Taking care of something. ((Closed but to one))

[Guest]

((Yes, this is another time warped thread, but it shouldn't be too drawn out given who the two involved are. So no worries all.))






Venis woke up the morning after Christmas. Had she actually gotten some sleep. She had been doing that once in a while now. Sleeping. It was still something hard for her to do. Either way, she was awake now. And the sun was rising. She went and took a shower, washing her hair and such. When she got out she toweled off and then got out her jar of sunscreen and put it on. SPF 90, just enough to allow her to keep some color in her cheeks from the sun, and yet keep the sun from cooking her.

She went into the main room of her suite and began going through the box she had brought up from the Meeting Hall. She had pulled out the bottle of Blood wine from JonLouis and it caused her to get up and go into her kitchenette. She grabbed up a bottle of blood wine she had in there for breakfast. Then she returned to her chair and her box. There were gifts that were still wrapped, but those weren't hers. So she sat his gifts upon the table beside her. How she had gotten roped into this was beyond her.

As the room got brighter she realized that others would be coming to life as well, so perhaps she should put something on. She had a dress that had been given to her by another Goddess, wicked Greek woman she was. And since she could sustain her warmth and didn't have to worry about the weather, she put it on. It was a long dress with a cut out back. It was a peacock print. Venis didn't usually wear prints, but she was in one of those moods. So a light and flowy dress for a light and flowy mood. A good nights sleep can do that to a woman.

She slipped on a pair of teal colored strapy heels and returned to her task in her main room. She pulled the marble wine goblets from box, her men were so thoughtful. She opened the bottle of blood wine from her kitchenette and poured herself a glass. She warmed it and took a sip before moving on. She continued to add still wrapped gifts to the table, and was putting away her own unwrapped ones. The box of jars of tea that Casie had given her went to her desk with the one she already had, only in the opposite corner. It had four new teas in it and she was going to enjoy them very much. The glass of the jars were different colors as well.

She hadn't opened her bedroom door yet, she was enjoying the peace of the morning. Her room was quiet and the only motion within was her and the gentle swaying of the curtains at the doorway to her balcony. There was a cool breeze blowing outside and it caused the curtains to flair out and dance around. The only sounds were the sounds of her putting things away. It was peaceful and harmonious and she was enjoying it immensely.

With her gifts put away she went to sit down and relax and enjoy her glass of warm blood wine. But as she sat there her attention was drawn to the packages to her side. She crossed her left leg over her right and sighed. It was amusing to call to him from the balcony the day before and it fit the mood she was in. But she was now looking upon those gifts and wondering how she was going to get them to him. The balcony trick wasn't going to be as amusing a second time, nor did it fit her mood now. She was still in a good mood, just not a joking and laughing mood. She was too relaxed for that.

She rose from her seat and crossed the room to her desk. She reached up with her right hand and let a finger trail along the brim of the black cowboy hat that had been hanging there since Halloween. A smile curled at the corners of her lips. It had been a nice evening, despite the trouble it had caused with her family. Benjamin wasn't exactly a nice guy, and not someone she would like to pal around wit, but he had his moments. Sometimes, he could even pass for human. He knew how to be a gentleman, he knew how to be a man. The latter having been demonstrated to her only a couple of days previous.

Placing a hand upon the back of the crown of the hat she lifted it from it's resting place. With a turn of her wrist and a bend of her elbow, she placed the adornment upon her head. She smiled again as it smelt like him. The part of him that was a man had a wonderful smell. And that was what was contained in the hat's felt. She reached down to pet Midnight, who was sleeping upon her desk. Midnight rose up to the touch and then, noticing thew hat upon her head, hissed and jumped down. That caused Venis to chuckle. Ok, the cat was not a fan of him either.

She walked back over to the chair, still wearing the hat. "Guess that's why I was volunteered to give him his gifts hmm? I'm the only one who can stomach being around him." She chuckled again as she took another sip of her wine, watching Midnight try and get comfortable in her cat bed on the floor by the desk. The curtains were dancing less and less, telling her that the breeze was calming. She picked up her glass of wine and walked to the balcony doorway.

