It seeped like blood in the sand; desperation muddled between stony grains. Fantastical manifestations from the dreary pits of his imagination had become ever present in reality. Could any of this even be real? The hallucinations hid in the shadows behind the curtain veil of his mind's eye, but not always. Sometimes, it bled into the light. Stop lying to yourself, he quickly reprimanded himself with the shake of his head. If rumors were true (and if the menu was of any evidence,) he shouldn't drop his guard, least of all, in here. The last time he had, it'd almost cost him his legs.
But time heals all wounds, or so they say; Tay didn't agree. Every scar, every incision, was just as liable to rip open as the day it was carved. He was sensitive that way. In that sense, he had never changed. Inside, he had never actually grown into the man he had become. Although he was of a height of six feet, his shoulders wide and robust with thick muscled limbs, it didn't diminish the epitome of the lost soul he really was. If anything, it personified in those shrouded black robes. Nothing and no one; it made him vulnerable. But out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw her. The slash of silver perforated his peripherals, but it wasn't the first time. He spun his head, to double check, to make sure it was really her. Her tilted head had almost seemed to confirm it. But is it really her? He was afraid to ask. His mind was playing tricks on him, he decided, it hadn't been the first time. He spun his head around and frowned, lines creased deep into his brows. Was this a game?
"Tay." She breathed.
”Is it really you?” He ushered. He hoped he wasn't talking to himself, but he couldn't glance over his shoulder. He wouldn't. Too many illusions had cast doubt in his mind, the devils' danced and they wouldn't stop. The light at the end of the tunnel was ever fleeting. Just wishful thinking. But he could feel the cold burn of her eyes blazing on his back. Surely, he couldn't be imagining that too. Unless it was all a dream...
Michelle's eyebrow quirked at his question and she almost smirked... almost. She was surprised at herself. She'd thought that when she finally found him again, she'd be happy, ecstatic. She thought she'd confess everything that had raged through her head in the moments she got to herself. The moments she had to think. Because he was always on her mind, and in those spare quiet moments when she'd been resting or walking he'd been the only thing on her mind.
Yet here she stood, and she wasn't happy. Rage burned through her veins, making her eyes narrow on him. Without her really thinking about it at all, her hand rose and an instant later it seared across his face, her silver eyes stony and cold. "How dare you leave me waiting for 2 ******** years!" She growled. Her voice was not loud. She didn't need volume to sound intimidating. She knew all too well that volume and noise did not make you stronger than another a person or scarier than another person. Not that she would ever be either when compared to him. Nostrils flared and her nails dug into her palm to stop herself from slapping him again. "You left me! I was there! Why didn't you come find me?"
Her voice faltered on the last line and she swallowed hard. Her breathing was heavier, holding in rage and hurt like she was Pandora's box. She broke eye contact, staring over his shoulder and attempting to compose herself enough to try and speak in coherent sentences. "Why didn't you look for me Tay? You knew where I'd be. Why don't you......" 'care?''"Never mind...."
She shook her head slowly and pale fingers wove through her hair in what could only be a sign of distress. 'God damn him.' He shouldn't have had this kind of power over her. She should never have let him get close. Yet here she was and she was beginning to realize there would never be an escape for her. She would never be able to escape his pull.
ஐCallin’ out รเภร just to pass the ҭเ๓єஐ ஐI’ve gotภ๏ҭђเภﻮ left to ใ๏รєஐ ஐєνєгұҭђเภﻮthat I’ve๒єς๏๓єஐ ஐJust ғคใใรเภҭ๏ theєภ๔ஐ
It's a dream—it must be! Only his imagination could be so cruel. He didn't want to believe it, couldn't wrap the delusion around his mind. The longer he watched her, the more surreal it became. He felt so disconnected from himself, disassociative of his own being, like he was outside of his body looking in. The stir of emotions erupted regularly—every morning he thought his reflection was her and every night her face was in his shadow every where he stepped. It couldn't really be--craaAACK!--it's her.
It stung. The bitter pierce of reality shattered his train of thought. Perhaps for the better. He sat motionless, indignant. Prepared not to break down and—and what? Cry? No. He wasn't sure that was even possible anymore. Scream? Fight? Run? He didn't know anymore and what a horrible realization to come to. The silence stretched taut until it finally snapped and ricocheted out of control. Golden eyes flittered down, he couldn't hold her gaze. Strangulated by his own breath, even death had to be preferable to this: the wrath of a woman scorned. But what should he even say? He's sorry?
