Getting the job done

[B.D. Adams]

(He’s out in the open. It’s fair play for any with logical reason to be about.)

It was in the early morning hours of that day that he appeared, when the rays of the sun first began to move across the darkness and shed light on the world. All around, much of the world was still sleep; and he could feel the calm that sleep brought to so many. In a few more hours the sun would have succeeded in pushing back the darkness and colors of red and orange, purple and blue, would mix to create the standard sky people see everyday.

However, it was in the early hour, the time where things were just beginning, that Benjamin D. Adams stood facing the Inn less than a block away. The timing was perfect: it was the beginning.

The package that he had dropped off weeks before for De’Ryanna had not been delivered and therefore, it was time to take matters into his own hands. It was such a small and trivial things, delivering a letter, though he knew the many reasons why it wasn’t done. Even if he had done the formal thing and set it at the front desk he knew it still would not have been delivered. No one there, who knew him, would help accomplish his goal. Fortunately there were new people inside the establishment. It didn’t matter. If you want something done right, you had to do it yourself.

First order of business was retrieving the manila envelope. No one had touched it, they had chosen to be smart and heed his warning: None but blood should touch the letter. He pulled his right hand out from the confines of the side pocket on his baggy black jeans and extended his fingers towards the Inn. Palm down, his fingers came together and as he turned his hand around, the envelope was in his possession once again. It was just as he had left it, the otherwise flat surface disturbed by the slightest bulge.

A languid smile crept across his lips as he thought about the contents. Perfect. All he needed to do now was call.

Opening his jacket, the envelope was placed in the left breast pocket, his now empty hand returning to his pant pocket. His lips parted as his tongue gave them the slightest bit of moisture before he spoke four syllables into the wind. “De’Ryanna.”

[Guest]

Tasha had a logical reason to be about at this time of the morning. Leviathan had wanted out, and sometimes the doors to the outside were latched and she couldn't get them open by herself. Such was the case this very morning. Leviathan had gone downstairs and wasn't able to get out. So she went back up and got Tasha out of bed and they had both went down and gone out front. Tasha told herself to remember to ask about some of the door handles being changed out so that she and Casie weren't getting up to let their companions out.

Now given that most of the creatures of the night were on their way to bed at this hour, and most of the creatures of the day were not ready to stir as of yet. Tasha wore nothing more than her gold chemise nightie and had pulled on the matching robe. She wore black maribu slippers. Even her slippers had a heel to them, one inch, but still. She did not even take the time to brush her hair, not that it was messy. And her face was clear of makeup, giving away her freckles. A very mild case given she was a natural red-head.

At this moment they were standing out in from out in the Inn and were going to head back Inside, where Tasha was hoping for a few more hours sleep. She had not been paying much attention to anything that could be going on, she just wanted to get back to sleep. The Inn was so quiet and peaceful at this hour, even out in front over near the road. Was ... A single word spoken in the silence brought Tasha back to reality.

She looked up to see the source of this disruption and saw Benjamin. She was after all a cat with excelent night vision. She closed her robe tighter around her and then reached down with one hand to pet and quiet and already growling Leviathan. "Benjamin." A simple word of acknowledgment. She snapped her fingers down near Leviathan's head and she quieted and began to head for the Inn. "Have a nice day." And she too headed for the Inn. Let it never be said that she lacked manners.

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

Though it was early in the day, De'Ryanna was awake. Armandeus always woke up early to get things started in the kitchen, or just to think about things before the day and she enjoyed getting up with him. This morning was not much different than the others but, on this particular morning, she felt very restless, something that was uncharacteristic for her. Something simply did not feel right.

As she was taught, traces of her discomfort were with-held, kept in side for her own private musings. It was probably nothing but the result of the events of the past few days and the demands of the Inn. Though she hadn't spoken of it to anyone, she often thought about what happened in the glade between herself and Thor.

Moving a comb through her head, De'Ryanna suddenly felt a knot develop in her stomach and it caused her to pause. Sitting up straighter she looked around the room. Where had Armandeus gone? Perhaps he had already gone down and she missed him? She felt her nerves starting to rise up and she put her brush down on the table; that was when she heard her name spoken. It was Benjamin calling. Her first thought was on how dare he assume to call her like that, though it was a lot better than simply appearing.

He made her nervous, that was no secret, but was it because of who he was and what he could do? Or was it because of her childhood experience? Or maybe, it was something all together different. She thought about staying, but then she felt that knot in her stomach tighten and she knew she had to go, if not for anything but to cure her curiosity. Brushing her hands down her skirt - which was grey today - she exited her room and then out the Inn, keeping her hands folded in front of her as she walked.

On her way out she ran into Tasha and her animal companion - she didn't know its name. She graced them both with a small smile, catching sight of Benjamin from the corner of her eye. "Good morning to the two of you." De'Ryanna delayed for half a moment, standing there at the threshold, before she stepped out of the way of Tasha and the panther and started down the path, eyes staying focused ahead.

