Meltdown

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito nodded, thinking the plan through again and swearing silently as he finally pieced it all together. The pain in his heart changed as he realized that Alex was a captive of that madman.

Damn it Eschaton. All this heartbreak, pain, you wanted it didn't you? You bastard. I will get revenge for this and for everything Aliya and Alex have suffered.

Out loud, he said, "Yes, he owns the Resurrection downtown. And I'd take Eryn with you- she's small, but she can hold her own in a fight. And you might need her. We'll have to tell the others about this...."

[†Arisen†]

Belthezar nodded, "I'll go get her. In the meantime, while we're gone, you should talk to Aliya. She likes you too, Kaito. I know you two aren't happy with each other at the moment, but all the same. You two need each other."

He started for the door, but paused, "... But the bigger question will be what will you do. Will you take Alex back? Or will you have Aliya?"

He pushed the door open and headed out, following after Eryn's scent to where Aliya was staying and knocked on the door.

"Eryn? We have marching orders," he called.

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito nodded, leaning his head against the wall he had just punched and closing his eyes at the damage that simple motion had caused to his precious home. His shoulders shook silently as the full weight of what this meant settled onto his shoulders and he realized all the complications that came with it.

"Damnit," he muttered, body still shaking with silent sobs.

~~

Eryn glanced up at the door from where she stood next to the window. She was standing in Aliya's room watching the other girl and not talking. She figured that Ali was talked out and needed a little reflecting time- she was here as a deterrent to make sure that "thinking time" didn't turn into something a little more proactive and stupid. The panther stalked over to the door, pulling it open after glancing at Aliya once more before looking at Belthezar questioningly.

"What's up?" she asked, leaning lazily inside the doorway to look at the male. "Where're we going??"

[†Arisen†]

"Resurrection," He replied, "Gonna do some snooping. See what we can find."

He tilted his head, looking passed Eryn, "... How is she?Been just like that?"

The girl was stretched on her bed, holding a pillow tight, not speaking or moving.

[callingxforxblood]

Eryn glanced over her shoulder at Ali and nodded once as she slipped out of the room, softly shutting the door behind her.

"Yea, she's been having a rough time, but she should be okay," the panther murmured, looking at the door again as she started walking down the hall towards the stairs. "But just in case...I'm going to get the kids and Fiore to sit with her. Fiore's pretty good about being quiet."

[†Arisen†]

He nodded, ".... I told Kaito he should talk to her, but.... We'll see what happens."

Belthezar started down the stairs, "How should we go about Resurrection?We should probably have a plan, rather than my making it up as we go along--even if that works well for me."

[callingxforxblood]

Eryn nodded, thinking it over. Kaito was old enough to know when he was wrong and, occasionally, he knew when he should just give in to common sense. Didn't mean he had to like it, but he would eventually accept it. Just like he would eventually talk to Ali. It would just take him a little while.

"He'll do it," she said, following Belthezar down the stairs. "....It might just take him a little bit."

At his next words, she gave a gusty sigh of acknowledgement. Though she hated planning anything and loved to work in room for spontaneity, she knew that their best bet was to have a well-thought out plan about getting into Resurrection and their "snooping." Though the getting in would be the easy part and I mean really why were they going there in the first place? Yea....that was a good question. The panther shook her head at herself mentally. Should've asked that one first, Eryn, she chided herself silently.

"Why are we going there in the first place?" she asked. "What's the point?"

[†Arisen†]

"Kaito has this theory that Alex didn't die in the first place," he said, "we're going to see if Alex is even there. If he is, then we let Kaito know. That simple."

He shrugged, "If any complications arise. Well.... That's when the fun begins."

He gave a grin then, "This should be a lot of fun. Let's hope we don't get discovered."

[callingxforxblood]

"Didn't die?" Eryn asked, the idea choking off her airways for a moment as she contemplated it. Alex still alive? And with that fucking bastard!?!

The panther breathed her mouth a bit to try and calm herself and, when that didn't work, she loosed a savage snarl before racing down the stairs, pushing past Belthezar to get into the living room. She raced into there, startling both hounds to look up. Jayden stood up as if to come towards her, but she bared her canines at him and he instantly backed off, holding his hands up.

