Welcome to Gaia! ::

((And we delight in putting them through it. I know it'll make me sound like an a**, but I just gotta say, heartwrenching scenes are the best. Gotta love overpowering emotions.))

"I know who you hold, Lovely Lin. You only ever smiled like that for one other man. I know that." His hands clenched and unclenched in his pockets, but he kept his face and voice calm, almost kind. For even now, he didn't have it in him to hurt her.

How reasonable he sounded, he thought, blinking, how bloody calm. Did she know, could she possibly know, that he'd worn his heart on his sleeve for her, had bared everything, absolutely everything to her? Could she know how that same heart was breaking now, how effieciently she was grinding it to dust beneath her small, delicate heel?

"You know how much I love you." Did she? Totally, completely, absolutely, endlessly, unconditionally. No, she probably didn't. Nothing more than a high school crush in her mind.

"Just as I know it's not enough, could never be enough, to keep you. I've already given you all I have." His heart, his soul, his dreams, his future. He'd offered it all. And still it wasn't enough.

Would it always be this way, he wondered vaguely? Would he forever be the 'best friend', the study buddy? Was he never to have a girl who saw him as something more than that? A girl who could love as he loved, totally, completely, with everything they had?

"I won't ask if you're sure." Her eyes gleamed even now, as she apologized, frigging apologized to him. "But I'll ask you for one favor." He reached into his pocket, drew out a clear glass ball he'd conjured, attached to a short leather cord.

"I want you..." He touched a finger to his temple, and when he drew it away, a thin swirl of blue was attached to it, wispy and glowing slightly. He guided it into the glass orb, watched it fill the little ball until finally it disappeared from the air.

His hand clutched it tightly, unwilling to let go, even as he held it out to her, his eyes full of unspoken regrets.

"to take these...These memories of mine, these feelings you don't want me to have for you. And I want you to throw them in the pond, as an offering to the water fairies. No one...not even one of us...can touch them then. As soon as it leaves my hand, they won't be mine anymore. Please." He added, cringing slightly when the ball in his hand seemed to glow and pulse, the blue mist swirling rapidly in it.

Holding it, he could feel all of his emotions, see all of his memories, concentrated into one final blow that left his heart gaping, burning in pain even as he willed it to ice over.

Without waiting for her to answer, he stepped towards her-an action that almost broke him-and placed it in her hand. For a moment, they were linked together by those memories.

Dancing in the elven homeland, holding hands and laughing. Studying in the library, shooting secret glances at his Lovely Lin while she poured over a textbook. Catching a glimpse of her walking across the grounds, freezing by the window just to look at her. Walking in the gardens, twining a flower through her hair. At his baby sister's funeral, holding her tight to him, taking the comfort she offered. In Death Valley, his arm wrapped tight around her waist, desperate to protect, to defend. Sitting by the pond, speaking of hopes and dreams, of futures and families. That first kiss, the second and third, the way everything had seemed to lock into place, exactly right. Coming upon her with another man, watching all those pieces of himself shatter before his eyes.

Twined throughout the memories were the emotions, so hot, so strong, so real, they seemed to shout out for attention. Love, desperate, absolute, warm and content. Regret as he left her with nothing but a note to find his sister. Grief, blinding in its strength, when he realized he wouldn't have her, after all, that it was nothing more than a momentary miracle.

"Take it." He wrenched his hand away as his voice broke, and slowly his expression cleared, his eyes lightened again, though his heart remained heavy.

Curious, he rubbed his hand on his chest above his heart, frowning a bit. When he spotted Lin, he smiled a bit. "Ah, Miss Yin. Are we still on for a study session in the library tomorrow?" He asked, smiling at her, glancing curiously for a moment at the pulsing orb in her hand before his gaze returned to her face.

When he spotted the boy behind her, his smile cooled a bit, going from friendly to polite. "Ah, do we have a new student then? He's lucky to be under your watch." He smiled at her again, and wondered briefly why a surge of jealousy had shot through him so intensely for just a split second.

((Oh yeah, you can say that again...We're mean. I love that about us. Oh, and hey! You're back!))

((Ah, sweet success...))

Ambrose frowned a bit at the tears on her face, caught himself reaching forward to wipe them away, then blinking in confusion at his hand, slipping it back into his pocket.

"Of course. Have a pleasant evening, Miss Yin." He smiled again, then walked in the opposited direction, frowning when something compelled him to turn around. He merely glanced back, acknowledged the brush of longing when he saw the back of Lin's head, already moving away.

"Well, she's not for you, boy-o." He turned away again and began down the steps. He knew better than to fancy himself a good match for the elf. She was merely a pleasant study buddy. Someday, he was sure, he'd come across a woman perfect for him. And maybe she'd be as pleasant as the lovely Miss Yin.

