Elijah & Amelia
Location; Outside somewhere on campus → The Fear Fest bus
Interacting With; Each other
@Legion02@BeastofDestiny
FearFest. Whatever it was exactly, Amelia didn’t like one bit of it. To her it was far too close to Halloween. Most people no longer believe that the day held any meaning beyond gathering candy. But as the living proof of things that go bump in the night, she was very restless. There was a certain unease about the weekend. And not only because of Halloween. The fact that everyone was to go on a trip organized by Delphina upperclassmen spelled ill fate. Her brothers never told her about FearFest! Obviously tense she took a seat on the bus, near the back and at a window. Worrying on a bus wouldn’t help her, so she planned on just watching the view pass by her. Yet she was hoping one of her friends would come sit next to her. That would calm her.
Elijah strode towards the bus, a black cloak and hood shadowing his features, normally he wouldn't attend FearFest, it was a pointless and petty attempt to scare others. Considering the recent string of events, not to mention his recent...encounter with Eliana, he wanted to keep an eye on things. Black wasn't something he'd normally wear, his normal clothing was costume enough, but if he was to be anything, it would be a wraith, silent and ever present, another blackness to the dark. Closing the gap to the door, he noticed Ellie nearby, and she noticed him, her aura visibly shutting off to his presence, that was to be expected, he needed to keep his distance from her anyway.
He entered the bus and immediately made his way towards the back, ignoring the idle banter of the students. It seemed few had made their way back here except...that aura was familiar. Was she the nurse who cared for him? He noticed there were multiple auras when he was in his nightmare induced coma, the head nurse for sure, but this aura, she was new. Why was she on the bus though? Was she another student? Regardless, he felt the need to thank her. Approaching her seat he asked,
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"Surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice she looked up. A hood, which did not help to recognize him. Yet he looked oddly familiar. Maybe a patient? But so many people came through the infirmary. Still, the black cloak and hood gave him a menacing feel. Unsure of what to say exactly, she answered:
“Oh, euhm- no... no not really.” She couldn’t really reserve the spot for Eliana or Ananya. Such a thing would be rude. But still, as she looked at the shape, she’d prefer one of her friends sitting next to her. Just for one time.
He could sense her unease, that was a reaction he expected from most people, however, in this case.
"You can relax, I'm not here for trouble, in fact," he took a seat next to her and slowly removed his hood,
"I came here to thank you." he turned his head to face her, the black band wrapped around his eyes, etched in silver eldritch patterns, a stark contrast to his pale skin.
"You cared for me at the infirmary, did you not?"Surprise rippled over Amelia. Mostly because he thanked him. Though his appearance, especially the band covering his eyes, made her jump as well. Being a nurse, especially one of the ‘quickly heal people’ was an ungrateful job. A thank you was rarely given as they healed them all so quickly.
“I- Yeah, I did. Well… care is a big word.” She remembered the frustration she felt as she gazed at him. Physical injuries were so much easier. One drop, or a few more, often did their job to accelerate the healing process. Yet when faced with someone in a coma, she was utterly helpless. Nothing she could do would take him out of it.
“So… I hope you don’t mind me asking.” She knew she shouldn’t. But something put him down. The young vampire had to know what.
“How exactly did you… fall?”He smiled a little at her question, more so at the uncertainty in which she asked it,
"A bold question, to be sure." He chuckled a little, though it was little more than a ruse, what had happened between him and Eliana had shaken him to the core. His entire view of Gianna was different, she still needed to be protected, not just from anyone, but from him most of all. The morning after, with her in his bed, he felt like he violated his promise, and in that nightmare, to see Vincent, all but confirmed that. Even the fire was a question that had been wracking his brain, had he really caused it? If so, was it because he couldn't contain his rage? No matter how far he thought back, he couldn't quite remember what happened on the day of the fire. It was ironic, uncertainty asked the question, when uncertainty was all that he could think about.