”I did.” He stressed with a low voice. ”I missed you, I kept missing you. First at Whitethornes and then...” he sighed inwardly. It didn't even matter anymore. ”You were the one who left.” He muttered darkly. And from his standpoint, it was true. She had gone off on her hunt, she had left the country. Nobody knew when she would return, or when she had even left! If she was even alive! At least he had given her notice, he warned her of his disappearances when he could—it couldn't always be a luxury. She hadn't done anything but leave and in return expected... what?
He was so lost. Nothing made sense; there was no motive, no order.
”What do you want from me?” Tay was tired—of life, of games, of questions—he was tired of all of it. She was angry, but he was too selfish to see why.
Michelle wanted to scream, or hit something, or both. He was such a idiotic, self-absorbed, imbecile sometimes. When his eyes left hers, she almost did hit him again, only just restraining herself from raising her hand. She couldn't even bring herself to rage at him though. Beneath it all. Beneath the fury and anger and coldness, the serpent was hurt, and she didn't know how to deal with that. She wanted to call him a liar, to scream at him that if he'd missed her he would have tried harder to find her, would have looked for her after he found the feather. She was not that hard to find. Since she had returned to England she had purposefully made herself easier to find than she ever had before, in hopes that he would look.
"..." She paused, her inner rant interrupted by his mutter. "I left you?" She stated, although it sounded more like a question. She hadn't left him. He had run off to God knows where, and she had assumed... she had known the chances of him coming back were so small that she doubted she'd ever see him again. What was she supposed to do? Had he expected her to pause her entire life and just wait for him? She had things she needed to do. She wasn't going to just stop and stand still and wait for something that might never happen. But that was exactly what she did all the time was it not? She was always on the edge, waiting for him, hoping for him, missing him. "I didn't leave! I was always coming back. You knew that. Everyone knew that. You were the one who ran off without me! You can't... I can't... I didn't know if you were ever going to come back Tay. What did you expect me to do? I couldn't just drop everything on the tiniest sliver of hope that maybe you would come back to me." 'People never come back to me. Why would you be any different?'
She ran a hand through her hair rather grumpily. Why had she missed him again? It seemed all they ever did was fight or almost get each other killed. She doubted they could have a normal conversation without hurting each other, or at least with out him hurting her. She never did know if she hurt him or not. He always hid everything from her. His final question slid back and forth in her mind like a seesaw. What did she want from him? She wasn't sure anymore. He was a maniac, and she was in love with him. That's the only facts she knew anymore. She blinked a couple times, trying to read his thoughts by just looking at his eyes. It was useless though, of course. He was impossible to read, and she had figured out long before, that legilimency did not work on him. "I want...." She paused again and then finally shrugged uselessly.
"I want you to stop leaving me." The whisper slid out so quietly, she wondered if he'd even hear her. He probably would of course, he always seemed to hear her every word, no matter how quiet she was or how loud a place was. It was almost as if his ears were so in tune with her voice that it was impossible for him to miss a single thing she said. 'And I want you to care about me.' She finished her thoughts in her head, not caring for him to hear that part. She didn't want him to know how weak she truly was when it came to him. She didn't want anyone to know.
ஐCallin’ out รเภร just to pass the ҭเ๓єஐ ஐI’ve gotภ๏ҭђเภﻮ left to ใ๏รєஐ ஐєνєгұҭђเภﻮthat I’ve๒єς๏๓єஐ ஐJust ғคใใรเภҭ๏ theєภ๔ஐ
Phantom sat alone in his room. Things were calm. Erianthe had all the portkeys she wanted. Wraith was off doing whatever it was that he did and Phantom's own fledglings were somewhere nearby. They were older now, able to take care of themselves. Perhaps at some point he could take on another fledgling. It seemed like a good time to do so. But that would mean leaving the Shack and finding someone. He didn't like to change people against their will. In a way, he felt that he had done that to Eric. Perhaps that was why he had yet to turn another male yet.
