Obscene Symphony

Of Blood and Magic

> I pointed out the flaws in his logic cuz he assumed I was a fucking moron, apparently he crumples when you raise your voice
> Why do you even care

Aaron almost vocalized his groan that time. Could Max not guess? He hit the nail on the head back in the woods, for stars’ sake. But if he had to explain it, how could he word it so that Max wouldn’t brush him off out of spite and get both Varis and Eris mad at him?

> Believe it or not, Eris’ problems tend to become my problems.
> Besides, it’s… weird. He seems genuinely concerned about you. I honestly didn’t think he had it in him.

There, hopefully that got the message across well enough. It was a hard balance to strike between genuine concern and ‘flippant enough not to freak Max out’, but it was one he’d have to learn to master if he was going to get anywhere with him. Good lord, though; Aaron actually liked Max (albeit for reasons that eluded him) but walking yet another tightrope was a headache he didn’t need.

“Mister…”

As if on cue, a sudden voice made Aaron look up from his phone to see a plump woman with chestnut brown hair in the doorway, dressed professionally in a lab coat and A-line skirt and reading a chart. Squinting at the page, she pulled a set of turquoise glasses down from the top of her head, blinking for a moment before her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh! Mr. Starag!”

Looking a little bit flustered, she perked up immediately, dropping her clipboard to her side and approaching Aaron’s chair with an outstretched hand. Aaron stood to shake it and she looked a little surprised, smiling brightly up at him. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Starag. My name is Dr. Ogden, though most people call me Shelley.”

Aaron returned her smile with one of his own, nodding as they each sat back down in their respective chairs, with the doctor glancing back at her clipboard on the table. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Ogden. Most people call me Aaron,” he chuckled, before quickly clearing his throat. “I hope this doesn’t seem rude, but I usually see Dr. Adad. Does she have the night off?”

“Hmm…” Shelley looked pensive for a moment, tapping the end of a pen on her clipboard before shaking her head. “Oh, no. She only does appointment visits. Otherwise it’s me and Dr. Jameson who do walk-ins.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense.” Aaron gave the doctor a nod, making a mental note of the difference. Truth be told, he’d never realized there was a distinction, but he supposed that was yet another pitfall of his upbringing. They were piling up fast, it seemed. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he was making any more people than necessary aware of his medical history, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

“Yep! Don’t worry though, I’ll take good care of you.” Shelley gave him a jovial smile and a wink before sliding down her glasses once more and reading down her clipboard. “So… it says here you’re in for a bit of an injury,” she said slowly, before turning back to Aaron. “Let’s take a look at that, shall we?”

“Oh, of course.” Aaron moved to the examination table and pulled off his shirt, revealing the tortoiseshell pattern of welts on his arms and shoulders, the oldest of which were just starting to darken from red to purple. Shelley stood to examine them, looking at them closely and very gently prodding and pulling the skin. An expression Aaron could only describe as ‘mildly troubled’ crossed her face as she backed away a bit, but whatever was bothering her, she didn’t comment on it.

Sitting back in her chair, she raised her glasses and wrote a few notes on her clipboard before turning back to Aaron, hands in her lap. “Well, looks like nothing too serious. We’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy.” She gestured for Aaron to return to his chair, glancing back at her clipboard.

“Now, it says here you have a biiit of a dependency on life magic. That won’t be an issue, but it just changes how we handle things a bit. Nothing you need to be concerned about, though.” She smiled. “Is there anything else you want to address before we start? Aches, pains, anything? ‘Cause it’s best if we do it all in one go.”

“A bit of a headache is all,” Aaron replied, “although I do have something for you.” Producing the envelope Varis had given him, he handed it to the doctor, who seemed surprised to be holding something bearing a noble seal.

Breaking it, she took a moment to pull out the letter and read the contents, expression falling as she did. “Uh-huh…”

Aaron tilted his head. “Is something unclear?”

Shelley shook her head, brow knitted together as she read the page a few more times. “Not really, just… a little out of the ordinary,” she replied hesitantly, tossing the letter and envelope in her trash bin like it was something dirty. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she was done, she perked up, wiggling her fingers. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road then. Just do me a favour and relax...”