Shoulders back and chin up she stopped a foot or two away, close enough so they wouldn't have to shout and far enough for her comfort. To her, she was the perfect composure of an Aes Sedai: calm and collected and not showing any signs of nerves. Though he was a werewolf, amongst other things. "What do you want, Benjamin?"

[Guest]

"Good morning." Tasha was headed to the door. Leviathan had decided that she wasn't done yet and went back out into the yard. Tasha tried to call her in, tried to explain to her that it was rude to try and eavesdrop. But Leviathan was refusing to listen. So Tasha did the best she could to not hear a word of their conversation while Leviathan forced herself to stay out doing things she could have waited several hours to do.

[B.D. Adams]

The minutes passed by and he could feel the elements of this world starting to wake up even though it was still a few hours before sunrise. He had become aware of Tasha's and the animals presence before they passed through the door. She had her own distinctive smell and it was known to him.

It was so terribly convenient wasn't it? That he happened to be there, outside the Inn, yet a member from the Vampires entourage had appeared. Surely he did not put into question the panthers need to relieve himself - it was only an animal - he merely found the connivence of the situation to be amusing. Since his initial arrival to this Inn, and his inquiring of De'Ryanna, he always appeared to be under watch. The people here were a paranoid bunch.

Tasha had spoken to him in greeting and there was no need for him to ignore it, even if she was not the one he sought. He tipped his head towards her, acknowledging her presence, though any words he would have uttered went unspoken for he saw the one was after moving through the front doors.

She had come.

Benjamin watched as she exchanged civilities with Tasha, and how afterwards the panther had refused to go inside. That they may have an audience did not matter to him. What did matter was that De'Ryanna had heard his call and answered. She could have chosen to ignore it, but to do so would have only made her restless and prove to be highly distracting. Besides, if she had not answered he would have gone in, but this worked out for the both.

She smelled divine: innocence mixed in with a muted anger and frustrations, oh the things he could accomplish with her if only he could bide his time a little longer. As she drew nearer he could tell that something about her was. . . Different. There was a new layer to her make-up, just as there was when her father pushed her into her first Shift. It was something untamed and he loved it.

When she stopped her advances and spoke, that is when he began stepping forward. Her voice was filled with such confidence, with an almost commanding edge, but her emotions betrayed what was hidden behind her composed exterior and it may be something he could use to his advantage.

He had no care for staying out of a persons personal space and therefore he had no problem invading hers. Stepping in close to her side he watched the small flutters of her skin that came with breathing. He saw how the chosen articles of clothing rested upon her frame and took note on how the small passes of the breeze moved the topmost strands of her hair. His fingers flexed at his side after he withdrew them from the pockets of his pants, wanting to reach out and yet he kept them yet in place.

"I have something for you," came the smooth tones of his voice. No matter how strong the desire, Benjamin never touched her. There was no need. Yet. "You should accept it, graciously." He spoke directly to her, almost in her ear as he was standing at her right side, back partially turned to the Inn.

"I picked it out especially for you."

[Guest]

Tasha had made her way over to the side of the building, hoping to put some distance between the two. De'Ryanna seemed to be uneasy around the other wolf. Tasha wasn't going to get nosy enough to find out why. She was trying to put some space between her and Leviathan and the other two in the vicinity. No matter how suborn a girl Leviathan was being.

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

De’Ryanna was irritated. He had called her, this early in the morning, because he had something for her? It couldn’t wait until later? Of course not, later would have meant the chance of people milling about and the chance of those people wanting to know hat was taking place. As it was, there was only Tasha and the panther.

She could stall for time; stretch the time out longer until it was full daylight, even if that were hours away. If she had wanted to stall then she shouldn’t have answered the call so quickly. She was here now, and therefore she shouldn’t delay. The sooner she got this over with the better; besides, as soon as he saw her, she felt the knot in her stomach begin to dissipate.

Benjamin had this way about him that made her skin tingle whenever he got to near. It made her catch her breath and stand a bit taller, and she had need to call on all the lessons she’d learned on maintaining composure. He didn’t only invade her personal space; he claimed it for his own and made her feel unwelcome. The only time he maintained a respectable distance – which for him meant arms length – from her was when they were around a group of people.

She tried to follow him with her eyes without moving her head but, as he was at her side, that was pretty hard to do. He was calm and confident and it was disturbing. He was purposely trying to get under her skin by standing so close. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his fingers flex. He never touched her; and the only time he had was when he claimed her as a child. That time in the lounge, he had come close, his fingers mere inches away. Even when they mixed company in the Court of her Foster, but that was different, no one was able to touch her there without permission.

Though here, away from the life of high society, on the road in the coming dawn, there were no such restrictions and yet he still restrained. There had to be a reason, though what it was she didn’t know. Drawing in a calm breath she spoke softly. “What if I don’t want it?” The calmness of her voice was the complete opposite of the torrent going on inside of her body.

