|| Death Is Not Always The End || Open!

[Miss Murderous Laugh]

-- Auriana Kiasky --

Take a breath. Hold it in.
Start a fight you won't win.
All in all, you're no good.
You don't cry like you should.

A slam of wood-on-wood caused Auriana to turn her head, but it was followed shortly with blurred German swears. "Ahhhh," she smiled. "Nate's here."

Auriana ground her cigarette a little with her teeth; a habit she had picked up when on stakeouts. She sat, her legs crisscrossed, on top of her desk and multiple papers. Her desk chair was pushed away by the heavily covered window. She always preferred to sit atop her desk, with her papers in a circular mess around her. Though her attempts at concentrating on mindless forms and maps were always half-hearted, she tried once in a while. Usually Nate just told her everything she needed to know.

Buried beneath a few papers was her favorite literature reference. She had read it at least twenty times. It was a small, gold bound book with a green canvas spine full of fables, stories, epics, poems, and lore. She usually kept this from her coworkers' eyes, however; and she pushed it into a desk drawer with the toe of her boot.

"Oi, Nate. Didn't know you were here this early." Auriana said, smirking and regarding his figure in the doorway. She flicked the end of her cigarette at him and considered lighting another, then decided against it. "The time? Early. The sun's barely risen. You must have slept here tonight. The door was locked as it was the night before when I left." She raised an eyebrow at Nate. Disheveled, unorganized Nate. They had a love/hate relationship. One one hand, they'd worked together for years and had become great friends and a strong alliance in their workforce. On the other hand, their conflicting personalities caused them to butt heads a lot.

Itching to light another smoke, Auriana set her ruby red lips on the back of her quill, torn of all it's feathers and artfully scratched and burned. Yet another habit she had picked up from working here. "I don't see how you do it, Nate. I hate sleeping here. Too many books. And it smells like blood, ink, and aging paper." She wrinkled her nose.

So I'll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes.

[icegirl6274]

Тяасэ | Ратяiс | Баяоиэ

Now you want to take me down
As if I even care.
I am the monster in your head.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3527/traceroleplay.jpg

Trace smiled and almost chuckled at her response. "Now that's what I like to hear," he said, all previous seriousness set aside. His smile never faded. It was possibly the best answer she could have given. To tell him that she was a tool for him to use, it was just too perfect. He didn't need permission to use someone, he would do it with or without consent. But the fact that she had compared herself to a sword, to a tool, he ate it up. A sadist by nature. He would love working with her.

"With that being said," he added, pushing the chair back, "I think I can take you to a little place we like to call HQ. Lame name, I know. But no one said I was creative." He flashed her another smile before standing. He pushed his chair back in but didn't bother getting the tea cup to return. There was no one else in the shop. The girl at the counter could easily find time to take care of it.

He walked to the door, motioning for Lucinda to follow him. "Now you'll want to remember the way," he said while walking. "It's easy to get lost finding the place. After all, we don't want it to be easy to find, now do we? Working in this line of business, you make many enemies." He continued to grin as he walked, though, this time, it was less friendly. He didn't mind making enemies. By all means, he loved killing those who wanted to see him dead. It just made the job more fun watching them as they realized they would never get the revenge they had so desperately hoped for.

He didn't slow down his pace because Lucinda was following him. On the contrary, his strides were long and quick. He seemed to bob in and out of alley ways as they walked, twisting and turning through a virtual map, a maze of streets. He knew exactly where he was going for he had been there many times before.
"Don't be fooled by some of these other buildings," he explained, pausing just long enough in front of a door to point out the letters 'HQ' carved in it's wooden frame. "There are decoys out here. Some of them we made ourselves. Others....well...they just look similar." With that, he continued on.

The walk itself lasted a few minutes. There were many streets to pass through, after all. Trace knew them all by heart. "Ah, here we are," he finally stated, stopping in front of a door. He pulled out one single key. It didn't look like anything special: just a simple key. "If my counterparts all succeeded in following my orders, this door will be locked at all times. Even if we're inside. It stays locked." He paused to flash another quick smile. "Not that a locked door will stop an angry vampire. It'll just slow them up a bit." With that, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Seeing light from the inside, he smiled once more. "Looks like my workers are here early," he said, just loud enough so that the two inside could hear him. He paused by the doorway, waiting for Lucinda.

