tsubasa

The Ties that Bind

Gunner had just grabbed an apple, tossing it in his hand when he spotted Anna at a table filled with Guardians. He didn't mind much, he didn't have many intentions to stick around anyways. What pissed him off when the guy next to her. He watched as Jace wrapped his arm around the girl and Anna slip away asking him to stop. His blood boiled as Jace seemed to brush it all off as though it were nothing. He waited until Anna left and followed Jace, first to ensure that he wasn't following Anna but he continued to follow the man when he turned the opposite. When Anna was out of sight, Gunner grabbed Jace's shoulder and turned him around before he took the front of his shirt into his hand and slammed the man into the lockers, causing a small dent in one. He glared at the man, "I thought I got it into your thick skull four years ago that you weren't allowed anywhere near Anna anymore," His face was calm along with his voice but there was a threatening twinge to his words, "I suggest that you do as she says and stop."

The Ties that Bind

Serena woke to the feeling of lips on her spine and smiled as she heard Sebastian speak in Italian. She laughed a little, "Four years and your accent is still horrible," She joked. She could say much, her own accent hadn't changed much despite her getting far better at English. She moved onto her back as he ran his lips along her collarbone and laughed at his comment about them not leaving the room after he kissed her. She looked up at him, a smirk playing on her lips, "Is that so? I had plans," She teased, "A run, breakfast, looking around the school again, figuring out where I'm needed while we're here since you are beyond protected." She laughed before she rose onto her elbows and kissed him, "But I suppose that can all wait until the afternoon." It was nice to have their own room with no worries about people walking in on them like it had been at his parents' house. Even if someone did walk into their place, they would just walk into their bedroom which would give them a chance to be decent before they saw who it was. She kissed him again, "Although.... If we are going to go again, I am going to need breakfast," She grinned and slipped out of the bed, "I'm eating your pizza!" She said loudly and she quickly left the room and went into the kitchen, not bothering to cover her bare body. ~ Gunner went for a run in the wee hours of the Moroi morning and was allowed the rare chance on a Moroi schedule to see the sunset. He finished it at the cafeteria, deciding that he should get acquainted with some of the older students that he would be working with. He walked in to see a few students at tables, all of them Dhampirs. These were the kids that were like him, the ones who got up early to get themselves ready for the day. He saw a couple of them stare as he walked passed. He wasn't sure if they had all been told that he was teaching but Guardian Marks was no longer just a name. His name held weight now. People he didn't know knew about him and talked about him just like Anna and Gunner had about Guardian Belikov and Guardian Hathaway. His name had become of the household variety. It was strange and surreal but it also made him feel proud that people were interested in his abilities and strengths, along with the littering of tattoos on the back of his neck.

The Ties that Bind

Gunner laughed although it was humourless and hardly reached his eyes, "Why am I not surprised that Sebastian had to convince you," He stared her down as she continued her tirade and took off like she had two year ago before called after her, "But I didn't make the choice." He downed his shot before tossing it carelessly into the sink, something he'd deal with later. He paced his room a little before he noticed the painting hanging on the wall. He walked over to it and took off his coat before he removed the painting for the wall. He stared at the blank space for a movement before driving his hand through it. He took a deep breath and readjusted his shirt at the wrists and carefully rehung the painting. He walked back over to the bottle and grabbed it before walking to his bed and flopping down on it. He threw the cap across the room and drank. It was like being stuck at school all through the summer once again, drinking by himself and waiting it all out. He'd wallow and then he'd put the bottle away and be done with it. He'd be under control again tomorrow. He'd be Guardian Robot as Anna once called him. ~ Serena allowed him to pull her closer when he told her that there was a chance the world would be against them. She rested her head against his chest, "Well, then you'll just have to keep loving him," She teased. She brushed a small piece of his hair behind his ear, "And not the whole world. The Queen didn't mind our relationship. I think that's a pretty good person on our side." She kissed him before he ran off to grab the door and in turn their pizza. She laughed when he came back into the room with not one but two pizzas and handed her her own. She leaned over and kissed his cheek when he sat down next to her, "You're the best." She pulled out a piece and bit in. Dhampirs had incredibly high metabolisms and paired with their rather physically active lifestyles that they all seemed to lead, lots of food was a necessity.