As soon as Phantom was just about to relax, he heard yelling coming from downstairs. It wasn't his cousins. No, this was someone else. This was a girl that seemed rather familar. Who was she yelling at? Curious, and feeling defensive, the vampire ran down the stairs to find someone who was all too familiar trying to calm her down. It was one of the people that the part of him that was still Zane never wanted to see again. The man was someone that Zane hated. He was someone that he blamed for his sister's death, and for his own. If he had never met Roi, no Tay, he wouldn't be stuck as a teenager for all eternity.
"You," the vampire growled as he rushed to get between the girl and the wizard. No way was he letting Tay hurt her. "What are you doing here?" he said, spitting the words out as if they would leave a terrible taste in his mouth if he kept them in too long.
Devlyn Maycry
Essy ze Ninja
OOC TAY/ZANE STUFF SORRY MUSE IF WE BURN THE SHACK DOWN >;D
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 12:40 am
𝖂illiam 𝕯ante 𝕹otttheThird
𝕺cclumens, 𝕾lytherin 𝕬lumni
[Summer 2027]
The tension smoldered and his silence fanned the coals to embers until all at once it sparked. Michelle's cool stoicism had combusted beneath the pressure and it was nothing less than he deserved—but he didn't understand that. You did, he wanted to spit but he knew better than to voice his thoughts. Honestly, Tay hadn't known what to expect when she graduated. He should have come to her, should have seen her. But... He breathed a slow sigh. His own familial affairs wouldn't be solved so easily, not with a simple trip. Still, he could have... should have... It doesn't matter anymore; the past is in the past, he decided willfully. Demons lurked beneath the surface and it was so hard to keep them at bay—”You were still in school,” Tay's voice was low and drawn out through clenched teeth. He breathed slowly, and only now finally stood from the bar stool where he had rested all this time at an even height with her. Now, he towered over her. But the shadows seemed to play tricks on him, plucked on the paranoia. ”Well I'm here now.” He declared boldly. What it meant—he had no ******** clue.
She was frustrated. She always ripped her fingers through her hair when she was stressed. Michelle seemed to do that more often than not, when he was around her. Though Tay refused to believe any correlation. He was adamant, but he didn't know for what. He wanted answers, but didn't know to what questions. He was groping in the dark and it made him sick to his stomach because it was so reminiscent of being possessed. But he's not. He had to remind himself. I'm not.
When Michelle had finally answered his question, his reaction never came. Tay turned at the sound of footsteps fallen to the landing of a staircase and a face he had never wanted to see again. It meant memories—mistakes, regret, betrayal, death. Tay was mesmerized. Zane hadn't seemed to age a single day since the last time they'd been face to face. Tay, on the other hand, was quite the contrary, accented with wrinkles, sullen eyes, and facial hair. He took an involuntary step back when Zane intervened (and at such a quick pace, too.) Tay had never forgotten their last encounter in the forbidden forest, how he appeared right before his eyes without even a wand in hand. To this day, Tay had to believe it was a disillusionment charm. Nothing else made sense. Nothing. He hadn't forgotten those letters all those years ago, either.
'You haven't heard the last of me,' it said.
”You.” He responded callously without missing a beat, trying desperately not to appear as exhausted as he felt. ”I'm just talking.” Slowly, he pronounced each word warily. Gold eyes flashed back and forth between Michelle and Zane—did they know each other? ”I'm not here to cause trouble.” He explained, for once, with honesty on his side. Doubtless it would matter, his word meant nothing. Nothing to Zane. Apparently nothing to Michelle. Nothing to no one.
Michelle all but forgot about her anger the moment Phantom stepped into the conversation. She narrowed her eyes at him, just barely avoiding rolling them as he stepped between the two of them, as if to protect her. She knew who he was, how could she not when Gracie was her cousin. Whether he knew who she was or not was another question, one she didn't care about.
She almost laughed at Tay's response though. 'not here to cause trouble'. Wherever he went trouble seemed to follow, so she almost didn't blame Phantom for wanting to step in. He was the bouncer after all was he not? She cleared her throat and easily stepped around the vampire before turning towards him and raising an eyebrow. "Its rather rude to interrupt conversations you know." Her voice was quiet, and yet somehow sounded a bit threatening. She wasn't one to be underestimated either. If anyone was stupid enough to get into a fight with a vampire, it'd be her and Tay. Although... she wasn't quite sure Tay knew he was a vampire...