As a natural reaction she grabbed hold of the Source and let it run through her. No movement was made to do this task and it was as natural for her as breathing and, for those who couldn’t hold the Source, there was nothing to be seen. Except for Benjamin. She knew that he could hold the male half and would be able to tell what she was doing. It was also without thought that she assembled the weave to block against eavesdropping. A simply construct to keep the sound of their conversation from carrying more than a few feet around them, she did this on many of her conversations, even while in the room with Armandeus.

In many ways, she was a private person.

[B.D. Adams]

Wasn't she lovely? Wasn't the whole scene lovely. Standing mere inches from her, feeling the energies that surrounded her, and getting a small taste of those emotions she hide so well beneath the surface. Was it fear? No, this wasn't simply fear, but confidence mixed in. It spoke in the way she held herself.

That was one of the things he admired about her, and one of the reasons he merely didn't take what he had wrapped his coils around those many years ago. That ability she had to mask her fears and insecurities behind a calm composure. One day, she would use those abilities to his benefit, and so much more.

"You want it," the statement wasn't passed to her lightly despite the smooth tone that he used. "It's in your blood." Benjamin brought up his hand and used the back of his fingers to chance a brush at a few hanging strands of her hair. Even with that slight brush of contact, small flows of what can only be described as an electric charge went from him to her. He didn't try for more than that, having already brushed up against her own energies he wasn't willing to go for more.

Yet, it was so tempting that he couldn't help himself. Fingers flexed once again and he stilled his own breath as he made the slightest contact against the smooth skin of her cheek. That contact delivered a few shots of an unnatural warmth. Beginning at the points of contact the heat from his fingers would shoot through her pours and settle into her nerves. This heat traveled through the few lines of her system, marking her genes and implanting his own, a transfer. Some people have described this touch as electrifying, others as a burning fire. From an onlookers viewpoint it would appear as nothing more than an exchange of lovers caress.

It was not only about what happened on her end, but what he felt. For Benjamin, the touch was equal to giving water to a man dying of thirst. It was just a sip, but it was enough to stave off an initial desire. De'Ryanna filled his system once more, and stronger than before. "Do they know," the words were whispered into her ear, "how deep our connection is? I wonder."

It was something to think on. "Now," he withdrew his hand from her cheek. "The thing I have for you."

[Guest]

Tasha had finally convinced Leviathan that she was done and they needed to go back inside. She walked her back around the the front of the building without even glancing to those who were out away from the Inn. She figured that De'Ryanna could handle herself, and if she needed help, she probably knew how to call out for others.

She made her way inside the Inn with a reluctant panther in her wake. She went over to the bar of the Inn, and she stepped behind it long enough to get herself a glass of water. She didn't usually go behind the bar or into the kitchen, but it was the middle of the night. She sat down to drink the water over by the fireplace to get warm before she would go back upstairs.

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

She had to have known it was coming. Like a gut feeling a person gets when something bad is about to happen; it caused a person to tense up and sometimes grow painfully aware of things. Holding on to the Source sharpened the senses, making them at least double than what they were before. Due to this, De’Ryanna was painfully aware of every movement Benjamin made while he was inside of her personal space.

When he started to speak, her brown eyes lazily drifted to a close. If he wanted, Benjamin could be quite the good guy and bring about calm in chaos. That’s what it felt like to her: his tone brought about stillness to her wave of internal emotions. For a brief moment, she was at perfect peace.

That moment was threatened when his fingers brushed against that bit of hair. Like a quick passing of cool air, it caused her to exhale slowly through her lips. What was that he said? It was something about ‘blood’, the rest of his words were gone. Just as she was starting to settle, the crack in her peace beginning to mend, he ripped it apart with that one single touch.

Her eyes shot open and, though her body didn’t move – at least she didn’t think it had – she had the feeling of loosing her balance and her limbs becoming sudden lead weights she was unable to hold. That’s what it’s like when the body goes into shock. It was that feeling of dead weight as the nerves were shot.

It would have been so easy to let herself slip under his influence. Just as he was surely feeling things about her, there was a lot of –surprisingly – positive energy coming from his end. Where she expected something destructive, this was a preserving energy. Like when a Sister gives her strength to her Warder to keep him strong and sustain him for task ahead, this was what he did to her. Yet, it was different and she was beginning to loose herself.

The words he said next pulled her back to the reality of what was happening. “Do they know…” Of course they didn’t. How could she tell them something that she wasn’t quite sure of herself? And if she told them any of what she knew?

“How dare you touch me!” Came her heated words. For a moment she lost the control that she had and, as his hand pulled away from her face, her own hand came up and went full force in a motion to slap him across the face. They were close enough that she couldn’t miss, but he had to have known what she was about to do. He had fast enough reflexes to stop the hit. If he wanted that is.

“Of all the nerve.” De’Ryanna was getting angry, and quickly. Where was this anger coming from? Many things made her upset, but they didn’t boil of this quickly. She squeezed her eyes shut and went for a backward step. “You’re not allowed to touch me!”

Control was quickly slipping from her grasp.

