She’d not grown up with siblings, so she wasn’t sure if that was something that happened- true and unadulterated hatred for someone you’d spent every day of growing up with. Surely there had to be some sort of love there, still. Or at least, care.
“Uh.” Rosemary was doing mental calculus. If Metzli was a vampire (and she assumed an old one) did that make their brother a vampire as well? Who’s side was he on in all of this? Metzli’s? Or the monster who had made them? “It’s a… long story. So sorry to have bothered you- you don’t happen to know where they- yeah no you know what, I’m good.” The witch blathered on, all her bravado fizzling out at finding her target was not actually her target.
Kabil snickered at the height comment, rubbing the back of his neck. “It's a family thing. You should've seen our parents.” Their mother had actually towered over their father in their teens. By the time they had both hit eighteen, they were about the same height, though their father would always claim to be an inch taller. As if that was a victory at all.
Sighing, the vampire planted his hands amusedly on his hips, “Long story?” With some alcohol in his system, Kabil was a little more lax than he normally would've been. “I'm old. I like long stories.” If that woman had approached him about six drinks ago, he likely would've just ran off without a single word. But he was eight drinks in, and he was turning around to request two more. Well, not both would be for Kabil anyway.
The bartender planted two glasses of tequila on the bar, and Kabil kept them at full view so his new friend would feel comfortable. He grabbed his own and gestured for her to grab the other, confessing, “If you were gonna ask if I know where they are, I'd say they're probably moping at home or something.” Kabil sipped his drink, “Just waiting for the right moment to be an idiot and bow down to our ‘great master.’” He said the last part with air quotes, annoyed.
“I don't know what they've told you, but they've been looking for me because they're…” Kabil looked around the bar suspiciously. His eyes softened and he groaned, unable to keep himself annoyed long enough to chastise their idiot sibling. “Are you a friend? Do they have any right now?” Because if Kabil knew them well, and he liked to think he did, he guessed Metzli would be well on their way to isolating and moving back to Eloy.
Old. That seemed like the closest thing to confirmation that the man in front of her was definitely a vampire. She’d have reached out to brush her fingers along the threads of magic to confirm if there was a pathway to the man, but that seemed like the opposite of a smart idea in a crowded bar.
She eyed the drink, slowly reaching out to take it off the bar. If it went bad, he was a vampire. She could control that scenario. She took comfort in the cards she had not played yet. Rosemary arched an eyebrow as he put quotes around the words. Now that was interesting. And perhaps the in she was looking for. She took a small sip of the drink, her mind working overtime to find an inconspicuous line of questioning. But all her paths seemed pretty suspicious…
“I…” Were she and Metzli friends? They certainly weren’t enemies. Enemies didn’t risk their lives to get the other out of a bind. At least the blind date had given her some more information about the vampire. “Kind of? I guess we’re friends, yeah.” Rosemary decided. “I don’t know if they have any others- they’ve been… I’ve not known them for very long, but they’ve been… kind of self destructive, from the sound of things.” She babbled for a moment, hoping that her string of half baked sentences would put him at ease before her follow up question. “Great Master?” She asked, mimicking his tone. “I take it you’re not the biggest fan?”
“They've never been good at making friends, if I'm honest. No one…no one got them, I guess. People thought they were possessed or something.” Kabil shrugged, “You know, they're weird. They feel a lot, but…I don't know how to explain it. The feelings just get stuck, and they just come out seeming…empty?”
Even as kids, Metzli stuck around Kabil despite the age difference. They were on some sort of spectrum no one wanted to get near, and people concocted stories about some curse they had gotten while in their mother's womb. “Hell, the town didn't even give them a marker or obituary.” Kabil huffed out a chuckle, but there was no amusement. He was just bitter because he contributed to their sad story.
He always got so annoyed by their need for him, and looking back, he wished he'd had more patience. Perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation if Kabil had just taken a moment to step back and look. Who could really blame him though? He saw an out, and he took it. Made a family out of that chance. Then Eloy took it all away, and Kabil left Metzli all alone. Again.
Downing the rest of his drink, Kabil took a deep breath and shook his head, anger flaming in his eyes. “No. I'm probably enemy number one at this point. To both Eloy and Metzli.” He gripped his glass dangerously tight, images of Karina and Lucia flashing behind his eyes. Before the glass could break though, Kabil downed the rest of his drink, sighing with relief at the burn. His lips were looser than he intended then ti be.
