Saint Luther of Innocence Church

[[Jackpot]]

Jack could do nothing but watch as this man approached the two of them ever so closely, even after his recent threat. Was this man a fool, did he not comprehend the seriousness of the allegations set before him? The words he spoke were covered in filth, it sickened him deeply to even have to bear witness to such a dispelling segment of righteousness and civil duties. If he had the opportunity at that moment to stand up and take a chunk out of this man who seemed so sure he wanted death, there would have been no hesitation to give it to him. Luckily his angered thoughts subsided when Magik spoke. To hear her speak of death in such an open fashion was new to him, was she so bothered by Jack and his current state? Did it upset her that a stranger came and offered himself with open arms? ‘Death is certainly a part of life, for it is my life.’ And that was the main reason he was here, at this very moment and in this dismal physical and mental state. Just because you needed to thrive off of blood in order to survive, was it morally acceptable to kill when necessary? He did not believe so. There was shame in killing for personal gain.

Magik began to speak of accepting help, especially when you needed it. It should be evident in every human’s mind to give help whenever possible, but not always the same when it came to receiving it. He despised help – he was the howl in the middle of night to let you know he was always watching, growing, strengthening; a signal that he could not be stopped. Self-inflicted wounds and perseverance of pain should never be in the same region as help, for it was a sign of weakness and lack of support in yourself. Those beings should be left to rot. If your soul could not be used for any reason of subject matter, you would be damned. It was the will of the Giovanni. When the man once again stepped closer and allowed his eyes to meet a blackened and eternal void, he spoke. Those words raced against Jack’s barely beating heart, slashing and scarring it with everything the man in white said. His teeth grinded together, a force which would shatter the jaw of anyone not fit for the dynamism which was displayed. ‘Watch what you say, boy…’ He ravaged those words in his mind. He raised his head up, almost giving off a smirk before spitting a teaspoon amount of dried and fresh blood onto the glorious whiteness which stood before him.

His attention was immediately turned towards a white glove which had now become a roller coaster of blood. A crimson waterfall flourished and tormented to anyone who was weakened at the sight, as were most humans. If he refused, it was like winning the lottery but ripping up the ticket and yet, no one would know why. He did not want to take the blood of this man, it was unnatural. It was not because he was a stranger, more so his logic bothered him. No person in their right mind would step foot near a dying vampire and offer their blood to him. They did not know the beast, did not know the clan behind him - it was like shaking hands with death. It was so hard to remove his gaze from this glorious and tempting view. Blood was the color, the view, the memories of everything about life. Who would give that up? Certainly not a dying vampire…

His head inched slowly off of Magik’s lap, his pale tongue reaching out onto extremely chapped and cracked lips, trying to moisten them. His arms lunged forward onto the man’s arm – his left hand grabbing the man’s hand, while his right hand enthralled his foreman with untamed might and ferocity. Without moving his own body, he pulled the man as close to him as was necessary for the blood-drinking ritual to begin. This poor soul knew nothing of the Giovanni Kiss, a powerful bite which killed most victims on the initial bite due to immense pain. Was this man to suffer through the pain, or run and be killed from the horror he just unleashed? The enlarged and elongated fangs were already prevalent, they were so sharp and never dull from the thousands of victims who were blessed with such lovely… apparatuses. He lowered his jaw, extending it to the necessary length needed in order to begin the blood-marathon. Jack bit into the man’s already bleeding wrist, making two small puncture wounds of his own before engulfing the life that was being poured for him.

Oh it was so glorious – temptation surely has its price, especially when your own pitiful life is on the line. It was like sitting on the throne of the Giovanni clan, having the servants pouring the freshest of blood out of golden chalices because you simply deserved it; you bathed in wealth and blood. That was all that mattered to this clan. Jack had to let it just pour into his mouth, sparing none – there was no room for error at this point. He needed every droplet, everything in his shattered body needed to be restored. When the muscles in his body tightened, he was able to begin truly immersing himself in the blood stream, pulling it into his mouth as he pleased. Jack could feel the blood being pumped throughout his body, it was like watching an EKG machine going from a bed-ridden, dying victim to a child who was having severe panic attacks. ‘Yes, yes! Something inside of him kept reassuring that word to him, and he loved it.

His eyes and retinas slowly began to return to their redness, a symbol of his madness. He stopped the draining of this victim to cry out in immense pleasure, it was like a momentary phase of moaning. His body began to warm up, for he was truly heated inside. Not from the pleasure he was receiving, but for the anger he felt for this man for disrupting the deed he had set before himself. The grip he had on the man intensified, if he was not careful he could easily crack several bones in his arm and hand. It was just the instincts of a vampire taking over – there was no stopping it. His thirst was inevitable, he craved and desired for more. How much more would be necessary? Only time could tell. The bones inside his body were restoring themselves to their pristine physical condition, this massive healing process in such a short time caused Jack excruciating pain. Pain was, however, no match for the pleasure his body was entangled with.

