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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 0:23:03 GMT -5
Kaito heard Aliya's phone ring from down the hall, but couldn't make himself stir enough to really care. Locked in his own misery with a sleeping child on top of him, he just wanted to fade away from the real world for a little longer.
Can you go deal with Aliya's contact? he asked Eryn telepathically.
The usually thorny shifter gave him an affirmative before letting him go back to his quiet grieving.
~~
Eryn usually would've forced Kai to snap out of it, but she knew that having to go over it again with Sia had been hard on him. So, she would do this one thing for him. Then she would kick his ass out of bed and force him to stop feeling sorry for himself. She had loved Alex too and she wasn't moping about like an idiot. The shifter tapped on the door before pushing it open to peek her head in.
"Hey, did your contact call?"
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 12:02:20 GMT -5
Aliya blinked when her door opened, "Uhm, yes."
"I just need the address," he said, "I can find it on my own."
The girl nodded, sharing that whilethe twins went over to Eryn at the door curiously, sniffnig at her.
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 15:51:07 GMT -5
Eryn looked down at the two kids at her feet, not much older than Sia by the looks of them and then picked the male up by the back of his shirt. Technically, what they were doing was considered very rude since they had not introduced themselves nor declared their intentions towards the older female. However, the panther was willing to overlook this since she was betting these were the kittens she was going to be fostering.
"What are you twerps doing?" she asked, giving them a cursory look over. The little boy was a skinny little thing and the girl not much better. They looked like they could use a little toughening up and they definitely needed a lesson in etiquette. Being with a few adult cats for a while would give them an idea of how to handle themselves in a community if they ever chose to live in one.
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 16:42:41 GMT -5
Di pouted and started squirming in her grip, "Lemme go!"
Ana looked at her brother and giggled a bit before smiling up at Eryn, "We've never seen another cat before! Momma left and didn't come back."
But, she pointed at Aliya, "She's our momma now!"
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 16:49:25 GMT -5
Eryn shook the kitten gently, still holding him aloft as a reprimand for his squirmish behavior before looking down at the little girl. Her eyes took in the body language of the kitten and her glanced turned over toward Aliya before turning back to her two new students. Sadly, their story wasn't an uncommon one, though finding a new mother definitely was.
"So, did your new mother teach you anything?" she asked, lifting Di higher so that she could look into his eyes and letting him know that he was the one the question was directed at.
While she physically focused on the children, her mind was running at full speed, darting between the kittens, Aliya and Kai.
How long will it take this ...Belthezar to get here? she asked Aliya telepathically, trying to figure out a plan of protection for everyone in the house and attempting to factor this unknown quantity into it.
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 16:55:12 GMT -5
"Aliya can't," he said, still worming in her grip, "She's not like us."
Ana nodded, "She didn't really know about us until yesterday."
Said girl jumped as she heard Eryn and turned to her as she hung up, "He'll be here fairly soon.It shouldn't take him too long."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 18:22:14 GMT -5
Eryn spared a glance for the girl, but it was a casual one and followed by a swift tug of her hair.
"Don't talk unless you're spoken to when you're meeting strangers," she told the young girl before glancing between the two of them and nodding. "But you'll do for now. We'll work on your manners a little later. I have planning to do."
The woman dropped Di back onto his feet, trusting his instincts to catch him before she walked over to Aliya and started questioning her on Belthezar, trying to understand how much of an asset...or a hindrance she was up against.
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 18:42:23 GMT -5
Ana yelped at the tug to her hair and Di was next to her quickly, rubbing her hair.
"Belthezar should be here in half an hour or so," Aliya told her, "It shouldn't be too long."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 18:55:35 GMT -5
Eryn nodded perfunctorily and then looked straight at Aliya, her gaze questioning as she tried to discern the truth.
"Is Belthezar mortal? I know until recently you thought yourself mortal and I'm just wondering so that I'll have a better idea of how much protection everyone is going to need."
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 18:59:32 GMT -5
"... I don't know. I don't think he is," she admitted, "He was friends with my brother for a bit after he came home, then he started watching over me after Alex...
"Don't worry, he can handle himself, Eryn. No problems."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 19:03:43 GMT -5
Eryn eyed the girl and saw that she thought she was telling the truth, but the shifter wasn't going to pass judgment until she tested the male against her own strength. And she do it as soon as he showed up...
