Red Rebirth (pm to join)

[slippedhalo]

IC:




In a breath, a single inhalation, possibly among her last, and with it, the tale of Sister Catherine had been told to Him. He stood there in the churchyard that night, the night everything had burned around her, the night everything would change...And, he looked down at her with his angelic face seeming to glow in the moonlight, the orange glow from the flames devouring the church in the distance added to the glowing effect for her. He was like a shimmering angel of mercy to end her suffering once and for all... The laboured breath she took when she looked up at him was a combination surprised gasp and desperate plea. 'Save me!' It seemed to say.

It told a brief yet sad tale to him as he picked her history quickly from her thoughts....

She was in her teens when her uncommon beauty, cream skin, full lips, bright red hair, startling green eyes, began drawing too much attention from boys and men. Young Vivian was a good girl and listened to her parents' warnings to pay no mind to the boys and focus on the details of family life instead. But, whenever this homebody was in town at market with her mother and sisters, or with her devout family in church, there always seemed to be eyes upon her, smiles on faces, and (as her father said) sin in their hearts just from looking at her pass them by...

...Being told she was somehow responsible for it, even when she was doing nothing to make herself more attractive or at all approachable by them, was quite disconcerting to the young beauty. She never did flirt or talk with any of them but her father noticed their attention on his youngest daughter and it displeased him. Having married off five older daughters already and saving for the wedding of sixteen year old Therese, the last thing he wanted was another wedding and dowry (or a bastard child) to pay for. He was thinking of possible solutions to this (killing his youngest girl and spending her dowry to better educate his three sons, perhaps) but he loved her in his own way and could not bring himself to kill her. She'd never asked to be born to a family of so many girls nor to have inherited his own mother's fiery red locks and his wife's plump, kissable looking lips, the combination of these with her young fertile figure was just too much invitation to sin for the average male to take, he reasoned. It was not her fault but her beauty felt like a curse upon them all. Fate was just a cruel bitch sometimes.

One smile once at the baker's son on the way out of church and the Monsignor suggested to her father she's too readily led into temptation, that perhaps she's an incarnation of Mary Magdalene herself (Vivian was often compared to the Lord and Saviors' whore for her fiery hair), and he suggested locking her away at convent to learn the sisterly path as a nun "for her own well being" (Where, unbenounced to her father, the spiritual leader could have his own way with her under the guise of ''guidance''). The Monsignior and her father both decided it would be the best future for her and save her family's' honour (and money).

In the bloom of adolescent youth, Vivian was sent to the nuns. Abuse, constant punishment and censorship, hard learned lessons, private lessons in the horrors of mens' ways by the Monsignior himself, senior nuns, and Reverend Mothers' bullying and teasing (even for her hair), made her outwardly obedient and quiet, shy...Outwardly, a perfect bride of Christ. Inside sleeps the angry rebel.

....Six years later, she was awakened by sounds like yelling and ruckous in the church. The sisters awakened with concerned haste and headed to the church to see it had been vandalized and robbed. As they gathered inside to try to help the beaten bloody Monsignior, a fire was set and the robbers shut and barricaded the doors, locking them within to burn to death...

Hours passed by the time Vivian could sort through the horrors she'd just experienced.

Everyone had died.

...At this moment stuck in time, Sister Catherine could no longer stand the pain and her chest made a crinkling, broken bagpipes sort of wheeze as she took an agonizing breath and turned her head away from the charred remains of her former church family...She thought, perhaps she was dying too. Still, something propelled her to rise from the ash and rubble and will each leg to move, carrying her out of the building into the cool night air...

On the brink, her burns severe, she stumbled through the churchyard, falling at HIS feet. Looking up at him through teary, swollen eyes, she wondered where he'd come from. Who was this stranger? Why was he so beautiful and perfect, like a living statue...would he help or was he coming to take her away to the afterlife?