The Ties that Bind

Serena smiled as he bit a her bottom lip, causing it to slip out from between his teeth. She rested her head against him, "You know I'm fine with," she ran one of her thumbs over the circle under his eye, "Besides, I like you best with some colour in your cheeks," She teased. She leaned back on the bed as he called and later took the feeder into the bathroom. She stayed there for a short while before she rolled over and put on some music to cover any sounds that came from the bathroom. She loved how kind Sebastian was about it all, always cleaning up before he came back out, ensuring that she didn't see anything. His family, well his parents, hadn't been as kind. They had walked out more than once with blood on their faces, even after Sebastian asked for them not to. It always took her a while to calm Sebastian down those nights. She smiled when Sebastian came back into the room, pulling her head away from the visit with his family. She could already see the blood in his cheek and the circles were gone. If you asked Serena, she'd say that she always thought Sebastian was handsome but she truly did think he looked his best with some blood in him. She laughed, kicking her legs, as he tickled her and told her he had ordered their food. She nodded her head, speaking between laughs and gasps, "I'm... Starving! I could... eat a pizza... to myself." When he stopped and pulled her hair away and kissed her neck, she smiled softly. There was time that she panicked when he touched her neck and here she was, comfortable with him pressing his lips to it. These were always the moments when she realized how far she had come. She played a little with his hair and sighed a little, "I think I could live with the whole world against us... So long as you still love me." ~ Gunner stuffed his other hand into his pocket and looked at her as she told him he could be angry, "Thanks..." he said simply in response. He held his hand though a moment later, stopping her from continuing to speak. After all she was rambling which meant she was nervous and Gunner could understand that. After all, she left with him with no explanation and now.... He didn't want it. He took a moment, holding hand in front of him before he spoke, "It's fine," However there was a edge in his voice that seemed to give away that it was not as he said, "I don't need an explanation... Just as you didn't need mine. Let's see.... You ignored all the invites because you didn't want to see me. I mean... I'm the only person that you hurt when you took off like you did... I don't see you running away from the Elites because they weren't giving you the attention you wanted... You ran away from me... Simple as that." He walked over to the vodka bottle and grabbed a shot glass, taking the time to fill it before he looked at her again, "It was nice to see you again, Anna.... It's been too long."

The Ties that Bind

Gunner had the bottle to his lips and a slight buzz when he heard a knock at the door. He glanced at it when suddenly he heard Anna's voice from the other side. Fuck. No this was supposed to be his day to get his feelings about this very thing under control again. He sighed and wiped the few tears from his eyes before he took one last swig and put the bottle down on the counter again, closing it. Fixing his suit jacket, he walked over to the door and opened it. He looked at Anna, his face emotionless as his head went wild about seeing her, standing this close to her after... two years. He wanted to grabbed her by the face and kiss her. He wanted to slam the door in her face. He wanted to hug her and cry. He didn't do any of that though. He just stood there, his hand still on the door handle, the other stuffed in his dress pants. He pushed the door open a little before turning away, a silent offer to enter his room. He walked into the living room and ran his thumb over his upper lip a couple times, "It's been a while," He said, his voice not cold but not warm and void of any real emotion that he was feeling as he looked at her. ~ Serena smiled as they sat there for a moment, although the moment didn't last long before he picked her up and off the couch before tossing her onto the bed. She squealed a little as she bounced on the mattress before she caught the pillow he threw at her. She laughed and moved onto her knees, hitting him with it before she sat back on her heels and placed the pillow on her lap. She nodded her head, "I'm starving. Pizza sounds good," She laughed a little, "Ordering food from the cafeteria... It is weird... We don't actually have to go there. Is this what being an adult is?" She joked. She looked him over for a moment, "Do you want to call up a feeder as well? You haven't drank in a while," She said noticing the slight circle under his eyes. He had been so good about no making her uncomfortable with it for the last few years but she always worried that he wasn't drinking enough because he didn't want to make her uneasy. She had gotten better with it. Sebastian had been helping her with the addiction. He didn't tell her but she was pretty sure he was healing it a bit at night when she slept. She could tell that he had been up to something on the morning that he was particularly grumpy. There life seemed a bit like a circle, him making enchanted silver jewelry for her, her taking on some of his darkness. The cure for keeping of their insanity seemed to be something that wanted to drive them toward it as well. Luckily, with both of them being able to see into the others head, they could make sure that the other didn't push themselves too far. She bounced on the bed again before she moved to the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "When you have your energy up, we can do more than just eat," She teased him with a cheeky grin, "I'm fine... I promise."

