Birthright : Visiting The Condemned

rhiannon_lee
2007-11-16 20:12 (link)

Exposed to the same unforgiving floor for days now, the Slayer’s limbs had become numb from cold and soreness. Her sleep cycles were often broken by the nagging voices of her captors, who played with her like children played with ants under a magnifying glass. Rhiannon played a mind game once, where she tried to identify a single body part that wasn’t cramped from limited mobility or starved into discomfort. She decided on the second toe of her left foot.

To wile away time, Rhiannon alternated between humming songs that she knew, rehashing memories of people she liked, praying to God in case he cared to lend an ear, and her favorite and darkest activity: daydreams of dismemberment. Those came with loneliness, or after a particularly obnoxious visit. Rhiannon closed her eyes, imagined an arsenal of creative weapons, and had blacker thoughts of what to do with them than she’d ever had before. Blacker, even, than when she’d willfully drank Elfleda’s blood and gone on a rampage.

She thought of the Corruptress then, with the kind of dry humor that accompanies bitterness. She thought of how she was more ill-tempered now, on the heels of torture, than Elfleda could inspire her to get. It seemed that mistreatment or separation from loved ones was the quickest conduit to corruption for Rhiannon. Otherwise, she was too stubborn to be won over.

The stench of rot masked Elfleda’s sugary smell, so that Rhiannon didn’t realize she was there until the empath whispered in her head.

‘Well... it would seem we are both in quite a fix...’

Rhiannon opened her eyes. “Some might even call it a pickle.” The voice was huskier than usual, hoarse from lack of beverage or use. “You here to brag? If so, I’m marking you down on creativity. You’re third in line.”

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lady_elfleda
2007-11-17 12:40 (link)

"No," spoke the voice, cool, calm. Compared to Rhiannon's treatment at the taloned hands of her vampiric foes, it was relatively soothing.

A few silent moments passed and the shadowy presence coalesced into a single, much more solidified figure in black. Then, as texture formed and gave way to shades of another colour, so came those porcelain-white hues the Slayer knew so well.

"Somewhat relieved you no longer feel the need to gloat over my own predicament, however..."

The shift in voice came not from accent, for that remained the same. It was in a transition from a mixture of telepathy and more orthodox methods of communication, to that of purely the latter. A subtle indication, perhaps, of wanting to portray something of an equality between them.

Elfleda had taken on the posture of sitting down beside her, arms wrapped around knees now brought up close to chest.

"I shall not belittle you with examples of my own punishment before exile, Rhiannon," the Corruptress announced. "You have not the imagination to comprehend them, much less appreciate their significance. You have also gone through quite enough of your own torment to waste time on gifting me with unwanted pity. Sympathy, dear Slayer, is a virtue neither of us wish others to partake of on our behalves."

There was none of the usual sinister motivation behind the words. No veiled daggers. Just a simple declaration of the quid pro quo situation now at play.

"It would not serve me to inflict pain upon you, Rhiannon. Truthfully, it never has... If that were my goal, I could simply watch, observe and influence your captors. Instead, I find myself increasingly seeing you as a reflection of myself."

Somehow, a glass of clear water had formed in Elfleda's waiting hand. A hand now held out to the girl in her midst.

"Hatred truly can sustain one through even the darkest of times," Elfleda smiled. "Is it not so...?"

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-17 19:14 (link)

“For once... you’re making sense.” Rhiannon slid up into sitting position, feeling it necessary to bring herself to as much of her full height as possible around Elfleda. There was recognition of status there, even if diluted, but also the urge to seem as unscathed as the Slayer possibly could. Given the state of her clothes and body, and the shackles around ankles and wrists, it wasn’t easy to accomplish.

She drew a knee up to her chest, too, not sure if Elfleda had chosen that position for comfort or because it was the way Rhiannon often sat. Truly they were a reflection of what separation from home, love, and hope could do.

“Then again, that could be the delirium talking.” She sized the Corruptress up and stared at the glass. “What are you doing here? I'm no use to you like this.”

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lady_elfleda
2007-11-17 19:40 (link)

"No, you're clearly not..."

Mirroring the pose, Elfleda pushed the glass towards her, again gesturing the girl to take it. Evil was still very much the Corruptress' domain. Her capacity for offering refreshments and healing was not endless.

Elfleda could take 'no' for an answer.

And give it, too.

