[PRP] Death is God's Secret [Grendel/Ashur/Bennett]

[[Estelle]]

The crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting little light as the two pale vampires made their way across the island. No words passed between the pair for now; too many had been exchanged back at The Cemetery. Things were tense. They had been for some time now. Bennett had never truly belonged to the clan, yet Ashur had trusted her. After all, she was his first born. He had many chide centuries ago, yet he had not been prepared for his daughter. To say he had been less than pleased when he found out she had been aligned with Grendel while the young god plotted to overthrow his father would be a vast understatement.

With the betrayal of her loyalty, Ashur couldn't help but question if she was the reason word of his existence had begun to slip into the new world. He had done his best to keep his identity concealed as he gained his strength back and gathered those who remained of his clan to him. Still, as they had both calmed, Bennett had made a compelling point. Now was the time to adapt. Now was the time to seek power, even if that meant aligning with a new God. The time of hiding in the shadows was over.

This is what brought them to the temple. Ashur understood that now was the time to become a player in the game again. The Giovanni were still around, and not in any few numbers from what he heard. He could not afford to be weak if they came for him once more. Eluding death once had not been easy. To do it a second time? It was potentially unheard of.

The soft rattling of rosary beads cut through the quite night, as his tail flicked behind him. Bennett led the way, familiar with the path. She had, after all, been there before. He watched as she began pulling her own rosaries through her paw. An almost fond smile twitched across his lips. She had never known religion as he had in life, yet she still carried on the mannerisms.



One, two, three she counted in her head, passing the rosaries through her claws. The habit was almost subconscious at this point. When she found herself lost, or tense, or even just thoughtful, her paws often found focus drawing the beads through her claws. She was nervous to take her father to Grendel. They had many conversations once Ashur had calmed down enough to do so, but still, she wasn't certain how the conversation would go.

Her mismatched eyes scanned the almost imperceivable path ahead, the lack of light no challenge for either of them. "There. Just ahead." The younger vampire's light voice broke the silence as she raised a silvery paw towards the temple. She looked over her shoulder at her father, trying to get a sense of his state, but he was more guarded than ever. Pursing her lips, she turned forward. Bennett knew that this moment would come. Truly, the fact that he was even willing to seek audience with Grendel had pleased her. Still, he had all but shut her out since she had come clean.

She had been hopeful that with Grendel coming to power, it would have made the news more palatable, but she had been wrong. When she finally told him of her following Grendel all this time, he had been furious. It was the longest she had stayed away from anywhere that he would find her. The Cemetery, the Book Club, even the beach she had sought privacy on for so long. No, she had let Faustus get them lost in the depths of Faetasia for over a week before she returned. Her father's wrath was not something to be taken lightly.

One, two, three... The count began again as they approached the doors to the temple. Taking a moment, she locked eyes with her father once more, confirming that he was ready for this before she pushed the doors open. She was unsure if they would be greeted by another vampire, or if the god himself would be there. Admittedly, it could be either. He was very busy these days.  

[Seussi]

As they approached the temple, they would find the sky above hidden behind a haze of shadows, the inky blackness blotting out the moon and stars. Those shadows were ever present so that all would be dark even during the daylight hours. Rising from that darkness was the temple itself, a massive structure that was nothing like that which Grendel had kept himself in before. What was once stark and foreboding was replaced with something much more welcoming, with multiple windows from which a warm glow spilled. It was almost homey yet still impressive in size and formation. It was indeed a home worthy of a God, not just a place for worship.

They would climb up multiple steps until they reached a large wooden double door that opened in front of them into a grand hallway, with sconces burning along the walls between colourful tapestries. At the end of that hallway stood three doors, one that went straight, one to the right, and another to the left. As they approached, the one to the left would open of its own accord, wordlessly welcoming them inside.

The room they would find themselves in then held multiple couches and chairs, each strewn with throw pillows of various colours and decorations, to the point where they spilled out onto the floor. These were courtesy of Ravnos, and though Grendel found their presence ridiculous and often used them for target practice, they seemed to multiply somehow and fill the room.

Set in one wall was a hearth, where a flickering fire had been burning low, though it seemed to brighten with renewed vigour when the two entered the room.

Each would hear their name whispered from the shadows, a welcome and a promise that Grendel would be with them shortly.

[Estelle]

 

[[Estelle]]

Bennett's eyes widened as they entered the temple. It was certainly different than the last time she had visited. The temple seemed less a temple and more a home. Was the god spending most of his time here these days? On the mortal plane? Curious. She tilted her head when she noticed the warm glow flooding through the windows. This was something that she had never seen. Every window Bennett had looked out had been dark, since she was born a vampire. Raising a paw to the glass, it didn't seem to give away it's secrets of how it was lit in such a way despite being in the shadows and the night surrounding the place.

It was best not to linger though. They were here for a reason, and it was best to not keep Grendel waiting if he was. So, with a backwards glace at the windows, she traveled through the halls to the doorways, stepping inside the open one with ease.