He cackled maniacally, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body was being replenished, he could feel the power of his eternal youth being returned to him. Who could ever deny such power, such pleasure and undeniable lust? He cared not for the physical condition of this man at the time – he pushed this man’s blood covered arm away from himself. Still lying on his back with Magik behind him, he used his left hand to press against the ground to help stand his body up. “Holy ground?” His voice was tense and uncertain, it was a frenzying tone. He pushed off the ground, cracking the cement below him with the strength he used to push off. His legs were pulled closer to his chest as he used his feet to finally stand him up.

Jack was a tall, but thin man – his straight and elevated stature was higher than most. He hoped the man would be dead, or at least weakened enough where death was imminent for him. His right hand clenched tightly into a fist, cracking his knuckles. He averted his eyes down to his hand where he was amazed about the power that had been bestowed to him. With swift and abrupt motions, he seemingly teleported a simple foot towards the man in white and grabbed the collar of his jacket. Did blood have an underlying stench? Jack moved his blood covered face only an inch from this man. His strength nearly picking him up off the ground that was below them. “You made a terrible mistake today.” With those words alone, he loosened his grip on his collar as he nearly tossed the man a few feet in front of them. He took no mind of Magik, his heart and soul was not truly with him – it must have been devastating to view this all happening before her.  

[Lord Norin]

The young man had held himself still, waiting for the feeding to begin, his eyes distant from the very start. Detached, as if he was preparing himself to ignore whatever sensations came with the bite. And then it came, and with it the agony. And with that, he screamed.

It was a sudden, piercing sound, almost a howl of unspeakable proportions. And yet, and yet... He wavered, but he remained still, even through the pain. Not letting himself flinch, not to draw away. Not to withdraw the offer he'd given. Blood pumped from his furiously into that ravaging mouth, but still he stayed there, growing wan as his body fed life into the vampire, and his mind focused on what he had to do.

His bare hand was clenched in his own hair, keeping the focus. And when the vampire pulled away, his bones creaked, and there was a sudden snap of a break. But still Norin's eyes were distant, and under those fingers the bone would knit itself fresh again. His screams paused for Jack's gasping of breath, his breathing raw, and started again when the bite returned, and still the man remained as distant as a star,

Again the bite broke, and so did the screaming, Norin's body half-crumpled as he panted, his voice raw and rough at first. He was too distant even when he was grabbed, his eyes only focusing when words were spoken.

"Perhaps." He breathed out as he was thrown, landing stumbling on his feet, turning his shaky landing into a roll. But when he rose again his footing was a bit more sure, and his pale skin faintly healthier. "It won't be an act I'll be so eager to repeat at the very least."

He spoke those words with a shaken chuckle, but his voice seemed to steady as fast as his body did. "But my choices are as must be. For to turn my back on the dying is something I cannot do."

Norin inspected the wound on his arm, already closed. The blood on his suit, slowly sliding off, leaving his uniform clean again.  

[Serena Magik Novello]

She had to look saddened by the fact Jack spit at this man. But deep down, if she had been in his position, she'd probably have done the same thing. Well, if she wanted death. Human life was fragile. She knew as much, even with what gifts she had been given to try to help to prolong it. And typical of her, she could not look at the blood running down this man's arm. Even with all the blood she'd seen in her time, it still bothered her to be so close to it.

She felt Jack lunge for the man's arm, she'd never been this close when someone else was feeding. She had to swallow hard and keep her eyes averted, but something told her she would have to somehow make peace with the pain this man was about to go through in only moments. He was sacrificing pain with his offer. And from what she'd heard, it was going to be alot of it. Inwardly she cringed,but she knew to pull away now was to show weakness and that might be a bad thing in Jack's eyes. Her hands helping to now brace Jack's shoulders to keep him somewhat upright. All this on the stairs of a church...it felt like such blasphemy. But it was necessary. Her eyes looking towards the church a moment almost as if in a silent apology. This was going to freak August out. His "introduction" to the supernatural world wasn't an easy one to stomach. Silently praying for Priest to just let this happen so they could all be healed and get on with their lives. She didn't know how truly religious the man was, she had been immensely at one time. But she'd found a place where she had been needed. And it was a gray line between what was right and what was wrong for awhile. Trying not to fall into that darkened lost hope that would forever taint her pure soul.

Magik swore she could feel Jack's strength returning with just the little contact she had with the man, felt the damage reversing itself. Which was an odd feeling in itself, reminding her again why she had never dared to go up against an ancient. Augustus, this man's brother was, so wouldn't that make Jack one too? Realization almost made her black out a moment. But she had to trust she knew this one well enough to not wind up dead or worse. And yes, there were worst things than death. The Giovanni clan were known for them. And that was when she made another mistake of looking down and watching the vividness return to his eyes, knew that he was coming back to himself, which was a good thing, but how much blood would he truly need? Would one person be enough? Vampires close to Torpor sometimes went into frenzies. She'd known several vampires during her short time and learned alot, but she always wondered if she'd learned enough to help keep herself alive while passing through their world.

