No Mercy

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

"Darling, even most supernaturals don’t assume that the Ripper is another supernatural," she pointed out. "They don’t put together such a… human-like form of death with a supernatural being just because of speed. My victims appear to have been killed by means completely possible for a human man. If it weren’t for the speed of their deaths, it would seem entirely human. It makes for a perfect alibi."

"As soon as evening comes, I promise you, I’ll be out of the way," she reassured, quietly thankful that he hadn’t been younger at least. She had run into enough younger werewolves, ones who lost control too easily for her liking and that she had often run from as quickly as possible, for her lifetime. She had gotten lucky to come upon Tristan rather than one of the many, many younger werewolves that frequented Bindlebrim.

"There are more younger than older wolves around this city," Jacqueline said after a moment, wiping her hands clean of blood on her skirt and moving to sit on  crate in the area. "They’re a touch more dangerous than the older ones. But they also have a more distinctive scent. Your cottage smells so much of human that it almost covers up the werewolf, honestly. I couldn’t have known in my rush to find a place."

[xtristanxfaustx]

"I try to smell human," he admitted, "or as human as I can. It comes with being here for so long, and trying to fit in with humans when you're actually in your 90's and look like a 20 year old. I'm sure you know what that's like, though. Vampires have a distinctive smell that I'm not sure you could cover even if you wanted to." Tristan wrinkled his nose at this, showing just how good his sense of smell was. 

"You smell like decay and blood. It's not a fun smell. Young werewolves smell differently than older werewolves, too, as you've pointed out. We smell more human like, as we've grown accustomed to human life. I smell more werewolf-like than some, being that I live by myself in the middle of the woods. The house probably smells like a human because of the humans I have inside of it. Sometimes my basement is full of them. It just depends on who I can lure in."

Tristan still wasn't sure why he was talking to a vampire of all creatures. He hated vampires, but there was something unique about this one. Maybe it was because he had taken pity on her and let her come inside, or maybe it was because she was a killer as well and had taught him how to hold a heart while it was still beating. Either way, there was something special about this one. His pack could never know about her, though. He couldn't imagine what they would do if they found out he had befriended and helped a vampire.

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

"She won’t be connected back to you, don’t worry. Everything will look so clean, they’ll know nothing at all." Just as always, really. Jacqueline was more than accustomed to ensuring that her murders were distinctive, and that no one else would receive credit for them. She liked her infamy, her ability to strike fear into those around her without so much as blinking an eye. It stroked her ego particularly well.

He seemed rather surprised that she was the one credited with such gruesome kills as those performed by her alter ego, though, and Jacqueline let out a soft laugh, nodding. “I’m impressed that you inferred the supernatural aspect, at least, you know. Few do. They sit and question how someone can possibly remove an organ in minutes so cleanly, but they never consider that it’s not a person. It’s a greater being.”

She paused then, shrugging a shoulder. “As to the female bit, well. A male wouldn’t likely have cause vaginal or cervical injuries, or cut a uterus out so cleanly, would he? There would more likely have been evidence of rape, not simply of distaste with the occupation that the women have taken up. I always thought my mode of operation was quite distinctly female, but perhaps I’m a bit more gruesome than a woman would normally be, hmm?”

[xtristanxfaustx]

"Well of course I guessed the supernatural part," Tristan snorted in disgust, "I'm supernatural, aren't I? No human would ever guess a supernatural being was behind those murders. They don't even know we exist. We're nothing to them." 

He scratched at his neck before shaking his head slightly. "I suppose you're just a unique woman. Everything about you is unique, and I don't know how to feel about it. I can't wait until you're gone, so i don't have to worry about it anymore. There's a reason I live in a cabin in the woods, you know. I like to be alone. I don't like intruders. You're lucky I didn't fight you when I first saw you. If I was a younger, less experienced werewolf, I would have transformed on the spot."

Tristan was almost a century old, and therefore had the ability to control his transformations. He still had a hard time keeping them under control when he was angry, but he could do it, and that was what counted. Jacqueline would probably have been dead had she come in the home of a younger werewolf. She obviously had no idea that a werewolf lived here prior to her coming in, or else she most likely would have thought twice about it, even with the sun coming up. 

[the-lady-lavender]

   There was a quick breath of relief from Lavender before she responded “That’s perfect,” she smiled. Reaching into the cash register she pulled out the stack of twenties that sat neatly organized in their slot. “So you have… six vials?” she asked, quickly dividing the money with her dexterous hands and handing him the quaint stack of bills. In the next breath she added “Partially… there’s more you can do with blood than just make potions with them… I am interested in buying more from you at a later point in time…”

   A curt smile formed on her lips, she knew he wasn’t a witch, he didn’t need to tell her that. “I could tell,” she remarked, not particularly bothering to respond to his musing that witches would just buy what he had anyway. In the back of her mind, she lauded herself for having such rare and valuable instruments that were readily available for witches. While they weren’t all acquired legally, she could still profess with a clear conscious that what she was selling was high quality. What this man spoke of seemed too vague to be of that much quality, but Lavender didn’t mention any of that to him.