She looked out at the snow covered ground, trees and balcony it's self. She picked up a towel that she now kept next to the doorway thanks to her week with Eros. It had snowed again since yesterday morning when she had been out there calling out to him. She chuckled again as she stepped outside. The snow melted where she stepped. She pressed the hat down on her head a little better, it was almost a perfect fit. Her hair was most of what was keeping it from being perfect. She did have thick hair.

She walked over and brushed away the snow and placed the towel on the railing where it met with the building. Turning her back to the railing she sat upon the railing and pushed up with her hands. She turned so that her back would be against the building and put her leg out in front of her. Her other leg was brought up and her ankles crossed. She moved her hair so that it hung down on the outside of the balcony while the breeze blew her dress to the other side.

She leaned back and tilted her head down while she closed her eyes. She wasn't out there to call out to him, she wasn't out there to draw attention to herself in any way. She was just there. She was letting her beating heart tingle against his mark upon it. And she just sat there in silence.

[B.D. Adams]

Once Benjamin Daniel Adams marked a person he could always find them and travel to their location. That is, of course, unless they went to one particular place - if they went there, getting to them became a tricky task. Location was not the only thing his mark afforded, it also gave him insight to that persons feelings, their emotions. Whether happy or sad, confused, in distress, any of the whole ensemble of emotions, he felt them all. Along with this insight, came control over the emotions and, when you could control a persons emotions, it led sway over their actions. It had taken years to perfect and control this one aspect of his ability and at full force, such a thing could drive a person into madness.

Arguably, who’s to say he wasn’t?

Some circles thought of him as a Puppet Master, attaching his strings and making people dance to his tune upon the stage. Very few people wanted to be lead, preferring free will they often fought against his hold when he gave them a tug, others simply accepted the reality and even tried to use it for their own purposes. By tugging at their strings they tried to call him, but he was not a creature to be summoned by simply anyone. And thought that list was very short, it did not mean that he never answered. To be a devil meant often wearing the guise of a savior. It gained their trust and once that was had. . . What that person had to give; what they could do for him, and the benefit of his time were all things that determined whether or not he would bother with seeing why he was needed.

It was while he was in the midst of a task he felt the call of one of those strings and instantly knew who was on the other end. No two people were ever alike, and no string was quite the same. This one belonged to the Vampire. The way that she called spoke of no urgency, not even a feigned calm. The call was lax and still held a feel of purpose. He didn’t think her the type to call for no reason.

What would he gain in answering this call other than ideal conversation or chance to see her once more? It had to be more than that. There was a reason why she wanted him to appear, and that could be to his benefit.

He took a moment to follow the ‘string’ to where it lead without ever leaving his current position or giving up whatever task he had been in the middle of doing. Reaching the destination Benjamin saw Venis, as clearly as he would have if he were placed in the room with her. He took note that she was wearing his hat while perched on her balcony railing. In all it was an interesting picture; she being one for flair he should not have expected anything less. If he had to guess, he would say that she was trying to create a mood.

Not to long ago she had called out to him from her balcony window, the mood then had been obvious. The only reason then that he had appeared was because he had already been on his way to the Inn and the detour was of no consequence.

A wisp of wind blew through the room, brushing at the hanging skirt and circling around the black cowboy hat she wore. With this breeze was added a hint of his presence. Was he in the room? No. Would she know that he was watching her? That depended on how in tune she was to her senses.

[Guest]

Had Venis accomplished her goal? Well, now that depends on what someone would perceive her goal to be.

The average, mortal, human being {something Venis used to be} has an average body temperature of ninety-eight point six degrees. The average, immortal, vampire {something else Venis used to be} has an average body temperature of seventy-two point four degrees, or basically room temperature. Venis has an average body temperature of one-hundred and three degrees.

This fact being the reason Venis likes to be outside in the cold, even in a summer dress. Her only worry of being out in the cold this particular day was that the wind could blow the hat off her head or blow her skirt of her dress up. These being the reasons for the hat being pressed down on her head gently, yet firm, and her hands resting in her lap as she sat there looking like she was going to nod off while holding a glass of wine.

Now as for her heart beating against those 'strings' around her heart. Was that being done to attract a certain werewolf? Perhaps. Or was it just that, like so many other vampires, she found a certain amount of pleasure in a little bit of pain. Those 'strings' were like steel bands, constricting, unrelenting. For her heart to press against them was like squeezing her heart.