And watching the man, as Jack had lunged forward, seeing the pain from that first bite...the gut wretching scream that had happened afterwards would always be on her mind. A reminder that this wasn't all a game. That not everyone could be helped. She wanted to take the man's pain from him, afterwards she could, if the man allowed her to. If Jack would allow her too. For all she knew, both of them would begin fighting. Her eyes lifted back over to the man trying to maintain his calm. Knew how that hand of his had to be knotted into his hair for fear of striking out, of just withdrawing said offer. That this man was seeing it through said alot for his character. Not many offered to help and stuck with it when it was more pain than they'd believed.

And then the cold was gone, and he felt just like any man that had been close to her. Life seemingly returned to a dead man. And then, just like that, his hands were moving to stand himself up. Her eyes disbelieving as the man who had been so close to death only moments before was on his feet, back to almost all of his glory. And soon after, she scampered uneasily to her feet. Legs asleep from being sitting for that time with his dead weight resting on her lap. But she needed to be ready for anything. It was far from over. And the tone of Jack's voice made her grip the church's stairwell railing. She'd jump over it and run if need be. But no, running would only be mistaken as being afraid. And though she was, she had learned how to twist its appearance to confuse those who might have wished to harm her in the past. Even when those were temporarily out of office for the moment. The lights were on, but was Jack really home at this moment in time?

And then she watched as Jack closed the distance between him and Norin, watched as that gloved hand closed around the man's lapel. She took the stairs down two by two, getting behind Jack. This was escalating way too quickly. "JACK! Stop this...madness! The man helped you." Yeah, Jack could no more stop his madness than she could reel in her wish to make sure these two didn't clash. She stepped back from him, two steps that seemed sure, getting to where she could react if need be. Hands extended to show she wasn't holding a weapon currently, even though she had a few tricks up her sleeves if things went to hell.

"He helped you, let me help him to repay this?" Though she had glanced to Norin for a moment to notice that his uniform was once again pristine and the wound was closed. Not natural one bit. "That is...if he even needs it." She was going to help heal his body, least so the man could work on making more blood cells. But something else was going on. Her eyes went back to see Jack, offering a smile. "Hey, just remember who held your head up? Literally...Good to see you back, Jack." Long as he didn't charge her, it was all good. Could they get through this without a total all out brawl. That was the question. Waiting more to see how this restored man would react.  

[BeautifulEclipse]

Priest could scarcely believe what he was hearing from the man, he couldn't just accept he had happened up these powers just recently. Not without intervention from other supernatural creatures, "It's just odd, since I've gotten to this city nothing.... has been what I've expected.| he said breathing in deeply. The cold air didn't seem to bother him at all, in fact it reminded him of home a little bit.

He was only half listening to the man's rambling while keeping an eye on the vampire situation.Though to be honest both situation were boring him, his mind wandered back to hunting with Jack and Mary and how much he wanted to go back to that. Before they had become aware of Desire, the demon was what lead him here and now he he was in a dusty old church. Jack Wesson had all but disappeared, he had lost track of Desire and the group he had encountered when he had first arrived seemed to be missing as well.

"Wait, what?" the Frenchman said suddenly snapping back to the conversation with the ice man. "You said you wished for 'a break in the monotony'?" he asked after tuning in again. "And a hobo threw a magic item at you?" he chewed his lip a bit. "Did the hobo threw the item before or after you got your powers... or did it happen after you made your wish? And... did you make your with to anything in particular?" he asked curiously. This made things much more exciting, there could be a whole slough of explanations. He went from looking bored and possibly threatening to wearing a small smirk on his face. "Oh, mes ami, there is so much to do about this." he said with a small laugh.  

[[Jackpot]]

When the relinquished anger had finally given into vampiristic temptation, Jack had thrown the man who dared to merely sacrifice his own life for the well-being of an already undead abomination. Most people would have been severely amused or frightened by the fact this so called man healed his wound almost instantly. There was no doubt this man had unnatural strength for being able to withstand the Giovanni Kiss. After Jack reassured the man he made a terrible mistake, he listened carefully as Magik approached him from behind – a seemingly bad liability for her; a vampire in a discriminating-frenzying state of mind. Even being in such a state of undetermined madness and perhaps infrequent personality settings, he owed it to her to listen. It was her voice in a piercing tone, only so because his senses had returned to him in full force. She yelled his name, something he never remembered her doing in all his time with her. He chuckled when he heard the word madness. Has she seen true madness? Would she like to see the power bestowed to him by the ancients and bloodlines in which he is a derivative from? Just the mere thought truly aroused him – where one would salivate and drool in saliva, his very blood would boil and his besmirched heart would cringe and beg for more.