Lin shook her head and cupped Dymetri's face again with her free hand. "Dymetri, I have made my choice, as much choice as I have in the matter. My heart belongs to you. I love you, and you're not getting away from me again."

She smirked, though somewhat sadly, at the last part she said. She wouldn't lose him again, especially not because he simply thought that she wasn't sure she should be with him or he felt sorry for Ambrose.

"I hate what Ambrose had to go through, but it would be worse if I pretended to feel the same type of love he did. Everyone would suffer in that case. And now, most of his memories about the two of us are gone. He will not hurt as much."

She lifted up the glass orb to indicate where Ambrose's memories were now.

She smiled sadly and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I did not realize that I had matured, so. However, I am not surprised after what happened with you. That is not your fault, though. It was an accident. It took me quite a long time for me to realize that and not blame myself. I assume it will be the same with you, though I hope you do reach that realization. None of this was your fault."

She pulled back and smiled at him. She nodded at the door behind him. "Now, can we please go in your room? We have a lot of time to make up for. We have so much to talk about, Dymetri!"

Lin had laughed happily when Dymetri playfully tackled her to the bed. It felt wonderful to have him so close to her again and kissing her. She actually hadn't wanted it to stop when he pulled back, but she liked cuddling with him as well.

She intertwined her legs with Dymetri's and smiled brightly up at him. She let her fingers play with his soft dark hair. She was so happy that it felt the exact same as his sleek, soft vampire hair! She loved playing with his hair.

"I will confess that I would not mind if you confessed so that you could become a teacher again. I liked being in a relationship with a teacher... I must confess. It was fun sneaking around, something I never would have believed before."

She winked playfully at him because of her confession and because of the many times she purposefully used the word 'confession'.

She leaned up and placed her lips against Dymetri's again. She kissed him for a few moments before she spoke against his lips softly.

"I had been heading home earlier, to my elven home. I realized that I had forgotten my textbooks so that I could study while at home. So, I came back here to get them. I am SO INCREDIBLY ecstatic that I did!"

His hand found it's way to the small of her back, pulled her a little closer against him. "You were always so studious. And the little Elven princess confesses to a very dark confession," he pressed his forehead against hers, letting his eyes stare directly into her own. "And that confession confesses that even the wisest being could like to play with fire."
His other hand slid behind her neck, his thumb against her jaw and softly pushing it upward. He pecked her neck and let his breath linger on her sweet scented skin. "You're always visiting home, Lin. Was it because you missed them, hmm? When you've a life of your own, will you want to live it where they are or would you like to carry on a life all your own?"
Dymetri was genuinely curious. He couldn't help but want to know everything about Lin.

((Goodnight! Need to finish a project. -___-))

((Btw, the specks in his eyes are because Dymetri's eyes used to be that color. Marcos's eyes are green but now that Dymetri's soul is part of him, he got the "glitter" in his eyes. They're not really glitter, lol, they just give that effect sometimes with the shimmering and reflecting and whatnot. It's usually a sign that a High Vampire's soul rests within that body, but Dymetri doesn't know that yet.))

The soft features grazing Dymetri's face turned serious. It wasn't difficult to feel the quick tightening of her chest, the hesitation in her voice or the halt of her breath. All indications of a lie, but pointing to what truth he didn't know. Since it involved the other boy-- his competition-- he wasn't thrilled to jump to conclusions about what she could be hiding from him.
Lin always knew what was best for herself; it was most likely a good reason. Although there was a soft pestering within him, nagging at him to reveal that he could tell of her lie. If the first lie passed so easily, what was to stop her from lying again about something Dymetri truly cared about, like her feelings? The pestering continued, but at a quieter level as time passed.
"Me?" he began, awed and unable to imagine himself at Bai Ching. His serious mask grew perplexed. "I wouldn't fit in."

Dymetri's body suffered a late reaction to Lin's passionate kisses, the effect showing as clear as day. He tried his best to hide it despite her own leg preventing him from doing so. Marcos knew full well the embarrassment that could follow, but Dymetri's mind was subconsciously sifting through his early human years in which he'd gone through similar situations. The memories gave him a sour nostalgia and teamed with Marcos, in a way, to restrain the conscious thoughts and images flowing through his mind.

He needed to think of something, anything.

"I wouldn't fit in," he repeated, "because.. even though I am human; I look human, speak human.. despite my abilities, I am a human, I just don't feel human."

