Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 23:17:03 GMT -5
Finishing his meal a bit before Jean, Red went through the places in his head that he wanted to show Jean. Not many people wanted a tour of such a nasty place as this. He understood that Jean had never been here before, so he would try to make the place a bit more interesting then it really was.
While Jean finished he ran back upstairs and gathered his weapon. Placing the sheath around his back once again, he found Jean finished by the time they had returned. When she asked him about where they were going first, Red simply said, "You'll see." This was going to be a great way for him to explain more about this place and how it ran.
Upon entering the outdoors, Red began his explanation the moment they stepped foot on the pathway. "All of the streets in the slums are connected. You'll find that there aren't really any roads in the slums. The royal family wants nothing to do with the slums. Because of that the roads that once were are broken up by vegetation and such."
As he spoke he indicated the grass that sprouted from cracks in the road. Continuing the walk they passed many broken homes. "The slums are over crowded. There aren't enough homes for all the people here. Because of that half the people live in tents. The children are practically left to run wild."
While he explained, children ran past them. Red could spot some tents outside homes. Here in the slums property wasn't final. You might find yourself in a house one day, a tent the next. "The homes, the gangs, everything is controlled by Tarren. No one lives in a home and expects to stay there, unless they pay homage to Tarren."
Furthering the tour, Red passed a warehouse. It was a strange building guarded off by a fence and had three men standing at the entrance. "This is Tarren's armory. Every weapon, every item, is stored in there. One would be a fool to try and break in." Not liking the feeling of the place, Red quickened the pace that he was walking until the warehouse was in the distance.
He passed more homes and even more buildings. Every so often they passed by a street vendor who showed off his wares. "Every merchant pays tax to Tarren. Tarren himself was a merchant before he became the lord of this place. He controls all the merchants. Anyone who steals from the merchant disappears the next day."
In all honesty the slums was not a cheerful place. In addition every so often they would come to a shady place where a person, like Ogre, would appear and demand money from them. However as soon as they spotted Red they would let them pass. "Seems Ogre has let the other pickpocket groups know that I have a free ride." He said with a light hearted smile.
At long last Red's destination came into sight. He paused in front of an empty plot of land. Grass and weeds ran wild here, and a fence patrolled the perimeter, suggesting that some sort of building had once stood here. "This is it. This is the place where I grew up." Red said. This had been his only real destination in the tour. He had planned on taking a different route back to show the other side of the Tarren's district of the slums, but the one place he really wanted to come to was here.
Oddly enough, no tears came to his eyes as he starred at it. In fact it was almost as if this is just what he needed. Standing here, he was able to finally move on from what had happened more than a year ago. "I'm sorry mom." He spoke not to Jean, but to Big Mama. It didn't matter if she couldn't hear him or not, he had to say it regardless.
Taking a big breath, Red was ready to turn away. "You ready to see the other side of the slums?" He asked.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 27, 2011 0:50:42 GMT -5
Jean knew they were in the slums of this world. That it might not be all that different from Gaia's slums but it was something to do. Once she was done, Red was ready to go. Following him outside onto the path, she heard what he said. All of the streets were connected to one another and there were no roads save for the old and broken down ones taken over by time. Jean nodded to confirm that she had heard him as they continued onward.
As they went, her eyes passed over many broken down homes and even some tents. Homes weren't a permanent thing here and she could see why. People were probably forced out of their homes by this Tarren guy. Not unless they paid him would he let them stay. Children were left to run around wild. It was in more of a disarray than Gaia had been.
Her mind almost forgot the girl from last night as she followed Red around, taking the tour. Once they came upon a warehouse, guarded by three men, Jean looked up at it curiously. When Red explained that it was an armory of Tarren's she now knew why it was being guarded. Not keeping her gaze on the guards for long, so as to avoid suspicion, Jean eventually followed Red's lead. "That was...friendly." Of course, she was being sarcastic about the guards guarding the warehouse.
When they passed a vendor, Jean paused in her tracks for a second. She had seen a hint of movement and almost thought she imagined seeing short teal green hair. Shaking the thought out of her mind, Jean continued following Red before he grew suspicious of something being wrong. 'I probably didn't get enough sleep last night!' she thought. According to Red, if anyone stole from a merchant, they were never seen again. Luckily for Red and Jean, Jean wasn't a thief.
"Looks like we won't have to worry about that then. I've no such intentions." No sooner had they left the merchant behind, they came across some groups like Ogre's. Realizing who Red was, they would allow them through. Hearing what Red said, she smiled a little. It was a lucky thing otherwise they would've had to pay their whole tour. "Good thing he did."
Finally, they came upon a bare plot of land. A fence running the border suggested some kind of structure had once stood here. She looked over at Red when he confessed this was where he had grown up. Here was where his home had been, the one that had been burned to the ground. Jean took her gaze off of Red and looked out at the patch of land. She knew Red wasn't speaking to her when he uttered that apology. It had to be to Big Mama.
