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 Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 4:44 pm
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He was surely going to be angry with her, thinking that she was in on this entire thing. What 'this entire thing' actually was, Rowena had no idea. She was just trying not to move, the blade in her throat. It was so close to the artery she imagined she could feel her pulse against it as the blood drained from her face. When he replied in that cold tone of voice, she imagined he was already angry with her for bothering him. But she couldn't tell him it was nothing, not with the man at her back and blood dripping down her throat, staining her clothing and skin alike. Unable to swallow down the lump in her throat, she tried to clear it instead and winced at the feeling of metal in her skin. It was worse than when she had gotten a shard of a broken lightbulb lodged in her foot and it had to be cut out, leaving a scar.
"I, um, I need..." Her mind was racing. He had treated her kindly, she couldn't just let him walk in here with a man waiting to kill him. And maybe more, the thought sped through her mind when she realized that there could be more men in the room, she just didn't know it. Her heart was pounding in her ears and Rowena didn't know what to do. She thought he was just a human, that could be hurt by things like this.
She knew what the right thing to do was, she was just terrified of it.
Before the man could do anything else, the girl continued to speak, her heart racing. "Balthazar..." She began hesitantly, like before, knowing the man wouldn't suspect a thing. Not with a knife in her throat. "There's a man!" Rowena managed to get out, before she was jerked away from the door. She cried out in pain as the knife slashed downward, slicing her skin open all the way to her collarbone, and she was dumped on the floor. The man hesitated, unsure if he should finish her off, leave, or go after the vampire.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 8:26 pm
 "Rowena!" At the sound of Rowena's cry, Balthazar jerked out of his brother's hold. The door was slammed opened with a resounding thud, there was a man standing over Rowena's fallen form. He seemed hesitant to finish her off or defend himself against the enraged vampire. It was all the time Balthazar needed to rush him and disarm the man.
While Balthazar dealt with the attacker, Gregory went to Rowena's side. The girl was bleeding profusely and if he did not stop it there was a chance she would die from blood loss. Thankfully the slash wasn't deep enough to cut into anything vital, but she was still in need of medical attention. Gregory placed a hand on her wound to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. "No sudden movements girly, I doubt my brother would want you to die on us," he murmured. With his free hand, Gregory pulled out his phone to call for their family's doctor. Taking the human to a hospital was not an option due to the amount of unwanted attention it would bring their way. Dr. Lyons was trusted physician, Gregory explained the reason for his call and described the injury to him. When the doctor asked for her blood type, Gregory shrugged. As he cradled the phone with his shoulder, Gregory swiped a finger into the pool of blood Rowena laid in to taste her blood, "Such a shame, what a waste of good AB- it's my favorite blood type too." Gregory sounded a little off put but he relayed the information to the doctor. He soon hung up on the doctor once he had everything he needed.
Meanwhile Balthazar had the intruder by the neck, dangling in the air as he tried to struggle of his grasp. "Gregory how is she?" he wanted to go over to Rowena himself, but he couldn't risk giving the man before him an opportunity to get the upper hand.
"She'll live, but she needs urgent medical attention. Dr. Lyons is on his way with his team and packets of blood to counteract her blood loss."
Balthazar scowled at the thought of Rowena getting hurt because of him. She was an innocent. Their quarrel was with him, not her. His fingers tightened around the man's throat, making the man try to claw at his hands. "P-Please," the man gasped out pleading for his life. "I-I was j-just f-following orders."
Rationally, he knew he should knock the man out and interrogate him later. He seemed more likely to give them valuable information that his partner would not. But Balthazar saw Rowena's bleeding form on the floor out of the corner of his eye. His eyes turned a bright shade of crimson red, his nails and teeth sharply pointed as he glared at the pleading man before him "You had sealed your fate the moment you placed a knife to her throat." Lunging forward Balthazar went straight for his jugular, relishing in the man's screams as he bled him dry. Unlike his feeding from Mia, he did not hold back. Balthazar mauled and clawed at the man's body like a wild animal, making sure with every breath the man took all he would feel was pain.