‘The man helped you…’ were the words he whispered quietly as he dimmed his eyebrows closer to his pale nose. Deep down this man unleashed the hell into the realm of the living. He meddled with destiny, fate and the choices of those who cannot be intervened with, an action only those who bathed in death would dream of. His physical body was almost quiescent, but his lingering soul almost left this world. His ears quirked when Magik took a few steps back, what was it that made her fall back? Was Jack threatening to her? Did she truly wish to avoid conflict? His mind was in no state to perform a skill of mind-dominance, only a blood-lust and angered thoughts were fervent in his skull. His teeth were grinding against one another, his jaw applying so much upper-force pressure to the rest of his head, making the image of Norin in front of him seemingly blurry. Jack lifted his left foot up a bit, almost to the point of on his toes. He used the swiftness that came with becoming one with the dark side and hastily stepped into the planes of Oblivion to appear behind Magik. If your eyes were quick enough to witness the physical body disappearing, you would be concerned with that you saw.

It was not a mirror-like reflection of Jack, but a shadowy figure of a Spectre fading away within seconds. It left behind no smell, only a faint glow of neon-greenish eyes and a cloud that looked like it had its own segment of thunder and lightning, filled with rain. It was as dark grey as possible. A Spectre is simply a ghost who has succumbed to the darkest regions of emotion. Was this act of heavenly ordeal towards Jack a push far enough into the dark side for his soul? He felt betrayed. It was a personal betrayal to himself, his brother and his ancestors. Forgiveness was not a word in the library of the Giovanni. Without his shades, there were only darkened red eyes that were associated with the crazed state he was in. His body was only inches behind Magik. He let his eyes roll almost back into his skull before he corrected his vision and focused himself on her. Jack lifted his right hand as it reached slowly over her right shoulder. You could hear his leather glove stretching as his hand drew closer to her ear. His thumb and index finger pinched a small segment of her luscious hair, pulling it tenderly behind her ear. His neck extended only a small inch towards the opening of her ear drum. There was caked and dried blood on his cracked lips and you could hear the painful opening of his mouth as his lips separated – a hopeful signal that he was going to speak.

A pale nose with flared nostrils exhumed two quick sniffs, like a dog searching for their respective bone. He said to her once more, “You were always so beautiful…” his eyes averted to her neck as his thumb and index finger continued to pull her hair back as he admired her skin. So youthful, so tender, so alluring. His lower jaw opened wider than previously used to speak those words, a breath which was a stench that was so overdrawn and enthralled by blood was used to press lightly against her neck. Quickly he let the grip go he had on her hair and stepped away from her, moving to the side and then stepping forward in front of her, keeping his back turned. He knew his image, his appearance, his tone, everything about him in this current state was something she was not used to. Was she prepared for this? He would certainly hope so, but he knew deep down this state was not something she truly appreciated or wished to be so close to witness. He decided it was necessary to face her, she needed to hear what he was saying, and he at least owed her that – for he was a man of few words.

He kept the distance he was at, but turned his body to Magik. There was nothing inside of him but rage. Centuries upon centuries of memories, emotions and pain were boiling inside of him. Should he be thankful for what this man has done for him, or should he face the consequences of meddling in unknown territory? As his mouth began to open, the elongated fangs quickly sliced his lips as they grazed them. It caused slow, but steady bleeding, a path following along the narrow portion of his chin. “Repayment…?” His words questioned hers, in addition to questioning, there was an angry tone. “Repayment should be death.”

This man would have a barrel down his throat, cuts on his knees and hands clasped together as he bowed before Jack if he had his gun on him. He turned his attention towards Norin and spoke in ancient tongue, “Nzar tubhe..” but began to choke and caused himself to place his hands upon his own neck, as if he was being strangled. He was still in the presence of the Holy, his strength was no match for the Holiness in which he trespassed upon. When the pain subsided, his left hand clenched tightly together, ripping the knuckle area of his leather glove and pointed at Norin with his right hand. “Leave my sight…. or there will be bloodshed.” He at least owed Magik the incentive of not fighting unless provoked, even though his heart felt otherwise  

[Lord Norin]

The white-clad man frowned, and even if he was healed, he still looked exhausted and wan. Perhaps more to be the point was that he wasn't healed, only whole, that the injuries transferred into more basic exhaustion and damage.

"You know what? I've already intruded so far, I see no harm now in going further. There is in truth little more I can suffer than what I've already resigned myself to. So I'm going to say this to you, sir vampire. You're a coward."

He knew what kind of response that would draw, and he snapped a hand up as he looked at the man. "I acted to give you a second chance, but a chance is all I gave you. I'm not as strong as to bring you back to humanity, let alone keep you truly from ending your life now if that's what you honestly believe you are owed. If your death was truly what you wanted, you could just sit here and wait for sunrise. Wait for a death I could not slow, let alone stop. And that would be a true repayment in kind if what I did was to curse you back into life, because you could take my gift and my suffering, and still end it, leaving me the weaker and in pain for having so sorely overstepped my bounds."

