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 Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 5:09 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 1:53 pm
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apping on the door.
Before either of them could react, a slightly mussed (and bloody) Jack opened the door and started speaking. "Rose, I can't find any of the healers anywhere, and I've got an injured girl. She's in your lab right now, I've got to head back to where she was hurt, and where two vampires were staked. She's a hunter, but it's more complicated than that." Jack took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. " I think's she's gonna bleed out, her back is all torn up from where she was slammed into rocks, and I don't know about her mental state, another vamapire did something to her with his mind. Be careful. I'll be down to help you out once I sort out everything at the site. We've got a new guy there too, just so much so fast. But can you go sew her up?" Rose nodded quickly, and then without further ado, Jack disappeared with a sharp crack. Rose looked up apoligetically at Cain. "Sorry, I'll be back in as soon as I can alright?" Then her lips brushed against his gently , a small promise that shed make it up to him when she returned, then Rose was gone out of the door, running at top speed to go deal with this new problem.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:56 pm
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It had been days, weeks, since anyone had seen Rose and her friends. It was like they had vanished into thin air.
The truth wasn't far from that, they had awoken in the middle of the night, and crept through a portal they had made with one of the castle's many mirrors, their belongings vanishing along with them.
A particular letter had been tucked into Cain's bookshelf, with the hopes that he would find it, read it, and understand why it's writer had made the decision to break his heart.
Cain,
I don't know what I feel anymore, what I'm supposed to feel. I think something inside of me is broken, and it's getting worse all the time. It's like an itch I want to scratch so badly, to tear apart things and put them back together, learn how things really work, grasp at all the power I can grab in the universe...
But it isn't meant to be. I am no God. It is folly that I tried to play as one.
It isn't right for someone as bloodstained as I to try at happiness with someone as genuine as you. I need to fix some things, my debt to the one who granted me this extended life in exchange for so many others for starters, then to finally destroy my works, and the other works I helped create.
Cain, I made such a big hole in the world, and I don't think I can return from patching it. It wouldn't be fair for me to return after patching it, assuming I can. I wouldn't be the same person. In order to fix an atrocity, another atrocity must be committed. My soul will probably be pitch-black and torn to shreds by the time I'm done, and my mind even further gone down the path to madness than it already is.
You have a chance. Please, for all that we shared together, for all the happy moments, make better ones with someone who can fully be there for you.
-Rosabel Marcellus
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 12:26 pm
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On the way up to his rooms, Cain flagged down a passing servant that actually knew him, "Can you get something to eat sent up to my rooms? Heavy on the protein, I would think. And a mulled wine setup for myself," she gave him a smile and nodded then started to walk away but he stopped her again.
"Oh, and did they finish with the um... the renovations?" he paused there, not sure how much to say on it all.
She gave him a softer smile and nodded again, "They just finished the last bit. It's now a proper spare room. And Miss Rose's things have been stored properly as well, in case she decided to come back or sends for them," he nodded then took in a breath before giving the last bit, "There's a box at the foot of my bed... It needs to go back to the seamstress in the village. Just tell her that it won't be needed and she can pass it along as she sees fit," he said it with a straight face and an even tone but the woman got even more sympathetic over this bit and put a hand on his arm as she agreed and moved to collect the box and came back out, saying that she'd take care of it.
He gave a frown over the touching and led Falmon on into his rooms, pausing in the sitting room to glance at the spare room. The door was open and he could see that the décor matched the rest of his rooms. There was no trace of the small lab that he'd built for Rose. He gave a simple nod and gestured to the chairs in front of the fireplace, "Have a seat. I'll get the fire started. I'll need it for the mulled wine anyway," he offered and moved to use a firestarter instead of matches.
"Matches were wonderful when they came out, but I prefer to let the servants use them. I grew up with this, so it's easier for me," he commented easily as he moved the flint along the steel. Sparks flared and moved into the dry kindling and sparked the fire quickly, showing that he did, indeed, have a long history of starting fires like this.