So was she trying to hurt herself? Not really. But it was exhilarating to her. Her heart was now limited in it's movement, bonded as it were. There was pressure applied in return to the pressure she applied against them. It caused her heart to react with a slight state of panic and beat faster. How much of this did she control? Enough. It was not quite a panic attack, but definitely an adrenaline rush.

So as she was sitting there enjoying the peaceful cool day, she had let her heart beat against those 'strings'. She was enjoying the feeling of it. The amount of liberties that Benjamin could have taken using those 'strings' was dependent on how much Venis was willing to give. After all, she could simply remove them. She could stop making her heart beat all together. So many possibilities. But for now, she was fine with them the way they were.

If he wanted to use them to find her, she had no problem with that. She had no reason to hide from him. So when that wisp of wind blew from what seemed to be within her room, was she surprised? Maybe a tiny bit. After all, she hadn't been intending to call to the wolf. Was she scared, worried, bothered? Not at all. No, what happened was that breeze brushed against her skirt of her dress and swirled up around his cowboy hat blowing the little wisps of hair to tickle at her face. She leaned forward and then lifted her head, she didn't want to knock the hat off with the wall behind her.

Her eyes closed and the corners of her mouth curled into a smile as she could smell him in the air. Was he there, no, not really. She gave a half chuckle as she just felt him watching her. It didn't bother her at all. Some would be bothered, not Venis. So he was watching her, the options that gave her were almost endless. There were so many things she could do knowing he would 'see' everything. Things that so few had ever seen and so many had wished they could see. But no, Venis wasn't going to do those things. All she did was speak in a low, hushed whisper. "Hello Benjamin."

So, had Venis accomplished her goal? Well, now that depends on what someone would perceive her goal to be.

[B.D. Adams]

Whatever was it that she wanted? Yes, she wanted something whether she admitted it or not. The Vampire wasn't one to merely do something without reason, it could be do something as trivial as seeing if something could be done. Yes, she had a reason.

From the look of the scene one could derive one of the reasons. The way she sat upon the ledge and dress, an innocent position surely to any onlooker. Many times she tried to make it seem as though the reason for her actions was innocent. He knew that wasn't it. Though, if it were . . . There was nothing around to suggest that she needed, or wanted anything else.

His name passing her lips was all that he needed. The Vampire was aware of him and there was no need to put forth any further conjectures. Would he hang around? Perhaps for a bit or two longer. His words continued to drift on the passing winds, directed only for her ears to hear. "Fortunately for you, I'm not wasting my time. Yet."

Yet. That word carried weight that was easy to sense even though he was not in the room. That was the only word she heard that sounded as if it could have been spoken from somewhere in the room. Even though it wasn't. Benjamin did have things to do and he did not process the ability to be omnipresent. Then again, that's why you had the service of others. The matter he was currently involved still held a high priority.

If she wanted something of him, she would have to be willing to pay.

[Guest]

She had to chuckle. How could she not? Venis looked down and saw Midnight acting strangely. So the one leg that was crossed over the other was brought down to rest on the floor of the balcony. The other was bent at the knee. She held onto the balcony railing as she turned and stood up from her seated position. She grabbed the towel she had been sitting on with her free hand as she walked towards the cat.

She set the towel and the marble wine glass down. "Now Benjamin." She knelt down to pick up the little black ball of fur. Once she had scooped up the cat she stood back up holding the cat to her. "I am never a waste of time." She carried the cat over to the bedroom door and opened it just far enough to drop the cat out. She would go find Leviathan or go play in the Inn somewhere.

Venis began to brush the cat fur from her dress as she walked back over to her glass of wine. "I just thought you'd might like to know that Santa brought you gifts, as did many others." She stepped out onto the balcony again and she pulled the dress out to the side and shook it some to try and get the cat hair off of herself. "Even me." Now that was the gift that might peek his curiosity.

She took a sip of her wine as she was brushing the cat fur off of her upper portions of her body. "So, what does a girl have to do to get a guy to come and get his gifts from her room?" She re-secured his hat upon her head and then pulled her hair out away from herself to let the wind catch more of it. She even gave a passing thought to putting it up. "After all, if it were as simple as a few heartbeats, then you would be here." She still had cat hair on her dress and it was blowing in the wind and tickling her.