   “Oh?” she tilted her head with a perplexed gaze “Just to see if I was legitimate? Well… I do know what I’m selling—I wouldn’t sell it if I didn’t know what I was dealing with.” Lavender sighed and gave him a soft smile “I may be a human but I’m not from around these parts,” she informed him “I’ve dealt with these things all my life… I’m not in the dark about the world of the supernatural and paranormal.”

   The quip of implying her ignorance because of her humanity bit at her, but she brushed it off. The man had made it more than apparent now that he wasn’t human himself, and she wondered exactly what kind of creature she was bartering with. “I’m curious…” she began “If you’re not a witch, then what are you? Humans don’t usually just have werewolf blood and magical instruments to sell…”

[xtristanxfaustx]

He took the money and folded it neatly, settling it in his pocket. He had gotten what he had come here for, and it would take him a while to run out of money now. He had enough to buy food for a couple of months, hopefully. That was all he really wanted, though he wouldn't mind taking the girl home with him. Part of him believed she was knowledgeable enough to keep alive, though. She was different from normal humans. 

"You wouldn't believe the amount of people that come through here thinking they know everything, and then they end up being fakes. I've seen so many of them." He had killed all of them, too. But that was a fact he wasn't about to mention to this stranger. "If you want to know more about the supernatural, this is the best place to do it. This town is full of them. It's full of a lot of ignorant humans too, though." 

Tristan smirked at the next question, expecting her to ask it sooner or later. "Well, you got me. I'm not human, and I'm definitely not a witch. What kind of creature would have these things though? Think about it for a moment. Where would I get werewolf blood if it wasn't that of my enemy? What creatures fight werewolves?" He didn't want to give her the answer right away, that would be too easy. "Vampires, werewolves, and hunters. A vampire would have drank the blood rather than sell it, I'm thinking. So am I a werewolf, or a hunter?" 

There was definitely a supernatural aura about Tristan and the way he looked down upon the girl in front of him, giving his lips a slight lick. 

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

He was enjoying the feeling; Jacqueline could see it from the smirk that crossed his face, the thrill that entered his eyes at the few weak beats that he got to feel before the heart was gripped tighter, ripping it from her chest. Messy, a far messier manner than she liked for such things, but it was his heart to take after all, and his victim. Her time for questioning certainly wasn’t then.

Grinning at Tristan’s response to her question, Jacqueline nodded. “The feeling of someone’s life literally in your hands is one of my favorite feelings as well. It’s a power rush, one I’ve always had a great appreciation for.” He seemed to appreciate the taste of the blood on the heart despite his statement that he didn’t eat them, though, and Jacqueline watched as he deposited the heart where he wished it to be before looking down at the body of the girl.

"Most vampires would probably do similarly to you, actually. Cut her up, leave her somewhere that she won’t be found, something of the like. I, though, don’t particularly like to hide my kills." Brushing her thumb over the still girl’s cheek lightly, Jacqueline used her fingertips to close her eyes gently, almost tender. "I’ll take her out with me when I leave this evening, remove a couple more things, and leave her to be found. It’ll just appear to be a more gruesome level of my usual kills." Setting his tools down, Jacqueline turned toward Tristan with a small grin on her lips. "The headlines are my second favorite part of it all. Jack the Ripper has arrived in another new city, claiming another young woman… They always start the same, always so shocked. It’s rather satisfying."

[xtristanxfaustx]

He approached her again, listening to her words. "I like the collecting the most," he replied, "I like tricking them into coming home with me and then ruining their lives. The tricks, yes, that's my favorite part I think." He couldn't decide, he loved everything about killing. That was why he had kept it up for so long, and intended to keep with it, especially now that he knew a few more tricks. 

"As long as she can't be connected back to me, I don't care what you do with her," he admitted, "I don't like the attention, unlike you, apparently. Even I've heard of Jack the Ripper. But you are he?" Tristan tilted his head slightly, not sure what to make of this. "I always inferred he would be supernatural, but a girl? Interesting..." 

He was already trying to plan what he could do with this information. It was something he could hold over her head at any point in time, when he felt the need. It could be very useful to him in the long run, though he felt like she would be a hard target to catch in his web nonetheless. 

[xtristanxfaustx]

The woods was where Tristan spent most of his time, to be honest. He lived there, for starters. Secondly, he was a werewolf, so it was the most convenient place for him to be. He liked the silence of the forest. No one bothered him there. But occasionally, Tristan needed human contact. He especially liked contact from one of his pack members, but today he was so lonely he was willing to talk with anyone, no matter what their species. 

Coming into town, he paused and scented the air to see if anyone was around. He needed someone, anyone, to talk with. When he caught a whiff of something living, he headed off in that direction to see exactly what he had found. Part of him wanted to turn the person into a victim, but most of him just needed a friend. He hated that pathetic feeling, though, and would probably never admit to it. 

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

Jacqueline couldn’t help but laugh quietly at his statement, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t eat them either. I’m not a fan of heart tissue. I might drain a little blood from them when I’m done, but that’s all dependent on time.” She never did have much time, but if she was indoors at least she usually had time for a quick feeding before she had to go running. “The heart is always a little too pretty to eat anyway. I like feeling the pulse.”

She nodded slightly at the admission of only having a lighter, humming softly and picking up a pair of pliers to carefully cut free pieces of the girl’s ribs that were now in the way. “You’ll want something metal,” she offered. “Something that you can heat up and press against the wounds without having to use direct flame. You might even use a torch, they sell them for baking now. That would do well.”

