Post by ShadaAntoinette on Aug 9, 2010 4:49:01 GMT -5
She felt like an asshole, that much was true, but at the same time, she was irritated as Hell that the Were-child had accused her of doing something to him. As if she would raise a hand against someone she considered a friend! Well.... there was Miranda, but since she had been working for Jasper the entire time they were supposed to be friends, she didn't matter. Not only that, Miranda had betrayed her in the end. She was of no consequence, if and only if she and Jasper's bastard child had survived. Chances are, they hadn't though, which was a shame. Shada would have relished the thought in killing her again, just for the thrill of it.
Being that as it were, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. She had almost bitten Alistor because he was Mortal, as if she were merely a Fledgling instead of the Ancient she was. Pathetic. And because of that she wasn't going to feed for a while until she had the discipline again.
Turning away from the window, she paced the width of her room, thinking, her mind going back to the fight outside. What the Hell was Formortiis... and better still, what the Hell had it done to Alistor? None of it made sense to her. She was glad that he had been able to take out Azazel for her, but at the cost of Alistor's Vampirism? Hell no. She would've rather taken on the man herself and possibly have than have him step in like he did. Still, she was grateful for the help.
With a sigh, she headed downstairs again, where she posted herself at the bar in the kitchen and proceeded to stare at the dishes piled on the counter. Her more Mortal instincts told her she should wash them, but there rest of her didn't move. So... there she sat until she found something better to do with herself.
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Upstairs, however, Alistor wasn't having any luck resting, like he knew he should be. Something had happened when Formortiis left him, although worse for wear, the Demon King had left him human again. Which, as Alistor had found out, was a bad thing. His housemates... well, those with less than human tendencies, would end up killing him if he didn't fix this. With an exasperated sigh, he rose and went over to his desk. He picked up one of his father's old books and began to paw through it, trying to figure out what exactly he could do to keep himself from being a target.
There was a knock on his door, which startled the Hell out of him since he was used to hearing people coming before they knocked and was now unable.
"..Um... come in?" He wasn't sure who this was coming to see him now, he just hoped it wasn't going to be like before. The door opened and a muzzle popped through the space, followed by the rest of the white, wolfen face of Shada. "...." He didn't know what he should say to her, especially since the last time she had been in his room, she'd almost taken advantage of his being human. But he didn't have to have his preternatural abilities to know that that wasn't why she'd come back.
"Uh... Hey, Al. Can I..can I come in?" She asked, her usually green eyes a pale bluish color. "Promise I'm not going to try anything this time." He shrugged, and she opened the door wider, coming inside to stand before him.
"Okay... what?"
"Well..... I had an idea.... and I wanted to apologize to you for earlier. I shouldn't have come back in here and I shouldn't have tried to go all dental on you. So I'm sorry." She had both hands behind her back, which made him a little uneasy.
"...Accepted. What was your idea?" One of her hands dropped to her side, clutching the hem of the top she wore.
"Well, I figure if you're going to be Mortal for a long time, perhaps I could do something to make sure that I don't try to bite you again. It's quick, painless and I'll leave you alone." She said. He studied her face for a moment, deciding it couldn't hurt.
"I'll let you do it..." She smiled and her tail wagged. "But, I want to know what exactly you're going to do." The other hand came around and he could see a pair of silver scissors. "And what are you doing with those?"
"What, these? Oh. I just need a lock of your hair, is all. It's for the charm." She said with a shrug. "Like I said, painless." He sighed.
"Fine, if it'll keep your fangs off me, by all means, go for it." She stepped toward him, her huge back paws making no sound on the carpet. He held still as she snipped a small lock of hair from somewhere near his neck.
"Done. And in like ten minutes, you won't have to worry about me biting you... well... unless you deserve it, in which case, you did it." She grinned at him and left his room, her laugh following her up the hall to her own room.
He stood there for a moment after she left, shaking his head. She was definitely a weird one, he would give her that much. But...... his eyes lit on the book again, which effectively made him stop thinking about his current topic and go back to the matter he had been dealing with a moment ago.
After ten minutes of searching, he laid the book on top of it's mate and sighed.
"I really wish Master were here. He'd know what to do." There was a bright flash of light, which threw him backwards over the bed, where he hit his head off the wall. There was a loud bang somewhere else in the Manor, followed by a yelp and a 'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!'
He blinked and rubbed his eyes, which were still stinging from the light.
"Well, well, aren't we a sad sight?" He froze, mid-rub on his eyelids.
"M-Master?"
"No, the god-damned tooth fairy. Yes, it's me." No way.... this was freaky. He opened one of his eyes and looked around. Leaning against the desk was the tall, lean form of his long, dead Master. "Stop staring at me Al. C'mon we've got work to do. Starting with the explosion down the hall. Geez, you let all kinds of people just live here didn't you?" Rayflo cracked a grin, one that Alistor knew well. "I smell females, Al. Perhaps I taught you better than I thought." Alistor just stared. How in the Hell...? With a growl, Rayflo crossed the room and lifted his Fledgling off the floor. "I said let's go. You know I hate to repeat myself." Rayflo got half way across the room before Alistor came to his senses again and started struggling.
"How the Hell did you come back?" He asked. He was still confused how the man was standing in front of him.
"The books. All I'm going to say. I've only been back for like.... oh, I would say five minutes now, so let me enjoy life again before you bludgeon me to death with questions, okay?" There was nothing he could say, so he said nothing and followed Rayflo up the hall.
They met Sira, who came out of her room as they passed.
"Hell-o there." Rayflo grinned at the werecat, who wrinkled her nose at him.
"Master, this is Sira. Sira, this is Rayflo, my Master."
"...Nice to meet you... I think." She gave the older man a solemn glare, which he returned with a grin.
"Yea...So you heard the noise too, did you?" She shrugged, not really giving him an answer.
Just down the hall, the door opened and Shada came out into the hall way, a deep scarlet gash on her cheek.
"Ow.... next time I'm doing that outside..." She rubbed her jaw absently, stopping when she noticed that she wasn't alone in the hallway. "Um..... what's all this?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"What happened? We all heard an explosion." Alistor said to her, walking over to her.
"Well....I was about to finish the charm I told you about when I felt this rise of powerful energy, just as I dropped your hair in and that power mixed with my magick blew up in my face. Luckily all that happened was I got cut... wait.. I can't smell you.... I can't smell you! Yes! It worked!" She started jumping up and down in happiness, her tail wagging.
"I'm confused, but I think that's a good thing. Oh, by the way..."
"Well, well, if it isn't Rayflo Amoro." She had a harsh smirk on her face as she walked around him.
"Do I know you?" She snorted, coming to stand in front of him. Uh-oh... what was going to happen now? Alistor wasn't sure..but it didn't look good to him.
"You should, I know you. It's been a while, but I could have sworn you were dead." Her green eyes turned silver for a moment, and Alistor visibly saw his Master blanch.
"Okay.. which one are you? Nightshade or Pandora?"
"Guess." She said, shifting her weight to one hip.
"It's Nightshade, isn't it? Yes, it is, I recognize that snippy attitude." He shook his head. "You look..." He looked up and down. "Different."
"And you were dead." She said, stiffly, walking around him before heading down the hallway toward the stairs. "Pardon me, I have something else to do." Then she disappeared from sight, leaving the three of them standing there.
"Why didn't you tell me who she was BEFORE we came out here?" Rayflo snapped when Shada was out of earshot.
"I didn't think it would be a problem." Alistor said, honestly. "I forgot you two knew each other at one time." Rayflo scrubbed a hand over his mouth and sighed.
"Never mind. Let's go downstairs, I want to hear know what's happening around me this time." Rayflo said, turning to go downstairs. Alistor sighed, gave Sira an apologetic look and followed his Master downstairs.
Okay, she admitted it, she was angry. Not so much at any particular person, just angry to be angry. A girl couldn't be faulted for that, right? Besides, he'd kinda offended her with that look on his face. She'd seen it before, though at the time she hadn't thought much of it. Now, it just irritated her. She had feelings, and he'd just gave her a look and stomped right down on her nerves too. Tch... asshole. Whatever.
She rounded the side of the Manor, cigarette in paw. The winds blew lightly, rustling the leaves in the trees and made her fiery hair brush against her face, her tumble of curls further tangling. She took a drag, looking around her at nature. Interesting how in a house full of people, she felt lonely, but as soon as she came outside....she shook her head, the winds sending the familiar, yet peculiar scent of Remus towards her. She turned her head, ears twitching this way and that, listening for the bigger Wolf man, although if she heard him at all, she'd be doing good. He was big, but that didn't mean he wasn't as silent as death when he moved. A little disturbing if he decided to sneak up on you.....
