Satis House

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha Mayfair's House

Current Residents:
Antha Mayfair  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

It was annoying, the creak of that gate. Even more so was the splash of slimy water that came every time she took a step on the swampy ground. Had the snow not come, it wouldn't have been so wet. However Antha had the bad luck that it was snowing, steadily adding more and more water to the filth. "Sickening!" she declared finally as she came, leading Vikteren of course, onto the higher ground she had paid to have built up around the foundation of her house. After all, she didn't want Satis House ending up like Fontevrault, sunk into the swamp on one side at a 17 degree angle with the entire first floor completely flooded. No, she simply couldn't let that happen.
On another note, trying to divert her own attention, she took note of what was moving around in her house. The cat, her darling little Amadeo, was fast asleep on her bed as was to be expected. But then, much to her surprise, it appeared as if her guest had vanished for another extended period of time. Zero and Frost, though away 90% of the time, tended to root themselves in her house for several weeks or even months at a time when they did come. But Antha didn't mind them at all. Rather, she enjoyed the company.
"Welcome to my dark little corner of existance," she said with a little grin to Vikteren as she trotted up the stairs and across the old creaking porch to the front door where she hastily jammed a key into the lock and swung the thing open. Normally she would have waltzed in through the darkness, but for courtesy of Vikteren's presence she flipped the little plastic switch on the wall that caused the electric chandelier to flood the hallway with light.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

It was annoying, the creak of that gate. Even more so was the splash of slimy water that came every time she took a step on the swampy ground. Had the snow not come, it wouldn't have been so wet. However Antha had the bad luck that it was snowing, steadily adding more and more water to the filth. "Sickening!" she declared finally as she came, leading Vikteren of course, onto the higher ground she had paid to have built up around the foundation of her house. After all, she didn't want Satis House ending up like Fontevrault, sunk into the swamp on one side at a 73 degree angle with the entire first floor completely flooded. No, she simply couldn't let that happen.
On another note, trying to divert her own attention, she took note of what was moving around in her house. The cat, her darling little Amadeo, was fast asleep on her bed as was to be expected. But then, much to her surprise, it appeared as if her guest had vanished for another extended period of time. Zero and Frost, though away 90% of the time, tended to root themselves in her house for several weeks or even months at a time when they did come. But Antha didn't mind them at all. Rather, she enjoyed the company.
"Welcome to my dark little corner of existance," she said with a little grin to Vikteren as she trotted up the stairs and across the old creaking porch to the front door where she hastily jammed a key into the lock and swung the thing open. Normally she would have waltzed in through the darkness, but for courtesy of Vikteren's presence she flipped the little plastic switch on the wall that caused the electric chandelier to flood the hallway with light.

He flinched at the sudden brightness, half-raising his hand to shield his eyes. One must remember that the light of the sun was agony itself to a vampire, and he had not been exposed to such direct light in several centuries. His own ancestral home had been lit only by candles, even in its prime. Reluctant as he was to venture into that light, he reached out and clasped Antha's hand, stepping tentatively past the threshold. "Please--" he managed, "--the light--"  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

She took a quick look at him, surprised by the sudden movement, before she turned her attention to the light again. Antha tended to neglect the lights as they burned out one by one, preferring the dim and almost nonexistent light to what some people might call tolerable in the sense of visibility. Frost, on the other hand, liked bright things and tended to replace the burnt lightbulbs with new ones whenever Antha was out. So silently cursing him in her mind, she turned to shield her face while pressing Vikteren out of the door slightly before 8 of the 12 bulbs suddenly gave a last little flicker and died, 3 of them shattering in the process. "I'm sorry," she said softly to Vikteren as she took both of his hands in hers and led him back inside. This was just the way Antha liked the lighting in her house, bright enough to see but even darker than outside on a clear night. "Are you alright?" she asked with a somewhat worried tone, pressing the door closed behind her as if to shut out the rest of the world. The book she had gone to such desperate measures to retrieve lay discarded now on a little table amid a flurry of dark red dead rose petals, fallen from the stems that sat withered in their glass vase.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