Taking the now free pieces of rib from the girl’s chest, Jacqueline gestured toward the now open space. “There. Reach in, the heart should be right inside, and you’ll be able to feel it beat. Faintly in this one, it’ll fade fast, but it’s still beating yet.” The girl had lost consciousness again, fading fast, and the scent of her blood flow slowing was almost a shame. Jacqueline wouldn’t be able to drink once her heart stopped. But Tristan had offered her safe haven for the day, and she owed him at least that much, She slid her fingertips against her lips instead, taking the moment to revel in the taste of good human blood. “Thrilling, isn’t it?”

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan did as he was told for once in his life, reaching in and clasping his hands around the heart. He smirked at the feeling of it beating in his hand before he yanked and ripped it out of the girl's body. Her eyes opened wide, but she didn't have enough time to react beyond that. He didn't care. He had gotten what he wanted. He didn't need her anymore. 

"Perfect." he replied to the question, "I love it. This is what keeps me going, I think." He licked at the blood on the heart a little before walking over and placing it in a container he already had made up for it. After closing the container and sealing it, he placed it on one of his many shelves. 

"Just one more to add to the collection. Do what you want with the girl now. I don't know  much about vampires, or you for a matter of fact, so I have no idea what you might want with it. I usually cut it up into pieces and throw it into the lake when I get the chance."

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

"Hmm. Money is, alas, the kicker, isn’t it? She’ll be pretty when she goes at least." The girl’s eyes were cracking open now, looking up at Jacqueline without any hint of actually seeing her, and in a brief moment of seeming comfort, she brushed the girl’s hair back from her face, letting her eyes show more clearly. "Perhaps we’ll be able to strike up a bargain. I’ll buy blood from you more often, you’ll get payment and a heart from my victims, yeah?"

Looking over the tools that were laid in front of her, Jacqueline hummed quietly, noting that they weren’t yet cleaned. Some must have been recently used, though, for they were still a touch tacky with blood. Picking up a knife on the larger side, Jacqueline started cutting carefully into the flesh of the girl’s chest, garnering a loud gasp and what may have been an attempt at a pained scream that sounded more like a raspy whine; she must have been tortured quite a bit lately.

"If you cut around the heart, like this, it’s quick. Take too much time, she’ll bleed out before you get to hold it," she explained, leaning over and cutting quick and deep in a circular area to pull free the flesh over the girl’s rib cage. The girl was attempting to move, attempting to stop the increasingly intense pain that she was experiencing, but Jacqueline kept moving regardless. "If you’ve got flame of some sort, you can cauterize the edges of these wounds, make her last longer."

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan was pressed uncomfortably close to Jacqueline now, watching every move she made with his beady eyes. He was doing everything in his power to stop himself from licking his lips in excitement, but he loved this sort of thing, and he loved learning something knew. The idea of actually getting to hold the heart while it beat was something he never thought he could do before, and it made his spine tingle with delight. He couldn't wait for this to be done so he could try it himself on his next victim- whomever that might end up being. 

"I like taking the hearts out on my own," he explained, "I don't eat them, like you vampires might. I just collect them from my victims." He was good with the blood deal, though he knew it would only be enough to pay for food each month, until he got into a fight and had the blood of another werewolf to offer her. He couldn't take too much from himself at once. 

He watched carefully as she worked, taking in every tiny detail. He reached out to still the girl as she began to move, knowing she didn't have much energy left in her. "All I have is a cigarette lighter." he admitted, "I don't think that will work. I never had a use for something stronger than that before." He would have to find something the next time he went out. 

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

Oh, but he did look excited, didn’t he? Jacqueline almost let out a laugh just at the almost childlike expression that overcame him for a moment as he spoke, though she smothered it quickly to avoid offending the boy. How simple an offer, to just show him what to do and allow him such a little joy. There was nothing quite as drawing in as a still beating heart, Jacqueline believed, and at least her current company seemed to agree with her, much to her pleasure.

Watching him move the girl, Jacqueline looked over her form in relative silence for a moment before approaching her. “You’ve had her some time now, haven’t you?” she questioned, looking up at him with a small smile and then focusing back on the girl in question. “She’s not quite faded, though. You’ll be able to feel her heart beat before she dies if we move quickly. Let me see your tools, love, and we’ll see what we have to work with.”

She was a lovely one too, wasn’t she? Jacqueline did wonder what her name was. She would liked to have whispered it to her while she took the heart from her chest, to watch her eyes glitter with the hope of recognition before the new onslaught of pain set in. Brushing a hand over the girl’s hair, a gentle motion that swept it back from her face, Jacqueline hummed softly. “Did you happen to catch this girl’s name?” she questioned, looking back at Tristan curiously.

[xtristanxfaustx]

"Yeah, she's been here for a while," he admitted, pausing to try to remember exactly how long. "A few months, I think. I've run out of money to keep both her and myself alive, though, so it's time for her to go I'm afraid." He shrugged and began to gather around his tools, some of them cleaned and some of them not. He tended to keep his tools clean for the most part, but he hadn't gotten around to cleaning them after his last batch of torture. He had just been too tired. But now he was wide awake at the prospect of learning something new. 