After a while, she decided to take a walk. It was a nice day, the sun was getting low, twilight was setting in, the perfect time for a walk through the property. It was also a good time for her mind to race back to all the shit that had changed her since she was a child. Not a pleasant path for her mind to follow, but she wasn't going to stop it.
There was a moss covered rock off to her left, a good half mile away from the Manor, and as good a place as any to sit and think. Unfortunately, the thoughts coursing through her mind were of Vik, and what happened not all that long ago. Another wail escaped her lips, her paws fisting into her hair, yanking at the long, waist length strands.
"Vik....." The bloody tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks; her breath hitching in her throat. "Vik... why didn't I go with you? Why did you have to go back to look for Max? Why? Why?" She was just hurt, again, and the feeling wasn't something she enjoyed particularly, but she had to get it all out, had to, for the sake of her inevitable future, whatever it may be. It just.....her ear twitched hearing something nearby. Instantly her tears turned to fear. Was he back? Was he going to finally end her? She wasn't going to let that happen.....
Her head came up, green eyes slowly turning black. A growl roiled in her throat.
"Who's there?" Silence met her ears. She slid down off the rock she sat upon, walking a short perimeter around it. Nothing, at all. No sounds, no animals, nothing. She was hearing things again. Great.
Still, having cried all that she could, she felt minimally better. Good enough to go back to the manor anyways, it was dark now. Not only that, she was starving, and she was too lazy to hunt. Cooking it was.... if she could find something in the house worth eating.
She made it back to the manor in minutes, making sure to wipe the muck off her paws before going inside, her claws clicking on the hardwood floor. As opposed to before, the house was alive with noise. Screaming, someone was playing music, there was a television on somewhere. There was the clatter of a lamp hitting the floor.
"Oh what the Hell?" She said, mostly to herself, since it wasn't likely anyone heard her over the noise. She walked toward the living room, paws clasped over her ears, peeking in. Rayflo sat on the couch, appearing to be asleep. How the Hell he could sleep during that noise, she would never know. Especially since he was a Vampire. She walked over to the couch, peering at him, head cocked to the side. Okay.... this was creepy. She shook her head, rattling the rings and plugs in her ears. Surprisingly, that small sound was what woke him up, even though the music was far louder that her earrings.
"Were you watching me?" His storm gray eyes appraised her.
"Um... no. I was going to turn the music down. Too loud." He was still watching her, which was making her uncomfortable.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, why do you ask?"
"Well first, you're staring at me, it's kinda creepy."
"...I haven't been here very long, Rayflo. I just came back into the house." She walked over to the stereo and turned the volume knob to a better decibel level before turning back to him, her paws on her hips.
"Yes, well that might be the case but um... yea, still weird." She didn't say anything to him after that, she just sat in a chair on the other side of the living room, curling her legs under her.
"So you've been here about three or fours hours now, is it the same as you remember?" She asked.
"Actually, no. Like, everything seems.... worse than before."
"Interesting...But you're right, the world is worse than it was." She mused, studying her claws, using that as a ruse to watch him again. "More petty problems though."
"I saw on the news. I also saw that the fighting has begun again." Her eyebrows raise.
"I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised, to be honest. History tends to repeat itself." There was an uncomfortable silence, and when she looked up again, Rayflo was staring at her, he smiled at her before he spoke again.
"Hmmm...... Y'know..... I'm not sure what it is, Shada. But you seem...... You look good these days." She blanched visibly.
"What?" Was he serious?
"I'm not talking about the fur or tail or ears and all that. Just........ You just seem much more appealing then you did back in the day....." Okay... that was her cue to go. She slid to the edge of her chair, but he wasn't finished. He looked her dead in the eye, leaning toward her, his eyes focusing on her.
"Hmmm.... I got it." He sat back on the couch. "You're not wearing armor. Any time I saw you back then you were clad in armor. But now I can see more of you. Ya look good, Nightshade." Yea... definitely time to go. He was flustering her, and she didn't want him to know it.
"Um... I think I hear Alistor calling me.... I'll talk to you later." Before he could say anything else, she rushed from the room, heading upstairs.
"But Alistor's out front with Sira.." His chuckle followed her up the stairs.
He was good, she'd give him that. No one had ever managed to startle her like that before, and she wasn't sure how that made her feel, to be completely honest. It was best to stay away from him for a while... just so she could figure out just what the Hell he wanted. Should be easy, right?
-A few weeks later-
"Hey, Shada." She looked up from the book she had been reading, only to see Rayflo standing on the porch beside her, coffee cup in hand. "What are you doing out here? Won't you turn to ash?" Should she dignify his question with an answer? Would he go away if she didn't? Not likely. Deciding to answer, she closed the book and pivoted to look at him, without straining her neck.
"Are you really interested, or are you just bothering me because you know it gets on my nerves?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A bit of both, actually." Great... wonderful. She sighed.
"Fine. I'm not just a Vampiir anymore. A long time after the war was over, I went home, to my now former Mate. Remember how I said it would end badly? It did. And he laid a strong curse on me, I have yet to be able to break. Sure, I can change forms, but I can't get rid of it, and Magick only last so long." She replied. "That's why I won't burn."
"....So like... somewhere under all that fur is your regular body?"
"If I say yes, are you going to say something to make me want to throw this book at you?" He grinned, which flustered her again.
"Maybe."
"Just go away, Rayflo." She growled.
"Aw, why? I'm not doing anything."
"You're irritating me, and I was having a good day." She stood up, stretched and cracked her neck, rewarded by a strong pop. When she turned around, he was watching her again. "I mean it, Rayflo." He held up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, fine. You win." He headed back inside, muttering to himself, which sounded suspiciously like something she didn't want to know. But, picking up her book, she headed inside after him, seeing him and Alistor talking to each other in the living room.
"...I still have it."
"It's a bet." What the Hell? She gave a slight wave to Alistor before heading up to her room to put her spell book away. He and Sira had been unseparable since the Werecat's return, much to Shada's hidden, and sometimes outright, irritation. But still, dodging Rayflo pretty much filled her day soo....
"Hey, Shada, can I ask you something?" Aw, shit. She heard Rayflo's voice call out to her. She back pedaled down the stairs, wondering what he wanted.
"Aye? What is it?" She kept her eyes trained on Rayflo.
"I was wondering.... if you might want to go out with me later. Y'know, get out of the house for a while." Her eye color turned an engaging shade of indigo. Oh, so that's what this was, eh? Heh. It seemed like a little revenge was in order. She put on her best smile and wagged her tail.
"Sure, I'd love to." She told him, her gaze flicking briefly toward Alistor, who looked shocked.
"All right, cool. I'll let you know." She nodded, and headed upstairs again, a look of doom on her face when she knew neither of them could see her. Oh Gods... what had she just done?
Her room was a mess of books and clothing, everything she had brought over from the castle; she barely had a floor anymore. Sighing, she decided it best to take a shower, though it was in Alistor's room...at least that was the only bathroom she knew of at the moment; she never really gave a second thought to exploring the inside of the Manor. Soo.. showering in there and rushing back to her own room in a towel served her purpose for the moment.
She dressed in tight black jeans, a lime green corset and ankle boots before tying her hair up in a pony tail. It felt good to be clean again. Annd... then the overwhelming sense of regret poured over her again, making her sigh.
"Why did I have to go and do that?" She asked herself in the mirror. "I have to be the biggest..." There was a knock on her door. "It's open!" She called, grabbing the brush again, pretending to brush out her ponytail again.
"Ready?"
"Aye." She told him, smiling.
"I'll meet you downstairs then."
"All right." He closed the door behind him and she groaned inwardly. Okay...well, it was probably better to make the best of this, even if it was a ruse on both of their parts. Whatever worked.
She headed downstairs, and saw him standing next to the door to the garage, talking to Alistor again. On the way down, Rayflo was staring at her again, a smile on his face, which made her self conscious. She looked away, fiddling with her hair.
"So Al, where are you taking Sira?" She ground her teeth but smiled at them, as if it didn't bother her. She reached into her cleavage to pull the charm she had hidden there, looked at it and slipped it into her pocket.
"I don't know how I even let you talk me into this." Alistor replied, Rayflo merely smirked and opened the door, entering the garage.
