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 Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:36 pm
This is a Private RP between:
Rivener, Alex, Kyou, Xiu and Hazeline.
Location: Home, Park, Lab.
Time: Late evening/Night.
Weather: Cool
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:37 pm
Day 8
Xiu remained in his room for the better part of the day. Occasionally Hazeline would knock and the frei would answer. Thrice the guardian had asked the Frei to open the door and thrice the Frei had refused; saying that he wanted to be left alone.
Hazeline must not see me like this… the frei thought as he sat huddled in a corner, blue eyes staring lifelessly at nothing. She must not see me with these…fangs.
The frei’s rune glowed weakly and Xiu groaned softly. He was so hungry…
The image of the murdered victim from the movies appeared in Xiu’s mind once again and once again the frei was forced to see the blood that was flowing as the knife wound was left opened…
Stop it. Stop it. STOP IT!
“Xiu?” Hazeline’s voice said from the other side of the door followed by a soft knocking. “Hey Xiu, Mrs. Bedievier, Joshua and I are going out to get some groceries. D-Do want anything?”
“No, Hazeline,” said Xiu in a small voice as the frei’s rune glowed insistently. “There’s nothing….”
“Xiu…listen, if you need to tal-,”
“There’s nothing,”
“O-Okay…,”
There was the sound of feet moving away and minutes later, the sound of a car leaving the driveway. Xiu lifted his head warily. Were they gone?
Yes, it sounded like they were. Floating up unsteadily, Xiu reached for the door.
I can’t stay here the Frei’s tired mind said as the white raevan pulled the door open. Must not endanger my…guardian…
The rune glowed.
Blood…
“No, I am not a monster.”
Perhaps if I just stop…thinking…
---------------------------------------
Ten minutes later, Hazeline’s car pulled into the driveway and the guardian got out and entered the house. Everything looked the same but something felt different.
“Xiu…,” said Hazeline worriedly as she climbed the stairs two at a time. Upon reaching the Frei’s room, the guardian paused; hands raised in the act of knocking on the frei’s door. Would Xiu think her bothersome? She had been knocking on it constantly at intervals throughout the day.
…
Stepping back, the guardian went to the refrigerator and poured out a glass of milk. Thusly equipped, the guardian once again stood before the frei’s door. “Xiu?” called Hazeline gently. “I-I have brought you some milk…you must have something Xiu,”
There was no answer.
Heart thudding wildly, Hazeline tried the door. It was unlocked. Hazeline pushed the door open and saw…nothing.
“ Xiu?!” Hazeline called out in panic as she rushed into the room and began looking frantically for her raevan. Where was he? The milk in her hand spilled but the guardian did not care. Xiu was missing! Had the frei been kidnapped? No, think calmly. There was no forced entry and… and…
Flipping her cellphone open with shaky fingers, Hazeline dialed Alex’s number. “H-Hello? Alex? Xiu…he’s missing!” the guardian said nearly sounding hysterical with worry. “H-He’s no longer in his room!”
---------------------------------------------------------
The frei found himself floating in the park. Being late in the evening, there was no sign of any other being about.
It’s for the better the frei’s weary mind said as the frei floated further towards the park’s center. This way, I won’t be able to hunt them….
Hunt them… the words echoed in the frei’s mind.
“Never,” said Xiu stubbornly.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:17 am
"Xiu...he's missing!"
The words relentlessly burned in her mind as the truck vaulted through the twilight eve. She worriedly bit over her bottom lip, her hair haphazardly around her shoulders and face from having been called in preperation for a hot bath - one she fully intended to make good on after this. Alex was not prepared for Xiu's sudden behavior, as he'd always seemed to be a gentle, considerate soul. Why he'd do this to Hazeline was not something she could grasp, anymore than she could understand why he wasn't feeding.
Gage, she thought with a pang of grief as she pulled into a parking spot near a shopping area, hopping out and locking the vehicle behind her. Eiry, Vyn...and Xiu. What's happening? Why have you all lost the will to be? Alex questioned herself over and over as her quick footsteps carried her quickly out of the well lit area and into the streets near the residentials. They may never know what happened to the deceased Raevan, but the other three...their life would not dwindle, not on her watch!
The Italian found herself traversing near a park, and it was here that she paused. How far would Xiu go? Did he even know where he was going? Alex sighed, running her fingers through her hair, tips dragging across her scalp. What was she supposed to do? Install tracking collars? "Or belts," she mused with a thin smile. There was no humor to be found in the cool, empty land, instilling her with an unusual chill. It was quiet, and not overly well lit, but--
What was that?!