Out of respect to Red's deceased family, Jean had a moment of silence. Only when Red broke it did she take it as the okay to speak. "Sure thing." Little did Jean know that the girl from the night before was down that end of the slums.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2011 1:14:39 GMT -5
During the tour, Red had not noticed any signs of the girl from last night. This could possibly be blamed on the fact that he had no idea what this girl looked like, besides the fact that she had odd cat like eyes. After all he had slept through the entire thing. He did know that they were going into danger, but not from any strange girls.
The other side of the slums was where Tarren and his higher up stayed. In fact as he headed that way, Red noticed that there weren't as many people walking the streets. People they did pass starred at them as if they were out of place. Indeed unless you were a member of Tarren's gang you did not belong here.
However Red wanted to show Jean. "We can't go too far on this side of the slums." He informed Jean. "This is where the majority of Tarren's officers stay." In fact, he would have put money on the chance of someone following them.
The houses here on the other side of the slums were still run down, but it was obvious there were attempts to fix them. Not only that but Red spotted no children as they walked. There were no tents outside the house, and every so often Red spotted someone simply standing at a corner watching people go by.
"Tarren's guards." He indicated to Jean as they passed one. He came to a stop when he spotted the building he was looking for. It was a four story building with two men dressed in black at the entrance. "This is Tarren's head quarters. He lives here. We'll be coming back here when we meet Tarren." That was all that was left of the tour. Red wanted nothing more then to get out of this side of the slums. Because if they ran into any danger, it would be here.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 27, 2011 1:51:23 GMT -5
It probably wasn't danger with the strange girl they would most likely face as they headed into the other end of the slums. Here, Jean could feel almost all eyes watching them. It were as if they were out of place in here. Jean paid it no mind but did keep a careful eye peeled just in case. Hearing what Red said, she could feel that their presence wasn't exactly welcomed. In fact, it felt like they were being watched closely to make sure the pair of them weren't up to something.
"Okay, didn't plan on looking at every nook and cranny." She didn't need gangsters thinking they were up to anything. Especially if it were here where they would need to go find information from. Best not to cause trouble where it wasn't needed. The tension in the air was thick. Not even a tent or a child walked the streets. This was clearly the rougher side of the slums.
When they paused at a four story building, Jean looked up at it. It was huge. Glancing at the figure that Red had mentioned, Jean was careful to not let her gaze stay on them for long. "Hm, well, guess this concludes our tour huh?" she inquired. She didn't like the feel of the place either. It reminded her almost of what it was like when you knew the enemy was nearby. It almost made one's skin crawl.
As she turned around, she saw the girl with the short teal green hair again. Blinking in surprise, she watched as the girl simply strode down the other end away from the four story building. Nudging Red's shoulder, she indicated the girl's retreating back. "Look, Red! That's the girl from the night before! The one with the strange pupils." Who else here had teal green, short hair? Like the night before, her skin was rather pale yet she didn't even appear to be sick.
Swiveling on the spot, the girl faced where Jean and Red were. There was a brief instance where she looked at them puzzled before a spark of realization hit her. Unlike the night before, her pupils were like any other human's. Even the reddish edge to her purple irises were gone. Looking about the area wildly, the girl turned away from them and sped off at an alarming rate. "Hey!" Jean called out after her before pursuing her.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2011 2:15:33 GMT -5
Red was prepared to go back to the inn. Things took a turn though when Jean pointed out a girl with green hair. Gazing at her, Red did realize that she was out of place. First of all very few people had green colored hair. Not only that but the majority of people here wouldn't be able to afford dye for their hair. That sort of thing was left for the rich to do. It was considered silly.
Watching her, Red's hand went to his weapon. He didn't know if she was an enemy or not, but it was better to be prepared for anything. Jean seemed alarmed, so Red was on edge about the whole thing. His eyes never left as she suddenly turned around.
As a puzzling look crossed the stranger's face, Red gazed into her eyes. She had regular eyes, not the kind Jean had said in her description. Hand lowering from the blade, Red felt foolish. "Must not be the right person." He thought to himself. It wasn't the first time that Red had over reacted about something, and it wouldn't be the last.
Things took a turn though when realization crossed the stranger's face. Before Red knew what was happening the girl was sprinting off away from them. His first reaction was to just let the girl go. What was the point in chasing someone? After all Jean had said that the man was getting what he deserved. Those kinds of words were used often in the slums.
Before Red could say anything though, Jean sprinted off after her. Red was not as fast as Jean. Not only that but she had a head start on him. "Wait up!" He called out, pumping his legs as fast as he could. He followed Jean trying his best to keep her within eyesight. He couldn't run side by side, but he would be damned if he let her out of eyesight.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 27, 2011 16:36:45 GMT -5
Jean wasn't chasing the girl just because of what had happened to those men last night. That wasn't at all her intention. What she wanted to know was what that girl was. No human ran around with pupils like that and she was certain this was the same girl. Unlike Red, she wasn't going to be deterred. Thus, when the girl had taken off, Jean followed in hot pursuit.