"Here, take whatever you need." he said, placing them all onto the table next to the woman. "I have no idea what her name is. I didn't catch it. I just keep them." Tristan shrugged and moved to stand next to the vampire, watching over her carefully. He still didn't fully trust her, even though he was excited to learn what she had to teach him. 

The outside walls of the basement were covered in shelves upon shelves of hearts from his victims, all preserved nicely in little containers. He was ecstatic to have one more to add to his collection. On top of that, he might get to feel the one beat before he put it away. At least, he would learn how to do that next time. He would have to capture some more victims to try it out. 

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

A hundred for two vials, even if it was werewolf, wasn’t quite as high as Jacqueline had anticipated him saying if she were honest. And then he was tossing in the girl in the corner, and the deal was as good as done with that. Patting down her pockets, Jacqueline fished out a wallet, clicking it open and counting out enough cash to cover the price he’d asked before handing it over with a grin on the corners of her lips. Perfect; she’d gained another one to open up and a feeding all at once.

"Have you ever been shown how to cut a heart out neatly?" she questioned, casual as though this were the type of question she could ask anyone on the street. Tristan might appreciate the conversation, though. Pausing to let him answer, she uncorked one of the vials he’d given her, swallowing it down quickly and letting the slight fuzziness that had come with not feeding enough recently fade away. 

"I was a surgeon’s wife once. I can show you a clean way, a way that’ll allow you to feel them beating in your hand until you cut the right arteries away - if you want, that is. I don’t mind sharing a kill. She doesn’t smell well enough to feed from, but she’s just my favorite type to cut into." Admittance of her taste for murder; Tristan would understand it, of course, given his tendency toward collecting hearts. "Are hearts your only collection, then, or do you sometimes collect other organs as well?"

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan blinked, not sure what to make of this woman. She was offering to show him how to cut someone open properly? He had learned everything just from his own practice, and had never had any sort of formal training. The thought of the heart actually beating in his hand excited him and he found himself licking his lips as he pocketed the money. It was enough to buy him food for the rest of the month.

"I've never...never had formal training. What I do is just from experiments. I don't collect anything besides the heart, but sometimes I pull other organs out to look at them. Only the heart really matters to me though." He explained, "I would love for you to teach me how to do that...with the heart...I never thought it was possible." 

He was licking his lips again but this time he caught himself, straightening up and trying to act like he wasn't an excited child at the prospect of learning this technique. He felt like he was betraying his own kind for even hosting a vampire for the day, let alone learning something from her, but if she was going to stay she might as well offer him something in return. He walked over to the body and picked the girl up, placing her on his table in the center of the room. There was no need to tie her down, she was far too sick to escape now.

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

"I’m not here to fight," she repeated in confirmation to his question, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when Tristan seemed to mainly calm down. He wasn’t going to fight, then; she could relax, hopefully stay until evening. Brushing a hand through her hair, Jacqueline stepped back again, glancing around before taking a seat on a nearby crate and resting her elbows on her knees. Lord, she was tired. The evening’s searching for Elizabeth had left her more tired than she’d thought; if Tristan had decided to fight with her, she actually might have lost that one.

Tristan Faust; she committed the name to memory silently, nodding to herself. A werewolf with a taste for torture - perhaps they weren’t all bad after all, then. She sensed she might actually enjoy a conversation with this one, as a matter of fact. Tensing when he moved to a cabinet, she let a frown take over her expression for a moment until she saw what the vials were - blood, and werewolf blood at that. Not her usual taste, of course, for werewolf blood was a touch more sour than she liked, but she did need to feed and the human girl in the corner of the room was making her all the hungrier.

Just as cautious as Tristan had approached, Jacqueline reached a hand out, taking a couple of the vials and turning them over in her hand. “Some vampires do prefer wolf blood over human,” she admitted. “Humans are sweeter, almost like a syrup, while witches are a bit more salty, and wolves a hint sour. It all depends upon your tastes. I haven’t had wolf blood in quite a while now, admittedly, and I’m starving.” Flicking her tongue against her lip, she let out a quiet breath, looking up at him rather than focusing on the blood in her hands. “What’s your price?”

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan really didn't care what she had to say about a vampires taste in blood. It meant nothing to him besides the fact that she would be willing to buy and drink his blood. As long as she didn't get a taste for it and try to drink from him, it was a perfect opportunity for him. He normally only sold to witches, but this information opened an entirely new market for him.

"50 bucks a pop, yeah?" He asked. Normally he sold them for 40, but she looked desperate, so he figured he could get some extra money out of her. "That's two vials, so 100 bucks if you've got it on you. I also take checks, but I'll have to hunt you down if they bounce." It was more a threat than a joke. He had had to hunt someone down and kill them for a bounced check before. It was a lot of effort, and he hated having to go through it, especially with someone that could have been a returning customer.

"Tell you what. I saw you eyeing that girl over there. If you buy these from me, I'll throw her in for free. You just have to dispose of the body. I just want the heart." Tristan had no use for the girl anymore anyway. She was on her way to dead, and he didn't want to deal with her any longer. He wanted to add her heart to his collection, but besides that he had no use for her. She was as good as dead and he hated having dead victims. Besides, it meant he would have to dispose of the body, and if she finished her off that meant she would have to dispose of it for him. That was one less thing he had to go through.