"I'm just that epic like that." Rayflo said simply. "C'mon Shada." She said nothing, though she could have several times over and got into the passenger seat of the car he'd held the door open for her. Her tail wrapped around her waist, out of the way. She smiled up at him and pulled the door shut, waiting to relax when he walked around the other side of the car.
He got in, pushed the button on a clip on the visor above his head, which opened the garage door before starting the car, heading out. Shada busied herself with staring out the window, as she fiddled with the broken chain on her collar, the one she'd been wearing for most of her life. She couldn't remember what it was for, she just remembered that she didn't want anyone messing with it...other wise...well, she couldn't remember.
"Soo... anywhere you want to go tonight?" He asked, she turned and looked at him, smiling briefly at his attempt at small talk.
"Well, I don't know my way around here, so I don't know... hey wait.. this was your idea!" She said. "Shouldn't you have an idea where to go?"
"I had two ideas, actually. It just depends on what you want to do." He replied, glancing at her, before changing lanes. "By the way.... you can't change... can you?"
"Huh?"
"Forms, I mean."
"Oh... yea, I can. Why? Is this one too...strange for you, Rayflo?" Her green eyes turned dusky as she watched him for a moment, waiting for his reply.
"Welll..."
"Well, what?"
"It's just that... well, people might not..."
"Just stop. I get it." She waved her hand over her body and changed her body into her more Human looking form. "Better?" She looked at him again, watching him visibly swallow.
"Yea." He said nothing else until they came upon a fork in the road. "Right or left?"
"I don't know where either of these paths go."
"Well, the right takes us out of town, the left goes into town. Your choice." He said. She sighed and thought about it, wondering if she really wanted to go to town, where she had to keep this sham of magickal ability up, or she could be herself out in the country somewhere.
"Right, Rayflo." She said, repositioning herself in the seat.
"All right, cool, I wanted to show you something anyway." He said, turning the wheel. She looked out the window again, watching the scenery fly past them, thinking to herself, remembering that one night with Viktor, out in the woods. It put a smile on her face, a sad one, but a smile nonetheless.
"You okay?" Rayflo asked her, glancing at her for a moment.
"I'm fine... just remembering something that happened to me..."
"Something good I hope." She gave him a strange look.
"You could say that..." She said, finally, smiling at him.
"Well, you want to talk about it? I mean we've got nothing but time anymore."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. And I'd rather not. The memory is... painful."
"Painful? But you were smiling. Unless you smile when you're in pain... That doesn't make sense."
"He...uh... he died shortly after that."
"Oh.... was he your boyfriend, Shada?" He was getting closer to her borderline irritation again, but she swallowed back that feeling and nodded.
"Sort of. We never talked about it, really."
"I see." He said, falling silent again.
She just turned her head to look out the window again, her green eyes turning a glowing blue, which reflected off the window dully.
After about ten more minutes of awkward silence, Rayflo pulled the car off the main street and pulled the car into a secluded wooded path. She gave a snort, which she hid behind a hand.
"What?"
"If ever there was a moment to make a murderer joke, it would be now." He shook his head, a slight smile on his face.
"Hey, if I was going to kill you, I wouldn't have came out here to do it."
"True enough, I suppose." She turned her body, leaning against the door, watching him. "So why did we come out here?" The pitter pat of rain hitting the windshield made her slightly pointed ears twitch.
"I told you, I had something I wanted to show you." He said. She nodded.
"Right, right. Sorry." She said. "I forgot about that, I had other things on my mind."
"I understand." No, he really didn't, but that was okay, he didn't have to at this point. It had been her life, her experience. "Okay, great, so now it's raining." He grouched, looking out the window.
"Yea." She said, nonchalantly.
"Well... any bright ideas?" She tapped her full lips with a finger for a moment.
"Hmm.... nope." He sighed.
"Wanna just go home? Chances are Alistor has realized that we aren't meeting him and Sira for dinner."
"...Wait... so that was the plan after all? I thought you said..."
"Yea... it was. But, I didn't think that's what you wanted to do."
"Honestly? No, it isn't. I'm not good around crowds... they make me nervous." She told him, being straight forward. He nodded.
"I can understand that." She grit her teeth, waiting for the rest of that sentence, or at least what she believed to be the rest of that sentence.
"Rayflo, can I ask you something?" She cocked her head a little bit, watching him.
"Sure, what is it?" The look on his face made her want to bite her tongue, but she didn't.
"What was it like in Heaven?" He looked sort of surprised that she'd ask that.
"Well... honestly... It was like the greatest and worst place to be, at the same time."
"How so?"
"I couldn't do anything up there, except watch Alistor and make sure he was doing what he was supposed to do." Her eyebrows knit in confusion.
"I...see..." She didn't, but if she could keep him talking, perhaps they wouldn't just sit there and stare at each other, which quite frankly, made her uncomfortable, for some reason. "I've always wondered if it was real. I mean, the way I grew up, I never believed there was one.... but being as my Father is the Devil, I suppose there has to be a Heaven. There is a Hell, after all."
"Have you ever been there? To Hell, I mean."
"You know... I don't think I have. I mean, people look at Hell all different ways, but I can honestly say, even being what I am, I have never been to Hell, the actual Realm itself." She answered, scratching the back of her head.
"If you ever go, you'll have to tell me about it."
"I will definitely do that." She cracked a smile. Looking out the windshield, she sighed. "Well, we can either sit here and stare at each other..." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to say something, and judging by the look on his face, it was going to be something lewd. "Or, or, we can have some fun."
"Fun? What do you mean by that?" He asked, a smile working across his face.
"Not what you're thinking, I can guarantee that." She replied, moving so she could open the door, before getting out. "I'll show you." She bent over, telling him before she closed the door, walking around the front of the car. The rain made her hair frizz, which made her self- conscious again, running her hands over it to smooth it.
"Damned rain..." She muttered.
"You look like a poodle." Rayflo laughed.
"Shut it, Grandpa."
"Oh-oh! Starting with the old man jokes, are we? May I remind you that you're old as well?"
"You could... but I'm not the one who just miraculously raised from the dead, so I think I have the advantage here."
"Hey, don't let that fool you, I've still got it." He said. She smirked at him.
"That's what you think." She grinned at him, her fangs extending.
"Want to bet?"
"Sure. See if you can keep up with me. If you can, I'll stop calling you an old man, but if you can't, well... you better get used to it." She winked at him.
"Deal. But--" Before he could say more, she took off, her form disappearing into the darkness. He could see her perfectly, even through the rain. He chuckled a bit to himself before going after her, having the advantage of knowing where he was.
She dodged trees and low-hanging branches, keeping an ear behind her to monitor for him. She could hear his even footsteps behind her, until suddenly they disappeared. Confused, she kept going, smashing into him, since he appeared in her direct running path. Her momentum knocked both of them to the muddy, leafy ground. She gasped in air; the hit had knocked the wind from her lungs.
"Well, well, looks like you're the slow one." He said, getting up. She leaped to her feet and gave him a smirk.
"Oh, but I'm far from finished, Rayflo." She Traced, appearing again about 20 feet from him, running off in an easterly direction. She was far from done... He smirked and disappeared again, reappearing next to her, running full out like she was. She gave a slight cry and half-Traced, making her body invisible to him, changing directions again.
He might not have been able to see her, but he could still smell her, so when she changed directions, he did as well, following her scent trail, where ever it lead him. She would eventually tire out and give up, he knew it.
Her legs burned, she was almost out of energy now. Still invisible, she leaped into a tree, her boots making nary a sound on the branch she stood upon, climbing the tree swiftly and sitting down high enough off the ground that she could see him running around on the ground below her. She smirked and leaned back against the tree to wait until he gave up, taunting him by throwing her voice.
"Too slow, Rayflo... I thought you said you still had it." She called.
"Not my fault, you cheat." He replied.
"Oh, I do not. Besides, it's more fun when you can't see me." She laughed, the sound echoing off the trees. She watched him lean against her tree, rubbing the sweat from his forehead.
"Just makes it harder."
"Of course it does. But it makes your other senses try harder to find me." He looked up.
"Or, I could know exactly where you are." He smirked, his eyes meeting her invisible ones. With a cry, she did a back flip from the tree, hitting the ground with enough force to crater the ground beneath her feet, coming back into his sight again.
"Touche, Rayflo." She said, sitting in her crater, letting the sting in her legs go away before she moved again. "I guess I can't call you old anymore, huh?"