Norin crumpled, the man lowering himself weakly to his knees, shuffling his legs to fit them under him. "But if that's not the path you take, sir. Then it wasn't truly death you desired. Just an escape from what your life has become. And you blame me for making you face what you've become, making you continue being who you are now. And maybe that's unforgivable too, for not many people can face what their lives have turned into. But all the same, it is every man's responsibility to face what they are. And if they do not like what they see, to change. For it is never too late to change. While there is life, there is hope. And a future."

He sighed, his eyes closing in exhaustion as he braced his head between his hands. "If you feel I must suffer for your sins, so be it. I won't die, and I won't shy away from what comes to me. I will not betray the principles I hold. And most of all, I am too weak to move on my own. I can stay alive, but I doubt I could walk a block away."

Norin smiled again, that exhausted smile, the agony of the past few minutes written in every line of his face. "But my true apologies go to you, Miss. If I had known, I doubt I would have suffered you to see what your friend has fallen to."  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Maggy had no idea what Jack would do. It was like being outside her body, waiting and watching the situation from afar. Maybe she had to keep herself distant or risk hyperventliating. Standing behind him, felt more like she had a handle on things that were spiraling quickly out of control. One minute she was standing there, wiping off the reminder of the tears and blood mix that had splattered her face. And the next, Jack was simply gone.

"Oh s**t..."

She hadn't been quick enough to see the fading spectre, human eyes could only track so much. One of the true weaknesses she had going up against vampires, well, unless she had a certain katana with her, which she did not. She could have called it to her, but she was trying to show Jack she wished him no harm. Now...her mind was wondering just how in control he really was, and more importantly, where had he gone?

And then came that feeling people always said was just someone "walking over your future grave." The chills that came from seemingly no where which left one in a state of unease. Her body slowing down its heartbeat, trying to breath through her nose so she could hear better. But again, the whole vampires being quiet as hell wasn't a comforting thought. And that was when she saw the familiar glove out of her side glance, doing the same thing she had done to him while he'd been laying there. She looked over and saw the cracked blood that was caked onto his face, could smell the metalicness of his blood, or Norin's. Being so close kept her utterly riveted to the spot she was standing in. Trying not to sway from adrenaline or to pass out. Now would be a hell of a time for her weakness to see and smell blood to hit her. And with his words, she had to wonder if he was speaking about her or the blood that he knew was pulsing through her veins. What to do at this moment?

She had to let her eyes roll closed as his grip on that strand of hair remained tight, finding it tilting her neck abit too much to one side for her own good. This moment seemed to be going in slow motion. She had to keep the spike of fear from escaping where she was keeping it hidden. Vampires were predators by nature. "Jack?" His name again tried to come out even from between her lips, but she dare not even lick them moist. The tinest movement might very well set the man off. It was like trying to figure out which wire to pull from a bomb. Pull the wrong one and you know you're doomed. The breath against her neck was enough to make her clench her right fist at her side. Trust, Trust, Trust, it was like a mantra through her mind. Reminding her not to strike out. She'd struggled with trust for a long time after things in her life had gone downhill.

And then he had stepped in front of her, looking away. Was it his silent way of composing himself or simply letting her know he trusted her. She had no idea how much of a war raged on inside the man's mind and body. Her eyes followed the shape of his back, took in how bloodied his coat was, how now he at least was strong enough to take care of himself. It was what she wanted this to come to right? And he had turned, and his back was replaced with a view again of his face, eyes she knew she shouldn't gaze into. Not without shades at least. Her eyes taking in his fangs and how he was bleeding again. Even if it was slow...And at Jack's words she felt her very being start to sink. "And what if it had been me that helped you, Jack? Would you want to kill me too? Do you still want to kill me?" She whispered the words to him, pure sapphire blue eyes looking up into his, trying to calm the beast. She'd spoken quietly on purpose. Yelling would accomplish nothing but to make this man mad. "If the tables were turned, would you have left me die? Even the man who helped you if he had been in your place?" Ok, so the last question would have probably ended with Jack putting the man out of his misery, but according to Conrad vasile, someone she used to know, that Technically was helping. Confused much?

And then Jack's attention was on Norin again. And hearing Jack speak words she had never heard before, her right eye twitched abit. Dark Magic maybe? That couldn't be performed on holy ground? She let out a sigh of relief at hearing Jack would spare the man's life, long as Norin just left. "I know you're angry. But all you need is time to work through this all, right? If you need help with anything else, just ask, Jack. I'm not going anywhere." Again, a reassurance, because she felt he was becoming more like himself moment by moment.