You'll have another guest in about half an hour, she mentioned casually to Kaito who gave her an apathetic flick of his mind to acknowledge that he had heard.
"Well I hope you're right for all our sakes," Eryn told the other girl as she started to walk out the door. "I'll let you have a little more rest before we start planning tonight."
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 19:15:23 GMT -5
Aliya gave a small nod, "All right. Thank you, Eryn, for coming.... I don't imagine it was easy for you... It means a lot."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 19:31:20 GMT -5
Eryn looked at Aliya and smiled a little, a flicker of remembrance in her eyes as she looked at the other woman. She was living through a life that now centered around the brother that had disappeared and then died mysteriously. It must be hard for her, but Eryn would not be so unkind as to mention it; rather, she could give the other girl a reason for understanding why Alex had drawn all of these people to him.
"If you ever want to hear about Alex, what he was really like while he was here. Ask Stasia about her Papa," the shifter answered before turning to go downstairs and plan her testing of Belthezar.
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Post by †Arisen† on Sept 8, 2011 19:38:09 GMT -5
Aliya blinked, then nodded.
The twin kittens came back to Aliya then, mewling about the other woman and she shushed them, trying to focus.
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Post by callingxforxblood on Sept 8, 2011 19:52:11 GMT -5
Eryn was sitting on the couch in the living room when the hound twins wandered into the room, yawning and grumbling to each other about being woken up by Kaito at ridiculous times of the day. They both shut up as they scented Eryn and their focus became trained on the panther as she unfolded gracefully from the couch, taking their measure with her eyes.
"Boys," a slow smile broke across her face as she took them in. "It's been a while."
The twins laughed and came forward to take the shorter woman into warm embraces.
"So we're not lacking in any manner, you horrid taskmaster?" Jayce teased, as Jayden ruffled her hair up and laughed as the cat seemed to puff up in indignation.
Fiore wandered in a few moments later to see the trio and gave one of his slow smiles as he watched them interact. Eryn had always been the only one the twins really counted as a part of "their" group.
"Fiore!" the younger woman called as she saw him enter, leaving the twins behind in a bit of snit- though they'd never admit that they were jealous of the Irish giant- as she came up to greet him. "My, how big you've grown!"
"Silly girl," he replied, ruffling her hair in turn and sending her into another small hissy fit.
"Well, at least all of you are down here. We should be expecting Aliya's contact at any minute," the panther said when she'd calmed down enough to speak without swearing at Fiore.
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 20, 2011 22:42:52 GMT -5
The kittens, loud and rambunctious tumbled down the stairs shortly. However, they quieted before they reached the bottom, peering out.
".... Stasia?" the girl mewled curiously, while Di stepped out from behind her, sniffling a bit. When the puppy wasn't to be seen, the girl went up to Fiore, gently tugging his hand.
"Mr. Fiore?" she started timidly, not having forgotten Eryn's lesson quickly, "Is there anymore of that good food you made last night?"
And it was only a few moments after that there was a soft knock at the door.
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 22, 2011 0:44:28 GMT -5
Fiore looked down at the kittens and their sudden proper manners before looking up suspiciously at Eryn who merely shrugged. All her attention then focused on the door as she heard the faint knock. The small woman leaned up on to her toes before shooting a glance at the equally alert hounds and striding to answer the front door.
Well this Belthezar's not a vampire because he walks during the daylight hours.... the shifter was mentally thinking to herself as she prepared to open the door, ready to face anything that may- or may not- be there. But Aliya thinks he's not a mortal either, so what is he?
The panther braced herself as she unlocked the door and started to swing it open, taking comfort in the animal she could unleash from within in mere seconds and the presence of the two hounds at her back.
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 23, 2011 0:44:02 GMT -5
The man standing there turned to the door curiously. He wore dark sunglasses, but there was an obvious mark on one of his cheeks, a gold earring on the opposite ear. He had shaggy black hair that looked rather unkempt, but the was clean shaven otherwise.
He wore a simple dark shirt with a casual vest over it, dark jeans and boots.
"... Is Aliya here?" he asked, his voice calm but confident. Submissive but dominant at the same time.