Gregory tried to shield Rowena from seeing the carnage with his body, but there was nothing he could do from stopping her from hearing the screams and cries of pain from the poor unfortunate soul that managed to piss off his brother.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 12:15 pm
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All she knew was that it hurt. Gasping as she tried to breathe, Rowena realized that she could actually feel her blood seeping out of her, soaking the carpet underneath her and permanently staining it the brown-red that blood truly was. Shivering as she began to go into shock, she vaguely saw someone above her and whimpered when they pressed down on the wound. Logically she realized they were trying to slow the bleeding, but it just hurt so bad. She hadn't wanted to be in this much pain and everything was fuzzy as she tried to focus. It wasn't Balthazar above her - it was his brother. Where was her master, she thought numbly, not making the connection yet that the other vampire was busy strangling the man who had attacked her. Instead she tried to focus on the face hovering in her field of vision, one of her hands going to grip his shirt, trying to hang on to something physical other than the wet carpet underneath her.
Seeing the man lick some of her blood off his finger and know her blood type...that was odd, she thought fuzzily. There was something...off about that and she wasn't quite sure what it was. Now she was beginning to lose focus as the blood drained from her body, everything slipping in and out, the words they were saying just mumbling static in her head.
Then she heard screaming like she never had before in her life and her body jerked in shock. Gregory was keeping her from watching exactly what was going on, or at least what she could have with her vision going dark, but the screams terrified her. Whimpering, she squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could cover her ears as well. In the end, it didn't matter so much, as she fainted in the next minute from blood loss and fright.
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The next time she woke up, she was in a bedroom that wasn't the one she had been attacked in, wrapped up in bandages and tucked up in thick blankets to keep her warm. Groggy, she felt something in her arm and looked over to see an IV next to her, blood going inside of her. Her stomach twisted a bit and she had to look away, never being able to stand the sight of blood or needles. Both together was just awful. The curtains were drawn and she couldn't tell if it was day or night, no shadows in the room. The room itself was dark, no lights on save a dim one by the door that looked more like a nightlight than a normal lamp.
"Hello?" Rowena whispered, wondering if she was by herself. Her heart began to pick up speed for a moment before she took a deep breath to try to force it to relax. After what had happened, the idea of being alone wasn't nearly as enticing as it had been before. Now she just bit her lip and looked around, but her head was pounding and her vision was still bad, so she could barely see anything at all. Trying to move, she realized she couldn't, the pain medication the doctor had given her making her body feel like so much dead weight under the comforters.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 2:54 pm
Balthazar stood over the mangled remains of the man he attacked. He felt no remorse for his actions, the man deserved what he got. Balthazar was covered in blood, none of it was his. He could feel the blood lust and adrenaline slowly leave his body as he came back to himself. All he felt right now was tired. But falling asleep now was not an option.
With the threat now eliminated, Balthazar turned his attention to his brother and Rowena. By then, Rowena was knocked out unconscious and he hoped she passed out before the carnage. It didn't seem like Gregory made an attempt to cover her ears if she did. Balthazar sighed, this was such a mess. He had a lot of explaining to do to his slave once she finally regained consciousness. That is if she wakes up...
It was dawning to Balthazar at how much blood the girl had lost, Dr. Lyons was not there yet so her life still hung at the balance.
"Calm down brother, she'll make it," Gregory tried to reassure him.
His brother's response did nothing to ease his nerves. Gently he stroked Rowena's hair. When he purchased her, he never meant for her to end up in harm's way. Balthazar was broken out of his thoughts as one of his servants burst through the door with Dr. Lyons and his team in tow. He let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding. At least now Rowena had a chance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was decided that they would use Balthazar's room for Rowena to recover in. It was the biggest bedroom and could easily hold Dr. Lyons, his team and their equipment. The doctor had managed to keep Rowena stable, much to Balthazar's relief. He was more than willing to give up his bed to her and sleep on sofa. It had been an tiring 24 hours, he felt like he could sleep anywhere.
Thankfully his staff was kind enough to close the drapes so he could sleep through the day unharmed. His windows were tinted and reinforced for his safety but the added darkness to his room made it more comfortable for him to sleep. He was awoken from him slumber though by a voice calling out.
"Hello?"
Balthazar's eyes snapped open. Rowena was awake and she sounded scared. Surveying the room, he saw no one was present in the room except for himself and his slave. He relaxed just bit before getting off the sofa and making his way for his bed.
Drawing the curtain opened, Balthazar sat himself on the edge of the bed. She seemed to tense up, maybe mistaking him as an intruder. "It's just me Rowena," he tried to reassure her as he held her hand. She looked so fragile laying there bandaged up. It hurt to know that she was this way because of him. Unconsciously, he was caressing and gently stroking Rowena's palm as he asked her, "How are you feeling?"