A small smirk was toying with her lips now at this realization. She for once might actually know something Tay didn't and it was improving her mood tenfold. She quirked at eyebrow at Phantom curiously. "We haven't done anything wrong. Are you going to kick us out?" She was definitely stupid enough to try provoke a vampire.
She glanced back at Tay curiously too. His reaction to the man was that of hatred. Did he know him? Gracie had never once told Michelle what Phantom's real name was or who he'd been before he was turned, only that he was her maker, her clan leader, and he went by Phantom. Curious really. Maybe Tay knew who he was before he was a clan leader....
ஐCallin’ out รเภร just to pass the ҭเ๓єஐ ஐI’ve gotภ๏ҭђเภﻮ left to ใ๏รєஐ ஐєνєгұҭђเภﻮthat I’ve๒єς๏๓єஐ ஐJust ғคใใรเภҭ๏ theєภ๔ஐ
"I'm not here to cause trouble," came the response. Not here to cause trouble? Wasn't that what everyone said as they caused trouble? To an extent, this was his shop. This was his place. This was where his clan, his family lived. While Zane Acacia hated being a leader, Phantom knew that the other vampires were his family, and after what happened the last time Tay had been involved with a member of his family, Phantom felt he had every right to be suspicious. Besides, while this girl wasn't a vampire, he could tell that she seemed to be related to Phoenix. They seemed so similar somehow. They had to be related.
"Bullshit," Phantom spat, his fangs bared at Tay. With everything that had happened since their time at Hogwarts, since they had to deal with Roi, since those letters, the vampire knew better. What perfect way for Tay to get close to Phantom again than to come to the Shack under the guise of meeting some girl. Some girl that happened to be very similar to one of his own fledglings.
Turning to face the girl, he smiled. "Oh, I know. But the thing is, with him, I really don't care," Phantom responded. It was true. He was raised to be polite. To listen, not to interrupt, and yet here he was, interrupting. His mother would be so ashamed of him. But if she knew why, perhaps she wouldn't be. "And I believe you mean you haven't done anything wrong. Well, at least that I know about, him on the other hand, well, that's quite the story. Have you told her that one yet?" the vampire said, turning around to face the one person he hated more than anyone else.
”Hn,” he bit back a guttural snarl. It was his only appropriate response to such an aggressive bite. The fangs would have been a curiosity if Tay had even been bothered enough to notice. All he saw was red. But even if he had, doubtless he would believe the truth until it was just too late. He'd blame it on anything, everything—he wouldn't allow his enemies the probability of something better, something stronger.
Slitted eyes of glowing gold tore back and forth between the vampire and the witch; muscles tensed and his heart rate began to skip paces the longer that the other man's attention was set on Michelle. The banter was less than friendly, but then, when could anything be friendly with a monster in the room? The slytherin stood defiant though silent, at this point, any word he said could (and most certainly would) be used against him. It was all he could do to keep from gritting his teeth and growling under his breath. He had hoped the exchange would initiate more of an insight, but it only proved to be more vague. Until accusations and threats were hurled. Tay snorted. ”Oh, really?” If there was anything more condescending than the smirk on his face right now, it was the tone in his next few words. ”I'm not the only one with ghosts and skeletons in their closet—” Tay had every intention to spiral downward but restrained himself and rose a hand in the process to express his hesitance.
”If you wanted vengeance you had your chance.” He spat each word like poison. ”Why harass me now?” Tay was negligent to mention that, for years, he had been holed up in the security of Hogwarts Castle where Zane surely was not allowed. The years thereafter he bounced from one safe house to the next, disappeared to Russia more than once, and had gone in hiding after the assisted assassination of the muggle prime minister. He had certainly kept busy. But this was not how this evening was supposed to happen, this encounter should never have had to happen. If he had any sense in his thick skull, he would leave—now—but that would mean turning his back.
He couldn't run; couldn't let his guard down, and why should he? Because of Tay, Zane had lost someone precious. Because of Zane, Tay will now never have a night of peaceful sleep.
Michelle narrowed her eyes at the vampire and snorted. It seemed she had aqcuired a habit of getting wrapped up in all of Tay's old rivalries. She wondered if this one would end in a duel to the death too. Of course Phantom couldn't die in the normal ways so she didn't like the prospects of a duel to the death between them.