[Madeline Cauthon]

Maddie had woke up from a nightmare. It wasn't really a nightmare, just the rest of her memory returning. It took her a few moments to catch her breath. She didn't want to wake Kyra, and she couldn't go back to sleep, so she grabbed her cloak, and took a walk. She heard some voices talking. Two of them she recognized instantly, her foster sister De'Ryanna, and her friend Tasha. The other she didn't catch till she got a little closer. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Benjamins voice.

She stood back in the darkness of the early morning, as she saw Tasha and Leviathan head back to the Inn. She really didn't want to be seen. She wanted to absorb.

She had had enough when she heard a slap and De'Ryanna tell Benjamin he couldn't touch her. At the moment no one had seen her. Or at least she hoped he didn't She walked up behind Benjamin with her dagger pulled out, and put the blade end to his back.

"I would suggest Mr. Adams you not touch my sister again!"

[B.D. Adams]

De’Ryanna was his. Everything about her movements, the way she easily succumbed to him after he spoke but a few words, even that she had wanted to keep their conversation private. She was not as afraid of him has she made a show of being when around others. While she may trust him to a degree, she knew that he was still the enemy and he gave her no reason to think otherwise.

When her eyes had dropped shut she missed out on seeing the satisfied smile that crept on his lips – even when she went into a form of shock after the touch to the cheek. Benjamin’s free hand had risen up and was placed against her back in anticipating incase she happened to loose her balance. Nothing came from the fingers on that hand; it was merely a hand and the touch light enough to go unnoticed.

One benefit of being a predator was the ability to utilize the senses in ways that were not used by the average person. Two of his senses were always in play: that of smell and hearing. Though his back was turned to the Inn and his sight was on the young lady before him, Benjamin was acutely aware of his surroundings and the people and things that moved about it. He knew when Tasha and her animal companion had re-entered the Inn, and he knew that Madeline was standing off in the shadows.

Maybe she had forgotten how he had carried her that one night up to the bedroom on the second floor and laid her unconscious body on the bed. How he carefully had fed energies into her body to ease her into healing and then had sealed it off with a kiss. It had not been out of any particular love for the girl that he had done his actions; Benjamin was merely ensuring the warranty on a product until the end of its usefulness. He had marked her once before, only then to make another and those markings had been wrapped around her very precious soul.

If it gave her confidence to believe that she could sneak up on Benjamin for any reason, he would humor her. Nothing in his movements gave evidence that he knew she was there for he carried on with the task at hand: conversing, and trading energies with De’Ryanna.

He knew exactly what he was doing, even that he had gone too far in touching her cheek, but the result was worth, even if it caused a break in the flow. Benjamin could have stopped the slap of De’Ryanna’s hand, but he wanted her to feel the repercussions of her actions. However, with the state of turmoil he sent her body into during those short moments of contact, would she even be able to tell?

She had backed away from him; he felt her anger and frustration rising with every beat of her heart. Benjamin also heard the sound of steel being released and Madeline’s scent growing stronger with her approach. He would have known she was drawing nearer even with the sound of her weapon or the smell of blood.

When he arrived outside the Inn on this crisp winter morning, he had not come with the intention of harming anyone; his only intention was to deliver a ‘gift’. Nothing ever worked out as expected and, once again, his presence at the Inn was beginning to cause uproar. If he had not already been annoyed by Tasha’s earlier presence, the tip of steel Madeline had placed at his back certainly sealed the deal.

There was something of greater importance to be dealt with and yet Madeline had chosen to come after Benjamin. Pity on her part, he felt no remorse for what he was about to do. Reaching into the inside pocket of his coat he took hold of something, straightening his back to move it inches away from the daggers tip. “Madeline,” His words were smooth and deep, they pulled at her and spoke of stillness. A slow step forward as he turned his attention away from one and placed it on the other.

Such a pretty girl she saw and she would see him smile, though it was not a friendly one. “You should have helped your sister.” No actions were made by Benjamin as he stood there looking at her, but that did not mean that nothing was being done.

After his words were said, the strings that he had previously wrapped around Madeline’s soul tightened. Her lungs instantly failed to produce air, causing her to suffocate from the inside and the heart stopped beating, ceasing the flow of blood to the critical organs. All it took was a second and the soul of Madeline Cauthon was in his possession, fully absorbed into his system and leaving her as nothing but a soulless shell. And what a soul she had. Could she survive without a soul?

Benjamin didn’t give as much as a second look to Madeline. In the next instant he was standing in front of De’Ryanna, and brushing his hand across the fabric around her waist. A hair-thin silver chain had settled where he had placed his hand.

Then he was gone. Simply gone.

[Guest]

Venis and Kahn had been sleeping soundly. But the scene that was about to transpire would look to outsiders like a scene from a horror movie. Venis sat straight up in bed. Her hand went to her stomach. "Oh Gods ... Maddie." She reached to her side to stir her husband awake and then fled from the bed. Her first stop, to the bathroom. She slid to her knees to empty the contents of her stomach into the commode.