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:20 pm
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When the curtain moved a bit, Rowena's gaze quickly moved there, her eyes going a bit wide. It was awful, to be so afraid and not be able to move or even try to run away from whatever might be on the other side of the curtain trying to get at her. Swallowing thickly, she only let out the breath she was unconsciously holding when she saw it was Balthazar opening the curtain and sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. His hand was big and warm as he held hers and made her feel a bit more secure. Looking up at him, she nodded when he tried to make her feel better by saying it was him, her eyes heavy but she wasn't falling asleep.
"I feel heavy," Rowena admitted, knowing it was from whatever they gave her. She hated the feeling, hated having to just sit there. "I'm sorry...that I didn't warn you sooner," she murmured, looking down at her lap. He was stroking her palm and the gesture was comforting, like when someone rubbed her back when she was crying to make her feel better. "He just popped out and...I panicked." She felt like she had let him down and bit her lip. Honestly, the young woman knew she had to be stronger and not be such a burden. Even if she was nothing more than a slave and a piece of furniture, she still wanted to prove herself after he had treated her so kindly. "I bled all over your carpet," she added with a weak laugh that sounded as if it was forced.
Looking away from him, she started when there was a knock on the door and someone came in. "I brought Miss Rowena some dinner," a soft voice said. It was the same girl that Balthazar had immediately left with when they had first arrived, Rowena realized, and the thought just depressed her further. Coming in, the young woman set the tray on the bed carefully and looked over at the vampire, an almost-hopeful expression on her face. She was completely in love with him and made little effort to hide it, always volunteering when he needed blood.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 5:47 pm
For some reason his pet thought she brought this situation upon herself. The blame unfortunately laid on him. He was still not completely certain of this botched assassination attempt, but this was his problem not hers. He needed to find a way in reassuring her that he was not upset with her. Balthazar was not use to comforting women, relationships were never his strong point. He figured being honest would be the best course of action. "I am not angry with you Rowena. Those men were after me and unfortunately you were pulled into the crossfire. It was my fault that you were hurt."
At her attempt at making a joke, he couldn't help but chuckled softly. The state of his carpets were the least of his worries at the moment. "I believe I created a bigger mess than you I'm afraid." Rowena had created a large pool of blood on the carpet, but Balthazar had created large blood splatters that littered the floor, walls and even the ceiling. He did not envy whoever was assigned to clean up that mess.
"A new room is currently being made up for you. But for now it would ease my mind if you stayed here with me in my quarters." Until he was certain there were no threats, it was best Rowena was nearby where he could keep an eye on her. He doubted she'd be too weak to put up a fight in her current state or even leave his bed.
At that moment, Mia chose to announce her presence. He was surprised that she had chosen to work today. He had given her time off to recover from his feeding the other night. Balthazar mentally shook his head. Mia was a loyal, hard worker, if she felt she could handle a day's work than who was he to stop her. She had brought Rowena's meal, his pet surely must be hungry.
"Thank you Mia, that will be all," he dismissed the girl without another thought. His focus was only on Rowena. He did not see Mia's disappointed look as she exited the room. The chef had made a simple chicken soup. Something to fill her belly but nothing too hardy. "Can you feed yourself, or do you require assistance?"
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:33 pm
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It was a relief to hear that he wasn't angry with her. He was so hard for the girl to read and she had no idea what he was thinking, or who he might blame for the intrusion and attack. Swallowing as best she could, Rowena was just glad he was still holding her hand. She would have squeezed it a bit, if she could have, but just having someone holding her hand...like she mattered enough to comfort...was enough for her at the moment. Although, she did turn a bit green when he mentioned making a bigger mess than she had. For a moment the screams echoed in her head and she grimaced, trying to shake them from her thoughts.
A new room? Wait, she was in his room? She wasn't important enough for him to care what happened to her. Unless he just didn't want to waste his money, Rowena reasoned to herself. That made sense, since she was property, an investment. Why throw it away? But still, staying in Balthazar's room was intimidating, though it did explain the grand furnishings and beautiful bed she was currently tucked up in. But her thoughts were disturbed when Mia came in and she looked over at the woman. She was so pretty..."I wish I was that pretty," Rowena thought wistfully, seeing how the girl was looking at the man.