The enraged panther stalked up to the couch to stand in front of Fiore who faced down her anger with his complacent and bland face that warned her not to get too rowdy. As usual, Eryn's anger cooled in front of the slightly older male and sighed again, running an absent minded hand through her hair.

"Fiore, can you take the kids upstairs and sit in Aliya's room with her? She shouldn't be alone right now," the girl murmured before glancing back over towards the stairs where Belthezar was as Fiore gave a nod and started rousing the children. The twins were looking at her curiously, but were used to their "kitty cat's hissy fits," as they liked to call them. The girl stalked back over to the bottom of the stairs to stand in front of Belthezar, giving him an appraising look.

"I usually go for the bigger type. You're not much, but you'll suit," Eryn told him before yanking on his shirt. "The sun's gonna be down soon. The club opens at 9PM during the winter since the nights are longer and Immortals want to party longer. If you know what you're about, you don't get there 'til about 11 or 11:30. That just about gives us enough time to give you a makeover. You need to be ready to go clubbing with me. We're getting into Resurrection my way."

Jayden and Jayce shivered as they remembered the few times they'd gone out with Eryn. She always had a date and she was always dressed to kill. And damn that girl went hard- Belthezar was definitely in for a hell of a time.

[†Arisen†]

Belthezar watched her fit rather curiously. It was different for him and he hummed softly as she tore through the house.

However, when her attention turned back to him, he gave a growl at the tug on his clothes.

"Makeover? No dice," he growled, pushing her hands away, "I don't like being touched by strangers. Last thing I want is for you to play dress up with me. I'm not some damn doll. Like hell I'll be treated like one."

It was an irrational little tantrum, but it was true. He didn't like being touched. He never really had. And the last thing he wanted was questions to his peculiar scars. This night was going to be about Alex, not trusting himself.

"You do it your way, I'll do it mine."

[callingxforxblood]

Eryn's eyes lit up with anger at Belthezar's confrontational tone; it was too soon after calming down from her desperation over Alex for her to distinguish between her emotions this time and even Fiore's comforting touch on her shoulder couldn't calm her this time as her eyes narrowed. A few seconds later, all her emotions imploded and she exploded.

A snarl curled her lip and she started to lunge for the man before Jayce and Jayden grabbed her, dragging her away from the unfortunate male who had caught her wrath. Fiore quickly dragged the kids upstairs so they wouldn't get caught in the fight that he was- now- definitely brewing.

Their were words mixed in with her snarls and sometimes they even made sense as the two hounds started wrestling her to the couch, such as, "FUCK YOU BASTARD! CAN'T EVEN TAKE ORDERS FROM A GIRL!" or "WON'T HELP ME SAVE ALEX, I'LL SHOW YOU!"

Finally the snarls started to calm down and the boys, thinking her tantrum was over, released a little pressure off of the panther. Then the little hellcat escaped both of them , turning to snarl at Belthezar before glaring death at the hounds who had come between her and her kill. At this point, Kaito walked in, about to go into a towering rage which instantly cooled when he saw the death written in Eryn's gaze.

"I'm doing this my way. And he can take his shit elsewhere," she told the vampire, motioning to Belthezar before walking out the front door and slamming it. A few seconds later, the engine on one of the cars revved and a squeal of tires was heard as the panther left.

[†Arisen†]

Belthezar gave a snarl in turn after Eryn growled at him, then turned to watch her leave. Once the car started, he laughed a little, "Now my tantrum doesn't seem so bad."

Still, he turned to Kaito and bowed, "I apologize. I didn't mean to upset her. I don't like being touched under any circumstance."

He stood and looked to the door again, "... She didn't take your idea about Alex well. I suppose I added fuel to the fire. I'll still go check out Resurrection. With or without her."

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito looked at Belthezar with new respect. Any man who can stand under one of Eryn's onslaughts and not bat an eye, figuratively speaking, was definitely a rare man indeed- or shifter, in this case.

"It's okay," he said after a moment of considering the man in front of him. "Eryn is a person of passions. Sometimes they die quickly and sometimes they simmer long. I imagine this one will be burned out by the next time you two meet. Just watch out for each other tonight, all right? And don't worry about her showing up- she'll be there. For Alex."