 

[slippedhalo]

Ooc: My character needs a vampire mentor and possible future lover. They should be a rogue, ancient vampire who hasn't taken up with a clan or coven but has found himself/herself inextricably drawn to Vivian and wanting to guide and protect her.

I'm looking more for an Anne Rice type of vampire than a TruBlood or Twilight, fluffy kind. Please pm me if you're interested in joining.

 

[slippedhalo]

Place tentatively being held for JadeKnight.

 

[JadeKnight]

Jianova Bruls was a budding young artist during the early Renaissance. His art sold for decent prices, so he did not want for money. His family had died when he was young, but a wealthy merchant family took him in and raised him. However his life changed explicable soon after he had turned 25.

His artwork had caught the eye of an art-loving vampire named Camilla Brodsworth. She had approached him to make a commission for her, but made him her fledging soon after the painting was completed. As he adjusted to becoming a vampire, he also tried to adjust to continuing what he loved to do, painting. Though Camilla tried to make him cut all ties with his family, he did otherwise.

At first, he tried to keep his change under wraps from his family while trying to seek their help at the same time. His family wasn't devout christian or god-fearing, so when his secret was finally found out, they didn't immediate try and kill him. There was a bit of fear of him, but they came to accept his change. He was the deep dark secret.

A deal was struck between Jianova and his family that he would continue painting and they would sell his paintings under a different name. This continued through the next few generation till the Renaissance faded out. He soon turned to helping them from wherever he was living. He stayed in Italy until the 1800's when he moved to Germany. Though Camilla didn't approve of his ways, she stayed near him until he went to Germany. She was killed a short time later when she hunted down the daughter of a wealthy business man. She was chased down by a group of hunters before her head was cut off.

Jianova continued his love of art in Germany, becoming fascinated with the artwork associated with churches. He often traveled to visit churches at night, just to examine them. It was on one eve during a visit to a particular old church that he spotted Sister Catherine sitting outside one night. He had been to the church once before several years earlier, as it was supposed to have been the most beautifully and intricately built in the country.

However that paled in comparison once he saw the firey haired beauty. Though he dared not to approach her for fear of disturbing such an angelic vision. She gave him a reason to stay nearby, watching how she progress. He came back to the area several times on “pilgrimages” over the next five years, just to get a glimpse of her.

It was only the night of the fire that he had decided to return one last time to see if he could catch a glimpse of his flame-kissed angel. He was walking the path toward the church when a group of townspeople came up from behind. Not wishing to get caught, he diverted his path through the nearby forest as soon as he heard them far behind them. It wasn't hard to follow the noisy bunch, even through they were trying to be quiet.

He reached the edge of the forest bordering the church property as the first licks of flame began to engulf the front door. It only took a few minutes for the structure to become completely engulfed. By that time, the robbers had left. The vampire could hear the screams of the young women inside as the flames danced and kissed them. There was nothing he could do to help, but he stayed there to watch the fire dance as it burned down the church. Even in destruction, he saw the light of beauty at the images the fire created.

As the fire died down, he soon picked up the breathing of someone still alive. He could not tell who it was, but he wished to find out. He was halfway up the path to the church when his fiery angel came stumbling out of the still smoldering ruins. As he looked down at her, barely clinging to life, he ad one thought. He could not let the world, or himself, lose such beauty. To do so would be a tragedy.

He knelt down beside her, cradling her carefully in his arms. He whispered soft words in her ear for a moment before he sinks his fangs into her, telling her to hold on just a little longer. He drank from her till she is just on the edge before giving her his blood to drink.

He took her to his small home in the countryside to start her healing. However, vampire hunting was on the rise in Europe, so it wasn't the safest place to begin raising her as his fledgling. He made contact with his family, finding that an unused family manor has been sitting empty for some time since it was purchased several years earlier in America. It was treated as a haunted house as it had been built inside of a very large cemetery near the edge of New York City.