She stepped over to stand by Jack's side to better see this Norin fellow, seeing that the man did look pale. And weak. And then the man started to speak and she heard the word Coward. Her whole stomach felt like it was on fire now, this couldn't bode well. She listened to this man speak quietly, feeling sorry for him. He had tried to do a kindness, but Jack was a proud man, maybe that was what hurt the man most, to have been helped by a stranger. And then the man fell to his knees, and all she could see was her trying to keep Jack to not go to the man to finish him. To see Jack kill the one who had saved his undead existence would haunt her the rest of her life. And then the man said something that hit way too close to home...

"it is every man's responsibility to face what they are. And if they do not like what they see, to change."

Jack would probably hear her audible sigh at the man's words, she had been there herself because she had been hiding from who and what she was. A protector. There really wasn't any reason why she should be hiding from it. Realization dawning in her eyes as she heard what the man had said towards her. "Aye, it's alright. Jack is a ...very stubborn man at times. But he's a force to be reckoned with. And he's my friend indeed." She smiled wide, walking over towards Norin. "All I can do is what I'm able.." She crouched down next to Norin smiling. Looking back towards Jack, knowing what she had to do. And explaining it to Jack was needed as well, if the vampire got mad at her for doing this..then she'd deal with it. One thing at a time.

"I am going to heal his blood loss, Jack. Holy Magic is going to be used over here. Just warning you, wait for the glow to subside before you come over, ok?" Norin knew about supernaturals apparently, so she wouldn't be making the man freak out as she rested a hand on his pristine white jacket. "Just relax, this will feel warm, but it won't hurt." She took a deep breath in, knowing she hadn't done anything like this since Auria. And then she bowed her head, chanting in a divine tongue quietly, feeling her faith coming back to her, least her faith in mankind and hope that things will improve. A white thin mist traveled out of the palm of her hand, glowing lightly as those tendrils vanished inside the man, seeking his veins to replenish them. She concentrated hard during those moments, a white light seen barely peeking out from behind closed eyelids. And her hair started to lift eerily as if she was submerged in water. She wasn't fighting these powers at the moment. If things went well, he would feel a warmth and comfort fill him like nothing he's known since his mother's touch. And his blood cells would regenerate at a quickened rate.

After a moment, she removed her hand, blinking open her eyes as she stood up from her spot, looking down at Norin, this had been the first man she'd healed since...well, she couldn't remember."Feeling better?" Her eyes darted up to see and make sure Jack was where he was supposed to be. The man would have to understand it was in his nature to drink and try not to take lives, and hers to try to save people. As this Norin seemed to mirror with his own statements.  

[[Jackpot]]

Although only sheer moments from lashing towards the man and slicing into his pale neck out of restitution for his act of betrayal to Jack, his clan and his ancestors – he had to give the man credit for his bravery. When the word coward had intruded his ears, it strung the chords of his heart as the notes of his childhood replayed unequivocally. He was not necessarily a child at the time, for his memories of humanity were washed away by the onslaught of Vampirism and the blood of those in which he consumed. It was his brother Augustus who really pulled those strings. ‘Do it… Feed from this woman you coward!’ His brothers’ tainted words began to make his eyelids twitch. It prompted the same feeling he felt only moments earlier, a feeling of being so close to death. Truthfully he had been wishing for death his entire existence; belief was in his heart that he was not a monster, but a curse such as himself would not be cured with modern medicine or majestic powers of the Holy. What fuels the fire is what will put it out. Those words were the first time he had heard his brother yell at him. Jack was a young vampire, a practical man who knew only what his new-found family was teaching him. Which was death. Those who were blessed or blindsided by the fact they were to cross a Giovanni were almost certain to obtain the sanctification of a glorious clan – a sentimental meal of sickening pleasure and a servant of the clan.

Listening to this man embark on a virtuous journey of principles and hope and faith, it began to anger him more. He could not understand how someone could shine with so much pride and love for themselves and also for the well-being of others. Was he a true servant of the light? Was he hand selected by powers in which neither of them would ever attain? Either way, he was sickened. You had Jack, a being so far beyond the point of repair of humanity and respect of those who were living, a man who glorified the light and wanted to repair those who were hurt, and Magik – a woman who was in the middle of two people who were clearly on the opposite sides of the spectrum. When Norin spoke of betrayal, did he not notice the betrayal he bestowed upon this vampire? Jack surely did not believe in change – perhaps there was such a thing as change, but there was no point of return afterwards. And that is where his mind and body lay.

“Entrusting your faith, hope and despicable principles into things which you cannot possibly fathom is cowardice.” His tone was mellow, but the path his words took were aimed right at Norin and into his pitiful heart, where Jack had hoped was only seconds away from failing. His attention averted to Magik where she had questioned him. She spoke in terms of if she was the one who had helped him. She already helped him whether she was aware of it or not – his weakened state was helped in sustaining the moments of his life and cleansing of his blood in hopes of being returned to the Heavens where those who were purged of their sins could only dream of going, all thanks to her. She of all people should know if he wanted someone dead, they would be. Except for this man, he desperately wanted his body rotting on the church steps, an ironic scene for a man of his stature. Magik continued to pursue her little interrogation on Jack, which began to upset him slightly. Did she truly want an answer from him? Is the truth what she wanted to hear?