It was clear that Mia wasn't happy about being dismissed, and for a moment it looked as if she were about to protest it. Maybe offer up her services for some chore, just to stay near to him. But then she curtsied, murmured something and quickly left the room.
His question was embarrassing and she blushed, just a bit. Honestly, Rowena could barely move her hands and knew she couldn't feed herself, not with so many pain meds being pumped into her. So she slowly shook her head, looking down at her lap. "Um...I feel sort of numb, I don't think I can," she admitted quietly, biting her lip. "But, um, it can wait until I can! I don't want to be a bother!" she added hastily, looking up at him for a moment with wide eyes. There was an earnest look about her and it was clear she was doing her best to behave and not be a burden, and that she was being honest. Rather than look for sympathy, Rowena wanted to do things herself and not have people baby her - it was embarrassing and she wasn't used to it, didn't know how to react to it. Her whole life she'd done things for herself, pulled herself up when she fell.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 2:33 am
Balthazar was somewhat disappointed at Rowena's insistence to feed herself. It was not as if he saw it as a bother to feed her. But then again, if he were in her position, he would have refused help as well. As much as he wanted to help her, he had no intention of damaging her pride if he didn't need to. "If you're sure," he said with a little bit of hesitance. Balthazar still felt guilt over Rowena's injuries. Maybe it could have been prevented if he had been more forthcoming to her about what he was and his position as a clan leader. Perhaps he should... "Rowena I-"
Just then the door to his room was slammed open. "Darling! There you are, I've been looking all over for you," Gregory exclaimed as he latched himself onto his brother.
Balthazar couldn't completely keep his displeasure at having his moment with Rowena ruined by his brother. He was finally going to tell her about his vampire heritage. "What is it Gregory?"
"Oh, right," Gregory chuckled sheepishly. "Well...the council is asking for you," he said with a roll of his eyes. It was clear how Gregory felt about the vampire council. In a bored tone he continued on to relay his message, "Elder Byron decided to 'grace' us with his presence. He's waiting for you downstairs."
Balthazar sighed, "Very well." As much as he'd prefer to stay with Rowena, the council did not like to be kept waiting. He had a responsibility to uphold. Turning back to Rowena with an apologetic smile he gently squeezed her hand and kissed her on the forehead before pulling away, "I promise to return soon." Nodding to his brother, Balthazar exited the room. Hopefully he could wrap up this business soon so he could check up on Rowena again.
As Balthazar left the room, Gregory waved enthusiastically as he called out, "Not to worry brother dear, I'll watch after the little darling~" Once he knew his brother was out of earshot, Gregory turned back to Rowena. "Well, look at you..." Although Gregory kept his tone playful, he stance was that of a predator and right now Rowena was his helpless prey. "He certainly did a number on you didn't he?" He was talking of his brother of course, but the human could take his comment any way she liked. It wasn't much right now, but Gregory could see the attachment that was developing between the two and he didn't like it. Not one bit. Gregory had taken Balthazar's place at Rowena's side, sitting on the edge of the bed. He lifted her chin up with a forefinger and leaned in close, as if examining her. "I do have to wonder what he sees in you dearie. Don't get me wrong, your blood is delicious~ But it's not like my brother doesn't have his pick at willing donors." Gregory giggled to himself as if he knew something she didn't know. "I'm sure you've met that pretty maid of his no?"
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:02 pm
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Rowena wasn't sure, honestly. She was hungry and knew she wouldn't be able to eat any time soon, or at least feed herself so she could. But she was already in his bed, and she'd put him in danger...she couldn't ask him to feed her. That, and it was embarrassing to be fed like she was a baby. It looked as if he was going to tell her something, drawing her thoughts away from self-pity as she wondered what it was. And then she started again when the door slammed open, going pale from her nerves on edge. It couldn't be good for her heart, doing all of this.
When she saw Balthazar's brother, she relaxed again. He had helped her, so he was all right, wasn't he? Watching the two, she wondered what was going on, who the 'Elder' was. Did it have to do with the attack? That seemed likely, but before hse could ask, Balthazar was getting to his feet. She wanted to protest, but he kissed her forehead and left before she could find the words to ask him to stay.
A shiver ran down her spine when Gregory turned his attention on her. There was something...his voice was the same, but the way he stood...it made her feel like a mouse caught in a trap, with the cat slowly advancing on it. Instinctively afraid, but not sure why she should be, the young woman flinched at his words. He? Did he mean the man who had attacked her? He had to, after all...who else could he be talking about? Her drugged brain couldn't keep up with Gregory's games, even less than she could have normally, and she looked at him warily when he sat down and made her look up at him.