"Heh. I know you better than that, Shada. You'll do it anyway." She grinned.
"Of course, I know it irritates you, just like you say lewd things to me because you know it gets on my nerves." She smirked at him. "I remember." He looked mildly surprised.
"I'll bet." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her again. She stood up, and brushed as much mud from her as she could.
"Well, I'm nice and wet now.... and muddy. What do you say we go home and get cleaned up?" By the way he was smiling at her, as well as the glint in his eyes, she knew what he was thinking. "Don't say it...."
"Say what, Shada? I think you're paranoid. I was just going to agree with you." He said innocently.
"Sure you were, and I'm a fairy." She replied, smirking. Inside, she was surprised they were getting along like this.... she hadn't thought she could have such a good time with him... and he hadn't been himself... well, at least all the way, like he had been. She liked the change, which surprised her to a degree.
"Y'know, you're pretty big for a fairy, Shada."
"Shut up, you." She stuck out her serpent-like tongue; it slithered from between her lips to flick at him before she sucked it back into her mouth.
"I'm just kidding. C'mon, we could both use a change of clothes." He said, gesturing to her. She went to him, and even allowed him to place his hand on her back, guiding her back toward the car. She was surprised at her actions, and quickly made up her mind to put as much distance between them as possible. Something just wasn't right, she could feel it.
"I hate to say this.. but I think there's something wrong with the car. Ordinarily that's what I'd say to get into your pants, since we're alone like this, but... I'm actually serious." Rayflo had gotten the car out onto the road, where it had promptly died. At the moment, he was standing outside the car in front of the open door, telling her about it. Frowning, Shada quirked her lips at him.
"Really? Maybe I could take a look at it." She said, starting to open the door.
"Nah, it's okay." He said, stopping her.
"Are you sure? I've had some experience..."
"It's cool, I just need to do something to it and it should work fine again." She frowned but nodded.
"All right." He closed his door again and went around to the front of the car again, hidden by the raised hood. A soft 'dammit!' came from the front of the car a short time later, that had her getting out of the car.
"Rayflo... are you okay?" She asked, appearing at his side.
"I'm fine... this piece of shit isn't going to run." He grumbled. "All the part stores are closed, so it looks like we're walking back." Oh no they weren't. Shada shook her head.
"I know how to get back to the Manor." She said.
"You do? What do you have a car hidden somewhere?" She shook her head.
"No, but this will be faster." She told him.
"...At this point, I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, I have an ability that will get us back there faster than a car could ever go."
"I'm listening..."
"It's called Tracing. Basically like teleporting, or dematerializing, but less stressful on my body." She explained.
"....I don't know what to say to that." Rayflo said. She sighed under her breath and walked over to him.
"Then don't say anything, and let me do what I need to do. We can come back for the car tomorrow, when the rain stops. It's not going to hurt or anything, I've been using it to get around places since I was Turned. Just trust me." She said. He started to say something, but she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, which effectively silenced him and began thinking about the Manor. Immediately, she felt the familiar drop into weightlessness before the ground seemed to appear beneath their feet again.
Rayflo landed hard, which was interesting since they hadn't flown or anything--she wished she could, but Baninae weren't meant for flying. She stepped away from him when they appeared in the driveway of the Manor, arms clutching her stomach. Something didn't feel right... it was as if she were going to explode or something akin to it.
"You okay?" She asked him, her green eyes a putrid orange color as she looked over at him. He looked a little nauseous, but he nodded and swallowed hard.
"Are you?" She shook her head violently, groaning. She was hurting something fierce and didn't know why.
Suddenly she felt nothing, empty.... as if she were being covered in an heavy, airless blanket, suffocating but not. Oddly enough, she recognized the feeling, as she gave into the strange feeling, her body started to change. She knew it was changing, but didn't stop it, giving herself over to the sensation.
On the outside, as Rayflo watched, Shada became something else entirely. Her hair started to bleed until it was white and horns curled over the back of her head. Her body seemed stretch a little bit, her muscles visibly corded beneath her flesh. Great wings stretched from the flesh on her back, arching upwards as they grew, wrapping around her body to shade his view of the rest.
When it was over, the great wings opened and Shada looked completely like a demon. A hot demon, but a demon nonetheless.
"Well hello there, Rayflo Amoro... it's been a long time, hasn't it?" The woman before him cackled, golden eyes giving him the once over.
"Okay.. what the Hell? Who are you? Not Shada, obviously..."
"Oh! A smart one! Finally, someone who has enough sense to know that I'm not Shada!" The woman cackled again, stretching her lithe body this way and that. Oddly enough, Rayflo had no desire to say anything about how she looked, which was against his usual nature.
"Okay, so you're not Shada. Then what the Hell do you want?" He snapped. She snorted and studied her claws.
"What in the Mother's name makes you think I want something from you?" She shot back, one white eyebrow raised in challenge.
"Look, you're on my property so you'll do as I say. And I want you to tell me just what you want this instant."
"Touchy, touchy. Look, Rayflo, I'm only out to show you that I exist. You can get pissy and attack me, but you won't like it, and neither will Shada. So, just play nicey nice with me for a little bit and I'll give you back your girlfriend." Rayflo blanched but did nothing but frown.
"She isn't my girlfriend."
"Riiight, and I'm an elf. Okay, so you two aren't together, so what? Eventually one of you is going to get the thought in your mind and it'll happen. Trust me, I know. But just remember, I share this body with her, and I won't hesitate to come back out and whip your scrawny, undead ass, okay? Let's not hurt Shada.. it's bad for your health."
"Oh, so you're threatening me now?"
"Threat? Never. Just a friendly 'fyi' kind of deal." She smirked at him. Okay, so now he was really irritated. Enough to draw one of his daggers on her, appearing just behind her, the blade pressing against her throat.
"I'm only going to say this once, so you'd better listen up real good. You are going to go back from whatever Hell you climbed out of and leave me and all the people that live here alone, and that includes Shada. Because if you don't," He pressed the blade harder into her flesh. "I will be forced to eradicate you myself, and I don't think you want that." She laughed, the sound starting low in her chest.
"Oh, Rayflo, you're just as headstrong as I remember you....." She Traced from his grip since he hadn't really been holding on to her in the first place, only to stand in front of him again. "However, I'll let you in on a little secret.... your threats are idle, really. I can't go back to Hell unless Shada does as well. We share this body. We are one in this body. With that being said.... you can go ahead and threaten me all you want, in the end, you couldn't bring yourself to kill me, not when Shada's soul and mine are twined like they are. You kill me, you kill her." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him again. "But, my soul sister is awakening, so I must bid you adieu for now. Chances are you'll be seeing a lot of me..." All at once, every single one of the demonic characteristics Rayflo had watched Shada gain just dissolved, changing the woman back into her Wolf form. Her eyes immediately rolled back and she toppled over, unconscious from the magickal strain of Liir's take over of their body.
"What the-- Oh dammit..." Rayflo moved quickly, catching her before she hit the ground. "Damn... this isn't the time for you to be passed out, Shada." He muttered to himself. Her long, black eyelashes fluttered for a moment before her green eyes opened, fixing him with a confused look.
"What happened, did I pass out?"
"...You could say that." He lifted her off her feet and headed for the front door, concern creasing his face. Her brows furrowed.
"What is it? What happened?" She asked him, her eyes turning a pale blue.
"We'll talk about it upstairs. I want to make sure you're okay first, if you don't mind." He grit out. She quieted until he took her upstairs and put her in her bed. He laid her down gently, sitting on the edge of it beside her. She could sense his mood, and his aura had changed from it's usual color. But she didn't have the heart to ask.
"Shada.... do you..do you know that you have another..." He stopped as if he didn't know how to continue.
"Another...? She was confused for a moment. "Oh... you mean Liir? Aye, I know I share a body with her. How did you know?"
"Because, Shada, she showed herself to me." Shada frowned.
"She did?" Liir had never done that before, in all the time they'd had on this Plane. Shada only knew she'd had her own form since before she was Turned, during the initiation into the Harpies. But this? This confused the Hell out of her.
Instead of leaving her there, however, Rayflo sat on the edge of the bed, posted as if he wasn't going to leave. She smiled lightly at him and lay back against her pillows.
"You know, Rayflo, you don't have to stay with me, I'll be fine." She told him.
"Forget it, Missy. I'm going to stay in here until I know you're okay. So stop trying to push me out." Blanching slightly, Shada nodded, watching him through slightly pink eyes. "Now, with that being said... are you hungry?"