His eyes enlarged as he focused more of his responsiveness on her, paying no mind to the man who was standing still. “You should have walked away when you had the chance…” It wasn’t just a statement, it was headed more towards an alarming phrase. She asked him once more if all he needed was time to get through this. To get through what? He did not understand what she could possibly mean. His anger was not all put towards this man, he was simply angry at himself because he was still alive. Even worse, he felt like an undaunted massacre of rage just waiting to unleash a filled up vial of boiling blood. Jack listened briefly as Magik spoke to the weakened man and approached him. He knew the type of person she was and the things she had to do simply because it was in her nature to do so.

Jack could only hope his path would never cross this man ever again – he deserved a death which would be written in the book of the Giovanni, something so painful and excruciating it would tempt the blood of those who read it. He did not need to bear witness to this healing process that Magik was going to begin on Norin. She warned him of the consequences of approaching the enlightened area too soon, it would be blinding and would cause a surplus of pain throughout his own body. Was she going against the wishes of this vampire? Was it in his nature to ensure death upon those who interfered in affairs not fit for their own disciplines? Chastisement was absolutely in order.

Before the healing ritual began, Jack slowly stepped backwards a few feet. As strong as he was, there were two massively opposing forces on the same field, but in the Holy territory. His kind was not welcomed or were a match to the dynamism of superior Light. Jack began to divert his attention of the sky, he could feel the warmth of the sun going to encompass the area soon, it was not safe for him to stand idly by. He raised his hands and flipped up the high-collar portion of the cape attached to his jacket. While continuing to step farther back into the darkness of the area, he addressed Magik, “Cowards are not fit for this world…” his tone was almost mocking a whisper, but the distance between them did not matter – his words made it to her. With that, he left before the man was back to his former glory of health and wellness. Where was Jack to head in this moment? Did the weapons he possess call for him like a servant calls for their master? They were his slaves, they did his evil biddings.

This built up anger was leaving him in utter chaos, he felt so deceived and punished. He did not deserve this chance that was given to him. If his brother found out of this night, Jack would be turned into ashes for the urn his brother has politely set up for him. He was still in a frenzy, and the fire was burning higher than ever. It could only be hope and the rise of the Sun that would force him to subside his blood-craze and lay low long enough to hope this phase would pass. How would he react when the darkness came once more? Only time would tell….  

[Lord Norin]

For a moment, as the healing started, Norin took his eyes off of Jack. The look of surprise and shock that came with it was noteworthy tho, as he looked on Magik with something not quite unlike awe. And not quite unlike avarice.

Still, his gaze focused back on Jack, and he would not look away until the man left, his breathing coming steadier as he healed. He remained calm, and quiet, and watching Jack for every last moment. "And for all he said, he never said a single thing to mark me as wrong. Unwilling to stay for dawn, unwilling to accept the blame..." Norin said it with a sigh and a shake of his head. But the vampire was gone, and he had little choice but to dismiss him. He doubted the man would truly return for some conflicted ideal of revenge. If he lived by the creed he showed so far, he'd try and take his revenge by being so repulsive with this second chance. to blame his own sins on the fact that he'd been given the chance to make them, rather than attempt to atone.

"I am sorry, I should not speak ill of someone who is not here. But..." He'd tried to make his point a calm and simple one. It was not unusual to see someone reject hope in themselves. It was unusual however to see one try and shift the blame for their acts, both prior and future, to someone else. "I am sorry." Was how he finished that chain of his thoughts, one more quiet shake of his head.

He reached his ungloved hand into a pocket and pulled a card, offering it over to Magik. "I... I know I have no right to ask anything of you. But your... gift? It could help so many in a way I cannot. My... gifts can prolong life, but I cannot GIVE it. I cannot heal the sick, just save them from death. If you could, just give this place a visit, just once. You don't have to ask for me, just tell them what you can do, and... People who need that kind of help are there."

He smiled softly, but he also rose, giving her a bow, and glancing at the priest with honest disdain. "But I think it's past time I left. I'm not quite welcome here, despite my calling. And my own people need me. Good night, miss."

And he'd leave her with that card as he walked away. The Light of Life Mission. She'd heard that name somewhere before...  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Magik had seen that brief moment reflected in Jack's eyes when she knew he wanted to strike out at the man, remaining where she was standing by Norin. She was as tense as She'd ever been back in the days. Mellowing out from this wasn't a possibility. And then Jack told her, she thought, that she should have walked away, looking down at her Italian Boots like a child scolded. There were alot of things in life she should have walked away from, but the fact she hadn't was one of the main reasons she was still doing what she did and what made her who she was today. Granted, it was usually someone in the middle of things and torn as to what to always do, but she always did what she felt was right, and helping Jack maintain his existence, was what felt right.