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

[jacquelineburgess]

The overwhelming scent of werewolf was the next thing to hit her, just moments before the sound of a voice behind her, and Jacqueline turned quickly, her form tense as she saw the near transformation look that the boy’s form had taken. No, not a boy. A wolf. Though his face struck her as particularly pretty, she couldn’t get past the overwhelming stench of werewolf that surrounded him at the moment; shame, for he was a pretty one. Holding her hands up quickly, she took a small step backwards, though her eyes flicked to the window where she could see the sunrise starting.

"It’s nearly sunrise," she said, attempting to lace enough charm in her voice to calm him. "I slipped in intending to wait out the day and avoid the sun, that was my only intention. Your pet is yours, I’ll not touch her. Though I must admit, you did pick a lovely girl. Just the type I’d have picked out myself." Perhaps she could compliment him into calm, ease his anger and get him speaking of something he seemed to enjoy rather than being sent out into the deadly light that threatened to kill her now. "She’s not as ripped open as I’d have thought she’d be by now with how close she is to death, though. She’s fading fast."

Jacqueline paused then, looking toward the girl in silence for a moment before returning her attention to Tristan. She didn’t want a fight; she only wanted to hide until evening came. “I promise you, if you let me stay until sunset, I’ll leave just the same way I came. No one will know what you have here, nor will they know I was ever here. Personally, I think your setup rather nice, actually. A bit darker than my tastes, less clinical, but nice nonetheless. I won’t be a bother.”

As an afterthought, she added, “My name is Jacqueline, Jacqueline Burgess. I mean you no harm.”

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan held his head. trying to force his transformation back down. Once he had transformed, he would have to fight her, and it didn't seem like she was looking for a fight either. Once he had managed to calm himself, he let his eyes really take her in for what she was.

"You're...not here to fight me? Or to take her?" He gestured toward the body in the corner, "I assumed you came in because you smelled blood. I try to keep it clean around here so the filth like you don't come barging in, but it seems it happened anyway." The werewolf stepped forward and sniffed the air, like he was trying to get a better sense of who this woman really was.

"My name is Tristan Faust." he offered when she gave her name, trying to show that vampires weren't the only ones who could be polite. He normally didn't trust a word a vampire had to say to him, but he believed that she wasn't looking for a fight. Then realizing that this could be a perfect opportunity to make money, he walked over to a cabinet he had in the basement and pulled it open, removing a few tiny vials before cautiously approaching the vampire.

"Do you happen to like werewolf blood? I sell mine, on occasion. I was going to sell these to a witch, but some vampires have a taste for it, I've heard. I've never met one. Is that true? Can you even drink werewolf blood?" Now his business side had gotten a hold of him, and he was actually curious as to whether or not vampires could drink werewolf blood. He had never heard otherwise, but then again, he didn't associated with vampires on a regular basis either.

[lydiaxdimir]

She almost immediately smiled. Tristan was going to fall under her pull at some point in time because who didn’t? Lydia actually felt slightly dirty, having to almost resort to begging. But this time the smile had much less warmth. It was a truer reflection of her inside — sharp like glass and even more dangerous. She scooted in closer to Tristan. “Your allusions to the Wicked Witch of the West are quite problematic and… inaccurate. You see, I’m far more wicked and far more powerful. Some rain won’t do me in, I promise you.”

The glint returned in her eyes. She remembered what drew her into Tristan to begin with, that inner predator that was so easy for Lydia to snuff out. That’s an aspect that she always looked for in allies. Always top of the food chain, always the predator. She chuckled softly, “I don’t want anything from you, Tristan. Is it so much to ask for companionship, a comradery, wolf to wolf? I wasn’t lying earlier when I said there was something both of us had in common.” She hesitated a bit for dramatic effect only. “I can sense that wolf in you, always clawing to be unleashed. I knew that we were both predators.”

Her eyes stared deep into his with an unnerving coolness. “As for my last name,it’s Dimir.” She knew he was going to be taken aback almost immediately. Her family’s name was almost synonymous with hunters and general do-gooders. Not Lydia’s style. “Don’t worry,” she soothed with a wolfish grin, “I’ve renounced all of my family’s practices ages ago. I’m not for that life of constantly protecting the weak and the ignorant: the humans. Quite opposite, really. I want to unite the powerful and the strong, the more evolved.”

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan didn't know what Lydia was thinking, and he didn't like that. He was used to knowing exactly what was happening at all times, and what the other person was going to do next. Somehow he had ended up in this situation instead- with a witch sitting in his house surely trying to use him for some purpose.

When she admitted her name was Dimir he let out a low, wolf like growl. He didn't want anything to do with the Dimirs. They were powerful witches who would kill him if they got the chance, because he was a human hater. But this girl definitely couldn't be a Dimir, based on the way she acted. She was conniving and tricky, like he was.

"And that's why you're here, then? You can tell I hate humans, so you came to me to be what you call friends?" He had his hands curled as if his claws were out, ready to hit her at any moment in case she really was tricking him and came to kill him. "I can't trust you that easily," he admitted, "I'm nervous. Especially with your name being Dimir. The Dimir hate me and what I do."