“I thought I would be freeing them if I killed Eloy, but he's got his claws in them so deep. He scooped out everything, and-and…I could've sworn I saw them again the other day. The sibling I knew when we were alive.” Kabil's voice grew shaky and hopeful, with a slight tinge of sorrow. “The one so hungry to be loved that they took it from a literal monster that chose them. For someone who's never been chosen, Eloy was a miracle.” Fucking bastard.
The way the man spoke, the witch had to wonder just how far removed from their own time the vampires were. How long had they roamed the earth? If as children, people had thought Metzli was possessed… Rosemary did some quick mental calculus and determined that they were far older than she would have initially guessed. The witch’s eyes narrowed. “Your sibling or child dies and nobody fucking gives them a headstone because they thought they were fucking weird? The fuck?” It was probably for the best she’d caught this vampire in the middle of a bar. If she’d decided to confront them on the street, she’d probably be dead for her efforts.
“I mean…” the witch huffed, crossing her arms. Did she know the full story? No. But from what little she gleaned, she wasn’t sure if she could blame Metzli for cutting out their brother. But if he also had beef with Eloy, who she assumed was the ‘great master’, then maybe ‘the enemy of my new stalker is my tentative friend’. Or however the saying went.
“So I take it you aren’t the one texting me cryptic texts.” She said, as she tried to figure out how best to tell the man that their sibling had flinched like an abused dog and immediately came to heel when they’d heard that this other person- Eloy- had returned for them. “Metzli’s been… well they’ve been through it, apparently. And the second I mentioned getting a text from someone, they shut down, completely. And admittedly, I am not the best person for crisis management, but I think they need help. Hence me coming over here to yell at who I thought was Metzli to tell them to get their head out of their ass and start living their own life. Unlife. Whatever you know what I mean.” Rosemary took a sip of the tequila, letting the liquor burn along side her frustration.
“Yeah,” Kabil muttered softly, They thought they brought a curse to town to get it attacked by demons, but the two of them knew firsthand why that was wrong. When they returned to their home, Kabil had tried to create a makeshift marker for Metzli, but they knocked it over just as quickly as he set it up.
Back then, he didn't know any better, but now? He realized Metzli was renouncing the life that never gave them anything. And despite Kabil going ahead and setting up a marker when their sibling stormed off, that one got ruined too. Much worse than just knocking it over. No one deserved to read the hatred the living had for them after death.
“Cryptic texts?” Rosemary cut through the vampire's musings, and he looked puzzled. “No, not me.” Kabil shook his head and rattled his brain, but it didn't take long to come to a conclusion. He knew how much Eloy liked to play games. “It's probably Eloy himself. Or some lackey.” Kabil tensed a hand through his hair. “He's no joke. He's an…” Looking around suspiciously, Kabil leaned closer to Rosemary and whispered, “Elder vampire. Much stronger and much worse than me or Metzli. Motherfucker is unkillable.”
Kabil had successfully gotten close enough to stake Eloy in the heart, but that did absolutely nothing besides piss him off. “Not with, like, how you would kill me. Trust me, I tried. That's why I'm in this mess. That's why Metzli thinks I betrayed them.” Kabil failed at everything except hurting their sibling once again, and he couldn't tell them the truth. He had planned for their freedom, but all it brought was their imminent demise. “Everyone thinks they helped me, but the only help I had is gone now. Once Eloy forces Metzli to confess though, he'll take them back, brainwash them again, then kill them.” And they'd probably accept it too. His sibling was a sad, pathetic idiot.
Well, that explained a lot. No wonder Metzli seemed so insistent that they were this… unlovable creature, who was only understood by a bigger monster than they’d ever be. “Jesus fucking Christ.” Propriety be damned. The witch slammed back the rest of her drink, and flagged the bartender down for another. “No offense, but your town sounds kind of fucked up, if they’re going to blame a kid for all their problems.” Rosemary figured if the vampire was going to try and kill her for her sharp remarks, he would have done so when she first came over to rip his head off.
She heaved a sigh, scrubbing at her face. “Fan-fucking-tastic.” So Metzli hadn’t been underselling the threat level the vampire who’d taken them in posed. Rosemary scowled. “Nothing is unkillable. Not you, not me, and not some fucker with a god complex who’s old as dirt. Harder to kill? Sure, he’s more difficult to kill, but I can promise you, someone out there has found a work-around for their bullshit.” As a matter of fact, Rosemary had a few people who might have known the answer on speed dial. But the witch figured it probably wasn’t a brilliant idea to share that information with an inebriated vampire.