Realizing he had been silent for too long he finally answered,
"The mind is...a powerful thing you know? It produces thoughts, emits emotions, feels things constantly. Someone who has a good control of their mind can make anything possible. Those who don't...are often lead down a dark path, and wrong choices can be made..." He looked away,
"I had a bad dream, one so terrible and nightmarish it obliterated my control, it was violently released." He linked his fingers together and glanced over to her,
"I apologize if that's confusing, but that's the best explanation I can give."“Nightmares can be… devastating.” She vividly remembered those she got the night after Delirium. Soaked in cold blood she shot up. Normal dreams, they vanish like snow before a midsummer sun. But those nightmares. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t forget them. Ever.
“You’re fighting something too, aren’t you?” such a thing was evident from the way he talked. He controls something and lost control over it. Or he couldn’t control it all. Frankly she didn’t really think he’d answer. She knew she wouldn’t. Not because of pride, or shame. She wouldn’t answer because it were her troubles. Hers to deal with. Hers to solve. Hers to suffer through. Maybe he wouldn’t even describe it like fighting. Like a constant wrestle with an unknown force. How could she know? What did she really know?
"So you do understand, perhaps I underestimated you." Elijah seemed to be doing that a lot lately,
"Everyone has some sort of darkness in them, some monster relentlessly clawing its away out, something that needs to be kept on a tight leash. Some monsters are more literal than others. I won't ask what your's is, though given your reaction," he gazed over her aura, there was a fear there, but a fear that was understood,
"I'd say its similar to mine."Amelia smiled a bit when Elijah admitted he underestimated her. So many did. So many just see her smile all day. They see her worry all day.
“Yeah… everyone has their darkness to fight. Though…” it was unfair. That was how she honestly felt it. Some simply had to fight to not kiss a boy. Or they had to fight their sadness. She didn’t mean that those feelings were less valid. They just were… less of what she was fighting. How could the urge to kiss someone compare to a bloody beast, clawing at her. Forcing her to play with a girl like a puppet. She wanted to taste her blood. Even now she knew, if she gave in but for a moment, the lurking beast would jump out. Take control. The whole thought, the idea that there were people out there who had it so easy compared with her, made her feel jealous.
A feeling she swiftly shook off. No, it was wrong to think that. To feel that. The fight, the pain, it was all relative. For some a breakup was the hardest thing in their lives. For others it was a funeral. How could one be worse than the other? Was suffering some sort of race? Still, sometimes she wished she could feel validated in her fight.
“… never mind.” She could bear herself to utter the words she so desperately wanted to say. ‘Some have it worse that others’.
“Is yours… you? Or is it… something else?” A slight sense of desperation rippled over her as she asked it. A sort of call, a yelp for understanding. For the first time she felt as if she met someone who could have an inkling of an idea how she felt. Not just on moments, but all the time. The need to keep the chains taut. Her chains. The ones that kept her mind in order. The locks that kept the hunger and thirst away.
This woman seemed so hesitant, so fearful, but there was also a feeling of...want, the want of being accepted and understood.
"Have you ever touched a flame? Felt its warmth, its comfort? Fire can be a source of life, a sign of new beginnings, but it can also be a symbol of destruction, an end to life." He opened his hand and a small flame was produced in his palm,
"Humanity has always tried to control fire, and in most cases it can be, but in others, fire can be wild, unpredictable, if left to its own devices," The small flame began to flicker and flutter, suddenly growing more wrathful before he clenched his hand into a fist, the flame disappearing,
"It can snuff you out."He looked ahead to scan the rest of the students before returning his attention to the woman beside him,
"To answer your question, I am two sides to the same coin, on one half, there is my control, on the other, there is its control. Its a constant battle, a control over nature, most days I am able to control the fire, but on others..." Looking down at the floor, the image of Delphina burning came to mind again, so many dead bodies, Vincent's among the pile,
"Things burn to ash..."She nodded during his explanation about the flame. Watching it burn in his hand, she understood it. Amelia felt bad. This man, sitting next to her. Did he kill? She couldn’t know for sure, nor did she want to ask. Such things were better left unquestioned. Still, she thought she heard sorrow in his voice. Terrible things happened to him, no doubt. It felt as if it paled compared to her condition. “My… condition is the same yet not.” She began. Having, for the first time in her life trouble finding the right words. “I too fight for constant control.” Such a thought made her smile. Someone like her, finally. After so many months, someone who final understood the fight she was having. The constant, weary fighting she had to do.