The Ties that Bind

Serena noticed Sebastian tense and looked around them. She didn't feel ill, so they weren't in any kind of immediate danger and not to mention with the wards up, she doubted it was anything with intent to kill. She allowed for her eyes to follow Sebastian's and caught sight of Gunner looking at them before walking away. Her heart hurt a little for him. She couldn't see his aura with her own eyes but she had seen how much he changed in the last two years and it wasn't because of his duty. She glanced at Anna as the two of them spoke, keeping quiet, not really knowing what to say. She gratefully leaned into Sebastian when he wrapped his arm around her. She picked up there things and walked as the two bickered about what is was that Anna should do with Gunner. Although, it seemed to come to a similar consensus that she needed to speak to him. However, it sounded like Anna was doing to more for Sebastian's sake than for her own. Which might very well cause problems with Gunner's new... personality. She worried and just hoped that they could find it in themselves to look deeper than the surface and see that the two of them really did still care about themselves. Serena carried their things into the room as Sebastian and Anna wrapped up their conversation, which was hardly wrapped up at all... Ending with Anna leaving them. She dropped their things on the couch and walked over to Sebastian, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Hey," She said quietly, brushing a piece of hair out of his face, "You aren't going to be able to fix this one," She told him. She knew he hated to hear it, neither of them wanted to plan around the separation to see their friends, "This is something that they are going to have to fix and us getting involved is just going to get things all mixed up." She rose to her toes and kissed him, "I love you," She told him, sensing he was still upset about the goings on with Anna and Gunner, "And I love how much you care about people and especially Anna and Gunner... but for now... there isn't anything either of us can do." She moved her hands from his hips and took hold of his hand and pulled him to the couch. She sat him down before sitting beside him and curling up against him, "Who knows... Maybe things will get better with them having to work together," She said before she gave him another kiss. ~ Gunner walked into his room and tossed his things into his room before he grabbed out a bottle from one of his bags. A gift from one of the Elite, a expensive bottle of vodka. He opened it and chugged some of it down before closing it and placing it on the counter again. He didn't have classes until tomorrow and wasn't guarding until tomorrow night, now was time to deal with the fact that Anna was here. He moved to the couch and sat down, placing his elbows on his knees before he rested his head in his hands. Why hadn't anyone told him? Maybe had he known he wouldn't be getting attacked by this onslaught of emotions. Sadness from her ending it just because they'd be apart for a while... Something that he thought that their relationship was able to withstand. Something that he knew would kill him but they both had their duties, it was their job to guard the people who needed guarding and Anna acted as though he was choosing that over her. Anger for her even thinking that anything or one would replace her in his heart. For thinking that he was okay with leaving her, that he wasn't going to lie in bed at night thinking about her and how he would hold her and kiss her when they saw each other again. There was hurt and pain from seeing her after all this time only by accident... It made him curious if she knew he was coming, if she'd take the job if she knew. He knew that he would have, the warning would have been nice. Worst of it all, there was still that love in his heart for her. Love that he wasn't sure that she felt for him after two years and god, it hurt more than anything else to even think about. A few tears escaped his eyes as he let down that guard for a moment. If he didn't let him do this in his time alone, he surely would have gone mad by now. He stood and grabbed the vodka bottle again, he'd wallow and by tomorrow, he'd have recovered and could function properly as though his head and heart weren't in constant turmoil.