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 23, 2011 11:43:51 GMT -5
When Eryn saw the slight young man standing in the doorway, she tilted her head to the side slightly. He looked so familiar and his manner.... There was something about this "Belthezar" that reminded her of someone she had met a long time ago, but she couldn't remember......
The panther nodded slowly as she swung the door open and stepped out of the way, inviting him in silently and taking a cursory sniff to assure herself that this was a friend. All her actions were proper as she reminded herself that she had two young kittens watching and trying to pick up on her interactions with others, though her etiquette had always had a bit of an interesting twist on it. The scent she picked up was tantalizing but it spoke of dark woods and moon-washed nights that had her curious. Eryn wasn't sure what kind of shifter he was, but she knew he was one. Now if only she could remember...
"Yes, come on in," one of the twins said as they too backed away from the door a little to allow the newcomer into their home, but still forming a wall between him and the inside of the house, as if to contain his influence- or his destruction if he went AWOL.
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 11:30:40 GMT -5
He bowed deeply to them, respectfully before he stepped in, nudging the door closed behind him.
"Thank you," he said softly. His voice was soft, but not out of fear, but more of respect.
He didn't move from the door way, standing there silently, his posture rather open and letting them know that he meant no harm.
He glanced around curiously, "... She's upstairs, right?"
But, he really didn't expect an answer, watching as the two kittens moved, peeking our from behind Eryn. Di scrunched up his nose and Ana looked at him curiously.
"He smells funny," Di grumbled. Belthezar simply laughed and crouched down, holding out a hand.
"Come on. I won't bite," he smiled. Ana gave a little sniff, like Eryn had and glanced up at her before approaching the new male. she took his large hand in her own smaller ones curiously, running her fingers over his palm while Di scowled at her.
"What's your name?" Ana asked curiously, innocently. he gave a gentle smile.
"Belthezar," he said, "And who might you be?"
"My names Ana~!" she smiled at him.
"What a pretty name," he smiled, then looked up to the others as Ana continued to analyze him, now moving up his arm, "You can call me as you wish, but I have been going as Belthezar for some time. I have long since given up my birth name."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 24, 2011 14:05:53 GMT -5
Eryn watched the kitten's interactions, but she wouldn't interfere even if the child made a social misstep. It would be rude and degrading to both the little girl and Kai's guest. Rather, if Ana made a mistake, she would either let the other shifter correct her or take her aside afterwards and explain. However, the girl seemed to have innate sense of protocol- when she chose to listen to it.
Di, on the other hand, still acted abominably silly, though he was young so it was acceptable, but she would have to work on that a little. Casually, she reached out and tweaked one of his ears with a warning look in her eyes.
You don't tell strangers they smell funny, she told the boy silently. That's very rude and if the guest wasn't here I would take a strip out of your hide for that one. It'll get you killed on the streets.
Finished with her kitten-minding duties, the panther turned back to her protector ones as she examined the unknown male. The hound twins had been watching him carefully, but they seemed more at ease with the other man than either she or Di which gave her an idea of what species of shifter he was.
"I'm Eryn," the panther offered after a few more moments of gauging the male. "That's Fiore over there," she mentioned, pointing to the Irish man off in the corner who gave a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Jayden," the hound on her left said.
"Jayce," the one on the right echoed as they both respectfully backed down to allow the newcomer farther into their home.
"This troublemaker is Di," Eryn finished, ruffling the little boy's hair from where he stood behind her. "Kaito and Anastasia are upstairs."
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 15:28:45 GMT -5
Di yowled at the tug on his ear, retreating back over to Fiore as soon as the introductions were passed around. Belthezar nodded at the names and stood. Ana tugged on his hand and his head tilted curiously before he lifting the small girl up into his arms. She giggled a bit, reaching up to run her fingers in his hair, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Nice to meet you all," he said and gave another small bow, careful of the kitten in his arms as she started to examine his dangling earring, "... I must ask who knows what is going on exactly. When I got to Aliya's, her home was wrecked. And I found this."
He shifted Ana and pulled a photo from his pocket, "I can't recognize the scent on it, but it was faint in her home I don't know how long its been since someone was in there."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 24, 2011 20:23:20 GMT -5
Fiore reached down and patted the kitten on the head as he came over to him, watching the proceedings carefully. He may not talk a lot, but he was watchful and methodical and knew when someone was a threat. This man though....he was different, but the giant didn't sense any ill intentions and so the Great Dane wandered over to the couch to hunker down and watch the rest of this first meeting in comfort.