Annalese knew why the elder woman was chasing her. It had been because she had noticed her inhuman characteristics. Still, she hadn't done anything wrong except make those guys pay for what they did to that lady. People tended to not understand when they found out what she was. This lady might not be any different than those before. Some even tried to kill her, luckily for her their methods never worked.
Jean ran as fast as she could. Outside of her fighting techniques, her speed though it be much swifter, wasn't too fast for Red to not be able to keep her in his sight. She realized it might've been a stupid move to run off like she did when she didn't even know the slums well enough but she wasn't going to let that girl get away. She wanted some answers. Where Jean came from, the only other beings that had intelligence like a human's or beyond were those lion-wolf species. She didn't think it normal for people to have cat-slitted pupils.
She heard Red but she couldn't let that girl go. The pair rounded a corner into a narrow street. It came out into a bit of a clearing. Jean reached it and skidded to a halt. Where did she go? Annalese wasn't anywhere where Jean could see her but if someone were to turn around, they would see her sitting on the wall. Like literally, sitting vertically on the wall as if gravity didn't matter. Just watching Jean look around for her. 'Why is this one so persistent?' she wondered.
Red could catch up with Jean now if they hadn't outrun him. Jean shouldn't have gotten too far from Red to begin with.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2011 18:14:03 GMT -5
Red lost sight of the girl with the short green hair, but he kept his eye on Jean. As he ran he spotted some of the corner guards frowning. This wasn't such a good idea. Red could only wonder how long they had until one of those corner guards decided that they didn't belong here. Having lived here, Red knew that if one of the guards decided to get rid of them, they wouldn't stop until either they or he was dead.
All Red could hope for was that Jean would catch up to her in time. Watching Jean round a corner, he swore aloud. Great! Just great! What if the enemy made another turn? Jean would probably follow, and Red would be left with not knowing where he should go. "I really hope that girl is worth all of this." He thought.
At last coming around the bend, Red froze. Unlike Jean, he could see exactly where the odd girl was. Red turned his head to the right as he gazed at the wall. How in the world did she defy gravity? Well he wasn't going to let her just stay there. Red pulled on the darkness around him. He pulled on a clueless Jean and on the other girl if she had any darkness in her heart, and that of his own weapon. The dark energy that formed in his held out palm fired like a bullet towards the girl.
Red didn't know if the energy had hit the girl or not. He did hear the loud boom as smoke from the crash into the wall swept up around where the girl had been. Either way smoke covered the area as bricks fell from where he hit the wall. Perhaps that hadn't been the best of ideas. Indeed the sound of the explosion it caused was loud and Red could hear running footsteps not to far away. "That would be the guard." He said to himself. As the smoke fell and clouded the street he stood on he began to search for Jean.
"Where are you Jean?!
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 28, 2011 1:14:48 GMT -5
Jean didn't see the girl just yet. Deciding she must've lost her, Jean turned around to where she knew Red had to be. As she did so, she spotted the girl now literally sitting on the wall vertically as if gravity couldn't touch her. Like Red, Jean froze seeing her sitting there as if nothing were wrong. The girl just peered back at her calmly, not making any moves. Was she just going to sit there? Jean didn't know but Red seemed to have something else in mind.
Either what the girl was doing had crept him out or he was thinking she were the enemy, he sprung into action. Gathering up energy in his hand, he fired something at the girl. The impact caused smoke to billow all over the place. The noise it made had been very loud. It wouldn't be a surprise to her if trouble was now on its way in the form of Tarren's guards.
Annalese's attention went from the girl to the boy. She didn't think he would've managed to catch up. Seeing him look right at her, she momentarily froze. 'Oopsie!' she thought. Then, a sort of strange feeling to the air began to grow at an alarming rate. Something was about to come her way and looking at the boy, she wondered if he were causing it. Her senses were telling her to move. Getting up, she did and just narrowly avoided getting shot into the wall by some unseen force.
Smoke clouded the area and she coughed, falling off the wall and landing on her knees. "Why-?!" she coughed "-go and-" she coughed again "-do a thing like that?!" He had caught her off guard pretty good. She didn't think a human could produce such extreme energy like that. Now, her purple eyes were watery from the smoke in the air, her lungs irritated. Of course, that wasn't going to kill her but it certainly wasn't an enjoyable thing for her either.
In the smoke, she could hear the boy calling out to the elder woman. Jean apparently was the light blue haired girl's name. "Meanie!" she snarled through the smoke only to cough even more.