But something about this girl made him want to trust her. He actually liked her based off of her attitude- she reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger. She was cocky and powerful, almost too powerful, like she wasn't quite sure what to do with it just yet.

"I'm not going to be your puppy and sit at your feet, if that's what you think you're going to get out of this. I'm not afraid of you, and I could take you on in a fight. I think we'd have an equal chance of winning, if not leaning toward me since I'm older and more experienced."

[xtristanxfaustx]

Writing Prompt 1

Tristan Faust was special, and he had always been special. When he was younger, he learned an unnatural concept of time. He listened to the days tick away. He spent them trying to capture the attention of others and see what he could trick them into giving him. He would get little trinkets from them. It started with their favorite toys, and as he got older they became things like bracelets, rings,necklaces, pocktwatches, family heirlooms. He kept a collection of them sitting around his house and still has them to this day. He loves getting them out and looking at them, remembering the times fondly, but not in the way you and I would. Oh no, he doesn't remember the good times, but the looks on the faces of his victims as he took what mattered most to them and then broke up with them. He won their trust and their heart just to crush them. It was what he did best, after all. Crushing people, that is. He had always taken that up as a hobby, and even now, he still enjoyed tricking people and taking their valued possessions.

But as Tristan got older, the tricks just got worse and worse. He moved from taking their possessions to taking their lives. He loved listening to the beat of the human heart. It was an amazing sound and he couldn't describe it in words. He would listen to the person fall in love with him. He could hear their heart break as he broke up with them. He loved every second of it. But from that point on, it just got worse. He would start to play with them even further than he already had. He would take his victims down into the basement and tie them up, listening to the fear in their hearts. He loved the rapid heartbeats of a scared human. He began to collect them, one by one, until his basement was full of them. But then, he couldn't stand them any longer. There were too many of them, and they were expensive to feed and keep under wraps. He had to get rid of them. But how?

This was the first time Tristan had truly experienced murder. Sure, he had killed animals before as a werewolf, but that was so much different than this. Killing a human felt...fulfilling.

The first time he had done it had been from necessity. He had to kill to get rid of all of the beating hearts in his head. He took his first victim from their spot in the basement and moved them over to a small table he had laying in the middle of the room. He tied them down and began to experiment with them. What sort of experiments? Well, anything really. It varied from person to person depending on the mood Tristan was in. But this experiment was his first. He started by taking an old kitchen knife he had found and cut the person's chest open- watching as the scarlet sap spilled out. Once satisfied with that, he moved on to the lower stomach area and sliced it open. He dug his knife into the wound and dug out the person's innards, reveling in their screams as the intestines came pouring out. His next step was to cut open the stomach. He was curious as to how it worked, and felt like it would teach him a little bit of something. It taught him almost nothing, in the end, but Tristan had fun with it. He liked seeing the insides of a person and watching how they ticked.

As the screams eventually died away, he realized he had killed the person. This was the first time he had killed anyone. It didn't bother him. He felt like he had just succeeded, in a way. He had claimed someone's life for himself. It felt good. He felt like he was powerful, like he was the one in charge, and the people left around him feared him. He had so much control that he couldn't handle it. He tossed the body onto the ground and picked up his next victim. Rather than playing with this one, he had something in mind. He wanted to see the hearts that he loved so much. He wanted to watch them stop ticking. That was exactly what he did.

He dug the knife into this victims chest and cut a nice hole around where the heart should be. After taking off the outer skin and muscle he dug until he found the heart and can recall the noise, the laughter, he had made upon finding his discovery. It was a wonderful feeling. He watched the blood squirt out as he disconnected the arteries one by one and finally reached in and wrapped his fingers around his prize. He pulled out the heart and stared at it in shock and awe as he held it above him, laughing maniacally. It was cliched, but Tristan remembered every moment of it. He then knew how it must have felt for all of the killers in the novels and movies he had watched to kill their victims and experience the joy it brought with it. He knew why they killed. And he knew that he would kill again.

His first kill is forever etched in his mind. It was sloppy, but it was satisfying. He had never quenched a thirst quite like that one. Watching the life leave his victim as he stole their heart is one of his favorite hobbies, and he keeps all of the hearts in his basement as his collection. His trinket collection is still hidden upstairs in his bedroom, and once in a while he still pulls them out to remember the good times before he had become serious about what he does. His favorite collection is the hearts, though. The beating. The ticking. The stopping. Everything about hearts and the noises they did or didn't make amused Tristan to no end. He couldn't stop killing. Not anymore. He was too far in.

[jacquelineburgess]

Discoveries || Jacqueline & Tristan

She had been foolish; Jacqueline hadn’t gotten herself caught outside so close to sunrise in a great while now. She knew well how the times of day affected her, how deadly getting caught in even just the beginnings of the sunrise would be for her. She had learned, young, to avoid, to run, to hide when the hour grew this late.

Had it not been for Elizabeth being out so close to morning, Jacqueline wouldn’t have been out by now. As it was, she hadn’t even found her daughter, but it was so close now to morning that she couldn’t afford to look any longer. Elizabeth had probably been smart enough to hide herself away by now, or so Jacqueline hoped. Which meant now that she had to hide herself, and restart her search come morning.