It wasn't long before the fire was a roaring blaze that put out a comfortable warmth into the room. Just as he got that going nicely, a servant knocked then opened the door to push in a tray with the requested items then left them alone again. Cain collected the setup for the mulled wine and got that started over the fire then set up one of the smaller trays with Falmon's meal, "Go ahead and eat. The steak should be cooked perfectly," he suggested, knowing that the venison was always cooked and seasoned perfectly.
He kept his mismatched eyes on the fireplace, leaning one arm on the mantle, "The vampire that Sebastet killed was Dimitri Raducan. He was an evil piece of work. Even with as old and experienced as she was, even then, he was still not an easy kill. How she managed to take him down as well as all of the other monstrosities he had here, I have no idea. And she did it alone. I got an invitation from her shortly after that. When I arrived the castle was... Not pleasant... She gave me the one and only task of the library. She brought in Crisdean, you saw him downstairs in the library, to help her with the garden. She brought in Desha, to be the resident healer. Gypsy Blade was brought in to help with clearing out any that had escaped Sebastet's sword. There were a few others she brought in. Cleaning up the place was a nightmare. The dungeon alone," he stopped there, his eyes a little haunted as they kept focused on the fire.
Thankfully, he was saved from saying more by the kettle over the fireplace whistling and signaling that the mulled wine was finished boiling. He swung it out to cool a bit before pouring it.
"I never told Sebastet, but I did find some things of Raducan's: notes, a few books, ledgers, a few letters... You can have them if you give me your word that Sebastet will never learn of them," he offered, knowing that the fellow scholar wouldn't betray him on this one.
What he'd read of the items, he wished he could forget. For all the terrible things he'd seen and experienced in his long life, these items gave him nightmares... |
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 11:34 am
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Never judge a book by it's cover
Falmon Thromwatch
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Falmon followed Cain as he moved through the halls to his rooms, observing and listening as they went, but not wanting to pry on personal matters and simply left them at that. Once in his room he went to the chair offered and sat down after he placed his gear next to it and watched as he lit the fire with a flint and steel admiring the simplicity he chose to maintain and spoke up lightly “I’ve never really had any need for such things since I can command fire easily enough” when the food arrived he didn’t hesitate to try the steak out and found that it was not only flavorful but also juicy which spoke volumes to the capabilities of the kitchen staff that the castle likely employed, and nodded in approval as he took another bite of the meat and focused his attention on Cain as he leaned up against the mantle listening to his every word, taking mental notes for later, surprised by the information he was openly giving him, so much so when he put the food aside and pulled out a ledger from the cylinder and flipped through it pausing when he found what he was looking for and looked at him concern on his face “well seems we have something in common, about twenty years ago I came upon a ruined facility in the eastern lands, and came across a name that referenced frequently, The Raducan, apparently he was the leader of a massive group called” he paused to flip back a couple of pages to check the name of the group, and looked up from the page to address Cain again “the Ximultia League, there wasn’t much available from a lot of the sites I found about the work they were doing as those records seemed to either been destroyed or taken, either way from what I understood they were doing something, if this is the same Raducan one has to question what they were trying to achieve as they easily had easily twenty or so black sites that were all operating to achieve the same goal, and it was important enough that some of the black sites still had a small skeleton crew, some living some not. as for Sebastet what is said and exchanged between us remains with us, unless you deem it important to bring it forward, Raducan’s logs might provide information on what they were plotting before they seemingly disappeared or if they are still operating without their master remain in the shadows” Falmon was excited but at the same time he was somewhat worried as he was closer now than he had been before and was wondering what this site was doing during Raducan’s reign.
