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Post by paulaharris on Nov 7, 2009 17:16:26 GMT -5
Paula did not even turn around. "Because I said so." She said curtly, and it was final. Even Ian knew better than to argue with his cousin.
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Fekete Istvan
Ireth
University Junior: Mage
Make believe, close your eyes, I'll be anything for you.
Posts: 140
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Post by Fekete Istvan on Nov 7, 2009 19:16:04 GMT -5
Istvan smiled a little at Paula's matter-of-factness, but more out of gratitude. "Thank you, Professor."
He shouldered his backpack, which held a few changes of clothes and other necessities, and unconsciously licked some rainwater from his lips. In the chaos of the past few minutes he had forgotten how thirsty he was. He cupped his hands to catch some rain and sipped the water from his palms before it could drip through his fingers. It helped a little.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 8, 2009 23:38:02 GMT -5
Korlian wrinkled his nose, then moved very close to Paula, standing on his tip-toes to whisper in her ear. "Can I do it? Please?"
She wouldn't want to and it would be really helpful if Istvan could use his powers... and Paula had the knife for him to use... He wanted to have some fun. Paula probably wasn't going to let him have much fun on this... She didn't like fun, grumpy old woman that she was.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 8, 2009 23:58:55 GMT -5
Paula batted Korlian away - physical violence to a student didn't count if one was not on campus, she reasoned. "Absolutely not." She snapped. "And if you were on campus, you would be serving a week's detention for such suggestions." Paula resisted the urge to connect her face to her palm. Korlian. Why did it have to be Korlian? It could be worse, of course. She could be stuck with Jonathan, or heaven forbid, Lhachlhass...
If she could just get back to the hotel, she could get some sleep. Not Ian, of course. Ian was going to be in for a long night...
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Nov 9, 2009 3:51:48 GMT -5
Aramis had been home barely three days when his parents started acting really weird. They called him by his full name, when they spoke to him at all, they ended nearly every conversation he walked in on the moment he entered the room, and they constantly found excuses for him to be outside, out of the vicinity of the house. Aramis had thought maybe it was because he'd been gone most of the year. Maybe they were readjusting to having him back in the house.
Aramis just spent most of the time out riding, making sure all of the animals were healthy, the things he'd been doing for years before his parents had ever learned about his magic. They never questioned how the various scrapes and ills of the cattle and horses disappeared. In fact, his parents just short of ignored him, which suited Aramis fine. He wrote Carmen twice, knowing his friend's replies wouldn't get to him for days. E-mails would have been better but Aramis' parents weren't willing to pay that much for Internet. Not because they couldn't afford it but because they saw no use for it and Aramis wasn't willing to ride into town with his laptop to find a hot-spot. So, he used a far more primitive mode of communication. Carmen would probably find it quaint.
A week after coming home, Aramis noticed an odd taste in his supper. He grew tired quickly, going to bed without even finishing his food. There was nothing really odd about that; he didn't like his mother's ham, especially not when it was last winter's overly-salted ham, and it had been a long day for him. Not the longest he'd ever faced, not by a long shot, but more than he'd really dealt with in the last month.
Aramis had woken with his hand over his mouth and his parents -his parents- tying his hands behind his back and his legs together. He had been too groggy to understand what was going on, too groggy to fight. His mother had gagged him when she moved her hands, so he couldn't even ask what was going on. His father had thrown Aramis over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and Aramis couldn't help but remain limp. The air rushed out of his lungs as he was dropped, none too gently, into the back seat of some foreign-made van-car hybrid. Whatever had been keeping him docile wore off as he watched a man hand his parents a large wad of hundred-dollar bills. Aramis' heart raced as he realized his parents had just sold him. Sold him, their only child! He started to struggle against his bonds, tears filling his eyes. His parents, the two people he loved the most, had sold him like one of their stupid cows! Like one of their precious thoroughbreds! As the car pulled away, Aramis' heart grew momentarily cold. His stallion was the best in the herd, loyal only to him. The lock on his padlock snapped and the stallion disappeared into the forest around his family's lands. He could stay well out of his parents' clutches. At the same time, the second best horse, his father's favorite stud, dropped dead.
If I mean so little to you, I'll take away what means the most, he thought, his purple eyes burning from, and through, his tears. Aramis started to struggle more, intent on getting free of his bonds so he could take out whomever dared to treat him like cattle. A sickly-sweet cloth was held against his nose and mouth and everything swam before his eyes. A grinning face was the last thing he saw as everything disappeared into a black haze.
- - -
A month later...