Jean covered her eyes as the smoke cloud overcame them all. Coughing, she squinted around for Red as he called out to her. "I'm over here!" she called. The momentary call made her splutter a bit. Since his voice sounded like it was somewhere in front of her, she started moving in that direction. As she did so, she heard the other girl coughing up a storm too. She even went as far as calling Red a meanie and ask him why he went and did such a thing like that.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 1:31:54 GMT -5
Red had acted on impulse. He had seen the target and had simply fired. Thankfully for Red, he wore the black gloves on his hands. He never went anywhere without his gloves or medical tape around his skeleton hand and arm. Holding his right hand over his mouth to prevent the smoke from entering, he headed towards Jean's voice.
He ignored the comments of the strange girl who Jean had been chasing. Maybe she would take this opportunity to vanish. Walking through the smoke, Jean's figure came into view. At least he thought it was hers. It was hard to see with all this smoke. "Jean!" He exclaimed.
However as he walked up to her he realized that the figure he had spotted was not Jean. It was the girl he had shot at. Automatically his arm reached for the hilt of his weapon. "Your not Jean!" He accused. He still kept his right arm over his mouth as he talked. He turned his body though in a defensive position. Was a fight about to break out?
The question was never answered because as soon as Red had moved into a defensive position, a large wind blew from the entrance. The wind was strong enough to blow the cloud of dust and smoke down the street. Red found himself starring at Annaliese. However his eye's didn't stay on her long because he heard footsteps.
Turning around, but still keeping his hand on his weapon, Red found himself facing a man dressed in ripped jeans and an open vest. He held a large halberd on his shoulder. "Causing a ruckus in Tarren's district is a no no. I would hope you people would no better."
Spotting Jean not to far from him, Red looked to her. Should they fight? Or make a run for it? Red was up for either.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 28, 2011 3:21:49 GMT -5
Annalese rubbed her eyes to rid them of the debris. When she managed to clear her vision, she found herself looking at someone's legs. Blinking, she looked up at the sound of the owner's voice. It had been the young guy who had shot some sort of attack at her earlier. "Of course I'm not Jean! I'm Annalese!" she retorted, her remark snide. She frowned up at him, her arms folded. "What kind of gentleman are you anyway?! Throwing random energy bombs at girls!" she grumbled at him. Annalese was mad at him but she wasn't about to attack him.
Inherently, she wasn't evil but she wasn't the safest person to be around either. At least, not in Red's case since her food source was his gender's blood. Luckily for him though she had already fed. So, for now, he was fine.
Jean could hear Red and the girl talking. Apparently, her name was Annalese. Heading in their direction, it didn't take long before a sudden wind picked up and blew away the smoke. Blinking, after having covered her eyes, she saw the area was clear. Red was standing before the strange girl looking at some guy that arrived on the scene with a halberd. Hearing what he said, it was clear they were in more trouble now.
Annalese got to her feet then as she looked back at the human with a halberd. The whole incident with Red and Jean was completely forgotten. "...Now...how did I get here?" she said aloud, not even caring about what the guy had said to them. Annalese had a habit where she didn't often fear humans. She did peer back at him questioningly. "That guy needs new jeans!" she stated quite randomly.
Why Annalese's demeanor seemed to have changed can only be explained by the fact that she suffered from attention deficit disorder. It was hard to keep her attention focused on one thing for a long period of time.
Jean looked back at Red and gestured for him to get moving. Get moving as in run for it. Fighting one of Tarren's men wouldn't be a smart move. They needed Tarren to talk. If they harmed one of his people, he wouldn't be pleased and would be much harder to get information out of. "Please excuse us, it was an accident...we're new, you see!" Jean tried to smooth it over a bit. That and she was stalling for some time before they would run.
Annalese looked back over at Jean and thought about it. Was she new? Well, she never came here before so she guessed she was new then. "Never been here before!" she added, nodding to show that she agreed with Jean on the subject. Not really registering that Jean was merely stalling for time and not really thinking that the gangster would believe them.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 14:23:52 GMT -5
Trying to keep up with Annalese was like trying to catch a rabbit. Whenever Red thought he had grasped what she said, she changed changed the subject. "What was up with that?!" He thought to himself.
There wasn't much time to focus on Annalese though. Not when a very dangerous man stood right in front of them. Jean had the right line of thinking. Engaging in a battle wouldn't accomplish anything. In fact, it would mess things up. If Red wanted answers from Tarren, killing one of his guards was not the way to do it.
As Jean tried to talk sense into the guard, Red understood her gesture. Trying to not draw attention to himself, he slowly walked backwards. His eyes never left the man with the halberd. Red knew better to turn away from the enemy. Tarren's guards were serious about their jobs. If one made a mess they were held responsible. So it was only natural that wrath would come down on the ones who actually made the mess.
"New or not... Doesn't matter to me. You caused a mess, now I have to clean it up. Be happy I only plan on maiming you." The man's arm tensed as he prepared to swing his halberd off his shoulder.