Alex peered into the darkness, and she swore it was heavier the harder she tried to look. She thought she'd seen a flash of white, and given that Xiu was missing... "Don't wanna chase phantoms," she muttered under her breath, not knowing just how close her words were to the truth. Brushing her hair aside, she jogged a short ways into the park, sweat pants and tank top fluttering in the stiff breeze that whispered across the grass and clung to the trees. If Alex didn't know better, she'd think it was Halloween.
"Xiu?" she called out, pausing by a tree and resting her hand against the dry bark.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:04 am
Rivener hoped to high heaven that he was wrong about the interpretation. Still, he wasn't about to take a chance! He was getting better and better at deciphering the weird Star-speak he listened to every night, and tonight... Tonight the Stars had said something chilling. Hoping he was wrong, Riv had zoomed full-tilt to the park.
Darkened trees hide swirling white that yearns. Red ties the fangs and flesh. One two three then more. Rivener had heard enough times "swirling" in reference to raevans' ribbons, and the only white one he knew was Xiu. Darkened trees must be the park at night. Xiu was yearning for something in the park at night and... and Riv didn't even want to start to think about what fangs and flesh meant. Was Xiu going to be attacked? Apparently tonight's violence would be the first of many if Rivener couldn't stop it! He would NOT let that happen! He would NOT let another Raevan suffer like Gage must have suffered!
Breathing a little heavier from the exertion of having flown here so fast, Rivener was searching through the woods. He frowned... Everything seemed much darker than it should be, here. The Sigel's blood froze. "Darkened trees indeed," he mumbled.
It was then he heard it. A voice, calling for Xiu. So Rivener WAS right, something was the matter with Xiu! Frowning, the Scorpion hurried forward without a word, waiting to see who was calling for the white frei. That voice sounded familiar... Riv hid behind trees and peered around.
"Ah, Alex!" The Sigel exclaimed with a startled blink, floating out into view. "What's wrong with Xiu? Where is he?" Rivener didn't want to scare the woman with how urgent this all felt, but they needed to find the white Raevan right away!
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:36 am
Xiu flared and folded his wings uneasily. The night was quickly setting in and the park was beginning to darken. Strange shapes could be seen shifting eerily from one place to another. Xiu was scared but he was also tired. The blue rune glowed faintly; without any particular rhythm to it. Xiu knew that by staying here with all these strange shapes he was hastening himself towards his limit. The air, the ground…everything. It was draining him.
A gently swirling tendril of darkness made a sudden jab in the frei’s direction; the tendril only missing Xiu by an inch or so. Alarmed, Xiu hurriedly backed away only to notice that he was being surrounded by these dark entities. The blue rune flickered weakly and like a pack of wolves sensing imminent prey, the shapes swirled patiently about, taking their time with the frei. Occasionally, sudden jabs were made and it was all Xiu could do to keep himself from being caught. They were tiring him. Xiu realized with a sudden jolt of terror. Like how the lions or wolves would tire their prey out before moving in for the kill. They could sense that he was weak but like a pack of hyenas, they weren’t going to make the killing move; not when their prey could still bite back.
Could he though?
A strange feeling was coming over the frei as he watched these strange shapes. Anger, fear, hunger….they were all present. They were all real… but they were overshadowed by something else; something much more primitive. The desire to live.
Xiu?
A voice suddenly called out. Gentle, caring, feminine…a human. Hazeline? No, that voice…it was not Hazeline’s. It was…Zul’s guardian….Alex… Xiu shook his head, trying to keep up with his thoughts.
Alex…what was she doing here? Was she…searching for him? Why? Wasn’t Hazeline his guardian? Where…was she? A stabbing pain made Xiu bit his lips. Why wasn’t it Hazeline that was searching for him? Why was it…another guardian? Where was Hazeline?
Another voice was then heard. Deeper this time. Masculine. Familiar… Rivener? What was…he doing here? Were they searching for him? Had Hazeline made a search party?
Xiu started forward; eager to be away from these shadows but then stopped. No, he could not see them…not like this. The frei backed away again; the shadows eagerly parting to allow the frei access into the darkness. He wanted to see them but…
Xiu’s fangs throbbed uncomfortably. They felt foreign and…the desire to bare them were becoming increasingly harder to ignore. Was he…truly becoming dangerous?