Aramis struggled wildly as they attempted to bolt him to a table. Again. His heart was pounding as the six men it took to restrain him got him on the table and bolted his left arm down tightly first. They did this every day... only to him. The others it was every other day or every third day. But he was a healer, his magic insured that what blood they drained from him was replenished by the next day. The straps that held him prevented any movement; he could only watch as they hooked the tubes into his arm and his own betraying pulse pumped blood into their collection. Closing his eyes, Aramis turned his head, clenching his fist in an attempt to at least slow the blood flow he couldn't prevent.
They had a child on a nearby table. His blood wasn't being harvested; they had taken too much last time and the boy had gotten ill. The monsters were only debating whether they could risk taking blood from him and possibly losing one of their victims. Aramis wished he could do something... the child's parents were probably frantic. At least, he hoped for the child's sake they were frantic. He knew perfectly well that his own parents didn't care if he was dead or alive. He tugged against the straps that held him immobile.
"Stop your struggling," one man snapped, seeing the red stream in the tubes leading from Aramis' arm slacken. Aramis just snorted at him, tugging harder.
"What do you hope to accomplish? You can't get away; this building is a labyrinth that you could not possibly solve before we found you again. There is no rescue coming. By the time anyone who cares finds you missing... It won't be possible to begin looking for you. It's hopeless. So just lay there and we might just keep you alive. Cause trouble..."
"You wouldn't kill me. You can't. I'm the only one who can heal in this hellhole. I'm indispensable and we both know it," Aramis retorted. His heart sank as the man's words really penetrated. By the time Carmen noticed something wrong... it would be impossible to find him. Hell, it was now. And he knew he couldn't get out on his own. His hopelessness hit him, hard. Closing his eyes again, he just relaxed. There was no point in fighting, they were going to get the blood either way and it really only hurt him.
He looked over at the little boy again. They were probably going to kill him. Aramis wished there was some possible way he could save the boy. It wasn't right, such a young boy suffering this way. His heart sank further... all of the mages here were trapped.
But at least they were being missed. Carmen wouldn't notice... possibly for another week that Aramis wasn't sending letters anymore. Or maybe he'd get a letter returned and know something had happened. Either way, it was too late. Aramis didn't even know where in the world he was. It seemed like every person here, both victims and captors had a different accept. Sometimes the accent was so thick he couldn't understand what was being said.
He was feeling drowsy now, almost weak from the blood they had drained from him. They disconnected the tubes and carried him back to his cell. This was normal; they pulled enough from him to make him docile until the next day. Aramis groaned a little when he was tossed into his cell, and curled up.
This was life now. He might as well get used to it... it was too late to change it now.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 10, 2009 13:43:55 GMT -5
Korlian sat on the window pane, watching Ian and Istvan. He'd volunteered to not have a bed... of course, he wasn't really planning on sleeping anywhere near Paula until he was certain she was asleep... For good reason. And Ian was understandably nervous around him, even though he had PROMISED not to hurt him. Istvan didn't even know him, but Korlian knew the mage thought he was creepy.
Mostly it was on purpose too. People left creepy children alone, even if they were short and appeared mostly unable to take care of themselves. Not that Korlian couldn't take care of himself and his friends besides. And like most mages, Istvan probably sensed that Korlian was more than he appeared. "Are you two ever going to go to sleep? I don't kill my friends or the friends of my friends, yeesh."
Though if Paula was asleep, Korlian might just make things easier with the dealer... and in a way that couldn't be traced to him. Paula must suspect but she would never be able to prove it.
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Fekete Istvan
Ireth
University Junior: Mage
Make believe, close your eyes, I'll be anything for you.
Posts: 140
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Post by Fekete Istvan on Nov 10, 2009 17:52:14 GMT -5
Istvan turned his head to the side and hissed at him. "Maybe I'd be able to sleep better if you weren't staring at me."
He lay on his back, hands clased behind his head, staring up at the dark ceiling. He was far too worried to sleep. What he knew about the mage-blood dealer situation was keeping him awake, as much as what he didn't know. Innocent people were being hurt, probably being held captive somewhere, drained of the very source of their life just so a bunch of acid-happy vampires could have a fix. It made Istvan sick on all kinds of levels.
He rolled over onto his side, facing away from Korlian, and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. No such luck.
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Post by ianharris on Nov 10, 2009 20:19:45 GMT -5
Ian shifted in his bed. Having two people share the room with him was not something he had intended on - not that it was very much of a of a hassle. Ian wasn't a heavy traveler. Only what he needed and nothing more, especially when he was traveling with Paula. It wasn't that Istvan and Korlian were bad roommates, either. The whole thing was just... unexpected.
He opened his eyes and glanced over at the boy perched on the windowsill. "The... er... the whole ledge thing is kinda creepy, Korlian... why don't you try to get some sleep?"
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 10, 2009 21:26:02 GMT -5
Korlian sighed and turned to look out the window, sitting a bit more normally even if he was still on the ledge. Leaning against the glass, he watched the rain slide down, leaving dark trails. "I'm not tired. I slept most of the day. After all, it's easier to find these kind of people at night."