"A little." No, she was ravenous. But she didn't tell him that.
"All right, just lay here and I'll be back with something to eat." He left her, and a few moments later, Shada was sound asleep, one of her paws propped under her cheek.
Being that as it were, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. She had almost bitten Alistor because he was Mortal, as if she were merely a Fledgling instead of the Ancient she was. Pathetic. And because of that she wasn't going to feed for a while until she had the discipline again.
Turning away from the window, she paced the width of her room, thinking, her mind going back to the fight outside. What the Hell was Formortiis... and better still, what the Hell had it done to Alistor? None of it made sense to her. She was glad that he had been able to take out Azazel for her, but at the cost of Alistor's Vampirism? Hell no. She would've rather taken on the man herself and possibly have than have him step in like he did. Still, she was grateful for the help.
With a sigh, she headed downstairs again, where she posted herself at the bar in the kitchen and proceeded to stare at the dishes piled on the counter. Her more Mortal instincts told her she should wash them, but there rest of her didn't move. So... there she sat until she found something better to do with herself.
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Upstairs, however, Alistor wasn't having any luck resting, like he knew he should be. Something had happened when Formortiis left him, although worse for wear, the Demon King had left him human again. Which, as Alistor had found out, was a bad thing. His housemates... well, those with less than human tendencies, would end up killing him if he didn't fix this. With an exasperated sigh, he rose and went over to his desk. He picked up one of his father's old books and began to paw through it, trying to figure out what exactly he could do to keep himself from being a target.
There was a knock on his door, which startled the Hell out of him since he was used to hearing people coming before they knocked and was now unable.
"..Um... come in?" He wasn't sure who this was coming to see him now, he just hoped it wasn't going to be like before. The door opened and a muzzle popped through the space, followed by the rest of the white, wolfen face of Shada. "...." He didn't know what he should say to her, especially since the last time she had been in his room, she'd almost taken advantage of his being human. But he didn't have to have his preternatural abilities to know that that wasn't why she'd come back.
"Uh... Hey, Al. Can I..can I come in?" She asked, her usually green eyes a pale bluish color. "Promise I'm not going to try anything this time." He shrugged, and she opened the door wider, coming inside to stand before him.
"Okay... what?"
"Well..... I had an idea.... and I wanted to apologize to you for earlier. I shouldn't have come back in here and I shouldn't have tried to go all dental on you. So I'm sorry." She had both hands behind her back, which made him a little uneasy.
"...Accepted. What was your idea?" One of her hands dropped to her side, clutching the hem of the top she wore.
"Well, I figure if you're going to be Mortal for a long time, perhaps I could do something to make sure that I don't try to bite you again. It's quick, painless and I'll leave you alone." She said. He studied her face for a moment, deciding it couldn't hurt.
"I'll let you do it..." She smiled and her tail wagged. "But, I want to know what exactly you're going to do." The other hand came around and he could see a pair of silver scissors. "And what are you doing with those?"
"What, these? Oh. I just need a lock of your hair, is all. It's for the charm." She said with a shrug. "Like I said, painless." He sighed.
"Fine, if it'll keep your fangs off me, by all means, go for it." She stepped toward him, her huge back paws making no sound on the carpet. He held still as she snipped a small lock of hair from somewhere near his neck.
"Done. And in like ten minutes, you won't have to worry about me biting you... well... unless you deserve it, in which case, you did it." She grinned at him and left his room, her laugh following her up the hall to her own room.
He stood there for a moment after she left, shaking his head. She was definitely a weird one, he would give her that much. But...... his eyes lit on the book again, which effectively made him stop thinking about his current topic and go back to the matter he had been dealing with a moment ago.
After ten minutes of searching, he laid the book on top of it's mate and sighed.
"I really wish Master were here. He'd know what to do." There was a bright flash of light, which threw him backwards over the bed, where he hit his head off the wall. There was a loud bang somewhere else in the Manor, followed by a yelp and a 'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!'
He blinked and rubbed his eyes, which were still stinging from the light.
"Well, well, aren't we a sad sight?" He froze, mid-rub on his eyelids.
"M-Master?"
"No, the god-damned tooth fairy. Yes, it's me." No way.... this was freaky. He opened one of his eyes and looked around. Leaning against the desk was the tall, lean form of his long, dead Master. "Stop staring at me Al. C'mon we've got work to do. Starting with the explosion down the hall. Geez, you let all kinds of people just live here didn't you?" Rayflo cracked a grin, one that Alistor knew well. "I smell females, Al. Perhaps I taught you better than I thought." Alistor just stared. How in the Hell...? With a growl, Rayflo crossed the room and lifted his Fledgling off the floor. "I said let's go. You know I hate to repeat myself." Rayflo got half way across the room before Alistor came to his senses again and started struggling.
"How the Hell did you come back?" He asked. He was still confused how the man was standing in front of him.
"The books. All I'm going to say. I've only been back for like.... oh, I would say five minutes now, so let me enjoy life again before you bludgeon me to death with questions, okay?" There was nothing he could say, so he said nothing and followed Rayflo up the hall.
They met Sira, who came out of her room as they passed.
"Hell-o there." Rayflo grinned at the werecat, who wrinkled her nose at him.
"Master, this is Sira. Sira, this is Rayflo, my Master."
"...Nice to meet you... I think." She gave the older man a solemn glare, which he returned with a grin.
"Yea...So you heard the noise too, did you?" She shrugged, not really giving him an answer.
Just down the hall, the door opened and Shada came out into the hall way, a deep scarlet gash on her cheek.
"Ow.... next time I'm doing that outside..." She rubbed her jaw absently, stopping when she noticed that she wasn't alone in the hallway. "Um..... what's all this?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"What happened? We all heard an explosion." Alistor said to her, walking over to her.
"Well....I was about to finish the charm I told you about when I felt this rise of powerful energy, just as I dropped your hair in and that power mixed with my magick blew up in my face. Luckily all that happened was I got cut... wait.. I can't smell you.... I can't smell you! Yes! It worked!" She started jumping up and down in happiness, her tail wagging.
"I'm confused, but I think that's a good thing. Oh, by the way..."
"Well, well, if it isn't Rayflo Amoro." She had a harsh smirk on her face as she walked around him.
"Do I know you?" She snorted, coming to stand in front of him. Uh-oh... what was going to happen now? Alistor wasn't sure..but it didn't look good to him.
"You should, I know you. It's been a while, but I could have sworn you were dead." Her green eyes turned silver for a moment, and Alistor visibly saw his Master blanch.
"Okay.. which one are you? Nightshade or Pandora?"
"Guess." She said, shifting her weight to one hip.
"It's Nightshade, isn't it? Yes, it is, I recognize that snippy attitude." He shook his head. "You look..." He looked up and down. "Different."
"And you were dead." She said, stiffly, walking around him before heading down the hallway toward the stairs. "Pardon me, I have something else to do." Then she disappeared from sight, leaving the three of them standing there.
"Why didn't you tell me who she was BEFORE we came out here?" Rayflo snapped when Shada was out of earshot.
"I didn't think it would be a problem." Alistor said, honestly. "I forgot you two knew each other at one time." Rayflo scrubbed a hand over his mouth and sighed.
"Never mind. Let's go downstairs, I want to hear know what's happening around me this time." Rayflo said, turning to go downstairs. Alistor sighed, gave Sira an apologetic look and followed his Master downstairs.
Okay, she admitted it, she was angry. Not so much at any particular person, just angry to be angry. A girl couldn't be faulted for that, right? Besides, he'd kinda offended her with that look on his face. She'd seen it before, though at the time she hadn't thought much of it. Now, it just irritated her. She had feelings, and he'd just gave her a look and stomped right down on her nerves too. Tch... asshole. Whatever.
She rounded the side of the Manor, cigarette in paw. The winds blew lightly, rustling the leaves in the trees and made her fiery hair brush against her face, her tumble of curls further tangling. She took a drag, looking around her at nature. Interesting how in a house full of people, she felt lonely, but as soon as she came outside....she shook her head, the winds sending the familiar, yet peculiar scent of Remus towards her. She turned her head, ears twitching this way and that, listening for the bigger Wolf man, although if she heard him at all, she'd be doing good. He was big, but that didn't mean he wasn't as silent as death when he moved. A little disturbing if he decided to sneak up on you.....