What was really tickling her though, was the idea that the vampire really thought she didn't know how many wrong things Tay had done. It seemed all he ever did was wrong, but of course.... that was what had attracted her to him so many years ago. Good guys just weren't any fun. She sighed and slid between the two, rolling her eyes. Vengeance, anger, why was it that no on she knew could just leave the past in the past and move on from their s**t.
"As much as I enjoy the thought of you two trying to kill each other," 'especially since I half want to kill Tay myself right now,'"I don't think Gracie would be very happy if you died Phantom, and I really don't want to have to deal with her maniac tendencies when she gets upset. " She paused and then shrugged, "And I kind of like him alive most days." She finished gesturing to Tay before narrowing her eyes at the vampire and then at Tay, daring either to piss her off any more than she already was.
ஐCallin’ out รเภร just to pass the ҭเ๓єஐ ஐI’ve gotภ๏ҭђเภﻮ left to ใ๏รєஐ ஐєνєгұҭђเภﻮthat I’ve๒єς๏๓єஐ ஐJust ғคใใรเภҭ๏ theєภ๔ஐ
The vampire couldn't help but crack a smirk at the mention of skeletons and ghosts in the closet. Particularly the bit about ghosts. Did Tay know that his sister was now a Hogwarts ghost? At least Phantom had embraced his ghost; helping her with that scavenger hunt and all. "Harass you?" the response came. Honestly, the vampire was a bit surprised. "Certainly you would have heard that this is my territory. Why come here and not expect this to happen? Honestly, I'd think you'd have more foresight."
Then Michelle had to speak. Perhaps that was the only reason they were being civil right now. Phantom didn't want to risk hurting her, and he was quite certain that Tay didn't want to do anything to upset her any further, especially if she was anything like her cousin. "Oh, I don't expect there to be any death tonight," the vampire admitted as he took a seat. Perhaps tonight Tay was no threat. Either way, he still didn't like the idea of killing someone. Turning them? That was one thing. Killing? No, he didn't like that idea at all.
Devlyn Maycry
Essy ze Ninja
OOC: Shitty post is late and shitty.
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 12:11 pm
𝖂illiam 𝕯ante 𝕹otttheThird
𝕺cclumens, 𝕾lytherin 𝕬lumni
[Summer 2027]
If he had heard her, he didn't acknowledge the fact. Peripherals maintained their visage on her silvery wisp, the entirety of his focus, however, bore into the vampire like a wooden stake until Michelle stepped between the two. His nose twitched, trying not to sneer as he crossed his arms over his chest and held his head a little higher, keen on the fact that Zane hadn't grown much at all, if any. A burst of air snorted through flaring nostrils, Tay never did break eye contact. ”I haven't heard anything about you,” he admitted honestly, though begrudging of the fact. ”I'm sure you meant it that way.” It only made sense. He was still a killer on the run, even if the case went cold and her ghost had appeared in the castle (a rumor which had been heard only once before.) Still... It provoked more questions than it answered. ”Foresight?” He scoffed ever so dramatically; a flood of sun bleached sands drowned him in memories. ”And here I thought you knew me.” Tay rolled his eyes, willed himself out of the quicksand.
”But I know you.” He challenged, eyes wide and wild. And that's when he remembered. 'It's your fault Tay. If you had never let that bloody demon take control of you, she'd still be alive and I wouldn't have to hide in this damn shack!
One of these days you'll pay for it.
”I remember.” He swallowed hard; tore his vision away from him for the first time since he'd stepped down from those stairs to nod down to Michelle. ”If you want to talk... It can't be here.” Eyes of gold flashed perilously up at Zane. ”It seems I'm not welcome here.” In those few moments, the hindrance of Michelle's words recollected in his mind, driving his vision to target those silver orbs. Just what the hell did she mean by cousin, he had to wonder. Which cousin? Because he knew one, had seen her, up close and intimate in the throes of death and blood and glory. But what a coincidence would it be, could it be?
He murdered them, her parents. And it led the girl to Zane. He was instigating an army against himself and he didn't even ******** know it!