Shouldn't have said that. Paula was not going to like hearing that he had been hunting these people alone. Go to sleep so I can sneak out and go kill that dealer so we can use his knife and Istvan's powers. he mentally grumbled, listening to his roommates' breathing.
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Fekete Istvan
Ireth
University Junior: Mage
Make believe, close your eyes, I'll be anything for you.
Posts: 140
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Post by Fekete Istvan on Nov 10, 2009 22:55:42 GMT -5
Istvan opened his eyes and turned around abruptly, looking at Korlian suspiciously. "And you would know that from experience, would you? I almost don't want to know how or why."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 10, 2009 23:09:22 GMT -5
"No, you don't," Korlian said shortly, still watching the window though he could see the other boys through the reflection in the glass. He pulled up his pipes, playing a very soft lullaby. It still had a haunting song, but not frightening. Just... a little odd. Go to sleep, curse it.
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Fekete Istvan
Ireth
University Junior: Mage
Make believe, close your eyes, I'll be anything for you.
Posts: 140
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Post by Fekete Istvan on Nov 10, 2009 23:22:55 GMT -5
Istvan lay back with a frown, looking up at the ceiling again. A soft thread of music drifted into his ears... the tune was hauntingly beautiful, and strangely soothing. His eyes flickered shut, and he soon drifted off to sleep as the melody continued.
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Post by ianharris on Nov 10, 2009 23:48:53 GMT -5
I'm going to go ahead and stay out of this one. Ian thought to himself. I mean, if this guy turns up dead tomorrow, then I suppose I'll have to tell Paula, especially since she's so touchy about killing people. But Korlian can think about it if he likes... there's no harm in... sleepy...
Ian closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. His last thought before going to sleep was Damn Korlian and his damn pipes...
And then he was out.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 12, 2009 14:15:40 GMT -5
Korlian kept playing as he thought. The window was probably blocked from the outside or something... Paula couldn't possibly think that Ian and Istvan would be able to stop him from doing anything he wanted. He let the song fade slowly and moved to the door, slipping out into the hallway while closing the door quietly behind him. He wasn't sure how deeply either of his roommates slept and he hadn't cast a spell on them or anything. His pipes could summon... somewhat... not any other power. And he had only a very pathetic illusion ability. Well, it wasn't even really illusion, it just sort of kinda altered how he was perceived a little. He exercised as much as he could of that ability to make him seem almost invisible. Not even invisible, but as if he belonged where he was and was not worthy of note.
Korlian came to Paula's door and paused. Was she asleep? Would he even be able to get around her? Biting his lip, he shook himself all over and started creeping around the door, watching everything around him with an eye for avoiding mischief. He wouldn't put ANYTHING past her.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 13, 2009 0:34:21 GMT -5
Paula trusted Ian with her life. After all, he had saved it once before. She knew Istvan only as a student at Dunehelden, but she knew he didn't have a shady past, and therefore, he was alright in her book. She did not, however, trust Korlian whatsoever. Which is why she had been waiting very patiently for him to attempt to sneak out. She was not disappointed. It only took forty-five minutes for the boy to leave the room unaccompanied.
The moment Korlian passed by her door, she opened it casually, watching him with dark eyes. "Hello, Korlian." She said coldly. "Going somewhere? Perhaps you got bored of the cable in the room and decided to see if there was any good TV in the lobby?"
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 13, 2009 1:54:53 GMT -5
Korlian grinned at her, as if he hadn't just been trying to sneak out. "They both snore a bit, and apparently I was keeping them up so I decided to go find something quiet to entertain myself before I woke them up. It took FOREVER for them to fall asleep. Istvan said it was my fault."
He shrugged, snorting a little. "I don't understand what the problem was, I was just looking out the window. And I just have really good balance, so what if most people can't sit on the window sill when looking out the window?"
Did she have that glazed look yet? So usually it was teenage girls who could talk on and on. Korlian had met boys who talked more than he did. Besides, Korlian did it only because it worked, not because he couldn't control himself.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 16, 2009 0:02:25 GMT -5
Paula crossed her arms. "Apparently, it was enough to disturb both Istvan and Ian, who, if I remember correctly, have been through enough to know when something's not quite right. I would be disturbed too if you were perched on my windowsill like an oversized cat."
She regarded him with an amused look. "Also, I just had three cups of coffee in a row and Cops is on television. I can stay up all night listening to you talk. You aren't leaving this hallway."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 16, 2009 0:46:15 GMT -5
Korlian pursed his lips a little, sighing slightly. Damn it. I'm trying to make things EASIER for you, Paula!