And then hearing Jack's comment, she raised her eyes back over to where he'd been standing to see him step back into darkness and then he was gone. What little smile she had on her lips simply faltering away. Jack could have at least stayed, told her what had happened, maybe even fill her in on things. She knew the sun would be coming soon, but it wasn't there yet. She was utterly lost due to being Physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally almost drained at that moment.

And that was when she heard Norin speaking. Letting out a quiet sigh of her own. "He's been through alot, you'd have to know his history to know why he is the way he is, and even I don't know anywhere near the half of it. There's more ways for him to attone for his sins than to meet the sun..." As to if he'd try to do so, she wasn't sure. The man was struggling with so much more than just a usual bloodline. She gave her current state a once over, seeing how much caked blood was covering her, was probably matted into her hair. And she hadn't fought one person. Least she hadn't been wearing white? Oh wait, she had...her trenchcoat was going to need to be replaced. Drycleaning wouldn't save that. But if that was the only loss she would encounter that night, so be it.

And then the man was speaking again, glancing up in time to see him holding out a card, taking it between her bloodied gloved fingers. Reading the title of the place and nodding. "Good night. Or morning...crazy night indeed." She turned the card over in her fingers, seeing the blood rub off on the card itself. She needed a shower and a change of clothes badly. And a good solid drink. Her hotel awaited but first, she had to check on August and Priest and make sure they hadn't killed each other. Or rather, she wasn't sure Priest could handle the newcomer to his supernatural calling.

She took the stairs up, pausing a moment to see the state of what was going on inside the church now, but she dared not step in. Not in her condition. "August? Priest? You guys ok? He's gone, sorry...things got out of hand for abit. But they're fine now." She tried to smile, reaching up to blot at her face with a tissue she'd had in her pocket, trying to wipe off some of the dried blood. "I need to..get back to my hotel and...clean up abit." She couldn't tell what exactly was going on behind those closed doors. And the stained glass only provided so much of a sight into the church. She'd wait a moment and if she got no answer, she'd head for her hotel.  

[Ten Tails]

August looked at the priest, "No, unless you count wishing to my cocktail as wishing to someone. And I met Fu Manchu Hobo two days after I passed out at that party. Why would that matter?"

Watching the outside of conflict outside, his chest started to throb and burn, there was something in his eyes, a light flickering behind his pupils. They dilated before the priest's eyes, as a smoky ice blue light shone behind them, and a man spoke again, his tone distorted as he intoned, "If the night creature wishes to die, we are happy to oblige his desire...With a touch of a cold deeper than the death he feels every day."

From August's hand, spread a long spiraling tendril of frost...and as it touched the frozen door, the ice cracked and exploded violently from it. And then, August started to cough in a raucous, hacking manner, as small ice crystals where expelled from his lungs. "What the..." He pulled his hand away from the window with the crack of breaking ice. "When did that happen? What did I do!"  

[Serena Magik Novello]

She could hear bits and pieces of the conversation but the door wasn't budging at all. Well, damn. Tonight was just god awful. No pun intended on holy ground. All she could hear was the distorted voice of Augustus was it? "Hey! No one is killing anyone. He's gone, I just said so. And no one touches the man. He's going through alot right now." She was mildy annoyed at how all of a sudden August thought he could take on an ancient and then the door gave way as it swung open, free of ice now.

Her eyes staring down at the small puddle of ice cystals as she simply took a deep breath in. Her work wasn't done by a long shot. "Hey I need to get cleaned up some, I can leave you my phone number again if you need to discuss anything with someone? I might not be able to tell you exactly what you're going through, but hey, it's someone who can maybe help ya get through these...changes right?" She was taking out a business card, extending her hand out with her number there. "Take it. And Priest, again, I'm sorry this happened on holy ground. The rain will wash away his blood just like someday his sins will be washed away...right?" She tipped her hat, handing the man her card, and turned to take the steps down two at a time. "Gimme a call, I"ll be around, August..." And without another word, she walked out of sight, headed back for her hotel.  

[BeautifulEclipse]

Priest looked at the man and shook his head, "Just a hunch but it could have everything to do with it." he responded. He wasn't sure but it could very well be the work of a demon and perhaps the hobo. He tilted his head, this would be right up his alley, "It's hard to explain," he said, "We should... eh, take it slow in explaining everything." he chewed on his lip a bit. He could hear the woman's voice wafting in from outside, he was about to answer when the male, Augustus responded. "Hmmm interesting." he muttered.

He looked at the woman, "It seems fate would have arranged this meeting," he said passively not sounded half as annoyed as before. He gave a small half chuckle before she disappeared. He wondered how come it didn't seem by this point that Priest was not an ordinary priest.