With that, the vampire went back into the kitchen to contemplate what he had just seen.

~~

Eryn was still fuming when she got in the car and drove off, but a few minutes later she had pulled into an alleyway, turned the car off and was sitting behind the steering wheel, weeping. She felt bad for what she had done and said to Belthezar and, usually, she wouldn't have exploded like that, but Alex.... Ah, Alex. Even the mere mention of him had always gotten her riled.

Now to hear that he wasn't dead? It was too much.

She may have burned her bridges with Belthezar, but she would still go to Resurrection tonight and find the boy. And if he showed up, well, she would look out for him. Her way.

[†Arisen†]

Belthezar nodded, humming a bit,"... She's still just a kitten. She's young. She'll learn one day.."

He shook his head.

And with nothing really to do around Kaito's home, he moved for the front door, figuring he might as well go for a walk--or maybe a run--before the club opened.

~~

Aliya had heard half the argument from her room and was a bit startled. There had been a lot of yelling. That brought back not the most pleasant memories, but she couldn't dwell on that.

As soon as Eryn had walked out, Aliya had started checking the windows seeing how far from the ground they were and if there was any roofline.

She saw Eryn walk out as she made one of these trips around the room and watched the shifter drive away. She pulled open that same window as she heard the group come up to her room and exhaled, leaning in the window, looking out.

There went that plan.

[callingxforxblood]

The panther let herself cry for a little longer, allowing her one moment of weakness to dissolve in a flurry of tears and punches of the car horn which startled several rats and alley cats and drew several strange looks from people passing by on the street. No one did anything about it however and the girl was allowed to have her mini-breakdown in private. Usually, she never allowed herself to do this and she would've never done it in front of other people. So she let herself go for a little while before she had to return to the real world.

~~

Fiore climbed the stairs slowly with teh children in tow before walking over to Aliya's room and pushing the door open to see her leaning out the window. The action made him snarl dangerously.

[†Arisen†]

Aliya turned at the sound of Fiore and gave a smile, rolling her eyes, "Calm down. I was just looking out."

She pulled the window closed and went back to her bed, throwing herself on it with a sigh and closing her eyes. The kittens darted out from behind Fiore and ran over to her, jumping on the bed and nuzzling into her sides.

[callingxforxblood]

Fiore looked at her mistrustfully, even as the kittens raced over and curled up with their self-proclaimed "mother." He walked into the room, slowly, scenting the air and holding Stasia's head to his shoulder as he looked around to make sure that nothing was out of place.

~~

Eryn dried her silly tears and turned on the car. For a moment, she just sat there, contemplating everything, thinking through her plan and approving it before she revved the engine. The car gave a satisfying purr as she did so and the panther put the car into rive and allowed it to leap forwards, out of the alleyway and onto the street. It was time to go hunting.

[†Arisen†]

Aliya smiled and pushed herself up, rubbing at Di's head as Ana nuzzled her.

"Hey you two," she smiled, "Causing trouble?"

"No~!" Di smiled.

"He bit me!" Ana pouted and Aliya frowned.

[callingxforxblood]

((Time Skip to Evening?))

Fiore grumbled as he surveyed Aliya's interactions with the kittens, knowing how close she had gotten to leaving and silently disapproving. Leaving the two kits alone after such an ordeal was unfitting for a mother and this two-legger was their mother, despite all other's protests to the fact.

"Don't be rash," he said, settling into a rocking chair by the window.

~~

Kaito sat in the kitchen, contemplating all the cookware that had been bought with his money and whose usages he knew only vaguely. The vampire would never make a five star chef though Alex had claimed to love his cooking. Ah, Alex....

His uptilted eyes narrowed as the feeling of a headache pressed down on him, though he knew that he was not experiencing any such feeling. His once-loved (though if he was being honest with himself, still loved) boy complicated things. Especially with Aliya. And Kaito couldn't deny the feelings that rose within himself whenever he looked at Alex's younger sister. The vampire buried his head in his hands. What should he do? Could he have only one?

....or, could he have both?

Then a thought made him raise his head, curiosity making him lean back in the kitchen chair with his boots propped on the table, though it would make stoic Fiore scold him if he caught him out.

[†Arisen†]

(sure lol)

Aliya winced a bit at that comment by Fiore, then continued watching the kittens.