She took a quick look at him, surprised by the sudden movement, before she turned her attention to the light again. Antha tended to neglect the lights as they burned out one by one, preferring the dim and almost nonexistent light to what some people might call tolerable in the sense of visibility. Frost, on the other hand, liked bright things and tended to replace the burnt lightbulbs with new ones whenever Antha was out. So silently cursing him in her mind, she turned to shield her face while pressing Vikteren out of the door slightly before 8 of the 12 bulbs suddenly gave a last little flicker and died, 3 of them shattering in the process. "I'm sorry," she said softly to Vikteren as she took both of his hands in hers and led him back inside. This was just the way Antha liked the lighting in her house, bright enough to see but even darker than outside on a clear night. "Are you alright?" she asked with a somewhat worried tone, pressing the door closed behind her as if to shut out the rest of the world. The book she had gone to such desperate measures to retrieve lay discarded now on a little table amid a flurry of dark red dead rose petals, fallen from the stems that sat withered in their glass vase.

Vikteren went utterly motionless at her touch, for three of her heartbeats--resounding in his ears like drums--his eyes flicked up, to the chandelier, then back. He held her gaze for a moment; then dropped his head. "Yes--it is only a little light, after all." The vampire glanced towards her, eyes murky grey-green in the dim light. "I was perhaps a little-- unprepared. I did not mean to alarm you."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

At his words her expression turned perfectly calm, strangely so even. "Hmm? Oh, I wasn't alarmed," she lied, making no attempt to hide the fact that it was such. "Just...startled I suppose." Turning, Antha started down the wintry, dark hallway and eventually up the stairs at the end, beckoning for him to follow with a motion of her hand over her shoulder. She might have led him by the hand at any other time, but she was quite honestly afraid to so much as touch him at the given moment. Twice since they had walked through the door she had seemed to cause him some harm or irritance and she realized with little shock that she was furious with herself for it. And it showed in her composure too, the way her head hung slightly, her cheeks were tinged scarlet, her fingers curled against the palm of her hand, and her entire form tensed considerably.
It didn't change either, not even when they made it to one of the libraries of the house where Antha, quickly dropping to her knees, started to work on the floor board, pulling up 4 in a row as if on rusted hinges to reveal a gathering of dusty glass bottles all filled to the brim with a dark red substance thats identity couldn't for one moment be mistaken, least of all by a vampire.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

At his words her expression turned perfectly calm, strangely so even. "Hmm? Oh, I wasn't alarmed," she lied, making no attempt to hide the fact that it was such. "Just...startled I suppose." Turning, Antha started down the wintry, dark hallway and eventually up the stairs at the end, beckoning for him to follow with a motion of her hand over her shoulder. She might have led him by the hand at any other time, but she was quite honestly afraid to so much as touch him at the given moment. Twice since they had walked through the door she had seemed to cause him some harm or irritance and she realized with little shock that she was furious with herself for it. And it showed in her composure too, the way her head hung slightly, her cheeks were tinged scarlet, her fingers curled against the palm of her hand, and her entire form tensed considerably.
It didn't change either, not even when they made it to one of the libraries of the house where Antha, quickly dropping to her knees, started to work on the floor board, pulling up 4 in a row as if on rusted hinges to reveal a gathering of dusty glass bottles all filled to the brim with a dark red substance thats identity couldn't for one moment be mistaken, least of all by a vampire.

He stood against the door, watching her through half-closed eyes. "You are unnecessarily kind," he said quietly, as she opened the cache. He moved, slowly, to her side, and knelt beside her. "Even if you are not quite human."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"It's better than unnecessarily cruel," she responded softly, withdrawing slightly as paranoia seized her. She still felt as if she was going to put him in some kind of danger or pain if she were to so much as touch him again, all contrived from her streak of incidents only moments earlier, and she really hated the thought. So she returned to her feet and hastened quietly to the window, watching with steady eyes and a preoccupied mind as the snow piled up on the windowsill, the glass steadily frosting over. She didn't even seem to notice that she was freezing by this point, her skin half numb and arms even shivering somewhat. Poor Amadeo even went unnoticed as he circled her, brushing repeatedly against her leg and meowing pitifully until, thoroughly annoyed with her and confused as to why he, her darling little kitten, of all things was ignored, hopped up into the seat of a blood red armchair and curled into a purring little ball. And still Antha didn't notice, loud as he was only three feet away from her.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