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:40 pm
The woman spun on her heel, startled, hand automatically reaching for the toolbelt that wasn't around her waist. She blinked a few times in disbelief at the Sigel that was suddenly there. "Rivener? What are you doing out here at this hour?" Alex looked briefly behind the Scorpion, a little surprised that Aphismet was not with him, before returning her green eyes back to him. So he knew Xiu as well...it might work in her favor, then, to have a friend of the gentle white Frei.
She was relieved, truth be told; without pause, she wrapped an arm around Rivener in a friendly one-armed hug. "Hazeline called me and said he was missing," she briefed the black and red Raevan, turning towards where she'd seen the white flash. "We're looking for him. I parked a little ways away, thought I'd track from the nearest public area towards her house, and I saw something white here..." She thought she'd seen it again, but it looked like it was...dimming? That wasn't right. Was he...fading--?
"Xiu!!" Alex took off like a shot after the white smudge, panic making her throat tight. She was NOT going to lose him, and if she had to wring out every drop of innocence in her body and become a cranky old woman before she was thirty, she'd do it! Somehow. Right now, the woman was intent on finding Xiu and making sure he was okay, closing in on his location swiftly and pausing just a short ways in front of him. Or at least, she thought it was him. Why was it so dark...? "Xiu...?" she repeated softly, extending a hand towards the Frei.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:56 pm
Rivener leaned into the woman's hug briefly, listening to her explain what she was doing here. "Hazeline called me too," Rivener lied smoothly. He didn't want to explain how exactly he knew about the trouble... All that mattered now was that they found Xiu before something terrible happened. With this oppressive atmosphere gathering around them, Rivener was starting to believe that there WOULD be something terrible happening tonight. Unknown to him, Riv's thoughts ran parallel to Alex's: Not on my watch!
Alex took off then, leaving a confused Rivener in her wake. Had she spotted-?
Rivener gasped. The stars were screeching at him. FLESH! FLESH! RED TIES FANGS AND FLESH! "Ugh!" Riv winced. "I get it, I get it, cut it out!" Even as he muttered, the Sigel was zooming after Alex. Something cold was gripping at him: Alex was the "flesh"? Then who was the "fangs?!" Was Riv wrong? Was this Star-speak not about Xiu?
As he caught up to the running Italian, Riv thought he could see the white frei ahead, faintly... Why wasn't his rune lighting up the area? Xiu should be easy to spot! "Xiu?" Riv called, gasping. It WAS him! Only he was surrounded by... By something so strange! Nothing was THERE, not that Riv could see, but it felt like Edgar used to feel before he'd materialize. It sent a shiver down the Sigel's spine. "Xiuuu, come away, come here..." Riv slowed to a careful advance, trying to wave the young raevan away from whatever that was...
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:48 pm
There they were, through the darkness Xiu could discern two shapes coming towards him and calling his name. The shadows shifted, seeming tensed at this unexpected intrusion. Xiu was torn. He wanted to be with them, to feel safe but…
His fangs ached again making the raevan draw back even further. No, it was dangerous. He was barely managing to control himself as it was. Who knew what’d happen if he approached the human? Blue eyes stared at Alex; no longer seeing her as a human but…a food source. The blue rune flickered weakly…
No.
Xiu stopped. What was he thinking? He was just about to…about to….
In his hunger and confusion the frei did the one thing that seemed logical at the moment. The one thing that would have the human leave; and for the first time in his life, Xiu bared his fangs and growled threateningly.
The shadows swirled in anticipation of a kill…
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:18 pm
Alex's slender brows bunched together in surprise. Didn't Xiu recognize her? She did look different in the dark, probably, and her hair in such a tousled fashion probably wasn't helping. Despite the simple misunderstanding, there was a loud, red-flag waving and siren-screaming alarm in her mind at the action of the bared teeth. The growl. Something was wrong.
The woman was a zoologist; she worked with animals, she knew their mannerisms and mechanisms of living. She knew the ins and outs of most animal life styles and antics, and this...what Xiu was doing was bestial. It was a warning, a threat to one's self or to one's territory, but behind it, something...hungry. Fangs? Alex noted with shock. Xiu hadn't had fangs before! What in the blazes was happening to the Frei?
He's going to attack! her rational, intellectual mind argued, urging her to take precaution. You need to back up slowly, find something to defend yourself with in the worse case scenario and--
He's my friend, the emotional part of her cried out, and I wont leave him alone when he needs us the most!
The emotional side won.