And, as the sun set and it grew later, Belthezar returned. He was back with enough time to clean up a bit and head for the Resurrection at the time Eryn had given.

He descended the stairs from where he changed in Aliya's room now dressed in large baggy pants tucked into loose-tongued combat boots and a tight black shirt. The sleeves where pushed to his elbows and he wore long gloves over his hands. He still had on the blinder sunglasses, but now his hair was carefully styled in a messy way.

"Any word from Eryn?"

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito followed him down the stairs a moment later, yawning a little. He had retired from the kitchen after thinking through his ideas, finally deciding that these plans had little merit unless his suspicions were confirmed at Resurrection first. He had glanced in at Aliya and the others, but Fiore's gaze had warned him away from making his presence known unless he was going to improve the situation with the girl. Since the vampire was still unsure, he had silently withdrawn, giving no heed of his presence to anyone other than the Great Dane before going to his bed.

Now, though, it was the night and his natural time to be up and about. The cogs in his brain were turning again, spinning in circles that they would not break out of until he heard that night's news. The vampire, at Belthezar's question, though, dug his phone out of his pocket to see that the dimly lit screen now showed one new text message.

"Tell Belthezar that I better see him tonight," the vampire read, squinting a little at the words on the tiny screen, widening his eyes as they got to the last sentence. "Sorry, but I don't regret it."

The vampire snapped the phone shut and reached out to clap the other man on the shoulder, but thought better of it before walking past him towards the living room.

"Well, that'll be the most apology you'll ever hear out of that hellcat. I'm impressed you even got that much."

Kaito settled onto the couch, trying not to give away his eagerness at the prospect of Belthezar and Eryn's possible findings that night.

"You ready?"

[†Arisen†]

Belthezar laughed, "Girl's got spunk. She's starting to grow on me."

He settled on the last step and stretched, "I'm ready. I'll let you know what we find."

He gave a salute before striding out the door and onto the adventure of the night.

Aliya descended the stairs shortly after. She peeked about, hoping to not find Kaito. however, when she did, she looked down rather quickly, rather intent on finding herself something to eat, having missed dinner.

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito watched him go, all his hopes riding on that man and the girl that he would meet at the club where his brother possibly hid his thought to be dead lover. The intrigue of it all floored him and the vampire shook his head, catching a glimpse of Aliya as she entered the room. His eyes searched her downcast features carefully, catching every small twitch of her eyelids and silently observing her contemplation of the floor.

"Were you looking for something?" he asked gently when she didn't respond to him.

~~

Eryn stepped out of the Mercedes, casually flipping her keys to the stunned valet who could only look at her car with his mouth open. The panther gave him a small smirk and chucked his chin which practically hit his chest.

"Don't drool on the leather, boyo. Or it'll cost you a paycheck," she teased, patting his head as she passed and walking straight up to the bouncer, ignoring the line stretched around the side of the building.

The massive man looked down at the tiny woman, taking her measure. Eryn's eyes saw under the glamour to the Faerie underneath and the guard's stare mimicked hers as if he could see underneath the tight, low-cut black number with high heels and jewelry she wore to the silky undies and the dagger and small pistol she had in a thigh holster underneath. That wasn't possible considering the warding charms she'd placed on the dress, though no doubt a Master Vampire could easily secure someone into his service who did exactly as she thought the Faerie guard wanted to do.

After a few more moments of inspection, the guard jerked his head in acknowledgement and Eryn was allowed through to the grumbles of the-mostly- mortal line. Though they all quieted when met with a death glare from the bouncer.

With that, the panther passed into the world of mirrors, flashing lights, hot nights and even hotter intrigue where she hoped to find the boy she once believed lost.

[†Arisen†]

Aliya shook her head when questioned, moving for the kitchen.

"Hungy," she muttered quietly, letting the door close behind her. After a moment, she simply stood before turning on the light slowly.

But, instead of raiding the fridge, she went to the table and sat down heavily, holding her face in a hand, exhaling. It was going to be a long night. She felt foolish for her offer, and then trying to leave as well.

However, something else came to mind and she sat up quickly, looking to the kitchen door.

Maybes and what-ifs tumbling through her head.