After a while, she decided to take a walk. It was a nice day, the sun was getting low, twilight was setting in, the perfect time for a walk through the property. It was also a good time for her mind to race back to all the shit that had changed her since she was a child. Not a pleasant path for her mind to follow, but she wasn't going to stop it.
There was a moss covered rock off to her left, a good half mile away from the Manor, and as good a place as any to sit and think. Unfortunately, the thoughts coursing through her mind were of Vik, and what happened not all that long ago. Another wail escaped her lips, her paws fisting into her hair, yanking at the long, waist length strands.
"Vik....." The bloody tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks; her breath hitching in her throat. "Vik... why didn't I go with you? Why did you have to go back to look for Max? Why? Why?" She was just hurt, again, and the feeling wasn't something she enjoyed particularly, but she had to get it all out, had to, for the sake of her inevitable future, whatever it may be. It just.....her ear twitched hearing something nearby. Instantly her tears turned to fear. Was he back? Was he going to finally end her? She wasn't going to let that happen.....
Her head came up, green eyes slowly turning black. A growl roiled in her throat.
"Who's there?" Silence met her ears. She slid down off the rock she sat upon, walking a short perimeter around it. Nothing, at all. No sounds, no animals, nothing. She was hearing things again. Great.
Still, having cried all that she could, she felt minimally better. Good enough to go back to the manor anyways, it was dark now. Not only that, she was starving, and she was too lazy to hunt. Cooking it was.... if she could find something in the house worth eating.
She made it back to the manor in minutes, making sure to wipe the muck off her paws before going inside, her claws clicking on the hardwood floor. As opposed to before, the house was alive with noise. Screaming, someone was playing music, there was a television on somewhere. There was the clatter of a lamp hitting the floor.
"Oh what the Hell?" She said, mostly to herself, since it wasn't likely anyone heard her over the noise. She walked toward the living room, paws clasped over her ears, peeking in. Rayflo sat on the couch, appearing to be asleep. How the Hell he could sleep during that noise, she would never know. Especially since he was a Vampire. She walked over to the couch, peering at him, head cocked to the side. Okay.... this was creepy. She shook her head, rattling the rings and plugs in her ears. Surprisingly, that small sound was what woke him up, even though the music was far louder that her earrings.
"Were you watching me?" His storm gray eyes appraised her.
"Um... no. I was going to turn the music down. Too loud." He was still watching her, which was making her uncomfortable.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, why do you ask?"
"Well first, you're staring at me, it's kinda creepy."
"...I haven't been here very long, Rayflo. I just came back into the house." She walked over to the stereo and turned the volume knob to a better decibel level before turning back to him, her paws on her hips.
"Yes, well that might be the case but um... yea, still weird." She didn't say anything to him after that, she just sat in a chair on the other side of the living room, curling her legs under her.
"So you've been here about three or fours hours now, is it the same as you remember?" She asked.
"Actually, no. Like, everything seems.... worse than before."
"Interesting...But you're right, the world is worse than it was." She mused, studying her claws, using that as a ruse to watch him again. "More petty problems though."
"I saw on the news. I also saw that the fighting has begun again." Her eyebrows raise.
"I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised, to be honest. History tends to repeat itself." There was an uncomfortable silence, and when she looked up again, Rayflo was staring at her, he smiled at her before he spoke again.
"Hmmm...... Y'know..... I'm not sure what it is, Shada. But you seem...... You look good these days." She blanched visibly.
"What?" Was he serious?
"I'm not talking about the fur or tail or ears and all that. Just........ You just seem much more appealing then you did back in the day....." Okay... that was her cue to go. She slid to the edge of her chair, but he wasn't finished. He looked her dead in the eye, leaning toward her, his eyes focusing on her.
"Hmmm.... I got it." He sat back on the couch. "You're not wearing armor. Any time I saw you back then you were clad in armor. But now I can see more of you. Ya look good, Nightshade." Yea... definitely time to go. He was flustering her, and she didn't want him to know it.
"Um... I think I hear Alistor calling me.... I'll talk to you later." Before he could say anything else, she rushed from the room, heading upstairs.
"But Alistor's out front with Sira.." His chuckle followed her up the stairs.
He was good, she'd give him that. No one had ever managed to startle her like that before, and she wasn't sure how that made her feel, to be completely honest. It was best to stay away from him for a while... just so she could figure out just what the Hell he wanted. Should be easy, right?
-A few weeks later-
"Hey, Shada." She looked up from the book she had been reading, only to see Rayflo standing on the porch beside her, coffee cup in hand. "What are you doing out here? Won't you turn to ash?" Should she dignify his question with an answer? Would he go away if she didn't? Not likely. Deciding to answer, she closed the book and pivoted to look at him, without straining her neck.
"Are you really interested, or are you just bothering me because you know it gets on my nerves?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A bit of both, actually." Great... wonderful. She sighed.
"Fine. I'm not just a Vampiir anymore. A long time after the war was over, I went home, to my now former Mate. Remember how I said it would end badly? It did. And he laid a strong curse on me, I have yet to be able to break. Sure, I can change forms, but I can't get rid of it, and Magick only last so long." She replied. "That's why I won't burn."
"....So like... somewhere under all that fur is your regular body?"
"If I say yes, are you going to say something to make me want to throw this book at you?" He grinned, which flustered her again.
"Maybe."
"Just go away, Rayflo." She growled.
"Aw, why? I'm not doing anything."
"You're irritating me, and I was having a good day." She stood up, stretched and cracked her neck, rewarded by a strong pop. When she turned around, he was watching her again. "I mean it, Rayflo." He held up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, fine. You win." He headed back inside, muttering to himself, which sounded suspiciously like something she didn't want to know. But, picking up her book, she headed inside after him, seeing him and Alistor talking to each other in the living room.
"...I still have it."
"It's a bet." What the Hell? She gave a slight wave to Alistor before heading up to her room to put her spell book away. He and Sira had been unseparable since the Werecat's return, much to Shada's hidden, and sometimes outright, irritation. But still, dodging Rayflo pretty much filled her day soo....
"Hey, Shada, can I ask you something?" Aw, shit. She heard Rayflo's voice call out to her. She back pedaled down the stairs, wondering what he wanted.
"Aye? What is it?" She kept her eyes trained on Rayflo.
"I was wondering.... if you might want to go out with me later. Y'know, get out of the house for a while." Her eye color turned an engaging shade of indigo. Oh, so that's what this was, eh? Heh. It seemed like a little revenge was in order. She put on her best smile and wagged her tail.
"Sure, I'd love to." She told him, her gaze flicking briefly toward Alistor, who looked shocked.
"All right, cool. I'll let you know." She nodded, and headed upstairs again, a look of doom on her face when she knew neither of them could see her. Oh Gods... what had she just done?
Her room was a mess of books and clothing, everything she had brought over from the castle; she barely had a floor anymore. Sighing, she decided it best to take a shower, though it was in Alistor's room...at least that was the only bathroom she knew of at the moment; she never really gave a second thought to exploring the inside of the Manor. Soo.. showering in there and rushing back to her own room in a towel served her purpose for the moment.
She dressed in tight black jeans, a lime green corset and ankle boots before tying her hair up in a pony tail. It felt good to be clean again. Annd... then the overwhelming sense of regret poured over her again, making her sigh.
"Why did I have to go and do that?" She asked herself in the mirror. "I have to be the biggest..." There was a knock on her door. "It's open!" She called, grabbing the brush again, pretending to brush out her ponytail again.
"Ready?"
"Aye." She told him, smiling.
"I'll meet you downstairs then."
"All right." He closed the door behind him and she groaned inwardly. Okay...well, it was probably better to make the best of this, even if it was a ruse on both of their parts. Whatever worked.
She headed downstairs, and saw him standing next to the door to the garage, talking to Alistor again. On the way down, Rayflo was staring at her again, a smile on his face, which made her self conscious. She looked away, fiddling with her hair.
"So Al, where are you taking Sira?" She ground her teeth but smiled at them, as if it didn't bother her. She reached into her cleavage to pull the charm she had hidden there, looked at it and slipped it into her pocket.
"I don't know how I even let you talk me into this." Alistor replied, Rayflo merely smirked and opened the door, entering the garage.
"I'm just that epic like that." Rayflo said simply. "C'mon Shada." She said nothing, though she could have several times over and got into the passenger seat of the car he'd held the door open for her. Her tail wrapped around her waist, out of the way. She smiled up at him and pulled the door shut, waiting to relax when he walked around the other side of the car.