Transporting Catherine on one of his family's merchant ships in one of two closed caskets, the crew was told he wished to bury a dead lover per her wishes in America. They arrived in America at the turn of the century, smuggled off the boat in the dead of the night. As part of the deal for the transporting with his family, he helped with the business for the next fifteen years. It helped keep him busy while feeding and teaching Catherine as she healed and changed fully. Keeping her asleep for most of the time helped to heal her, though he wasn't certain why it takes so long for her. He was more than willing to take as long as he needed to make sure she survived.

 

[slippedhalo]

As she lay in darkness, unable to move her heavy limbs with her weak life force, mostly alone in her dark entombment, awash in dreams of vivid color contrasting frightfully with the nothing but cold darkness when her eyes occasionally met her challenge to fight to open up just long enough to see a shadow' s movement. The shadow then treated her with gentle, loving, care, as if he knew she could hear his words...The familiar shadow-man whispered assurances to her, Italian phrases which sounded endearing to her ears despite her rudimentary Latin education only letting her catch a word or two of it from time to time...He moved her weak, statue of charcoal body ccasionally. Though, it hurt to be touched once sensation replaced the heavy feeling. She often wept silently, unable to scream out the agony she felt as her burns were carefully scrubbed away by the shadow who seemed to weep along with her as he worked on her burns.

He always rewarded her patience with a glass full of warm, nearly hot, thick wine, if her tongue could be trusted to tell her anything right anymore. The wine was unlike any she'd ever had before; it restored her, fortified, energized, and she could feel it spreading through her body somehow, healing a little more with every dose. He never let her drink it once it had cooled. She tried once and he dashed the cup from her lips with a cry, shattering the vessel on the hard ground, startling Vivian into Sister Catherine-like silence.

She slept deeper than ever in her life now, a blanket of velvet darkness always pulled over her world engulfed in a fog of near petrification, making her feel more like a mummy in a museum than a person. Her weakened, near statue state, mixed with near charring of her now crisply burnt flesh rapidly changing as she dreamed long, vivid yet confusing dreams...Vivian wondered if she was dead and slowly entering hell through some less terrifying back entrance, or was she asleep so deeply only fairytale creatures of Grimm brothers would know her from a corpse?

Sounds outside her place of entombment grew unidentifiable and she found she could sometimes reach out with her mind and grab a stray image or thought from an unwitting passerby, making her realize that they were growing more confusing to her as she healed...How long had she been asleep? The world outside her dark rehabilitation area felt strange and foreign.

She felt herself stronger and opened her eyes one day to find maddening darkness once more, only a rectangular halo of light indicated to her perhaps her eyes worked now and she was simply held in a dark box...'Oh dear! It's a real coffin!' She realized, a flutter of panic making her heart pound in her chest. 'Is He out there?' She hoped, banging on the heavy lid with both fists to be heard from outside. The light she saw gave her hope she hadn't been buried. Unsure still of who He was, she felt certain He wanted more to help her than to hurt her so she was hoping it would be Him who'd hear her and help her out.

 

[JadeKnight]

Jianova had moved his fiery angel's coffin into the manor basement, to keep her safe from sunlight. Though he could have had the house hooked to electricity, he did not since he normally need it. Instead he kept candles lit in the basement in the evenings, just in case she woke up. Tonight it seemed she had awoken before he had planned on it.

He held her banging on the coffin from the drawing room where he was painting. Carefully setting his materials down on the easel, he made his way downstairs to help her. He carefully opened the coffin lid, a soft smile on his face. He spoke in italian for a moment, but she didn't seem to understand. Having spent time in Germany, he began speaking in German.

"I am here my beauty. No need to fret. Eeverything will be alright. How are you feeling?"

He wore a pair of brown slacks, white button blouse, and a pair of black wingtip shoes. He had planned on going out for more supplies, but his new fledging took priority. He held his hand out to her, offering to help her out of the coffin.