"In fact, as much as you'd rather not admit it, there really is very little chance of you surviving this ordeal. Not as you are, at any rate... You need me and I, soon enough, shall need you. Waiting to find another would only grant my rival time and opportunity to solidify her hold over that which was mine... And watch this sorry world burn."

Elfleda glanced to the source of rotting decay and waved at it with one hand. The mystical symbol drawn in the air with fingers, assuring the stench cleared around Slayer, relieving her of the olfactory torment.

"Time, as they say, is running out. Her recklessness is going to foul things up for both sides and I need a... Champion."

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-17 19:58 (link)

“Are you appealing to my ego?” Rhiannon exhaled heavily, a physical confirmation of Elfleda’s guess that she’d been breathing only when necessary. The bodies stacked in the corner had ceased to be victims in her mind, and were now just a source of revulsion as they spoiled. She drank sparingly, wanting to save her stomach the cold clench.

“You have no idea how long I can live, just for pure antagonism.”

She took another sip.

“So put yourself in humanity’s shoes... for old time’s sake. Why exactly are you a better choice than her? Don‘t be general. Convince me. And tell me how you‘re going to get me out of this.”

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lady_elfleda
2007-11-18 11:02 (link)

Under other circumstances, Elfleda might have opened that swirly black doorway of hers to another, far darker, dimension. That was, however, one of the gifts she was now denied.

"I'm sure I can guess," she replied to Rhiannon's first comment, black eyes still, impassive. Then, as a challenge was announced, Elfleda paused in consideration, walking slowly to refresh her thoughts. Not in any one particular direction, just... Walking.

"Atia long ago rendered herself what one might term insane," the Corruptress spoke, glancing up from the floor to meet Rhiannon's gaze. "And although chaotic, the Black Light did enjoy instilling something of a rigidity into her madness."

Leviathan was all about order. Unyielding, uncompromised, endless order. A steady torment.

It was the stone to heaven's flesh. Flesh was chaos. Flesh would either be made to understand or perish.

"It is this very unpredictability which makes her so unsuitable... She'll set that which is imprisoned free. Leviathan has become dissatisfied with taking care for consequences... It now yearns for results, above all else and a great culling has ensued, Rhiannon. Only after Atia has harvested her sewn seeds of discontent will Leviathan remember why I took such care to preserve the balance and all shall lament favouring her, so closely. What I veered away from shall only serve to entice her, for this has always been Atia's way."

A further pause.

"Where I tried, only to visit again in the hope of your conversion, Atia will seek merely to destroy what she cannot have. She'll take the heads of a thousand Slayers and unleash a million Defilers unto this world."

As ever, it was all about balance. Whilst Elfleda's last-ditch attack had been along those lines, what she now spoke of now sounded far, far worse. Elfleda had always been surgical with her attacks. This 'Atia' was being portrayed, by comparison, as the very epitome of collateral damage.

"As for releasing you... I have a rather poetic salvation in mind," Elfleda informed with a telling smiled. "Something you'll rather enjoy."

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-18 15:20 (link)

Rhiannon said, “God, it’s not Tristan, is it?” She swallowed her water to the last drop.

She had listened with as much attentiveness as she could, given circumstances. The opposing brunette had been a thorn in the Slayer’s side since arrival in Nevada. Truthfully, Rhiannon had felt bipolar about the Corruptress and her behavior followed suit. Sometimes Rhiannon inflicted physical damage upon the entity, and threatened to kill her if ever there was a chance. Other times, she sought her for advice or tutelage.

Perhaps Rhiannon needed a mentor to cause her psychological damage (like the Watcher did, once upon a time). Or possibly Rhiannon fancied herself kindred and saw Elfleda as the mother figure she lacked-- a woman who loved her despite her major mistakes. Even loved her for them.

Or maybe she was just desperate for a key to the locks.

Whatever the reason, Rhiannon was starting to see things Elfleda’s way.

Atia didn’t play by the rules. Elfleda acted in accordance to balance. She just happened to perch herself on the other side of the scales.

Rhiannon set the cup on the floor. “I’ll help you. You know it was a matter of time.”

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lady_elfleda
2007-11-18 16:11 (link)

"Mmmm..."

Elfleda hummed her agreement in the form of a smile. Her embodied self drifting away into shadow as she did so.

"I thought you would..."

There was the feel of a motherly hand coming to Rhiannon's face. Perhaps even patting her atop head, although it was difficult to say. What mattered was that she had just been given an unholy blessing, of sorts.