And I thought you'd learn by now
It seems you haven't yet.
I am the venom in your skin.
And now your life is
в | я | о | к | е | и

[Miss Murderous Laugh]

-- Auriana Kiasky --

Take a breath. Hold it in.
Start a fight you won't win.
All in all, you're no good.
You don't cry like you should.

Auriana turned, hearing the familiar click and creak of key and handle. "Ahhhh, Nate. Daddy's home," she said, jokingly. This little nickname referred partly to how Trace held his position as boss, but mostly used to make fun of their enemy's "family" and their so-called "father". Such an odd thing to call it; "family".

Auriana always joked with Trace who, depending on his mood, would joke back or else pay no attention to her. She didn't mind, though. Trace held a place in her heart as her leader and she forever respected him. All the same, a little fun is due once in a while. This being stated, it was no surprise that Auriana hopped off her desk, scattering the papers, and swung around the doorstep of her workroom, (coming very close to running into Nathan) blowing Trance a kiss from those ruby red lips.

"Bright and cheery, ready to kill!" Auriana laughed, striking a mockingly cheerleader-esque pose. "Welcome, Grunt," she said, with a small smirk and over-exaggerated bow. "The name's Auriana Kiasky, but call me what you wish." She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit in on a nearby candle. Holding it in her teeth, she said in a rather muffled voice: "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Trace and Newbie. I think I moved too fast for Nate to process and I almost ran into him. Poor guy just woke up." She winked and departed, walking back into her room, ruffling Nathan's hair on the way.

So I'll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes.

[who the heck is mikey]

╔══════════════╗
◢Jeremy Nathaniel Hawk◣

There's a place in the dark where the animals go,
You can take off your skin in the cannibal glow.

"You know how much I get into my work. I must've just lost track of time." He stretched his arms above his head, his knuckle just brushing the ceiling. The building was old. Nate hadn't the slightest clue as to how they found it; they'd been using it for HQ before he joined.

He closed his eyes, and heard Auriana say something about the Captain being home. Nathan ignored her, and crossed his arms, holding himself up with his foot. She sped past him, and he almost lost his balance, but Nathan caught himself before anyone could notice.

"Stoßen Sie mich, um warum nicht Sie macht! Jesus!" He huffed. Auriana had already made her way back into her room, and when she reached up to ruffle his hair (like she always did), he caught her and smacked her butt as she walked by. "Du bist so lustig, Auri."

Nate made his way into the main room, and gave the Cap'n a quick nod. "I'm Nate," he said to Lucinda. "I'm an angry German so don't be surprised if I just start to stream profanities like no one you've ever heard." He smiled at her, and patted her on the shoulder.

- - -
The sharpest lives are the d e a d l i e s t to lead.

[Translations: "Stoßen Sie mich, um warum nicht Sie macht! Jesus" - "Knock me over, why don't you! Jesus!"
"Du bist so lustig, Auri." - "You're so funny, Auri."]

[Trebin]

Life is a just a dream, y'know...

Damion Gagliardi

Damion had heard the sound of footsteps, listened as someone entered the room. The boy had not moved though, not wanting to acknowledge the visitor, just in case it was his...father. The man hadn't bothered him in quite a while, which Damion had no issues with. Obviously, he had realized that trying to discuss things with Damion would only make the situation worse, or perhaps he wanted to see if the boy would cool off. Did he truly believe that Damion would stop hating him? It made his blood boil. He had killed his wife, cursed his children, and sentenced them to an horrid life. How was that forgivable? If it wasn't for the fact that his sisters still seemed to love him (or at least Cosette still did, he still wasn't sure what Catherine believed), how that was possible he did not know, then he would've wished-

Hmm...?

The visitor called out his name, and it was then that Damion realized it did not belong to his father, nor his eldest sister. It was Catherine...what was she doing here? Hesitating for a moment, the boy glanced over his shoulder at the girl, his eyes shimmering for the briefest moment. "...yes?" He asked her, his voice as deadpan as ever. The death of Mother had seemingly hit Catherine as hard as Damion, perhaps even worse. She had obviously changed since then. She always seemed rather...tired. He constantly heard her shuffling about at night, and at times he had to wonder if she ever even slept at night. Even now, Damion had trouble laying his eyes upon the girl. Each time he saw her, looking paler and paler with each passing day, he felt as though he needed to do something. That, as her brother, he needed to say a few comforting words, or something along the lines. Yet, every time he tried, he could only draw a blank. He had never been been good at being consoling even before his mother's death, and now after...