The Ties that Bind

Name: Gunner Marks Gender: Male Race: Dhampir Age: 22 Ward: N/A Description: Personality: Calm, cool, collected. Doesn't really know how to have fun. He's very wrapped up in the duties of being a guardian. Background: Gunner mother was turned Strigoi when he was very young. Had it not been for his uncle, a guardian, it was highly likely that Gunner would be dead. Due to this, he takes his job very seriously. He doesn't see glory in killing Strigoi like some of his classmates do. Although he wishes to protect Moroi from the fearsome beasts of the night, he is tormented by the images of his mother. His uncle had been unable to kill her and in the end, she ran off with him. All Gunner knows is that she is still alive. After graduation, Gunner managed to make it into the Elites, something he had been striving for since months previous. This was the best possible outcome for him and his girlfriend. The one way the two of them were able to stick together as well as remain Guardian, nothing could go wrong. Until everything did and the relationship fell apart due to his incessant need to be the best and to make people proud. Which is the reason he has allowed for himself to take many wards, hunt for Stigoi, and now teach as the Elite and Queen needed him to.

The Ties that Bind

Name: Serena Abatangelo Gender: Female Race: Dhampir Age: 21 Ward: Sebastian Lazar Description: 5'2, has multiple scars on her neck. Personality: Serena is quiet and tends to keep more to herself. This is mainly due to fear of people figuring out what Moroi men did and what she allowed them to do her. She is shaky and tends to be a little jumpy, although, some of this might very well be from the withdrawal that she is now going through. Background: Born and raised in a Dhampir commune, Serena had a... difficult childhood. Her mother was young when she had her, Serena was clearly a mistake. Her mother was a blood whore, through and through, and Serena could never really get over that. Although, that could have been due to the fact that from a young age her mother allowed her Moroi father to drink from her. Well, maybe she didn't let him but she surely didn't stop him either. Nor did she stop anyone else. Realizing her own addiction and seeing the women around her, who had practically come dependent one the endorphins from Moroi bites, Serena decided it was time to leave. Although, she attended a school not far from the commune year round, Serena applied to St. Vladimir's. She felt as though this was the one way to escape the only future she saw for herself. She still bares the scars from her years at the commune and hides them under her long brown hair. Now, she intends to keep her secret while training to be a guardian as an escape... For now. Serena's final year of school was a bit strange, including running away from home in Italy, making new friends, dying, being brought back from death by her spirit wielding Moroi boyfriend, being confronted by her father, going manic addict on her friends, and actually managing to graduate as one of the top of her class. Despite offers, Serena decided to stay with Sebastian, which wasn't a hard decision to make. Their life over the last few years had been good. Serena was less antsy about her past, even managed to take down a few Strigoi without dying. Although, sometimes it was hard to tell who the Guardian was, with how protective Sebastian got. Ultimately, he had been the best thing to happen to her. She now wears her hair in a ponytail from time to time that often worries those who do not know about what all she has been through. Mainly Sebastian's family, although that could very well just be her and her relationship with Sebastian that they don't like. However, she likes the thought that her weakest moments lie with her strongest, the molnija marks that show how many Strigoi she's killed and are tattooed to a small piece of unscarred skin at the back of her neck, spilling out onto her upper back.