She wheeled her chair closer to Aaron’s and placed one hand on his shoulder, the other on his forearm, closing her eyes. Immediately Aaron felt a comforting warmth wash over him, a familiar sensation almost like being submerged in warm water. The tension left his shoulders and the throbbing in his arm subsided, his headache melting away along with it. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but he didn’t really care.

He let out a long breath as the doctor did her work, though he was a little disappointed to find that it ended earlier than he expected. “Alright, all done!”

Aaron opened his eyes skeptically, glancing down at his arms. For a moment, he wasn’t really sure what he was seeing; there were still some brownish-yellow shadows where the bruises had been, not nearly as dark as before but still noticeable. For a moment he even thought he might just have been dirty, but that made no sense.

“Pardon me, but… we’re done?” he asked hesitantly, gesturing with his arms.

Shelley looked just as displeased with her work as Aaron was, but she sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry. It said in the letter to just fade them rather than completely heal them,” she replied, displeasure clear in her voice. “I think that maybe used to be a treatment for dependency, but it’s outdated. Still, rules are rules I suppose.”

Aaron nodded, casting one more exasperated glance at his arms before pulling his shirt back on. He doubted it was an outdated treatment - more likely, Varis didn’t want him to forget his shameful fragility too quickly - but he’d let her believe that. “That’s true,” he agreed.

Standing, he shook the doctor’s hand again, the two exchanging pleasantries until Aaron remembered something. “Oh, my Master did want me to ask about… resistance?”

Shelley raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. “Um… ‘resistance’?” she asked incredulously, “Is there… something more specific?”

Aaron nearly sighed, knowing what he was about to request was ridiculous. “My Master is curious whether there’s some way to develop ‘resistance’ to things like this,” he explained, shrugging his arms again.

“Ah,” Shelley looked decidedly unimpressed, releasing a nervous laugh before shaking her head. “I think your, um…” she tried, wrinkling her nose in distaste and lowering her voice a bit. “I think maybe he’s overestimating life magic a bit.”

Yeah, no kidding. Aaron could have told him that, but it was better to get the information from authority. He gave the doctor a sympathetic smile, offering her a nod. “No problem,” he assured her. “Good evening.”

He thanked the receptionist on the way out, and turned sharply out the door in the direction of the campus post office. As he walked, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, finally reading a reply from Max.

> He’s making a big deal out of nothing, you’re better off ignoring it

Ha! Aaron almost laughed. Just ignore it? If only anything were that simple!

> Ha, ha. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you I don’t really have that luxury.

Still, it was probably unwise to keep pushing it if he wanted any hope at all of getting on Max’s good side. All the same to him; he didn’t need another headache tonight.

> But, fine. Good luck with all that. Let me know if there's anything I can do.

_{Texting @Scribe of Thoth}

Council of the Night

Double post: considering maybe a witch in the style of The Three Mothers, but being the only one of her sisters remaining. (OC witch tho, not a canon one)

Council of the Night

@Polyphemus Dont know if I should mention how PROTECTIVE Itimpu is going to be of Dracula's possessions or let that be revealed during the RP itself.
Mostly cause he's gonna be VERY protective of keeping all of the things exactly where they were left.

@Utrax

When your guard dog is a cat

_{I love it}

Golden Sky Stories

This is intriguing indeed!

Council of the Night

Hmm, now to decide which horror trope to go for...

What's the consensus on vampires in the Draculean(?) tradition, with the weakness (but not death) in the daytime, the form shifting, wild rose stalk thing, actual child stealing etc.? Should we leave Dracula as the only one, or can we make others?

Obscene's Scratchpad

Name: How does the world know you? Is it a nom de guerre or real name? Any significant aliases, secret identities, nicknames, or sobriquets?

Inspiration: (optional) If your creature is based on one of the classic Universal monsters, identify them here. Don't worry if it's an OC, though! Original characters are always welcome!

Appearance: A good detailed description and/or a good picture of your character.

Abilities/ Skills: Any special powers you might have or special skills you have learned. Do you have the strength of ten men? Are you a master of hypnosis? Can you speak seven languages? Do you have connections with the Mafia? Here's the place to tell us.

History: Tell us a little about your character's background. Write as much or as little as you like, just so long as we get the general idea of who you are and where you came from.