She rose up and grabbed for a robe not wishing to take the time to dress. That kind of time could not be afforded. Her husband would either stir and join her or not. She couldn't wait and see. As she was closing the robe around herself she tore a portal and rushed through it. She stepped out of the portal into the lobby of the Inn. She remained long enough to get Tasha and then was back in the portal.

When she stepped free again she was at Madeline's side. "Tasha, blood." And as Tasha's arm was displayed before her Venis gave no thought to sinking her fangs into Tasha's flesh. Two swallows of the powerful lycan blood that began to flow and Venis reached her arm into Madeline's chest. The arm no longer had the solidity of flesh and bone. But once inside, parts of it would re-solidify to suit her needs.

She placed her hand over Maddie's heart and began to squeeze and release. She repeated this action causing a heartbeat. But she had to keep this particular heartbeat going herself, there would be no way for it to continue on it's own. She released Tasha's arm so that Tasha could breathe life into the body once more. That's all it was now, just a body. But the body had to be kept alive as long as possible if this was going to be fixed.

She looked up at the Inn and did two things. First, she called out to two of the other three people she needed. She had let Kahn know she was leaving their bed already, and he would come and find her if he woke. But there were two others. "Gawain, JonLouis!" ~Gawain, JonLouis!~ Both a mental and a verbal yell to get her point across.

The second thing she did was something she had not been expecting. "De'Ryanna, come here please. I need your help to help you and Madeline." She knew that the young she wolf didn't like her, but that had never stopped her from trying to help anyone before, and would not stop her now. She continued to pump the heart and she waited. But she was having trouble holding the form of her arm, so someone had better hurry, Tasha could only give so much, and couldn't give while she was breathing for another.

[Guest]

Tasha had been sitting curled up in the chair slowly sipping from a glass of water. Suddenly there was Venis and she was grabbing her up to take her with her somewhere. She had been caught off guard and didn't even get a chance to put her slippers back on.

Once they stepped from the portal she saw Venis drop to her knees before the lifeless body of Maddie. Venis barely got Tasha's name from her lips and Tasha was offering her arm to the Goddess. She knew what had to be done, both as a healer and as one of Venis' best friends.

The fangs punctured her flesh and she caught her breath. She hated that feeling, mostly because Venis only drank from her in an emergency and so she never took the time to put her under. But she had survived worse. Venis drank for a moment before she released.

As the wounds on her arm were already starting to heal she rushed to Maddie's head. She skinned her knees as she slid into place and reached to begin mouth to mouth resuscitation. She leaned Maddie's head back and stuck her finger in her mouth to make sure that the airway was clear. Then she pinched her nose with one hand while the other hand rested upon the back of her neck to hold the head in place.

A deep breath was taken and slowly, yet forcefully, blown into Maddie's lungs once Tasha's open mouth covered Maddie's. She came up far enough to draw another breath and to let the air come back out of Maddie's lungs. Then she breathed in again. She continued this so that the lung and the heart were now both working.

There were two problems though. One being that Tasha would eventually start to get light headed. And two, just because the heart and lungs were keeping oxygenated blood flowing through the body, there was nothing to keep them going if the women stopped. More would have to be done. But they couldn't stop what they were doing to take care of that more.


Leviathan finally made her way out the door and saw what was going on. She had been around these two long enough to learn what was going on and what was needed. So she took off in search of live prey. Venis was not beneath drinking from animals, and Leviathan had brought her live ones before. She knew how to capture and not kill.

Leviathan was gone for a handful of moments, when she returned with a rabbit in her teeth. The rabbit was kicking and clawing trying to gain it's freedom. Leviathan would not let go, nor would she shake the little thing and kill it. Venis needed it alive. She handed the rabbit to Venis and as Venis took it with her free hand and bit into it, drinking it's life from it's body, Leviathan went after more.

[Gawain]

The skies grew dark, and the very air seemed to crackle with some sort of energy. There was something brewing, and it wasn't good for anyone. Where there was usually a light blue vertical slash in the air followed by a widening Gateway, the air looked as if the Pattern itself had been torn asunder because he wanted to get through. He, of course, was Gawain, a mask of rage frozen on his features, his face too wide with teeth that should not have formed yet. He stood stock-still for a moment, then flipped the front of his duster open, then drops it to the ground. One could see, upon close inspection, that he is wearing something that hasn't left the carefully hidden closet beneath his bed in well over ten years. Twin nickel-plated Desert Eagles hung in their respective places beneath his arms, and the new sword that his First-Brother, Master of the Forge and all around ass-kicker, Dreconis had forged for him. One difference could be noticed....the sword had changed colors just a bit. He had retained many things he had learned from one of the Forsaken, the servants of the Dark One, Shaitain, Ba'alzamon. Many, many things, such as the way to transmute the perfection that Dreconis had forged for him into Cuendillar, also known as Heartstone. No power can break it, and any force directed against it only made it stronger. "Tasha. Venis. Is there anything...ANYthing...that I can do here?" His voice.....it sounded as if there were three people talking, ranging from a deep bass to a rich baritone, all very, very pissed. "You two keep it up. She stays on this side of the River no matter what, even if I have to take her place. I'll be done soon, anyway." He started looking around the area....well, more like glaring at his surroundings. He seemed to have found what he was looking for.....