Rowena bit her lip when he had to go mention the maid, though she was more confused about what he said about her blood. "I have..." she replied, clearly reluctant to agree with him about it. Of course she knew she wasn't as pretty or attractive as that girl, but to have someone so bluntly say it...well, it hurt her feelings and just cemented the idea in her head that she wasn't good enough for this place. "Why...why are you talking about donors? And blood?" Rowena asked him falteringly, not sure she really wanted to talk to the man there. It didn't make sense to her - did Balthazar have some sort of condition and need transfusions? The idea of him being a vampire hadn't popped up in her mind, because she had seen him in the sunlight, and like most people she had been taught that vampires couldn't walk around in the sunlight or they'd burn up.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 1:12 pm
"You don't know?!" Gregory gasped in mock horror and surprise. He knew his brother had been too occupied to tell the girl yet, but she didn't need to know that. "Oh, naughty naughty Balthazar. To think he would leave out such important information," he sighed dramatically. "I guess it's up to me to educate you dearie~" Gregory grinned at the human, his fangs out and completely visible to the girl.
"We're vampires sweetheart and quite powerful ones I might add." Gregory nipped at Rowena's neck, drawing a few droplets of blood from her. A trail of blood ran down the side of his lips. Gregory wiped the blood with the back of his hand and licked it clean. "And you my delectable little thing, are nothing more than pretty little blood bag for us to feed on."
Gregory was pleased by the human's reaction. He got the reaction he was hoping for. However, he wanted to push it. It was clear that his brother's slave was a self-conscious little thing. He knew what buttons he had to hit. "You know, I've been told a bite from a vampire can be quite pleasurable," Gregory said offhandedly. Another giggle left his lips as he grinned at Rowena. "Why do you think that maid looks up to my brother so adoringly. The little slut is practically begging for my brother's bite," he said with mild distaste. Gregory knew Balthazar never slept with any of his staff. His brother was not one to mix business with pleasure. To him it was a pathetic sight to see human girls trail after his brother like lost puppy dogs. But no matter, his brother was the oblivious sort when it came to female attention. He really wasn't aware of the effect he had on women, most of the time.
It was then Gregory saw the cooling soup that laid forgotten on the bedside table. "Oh! How rude of me, you must be hungry darling. We don't want your soup to get cold now do we?" Grabbing the bowl and placing it on his lap, Gregory scooped a large spoon full and shoved it in Rowena's still open mouth. The poor dear was probably still in shock, he thought gleefully. "Finish that all pet, we need you nice and healthy for my brother dear~"
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 1:24 pm
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At the sight of fangs - actual fangs - Rowena lost all color in her face and simply stared. Normally she would have thought she was being rude, but with a shock like that, she didn't care as much as she would have. Not at all, in face. Instead her body tensed up as she anticipated his next words, her instinct knowing what they would be even if she couldn't consciously admit it to herself.
We're vampires...
That...that couldn't be right, she thought in a panic, whimpering when he nipped her neck. It hurt, like scraping her knee, and she tried to pull away from him. His words hurt, though why they did...well, she knew why, deep down. Nothing more than a meal...she never would be anything more than something to be used by others. That was what he was telling her, what she was hearing, and the rest of his words were heard through a fog in her brain. There were tears in her eyes and Rowena wished she was still at the marketplace, waiting to be sold.
But now she was here and she was just a thing.
Opening her mouth to protest when he brought up eating, she instead choked on the food he shoved into her mouth, hitting her teeth with the spoon and making them hurt. Rowena managed to choke it down and shook her head. "I'm not hungry!' she lied, shaking her head again and looking up at the man. She didn't know what he wanted, or why he was here telling her all of that. "Why - why are you telling me this?" she asked him, tears in her eyes. It would be obvious to anyone that she was hurt by what he said. She wanted the man to go away so she could be by herself, not even wanting Balthazar there. He could go off with the pretty maid, she thought bitterly, realizing she was just dinner to them. All she wanted to do was leave now, even though she knew she couldn't. "It's not fair," she thought bitterly.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 5:18 pm
Gregory sighed dramatically as if he was about to pout when she protested at being fed. "Fine suit yourself." It was not as if he cared anyways.