 

[slippedhalo]

The shadow man had form! He looked exactly like the angel she thought had come to take her from earth when the church had burnt down...Vivian sighed and she took the offered hand and he lifted her out as if she weighed nothing and seated her on a low bench beside it. She was grateful he'd come to her so quickly, still, she was not sure who he was. "Who are you? Where am I...dead? Did I die?" She asked, suddenly realizing, though miraculously unmarked by even the faintest of scars (which should be impossible), that she sat there, alone with an unknown man hovering nearby and she hadn't a stitch of clothing on! Standing, she made a quick survey of the candle lit room, searching for something to cover her nudity with. "Miester, please, I'm naked! Is there nothing for me to wear?"

 

[JadeKnight]

When he had understood that she could not understand him when he had spoken in Italian, he knew she had not understood what he had done. The questions she had asked would take a bit of explaining, but first things first. It was not proper for her to naked, at least not civil manners, while they talked. He quickly averted his eyes with a bow of his head.

"Of course my beauty. Upstairs on the second floor. The first door to the left is a bedroom where you can find some dresses and clothing which shall fit you. Once you are proper, we can talk in the drawing room on the first floor."

He waited for her to help out, giving her a bit of a start. After all, he needed to take things slow with her. This was her first night out of the coffin. Once she had left the basement, he made his way to the drawing room.

A piano was positioned near to the large picture window looking out at the front lawn. A small couch and high back chair were positioned around a small oak coffee table. The full moon shone in brightly, a single lit candle on the coffee table. Two bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books on a variety of different subjects.

He sat in the chair, watching out the picture window as he waited for Vivian to get dressed.

 

[slippedhalo]

Vivian followed the instructions, noting the fine decor of a richly decorated home as she made her way to the room she sought. The clothing was all oddly styled. Stuff she wasn't aware was ever stylish. Again, she found herself wondering how long had she been unconscious and had the world changed very much while she'd slept? There was a small closet with a store of Victorian era clothing, things Vivian found much more familiar and appealing. Three good gowns, one sapphire blue, one brown satin, one emerald green, and accompanying undergarments and matching shoes in both her size and a size bigger (someone had been guessing at her shoesize), from which she would make do.

Slowly, she looked around her surroundings as she made her way to the drawing room where the angelic Italian man waited patiently for her. "So many strange dresses...I'm not sure how to wear them yet...I didn't realize fashion changes so quickly." Vivian observed, bowing her head slightly as she felt her appearance in the green gown was now being taken in by this man. "Thank you, by the way...for your help." She added, not sure how much help he'd given her and for how long.

 

[JadeKnight]

Believing that she would be thirsty, he pulled out a wine glass. Cutting a slit in his arm, he let the glass fill up before closing his wound. It would have to do till he could take her hunting, or to someone who was willing to let her drink. The glass was waiting on the coffee table by the time she came into the drawing room.

He was taken back a moment by the change in her, merely by dressing up. Her hair seemed to be even more radient in the moonlight. He smiled softly at her manners. He felt he had made the right choice in saving his beauty.

"Please, have a seat. And a drink for you, since you are probably thirsty."

He waited for her to sit before continuing to speak.

"I know you have a lot of questions, which I shall address all in due time m'lady. This is your, our home. We are living in America now, New York to be exact."

He waited a few moments for the information to sink in before speaking one again.

"It has been 35 years since I 'saved' you from the horror of the church you sadly had to be apart of."

 

[slippedhalo]

The wine was there on the table. Somehow, just the sight of the red liquid in the glass made her mouth water and heart quicken but she reached out for it, immediately, drinking it with haste. She didn't want anything more than this in the moment as she emptied the glass of every last drop.

Her thirst wasn't entirely satisfied by this drink but it helped to steady her nerves a great deal as she sat and listened to him speak. "...What do you mean 35 years?...America?! But, how? When? I don't remember travelling!" She looked down at her porcelain, flawless skin and absently touched her unwrinkled face, "...There's no way I'm 55 years old!"

