by rahma » Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:03 pm
Elizabeth Rose - Feeling: agitated - Tagged: none - Location: on Cherry Street by the carriages - Human
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Mr. Felton Hayes lifted her out of the carriage, giving her a handsome smile as Elizabeth alighted on the ground gracefully. Her dress, a deep burgundy, nearly swept the smooth stone street before she plucked it up with a deft hand. "We arrive at last, Miss Rose," Hayes declared warmly, as the two began to walk to the large house at the end of the street of arriving horses and cabs. "So we do," she replied. It was Hayes' house, a grand, illustrious thing, and nothing perhaps suited it as well as flocks of pampered gentlemen and ladies gathering to speak of gossip and the infernal matters of Miss that and Mister this. Hayes himself was a young man, in his late 20s, the sole son and thus heir of the estate and all that his father had to his name. This nighttime dance, Elizabeth had observed, was yet another thinly veiled attempt of getting him a suitable wife - though of course his parents already had someone in mind. Why was she here then? Well, there was nothing better to satiate the boredom of a night, of course. And, on a more ornamentation note, to placate her uncle and aunt for their own thoughts of marriage.
Hayes, in any case, was guiding her inside, where a servant held the door open. Entering a spacious and impressively ornamented entrance hall, he immediately removed his hat and cane and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid, my dear Elizabeth, I must depart from your side for a few minutes upon to pacify my father. He must think I have avoided another of his social gatherings again, but I must let him know that a lovely young lady has joined me, and I would not miss it for the world." "You speak wisely, Mr. Hayes," Elizabeth said and gave him a small, composed smile. "Very well then, I will be away in the parlor."
Briefly watching the man rush up the grand staircase, she shook her head and sighed as she followed the small throng of people gathering in the entrance hall and parlor. If he was to marry anyone, she thought, he would have to do better than to leave a lady in front of the door. Her thoughts away, it was only until she had just stepped into the parlor that she realized that one of her earrings had fallen out. Suddenly her heart beating rapidly, she cursed herself inwardly for being so careless. She pushed hurriedly outside, to the entrance hall, and into the street, breathless, but poised. Glancing down the street, it almost seemed hopeless to find the small piece of jewelry among the growing crowd. Truthfully, it was not worth much at all, but it held a meaning for her that she - stupidly or not - clung to.
Alexander Rose - Feeling: exhausted, wary - Tagged: none - Location: East End, Blue's tavern - Dhampir
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Alexander's black frock coat fluttered in the wind as he soared through the alley, all too keenly aware of the loud footsteps sounding behind him. Not for the first time in his life he wished that he could just melt into the shadows and disappear. Unfortunately, that was not the case. "You wish you'd never set foot here half-blood brat - just wait 'till I get my hands around your scrawny neck!" came the threat from the man cursing at him from behind just as the looming shadow of the end of the alley overtook them. Alec spun around, his pose defensive as the man slowed to a stop a few feet in front of him and grinned. Standing out from the smears of dirt and grime was the shining white of two long fangs, and a tongue that snaked over them hungrily. A sick pang resonated through Alexander's stomach and he bit his lip. This was his fault, waiting a month without touching a drop of human blood. All it had taken for him to up and bolt from the orphanage at the end of his shift was a child's skinned knee - Miriam, the frail little girl - and he wound in the the place he was perhaps least welcome at night - East End. On any other day he could navigate the streets of the London Underworld with his eyes closed. But with his head beginning to burn up and spasms wreaking havoc through his body, all he could do was grimace as the vampire advanced, and pray that he was a talkative one.
"You know, I've got a bunch of folks back at the nest that would love to sample some dhampir," the vampire said. Five feet. "And boom, huh-zah! I'm a lucky one, aren't I? A dumb half-blood like you runs straight into my night-time stroll, and just in time for dinner too." Three feet. "I heard you halfies' blood is delectable. Heaven in a dead body. I can smell the aroma already from that beating I gave you. And so rare too. A pity your life is just going to end -" Alexander's right hand whipped out of his coat pocket. Within seconds it was over. The vampire, stopped mid speech, moved his eyes down to meet Alec's. Then they glazed over. Trembling, the dhampir shoved the dead vampire's corpse away. His hand was slick and dark with the blood that oozed from the oak stake he had shoved into the vampire's heart, and though the smell was nothing compared to a human's, the sight of him made him even sicker. Alexander lurched away, slipping off his coat to wrap his bloodied hands. Not that it did much - the white shirt underneath was also stained from the reported beating the vampire had given him earlier. A long scratch down his cheek, just mending, and a patch of red and healing blue on his left ribcage. The cold night breeze whistled down the street as he staggered slowly out of the alley and onto the main road, exhausted. Not only did his hunger cloud his judgement, but his healing seemed to be delayed as well. This is turning out to be a wonderful night, he thought with dry humor. It took a few minutes of limping slowly down the muddy street before he caught sight of a familiar sign - long broken - and let himself through the ratchety door.
The common room was half full of people - some supernatural, some human all clustered around a newspaper - and Alexander made his way to a quiet corner of the room to sit, smiling weakly and shaking his head as the waitress - Nellie - offered him beer. "Just water for now, thank you," he said. "And a hot meal," Nellie replied, her eyes observing his tattered state. The water and meal came, but his head still swam, and his wounds still stung incredibly. Just then, the door slammed open, and a band of young men swaggered in, dressed in finery enough to be going to a dance. The apparent leader looked arrogantly at the center group - for all their swagger, Alexander went unnoticed - and smirked. They strode forward, and he declared loudly, "Discussing the murders? Well I say the murderer, whoever he is, is as weak as a little girl. Sporadic attacks on young women? Don't you think he should step it up a bit, boys?" A chorus of ayes. Alexander looked at them warily, praying the scent of human food was enough to ward off any scent of his blood. Blue's Tavern had been a safe spot before, but it seemed that way no longer. He could take on a single absentminded vampire, but when it came to an entire flock in his current state... Whatever happened, there was just bound to be more trouble.
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