Reading the man's posture, Red reacted without thinking. His sword was drawn before the enemy could even swing his. Slashing in the air, flames danced off of his blade and took the shape of humanoid figures. These flaming figures charged towards the man. Red didn't have any hope that the attack would do any major damage. His purpose was distraction.
"Run!" Red shouted. Following his own advice, he sprinted down the street. The sound of a rushing wind behind him, told Red that the guard had gotten rid of the dancing flames. As he ran, Red took a chance to take a look behind him. His eyes found the guard running after them.
"Wonderful... just wonderful." Thankfully Red remembered enough of this district that he knew how to get back to the other side of the slums. He took a right when he came to the end of the street. The street they entered was one of the larger streets. Despite the fact that they were running away from a guard, none of the other guards they passed made an attempt to halt them.
Red knew that the man with the halberd wouldn't be able to run as fast as they were. Not with that giant weapon on his back. It would slow him down. Sure enough as Red took the chance to glance back once more, the guard was further in the distance. After running for about three more blocks, Red took a left. He slowed down as he entered the other side of the slums. They had lost the guard as well.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 28, 2011 15:50:07 GMT -5
Annalese was definitely different. The random things she focused on were confusing. She didn't even appear to really notice the danger they were in at the moment. She wasn't stupid, it's just Annalese didn't see a reason to be scared of a mortal. Her attention span was horrible too so it only made her twice as strange. Just wait until they discovered what she was.
Jean focused on the man with the giant halberd as she let Red slowly back away first. She was serving as the temporary distraction. Stalling for time to give the younger ones so they could run away. Well, if Annalese was as young as she had seemed that is. Jean would keep his eyes on her for now before they would all make a run for it. As he spoke to her, she stayed put.
"We're all very sorry she stated, backing away finally. "But we won't let you maim us today!" with that said, Jean watched as Red summoned up strange fire creatures again. They had to be coming from his sword. It was the only thing that she thought could be conjuring them. Unless Red's arm did? The sword itself had to have more power to it than that. Hearing what Red said, she didn't take any more telling as she took off at a full out run.
Annalese looked between Jean and Red as they started to take off. Realizing she was the only one getting left behind, she turned and ran after them. "Hey! W-Wait for me!" she exclaimed, taking off after them. It didn't take long for her to catch up with them though. There wasn't anything normal about her. It would've taken a human quite a bit to even manage to catch up to Jean and Red like that. Yet, here she was somehow.
Jean snuck a glance back and saw the guard chasing after them. Hopefully, he wouldn't remember what they looked like. It wouldn't be good for this to get reported back to Tarren and ruin their chances of getting the information that Red wanted. It was hard to think that earlier today, they had just been trying to enjoy a tour and then this all happened. As she ran, she noticed the teal green haired girl running with them. Well, she wasn't an enemy at the very least. It wouldn't help having to fight her off too.
Still, if anything, she was somewhat annoying. Out of all thing she could've noticed about the guard she had to point out that he needed new jeans. Normal people would've been intimidated by his appearance. Just what was she?
"Legs, don't fail me now!" Jean said to herself, breathing hard. Running for an extended period of time like this was taxing. By the time they got outside of Tarren's section of the slums, they had left the guard far behind. Slowing to a stop, Jean leaned on her knees to catch her breath. She was fast but when normally not using her techniques, she certainly felt the burn in the lungs. "Did we...lose him?" she asked Red as he caught up.
Annalese skidded to a halt finally too, breathing as she glanced over her shoulder. "Heh, slowpoke!"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 18:24:33 GMT -5
As Jean appeared on the scene, Red was slowly calming his breath. He was a bit winded, but adrenaline had pumped his legs fast enough so that he could get away. When Jean asked about whether or not they had lost their purser, Red found himself thinking the same thing. "I don't know. But it would be best if we didn't wait to find out."
With that in mind, he began his walk back towards the inn. Every so often his eye would go to Annalese. The man who been chasing them was all but forgotten in Red's mind. Right now he wanted to know who this girl was and why she was causing them trouble.
Red waited until they took a turn down a smaller street before sprouting into action. He had slowed down his footsteps just enough so that Annalese was within distance of him. Hopefully Red would have two things going for him when he made his move. The first would be the intent of surprise, which was executed when Red suddenly pivoted on his back foot. He had not once returned his weapon to its sheath and there was a very specific reason for that. Pivoting on his foot he spun, left arm moving the blade with the quick spin. He spun his sword slashing towards Annalese's neck. However before the blade could continue it's course he stopped two inches away.
His eyes had nothing but seriousness in them. "Who the hell are you?"