"It's better than unnecessarily cruel," she responded softly, withdrawing slightly as paranoia seized her. She still felt as if she was going to put him in some kind of danger or pain if she were to so much as touch him again, all contrived from her streak of incidents only moments earlier, and she really hated the thought. So she returned to her feet and hastened quietly to the window, watching with steady eyes and a preoccupied mind as the snow piled up on the windowsill, the glass steadily frosting over. She didn't even seem to notice that she was freezing by this point, her skin half numb and arms even shivering somewhat. Poor Amadeo even went unnoticed as he circled her, brushing repeatedly against her leg and meowing pitifully until, thoroughly annoyed with her and confused as to why he, her darling little kitten, of all things was ignored, hopped up into the seat of a blood red armchair and curled into a purring little ball. And still Antha didn't notice, loud as he was only three feet away from her.

Vikteren stood, crossed to stand behind her. Unthinkingly, he put his arms around her. His skin was warm--his body temperature had risen to complement hers. He had noticed her shivers. "You endager yourself." he murmured. And she did. Antha seemed to have no concern for her own self--even sick, she ran herself ragged on behalf of others.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

In a flash she went stark still, frightened for a moment for being so quickly expelled from her thoughts. She almost considered moving away, but very quickly decided against it. Instead she stood quiet and calm, her heartbeat gradually returning to normal. "As do you," she replied in mild retort, hardly minding the fact that his statement was true. After all, Antha indeed didn't care. She tended to leave matters as trivial as her well being in the hands of fate. "Besides, the cold helps calm my fever."

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

In a flash she went stark still, frightened for a moment for being so quickly expelled from her thoughts. She almost considered moving away, but very quickly decided against it. Instead she stood quiet and calm, her heartbeat gradually returning to normal. "As do you," she replied in mild retort, hardly minding the fact that his statement was true. After all, Antha indeed didn't care. She tended to leave matters as trivial as her well being in the hands of fate. "Besides, the cold helps calm my fever."

"Not that kind of cold." he said impassively. "You will only make yourself ill." Her heartbeat was like a drum in his ears. Her heart--? For the first time, he realized how close he was to her. He withdrew, quickly and smoothly, and returned to the vials hidden in the floor. "And then how will I repay you?" he asked, almost to himself, withdrawing a stoppered flask and lifting it to his eye level.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

For a moment she almost replied hastily that she knew what he meant but let the words go as soon as she picked them. Amadeo, who had been watching closely from his chair, seized his chance to gain her attention again as soon as Vikteren had withdrawn, darting straight over to her as fast as his little legs would carry him. "There is no need. I've done what I wanted with it and, if not for this, I most likely would have discarded every bottle soon anyways." With a fragile, fleeting smile to her lips Antha bent down to gather up the frantic kitten who started up some of the loudest purring he had ever done in a mere second. And Antha was glad for it as she slid into the chair opposite from the one he had just occupied, feeling considerably bitter one Vikteren had walked away. But this she hid to the best of her ability, which at the moment wasn't very well at all.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

For a moment she almost replied hastily that she knew what he meant but let the words go as soon as she picked them. Amadeo, who had been watching closely from his chair, seized his chance to gain her attention again as soon as Vikteren had withdrawn, darting straight over to her as fast as his little legs would carry him. "There is no need. I've done what I wanted with it and, if not for this, I most likely would have discarded every bottle soon anyways." With a fragile, fleeting smile to her lips Antha bent down to gather up the frantic kitten who started up some of the loudest purring he had ever done in a mere second. And Antha was glad for it as she slid into the chair opposite from the one he had just occupied, feeling considerably bitter one Vikteren had walked away. But this she hid to the best of her ability, which at the moment wasn't very well at all.

He looked up. "Whose is--was it?" he asked, curious as to what she would have needed such a quantity for. It didn't look like normal human blood--nor could he imagine Antha plucking someone off the street for such a purpose--and he had to wonder why she--or perhaps her family, which seemed more likely--would have needed it. He cupped the base in his hands, letting his own temperature warm the glass. It would have congealed by now, and he could change that.