"De'Ryanna. Blood and ashes, what did he do to you? To BOTH of you?!" He turned a little to the left. "That's where Maddie was." A little further, to the exact point that Benjamin had vanished from. "There's the Dead one." He pulled a small vial from his belt, dumping the contents into his palm. A smile that had nothing to do with mirth or laughter split his face, and he Channeled. Fire, Air, Spirit, and Water formed a complex weaving that, if they could have seen it, they would have thought of a duvet woven of the finest, most colorful silk in the world. Another slash formed in the Pattern, this one the color of dried blood, and he growled triumphantly. ~First-Brother, I need you. I'll show you where mentally....grab the best weapon you have and let's kill somebody, eh?~ He smirked at that thought as he gazed at the wonder before him he had never attempted before. So, Ishamael wasn't lying after all, nor was Asmodean. The Forsaken had done their jobs well, as had the M'Hael. They wanted weapons made of the men, and that is what they got: living, breathing weapons. Can such a weapon be cast aside with disdain when the need for it is over......?

I'll be Damned if I will be, thought Gawain as he waited for the arrival of his First-Brother.

[Guest]

Venis looked up as she cast aside another dead rabbit. "Gawain, help De'Ryanna. She's going to loose her mind. She has to be your priority. Please. You know she won't let me help her." She kept Maddie's heart beating while Tasha kept breathing air into her lungs. Hearing what else he said she almost missed a heartbeat. "No, you will not take her place because there is no place to take. Kahn will make sure of that." She knew what Gawain was going through, she could feel it. And as Levi brought her another rabbit she sighed. "This is not working," But she drank the blood of the rabbit anyway.

"Where are they?" She needed others in order to save Maddie. What was taking them so long. She knew that Kahn was going to take a minute, that was just him. He might have even anticipated her needs and gone after things she needed without even coming to her. Ok, if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Hmm, Gawain had called to Dre in his own way, no need to go there. Emilia. ~Emilia, I need your help, it is a life or death emergency.~ Emilia could keep Maddie's heart beating while Venis helped with other things. There were more things to be done. And as soon as Kahn arrived, she would send him after a temporary soul, one with no memories what so ever from a woman close to Maddie's age and only knowing motor skills. Nothing left of it's past to stand in the way.

[JonLouis]

JonLouis was up, he was always up at this time, sometimes because he had yet to go to bed. But he heard Venis call out to him and he fled from the room of her employees and headed down the stairs. He nearly tripped on his way down so at one point he just jumped over the hand rail.

He ran out the door to one of the most horrible sights he had seen in a long time. This was not good, not good at all. "Princesse, Chaton, Loup, what is all this?" He rushed over to the others and looked. De'Ryanna did not look too good. Perhaps she was mentally breaking down? He might be able to offer some help there, if someone helped him get through to her.

Then he looked down at the almost lifeless body of Madeline and drew in a sharp breath. Her life was only being sustained by the hand of a God and the breath of a lycan. How could this be? What could have possibly happened here?

[Gawain]

"BLOOD AND BLOODY FLAMING ASHES!" He channeled again, tying the weave before him off, causing a white-hot bar of light, one that it was impossible to look at directly, and levelled a stand of trees. Their colors inverted, like a negative from a photograph, and then they were gone, torn out of the Pattern from the past. "He dies tonight. Under the Light, by my hope for Salvation and Rebirth, I swear it!"

He had heard Venis, and sought the flame and void, like the Dragon Reborn had taught him so many years ago. After extending his claws, which had to be called thus, since no fingernail had ever looked so large and sharp, and ripped his sleeve off. The left one, of course. Before he spoke to Venis, he nodded to JonLouis. "Well met, friend. Death and murder, mon ami. Benjamin has gone too far." He shook his head, and looked over to Venis. "Venis, here. I owe ya. Lots." He held the arm out, waiting for her to sink her teeth in, then motioned for De'Ryanna. "Come, my brave, brave daughter. Come to me, and I will help." His eyes softened, and for the first time, one could notice black flecks floating around in his eyes........

[Beastie]

He had been in the forge working on something special for Kyra when he suddenly heard a voice in his head. ~First-Brother, I need you. I'll show you where mentally....grab the best weapon you have and let's kill somebody, eh?~ That was a voice he knew oh so well. That was the voice of Gawain, and for him to say he needed him meant there was trouble. With those words came an image of a place. He did not know what was going on but what he knew was simple. His First-Brother was in trouble and Hells be damned if he would not be there at his side.

Battle. That was what he craved. The Beast in him roared for released, the god in him demanding release, the Brujah upbringing saying simple it was time to Dance. This was to be a Dance like no other and one he would not miss for all the world.