The Ties that Bind

Serena sat in the back of the car, her eyes glazed over and freaking out the driver a little. She might have seemed strangely spaced out to any person who didn't know about her and Sebastian's bond, but really she was spending this short encounter between the two friends in his head. Sebastian could see things that she couldn't, things like the girl's aura. Although, it was slightly dampened due to the fact that they had been working on controlling his spirit more, for the both of them, but auras were always the hardest to shut down entirely. She saw a slightly twinge in the aura when Gunner was mentioned and frowned slightly. Over the last few years, Sebastian had been teaching her about the auras and what it all meant, she liked looking at her own aura and seeing how bright it was when she was with him, she wished most days that she could see his. She noticed him suddenly turn from Anna and start heading toward the car. She quickly snapped back into her head and smiled as she climbed out, hearing him call her name, as though he were completely oblivious to what it was she was doing... Although, maybe he was... They had talked a little to the Queen about the whole bond that she once had with Rose and she said she could never really tell when it was that Rose was in her head. She poked her head over the car door, but just barely due to her short stature. She looked at Sebastian and smiled but she show him any outward affection. They had decided when Gunner and Anna's relationship crumbled that that was all for when those two weren't around. They didn't want to rub their happiness, their loving relationship (even if it had its own ups and downs), into their faces. Her eyes then drifted and looked at Anna, causing her smile to grow. She moved around the car door and closed it behind her before she ran over to the other girl and threw her arms around her. She didn't need Sebastian's ability to brush minds or see auras to know that Anna needed a hug. She pulled away and held the top of Anna's arms, "It's been too long," She told her before pulling her into another hug, "I've missed you." Even though Sebastian and herself had set out to ensure that they kept strong ties with the two friends, to ensure that they didn't feel like sides were being chosen, everyone had their own duties and things they needed to do that kept those meeting from being too frequent. She released her from the hug and smiled as she took a step back, "And don't let Sebastian make it sound like seeing his family was all bad," She said, giving away the fact that she had been in his head or at least that she had over heard. She hesitated trying to think of something nice to say about the family who had basically tried to break the two of them up their entire stay when they realized she wasn't just his guardian, "His sister is lovely..." ~ The black sedan pulled in through the gates and the wards and caused Gunner to sigh. He was without his ward, who had finally picked a permanent guardian, and was now just letting them push him around where he was needed. That was his duty to be available where ever he was needed. This time it was at the school, teaching. He thought is was pretty strange that they wanted an elite, who could be guarding the Queen or hunting down Strigoi or doing anything else anywhere else, to be teaching the new generation of Dhampirs. He guessed it was one way to make these kids want to excel. Gunner knew that if a member of the Elite was teaching him, he would have worked harder if he could have. As they drove passed another car, that he recognized as Sebastian's, he spotted the Moroi as well as Serena, who hardly ever left his side (whether she was physically there or up and in his head). Then he saw the girl he was hugging and his jaw clenched. It had been a long time since he had actually seen Anna. He had tried to see her, sending her invites to Elite events but it seemed like she had given up on being an Elite all together. He sighed, no one had told him that she was going to be there. He wondered how she had changed. He knew he had, he was more guarded now, which he supposed was good for a guardian. He rarely told people what he was feeling and hardly showed it on his face. The kid he was in class became the man he was in every day life. He thanked the driver before he climbed out. He looked over his three friends that he had finished school this, his face like stone, before he walked to the back of the car and gathered his things. He stole one last glance, the only sign that maybe there was a sadness or longing, before he pulled his bags onto his shoulders and headed toward his building and room.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye smiled at him and nodded her head as he told her that he would follow her today so that she could see knew things. She flicked her reins a little and started to walk with her horse. She was in a lavish dress despite it being loose around her midsection, hiding her small bump. With how much Lauralye and Robert had presented themselves to the people, and the crown on Lauralye's head, they would easily be recognized as the King and Queen which had problems of its own. There was crowding of people, it was harder for the two of them to just slip away, and there was also a sense of danger for the radicals who did not like the thought of a King and Queen. Those same people had killed her mother and had nearly taken her own life. She looked over at Thedas as the headed down the hill and smiled, no matter how much those people scared her, Thedas would keep her safe just like he always did and she trusted that. It didn't take long for them to slowly walk into the city.