Certainly, the coziness of the room that had opened before them was the doing of someone else. It certainly didn't feel like the type of room one would expect to find in a god's temple. Still, it was inviting and she hoped that it would ease her father. Then again, he seemed most comfortable amongst his books and tombs. Careful to not let him see, she rolled her eyes at the thought. He was so stuck in his ways. It was a large part of why she had left and why she had refused to join the clan when he asked her.

Settling into a chair near the fire, Bennett arranged herself carefully. It was a comfortable setting, but she didn't forget that they were here for an audience with a god, not a chit chat with friends.

Ashur continued to follow behind Bennett as they entered the temple. His centuries old perfected mask was the only thing keeping his surprise from his face. This was not what he was expecting from the new god. The warmth and the light. The light! When had he last seen light through windows? The disciple couldn't even say. What strange god magic must this be. It had been nearly pitch black outside, so where was the light source? God magic had to be the only explanation. Still, it was odd that the vampire god elected to have such a warm home, flooded with light, when he seemed to shroud his temple in darkness from the outside.

As they arrived in the welcoming room, again, he gave pause. Is this what the young god was like? This hardly seemed like a formal place of worship. His lips pressed together as he watched Bennett seemingly make herself at home. He stood until he heard his name whispered from the shadows. Regardless of his personal opinions of the place, he had to remember he was here out of necessity. Ashur took a seat across from his daughter, feeling out of place amount the colorful furnishings and warm glow of the space. He let a comfortable silence fill the air as they took their wait. Grendel knew they were there. Certainly he must be busy with audiences from the other clans. Ashur was no stranger to waiting.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

Grendel had been busy of late, though his time was divided between duty and family. On this particular night, the family held his attention, his two young children and their father, whom he had travelled through realms to save and bring back into this world. The vampire he had recreated from nothing but his essence when that was all that remained of him. Their area of the temple was far from the room that Bennett and Ashur found themselves in now, but still, the God knew that they were there. He always knew when a visitor had arrived.

But now, duty had to take precedence, though he may have let the two wait a moment or two longer than necessary. Soon, however, the room seemed to darken; a heavy presence, a power thrummed through the air like electricity. But he did not appear in front of them, no. The air grew light again; the darkness was chased away by the flames burning bright in the hearth.

From the hallway, via the doorway, Grendel entered the room. He did not take on a Godly form, though the power emanating from him was still devastating and unmistakably immense. He appeared like one of them, wearing his vampiric guise, the same that he used around mortals and around his children.

Red eyes swept across the two who had made themselves comfortable in the sitting room, though that gaze lingered a little longer on Bennett. Ah, yes, one of his old followers. He offered her a smile before his attention turned toward the ancient vampire in the room, the one he needed to speak with.

"Good evening, Ashur. To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my home?"

As if he did not already know.

[Estelle]

 

[[Estelle]]

A content hum fell from Bennett's lips as she saw recognition flicker across the god's features. He was much the same as he was before, back when Bennett had first dedicated herself under his name. But he seemed somehow more now. Perhaps it was from stepping out of Caine's shadow and into his full power. Perhaps something else. It was not her place to speculate though. An old saying crossed her mind for a moment. Children are meant to be seen, not heard.

The young vampire had done her job. She had been loyal to Grendel since he made himself known all those years ago. And now she had brought her father, despite his reservations, to hopefully follow Bennett's lead. Just this once. She knew that this conversation didn't pertain to her, but leaving now seemed disrespectful. So, tucking into her seat, Bennett resigned herself to silence as the heaviness in the air settled around them.

Ashur's fur bristled as the air in the room took a heaviness on. The shadows seemed deeper, and the power in the room was evident as Grendel approached. However, he was certainly surprised to see the young god walk into the room the same they had. Curious. He clearly had the power to have appeared before him, and the...was he still a disciple? Either way, he had to wonder why the god had adopted such a mortal mannerism, especially after the display of his power prior to his entrance. Grendel was different than Caine, that much was certain.

He met red eyes with crystal blue. Yes. Grendel was different than Caine, but to Ashur, it was so clear that this was Caine's blood. Despite his age, the vampire did not dare to think he was entitled to the business of gods. Whatever had happened between Caine and Grendel was not his business. His business was his clan.

"Grendel, thank you for having us." He hesitated, a comment about how the home wasn't what he expected lingered on his tongue, but he thought better of it. Whatever his opinions of the new god, he would keep them to himself. He had lifetimes longer than Grendel's to practice the art of politics and power. This was more of the same. But he understood that gods were different than other vampires. While he wasn't in the business of betraying loyalties, he certainly would never consider doing so if he pledged himself to this new vampire god. "My daughter has spoken very highly of you. I do not take her words lightly. I thought I would come see for myself and speak with you."

Ashur was very still, his posture straight and tall, almost overly formal, but somehow the vampire made it seem natural. "I felt the power shift. It's felt..." For a moment, he trailed off, trying to find the words to articulate how the power vacuum has actually felt. "It reminded me of when I spent time in the veil. There, but not. But I heard you call out to us...your father's disciples. I thought it wise if I heed the call."

Seussi