Rosemary blinked, watching this man wallow in misery. “So instead of finding allies and coming up with a plan to save your sibling, you’re choosing to get shit faced on tequila and wallow in self pity?” The witch snatched his glass from him, holding it out of reach. “You’re not getting this back until you start thinking of a plan. A good plan. That will help your sibling, because you fucking owe them, from the sound of it. And you might think I’m kidding because I’m shorter than you and dressed like fucking Polly Pocket, but even Metzli knows I am very capable of being a scary bitch. Capisce?”
“It was the eighteen-hundreds. Anything weird was evil. I know it's stupid, but superstition and fear of brujería was real for us back then.” Obviously things had changed and even Kabil had gotten far more educated, but he couldn't change the past with what he understood and knew now. He rarely could change anything even when the opportunity presented itself.
That was the nature of a failure, but still, he wanted to try. Because Rosemary was right, Kabil owed Metzli that much. He abandoned them then, but he wouldn't that time around. They were the only family he had left, and if he couldn't save Karina or Lucia, he had to save Metzli. After all, despite the way their parents treated his little sibling, when they asked them to try to save Kabil, Metzli didn't hesitate. As they were always taught, they put themself last in the name of the hate they were given, and ran to Kabil's home. They were too late, but the point was that they tried.
“I'm not wallowing.” The vampire snapped back, reaching for the drink Rosemary had snatched away. “Give it back.” He whined, “I just needed a night, come on!” The woman was short, but damn, in Kabil's inebriated state, he didn't have the speed or coordination to take back his drink.
“Look, I don't have allies, and from what I've observed, Metzli doesn't have many either. They don't visit anyone enough for me to have a proper gauge.” Then, Kabil remembered the werewolf they'd seen visiting Metzli once, but even that was a stretch. “Maybe a shifter they know, but like I said, I don't have enough details.” Kabil crossed his arms and frowned at Rosemary, “What about you? What are you capable of anyway? You know, besides being rude.” He was being whiny, but he didn't care. Not with the alcohol in his system.
The witch’s eyes narrowed. Quick as a flash, she downed what was left of his drink and pointed at the bartender. “He’s cut off for until I say otherwise.” Apparently Rosemary looked scary enough, because they gave her a quick nod before fleeing to the other end of the bar.
“What do you call this then? Performance art?” She asked, gesturing to the obscenely tall man slouched drunkenly in the chair, whining like a petulant five year old being told to share. “Then find a mix of people who are at least friendly with Metzli, and people who would very much like our little town elder vamp free. You’ve been alive for what, two hundred years? Put your thinking cap on, I’m sure you’ve had some good ideas in that amount of time.”
Rosemary smirked. The vampire would likely hate what she was capable of. But they were in public. What was he going to do about it? “I’m not rude. I’m right. There’s a difference.” She was being rude, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to back down now. “As far as what I’m capable of,” she searched back for a word he’d used earlier, a word she’d heard Metzli use in reference to her before. “I guess you’d call it brujería. I call it spellcasting. Or witchcraft.” Or necromancy, she added to herself. “But the sort that lets me control things I shouldn’t. People like you, for example.” She managed to flag the bartender down for water, and started hastily sipping it down, in case the man across from her decided he hated the sound of that. “I won’t, for the record. So long as you keep your teeth to yourself.”
Kabil's jaw dropped at how easily Rosemary's command was taken. He wasn't entirely surprised though. There wS no way he wanted to find out what happened when things didn't happen the way she wanted.
“For the record, I'm not even two-hundred. So, jot that down.” He grumbled ruffling his hair and massaging his scalp. “Jeez, I don't know my exact age. Maybe one-seventy? Was sixteen when Metzli was born. They were a big surprise.” Kabil stretched with a sigh, scrubbing at his scruff. His last big idea got both him and their sibling in the mess they were in now. He wasn't sure if he was the right person to coordinate any sort of plan, but it was as Rosemary said. Kabil owed Metzli that much, and he might be the only one that could help them.
“Anyway,” Kabil segued, blinking with confusion. “Why are you smiling like that?” He quirked a brow, listening. His eyes widened the more she revealed, a shiver running down his spine as he subtly recoiled away from her. Magic didn't typically have an effect on the undead, but if Rosemary was telling the truth, then Kabil was quite intimidated.