Or was it? Elfleda had been cast out. Perhaps she now represented little more than a sort of... Naughty neutrality. A darker shade of grey, as it were.

With that, the ethereal brunette was gone and in her place, that terrible stench began to creep back into Rhiannon's corner. Several long minutes passed by and still nothing more was seen nor heard of the alleged promise for freedom. Perhaps Elfleda was a lot more impotent than she made herself out to be. Perhaps she really ahd only wanted to gloat. Perhaps she had been stopped. Perhaps-

CLINK-CLANK.

"Rhiannon...?"

A vampire. Deanna's fanged offspring.

But not Celine.

With a tilt of head, realisation dawned and Victoria rushed over. "It's true," she muttered under breath. "It's really true... Oh, God... I never orchestrated this! You've gotta' believe me!"

She had a ring of stolen keys in hand. A Slayer in such weakened condition did not seem like much a of a threat and so the vampiress quickly set to work unlocking Rhiannon's bonds and setting her free.

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-18 17:02 (link)

Rhiannon pinned her eyes on the door with the certainty that Elfleda wouldn’t desert her. It was probably a foolhardy place to put her trust, but it was the only light at the end of the tunnel. She needed to think there would be a way out of it.

Then a feminine voice called her name, sounding sympathetic and distraught. It was Victoria.

The sight of keys diving into locks and turning was too good to be true. The sound of shackles going clank when they shifted off Rhiannon’s sore flesh onto the floor was music. But hadn’t Victoria set her up for this? Got her Tazered after the interview? She was making protestations against that.

Rhiannon held up her left wrist for unlocking. “I don’t care, long as you get these restraints off me.” She rolled each ankle and let her joints pop. The door stood open behind the vampire. Rhiannon watched it, in case this was a joke and Deanna was coming right in on Victoria‘s heels.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked. The redhead’s childe was about the last person she expected to help her.

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birthright_npc
2007-11-18 17:24 (link)

Slayers seemed to possess a superhuman level of accelerated healing. Knowing that was enough to make Victoria wonder just what else the other young woman had gone through.

"Because I keep my word," she said, sounding almost quite exasperated. "And I got told who did this..."

There was a slight coating of venom in the words Victoria last spoke. It was clear that, while sympathetic, this entire situation had actually offended her.

"Besides, you kinda' helped me, back when I was in chains, too."

She was helping the Slayer, as best as she could. One arm placed around Rhiannon, allowing the girl to put weight upon her, if need be.

"Now all we've gotta' do is-"

"Leaving so soon...?"

Standing at the doorway was Celine, Rhiannon's confiscated wooden stake in hand. In response, Victoria narrowed eyes at the undead Frenchwoman, now having more reason than ever to warn her away.

"Stealing away our dear mother's gift, Victoria?" A tutting sound was heard, as the elder vampiress stepped forth, all too aware that Rhiannon was in no state to properly intervene. "I think she might even thank me for staking you... At least now I have good reason, dear sister."

But as tortured with agony as Rhiannon's physical self had been reduced to, another, far more ancient and powerful presence, now seemed to enter and empower her. A thing so very... Elfleda.

Hateful, angry and viciously strong.

As Celine lunged towards her vampiric rival, razor-sharp wood gripped in hand, a single word whispered into Rhiannon's ear...

"Now."

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-19 09:16 (link)

Ideally, Rhiannon would want the victory of escape to be hers. Instead, freedom came courtesy of fangs and an unseen messenger.

Nothing about this situation had been ideal. Celine had caught her by virtue of electrical weapon, not her own cunning. Rhiannon would now lean on the Corruptress for strength, but would kill with hands that belonged only to her.

She gathered heavy chain off the ground. Feeling that black energy mould into her body like an internal glove, the Slayer pulled herself to full height and sneered.

“Celine!”

Chain arced overhead and descended around the Frenchwoman’s neck. Rhiannon cinched it ruthlessly tight and dragged her backwards. The stake slipped from clawing fingers and clattered on the floor.

“Never turn your back on a Slayer.” Rhiannon crossed ends of chain and squeezed while the vampire fought. Tighter until white skin puckered between the chain links, tighter until part of her spine snapped.

One more yank and the once-beautiful Celine’s head popped off like a champagne cork. It sailed up while the body crumpled beneath. Both were dust when they hit the floor, one miniature pile alongside a larger one.

Rhiannon dropped the chain.

“Fuck you, Deanna.”

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vicky_vixen
2007-11-19 09:41 (link)

A demonic screech. An explosion of ashes.