He rose from his work place, placing the metal in a special space he had made. It would keep the metal ready for him when he returned. He did not think of the ifs. Not this time. This time he was a Beast with a purpose and that purpose was to Dance. But he had to much to come back for and he would be back.

He went upstairs and left a note for Kyra, explaining what he knew. He asked her to send her thoughts to him for protection and for all those involved and that he loved her and would return soon. Then he went into his office. Bring his best weapon, he was told. Well that was easy, he had three. He picked up his father's blued bastard swords, the garnet in them making them seem to drip in blood. He also picked up the huge golden battle axe. The weapon used to kill his father and the weapons used to kill the beast that did the deed.

These were his instruments for the Dance, the music already starting. Now all he need was the attire. For that he left the forge and headed to a secluded spot. From there he went into his shadow form, seeming to just melt into the ground. The world shifting to a black and white. It was here that he that he moved like the wind. His red eyes blazing like twin fires. He was free to move as he needed, no rule sin this world. It was also here that he could shape his shadow as he need to appear in the material world.

He appeared at the scene and he saw what was going on. He raged and roared in the shadow world, and all the shadows in the area seemed to vibrate and erupt with his rage. It was here also that he spoke for the first time in the shadow world. With a voice so cold that a breeze would kick up in the real world and drop the temperature enough to where all would see their breath. ~Come forth the Beast. Com forth to wage War and to Battle. Come forth to Dance the Greatest Dance of them all.~

With a howling in the wind, and a rumble in the ground he began his shift. His body began to rip, bones break and resizing. His muscles literally tearing and shredding themselves in the shadows. He scream, he roared, he cursed and the shadows responded to him arriving. He grew, boy did he grow. He grew at least another foot and gained a hundred pounds. His tail also growing larger, and spike erupted from his tail along the sides and top of the tail. They took up a third of his back and were sharper then anything else on earth. His talons grew from his feet his hands, and not he had the talons that went from his wrist to this shoulder. They were also wickedly sharp and looked as if he could crave the sun right from the sky.

His scales became harder, stronger, more durable. The vital parts of his body covered by an extra layer of his scales. But this did not happen before great red wings sprouted from his back. Talon tipped as well and the flapped to the sides, before closing around him like a cloak of blood.

He took a moment to add his new weapons, the twin bastard swords going across his back in the classic X pattern. The jewels doing what they were suppose to as he began to raise from the shadows, so that it looked like he was rising from a pool of blood. The axe in his hands already.

As he rose from the ground, the heat would begin to rise. Screams of horror rising from the shadows as he rose. The heat getting unbearable, so much so that whatever life was left around him began to ignite. Then he stood at his full height and it was then that he spoke. A voice that now sounded like swords clashing.

"So you called, my First-Brother, so I have arrived. To rip, to rend, to destroy, to Dance."

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

As for De'Ryanna, she wasn't very much aware of anything that went on after that touch from Benjamin. He had set free all the locked up rage that was inside her, and transferred some of his own pain and anguish as well into her system. It was too much for her to take on suddenly. The feel of it shot through her and her entire body felt on fire, the pain of that was enough to deaden the sting of her cheek. Her cheek stung, even though she was not the one who had been slapped.

Another time, when she was not summoning up all her strength in an effort to keep herself under control, she would have analyzed that strange occurrence. But that was for another time. When Benjamin ran his hand along her waist, she almost lost her composure right then and there. She felt heavy, weighted, and the wolf insider her was clawing fiercly to get to the surface.

At some point she had dropped to her knees on the ground. Hands balled into fist, her arms wrapped around her head, she cried out rage, even though the end of it sounded more like the growl of a very angry wolf. In her talks with Thor, somewhere in her mind she remembered him telling her that yelling was a good way to let out the anger. It helped some. It probably would help a lot more if she would stop trying to hold back.

Any control she might have had over the Source, any control she might have had to think reasonably, was gone. Someone had spoken.. to her? She chanced to open her eyes but all she saw were blurred images and the sounds around her were muddled as if she were under water. The storm of anger pushed harder and her eyes squeezed tight once again.

However, through the storm, there was one thing that her mind did fix on and perhaps it was because of the mental exercises she had helped him through over the many months.

"Ar...man..de..us" she muttered through clenched teeth, feeling tears starting to drop from her eyes as she knelt there on the ground, trying hard to retain the beast from coming forth. "Help me."

[Emilia]

Emilia heard Venis call; she had been sleeping but was up in seconds.

She heard life or death, air shimmered around her and she was in jeans and a tank top. Scooping up her daughter she teleported in to the employees' room.

"Sorry to pop in and pop out but Venis needs me, she said it was a matter of life and death, I need you guys to watch Ilúvënis; she is my daughter."

She kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Hun these are some of mommy's friends they are going to watch you, I'll be back as soon as possible."

She stood and teleported again so she was right next to Venis.

She saw the commotion and saw that Maddie was on the ground dead; all that was keeping her alive was Venis and Tasha.

"What can I do to help?"