“But mine barely has an advantage.” She looked at her wrist. Even though she couldn’t see it, she felt it. The von Carstein blood travelling through her veins. The one blessing. The ability to heal wounds. But only physical ones. But then she looked upwards, towards her nails. They looked human. She looked human. But she wasn’t. Those nails, it could rend flesh if she wanted. Her fangs were merely hidden, ready to jump out.
“Sadly… what I am is unpredictable. Nothing will start from what I am. What I am, it doesn’t give comfort. Or hope. Or life.” Through the ages past her family had enforced that. They were not the tyrants sitting on the throne. But the eldermen, sitting next to him. They were the wise women, teaching the heir. They were the nobles, carelessly gathering their tithe. They were not the dictator but the real oppressors. The knights that kept the villages dull and in line.
She turned her hand and looked at the ring. The Carstein ring. An heirloom not to be taken lightly by those who recognize it. Only recently she decided to start wearing it. The unliving reminder of her kin’s bloody history. But the two fangs on it also acted as a reminder of what she was.
“What I am… it toys with people. Like a spider with a fly. My kin, we draw them in. Use them, abuse them.” She felt how she fell into the deep dark pit. Only now did she realize how weary she was. Of all the fighting, of keeping the chains taut. She thought she could do it… but could she?
“You… ever get tired of it? The fighting, I mean.”He felt the pain in her voice, but he also felt the exhaustiion in it as well, but he understood,
"All the time, but it is a necessity. Regardless, I try not to think about it, as I've said the mind is a powerful thing, pondering such thoughts leads us to dark places and there are ways to counter them. I meditate, I study, I train, I learn, not only is it a distraction, but it is self-improvement and a way to a better life." He pondered a moment, contemplating some of her words.
"I will say this, despite what you may be, what your kin may be, it is not what defines you, it is who you are that speaks volumes. From my perspective, you are a kind woman, a nurse who heals others when she can, and doesn't abandon them when she can't, actions like that give life, comfort, and hope. As for what may start from you," he smiled a little,
"Well...nobody exists on purpose, there's a reason for you to be here, to be the person you are, to be speaking with me now, even if we can't define or understand it, the way of the universe is...complex like that."“Yeah… Yeah you’re right in that.” Her mood lightened up a bit. She did treat those wounded in the infirmary. She looked at the ring again, and realized memories shouldn’t always be bad. Some, more recent ones, were actually good. Like the old veteran handing out soup and bread in the park. People could change. She sword to herself she would too, when she came to Mayweather. Yes, the fight was tiring. But it was one she had to do. She refused to become like her family. She wouldn’t play their games.
“We are not our blood. We are not our circumstances. We are our choices.” A smile formed again as she felt a little lighter.
“I guess you could say that helping people… that’s my form of meditation?” she smiled at Elijah. But when she saw the band before his eyes, she remembered he was blind.
“So yeah. I plan on just keep on doing that. Helping people.”The memory of that one fateful day in the park, it felt even more vivid than her nightmares of days past. Even though several months now have passed.
“So… you think the people we meet… we are supposed to meet?” Fate. Destiny. Dangerous terms. Her parents, their parents and their parents. They all thought their destiny was to be who they were now. “What if someone isn’t nice?” that was said rather childish, she realized.
“What if someone… harms people? Is he meant to do that?” Are people destined to be evil? Their own choices influence their actions, which forge their destiny. But what if fate brought them on a path that only taught them how to inflict pain? Could fate be flawed?