He got in, pushed the button on a clip on the visor above his head, which opened the garage door before starting the car, heading out. Shada busied herself with staring out the window, as she fiddled with the broken chain on her collar, the one she'd been wearing for most of her life. She couldn't remember what it was for, she just remembered that she didn't want anyone messing with it...other wise...well, she couldn't remember.
"Soo... anywhere you want to go tonight?" He asked, she turned and looked at him, smiling briefly at his attempt at small talk.
"Well, I don't know my way around here, so I don't know... hey wait.. this was your idea!" She said. "Shouldn't you have an idea where to go?"
"I had two ideas, actually. It just depends on what you want to do." He replied, glancing at her, before changing lanes. "By the way.... you can't change... can you?"
"Huh?"
"Forms, I mean."
"Oh... yea, I can. Why? Is this one too...strange for you, Rayflo?" Her green eyes turned dusky as she watched him for a moment, waiting for his reply.
"Welll..."
"Well, what?"
"It's just that... well, people might not..."
"Just stop. I get it." She waved her hand over her body and changed her body into her more Human looking form. "Better?" She looked at him again, watching him visibly swallow.
"Yea." He said nothing else until they came upon a fork in the road. "Right or left?"
"I don't know where either of these paths go."
"Well, the right takes us out of town, the left goes into town. Your choice." He said. She sighed and thought about it, wondering if she really wanted to go to town, where she had to keep this sham of magickal ability up, or she could be herself out in the country somewhere.
"Right, Rayflo." She said, repositioning herself in the seat.
"All right, cool, I wanted to show you something anyway." He said, turning the wheel. She looked out the window again, watching the scenery fly past them, thinking to herself, remembering that one night with Viktor, out in the woods. It put a smile on her face, a sad one, but a smile nonetheless.
"You okay?" Rayflo asked her, glancing at her for a moment.
"I'm fine... just remembering something that happened to me..."
"Something good I hope." She gave him a strange look.
"You could say that..." She said, finally, smiling at him.
"Well, you want to talk about it? I mean we've got nothing but time anymore."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. And I'd rather not. The memory is... painful."
"Painful? But you were smiling. Unless you smile when you're in pain... That doesn't make sense."
"He...uh... he died shortly after that."
"Oh.... was he your boyfriend, Shada?" He was getting closer to her borderline irritation again, but she swallowed back that feeling and nodded.
"Sort of. We never talked about it, really."
"I see." He said, falling silent again.
She just turned her head to look out the window again, her green eyes turning a glowing blue, which reflected off the window dully.
After about ten more minutes of awkward silence, Rayflo pulled the car off the main street and pulled the car into a secluded wooded path. She gave a snort, which she hid behind a hand.
"What?"
"If ever there was a moment to make a murderer joke, it would be now." He shook his head, a slight smile on his face.
"Hey, if I was going to kill you, I wouldn't have came out here to do it."
"True enough, I suppose." She turned her body, leaning against the door, watching him. "So why did we come out here?" The pitter pat of rain hitting the windshield made her slightly pointed ears twitch.
"I told you, I had something I wanted to show you." He said. She nodded.
"Right, right. Sorry." She said. "I forgot about that, I had other things on my mind."
"I understand." No, he really didn't, but that was okay, he didn't have to at this point. It had been her life, her experience. "Okay, great, so now it's raining." He grouched, looking out the window.
"Yea." She said, nonchalantly.
"Well... any bright ideas?" She tapped her full lips with a finger for a moment.
"Hmm.... nope." He sighed.
"Wanna just go home? Chances are Alistor has realized that we aren't meeting him and Sira for dinner."
"...Wait... so that was the plan after all? I thought you said..."
"Yea... it was. But, I didn't think that's what you wanted to do."
"Honestly? No, it isn't. I'm not good around crowds... they make me nervous." She told him, being straight forward. He nodded.
"I can understand that." She grit her teeth, waiting for the rest of that sentence, or at least what she believed to be the rest of that sentence.
"Rayflo, can I ask you something?" She cocked her head a little bit, watching him.
"Sure, what is it?" The look on his face made her want to bite her tongue, but she didn't.
"What was it like in Heaven?" He looked sort of surprised that she'd ask that.
"Well... honestly... It was like the greatest and worst place to be, at the same time."
"How so?"
"I couldn't do anything up there, except watch Alistor and make sure he was doing what he was supposed to do." Her eyebrows knit in confusion.
"I...see..." She didn't, but if she could keep him talking, perhaps they wouldn't just sit there and stare at each other, which quite frankly, made her uncomfortable, for some reason. "I've always wondered if it was real. I mean, the way I grew up, I never believed there was one.... but being as my Father is the Devil, I suppose there has to be a Heaven. There is a Hell, after all."
"Have you ever been there? To Hell, I mean."
"You know... I don't think I have. I mean, people look at Hell all different ways, but I can honestly say, even being what I am, I have never been to Hell, the actual Realm itself." She answered, scratching the back of her head.
"If you ever go, you'll have to tell me about it."
"I will definitely do that." She cracked a smile. Looking out the windshield, she sighed. "Well, we can either sit here and stare at each other..." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to say something, and judging by the look on his face, it was going to be something lewd. "Or, or, we can have some fun."
"Fun? What do you mean by that?" He asked, a smile working across his face.
"Not what you're thinking, I can guarantee that." She replied, moving so she could open the door, before getting out. "I'll show you." She bent over, telling him before she closed the door, walking around the front of the car. The rain made her hair frizz, which made her self- conscious again, running her hands over it to smooth it.
"Damned rain..." She muttered.
"You look like a poodle." Rayflo laughed.
"Shut it, Grandpa."
"Oh-oh! Starting with the old man jokes, are we? May I remind you that you're old as well?"
"You could... but I'm not the one who just miraculously raised from the dead, so I think I have the advantage here."
"Hey, don't let that fool you, I've still got it." He said. She smirked at him.
"That's what you think." She grinned at him, her fangs extending.
"Want to bet?"
"Sure. See if you can keep up with me. If you can, I'll stop calling you an old man, but if you can't, well... you better get used to it." She winked at him.
"Deal. But--" Before he could say more, she took off, her form disappearing into the darkness. He could see her perfectly, even through the rain. He chuckled a bit to himself before going after her, having the advantage of knowing where he was.
She dodged trees and low-hanging branches, keeping an ear behind her to monitor for him. She could hear his even footsteps behind her, until suddenly they disappeared. Confused, she kept going, smashing into him, since he appeared in her direct running path. Her momentum knocked both of them to the muddy, leafy ground. She gasped in air; the hit had knocked the wind from her lungs.
"Well, well, looks like you're the slow one." He said, getting up. She leaped to her feet and gave him a smirk.
"Oh, but I'm far from finished, Rayflo." She Traced, appearing again about 20 feet from him, running off in an easterly direction. She was far from done... He smirked and disappeared again, reappearing next to her, running full out like she was. She gave a slight cry and half-Traced, making her body invisible to him, changing directions again.
He might not have been able to see her, but he could still smell her, so when she changed directions, he did as well, following her scent trail, where ever it lead him. She would eventually tire out and give up, he knew it.
Her legs burned, she was almost out of energy now. Still invisible, she leaped into a tree, her boots making nary a sound on the branch she stood upon, climbing the tree swiftly and sitting down high enough off the ground that she could see him running around on the ground below her. She smirked and leaned back against the tree to wait until he gave up, taunting him by throwing her voice.
"Too slow, Rayflo... I thought you said you still had it." She called.
"Not my fault, you cheat." He replied.
"Oh, I do not. Besides, it's more fun when you can't see me." She laughed, the sound echoing off the trees. She watched him lean against her tree, rubbing the sweat from his forehead.
"Just makes it harder."
"Of course it does. But it makes your other senses try harder to find me." He looked up.
"Or, I could know exactly where you are." He smirked, his eyes meeting her invisible ones. With a cry, she did a back flip from the tree, hitting the ground with enough force to crater the ground beneath her feet, coming back into his sight again.
"Touche, Rayflo." She said, sitting in her crater, letting the sting in her legs go away before she moved again. "I guess I can't call you old anymore, huh?"
"Heh. I know you better than that, Shada. You'll do it anyway." She grinned.
"Of course, I know it irritates you, just like you say lewd things to me because you know it gets on my nerves." She smirked at him. "I remember." He looked mildly surprised.