Goals: What do you wish to accomplish in life? It can be as humble as getting a glass of water or as grandiose as conquering the world.

Notes: Anything extra you might like to add that isn't covered by the above. A theme song, maybe.

How Do I Find My Interests In Roleplay?

In fewer words: you just need to shop around. Stick to group rps (1x1 section won't help you with this, and even experienced rpers have a hard time in there), read interest checks when you see them, join a few! Some you'll like, some you won't, and you'll learn as you go. You'll probably find yourself gravitating to fandoms and themes you already like from books, shows and movies, and you'll develop from there.

The Council of the Night- Universal Horror Inspired RP

Of Blood and Magic

Aaron glanced back as Eris wandered off, swinging his key and whistling without a care in the world. A bit of a contrast from his former concern, but Aaron supposed he’d never seen Eris let anything get him down for more than a couple of minutes. Still, that he let a “spat” with Max get him down at all was unexpected in itself. Frankly, he never expected there was anything anyone other than Varis could say or do to hurt Eris’—feelings? Pride? Whatever it was—that much.

He expected to leave the issue there, but the farther he walked, the more the curiosity gnawed at him. What on earth happened? Surely all this couldn’t have been brought about just because Eris and Max couldn’t manage to coexist. Had Max said something particularly cutting? Done something to Eris? It was improper to pry, but… he was tasked with getting to know Max better. Twice, in fact.

Giving in to his curiosity, Aaron pulled out his phone, tapping out a quick message.

> Hey, did something happen? I just ran into Eris and he was all doom and gloom about the two of you not getting along. What did you do?

While he had his phone handy, he gave Malek a call, quickly listing off the documents Varis asked for and getting little more in response than a raspy, painfully monotone confirmation before the call abruptly ended. Aaron was still getting used to that; the department heads back at the castle at least had a bit more charisma to them, even with the lower staff—of which Aaron certainly was one now, to his mild chagrin. Still, it was clear the man earned his position well; only someone extremely well-versed in Varis’ methods and preferences would be capable of squeezing that much general disappointment into just a few words.

The infirmary was a tad busier than usual, a few of the waiting room chairs filled with mages Aaron assumed had just returned from the practical themselves. Many were dirty and tired-looking, holding sore arms or ankles, and one girl cradled her hands in her lap, bloodied palms peppered with shredded bits of leaves likely from taking a fall in the woods. An obviously concerned vampire looked over her from the adjacent chair, though when her eyes met Aaron’s, she looked more embarrassed than anything. Past her, the receptionist already looked bored, though to her credit, she put on a smile as Aaron approached the desk.

Pleasantries were exchanged, and before she had the chance to ask him to wait, a subtle flash of his earring and the seal on his letter got him sent straight to an examination room. That was one thing he actually appreciated about his earring, not to mention the crests on the rest of his clothes; priority treatment at every campus office and town shop made the thing feel less like a tag and much more like the gift Varis made it out to be. He didn’t even really need to throw his last name around anymore—not that he did it all that much to start with—although when it came to campus business, there was still one purpose for which his name would always weigh heavier than Varis’.

Alone in the examination room, Aaron allowed himself a weary sigh. Was that even true anymore? After all this nonsense in the exam, he couldn’t help but think the Starag name and its secrets weren’t all that high up on Ryner’s priority list at all. He didn’t want to believe that—Ryner had always treated his family with care and dignity—but what other conclusion could he come to? She allowed massive family secrets to be thrown around as the freaking venue for a trial, and outed one of his own besides— not to mention his clone’s talk of Yvaine! Even if Ryner didn’t directly oversee what her mages did for the exam, how could she allow such sensitive information (she herself had called the nightmares a matter of national security for stars’ sake) to just sneak out like that, to who knew what student might see?!

He slumped against the back of his chair. Unless she’d intended to reveal all that to Varis—in which case, telling him to keep the nightmares from him was pointless—this was, at best, a massive, critical oversight, and that didn’t sit right with Aaron. Reputation aside, a vampire didn’t live to be as old as Ryner did if they were prone to such glaring mistakes. In which case, she did plan it, and all that secret information Aaron safeguarded so preciously in his head really wasn’t worth much to her at all. He was between a frightening rock and an uncomfortable hard place, and he didn’t like his chances with either.