“Okay,” He said shakily, “Well, I…I don't…” His voice fell into a whisper. “I don't feed on people. I don't want to.” He swallowed, “Old diet Metzli and I tried after we first turned, but it was highly encouraged to embrace what we are. Forcibly.” Kabil rolled his shoulders, finding the resolve to stop digging the pit he put himself in, and found a pen and napkin. “The alcohol should be out of my system soon. I have some people to visit that might be a good start.”
After jotting down a few numbers, Kabil handed over the napkin to Rosemary. “If you find anything out, please tell me.” He stood up from his stool and looked toward the exit, shoulders dropping anxiously. “I like to think I know Metzli well, and if I do, then they'll be closing up loose ends before heading to that stupid mansion Eloy bought. If you see that, let me know.” Turning back to Rosemary, Kabil extended a hand to shake, “Thanks. For the wakeup call, I mean.”
It was hard not to look the tiniest bit smug at the vampire's shocked expression. Rosemary was headstrong enough to get what she wanted, and at that moment it was for Kabil to get his act together. There was no way a man with centuries on her was going to be more of a hot mess than she was. “Oh yeah. Sure. You’re a total spring chicken.” She said dryly. She couldn’t imagine seeing a hundred years, much less two hundred. He’d lived through wars and regime changes and all sorts of wild technological advancements. If she wasn’t so annoyed with him, she’d have picked his brain about all of it.
There it was. That little sliver of surprise and perhaps intimidation that glinted in his eyes. Rosemary didn’t thrill in being scary. What she did enjoy was being underestimated. It made it all the more satisfying when she pulled back the curtain to show someone just how wrong they were. “Relax. Like I said, you’re keeping your pearly whites to yourself, so you’re not on my shit list.”
She drummed her nails against the wood of the bar top. “So you’re a vegetarian.” The witch couldn’t resist the joke, even if they almost certainly wouldn’t get the reference. She tried to imagine Metzli not feeding off of people. Her hand absently went to rub at the fading scars on her throat. “From what they’ve told me, they go for criminals nowadays.”
Rosemary looked down at the number on the napkin, and slowly took it. A sad smile flickered on her face. “No problem.” She reached out and took his hand, giving it a shake. “Just don’t let me catch you throwing a pity party again. I’ll let you know if I hear anything, okay?”
Rosemary was something else. If she was on the opposing side of Eloy, even with him being an elder, Kabil thought they might have a chance at not only saving Metzli, but stopping Eloy completely. Despite how much he hated that she made a Twilight reference.
“Hey, don’t bring the Cullens into this. I fucking hate those movies.” Kabil hissed, though his tone was much more humorous than he had intended thanks to the smile on his face. There was a bit of relief, too. If Metzli had a change of heart, the light within them hadn’t died yet. Kabil just had to make sure he made his move before it did.
“We’ll be in touch.” Kabil fished for his wallet, slapping down a fifty over to the bartender. “Keep her tab covered.” He pointed to Rosemary, flashing her a somber smile and a nod before backing up toward the door. “Stay safe, bruja.”
Tanrı sahnesinin ilk perdesine yakışır bir açılış oldu bu.Milyarların yaşadığı koca evrende bir arayış başladı. Ararken hörgüçler edindi insanoğlu, içi yalanlar , ihanetler, sahtelikler barındıran.Oysa ihtiyaç duydukları tek şey doğruluk ve sevgiydi , unuttular.
Habili kabile vurduran sebep gibi bir belirsizlik çöktü yüzlerine.
Tanrı bir renk seçmelerini istedi insanoğlundan , onlar siyahı seçti.
Siyah ki; kırmızı pelerinli kız çocuklarına ıslak yılan yumurtaları öptürüyordu gece çökünce.Karanlığın içinde renkleri aramaya başladılar , bu gecenin içinde güneşi aramak gibiydi
Umutsuzluğun içinde umut doğuran kısır kadınların çığlıkları yankılandı gecenin içinde. Çığlıklar aşkı doğurdu , artık insanoğlunun mahvedeceği bir şey daha vardı.Bu elzem duygunun mahvedilmesinden korkan bir şair kalktı ve gömdü yeni doğanı toğrağa.Gömdü, bir gün tekrar yeşersin diye umut. Tekrar göz göze gelebilsin sevdalar , buluşabilsin ruhlar diye
Ve tanrı son kez seslendi; ' İsrafil indir kepenkleri mesai bitti. '
#project hail mary
#lana del rey