At Rowena's question, Gregory shrugged casually. He was starting to lose interest in messing with the girl, it was way too easy to get into her head and pick her apart. "I was only being honest my dear," Rising from the bed, Gregory straighten his clothes and brushed off the non existent dust off his shoulder. "After all, blood slaves like you are a dime a dozen in our world. When I made the suggestion to my brother to purchase a slave, I was hoping he'd pick something more...exotic for a companion. You know something that would have last him more than just a couple of decades."
Gregory would have continued on, but his sensitive hearing was picking up the sound of footsteps in the hallway. That must be his brother coming back to check on his little pet. "Well that was quick. It seems my brother has wrapped up his meeting with Elder Byron early. He must be eager to see you," he teased. "Be a good girl for me dearie, I don't take kindly to people hurting my brother." Gregory's eyes flashed red before turning back to their usual black. "Ta ta~"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Balthazar had wrapped up his meeting with Elder Byron as quickly as he could. He had thought it would be an urgent meeting, but it seemed Elder Byron had only wanted to berate him in person instead of over the phone. Balthazar understood the severity of their current situation. He had just survived an assassination attempt by the Electus.
According to the Elder, the group had been making a nuisance of themselves lately. It seemed the Elder was not pleased by Balthazar's lack of attempt to detain suspects. Logically Balthazar understood the Elder's frustrations at the current lack of information about the group but Balthazar stood by his decision. Those men chose to hurt someone under his protection, he was only defending what was his. Balthazar withstood an hour of lecture from the Elder before he made his excuses and left. He had promised to look into the matter and he would, right after he checked up on Rowena. For the moment, her well-being and safety was his first priority.
As he was making his way back to his room, Balthazar saw his brother exiting his room. "How is she?"
"Fine as she can be, given the circumstances. I wouldn't go in there though, she's being a little testy," Gregory warned.
"Gregory...what did you do?"
"I may have made a tinsy little mistake and let it slip that were vampires and-"
"Gregory!"
"For the record I didn't know she didn't know," he added in. "So I made a comment or two and it just went downhill from there," he chuckled nervously. It was better he played naive about the situation. At least then his brother wouldn't be too mad at him. "But look at it this way, if it's too much of a problem for her you could always return her and find yourself another slave," Gregory suggested cheerfully.
"I suppose..." he conceded, but he wasn't going to. Balthazar had made a commitment when he purchased Rowena. He wasn't going to abandon her just because their current situation was not the best.
"I'll talk to her. Just, next time think before you speak Gregory. One of these days your comments will get you into trouble I can't help you with," Balthazar said with a disapproving tone. As much as Gregory caused him so much grief, he was still his brother. He wanted him to be happy and safe, but that was a bit of a balancing act considering the type of mischief Gregory kept getting himself into.
Parting ways with his brother, Balthazar headed for his bedroom. He tried to mentally prepare himself for whatever he was going to face once he saw Rowena. If he was lucky, she would not be too angry with him. Entering the room, he saw Rowena was still in bed just as he left her. However she was clearly distraught and that wouldn't do. Balthazar couldn't help but sigh softly to himself as he approached her with some caution. "It has come to my attention that we may have some matters to discuss."
Color Me Fubar Ugh my brain is on the fritz, sorry if it's crappy XP
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 4:14 pm
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x"To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable..." x
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The more the man talked, the more it hurt her. Rowena already knew that she was nothing special, that there were plenty of people out there prettier and better than her at everything in life. But she didn't want to always hear it and be reminded of it, that she was worth just as much blood in her body and then she was nothing more than trash to be taken out for the garbagemen. Flinching at Gregory's words, the young woman turned her head away, a few tears sliding down her cheeks as she listened to him, unable to make him stop. It made her feel sick to her stomach and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at him.
Although she didn't see the change in his eyes, it was quite easy for her to pick up on the threatening tone. Swallowing thickly, she fisted her hands in the blankets and tucked her shoulders forward, as if trying to hide. She could barely move and she just hoped no one came into see her. Now she just wanted to be left alone.
But Balthazar came in and after everything she'd been told, she didn't want to look at him. Rowena couldn't help if there were tears on her face, refusing to be held back, and she was biting her lip to try to stop herself from showing any emotion at all. Normally she was better at it, but after the shocks of the day her emotional state was tattered, to say the least. His words didn't make her feel any better.