She knew she was going to have to shower and change, she should have never picked up the cat. But before she was going to do anything, she wanted to know what she had to do to get him to stop by for his gifts. She chuckled at the thought that he could look in on her at any time. Would she feel him every time, would she care? Who knew, maybe he was sneaky enough to not get noticed. But either way she didn't care.

[B.D. Adams]

Had he not already told her his opinion on getting gifts that night outside of her balcony? He was sure that he had and yet, she was still wanting to give him something. Maybe she had forgotten and he had need to remind her. The question was why and, how badly did she want him to have what she offered. It could be to his benefit. Or not.

"Was it not clear that gifts were not something I was interested in? If this is the reason you are waiting for me then you are, indeed, wasting my time." More stress applied to the last three words. The Vampire was no ordinary girl, and he was no ordinary guy therefore, what would normally work in such situations would not apply to this one.

She wanted to know what she had to do, he would tell her though he was sure she wouldn't like it. The voice came again upon the breeze that drifted through and into her room. "If you want me to get what you have, you have to give me something that I want." Here the voice went silent for the span of a few moments.

"Sacrifice De'Ryanna to me. That is the price."

[Guest]

As Venis heard him speak about not wanting the gifts she was smiling. She walked back over to the boxes upon her table She picked one up and took the top off of it, setting it down. As she walked back towards the balcony she removed the hat and replaced it upon the hook on the wall beside her desk.

She reached the balcony and was gently removing the wooden box from the carton within which it had been placed. She set the cardboard box down and opened the lid of the wooden box. The four glass tea jars were nestled safely inside. Each one had a clear plastic band around it to hold it closed and not allow the tea within to spill out.

She smiled as she broke the seal on the jar with the blood red glass. As she opened the jar it released a leaver. A hidden drawer slid out from the bottom of the wooden box. She heard him as he continued to speak. And while he did she pulled out the two small velvet pouches that were in that drawer. She poured the sapphire into one palm, and the emerald into the other. "You had said you thought you were on the naughty list. Perhaps I took that at face value."

She looked down at the two stones with a smile. He paused in his statement. She took the opportunity to speak. "And that is?" Then she heard his answer. She clenched her fists over the stones to keep from loosing them, but not tight enough to get nicked by them as she started laughing. This was a very jovial laughter, it came all the way from the pit of her stomach.

Venis had paid some high prices in her time. She had made more than her share of mistakes. And even though she currently could not call De'Ryanna one of her best friends, Gawain and Airtia were. Not to mention the repercussions of the Goddess of Protection sacrificing a soul to such a being as Benjamin, or any being for that matter. No, Venis would sacrifice herself first. So she laughed.

She took a few minutes to attempt to regain her composure before she chose to speak. "Benjamin, not even to give you the gifts that I hold in my hands, would I sacrifice De'Ryanna to you. Or any other living being for that matter. Nothing personal, I just do not sacrifice others. So come for these or not, it is of no consequences to me." She put them back in their bags and placed them back in the drawer. "But I will not give you a living being for it."

She chuckled again as she placed the wooden box back into the cardboard one and carried it back into her room, where she replaced the lid and put it back on the table. "Now, I am sorry that I distracted you and perhaps even waisted your time, in your opinion. But if you will excuse me, I believe I am going to take a shower and wash off this cat hair." She reached behind herself to unfasten her dress then.

[B.D. Adams]

He knew she wasn't going to agree. It was even a small possibility that she would find it funny - most people laughed when they saw the very high price of items. He found humor in such things, why would she be different.

Besides, how could she pay such a high cost and still wear her title in all honesty? She couldn't. From where he was, Benjamin was laughing, even if it could not be heard by Venis. Since the fee was not going to be paid he had no reason to stick around. If she ever changed her mind he would know. Just as soundless as he had arrived, he was gone.

Now, he could get back to more important things. And what was so important that he could not pull himself away for a moment? Benjamin was eating. From wherever he was, he chuckled to himself before he took a satisfying bite of his banana.

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