[Gawain]

Gawain grinned a vicious grin when he heard Dre, then held a finger up to Venis, meaning one second, then walked quickly over to De'Ryanna. He Channeled, bringing his duster back into his hands from where it lay on the ground, and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then, he used a technique that was ancient when men were still puzzling out the difference between dirt and gunpowder....one that belonged solely to their kind. He reached inside her, to the core, and projected the calmness of the flame and void into her core. A few moments later, he had scooped her up, walking back over to Venis, where he again held out his arm. "Hurry, kiddo." In an instant, he searched through the grounds, located Armandeus, and sent him a message. ~Armandeus, De'Ryanna needs you badly. I know of your relationship, and you have my blessing. Creoso, mellonamin. Now, quickly, come. She needs you. She is loosing control."

He settled her gently down beside him, making sure she was covered by his coat, and turned his head toward Dre. "He's going to vithing pay, First-Brother. With his life. Soon as I give V what she needs to save my daughter, we hunt. The Dance is upon is, and we shall wash our spears in the blood of our enemy." He held his hand out to Dre, a very serious look in his eyes. "Till water is gone, till shade is gone. Into the Shadow with teeth bared, to spit in SightBlinder's eye on the Last Day."

[Guest]

So much was going on around her now. This was good. But priorities. The rabbits were not strong enough to help her sustain two forms at once. And Gawain had given one of his classic apologies. Her favorite kind in fact. He offered her his blood. She looked up at him and heard his words in her ears, in her head, in her heart. There was no need to ask him if he was sure, she knew, he knew. She gave him a moment to deal with De'Ryanna then his arm was again before her.

She put the rabbit down and reached up with her now free hand. Taking his arm in her hand just below his wrist she opened her mouth and sank her fangs into his flesh as her eyes slowly closed. The vein was punctured and she withdrew just the tiniest amount. His blood flowed from his vein into her mouth and the second it hit her tongue her eyes shot open. There had always been power in his blood, it was euphoric before, it was better now.

Images passed before her eyes and she knew he would see them as well. It was their bond after all. She closed her eyes once again, letting his blood flow into her mouth and swallowing it down. The images were of things that had been happening since the last time she had drank from him. It started out as images from when she was being held captive and how they managed to contain her. The images of her escaping to save Tasha's life. Flashes of things that had been going on around the Inn. Then she tried to stop them She was holding something back.

Would he notice what she had done? She released him and looked up to her son. How much of what she had been hiding did he know about? Did she cut it off fast enough or had Gawain felt those steel bands on her heart that Benjamin had put there. Benjamin had healed her, that much was true. But he left a little something behind. Was it too late, did Gawain notice? Those bands didn't have the same effect on her, nor did Benjamin hold the same power over them. But they were there none the less. Perhaps a payment for the healing. Perhaps just a habit he had. It didn't matter. All that mattered was they were there.

Ahhh, Emilia to the rescue. "Emilia, can you hold two forms, like I am?" Venis was in a solid flesh and bone state, until her elbow. Anyone could pass their hand through her lower arm. That was how the arm was passing into Maddie's body. But at the wrist her hand began to take the solid form of flesh and bone again. That was how her hand was squeezing Maddie's heart and releasing it again to keep her heart pumping. And the only way she could maintain this action was with fresh blood. It was necessary because she was full God and her body was dead.

But Emilia did not have that problem, she was only a half God and her body wasn't dead. So maybe she could do it without the outside assistance. That was what Venis was hoping for anyway. And it was getting other subjects off her mind. If Emilia had no idea how to do it, Venis would give her a crash course.

[Emilia]

She saw Venis taking blood from Gawain, he would probably not remember her. She had after all only met him a couple of times, and that had been years ago in the Rose.

She knelt next to Venis.

"Yes, but not for more then a couple hours, do you need me to take over?"

[Armandeus]

Something was wrong. Armandeus had been harboring the feeling since he had awoken, but had simply passed it off. With an Inn full of people and varied emotions, it was easy for his empathic senses to become skewed and misplaced.

So, he ignored the feeling and went about his normal routine. Breakfast was his first priority and it was to the kitchen where he went. There was an odd feeling about the Inn, and where was Ryan? She normally helped him get breakfast ready in the mornings.

At the fridge he started pulling out the items for breakfast, that’s when he heard commotion going on outside and he looked out the window just in time to see someone running past. Food supplies down, he went to the back door. Ryan? Did she call for him?

Overcome with a sense of urgency he left through the back door, that'd when he got the message from Gawain. Ryan was in trouble, and she needed him. It was enough to cause the elf to run, and soon he saw the scene. A lot of things were going on but the only thing he cared about was Ryan. He ran to her side and kneeled down next to her, putting his arms around her, carefully looking her over to see if she was physically hurt, all the while saying, "I'm here. I'm here.”

Armandeus put one arm under her legs and another under her arms and lifted her up as he calmly stood. It might not look like it, but he was strong. Looking to Gawain he gave him a single nod. “Thank you.” Then he headed back to the Inn, taking her with him.

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