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled for a moment seeing her drain the goblet like she did. He knew she was probably wanting more, but one thing at a time. He nodded for a moment as her questioning outburst, her confusion.

He stood up for a moment from the chair, moving towards her slowly. Once he stopped in front of her, he reached out, two fingers gently beneath her chin and he lifted her had up so he could look into her green eyes.

"It is all true. To your earlier question, you are dead. At least to the world as your former human life. It was your begging eyes that made me bring you back, and your beauty. This is your second chance so to speak, m'angel."

 

[slippedhalo]

Vivian looked into his eyes, hers narrowing in preparation for a fight, and whispered, "Who...No, what are you? What have you done to me?" She thought back on all the men in her young life and how every single one had either underestimated, abandoned, or exploited her in some way. She wanted to know what this being was and what it was he expected from her in return for his rescue and care. 35 years...he can't be expecting nothing in return. But, would his price be too high? Vivian was agitated, exhausted with the pride of men always coming at her expense.

 

[JadeKnight]

He could see the movement of her eyes as a spark of anger shone in them. She was reacting much the same way that he had when he had been turned. He thought she would take it hard knowing that she hadn't understood a word he had said to her in the coffin.

His fingers pulled from beneath her chin before he moved from her. He walked to the open area of the drawing room before turning to face her. He gave a bow for a moment before straighening back up.

"I am Jianova Bruis, a vampire. I was born in Naples, Italy in the year 1425. I spent my life studying art, even after I myself was turned only a few years older than you were. i continued to study art and even paint long after I was made into a vampire."

He paused for a moment before continuing to speak.

"I was living in Germany when i came to visit your church, only five years before the tragedy struck you. It was there I first saw your beauty, calling out to me. I visited several times after that, studying the architecture of the church and to see you as well. I was going to visit the church one last time when your church was burned down. It was you who came to me, with your dying breathe, begging for more time."

 

[slippedhalo]

Vivian fretted her bottom lip as she replayed the memory in her mind. Had she asked him? She didn't recall speaking, only thinking it...She recalled picking thoughts from the minds of passersby as she recovered in her coffin below and it occurred to her, "Vampires are able to read minds of mortals?" She asked, suspecting this to be true. "So I'm...I'm also a...But, I don't want to..."

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we do have that ability. It can be both helpful and hindernce at the same time."

Yes, she was acting exactly how he was when he was first turned. Although he had not asked for it, his last thoughts as a human were that he didn't want to die. Perhaps he should do as Camilla had done with him.

"Do you truly wish to die? That can be arranged easily enough. All you simply need to do is wait in this room till the sunrises. That is currently only a few hours away."

He sighed softly for a moment as he looked towards the full moon for a moment.

"Humans are a strange creature. They yearn for everlasting life, to live forever. And yet when given the chance, they want to throw it all away. True, there are a few drawbacks to such a gift, but it is a gift none the less."

He looked to her once more before bowing again.

"I shall leave you to your decison and thoughts. If you do change your mind or which something of me, I shall be upstairs painting. I bid you good eve my beauty."

With that, he turned and made his way out of the study. It did upset him that he would do what he could to save her, heal her, and care for her, only to have it thrown back at him. But then he had heard that other new flegdlings acted like this, but most came to accept it. Others, that thought he did not dwell on as he took up his painting once more.

 

[slippedhalo]

Well, it soon made itself quite obvious to Vivian that telepathic ability in vampires did not extend towards other vampires or else Jianova would have known that was not exactly what she'd been trying, and had failed, to convey.

He left her there to think. There was little to think about, really. She had never put much stock in vampire fiction as a child so, no, she couldn't claim to have desired to become one. She had, however, desired a chance at a different sort of life than the one where her father saw her as his personal liability and the church saw her as an empty vessel for use and abuse. As an immortal she'd have plenty of fresh opportunities to try new things, to actually live her own life the way she pleased, and immortality of a sort meant that failure could just be used as a learning experience and she could always reinvent herself in some way and try again. That could make eternal life quite interesting!