...matters to discuss...
Was she going to be thrown out now? Was he mad at her? "Gre-Gregory already told me what you are. I saw his fangs," Rowena choked out, refusing to look at the man. "And he al-already explained what I am, so you don't have anything to talk about." Her tone was bitter and it was obvious she was hurt, trying to make him go away before he could hurt her even more. It was what she always did, pushed people away so they never got the chance to do something to her. "I don't know wh-why you even bothered to b-buy me when you already have better people here!" The words escaped her before she managed to stop them, a broken sort of sob escaping as she bit down on her lip.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 7:39 pm
Rowena was more distraught than he expected. What on earth had Gregory said to her? Before he could ask, she told him she knows of his vampirism. That much he knew Gregory had told her. "It was not my intent to keep my biology hidden from you." Honestly it wasn't. It just seemed like every time he did try to tell her, something came up. Like his need for blood, Rowena getting attack, Rowena needing medical attention, an Elder vampire showing up unannounced at his home. It seems he was suffering from badly timed interruptions and he told her as such. "Important matters kept taking precedence before I was able to have this conversation with you."
He thought his explanation would ease her worries, but it seemed to have an opposite effect considering she seemed more distraught. "It seems I have upset you," he sighed. That was not his intention. Unfortunately he did not have his brother's talent at being a gifted conversationalist, particularly with women.
"What you are?" he asked baffled. "If you mean your human heritage, I bare no ill will or hatred for your kind. If my brother has said something to offend you, you must excuse him. He is unaware of how his careless words affect those around him." Perhaps Gregory had gotten carried away again and had unwittingly upset his pet? Balthazar had certainly lost a few staff members because of Gregory's tongue. But from Balthazar's perspective, his brother was being horribly blunt not intentionally spiteful.
It seemed he still had yet to say anything to calm Rowena down. Her last statement about why he bothered to purchase her confused him. "I believe I haven't the faintest clue as to what you are insinuating. I chose you to be my companion, I thought I made that abundantly clear when I purchased you."
Although he did not tell Rowena that he was a vampire, Balthazar knew he laid out what he expected out of her and she agreed to the terms. What did she mean he had other better people? Surely she could not mean his staff? While he had a certain fondness for them, at the end of the day they were his employees. They provided a service in taking care of his grounds and occasionally serving as his meals. It was not as if he expected Rowena to do the same. If that was so, he would have fed from her on the first night instead of asking Mia for her services. Rowena was meant to be his pet, someone for him to care for, maybe even being his friend if she would let him. Despite his brother's constant jabs, he was not wrong to insinuate that Balthazar did suffer from bouts of loneliness. It would be nice to have a friend or confidant that he could converse with occasionally.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 1:59 pm
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She couldn't help herself, already emotional and everything that Balthazar said just upset her more. All Rowena could think about was Gregory's spiteful words and what he said she was to the man now. Just a blood bag, and not even a pretty one. Worthless and useless and easily replaceable, just like she had been everywhere else, just like she had been her entire life. It hurt, so much it hurt to breathe, her chest growing tight. Squeezing her eyes shut, she listened to Balthazar explain that he had bought her to be a companion. So...she really was just a pet.
"He said - he said I was a blood bag for you," she stammered out. "And I wasn't - even a p-pretty one and you should have got something else that would last longer." The words tumbled out of her and she bit her lip, sure that Balthazar wouldn't understand. He didn't seem to anyway, the hurt that she had in her heart from what his brother had said to her. Repeating them made it worse, now she couldn't pretend it was all a bad dream. Looking at him briefly, it was like she was trying to make him understand. Just like anyone, she had the desire to be special to someone, to mean something and be more than just another...another human, another face in the crowd. Rowena craved it and had hoped that she would end up with someone who saw her as that, as something special, something unique. Now all she had were her sketches, the supplies he had bought her, and she couldn't even use them to soothe her pain yet, with the drugs in her system.
She looked away from him, biting her lip so hard she could taste the coppery tang of blood in her mouth. "I'm sorry for being so useless." The words left her in a defeated sort of whisper. Rowena didn't want to be a burden, to be nothing more than a chore, and it seemed that without even being a 'blood bag', she was completely useless here. When she would calm down, she could think about how much time she had to practice now, all the things she could do. Right now, it just all seemed hopeless and she didn't see why he had picked her, out of all the people there he could have had there were better and more entertaining and useful.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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