There were hardly houses to break into out here, though. It was a blessing to find the one that she finally did, though as she moved around the house, she could see quickly that near everything was locked. The only one she could find to slip through, much to her relief, was a crawl window into the basement.

Pressing the window open as silently as possible, she slid herself through the window just in time, escaping the beginnings of the sunset with minutes to spare. First relieved, it was a moment before the scent of a person hit her - and, further, the scent of blood. Turning slowly, she fixed her attention on the basement around her, suddenly wondering if she hadn’t made a foolish decision to hide here, or if she had made a great one for that matter.

[xtristanxfaustx]

Tristan frowned when he heard a noise from his basement. He was used to hearing noises from down there, but not like the one he had just heard. He couldn't describe it, but it worried him. With a few swift steps he was descending the basement stairs and flipping the dim light on. There was an intruder, the werewolf could smell them. It didn't take his eyes long to adjust to the light and sort out what was wrong.

"Who are you?" he hissed immediately, "And what are you doing in my basement?" He sniffed the air and let out a growl when he realized the intruder was a vampire. Vampires and werewolves naturally hated each other. A vampire was the last type of person he wanted in his house, really.

"Get out of here." He advanced on her, crouched slightly as if he were about to transform. He was so angry that he felt close to transformation, although he had the ability to control his transformations besides on the full moon. He let his eyes dart toward the far corner of the room, where he had left a human locked up. The human was passed out at the moment, but still bleeding from the wounds he had left earlier. They were close to death, and he didn't really care. He knew the vampire had probably come at the smell of blood, but he refused to share it. This was his last living human and he wanted to enjoy the torture to the very end. By himself. He didn't need someone else coming in and ruining him.

Yet, Tristan didn't particularly want to fight either. He was tired from the long night and just wanted to go to sleep, but instead he would have to deal with this problem.

[bloodyrosalie]

   Interested in the topic once Tristan had mentioned it, Audrey tilted her head to one side. “Do you have any interesting experiences with these creeps?… What do your neighbors do? They can’t be that bad.” She smiled, bringing her mug to her lips for another couple of sips. His offer for food came next, and the woman was split seconds away from telling him that she wasn’t hungry (and that she even had food in her bag) when he went to fetch it.

   She wouldn’t have taken any of the food set before, had she not felt bad about doing otherwise once he’d taken everything out. There was a part of her that also wondered about the reason for him being so kind with what he was so willingly giving her.

But she was way off with her guess.

   The brunette thought that it was simply because of what he had just mentioned to her. The fact that he didn’t get visitors too often made her think that the man was simply happy to have somebody to keep him company. Of course, she would happily keep him company. After all, he let her into his home, and was giving her items off his shelves, for which she was thankful. She pulled her mug up to her lips again before setting it down on the table, still not empty.

   Placing a tiny piece of cheese atop her cracker, she glanced up at Tristan before she somewhat scoffed out her reply. “Tell me about it. It hasn’t rained for quite a long time. It didn’t look like it was going to. It had to be the one day I decide to go hiking, didn’t it?” She mumbled, staring at the piece of food in her hand before popping it into her mouth. The woman chewed and swallowed before she continued.

   ”I’m sorry about… barging in. As soon as the rain clears up I’ll be out of here, sound ok-” The last bit of her sentence was cut off by the earsplitting boom of the thunder outside, accompanied by bright, white flashes at the windows, indicating the lightning. Audrey felt her fingers curl round the handle of the mug she’d been drinking from minuets ago. “Although it doesn’t feel like that’s going to happen too soon.” She mumbled, the hand that wasn’t clasping the mug’s handle finding her necklace to fumble with.

[xtristanxfaustx]

"Oh, you just don't even know. You shouldn't trust a man who lives alone in the woods, really. After a while, living alone just gets to you, and in the woods no one can hear you scream." He looked pleasant as he spoke, though, and after a short pause he moved on. It should have been obvious he was alluding to himself, but he didn't want to scare her too badly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, my dear. I enjoy helping people if I can, and you seem to be in need of quite a bit of help. At least you're not about to melt out in the rain now, hm?" He looked over at the window where the rain pounded against the glass and made a small tutting noise, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I can't imagine what it would be like for a poor girl like you to get caught up in this storm. I'm just happy to help you out. Imagine, you'd be a drowned rat out there. Poor thing."

She was honestly in much more danger now than she had been out in the rain. It was rare for lightning to strike a person, and rain wouldn't hurt her. Tristan, on the other hand. Now Tristan would hurt her without a moment's hesitation. It wasn't his distant neighbors she should be worried about, but the werewolf she was now visiting with. Tristan really didn't care about whether or not she was stuck out in the rain. He didn't care about people that much, especially humans. To him, humans were just prey to feed on, and that was exactly what this girl sitting before him was. Prey. He would feed and water her, let her think that they were on the same side, and as soon as she had given in to him- trusting him- he would lure her down into the basement and chain her up, keeping her as a toy until he got bored with her and eventually killed her.

"Are you scared?" He asked suddenly, looking just as innocent as ever.