She examined books in the room, thinking all the while about her soul. What does it mean to not die? Was her education about Heaven and Hell all made up mythology to explain the unknown to mortals who fear death so much they need a fairytale to feel at ease with the concept? That's something Sister Catherine had suspected all along but kept to herself. No way was a cruel, manipulator like Monsignior Kraus going to spend all eternity in Heaven after all the evil deeds he'd committed behind the false veneer of piety! The memory of that man made anger well up in her, she could almost taste his sweat on her at the memory of his evil...and she wanted to spit but held back. Instead, she smoothed out the green satin of her gown and wondered how she'd look in those shorter dresses women in this time period seemed to prefer. "But, that were I that brave..." Vivian joked to herself with a smile and shake of her head. She just couldn't picture showing so much of her limbs publicly and not indeed dying from embarrassment!

The sun was beginning to rise and one end of the room felt already uncomfortably hot, the sunlight streaming in through the curtains pained her eyes...Rising from her chair, Vivian left this oven and looked for her vampire mentor at his studio.

"Let me explain, Sir, " she began, opening the double doors just enough to enter before closing them behind her. Here, it was dark except for many candles. The room was swathed in dark, thick, drape clothes. She walked up to his canvas and stood beside it, facing him as he worked. "I am not in love or loathe with the notion of being this, a...what we are. I only wish to understand it better. Why was I out of consciousness for thirty five years? Is there no Heaven for us? Are we demons? Is there a Heaven for anyone? And, it's the drinking of blood...This idea of killing others so that I may survive, it's this practice which disturbs me. Is there no way we can survive without drinking the blood of others? I don't think I could stomach it!"

 

[JadeKnight]

He knew when the sun had come up, but she hadn't come up to meet him yet. He figured she had made her choice to end her life rather than keep going. However as he was putting the finishing touches on the painting, he heard her footsteps coming up the staircase. As the door opened, he gave a smile though he remained quiet.

He made the final stroke on his canvas as she came up beside the eseal, asking her questions. He laid the brush aside as he listened her questions, waiting for her to finish. He folded his hands in front of him as he looked her to speak.

"You were asleep for thirty five years because your body took that long to recover from all the burns and bodily damage you had suffered. I do not have the answer as to why it did. And yes, blood, other people's blood is the only thing which will sustain us. How, why, I doubt anyone could even begin to tell you the reason behind it."

He gave a sigh for a moment as he thought about the other questions she asked, spiritual ones.

"As far as The whole Heaven thing, I do not know. We are dead in the medical sense, but the process of changing does not truly kill us. We are half-alive and able to live as long as possible, given we are careful. And yes, some see us as demons, while others do welcome us. It's all based in fear my angel."

With that, he turned the canvas to show her what he had been painting. It was of her on the night she was cradled before he turned her. The colors were bright and vivid, the look of pleading shone in her eyes.

 

[slippedhalo]

Her breath caught in her throat at the ghastly image. Her, it was her, but looking like a charred, bloodied skeleton. Her hair was nonexistent, just a singed, black, melted clump of debris covering deep red wounds. It was truly horrific to see a sight like this with living, open, vivid eyes...Pleading eyes.

She understood the purpose of this grotesque painting. He was telling her it was this he saw when she'd left the burning building and made her way to him with her last breaths. With a choked sob Vivian bent her head and wept for the suffering she now felt so detached from. She wept for the others, whom she never had loved as sisters yet had been pained to watch die in this same agony that she had miraculously been saved from dying of...

After a few minutes of sorting through these emotions she managed to compose herself once more. "I see...You paint quite vividly. I must admit I hope to never see that painting again despite how technically good it is. It's probably one of the worst memories of my life. But, you've made your point quite well, Sir." Vivian said softly, taking a step away from the canvas, avoiding looking at it further.