~~
Eryn scented the air and picked up the scent, but it confused her for a moment and she glanced at the boys whose eyes held a glimmer of recognition before it faded into thoughtfulness. The panther eyed them questioningly but both shook their heads after a moment and she sighed. Time to go kick the vamp out of bed.
"Kaito will know or Aliya. If you'll wait down here, we'll go get them," the shifter said, starting to back away from this first meeting, satisfied that she'd done her best to follow protocol and show the kits how they were supposed to act. Because now, well, now she was going to follow her own rules. The panther gave a killer smile- she wouldn't mind getting to know this "Belthezar" a little better, that was if Aliya hadn't called dibs.
~~
Kai stirred as he felt a timid psychic touch brush his outer barriers. The vampire stirred, but did not rouse himself. This time, the touch was more firm and he recognized it as Jayden checking up on him. The signal he sent back was distinctly "leave me alone." The hound instantly backed down and his psychic presence faded from the vampire's senses.
The Asian sighed as he ran his hands down Anastasia's back, feeling her small chest rise and fall with each breath she took. Her life was so precious, so beloved in this family and it grieved him to have had to shatter her last illusions of their perfect family.
Suddenly a firm psychic push had him sitting straight up with the sleepy puppy tumbling into his lap and complaining as she was jolted awake. The vampire hissed in displeasure until he realized it was Eryn and she wouldn't give a flying fuck about what he thought.
What? he asked tiredly as he gathered Alex's puppy back into his arms and tried to calm her down as her face fell a little as she woke up to cold reality.
We need you down here. Bring Ali, was all he got before the panther curtly gave him another jolt of psychic energy that jolted him again, making Kai snarl.
"What is it, Daddy?" Anastasia asked, her eyes still slightly swollen from her crying jag earlier.
"Nothing," Kaito said as he stood up with her in his arms, putting one hand on her head to pull her head back down to his shoulder. "Just sleep for a little longer while we go downstairs, okay?"
The pup nodded and followed directions, but her arms were clasped tight around his neck as if she was afraid if she let go her other papa would disappear as well. It broke the vampire's heart and he kissed her forehead gently before unlocking his door and striding down the halls to Aliya's.
"Aliya?" he called softly. "Belthezar's here. I think he wants to see you."
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 20:54:08 GMT -5
Belthezar simple nodded and tucked the photo away again, bending over as Ana started to crawl over his back, rather intent on looking him over still, pressing her nose to his hair.
"Our mama used to smell like the woods," she informed, laying her belly on Belthezar's head as she tried to look in his face.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I remember it from before she left. Someone took her away," she frowned a moment, the looked at him again, "You know our new mama?"
"Aliya? Yes," he said, reaching back to grab the kitten and hold her infront of him.
"Why do you have a mark on your cheek?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.
"Its a brand," he said softly, "Our clan gets marked at birth."
Ana looked at him curiously, but she was set back down on the floor. When he stopped giving her attention, he went off to find her brother.
~~
Aliya stirred from the little nest she'd made in her bed when she heard Kaito.
"... All right," she called, rather hoarsely. Had she been crying? She couldn't remember. Sill, she rubbed at her face and got up, combing her fingers through her hair as she stumbled to the door. She was going to pull it open, but simple stood there a moment, gripping the handle. Did she want this? Was this what she wanted? To go through more pain to be safe? To put this family through more pain to keep her safe?
No.
"...." she pulled the door open and rubbed at her face, "All right...."
She noticed Anastasia and felt a small pull at her heartstrings. The poor little girl....
She didn't want this.
"Let's go see them."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 24, 2011 21:20:18 GMT -5
Eryn listened to the story that Ana told Belthezar before shaking her head as she looked at the DVDs which the vampire's family had managed to collect. The array was quite impressive. Sadly, the story she was hearing wasn't. It was a common enough story, but still heartbreaking. A glance revealed that the little girl was not following any code of etiquette she'd ever seen and the panther sighed. She definitely had her work cut out with these kits.