And now Varis was on track to uncover it all. Aaron wanted to believe Ryner would throw him off the scent, but did he have any basis for that? For all he knew, she could lay it all bare and just watch him squirm when Varis’ ire reached him—though that didn’t make a lot of sense either. Nightmares and scars aside, that mausoleum was a problem. It was highly illegal, blatant special treatment of the Starags by the royal family, which of course would not go over well if revealed publicly. Granted, Varis wasn’t the type to throw information around without getting something in return, and he doubted the Count really cared much about how the Starags lived back at the castle, but leverage was leverage, and in this case, it was leverage against Ryner— she’d been the one to approve the mausoleum’s construction in the first place. So, assuming it wasn’t accidental, why would she open herself up to that sort of blackmail? It didn’t make sense.

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. Ugh, nothing made sense! And he was supposed to keep his mouth shut about all of it, while she threw around the keys to every lock in his head! This was the problem with secrets, right here. One vampire tells him to keep quiet, the other tells him to spill, and who’s he supposed to listen to? Varis, his master? Ryner, who raised him, who told him his secrets were a matter of national security? De facto leader of the realm, or the man who decided if he got medical attention? The man to whom, lest he forget, Ryner personally handed him over. Seriously! How could she tell him to hold his peace while handing his leash to the family that dealt in information and played inside people’s heads?

Aaron’s leg was bouncing, and he impatiently checked his watch, surprised to see that only a short time had passed since he’d been sent to the examination room. Whatever the answer was, he couldn’t just let Varis traipse into Ryner’s office and find out his mage had lied about a lot more than a little scar on his ear. He could only hope that Ryner didn’t out him straight away, and if that was to be the case, she needed some warning. He would have also liked to give her a piece of his mind, but even as irritated as he was, he wasn’t that stupid. Standing, he looked around the room for something to write with, coming up only with a cheap pen and a pad of prescription notes. Tearing a leaf off the pad, he flipped it over to the back and wrote:

Letter

Your Royal Highness,

I fear one of your mages may have made a gross oversight proctoring the exam. My Master now has an interest in crypts and someone named Yvaine.

You can expect him soon.

Cordially Yours,
Aaron Starag

There. He folded the paper into his pocket, returning the pen to its place and sitting back down as if nothing had happened. He'd send that when he was done with the life mage. Now no one could say he didn’t do what he could, though the irony of resolving lies and subterfuge with yet more subterfuge wasn’t lost on him. It all left a bad taste in his mouth; he didn’t want to hide things from Varis. Not only was it exhausting, stressful, and altogether too complicated for his taste, but keeping things from his master legitimately didn’t sit right with him. He was an attendant. His job was to help his master, to be dependable and valuable, and the sort of master-servant relationship he’d always idealized (even if only a shadow of it was attainable with Varis) required trust on both ends. He wasn’t so presumptuous to think he could rightfully expect respect and honesty from his master if he couldn’t provide it in return, and on top of it all, secrecy was simply a huge slap in the face to his superiors.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. None of this was making his headache any better. As pressing and confusing and frustrating as it all was, he’d done as much as he could for the time being. He needed a distraction. As luck would have it, pulling his phone out of his pocket provided just that: a response from Max, apparently from a few minutes ago. Weird, Aaron hadn’t noticed; either he was that wrapped up in his thoughts (a real possibility) or he must have sent it while he was talking to the receptionist.

> Yeah he’s having a meltdown or something idk

Aaron almost rolled his eyes. Yeah, he could have guessed that from what Eris told him, but that wasn’t what he asked.

> Well yeah, but what actually happened? Whatever you did, he seemed pretty upset about it.
> Or, as upset as Eris can be, I guess.

_{Upsetti over @Achronum and texting @Scribe of Thoth}

The Council of the Night- Universal Horror Inspired RP

You know I'm just noticing... Is your avatar a dancing Yami, sans pants?? Did he banish his pants to the Shadow Realm?

@BenG85

Why yes, yes it is! I painstakingly uploaded it as a gif from this excellent piece of performance art right here (clip is at the end):



🤣