~~

Belthezar's arrival was far less glamorous, as was his entrance.

He did meet with the bouncer, but not being able to stare the man in the eyes, he pulled off his glasses and let his eyelids open.

And he was walking in a bit later.

He wasn't armed to the teeth, like Eryn, and slipped into the mesh of hot bodies.

it was time for a hunt.

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito watched Aliya walk into the kitchen, following her with his eyes. After a moment, the vampire stood up, wanting to follow her and make sure that everything was alright with her, but unsure of his welcome. He approached the kitchen door slowly, laying one hand on it despairingly before thunking his head against the hardwood.

Kaito really did care about Ali and he wanted to show her, but he didn't want to hurt the poor girl anymore. Then his mind turned to the decision he'd made before he gone to sleep earlier and his spread out fingers on the kitchen door turned into a clenched fist. He would do this, for the sake of that tenuous dream.

Regaining composure, the vampire pushed the door open, sweeping into the kitchen to find Aliya staring at the door. His quick gaze caught everything and his eyes narrowed slightly- surely she wouldn't be thinking to run away again? Run away from him?

"Aliya?" he asked quietly.

~~

Eryn had walked up to the second level, the VIP Immortals section of the club, and was now leaning on the railing, watching the dancing on the bottom floor. Her gaze swept coolly over the writhing bodies on the dance floor, a drink in her hand which she took delicate sips of every now and then.

The panther could feel the stares from behind and below her, tracking her movements in a predatory fashion, but filled with hot desire. She knew that she was the center of attention at the moment and it gave her a feeling of power which she needed at this moment where she was spiraling out of control inside.

She needed to find Alex. She needed to find some grounding.

The panther chugged the rest of her drink, setting the empty glass down on an equally empty table before descending the stairs to the dance floor. Her eyes scanned for someone she remembered from a past visit to the club, looking for her 'in' to Eschaton's inner circle as she slipped onto the dance floor, following in Belthezar's footsteps.

[†Arisen†]

The girl blinked, watching Kaito.

"I have an idea," she said softly, and stood, "Eschaton. What if he disguises my brother in the club? He's as powerful as you say, he can easily hide Alex from Belthezar and Eryn..."

The girl paused, thinking, "... I know you don't want to trade with him, but what about bait?"

~~

The wolf flowed through the crowd rather easily, blending in and sinking in. At the dance floor, however, he slid in and joined with the other dancers, grinning.

True, he was a predator, and true, he didn't seem like much of a dancer, but he fit right in, blending in with the grinding bodies with theheat as he thought of a plan.

A way to try and find Alex would probably be to get Eschaton's attention, right?

Short of attacking several guests--which was his best plan for that at the moment--he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to Change. After all, there were humans in here. Last thing he really wanted was to be chased with proverbial torches and pitchforks.

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito watched Aliya carefully, looking for the tell-tale signs of a lie to see if she was trying to find a way to slip past him and off by herself. However, no signs were forthcoming and the vampire bowed his head to think for a moment.

The vampire didn't want to risk it. It went against all the protections he'd provided, all the fail-safes, all the promises, but the idea was tempting. He couldn't deny that. The uptilted, dark eyes closed for a moment in contemplation as all the outcomes and scenarios played out in his mind. When his eyes opened, he looked straight at Ali without wavering.

"It's a good idea," he admitted, "but we're going to hold off on it until we know for sure that Belthezar and Eryn can't find something and until we know that we can guarantee your safety. Plus we have no way of notifying them that we're changing the plan tonight without tipping Eschaton off about them.... we'll give them this night. If they don't find anything then we'll try out your suggestion tomorrow. After extensive planning and backups to make sure that you're okay."

Kaito walked over to touch Aliya's shoulder, his eyes holding only concern for her as the vampire watched the younger woman.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

~~

Eryn was dancing her way through the crowd, eyes scanning the enforcers that watched over the club's activity for a familiar face when someone grabbed her from behind to slam their hips against hers. The panther turned to snarl at the man who had grabbed her, but the growl was stilled in her throat when she saw his face.

"Abaddon," she breathed out softly, reaching up to touch the side of his face, her hips still enmeshed with his and her body cradled against his as they moved to the beat. "You're still here?"