~~
Kaito nodded, his eyes had been on Anastasia, but he looked up when he heard the defeat in Aliya's voice. His eyes widened when he saw her and he instantly reached out a concerned hand to touch her cheek, but withdrew suddenly when he realized that his touch might be unwelcome. People didn't always like the feeling of being touched by the undead.
"Are you all right?" Kai asked, all his movements expressing his worry for the girl standing in front of him.
She looked so much like her brother and he knew that if Alex looked that bad something was wrong. Instead, he stood ineffectually in the doorway, unsure of what move to make and feeling stupid.
~~
Jayce glanced over at the newcomer from where he was standing behind Fiore who was settled on the couch with the two kittens. Eryn had wandered to the other side of the room to peruse the massive DVD collection lining one corner of the room and his twin had picked up a book that he had abandoned reading earlier in the day.
"Why don't you come sit down while you wait?" he asked after a moment, hearing Kaito stir around upstairs.
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 21:31:31 GMT -5
Ana smiled at her brother and moved to curl up next to him on the couch, happy, despite the story she had shared. And Di wasn't happy that she shared, judging by the way he turned and bit on her ear. The little girl cried out, flailing away from him.
~~
Aliya blinked, looking up at Kaito, "... no... No, I'm fine."
Her voice was muted and she wrapped her arms around herself, "... Just... thinking.... is all. Don't worry."
She offered him a smile, moving from the doorway.
~~
Belthezar nodded and gave another bow, "Ah, thank you. I don't mind standing though. I was in the car for quite some time, after all. Thank you all the same."
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 24, 2011 21:53:17 GMT -5
Fiore growled a little, clucking his tongue before picking up Di by the scruff of the neck in one hand and Ana with the other and settling them on opposite sides of the couch from each other with himself in the middle as a barrier.
"Now don't be gettin' all fired up, ya hear me?" the big man asked, looking down at both children seriously. "We're a peaceful folk in this house and we won't be fightin' with family over silly little things."
~~
Kaito looked at her unsurely, still wanting so badly to reach out and offer comfort, but knowing that she might not want to accept it from him. Maybe it was good this Belthezar had come- he could comfort Aliya in the right way. And maybe these treacherous feelings he felt stirring deep inside him would die when he saw the other male with this girl....
"Follow me," the vampire murmured, walking down the stairs to enter the living room.
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 22:00:40 GMT -5
Di pouted and folded his arms over his chest, looking away, his ears laid back and tail thrashing in annoyance. Ana, on the other hand, reached up to nurse her wounded ear, mewling weakly. It had hurt. Di had sharp teeth, after all.
~~
Aliya nodded a little, following after Kaito, her arms still wrapped around herself. She was causing them pain. So, what could she do? She could go with that other vampire and live a life of pain for who knew how long.
"... Thank you, Kaito. For everything," she said softly.
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Post by callingxforxblood on Oct 24, 2011 22:13:18 GMT -5
Kaito glanced over his shoulder with an odd look on his face as he walked into the living room. That had sounded...suspicious.
"What are you talking about?" he asked after a moment. "It's nothing. I would do anything for you, Aliya. Anything."
The smile he gave her was soft and held love and the promise of safety and family. Then he turned back to the living room and his eyes were caught on the newcomer though his eyes widened when he saw him.
"I know you...don't I?" the confused vampire asked after a moment.
~~
Eryn looked up when Aliya and Kaito walked in the room and sucked in some air quickly. The girl definitely looked the worst for the wear and that was very worrisome considering she'd seemed healthy and hale a few hours ago. What had happened?
Then Kaito's statement had her turning to look at the vampire in surprise. So he thought this male looked familiar too?
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Post by †Arisen† on Oct 24, 2011 22:20:31 GMT -5
Belthezar turned at the sound of Kaito's voice and dipped his head, "Perhaps. I'm pretty well known in our world."
Aliya, however, smiled a bit at the sight of her friend.
"Belthezar," she said softly, shifting around Kaito to hug the other male. Said male lifted her up in a spin, much like one would to a small child before hugging her tight.
"I missed you," she said softly, pulling away from him, "How have you been? Where ahve you been?"
"Here and there," he shrugged, smiling, "keeping an eye on things. It seems you've found good company."
She gave a nod, smiling a bit, ".. Yeah. I got lucky."
Belthezar released Aliya with a small smile, then focused on Kaito, "... I would like to speak with you later. When you have time."
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