Rest in peace, Celine...

Victoria had been prepared to defend herself. This had, at least in part, been a way to stick it to Celine.

Ending in the other vampire's second death, though... That was unintended. Especially with Rhiannon being the one responsible and a palpable sensation of shock ran through her.

Moments passed.

"Oh..."

All of a sudden, Victoria felt very cold. The other might not have been one she had made, but the vampiric brunette knew exactly what this would mean.

"She's, um... She's gonna' feel that," the vampiress explained, turning with an uncomfortable swallow. Jaw clenched and while vampires were meant to be immune from guilt, it was more a quality of worry which now plagued Victoria's thoughts. Worry about consequences. "She's gonna' feel that, hard."

Elfleda's presence had drifted away from the Slayer, as soon as the act was done. She, however, was not the one to fear now. Deanna was going to be on the war path.

"You need to go. Now."

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-19 11:57 (link)

With venom in her eyes, Rhiannon stared at the largest pile of dust. She wanted to dance in it. She wanted to spit and piss in it, and then stick around to watch Deanna grieve her first. Maybe Rhiannon could find a camera and take a picture to add to their collection. But the difference in her body’s strength and the vampire’s would be obvious.

Rhiannon remembered how it felt when she was connected to Tristan and he left the world. It went through her like a freight train.

She looked at the open door and asked, “How long? Where are we?”

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vicky_vixen
2007-11-20 08:08 (link)

"She'll be on her way here, as soon possible. You're in a warehouse outside of Henderson. I arranged for a taxi outside - it's paid for. Just tell the driver where you need to go."

Fortunately, for Victoria, she had a choice of whether or not to breathe. The rotting cadavers were nothing she wished to sample, in the olfactory sense. Stench, however, was not primarily on her mind. Emotional damage was.

If her guess was right, Deanna was going to rip as much of Las Vegas apart as she could. She had never struck Vicky as the suicidal type.

"I need to stay here. Let her know what happened. I owe her that much," the vampiress elaborated, but before Rhiannon left, Victoria got the courage to speak up. Just prior to that, her mouth had been open, on the verge of saying something.

Now she knew what the words needed to be.

"Can you... Searchlight. Mallory Quinn. She says she knows you and we're kinda'... You know," came the gesture, Victoria affecting a little nervous swallow. "Unfortunately, Deanna does, too. I don't know what might happen, but... Just in case I don't get the chance, please go to her. Protecting the innocent's what you guys do, right?"

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rhiannon_lee
2007-11-20 08:28 (link)

Rhiannon shot her rescuer a look of disbelief. “Yeah, we protect the innocent... But if you don’t mind, I think I’ll get my bones reset first.”

Whether or not any such injuries still existed or had been healed was questionable, but the Slayer’s point was made clear. Having been trapped in a warehouse for nearly a week with two vicious, torturing vampires that alternately starved and beat her within inches of her life, saving someone’s girlfriend would have to be sidelined.

Even if it was Mallory Quinn.

In her mind, ‘civilian’ stopped the minute you began dating the undead.

“Forget the cab. I’m not letting some idiot get a look at my face outside a warehouse full of bodies.”

After a last glance at Celine’s remains, Rhiannon stumbled out of the building in search of Celine’s car. The Frenchwoman had made the long trip to Henderson somehow, and the Slayer was willing to bet it wasn’t by cab.

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vicky_vixen
2007-11-20 09:18 (link)

"Yeah, I... I know," replied the now-nervous Victoria. "I just... If you can. Or find someone who can. Deanna always claimed she'd do something terrible if anything happened to me. I can't even imagine what she'll do, now that Celine's gone."

This was one meeting Victoria was truly fearing. Yes, she could lie, but Deanna would find out somehow. Far better to admit what part she had played in it, than to give false impression.

Once the Slayer had left, Victoria braced herself for the inevitable consequences. She was tempted to touch or poke the dust with finger or shoe, just out of simple curiosity. This was her 'sister', after all, regardless of the generation gap.

But touch it, the vampiress did not. She knew that, in Deanna's position, she would want to be the first to make contact with those remains. Would want them left undisturbed.

So, leaving behind the bodies, Celine's ashes and whatever ghosts of the past might still remain, Victoria removed herself from those reeking confines, closing the metal door behind her.

She knew what was coming now. Red hair and a deathly need for vengeance.

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	rhiannon_lee 2007-11-20 13:09 (link)
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