[Tiara_Estella]

~*~Lucinda Fallow~*~

Lucinda wondered if he smiled because she amused him or because he saw her as a simple pawn. Nevertheless she listened quietly to his words.

He seemed to be enjoying himself more than a fighter should. She stood, ignoring the teacup and following him out of the shop. She kept his pace, though she wondered if there was actually an easier way to reach the building. She would find that out for herself later, for now she memorized each turn, each old sign, broken flower pot...Anything and everything.

She was actually surprised when they finally reached the door, part of her wished that they had taken longer; finding clues to use had actually become entertaining.

She followed him in, remembering the 'always locked' rule. She raised an eyebrow as a woman greeted her. "Seems like quite the charlatan..." she thought, "Quick to notice the after effects she has on others though..."

It had been quite long since Lucinda bothered to interact with anyone. If anything, she found this experience to be quite entertaining, if not amusing. She watched as Auriana left, not even asking for Lucinda to introduce herself. "I forget that I am still...just a grunt..." Lucinda reminded herself, turning to look at the other individual in the room.

He introduced himself as Nate, quick to be welcoming he already felt comfortable enough to touch her. Lucinda couldn't help but stare momentarily at the hand on her shoulder. It was a blank stare as she tried to decide on how to judge such an action.

She let it pass and nodded. "I am Lucinda." she said softly as usual, she paused thinking of what she had heard earlier but had not understood. "German was it? Interesting choice in language..." she commented, not meaning anything bad by it though it could still be taken as an insult.

"Your rank?" she inquired, curious.

She then looked at the captain, not entirely sure what would come next.

~*~Lucinda Fallow~*~

[Miss Murderous Laugh]

-- Auriana Kiasky --

Take a breath. Hold it in.
Start a fight you won't win.
All in all, you're no good.
You don't cry like you should.

Auriana stuck out her tongue, skipping away from Nate, feeling his handprint still tingling. "Silly Nate, I don't speak French!" she said, mocking him (for she knew very well that he was a diehard German).

Upon reentering the room, Auriana started to tear through the piles of papers, suddenly full of energy. She discovered a book regarding different sorts of herbs and their effects of vampire. She gazed at the cover, then unamused, chucked it at Nate as he left the room. It thudded against the wall of the hallway and fell to the floor. "I missed!" she grumbled, hearing someone's amused chuckle from the hallway.

Sticking her head out of the doorway, she saw that the new girl, Nate, and her Captain were still standing there. "Oi, new girl. Don't trust that one," she said, motioning to Nate. "He's only trouble." She laughed and winked, amused by the Captain's grin.

Feeling like she had an obligation to join the group, she leaned against the wall of the hallways, rings of silver smoke escaping scarlet lips.

So I'll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes.

[who the heck is mikey]

╔══════════════╗
◢Jeremy Nathaniel Hawk◣

There's a place in the dark where the animals go,
You can take off your skin in the cannibal glow.

"I'm not the trouble here. Don't believe a word she says." Nathaniel picked up the book she had just thrown at him and looked at it, slightly amused. "Would you like me to look through this, darling?" He winked at Auri, and tossed the book onto the table that sat next to him.

He gently kicked her as he walked by, and peeked out through the window. "We have any more grunts coming in today?" Nathan turned to Trace, raising his eyebrow.

- - -
The sharpest lives are the d e a d l i e s t to lead.

[Tiara_Estella]

~*~Lucinda Fallow~*~

Lucinda watched the two as they poke and prodded with jokes and pranks. They were just like two young siblings just waiting for a parent to complain so that they could blame each other and begin the games again.

Lucinda paused, looking at Trace once more before commenting. "I see the children but where are their parents? I doubt that Hunter HQ is any place for tods." she said quietly, waiting to see their reaction.

It was rare for Lucinda to crack a joke, especially since it was commonly confused with mockery or sarcasm. Every once in a while she would gain the interest needed to speak more than what was asked of her.

In this case she only hesitated because she didn't know them well enough to know if her joke would end well or not. She took a chance, what was there to lose? She had nothing left in the first place, it wouldn't be much of a tragedy then.

While they had been bickering, she had been taking in the details of the room. She had even managed to catch a glimpse at the title of the book that Nick had placed face down on the desk. She had also noticed how close the two were. Auriana always called him by his name, though Lucinda had a feeling that it was a nickname; while Nate didn't bother in the least to say her name, replacing it with she.