Alex inched closer, extending her hand. Her stomach knotted, knowing very well she was making herself vulnerable to a rattlesnake ready to strike. "C'mon, Xiu," she said in a calm, albeit gentle voice. "I'm here for you, buddy. I'm going to take care of you, one way or another." She just hoped that one way wouldn't end badly for the Frei. More scars? A stay in the hospital? The woman clenched her jaw. Whatever it takes.
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:35 am
Xiu watched as the woman stopped in surprise. Please go back… the frei’s weary mind pleaded as he watched her hesitate. I’m just so tired…
The woman seemed to have come to a decision and to Xiu’s despair, the human was approaching him. Still growling but faintly this time, blue eyes watched as the human extended her hand. Why was she doing this? He had thought that the growl was warning enough. Why was still approaching him? Didn’t she know that…it hurts?
It really hurts….
Mind giving way to instinct, the frei lunged, grabbing the woman’s hand and twisting it behind her back. In an instant, Xiu had Alex securely caught. Panting a little with exertion, Xiu paused briefly as a predator would after catching a particularly difficult prey. There, the woman’s neck, it was close. Xiu could get at it easily enough. The frei’s rune glowed a little in anticipation of food. The frei slowly lowered his fangs to Alex’s neck.
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:09 am
"Oh my god," Rivener breathed when Xiu growled, stunned. The white frei had FANGS! HE was the Fangs! ...The ones tied to Alex's Flesh? There was only one possible meaning to that, but Rivener couldn't believe something like that could ever happen. Still, as he watched, Alex moved forward to offer her hand, trying to lure Xiu to them... And suddenly Xiu LUNGED at her, trapping her. Rivener hadn't moved a muscle the whole time, too stunned by this actually happening.
When the Sigel saw the fangs heading for Alex's neck, however, he finally spurred himself to MOVE. That was Zul's Guardian, and Aphismet's Girl!!!
Letting out a growl of his own, Rivener snapped his wings and moved with all the speed he possessed. One clawed hand reached forward to grab Xiu's arm that was holding Alex's hand captive, making sure the woman's limb didn't get twisted out of place. The other clawed hand reached for the first thing he could grab on Xiu's head: one of the short, black horns. With enough strength to make sure Xiu moved but wasn't hurt (hard to gauge!), Riv yanked the fangs away from Alex.
"Oh no you don't!" Riv growled. "What the hell's wrong with you, Xiu? STOP this!" For some reason, Rivener blamed all this on that weird feeling from earlier. The Edgar-feeling. Aphismet had tried to kill Isikoro once when the mad murderer-ghost had possessed him... Perhaps this was the same thing? They'd fixed it with Eiry before... Guh, the minty frei wasn't around right now! Rivener would have to settle for trying to keep this frei restrained and away from Alex's Flesh.
Pulling carefully, Rivener tried to tug Xiu's grip off Alex's arm. Or at the very least loosen the hold so that the Italian would be able to twist herself free.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:00 pm
Whatever attacked her, it wasn't Xiu.
She was rooted in place as Xiu - or what used to be Xiu - quickly had her pinned, arm pulled hard behind her back. So fast, she gasped a little as the muscle pulled, green eyes darting over her shoulder, watching the gentle white Frei with bared fangs descending towards her neck. Vampire? she thought, and the attack from earlier - the whole debacle with the township and the injured diggers - came smashing back against her mind, making her feel helpless all over again. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she help anyone?
And then there was a flash of red and black, and the pressure eased off of her arm enough that it brought her back to herself and out of her self-pity. "Riv!" Alex finally began to fight back against the miasma of drudgery that seemed to have settled upon her, fighting off the resignation of being Xiu's...food, or whatever it was he was intending to do with her. The woman used the Sigel's surprise hold against Xiu twist herself and the Frei's arm, putting the white Raevan in the same hold he'd had her in. "Thanks, Riv," she glanced to him with a smile. Would she have complacently let Xiu bite and drain her if he hadn't intervened?
Alex flipped her cell phone out of her pocket, still holding Xiu's arm. "Sorry Xiu," she murmured softly behind his head, "I made a promise to myself and all of you, never to let this happen again..." A few beeps of her thumb against the keypad and she quickly spoke to the voice that picked up. "Hazeline, we found Xiu, we...sweetie, he's not doing good, and we need to take him to the Lab. Now. Please meet us there as soon as you can." She gave the woman precious little time to respond before ending the call and making another one, her face grim.
"Kyou? This is Alex. Xiu...is having a bad reaction to not feeding. We're - Rivener and I - are bringing him in now. Please, we need your help."
