PLAGUE

who?: @bloodcrowncd where?: hakan's castle

He'd tried to sneak past everybody in this castle, just to grab some things, to further remove himself from his grieving progeny. To give him space, but not to remove himself entirely from the situation, Pluto knew Hakan didn't like the idea of completely splitting, saying it's the easy way out for his sire to begin with. If only he knew, if only he understood the severity of splitting entirely. The original vampire remembered the day he'd turned Hakan, remembered how he'd felt like as Hakan was killed while Pluto remained captured in this war. The hopelessness of losing him, the devastation and pain, saying it traumatized him would be an understatement, but he'd have to prove himself, to all of them. Maybe the archfiend just had to be a bit more... forceful; a walking nightmare set into motion. Upon seeing Gael, Pluto's gaze remained on the vial, the collar, before his eyes met Gael's again. "I'm not here to see him," the original vampire remained motionless, "don't worry," he added with a darker tone to his voice. An introduction seemed pointless at this point. He must've been a vampire loyalist, possibly a Thrall of his. Pluto faintly remembered seeing him before while he was preoccupied with working on Xerxes and Wolfgang. Still, he remembered. "If you remain calm, he won't sense your fear," Pluto commented before taking a step back to further prove his point he meant no harm. "I used to have a place in this castle, right behind you. I just need a couple things and I'm out of here, mortal."

"I suppose that is fair," Trivia admits thoughtfully, deliberately bumping against him and keeping her side pressed against his. It's a small show of affection, an unacknowledged admission that she is here at his side, willing to listen to him and stay even despite her hesitancy and her distrust. Old patterns are hard to break, specially as old as theirs, and she wants to forgive him, but she is waiting for a reason for her to do just that. Words are empty platitudes, actions and affection can be faked, Trivia wants a true sign of his repentance, but unlike many, she is willing to wait for it. For one of her oldest friends? Waiting for Pluto's sign, she knows, will be worth it. "Still, know that someone will miss you at the event." Her words are even as she remains at her side, punctuated by a long drink of her wine as she mulls over her thoughts. "The world is expanding rapidly, yes, but do you think that awe would stop humanity from war? From making mistakes? They will overreach, cross boundaries, make mistakes. Over and over again, but is that not part of it's wonder? Their free will freed them from their fate once, and I for one, cannot wait to see what they do now that they have begun to look beyond this realm."

He'd always believed Hakan to be traditional, less about the new ideals and desires other vampires shared these days, safe for Ezekiel's. The original briefly wondered if Ezekiel's absence would, ultimately, revert Hakan back, to a more strict vampire. None of that mattered tonight. The festivities would go on, Hakan just needed time to process the loss, as much as Pluto had to process everything he'd felt in these fifteen years. They'd all come back to life, but he remembered every death a Pluto vampire had to endure at the hands of the Old Gods and other creatures. Hakan's had hurt the most, a pain so unbearable, that Pluto vividly remembered drowning out everything around him in his grief, unable to hide the tears, the absolute pain in his soul, deeply intertwined with his entire being. No Old God, no torture, could ever be as powerful. Which made everything so much worse. A liability, a much appreciated one at that, Pluto knew he wasn't as untouchable as he'd always claimed. With this being merely a vessel, he could quickly switch to a new vessel if needed, but his soul would always remain, as would the pain, the grief, the never ending fear of losing him, them, all over again.

Despite everything, despite the betrayal, especially the betrayal, he still harbored a soft spot for the demon. Her legends defined her, and whatever some have whispered about the woman that didn't bow to nobody. Surprisingly familiar to himself, apart from the war and what the Old Gods have done to him. Of course they weren't allies anymore, probably never have been, but he couldn't stop admiring her for being cunning. "Hungry, always hungry." That's where they were similar, or so Pluto thought. Never truly satisfied, but Pluto could find satisfaction in peace and solitude while others always sought after their next achievement. "I've tried to. Turns out I'm better off not believing in somebody else, only in myself." Pluto realized his new cynical way of thinking before uttering his next few words. They were followed by a short shrug, "Guess we'll find out. Why don't you give me a taste?" He raised one brow, "Before we depart."

While he didn't like his new position or rather the lack of one, he could still see its perks. Whatever happened within this war had turned out to be chaotic. His own sacrifice and play pretend betrayal were still things meant to stall Kore and the Old Gods, to have them believe he played on their side. He was only as powerful as he allowed himself to be, not what others made of him. An Archfiend, a naturally villainous creature, he didn't have to water himself down to be more digestible. "I haven't given much thought to his obsessions. He was already clinging onto the next that bossed him around," himself, though he'd liked the idea of that. "Are you here to talk about Xerxes, then? As his Marshal you're still required to listen to him, not me. He was put in this position for a reason." Which was to say Xerxes had always possessed a revolutionary heart with big ideas and ideals. This whole hierarchy only came to exist to relief the original vampires of their burden located within Rome. He knew, once another war formed, they'd be under the same chaotic circumstances with lives lost. Come to think of it. "I'm sorry about your vampire brother. I felt his loss, too, like every single one within this war, including you." His voice lacked warmth or any other emotion, "the older you are, the more you'll have to endure. Which is to say if you don't sire any vampires yourself, you wouldn't feel anything but your own sire dying." He didn't have that luxury.

who? @bloodcrowncd where? holiday market when? morning of the 23rd

"He's all for traditions," Pluto raised one brow before taking another sip of his blood. Every mention of Hakan had been more or less troubling to him, a sore topic he didn't know how to cope with. He stared towards the glass she offered and just shook his head. The idea of drinking anything but blood wasn't appealing to him in the slightest. She, on the other hand... "No, I'd turn the party on its head and we're not ready for that yet," again, another cynical approach laced with a hint of humor. As an original vampire he couldn't be bothered to go to every party one of his progenies or their progenies threw. "Go on, enjoy yourself. I'm sure there are plenty of reunions awaiting you there and we're all much happier with me looking ahead, looking the other way," he didn't need the shame, the guilt, of not having done enough, of being in chains this whole time. Despite the Old Gods losing, they'd also lost Ezekiel, he'd also lost his sister-in-law. "You'll have to see the world for what it is right now. Fledglings trying to play king, to rewrite the laws set in place by us eons ago. Hobbes, a human of all species, so bravely said 'Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.' We'll just have to wait and see."

A long beat of silence follows as Pluto speaks, and Trivia cannot help herself: she laughs. It's a sharp, hoarse laugh, with none of the mirth of her usual carefree bouts of joy. It's a bitter thing, the sound that escapes her lips as she looks up to meet his eyes, her hands falling to her side as he all but ripped himself away, attempting to show a strong exterior when they both know that there are nothing but wounded souls at this point. Hands turning into fists and then loosening, her laughter peters of in the silence and she raises a hand to run it through her hair. She doesn't have enough mental capacity to deal with Pluto's overreaction to people being hurt by his actions, not after more than a decade of having her own body used against her, of finding herself trapped and then broken, bit by bit until there was nothing left of who she was. Part of her knows she needs to talk with Pluto once more, when some time has passed for them to heal but right now?

There's no sympathy left in both of them, no hope for what they've left behind in this mess. Pluto, knowingly, put himself in this position and the consequences had turned out much more severe than he'd anticipated. But there was no winner in this war. Which war was ever truly won by anyone? He let that thought linger for a while as she laughed, mercilessly as she should be, acknowledging his new stance. There would be no winner in this war of hearts as well. The original witch and the original vampire, damned to an eternal will they won't they scenario. He let his eyes wander over her body, but not to take in any of her features, but simply to focus on anything else but her eyes, her laugh.