Falmon watched Cain with interest taking further note of his form as he attended to the kettle distracted by what he was doing before he snapped himself out of it and continued “what are your thoughts on this, seems to me that there might be more still going on” Falmon placed ledger on the chair pages down so that they wouldn’t get ruined and continued to eat all the while watching Cain and what he was doing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You may find that it is filled with valuable information. |
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 11:56 am
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Cain listened with a small frown on his handsome features, his mismatched eyes still on the fire. In the end, he gave a small nod and moved over to one of his own bookshelves, shifting a few things to reveal a hidden compartment where he kept a few things that no one should ever see...
He collected three leather-bound books and a stack of envelopes tied together, setting those aside he closed the compartment and replaced the shifted books. He got the books and letters and simply passed them over on the way to check the temperature of the wine and poured two mugs, moving to pass one over to his guest before speaking.
"I don't know what to think about it, to be honest. I never had time for secret societies. Too many rules and manners and idiotic things to remember... Not to mention that most of them were pompass idiots..." he said with a shrug, his gaze straying to the renovated spare room for a moment.
He turned away from it with a wince, "Besides, I have a different group to deal with at the present to be chasing shadows down rabbit holes. Perhaps when this wave is over I'll be able to help more... As it is, I have a sunset appointment to instill a bit of fear into some idiots. Just have to pass the day to get to it first," he had to admit that much and offered a wry twist of his mouth as he leaned a shoulder back against the mantle as he sipped at the mulled wine briefly.
The warmth moved through him easily and the flavor reminded him of home and happier times, "I usually work myself to sleep. I don't like to dwell on memories these days..." he considered that for a moment then shrugged one shoulder, "That and my failings in life..." he added, still wondering how he managed to bungle every relationship he'd ever been in.
Apparently he wasn't any better with women than he was with men... |
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 7:36 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:48 pm
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Cain sipped from his mug and gave a nod as he kept his gaze on the fire, "Assistance this evening would be nice. I'll be going for subtlety, more than brazen battery. The biggest thing is apparently to terrify any survivors. It's more shadow-work this time," he commented, silently thinking that this was the third time he'd been called upon to use the skills that Sebastet had taught him so long ago.
Most people dismissed him as a fighter. He didn't mind that at all. But it became interesting when people asked him about being in a fight when he was usually so clumsy. The truth was that when he was fighting, he wasn't a klutz at all. He was the assassin that Sebastet had trained him to be...
He finally cleared his throat and turned to his guest with a small smile that showed how handsome he could truly be, as well as the dark Norse qualities of his looks, "As for passing the day, I have a few other books here that are not kept in the library that you might find interesting," he offered, not considering that the man would be interested in him for anything else.
For Cain, it wasn't very often that he found a person to have a relationship with. And even then, they didn't last long because of how focused he could get with his work. He also forgot important dates and times. Hell, most of the time he missed sunrise and sunset times and wound up with a nasty sunburn.
Okay, it was worse than a sunburn, but that was how he thought of it... |
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:23 am
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To be honest, the kiss effectively shocked Cain so much that he could only blink for a moment. Falmon even had to gesture to the door for Cain to realize that someone had knocked on it. He got to his feet then promptly fell on his face as he tripped over his own feet, "Umph... Just a minute!" he called out as he tried to get to his feet.
Only to trip over air this time, landing with a few swear words in no particular order. But it was also audible enough to the person that knocked on the door and let them know that they'd interrupted something. Whether it was sleeping, reading, researching, or even something more private; that was really the only time he became such a klutz.
It was also a mark in Falmon's favor that Cain was so klutzy at the moment.
But Cain finally succeeded in opening the door without further mishap then looked out the door and down both sides of the hallway with a frown. He was about to call it a prank. Then he looked down and saw Ashigaera, "Oh... You... At least you knocked this time... What do you want?" he asked her, rather confused by her presence. And he really wasn't being rude intentionally, just accidentally. Which she was probably used to by now...
And it was obvious that he had company. Every once in a while, Cain had someone over to his rooms. Sometimes it was someone he wanted to interview for one of his many books. Rarely it was someone over for more intimate company. And sometimes he was giving lessons to someone that had asked for teaching. Cain never judged anyone he was teaching, no matter their age or station. That made him popular with some people. But it also made him forgettable to others...