With the phone tucked against her ear, she began to direct the bound Frei out of the park and away from the blackness that seemed to linger. She didn't know what she'd do if Rivener began to suffer the same atrophy that she had from the odd circumstances. "Truck's up there," she told Rivener while motioning with her chin, voice gentle. Time was of the essence, now!
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:50 pm
The frei’s eyes narrowed when he felt the Sigel’s rough grip on his arm and the beginnings of another growl threatened to surface when his head was forcefully yanked backwards and into an uncomfortable and vulnerable position. Surprised, the frei had not had time to retaliate when the woman; having freed herself, turned and twisted his other arm behind him. Truly caught, the frei struggled briefly before panting in exhaustion. The attack and the subsequent struggle to free himself had drained yet another portion of the frei’s limited energy. The blue rune flickered and for a terrifying moment, threatened to burn out.
"Sorry Xiu,"
"I made a promise to myself and all of you, never to let this happen again..."
…
Hazeline, we found Xiu, we...sweetie, he's not doing good, and we need to take him to the Lab. Now. Please meet us there as soon as you can."
The blue rune flickered back on weakly and blue eyes teared when the full realization of what had happened; what could have happened had Rivener not intervened hit the frei. He had nearly-no, was determined to hurt Alex. Rivener had stopped him. Alex had freed herself. She was…alright…
Thank goodness… whispered Xiu’s weary mind as the frei struggled to stay conscious.
The journey back to the truck was a fairly uneventful one. Xiu made no attempt to escape or struggle as he was led to Alex’s vehicle. Tired blue eyes would occasionally shift their focus from Alex to Rivener but the frei remained silent. The hold on him had not lessened in the least. Perhaps that was for the best, he had tried to hurt a guardian after all. The thought of returning to the lab and…having Hazeline see him in such a disgrace made Xiu’s rune glow even dimmer as though it was unwilling to support such a distasteful creature as himself.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:36 am
Rivener's grip was tight as he restrained the white frei. The long, clawed fingers were trembling with concern. Would Xiu be alright? The stars made no mention of that... Why was Xiu acting this way? Why was he so weak? Why did he suddenly stop struggling and seem to just... deflate in Riv's hold, his rune flickering like that? Frowning, the Scorpion waited for Alex to make this better somehow.
He listened to her discuss something with Hazeline on the phone, and the reason for all this suddenly became a little clearer: Xiu hadn't been feeding? Riv frowned, glancing down with his lips pressed into a disapproving line. Why wouldn't Xiu feed?! What was the problem, suddenly?
Alex then called Dr Kyou, and instructed Rivener towards the truck. With a nod, Riv pulled Xiu along as gently as possible. Even if the frei wasn't struggling anymore, Rivener wouldn't take any chances. His grip didn't lessen its strength, especially when the two of them entered the vehicle. Rivener sat next to the driver and kept Xiu pressed to the passenger door, keeping himself physically between Alex and the possible threat. One strong hand kept Xiu's hands bound behind the white Raevan's back, holding him in place. "Don't worry, Xiu. Everything will be better soon, Dr Kyou will make it better."
Rivener so wished he could learn WHY. Why Xiu hadn't been feeding. Frowning, hoping the other was conscious enough to make sense of words, Riv tried asking. "Why aren't you feeding, Xiu? Why did this happen?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:55 pm
"He wont say," Alex filled in, green eyes glancing sidelong towards the white Frei. "We were going to meet at the Lab at the end of this week..." The Italian trailed off in a quiet sigh, watching the dark road ahead cut into sharp lines by her headlights. She was quiet again for a while before moving one hand off the wheel to lightly touch Rivener's arm. "Thanks, back there," she said softly, eyes trained on the road, "for caring. Xiu is lucky to have you as a friend."
She was quiet for the majority of the ride, the phone in her lap and still connected to Kyou - just in case. Alex couldn't help but think of the Frei's who were starving themselves - and why? Did they not trust their Guardians? Who knew the inner workings of their minds? It made her worry for Zul, and wonder, just how much he trusted her...
The trip was rather fast, all things considered; the truck was decent sized and obviously had seen a few off-road days, but she drove it like a race car, fast and precise. They were at the Lab in no time, the night having settled and the lights casting paths of illumination over the parking lot, and longer shadows for it.
Alex hopped out of the truck and came around the passenger side, prepared to help with Xiu as a friend, whether that meant offering kind words or strong-arming him into the Lab. She wasn't going to let him continue to suffer like this. "It'll be over soon, Xiu," she promised, "we're here to help you, no matter what."
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