------------------------------------------
Ogre waited in front of the building that Red and Jean had been standing in front of just a short while ago. He was dressed in his casual gear and in his right hand held a pouch of money. It was the tax he owed Tarren. Taking a deep breath he brought up his courage and began to walk along the pathway that led to Tarren's Head Quarters.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 28, 2011 21:04:53 GMT -5
Jean breathed for a moment as they stopped. If she didn't, her lungs would surely cause her to drop to her knees. After she had asked Red that question, she looked back from whence they came. She couldn't see anyone just yet but she didn't think they were rid of him too soon either. If he was relentless, they wouldn't be seeing the end of him. Hopefully he decided it wasn't worth his time to chase them down. It would make life a little easier on their part.
Straightening up, she turned toward Red. The teal haired girl had followed them out of there. Obviously, she too understood that she had to run from that situation. Now, to figure out what the hell she was. That girl wasn't human. Red and her had clearly seen that today with how she had sat vertically on the wall as if gravity didn't exist.
Once everything seemed to be settled, Red had turned on the girl. Annalese stiffened up a little when a sword was suddenly held near her throat. Her pupils became slitted in her alarm as she looked back at Red. It was obvious by the light of his eyes that he was serious right now. There was no way of talking herself out of the situation. Just answer his questions it seemed. When he asked who she was, Annalese blinked. Calming down slightly, she wondered if it would even be safe to tell him.
"I already told you my name is Annalese! I am Annalese Veraldi the eleventh." When she spoke to him, he might've seen a hint of pointed fangs because of how close in range he was. Not that she tried baring her fangs at him or anything. It was just because of how close he was, he might notice something a little off about her canines when she spoke. She hoped that answered his question. Still, he hadn't asked what she was. She was merely answering the 'who' part.
Jean wondered the same thing as Red held the girl at sword point. Hearing her response, Jean wondered about the name. It sounded like royalty. This girl couldn't possibly be royalty, could she? Her clothes didn't suggest any such thing. Although, she might've acted it a little bit.
Admittedly, Annalese had been surprised by the sudden hostile move on Red's part. Then again, she realized she should've known better. He had attacked her earlier with that strange energy from before. She should've expected him to return to his previous hostile ways before now. "Why do you want to know, anyway?" she inquired.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 21:15:21 GMT -5
One thing to remember when dealing with Red is that despite how mature and tough he might act at times, he was still a teenager. He had managed to keep his composure as Annalese... that was the girl's name... introduced herself. The way she spoke though seemed to suggest that there was more to her then just a name.
Not only that but Red could tell that the way she talked was a bit different because of the way her mouth was structured. Something was off about her. He hadn't noticed her sharp teeth, but that was only because he wasn't looking for them. Red was to busy reading her body movement. He watched her shoulders tense and even her eye's had changed shape.
There was no doubt that this girl matched Jean's description know. However when Annalese continued to ask him why he wanted to know, his face grew red hot with anger. "Why?! I don't know maybe cause this is all your fault! If you hadn't showed up in my room last night, we wouldn't have had to run after you! I think I have the right to know who barges in my room in the middle of the night."
In all honesty Red had been asleep through the entire thing. As he grew angry he stepped closer to Annalese, confident that she wouldn't make any rash actions with a sword by her neck. Doing his best to try and calm down, Red reminded himself that she wasn't the only person responsible for this mess. He had called the guard over with his attack.
"I think the question I should be asking is what are you? Your not human. Maybe humanoid... But those eyes are very particular. I've lived here for fifteen years and have never once heard of a person with eyes such as yours."
Red would only lower the blade when he was sure that the girl in front of him was not an enemy. It was quite clear that this was a tense situation. Red hoped that Jean didn't judge him to harshly about what was happening. He was just being cautious. After being chased for a year by an assassin, Red didn't trust people easily.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 29, 2011 6:36:06 GMT -5
Jean watched as Red interrogated Annalese. She hadn't any qualms with how he was handling the situation. He did have a right to demand what Annalese was after all. If she hadn't bothered them the night before they wouldn't have known that she existed to begin with. Standing there, Jean waited for the girl to answer Red's questions. He was gruff but for very good reason.
Annalese narrowed her eyes hearing what Red said. She hadn't been the one to barge into his room last night. She had been the one to drag the oaf that had barged into their room last night. Then again, he wouldn't know that because he had been asleep the entire time. However, because of her attention deficit disorder, Annalese couldn't remember that detail. She did look at him quizzically though. Had he not seen what she did?
"I didn't barge into your room!" she snapped. Her nose scrunched up with disgust as she leered back at him. True, a sword to the throat would really hurt and complicate some things for her but she would survive it. She couldn't be killed by normal means unless she hadn't fed before then. When she was weak from having not fed was when she could suffer the slaughter of a mortal. "I dragged out the fool who had!" she retorted, crossing her arms with indignation.
Her gaze didn't waver when Red took a step closer to her. It was apparent that she wasn't afraid of him but it was apparent she understood if she didn't comply for now, she would get hurt. Annalese may be an immortal but she too didn't like the feeling of pain. The closer the human got, the more obvious it would become of how inhuman she was. Her rich purple irises at the edges had now become tinted with red as she glared back at him.