Her mood seemed to lighten up drastically, clearly he had chosen the right words, though there seemed to be confusion in her questions. Elijah simply shook his head, [color=crimson]"You misunderstand me," He leaned back,
"Imagine life as a river, the waters can be calm, or they may thrash about, there are breaks in the streams that will either lead to new avenues or be a dead end. There are various things that affect how our rivers are projected, our personalities, members of our family, friends, this conversation, but where does that place you? It places you on a ship, you are the captain of this ship, ultimately all the avenues that are before you, can only be taken by you. If someone hurts another, it is because they made that choice, whether it was at their own hand, or they were carried away on a misguided wind." Leaning forward he spoke seriously,
"To put it simply, we are not born with purpose, but by our actions we forge our fate. Where does that leave people like us though? Those who have a demon we try to chain? I'd like to think...its an anchor with a mind of its own, constantly trying to drag us one way or another, or drag us down to the bottom, it is through sheer willpower and a calm state of mind that we are able to pull that chain. In other words, our actions are still with purpose, we just have it...a little harder."“Oh… sorry.” Amelia didn’t really know why she apologized. Maybe because she made a mistake? Maybe because it forced him to explain it all in full. Philosophy was never her strongest suit.
“I could say you’re right… but honestly I don’t know for sure.” She admitted.
“Life just seems… to go on. If I like it or not. If I want it or not. Stuff just happens.” Those were things she was sure of. She was a ship on a river. Traveling downstream.
“You’re a wise man, Elijah.” But when she said his name, she realized she hadn’t introduced herself yet.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry! I haven’t told you my name yet. I’m Amelia. Carstein.”"Try not to think about it too much," he smirked a little and nodded in appreciation at her compliment, though was slightly confused she knew his name. Thinking on it, she did care for him, it was probably on a medical chart or something, it was only fair that she knew his name. When she introduced her name though he had to pause...Carstein, why did that seem so familiar? Then it hit him and he couldn't help but chuckled a little,
"I think I understand now," her condition, her
kin, using and abusing prey like flies,
"You're of the Von Carsteins, aren't you?"Amelia grew pale when Elijah asked. Her eyes grew wide as fear once again rippled over her. So far only one person actually realized she came from
those Carsteins and that was Sylvia. And in pure Sylvia fashion, she couldn’t nearly grasp the full extent of that last name. But Elijah sounded like a well-educated man. The fact that he added the ‘von’ before it spoke books.
“You… know?” he could probably hear her swallow. Everyone could talk big and thoughtful until they were confronted with the truth. With reality. If he even knew about a century of their history, he’d have all rights to just move away. Though the worst would be if he remained and stayed silent. She hated that so much. Silent judgment. Or worse, being ignored.
Fear? What did she have to be afraid of? Not of him no, more likely if rejection, that made more sense, humans were less...versed with vampires, other planes, however…
"I don't think you have much to be scared of, you're not the first vampire I've met, I'd doubt you'd be the last. Your family has certainly made a name for itself on this realm. You, however, hmm... I don't remember you ever being at the Delphina infirmary though..." Nothing had changed in his tone or attitude, she was the newly introduced Amelia, Von Carstein, vampire or not, she was a rather pleasant young woman to speak with.
“I…” Amelia, once against, was rather shocked. Not only did he know her family. He probably even met one of them! Or at least a vampire that knew them. Even amongst the vampires they bore an infamous name. Those who swore fealty got their fief. Those who intruded were slaughtered without mercy. The von Carsteins had both laws and those who enforced them.
“I’m… not in Delphina.” She said. The question did not surprise her. If von Carsteins came here, they went to Delphina. But she fought her father over it. Only to realize that the schools were no longer separated.
“I’m in Mayweather. I know, it probably sounds crazy. A von Carstein in Mayweather but… it’s part of my fight. So.. wait. Are you in Delphina?” she didn’t know that.
Her questions, her attitude, they were starting to make a lot more sense now.
"You seem rather surprised that I am," he smirked a little, her aura rather flabbergasted. It was rather ironic that considering what her family does for a living, that she'd be a Mayweather student, though it was probably just as ironic that a student of Delphina was advising her. Her questions on philosophy though, gave him pause, now that he knew who she was, her questions on 'Is evil intended and destined to be?' deserved a proper answer.
"You asked me earlier if someone was meant to do harm, based on your family's reputation and your actions, well, I don't believe you have to worry about what someone is supposedly pre destined to do. Already, despite all the odds stacked against you, you seem to be doing a good job at captaining your ship."
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