"I'll bet." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her again. She stood up, and brushed as much mud from her as she could.
"Well, I'm nice and wet now.... and muddy. What do you say we go home and get cleaned up?" By the way he was smiling at her, as well as the glint in his eyes, she knew what he was thinking. "Don't say it...."
"Say what, Shada? I think you're paranoid. I was just going to agree with you." He said innocently.
"Sure you were, and I'm a fairy." She replied, smirking. Inside, she was surprised they were getting along like this.... she hadn't thought she could have such a good time with him... and he hadn't been himself... well, at least all the way, like he had been. She liked the change, which surprised her to a degree.
"Y'know, you're pretty big for a fairy, Shada."
"Shut up, you." She stuck out her serpent-like tongue; it slithered from between her lips to flick at him before she sucked it back into her mouth.
"I'm just kidding. C'mon, we could both use a change of clothes." He said, gesturing to her. She went to him, and even allowed him to place his hand on her back, guiding her back toward the car. She was surprised at her actions, and quickly made up her mind to put as much distance between them as possible. Something just wasn't right, she could feel it.
"I hate to say this.. but I think there's something wrong with the car. Ordinarily that's what I'd say to get into your pants, since we're alone like this, but... I'm actually serious." Rayflo had gotten the car out onto the road, where it had promptly died. At the moment, he was standing outside the car in front of the open door, telling her about it. Frowning, Shada quirked her lips at him.
"Really? Maybe I could take a look at it." She said, starting to open the door.
"Nah, it's okay." He said, stopping her.
"Are you sure? I've had some experience..."
"It's cool, I just need to do something to it and it should work fine again." She frowned but nodded.
"All right." He closed his door again and went around to the front of the car again, hidden by the raised hood. A soft 'dammit!' came from the front of the car a short time later, that had her getting out of the car.
"Rayflo... are you okay?" She asked, appearing at his side.
"I'm fine... this piece of shit isn't going to run." He grumbled. "All the part stores are closed, so it looks like we're walking back." Oh no they weren't. Shada shook her head.
"I know how to get back to the Manor." She said.
"You do? What do you have a car hidden somewhere?" She shook her head.
"No, but this will be faster." She told him.
"...At this point, I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, I have an ability that will get us back there faster than a car could ever go."
"I'm listening..."
"It's called Tracing. Basically like teleporting, or dematerializing, but less stressful on my body." She explained.
"....I don't know what to say to that." Rayflo said. She sighed under her breath and walked over to him.
"Then don't say anything, and let me do what I need to do. We can come back for the car tomorrow, when the rain stops. It's not going to hurt or anything, I've been using it to get around places since I was Turned. Just trust me." She said. He started to say something, but she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, which effectively silenced him and began thinking about the Manor. Immediately, she felt the familiar drop into weightlessness before the ground seemed to appear beneath their feet again.
Rayflo landed hard, which was interesting since they hadn't flown or anything--she wished she could, but Baninae weren't meant for flying. She stepped away from him when they appeared in the driveway of the Manor, arms clutching her stomach. Something didn't feel right... it was as if she were going to explode or something akin to it.
"You okay?" She asked him, her green eyes a putrid orange color as she looked over at him. He looked a little nauseous, but he nodded and swallowed hard.
"Are you?" She shook her head violently, groaning. She was hurting something fierce and didn't know why.
Suddenly she felt nothing, empty.... as if she were being covered in an heavy, airless blanket, suffocating but not. Oddly enough, she recognized the feeling, as she gave into the strange feeling, her body started to change. She knew it was changing, but didn't stop it, giving herself over to the sensation.
On the outside, as Rayflo watched, Shada became something else entirely. Her hair started to bleed until it was white and horns curled over the back of her head. Her body seemed stretch a little bit, her muscles visibly corded beneath her flesh. Great wings stretched from the flesh on her back, arching upwards as they grew, wrapping around her body to shade his view of the rest.
When it was over, the great wings opened and Shada looked completely like a demon. A hot demon, but a demon nonetheless.
"Well hello there, Rayflo Amoro... it's been a long time, hasn't it?" The woman before him cackled, golden eyes giving him the once over.
"Okay.. what the Hell? Who are you? Not Shada, obviously..."
"Oh! A smart one! Finally, someone who has enough sense to know that I'm not Shada!" The woman cackled again, stretching her lithe body this way and that. Oddly enough, Rayflo had no desire to say anything about how she looked, which was against his usual nature.
"Okay, so you're not Shada. Then what the Hell do you want?" He snapped. She snorted and studied her claws.
"What in the Mother's name makes you think I want something from you?" She shot back, one white eyebrow raised in challenge.
"Look, you're on my property so you'll do as I say. And I want you to tell me just what you want this instant."
"Touchy, touchy. Look, Rayflo, I'm only out to show you that I exist. You can get pissy and attack me, but you won't like it, and neither will Shada. So, just play nicey nice with me for a little bit and I'll give you back your girlfriend." Rayflo blanched but did nothing but frown.
"She isn't my girlfriend."
"Riiight, and I'm an elf. Okay, so you two aren't together, so what? Eventually one of you is going to get the thought in your mind and it'll happen. Trust me, I know. But just remember, I share this body with her, and I won't hesitate to come back out and whip your scrawny, undead ass, okay? Let's not hurt Shada.. it's bad for your health."
"Oh, so you're threatening me now?"
"Threat? Never. Just a friendly 'fyi' kind of deal." She smirked at him. Okay, so now he was really irritated. Enough to draw one of his daggers on her, appearing just behind her, the blade pressing against her throat.
"I'm only going to say this once, so you'd better listen up real good. You are going to go back from whatever Hell you climbed out of and leave me and all the people that live here alone, and that includes Shada. Because if you don't," He pressed the blade harder into her flesh. "I will be forced to eradicate you myself, and I don't think you want that." She laughed, the sound starting low in her chest.
"Oh, Rayflo, you're just as headstrong as I remember you....." She Traced from his grip since he hadn't really been holding on to her in the first place, only to stand in front of him again. "However, I'll let you in on a little secret.... your threats are idle, really. I can't go back to Hell unless Shada does as well. We share this body. We are one in this body. With that being said.... you can go ahead and threaten me all you want, in the end, you couldn't bring yourself to kill me, not when Shada's soul and mine are twined like they are. You kill me, you kill her." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him again. "But, my soul sister is awakening, so I must bid you adieu for now. Chances are you'll be seeing a lot of me..." All at once, every single one of the demonic characteristics Rayflo had watched Shada gain just dissolved, changing the woman back into her Wolf form. Her eyes immediately rolled back and she toppled over, unconscious from the magickal strain of Liir's take over of their body.
"What the-- Oh dammit..." Rayflo moved quickly, catching her before she hit the ground. "Damn... this isn't the time for you to be passed out, Shada." He muttered to himself. Her long, black eyelashes fluttered for a moment before her green eyes opened, fixing him with a confused look.
"What happened, did I pass out?"
"...You could say that." He lifted her off her feet and headed for the front door, concern creasing his face. Her brows furrowed.
"What is it? What happened?" She asked him, her eyes turning a pale blue.
"We'll talk about it upstairs. I want to make sure you're okay first, if you don't mind." He grit out. She quieted until he took her upstairs and put her in her bed. He laid her down gently, sitting on the edge of it beside her. She could sense his mood, and his aura had changed from it's usual color. But she didn't have the heart to ask.
"Shada.... do you..do you know that you have another..." He stopped as if he didn't know how to continue.
"Another...? She was confused for a moment. "Oh... you mean Liir? Aye, I know I share a body with her. How did you know?"
"Because, Shada, she showed herself to me." Shada frowned.
"She did?" Liir had never done that before, in all the time they'd had on this Plane. Shada only knew she'd had her own form since before she was Turned, during the initiation into the Harpies. But this? This confused the Hell out of her.
Instead of leaving her there, however, Rayflo sat on the edge of the bed, posted as if he wasn't going to leave. She smiled lightly at him and lay back against her pillows.
"You know, Rayflo, you don't have to stay with me, I'll be fine." She told him.
"Forget it, Missy. I'm going to stay in here until I know you're okay. So stop trying to push me out." Blanching slightly, Shada nodded, watching him through slightly pink eyes. "Now, with that being said... are you hungry?"
"A little." No, she was ravenous. But she didn't tell him that.
"All right, just lay here and I'll be back with something to eat." He left her, and a few moments later, Shada was sound asleep, one of her paws propped under her cheek.