~*~Lucinda Fallow~*~

[icegirl6274]

Тяасэ | Ратяiс | Баяоиэ

Now you want to take me down
As if I even care.
I am the monster in your head.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3527/traceroleplay.jpg

Trace stood patiently as he waited for the others to introduce themselves. He was somewhat surprised as the two hunter's rowdiness. IT was still quite early. He would imagine that they'd both be half asleep still. But, then again, it seemed to be in Auriana's nature. At least some of the time.

When Lucinda commented on the two of them, Trace grinned. And then......he started laughing. He didn't just chuckle, no. It was a full out laugh. He didn't bother keeping it quiet, either, he just laughed and laughed. He held his stomach as his fit of laughter hit its peak and then slowly died down. Anyone who had known him any amount of time knew that he rarely laughed like that. He chuckled every now and then but he almost never burst into full-out laughter. It was an odd sight, to say the least.

"Ahhh, Lucinda, I think you're going to fit in jut fine here," he finally said after his laughs died down a bit. He wiped the side of his eye with the back of his hand before shaking his head, still chuckling lightly.

"Feel free to look around, sweetheart. I need to talk to Auriana in my office for a bit." Calling her 'sweetheart' wasn't so much a term of affection for him. He'd call any girl off of the street 'sweetheart' or 'doll' or 'hun'. It was just the way he was.

He looked up at Auriana as he began walking towards her. He gave her a quick look, pointing towards his office, which was in the very back of the building. He had assumed she had heard him say he needed to speak with her and just walked past her. He came to his door and unlocked it, swinging it open. His office was the only one that the door locked on. It wasn't because he didn't trust his coworkers, necessarily, but to slow any unwanted, curious eyes from entering his realm. He left the door open as he walked over to his large, mahogany desk that sat in the middle of the room.

The office itself looked much like any other office. It had many papers scattered around, though most seemed to be decently organized. There were piles on shelves or in folders. The only difference between his office and others were the vials that lines the shelves. There were a few shelves on the walls that held small, glass vials filled with a black liquid. Next to them on one shelf lay a container that held three syringes with a spot for another that was missing at the time.

He went to his desk and took a seat, opening up a drawer in one side and pulling out what appeared to be the missing syringe. He paused and looked up to see if Auriana had followed him or not.

And I thought you'd learn by now
It seems you haven't yet.
I am the venom in your skin.
And now your life is
в | я | о | к | е | и

[who the heck is mikey]

• A n n a l i e s e ♫ ♪ ♪

A wake up call to an rented room
Sounded like an alarm of impeding doom,
To warn us it's only a matter of time.

"What can I get for you, my sweet?" The old woman asked as Anneliese slid onto a bar stool. It was early, and as much as Anna wasn't a morning person, she'd been craving Mrs. Jennings' tea all night. "Just the usual, please. And throw in cookie with that order." Mrs. Jennings was Annaliese's favorite person. She was such a gentle old woman, and always put others before herself. It was an admirable trait that she had.

Anna threw her things on the counter, and twirled her fingers through her bright red pigtails. She always wore pigtails. It was something that she had developed as part of her daily ritual.

Mrs. Jennings slid the tea in front of her, with a cookie lying on the plate underneath. In two swift movements, Anna had retrieved the coins from her pocket and dropped them into Jennings' hand.

A suspicious feeling overcame her, and she peered over her shoulder, only to see a mysterious figure in the corner. She studied him for a few moments before turning back to her tea. Finishing it quickly, she left the shop and began to walk rather quickly down the dirt road.

What a creeper, she thought.

Before we all b u r n.

[who the heck is mikey]

╔══════════════╗
◢Jeremy Nathaniel Hawk◣

There's a place in the dark where the animals go,
You can take off your skin in the cannibal glow.

Nathaniel looked at Lucinda, an obvious smirk on his face. "Oh, this is nothing. You've only been here for five minutes." He dropped the curtain, and ran his fingers through his hair.

Stomping past her, Nathan retreated back to his room, where he sat down in his chair in almost a violent manner, throwing his feet up on his desk. His room was messy, but he didn't care. Nathan had never been a cleanly person. None of them at HQ were.

His stomach rumbled. Nathan hadn't realized until now that he hadn't eaten since later in the afternoon yesterday. He needed to find some food.