"...I think being a vampire wouldn't be so bad, for the most part...But, I have my reservations about a human having to die so that I may live. In my lifetime as a vampire how many lives will be lost? Thousands? Millions? Even one life seems too much for me to take!" She shook her head and turned away from both painting and painter. "Yet, here I stand, afraid to die. I don't know what to do."

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a nod as she turned away. He figured that it would make his point, thought he did wish he had not have to do it. It pained him to see her hurt like this.

"Of course, you don't have to see it anymore. I shall put it out of sight, then decide it's fate later."

He moved a little closer to her, standing just to the side of her. He reached out and gently laid his hand on her bared shoulder.

"That is a valid concern that you have. And i also know that is has been a long night for both of us. The sun is coming up, so bed does call upon us. Let us go to the basement and sleep for the day. We can continue to talk this evening. There is much to learn, always something more to learn."

 

[slippedhalo]

She nodded. Vivian did feel sleepy and figured she had several lifetimes to work through her difficulties or one sunrise if she couldn't. With a sigh she let her vampire mentor lead her down to the basement. "Where should I sleep?" She asked, a little fearful of returning to the coffin with the heavy lid she had trouble pushing open herself, although he assured her that in time she'd be so strong the lid would feel like nothing to push aside.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little chuckle at her question of where to sleep.

"Your coffin would be the best place to sleep my angel. It will keep any sunlight from you and the darkness will help you sleep as well. Don't worry, you will know when the sun has set and wake up without me telling you to. Just try not to get so excited when you want to get out. Just knock and I will come help you out."

He pushed the coffin lid further open so she could see that the coffin was lined for her comfort. Satin padding was attached to the sides, along with a large silken cushion along the bottom to lay on. All of the satin was a deep green, much like the dress she wore and the color of her eyes.

"If you like, you can sleep in the dress. However I would leave off the shoes. And I will be sleeping in there."

He pointed out the twin of her coffin only a few feet from hers next to the basement wall.

 

[slippedhalo]

Vivian fretted her lip again as she looked over the coffin. "This is also too heavy for a human to lift without the efforts of several pairs of hands, I understand...some believe in us and seek to hunt us down. We're as vulnerable in slumber as they are. I'll try the coffin for now." She acquiesced, climbing inside and turning onto her right side, hand beneath the cushion for her head as her eyes fluttered closed.

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled for a moment as he watched her climb into the coffin and lay down. He watched her for a few moments before moving to close the coffin. Once he made sure it was secure, he went upstairs.

He didn't want them disturbed, so he went from room to room blowing out candles. Next he locked each window and door before heading back to the basement. Once the house was secure, he laid down in his own coffin, pulling the lid into place. He soon flew sleep quickly, blissful darkness overtaking him.

 

[slippedhalo]

Dreaming vivid mixtures of past and present, Vivian slept fitfully. She kept finding her dreams disturbed by funeral mourners' own thoughts...The imagery coming to her first, then their strangely worded prayers which she recognized despite them sounding strange to her German ear as they were most often said in English...Ah yes, the new world, America! They were in New York somewhere in America now. The language she'd be most likely to hear in the world outside would now be English.

The strange sounds actually began to lull her into a deeper sleep and hours later, as she grew closer to reawakening in early evening twilight, Vivian found that she was already understanding the words she heard the humans saying a little bit. In her own way, she'd been studying whilst asleep. A few weeks of this and she might actually be able to speak this strange new language.

With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes and was met with the rectangle of light around her in the darkness again. Shivering more from aversion to the enclosure than any sense of cold, Vivian knocked gently on the coffin lid, hating how her stomach growled and knowing that it wasn't desiring of gruel, fruit, fowl, or mutton...She wanted more of that wine and something in the back of her mind wondered if there was a drug lacing this drink to make her crave it so badly. What was in it that made her feel so good after drinking the delicious stuff? Why was she feeling dependent on it? Just thinking about it made her mouth water and her stomach growl again. She was indeed incredibly thirsty...