It didn't take him long to question her about what she was. Annalese knew that question would eventually pop up. She tried to hide her inhuman traits but sometimes she forgot that the things her kind did and those humans did were different. That and her attention span was so horrible that she tended to forget to not act like she usually did. Annalese didn't move with Red having her at sword point for now as she peered back at him. How was she to answer a question like that? Would he attack once he figured out what she was?
She wouldn't doubt it if he did. He was pretty impulsive earlier. Then again, he was a younger human. She should've known he'd be the type to react the way he did. After all, she preyed on his kind about his age. Not once had she killed or turned a victim though. Then again, if he did try to kill her, she knew it wouldn't work unless the sword was made from silver. She was extremely allergic to that sort of metal as was the rest of her kind. "...Alright, I'll answer you then!" she said finally.
"That sword of your's isn't made of silver, is it?! Well, anyway, the answer to your question, young human, is that I am a vampire." She took a cautious step back after admitting that. Most people tended to freak out when they found out what she was. Often times, they judged her before even knowing her. Always assuming that just because she drank blood, she was dangerous. Sure, some of her kind would be vile enough to drain a human dry. Not all of them were that cruel though. As if to confirm what she said, Annalese smiled to expose her pearly whites for the two to see.
Where the human wisdom teeth were blunt, Annalese's were much longer and pointier. She pointed at them with both of her hands' index fingers to indicate them to the two. "See?"
Jean's eyebrows raised considerably. Annalese was an actual vampire?! She never knew the things actually existed. On Gaia, you had all sorts of monsters but ones like vampires were a mere story. Actually seeing one out here was shocking. "A vampire? Now I've seen everything!" Jean stated.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2011 11:30:19 GMT -5
Vampire.... The word rang in Red's mind like the dong of a bell. "What the hell is a vampire?" Red asked. When Annalese had admitted what she was, Red's face had showed no signs of surprise or fear or anything for that matter. It simply remained the same.
In all honesty though, he meant what he just asked. The word vampire did not exist in his language. He had never heard of such a thing throughout his entire existence. Then again, given his upbringing, vampires were not the sort of thing your usually ran into.
By the way Jean reacted, Red wondered if Annalese was telling the truth. Her comment made Red even more curious. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Seeing as the vampire had backed away from his blade, and was not continually threatening him, Red did not see a point in keeping it pointed at Annalese.
Returning the blade to its sheath, Red crossed his arms and waited for a reply. Now that his arms were crossed, one could once again see the visual difference between his right and left arm. He felt a bit foolish just standing in the street like this. Perhaps it would be better to get back to the inn.
Deeming that Annalese could talk and walk at the same time, Red set off for the inn once again. He continued to keep his guard up, but he was not all that worried about Annalese. She hadn't showed any signs of a threat yet. Then again that might all change the moment she described what a vampire was.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 29, 2011 15:46:42 GMT -5
Annalese's eyebrows raised a little in surprise when she heard Red ask that question. What was a vampire?! How couldn't he know that? Most beings in the worlds she visited knew what a vampire was. Had she come to a world that knew nothing of her kind? If so, it surprised even her to hear that. She passed a quick glance in Jean's direction. Where Red had no idea, she seemed to know what Annalese had been talking about.
The young vampire watched as Red sheathed his sword finally. She could relax, at least a little bit now. Now, where to begin? How was she to tell this young human what a vampire was? Then again, how would he react once he found out the truth? Probably come after her again with that annoying sword of his. Well, the sword wasn't really annoying, she just found it that way because he had brandished it at her earlier.
Jean wondered about what she had known of vampires. From what she could remember, they were said to suck blood from their victims. That explained the sharp, pointy teeth she had shown them. Yet, she hadn't seemed intent on draining either of them. Also, how was it that she was walking around in daylight? Weren't they suppose to burn in the sun?
Red turned and started walking. Annalese taking that as the hint that he wanted to get away from where they were. She still had yet to answer his question though. "You really don't know what a vampire is?!" she stated. Well, he hadn't shown any of the usual reactions people gave her. That meant he honestly didn't know. As she walked with Jean and Red, she noticed how the elder woman watched her closely.
"Well...a vampire has fangs like I do. Normally we can't walk out in the sunlight. We usually walk around at night. The sun doesn't hurt us then." Now, for the hard part. The part where she had to admit that her kind drank his kind's blood. She knew she had to say it soon because the light blue haired girl's eyes had narrowed then. Implying that she knew Annalese was withholding some information from Red.
"M-Most people are scared of my kind. Not all of us are bad...even though we drink your kind's blood!" she said finally. She gave Red a wide berth then, including Jean. They couldn't possibly understand what it was like being one of her kind. She could turn them but she never did that to anyone even if they were willing. That and she wasn't the type that drained humans dry.