For now, though, he had Falmon waiting to see how the day was going to. And Ashigaera at the door wanting something. He knew it was probably information on something important. But she was also interrupting what was looking to be a very nice day for him... |
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2022 5:10 am
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Ashigaera grinned and replied “nothing much just here to relay a message from Sebastet, she needs a list of everyone that is at risk of attack, the Church is being particularly precise on specific targets, so knowing who they would likely target next would allow for us to warn them of impending attacks, or even prevent it” She stood there vaguely aware that there was someone in the room with him, and it seemed like it was someone new but didn’t say anything.
Falmon stood there surprised that there was a lot going on elsewhere on the island, which likely was related to what they would be doing later on. Leaning up against the wall next to the fireplace he wondered how much worse things were on the island, and why the church was even bothering such a place to begin with considering that there seemed like there were plenty here who would send them packing, but as he thought about it he understood why, the precedence such a place had on their grip of the human world at large, this island was from what he guessed an open act of defiance against the church and their ideals, which didn’t allow for people like himself or most of the inhabitants on the island to live, or for that matter live in peace with humans, which if the greater world ever got wind of would likely question the church’s motives. |
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2022 9:23 am
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Cain frowned at her as he tried to process the request. But his brain was a little befuddled from that kiss. Maybe he could blame it on the fact that he hadn't been kissed since... Well... It had to have been Rose... And that was... A while back...
"Um... Oh!" his expression cleared then switched to looking a bit harried, "I thought I already gave that to Lidia? Apparently not since you're asking me now... Just a moment..." he commented as he moved back to his bookshelf and did a little searching.
He finally pulled a small notebook, obviously handmade, as most of his were these days, then took it over to Ashigaera, "Here. I think that's everyone and their price tags. I may have fudged the numbers a bit but that information always got to me after it had been changed, usually increasing. But that should be all of it," he told her then started to close the door but paused as he realized that he might get interrupted again for something along these lines.
"Oh! And if maps are needed, I put the updated ones in the private library. Along with the last information I had on the Church's numbers and finances. Just use Lidia's key," he said then closed the door.
And locked the door.
He finally turned to Falmon and froze for a moment, unsure of what to say at first. Then he blinked a bit and had to admit that the man looked fantastic leaning against the fireplace. Fantastic and a little distracting.
As he took a few steps back towards him, he faceplanted again. Proving that Falmon was, perhaps, more than a little distracting...
This time, he stayed on the floor and softly swore a bit creatively for a moment then looked up at Falmon with an embarrassed expression, "I'm usually only distracted by my work these days..." he admitted, hoping that the male wasn't put off.
To be perfectly honest, he'd ignored everything except his work since Rose left him. After all, if he couldn't get any lovers to stick around, and had even been left at the alter, then why should he consider even a short relationship, much less anything longer... |
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 2:29 am
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Falmon watched the exchange with some mild interest and amusement, but most of all he was very much distracted by Cain and how he moved about, especially when he became very clumsy afterwards, so much so that he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he pushed off and walked over to him and just helped him off the floor “I can relate, usually work tended to get in the way of anything personal, but for a change why don’t we both take a day away from the important things and enjoy each other’s company, deal with some issues as was requested and play by ear for everything afterwards” he stopped there and placed a hand on his cheek and shoulder and smiled as he helped him somewhere more comfortable than the floor his eyes fixed on him as they went, his work on the Ximultia league could wait for the moment especially since he found someone worth spending time with and they had a small task that needed to be dealt with later on.
After Cain gave Ashigaera the log she took it back to the office where she would look things over before heading to the village to see the leather smith about the issue they currently have, and at the same time she would see about finding out from the War Demons about the back door to the darkness abounds and making contact with Ilea there, she also knew at some point that she would need to collect the new arrival and bring her to meet with Sebastet about what had happened to her and where she came from. |
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