Piecing together the puzzle of how his soul remained matched perfectly to the legends he'd heard a few dozen years after he'd turned. It was time to explain to Lin the true reason why he'd returned.
He pulled his arms from her and laid out on his side, his hand holding up his head with his elbow dug into the bed. The other hand lingered between her ribcage and hip; in her position, the lowest altitude on her beautiful feminine landscape.
"Let me explain to you something, my love." He sighed. "I used to hear stories as a new vampire. I would inhabit a few coven homes at that time, jumping from one place to the next. They were all kind, really, because they said that was what they were meant for, vampires that just didn't know anything about what they were. Anyway, there were usually a couple groups of people per coven that would tell these scary stories to frighten the little-knowing vampires. They would usually work too.
"One day, I overheard a trio talking about one of their friends that was literally staked. Vampire hunters, you know, I didn't think they'd existed back then. They were even able to kill High Vampires with their little stakes, which was what that guy was-- a High Vampire. The guys were remembering their friend and I almost felt sorry for them until one of them mentioned that he'll probably be back.
"The other two were startled, of course... I would be too. The guy explained that when a High Vampire died, if his soul remained, it searched for a new body that was able to hold his mind and spirit. Once it did, it sort of acts like a parasite. It makes the vampire's mind be able to control a body, but it was still the body's owner's mind too. They shared the body, actually. It was supposed to be easy for the two souls to co-exist, so usually the soul finds a body whose owner has similar thoughts and similar feelings... so they don't clash. The new body isn't ever necessarily another vampire, however. But the body doesn't actually matter, either way. As for the memories, the body's owner continues to live their life with all their memories intact. The High Vampires memories are only remembered when they see a person they remember or a voice they remember from their 'past life,'" he said with air-quotes.
"The High Vampires usually pass down their powers to whomever's body they're taking. Sort of a peace offering because their body will have to be shared. There are never any agreements to whether or not the body's owner should be left alone. If the soul finds a match, they're taking it."

His eyes, not even looking in the direction of Lin's face, lowered. He didn't necessarily like the idea that he basically stole Marcos's body, but there weren't any conflicts. Dymetri felt what he felt. Marcos knew what he knew. Sometimes the things that he said came from Marcos's memory, not his own. He didn't mind, though, and so far neither did Marcos. It wasn't that Dymetri was in control because Marcos was too.
It was so complicated, he didn't even know if what he'd told Lin made any sense or if he just kept babbling.
"I was a High Vampire before I died," he said. "Just because I'm human now, doesn't mean your elders won't notice something odd about me. My powers aren't what a usual sorcerer or wizard would have. Plants die around me unless I concentrate a bit, remember?"

He silenced himself. He hated remembering the destruction he was able to do if he just let himself wander through beautiful flowers.

He slid his hand slightly underneath her shirt to feel her warmth. The tingle he felt beneath his fingers resurrected the obvious, crude flattery that so rightly belong to Lin and her... everything. He let his other arm drop which followed a thump from his forehead on the pillow. He groaned at his own lack of resistance.

((Lol, I couldn't help it. Boys will be boys and when they're on a bed with a girl, boing.))

((Hrmm, but there's always that ONE person that has the negative view on it though! And instead of calling themselves 'negative' they call themselves 'realistic'. Lol.))

His face continued to rest on the pillow as he turned to face Lin. His hair was tousled and his boyish smile lightened his face. He was thoroughly pleased that Lin was so pure and didn't realize his body's... actions.

"I remember telling you that I was one of the oldest vampires in the world, didn't I?" He seemed unsure of himself now. "High Vampire is just a title for very old vampires. I find it comical how most movies show an old vampire to be stuck in the 12th century when they're existing in the present. We usually carry ourselves along well and adapt to technology and phrases and whatnot. Those silly movies have tainted your mind, little girl," he said, nuzzling her nose with his. "I can't even call you little girl now," he said, chuckling to himself.

He looked at the pendant with a bit of disdain. That necklace is what brought his soul through the immense journey it took. How long had it even been since he'd died? He couldn't recall, since Lin aged so gracefully physically. It doesn't matter how long it's been, he told himself, just make Lin happy.

He silently took the necklace, fully aware that it wouldn't cause him harm as long as he remained human. He held it in his hand and looked up at her. "This one is yours," he stated. "I'd rather get my own, if that would be okay with the other elves in your coven-home-thing." He playfully smiled at her as he handed her back her necklace. "You said you were heading back home today," he yawned. "May I invite myself to tag along with you?"

He briefly wondered if she still saw his old body within this new one or saw this new one as a stranger. They were very similar, of course, but there were little differences because of the age differences. His curiosity got the better of him.
He rolled onto his back and stretched, raising his shirt a bit. "So does this body satisfy you, my Lin?" He grinned, completely aware of the visible skin his raised shirt gave.