The Fallen Angel smiled at the shifter, his face full of sharp angles and the smile full of bitterness mixed with mischief. Blond hair curled softly around his head and dark blue eyes watched the panther carefully- ageless eyes that betrayed nothing.

"Where else would I be?" he asked, voice rumbling against her ear. "But why are you here? Going a-hunting for something, little one?"

Eryn snarled at being thusly addressed, remembering herself after being caught off-guard by the appearance of a long-ago friend. But her 'in' had found her; now to draw Eschaton's attention, though that shouldn't be too hard considering that her friend was also the head of the Master Vampire's security....and other things, if things held true to the past.

"If I was, would you help?" she asked, turning around to press more intimately against the rock-solid body with the black tshirt and jeans practically painted on, as the eyes of the Immortals in the club followed Abaddon's movements, knowing who he was and who he worked for....and how he worked for him.

"Depending," the Angel answered, looking askance at Eryn for her behavior, but taking it in stride as he continued dancing with her, pulling the much smaller woman's body tighter against him. "Why are you in town?"

As Eryn opened her mouth to answer, red eyes flashed over Abaddon's left shoulder and a hand fell on it, making the other Immortal stop moving to glance at the man standing there.

"Eschaton," the Fallen said wearily.

[†Arisen†]

Aliya nodded, "I wasn't suggesting we change the plan now, Kaito. But i don't like the idea of sitting here and doing nothing when my brother could be there and I could be doing something."

She took his hand gently and exhaled softly, "... Thank you for worrying, Kaito. Thank you for everything."

~~

Shadow had just caught up with Eryn when Abbadon showed, but messed back into the crowd. It would be far too suspicious, and he simply played it off as being an angry date and stepped back into the crowd, dancing with another body he found grinding up against him.

He did his best to keep an ear open, and twisted a little when he heard Eschaton's name muttered. So, he made the stage.

Plans rolled through his head for a moment. If Eryn distracted him long enough, he could attempt a quick scan for Alex. However, he had a feeling the boy would be back in a room, not out publicly on display. The thought made his lip curl.

He knew this wouldn't be easy, but had foolishly hoped that maybe, just maybe, Alex would be out. easy to be seen, but most likely clinging to the vampire.

[callingxforxblood]

Kaito nodded, squeezing Aliya's fingers gently and running his free hand through his hair distractedly.

"I would do anything to keep you safe," he mumbled awkwardly, unused to putting his feelings into words.

~~

Eryn caught sight of Belthezar over Abaddon's shoulder and behind Eschaton and she motioned with her head a little to tell him to go look in the back before the Master Vampire stepped forward to claim her attention once more. The shifter pasted a sullen look over her features as she inspected him. No one would claim that Eschaton was anything other than beautiful with his delicately featured face, dark skin and even darker eyes. His hair curled in a riot of black over his ears and his lips were delectably kissable until he drew them back in a sneer.

"Abaddon," he practically spit out, "what are you doing?"

"Just dancing," the Fallen said, smoothly taking a small step away from the panther and towards the vampire, as if to placate him, "with an old friend."

"What old friend?" a girlish voice asked before the girl, Bastet, that Kaito had described to Eryn stepped around the Master Vampire.

Eschaton hissed something at the girl which Eryn couldn't hear over the pounding music in the club and the other girl jerked her head at someone behind the Master's back. Abaddon was instantly on alert, moving towards Eschaton when someone else moved around Eschaton's back. A young man, whose eyes were curious as he looked at Abaddon.

"Yes, Abaddon, who's your friend?" he asked in a voice dearly loved.

Eryn caught her breath and held it hard as her eyes rose to meet Alex's.

[†Arisen†]

Aliya smiled and got up. She reached up to kiss Kaito's cheek.

"Thank you. Really, Kaito, thank you. Everything you've done... It means a lot to me."

~~

Belthezar kept a close eye on Eryn and shifted when she gave the signal, but froze when he heard Alex. His breath caught and he stopped moving all together.

Time seemed to slow ashe turned to face Alex--or his back.

Half og him hoped the boy was under some form of spell to where he wouldn't recognize his friends, and part of him hoped he was himself.

it took everything he had to regain himself and apologize to whoever he was dancing with and to continue dancing.