[the-lady-lavender]

   “Of course,” she smiled “I understand… like I said I don’t know if I have anything that would be of interest to you… most of what I have is for those with magical inclinations… and while everyone has the opportunity to dabble with magic… I guess what I’m trying to say is that what I can offer is mainly for those who know how to use it… know what they’re doing.”

   Wiping her hair back, she nodded at his request, reaching over for the cash register. “So, how much do you want for the blood?” she inquired, turning her gaze back to him “Those are 20 milliliter vials, right?” Lavender waited for the man to make his offer, a bit wary of what he would ask of her for the blood. She knew the figures for human blood off the top of her head, but the price for werewolf blood varied from place to place. It was all dependent on the population and if anyone was capable enough to extract the blood. She certainly knew that she had enough funds to purchase werewolf blood, unless the man asked a ridiculous amount for it.

   Subsequently after asking about the vials, Lavender’s mind shifted to the instruments the man mentioned. He had repeatedly brought up having things back at his place, and Lavender wondered if it was just a ploy the man was getting at. “Maybe…” she bit her lip “Are the instruments you have enchanted in any way?” She could almost hear his next remark go along the lines of: I wouldn’t know, you could come back to my place and judge for yourself, but, she still asked out of curiosity and faith that he had good intent. She was greedy, and prone to become shamelessly unethical in the face of valuables, but that was only if she knew the items even existed.

[xtristanxfaustx]

"Money is perfect for me," Tristan replied, his sly smile still on his face, "About 40 per vile should be enough to cover my expenses for the moment. I can come back with more if you're still interested, though I doubt you have many buyers of werewolf blood if you don't cater to potions." Just having money for the moment would be enough for him. He had enough people to buy his blood in the local witch and vampire population that he didn't need to rely on selling his blood here of all places. He just needed the money at the moment and didn't have the time to go out and find his own buyers. Besides, he was curious as to how legitimate this place had been. She seemed well versed in what she was doing, at least. He would hate to kill a human like her, but sometimes things just had to be done.

"Oh, some of it may be enchanted. I don't think most of it is, though. I really am not familiar with witch things, you see, I'm not a witch myself. I just know some witches, and if you're not interested, they may buy from me." He paused. "I'll be honest with you, my dear. I just wanted to see how legitimate you were in your dealings. Not that the offer doesn't stand still, if you're interested in buying from me. I can use the money, as I believe I said before, but I'm also satisfied with my findings here. You seem to know what you're talking about, which is unusual for a...human, even around these parts."

He tried to keep her interested in him, hoping that the curiosity he brought upon her would be key to tricking her back to his place to kill her. He would keep her for a while first, though, just to play with her and see how badly he could scare her. She needed to know that the magical side of things was quite dangerous and humans shouldn't be playing around with magic.

[lydiaxdimir]

Lydia didn’t flinch as Tristan grew more and more angered. She stayed calm as the werewolf beside her fumed and rambled. She was not the type to get scared; that was such a human emotion. Fear to Lydia was a tool and definitely not an emotion she ever felt. Sitting there stoically, the witch waited until Tristan was somewhat calm. But after hearing his little rant, she merely waited for the man to stop speaking to actually add to their conversation. Finishing her coffee, it was easy to bide her time. She was smart, however, and knew that Tristan would definitely act out aggressively if she did not choose her words right.

“I’m slightly hurt, Tristan. I truly thought that there was a connection between us, but it’s now obvious that wasn’t mutual.” She made her voice a little somber, a little less proper than what it was originally. “We could have been good for each other. It must get awfully lonely in this quaint, little cabin of yours, and I do sometimes seek some peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of sorority life. But either way, I did enjoy the pleasant company when it lasted, and the coffee was wonderful.”

She had no idea what she was doing with Tristan, but toying with people, especially men, was always had some sort of entertainment factor for her. She didn’t have a particular want to fight that day either; it was already raining and she didn’t want to ruin her clothes even more. But her ears perked up once he mentioned his pack. It was always good to keep up good connections with the other powerful supernaturals in town, and if she could even use Tristan as a stepping stone in order to be on the good graces of the other werewolves, then so be it.

[xtristanxfaustx]

She had hit him right where it hurt. It did get lonely living by himself in a cabin in the woods. He didn't even have a proper job to go to and make friends at. His only friends were his pack, and even they didn't like him all too much. But he could tell this girl wanted something from him. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he didn't like it. He didn't like being used. He was the one who used others, after all, and being used in return was something he didn't want and wasn't used to. There was something about this girl that really caught his attention, though. She was powerful in whatever strange witch circle she was in, and he liked power.

"I don't know what you want from me," He spoke slowly after a while, "But I suppose you can stay. I don't see any harm in it, and it is raining out. Don't want you to melt out there." He casually took a drink of his coffee, finishing the mug off in a few sips. He didn't want to get angry enough to transform and fight her, if he could help it, and maybe one day he could use her for something. It would be nice to get in good graces with a witch, right? She was obviously someone important from the way she held herself, and he couldn't imagine passing up an opportunity like this one, even if it meant he would be used in return.

"Alright...I don't see why you can't come back, if you really want to. I don't know why you would choose me of all people to make friends with though. I'm not exactly...friendly." He growled, more to himself than to her. Then suddenly he looked at her and asked, "Lydia, right? What's your last name?"