Michelle watched the two banter back and forth for a few moments before finally rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "You two act like teenage girls around each other." She sounded annoyed at best but knowing her, annoyance was probably just boredom with the conversation. If she wasn't learning something new about someone, or her curiosity wasn't being piqued by the going ons, then she was going to get bored rather quickly. Whatever Tay had to do with Phantom, she honestly didn't care. Tay had secrets, that wasn't new to her, and a vampire clan leader having secrets was no shock either.
"No death, no fun. Don't you know that rule Phantom?" She sneered, rolling her eyes at him. Half his clan came from near death experiences that led to them being undead, if he didn't think death was fun, then he was missing out. She snorted when Tay mentioned not being welcome there. "No s**t sherlock..." She muttered under her breath, before turning on her heel to leave. Her eyes met his face just in time to see panic running rampant in golden orbs. He was panicking at the mention of what? Her cousin? Grace? Now...now she was curious. As far as she was aware he'd never met Grace, although she was all to aware that Grace had a fear of the exact shade of gold his eyes were.
She tilted her head slowly, peering up at him curiously, a smirk crawling onto her lips. Now she was remembering why she had missed him. He always had something new and interesting to offer. As the years went by though, it seemed his sanity wore thinner and thinner and she saw more and more of the things he'd hidden from her for so long. Things like fear, and panic, and... lust...
A toothy grin parted her lips and brushed silver locks from her face as she continued to watch him curiously. Normally one would be concerned about putting their back to a vampire, but then again when had this snake ever been normal? She was in love with a mad man after all.
ஐCallin’ out รเภร just to pass the ҭเ๓єஐ ஐI’ve gotภ๏ҭђเภﻮ left to ใ๏รєஐ ஐєνєгұҭђเภﻮthat I’ve๒єς๏๓єஐ ஐJust ғคใใรเภҭ๏ theєภ๔ஐ
Teenage girls? Yes, Tay and Zane weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms, but certainly teenage girls wasn't the best description of their relationship. Besides that, neither one of them was a girl, and only one was still a teenager, at least in appearance. "Well pardon me, but in case you didn't realize, I'm stuck as a teenager," the vampire said snidely. If he was being called a teenager he might as well act like one. Besides, it was good practice. Who knew if he would actually need to act the age he looked?
Phantom cracked a smile. "Death is fun? Tell that to someone who isn't dead," he said. He hated dying. He hated killing. He hated the fact that he had experience with both and neither was fun. Not then, not now, not ever. That was part of the reason he only turned people to save them. Part of him hoped that by doing that he would be able to pay his debt.
"Stay here or not, I don't care. I don't own this place. But I'll be outside, so I'll know if you're causing any trouble," the vampire said as he stormed out.
The caustic roll of his eyes mirrored his annoyance, of course, leave it to the witch to get under their skin with a few petty words. Women can be so malicious when they tried; he should know, after all. He's had his heart broken time and time again, and never in the way one would traditionally expect. Listlessly, he conceded in silence as the pair bickered back and forth, his expression dramatic at every cue of a man who did not, in fact, realize they were in the presence of a vampire. It left him reeling in his thoughts; was he lying?! No... No.. it explained all too much. Moreso, Michelle seemed the least bit phased. Now, Tay had to wonder why that could be. But the vampire didn't linger long enough for any more questions to breach the surface. Dust stirred as he side stepped to watch the vampire vanish behind a closed door. He quirked a brow and turned to stare at Michelle. ”...I wish I could say that doesn't happen often.” But he'd most certainly be lying. The dull of silence punctured his eardrums with a hollow ringing, Noticing the sweat built up on the back of his neck and palms, he threw open the veil of his cloak behind each broad shoulder revealing the plain garment of a dark, double breasted coat and a darker pair of trousers.
”I meant to write you,” he finally explained, though it did little to help his cause, ”I just—“ Tay growled under his breath; it was all just too much. And no matter how far he ran, the past had always come back to haunt him. Every fiber of strength focused in his mind, compartmentalizing all the thoughts and memories and emotions, to block them, to suppress them, until nothing was left. ”I'm sorry,” he finally sputtered, when it seemed like there was nothing else left to say.
”Run away with me,” madness burst like wildfire in his eyes, at that moment, he wanted nothing more. It all made sense. ”We'll disappear, and never come back.” Maybe then, he could be happy. He was so desperate for it. For even a moment of peace, he'd sell his soul, if only he had one to give.