He stood (again) and walked out into the hallway. Trace was nowhere to be seen, but Lucinda still stood in the main room. "Let the boss know that I'm going out to get some grub. I'm so ******** starving."

- - -
The sharpest lives are the d e a d l i e s t to lead.

[icegirl6274]

Nikolas Joshua Gagliardi

Dear Agony
Just let go of me
Suffer slowly
Is this the way it's gotta be?

Nikolas didn't move after Cosette left. At least not for a few minutes. He looked over at the door before walking into the kitchen. At least Cosette still spoke to him fairly freely. Though, she almost seemed to revert back to a childlike state since had come back. She always carried that teddy bear around with her and spoke to it like it was Collette. He didn't know whether he should be concerned or happy that she was finding a way to cope.

But, sadly enough, she was probably coping the best with everything that had happened. His middle child, Catherine, seemed to have had a nervous breakdown. He was worried about her. She seemed to have trouble sleeping. He had noticed the drain of color in her skin, almost to the point that it matched his own skin tone. He had noticed scars on her wrists which sparked some suspicion in him, but he didn't want to say anything. She never talked about what happened or what was happening, so he always avoided talking about it around her. He avoided talking about it all together, actually. He knew the thought was a heavy burden on his children's minds and he didn't want to remind them of it. He just wanted everyone to be happy again. But, somehow, he doubted anything could go back to the way it was.

And then there was his youngest. Damion, his only boy. For a father to have two daughters and then a son, it was a relief for him. Not that he was disappointed in having daughters, he loved them very much, he just didn't know how to raise them. He wouldn't know what to say when they had their first heartbreak other than the usual 'Guys are idiots. Don't take it personally'. That's what he needed Collette for. But then they had their boy. Nikolas had hoped to have the typical father-son type of relationship with Damion but now.....he couldn't help but get the feeling that the boy resented him. No, resented wasn't a strong enough word for it. He loathed him. He frowned to himself at the thought. He didn't want any of his children to hate him in any way. He knew that he could probably be blamed for everything that had happened, but he just wanted to pick things up and start over again. But he couldn't do that with his broken relationships.

He would have to try to mend them.

He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where he saw both Catherine and Damion. He tried to smile. "Good morning," he greeted. "Would either of you like any tea if I make it?"

Don't bury me
Faceless enemy
I'm so sorry
Is this the way it's gotta be?
Dear Agony

[-SweeT OpheLiAC-]

❝Ͻ σ s ε ϯ ϯ ε❞

Now will you ever rest your head?
You end up feeling mostly dead
Pretending you're the last one
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital

Cosette walked out of her door and shut it behind her slowly. As she went down the hall quietly, she couldn't have help to overhear her father's question. It went a little silent for a few seconds. "I would." she finally said with a blank expression. She didn't quite know if she said it loud enough but she thought that if her father's paranoia triggered, he could seance that she was in the end of the hall. Her poor father. His wife is already deceased. Cosette was pretty sure that Damion hated him, and Catherine was ill. How much lifeless sympathy could he bear from them? Or just Catherine and her, since she knew that Damion would probobly not even try to comfort his father. She didn't know if her remark of enjoying tea with her father was comforting or not, but at least it was something...even though he wanted something...or not.

But Cosette at the same time didn't know what to do while she came out of the room. She was unhonored...a bit offended and disappointed from who her father asked the question to. She knew that her father adored her and her sister, but there was this sort of pact...a feeling that he and Damion shouldn't be separated by hatred. But if he also loved Cosette, why wouldn't he ask her? The one that still loves him no matter what he did wrong. But without further adieu, Cosette ignored the fact because she labeled it as a personal debate. It didn't matter who he was asking. It was a simple question. 'He just thought that I had better things to do...but it would be nice to go outside on a beautiful day.' she thought. She just could not give up on her father just yet.

She glanced at her parasol and at her father. "Why not have it outside?" she suggested, "It is a beautiful day. I can bring my parasol with me." she said as she gestured to her parasol with her free hand, walking towards the, what was supposed to be, conversation.
She didn't mean to interrupt. She just wanted attention, she supposed. Or just to spend time with her family for once after the tragedy of their mother and his wife. "What do you say?" she said as she faced her younger siblings and smiled gleefully, "We could all use some fresh air."

It never used to hurt before
it isn't funny anymore
Feeling so alone now,
Funny how you wish some way that
you could die at the hospital