"I could take you up on that, you know," he challenged. "I've overwhelmed Veronique in ten minutes."
But he really didn't want to. He'd rather just sneak past her or... ah. He grinned and bolted down the hallway and down the stairs, taking every turn he could find in a random direction until he couldn't hear her behind him.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 16, 2009 2:06:14 GMT -5
Paula made no attempt to go after Korlian. She merely stared, amused, as he dashed down the hallway. Once he had vanished into the stairway, she shook her head, a smile planted on her face.
"Idiot boy." She muttered to herself. Then she went back into her room, grabbed her key, and headed back into the hallway. Whistling to herself, she walked down to the elevator and pressed the button. Once the elevator arrived, Paula stepped in and tapped her foot to the elevator music while the machine descended. A soft ding signaled the elevator's arrival at it's destination.
Paula stepped out into the lobby and headed over to a group of chairs. She sat and leaned back, clasping her hands behind her head. Any minute now, Korlian was going to dash out, thinking Paula was chasing him down the stairway.
Boy, was he going to be in for a shock...
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 16, 2009 2:17:28 GMT -5
Korlian paused, listening. No, still no footsteps... He closed his eyes and groaned. Of course she didn't chase him. She'd be clever and try to head him off at the pass... that was the saying, right?
He shrugged, and looked over at a nearby door. Pulling a set of lockpicks out of his pocket, he very carefully picked the lock and slipped into the room, closing the door behind him and slipping out of the window. Grinning widely, he slipped outside and started walking down the street whistling quietly. She would be watching the stairs... the chances of her looking out the window for less time than it took him to get out of sight were slight.
Got you this time, Paula.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 19, 2009 20:36:12 GMT -5
It was sheer bloody luck that Paula managed to look over at the window just in time to see Korlian walking past. She let out a frustrated snort and stood quickly, darting for the door.
"Korlian, you little shit." She growled to herself, pushing through the front doors to the hotel and out into the rain. Her pace quickened at once. Korlian was good at things like this, the running and being chased. Paula wasn't sure she could catch him again if he made it out of her sight.
After a minute or so of walking, Paula had managed to get close enough to Korlian that she knew he could hear her. She cleared her throat loudly. "Korlian." She said harshly. "I know what you're doing. It won't help. Go back to the hotel."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 19, 2009 20:44:26 GMT -5
Korlian turned and sighed. So, she had looked out in time. "And you seem so certain of that. It would be a perfect way to get into the ring. Unless you want to find a vampire that we could have Istvan mimic? I can't quite pull off being a vampire, especially since I get as sick as the next mortal if I drink blood. Besides, I have no conscience to worry about, so..."
He was still out of her reach. If he ran, she'd never catch him out here. Though, he would also be unable to come back and help...
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 21, 2009 16:23:46 GMT -5
Paula kept pace with the young boy, her eyes drilling into the back of Korlian's skull. "Because it's not how we do things." She replied coldly, annoyed that Korlian was even considering this. "It makes us no better than them. Do you want to be on the same level as the people who kidnapped your neighbor?"
Secretly, she hoped that Korlian wouldn't run. Paula didn't know whether or not she would be able to catch him if he did.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 22, 2009 12:51:22 GMT -5
Korlian suddenly stopped and turned, looking at her coldly with his arms crossed. "And whatever gave you the misguided opinion that I was one of the 'good guys', Paula? My age? The fact that for a fourteen year old I'm fairly attractive? Or was it the fact that I'm not even five foot four yet?
"I am not a nice person, never was never claimed to be. Nor am I as innocent as you would like to believe. I have been the kidnapper, and I have done far worse than give one evil man a swift and merciful death. I would never hurt any of you... Even if I'm not exactly 'good', my friends mean a great deal to me. I would... and have... thrown myself into a great deal of danger to protect my friends. And unless you have any better idea as to how we are supposed to get any further than this supplier, who is probably about as low on this chain as our little dealer friend, I am going to go make it that much easier to speak with a man who has very good reason to avoid strangers."
Korlian looked at her challengingly, his oddly angled eyes flashing. She wasn't going to intimidate him, no matter how hard she tried.
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Post by paulaharris on Nov 24, 2009 4:18:25 GMT -5
It was all Paula could do to keep from slapping the boy. "No one said you were a good guy. No one really is a good guy or a bad guy. We've all done things we aren't proud of. But to trade one life for another isn't a decision we're in a position to make. You can't play God."
She sighed. "And it just so happens I do have a plan. A plan that, unfortunately, you have a part in. You get to scare some more people but you don't get to kill them. But it's a very nice plan and nobody dies in it, except maybe some guards somewhere down the line, and only if they shoot at us first."
Paula half expected the boy to run. But she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt - he was only trying to help, after all, albeit his twisted version of helping.
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