"Now before you go all slice and dice happy on me, let me explain!" she stated hurriedly. Jean's hands were already on the hilts of her swords, ready to unsheathe them. "I already ate and I don't drain my victims dry or turn them." Jean gave her a confused look. "Turn them? Like...turn them into a vampire?!" she repeated questioningly. Annalese nodded but wished she hadn't. What if they both tried killing her?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2011 19:18:59 GMT -5
Red hadn't stopped when Annalese began her explanation of a vampire. When she began her explanation, Red couldn't help but feel like she was ashamed of what she was. It was almost as if vampires had a bad rep, and she was trying to convince people otherwise. Then again from her basic early description it didn't seem all that bad.
So vampires were like people with skin cancer... It was dangerous for them to go out in the sun. If that was so, then why was she able to walk in the sunlight. Perhaps Annalese wasn't a full vampire? Or maybe she had some ability that allowed her to walk in the sunlight? It really didn't matter to Red that much. He didn't really understand that much anyway.
As Red continued down the street he noticed the inn in the distance. They were almost back! However things took a sudden turn when Annalese blurted out that they fed on human blood. Red kept his voice to himself as she continued to explain that she had already ate. And apparently she didn't turn people.
One couldn't say that Red was not a smart person. In fact he was very intelligent. He was clueless on some areas, such as vampires, but he could very easily put one and one together. It seemed that one could become a vampire by turning them. If this was so did that mean Annalese had been turned? And if so by who? And how?
Red came to a stop and turned around. It seemed Annalese was trying to tell them that she had control over herself and was not a liability. Red had no idea why she was doing this, but it seemed important to her that she did. "You think you can control your hunger." It was not a question.
Never taking his eyes off of Annalese, Red did something that was perhaps very stupid. He rose his right wrist up to his teeth and bite off the skin of it. Blood dripped down his wrist as it dripped onto the ground. "Prove it! Prove you can drink my blood and stop when I tell you." This was a leap of faith. Red knew Jean would not be very happy with his sudden decision. But he needed to know if she was telling the truth or not.
"If you can not, Jean will kill you." He was relying on Jean to take action if this turned into something bad.
|
|
|
Post by Sprow on Mar 29, 2011 21:47:51 GMT -5
Jean stayed her hands for now but she wasn't quick to trust a creature like a vampire. If she said was true then that made them her food source. Annalese never specified what blood she'd drink and generalized Red's and Jean's kind. So, to them, it appeared as if Annalese could possibly drink either of their blood if they weren't careful. Right now, she claimed she was safe but how were they suppose to know that it wasn't a trick?
Annalese had nodded to confirm Jean's question about turning. Yes, she could turn others into her own kind but only if she chose to. A simple bite wasn't enough to turn someone. Not unless the vampire doing it was completely out of control. Otherwise, the bite was just a bite. Granted a painful bite but a bite none the less. "It's not as easy to get turned by a vampire as you might think."
"How are we to believe you?" Jean asked her firmly. Annalese just sighed in response. It wasn't easy to convince others that she meant them no harm. People always saw her and her kind as monsters. Not all of them were and it was frustrating to deal with this each time someone found out what she was. As if fate wanted to be cruel, the fierce teenager had bitten his wrist open. Annalese couldn't help but look back at him in surprise. Why the heck did he go and do that?
Jean even looked appalled at what Red just did to himself. Was he looking for a death wish? Doing that in front of a vampire was bad, very bad! "What're you doing?!" she exclaimed as Red spoke to Annalese. Had he lost his mind to go and do a thing like that?! Whatever gave him the impulse to do that? It probably wasn't even that simple for the vampire girl! It could probably cause her to lose control just because it was out in the open! Red was just asking for it, baiting her like that.
Annalese couldn't believe the things he was saying to her. "...But-!" She made to protest but the second thing he said made it hard for her to back out of this situation. She didn't want to drink his blood. It had been important to her to tell him that she had already fed because she didn't want them to think she was going to be an immediate threat. Now, Red had gone and hurt himself and was demanding she drink from it.
"You do realize what you just did is a terrible mistake, right? I told you, I've already had my fill somewhere else! It's not easy to resist drinking. It's almost like...how you humans are with drugs or alcohol maybe more so like alcohol because you still have the will to resist." Seeing no way out of it, Annalese looked at the wounded wrist. Her expression was a bit grim. Such good blood going to waste! Well, if she refused any further she knew that Red might have Jean try to kill her.
Shaking her head, Annalese finally approached Red. "Alright, if you really want me to do this, then fine. I'm not hungry though so it's not going to bother me much anyways." Gently, she held Red's wounded wrist in her hands and looked at it. She didn't have to sink her teeth into it either as she reluctantly began drinking from the wound. She waited for when Red would tell her to stop.
Even though she wasn't hungry, Red's blood had an odd taste to it. It was pretty good but there was something to it that was off. Jean watched from the sidelines carefully, ready to take out her swords if there was a need.
|
|