cruel practice (2018)

↳ with austin

                    “Training.” Austin grumbled with a painful sounding groan as he shifted trying to stretch his back out. “I think Zaiden had them put the cement in just to make it hurt more when he throws you to the ground.” He added, more to himself than anything as he glanced over at the vampire sitting next to him. He’d seen her around, once or twice but he couldn’t remember her name now that he was sitting right next to her. His mother would be ashamed at how anti-social he’d been since coming to New York, but in his defense Zade and Clair were very demanding teachers. Training didn’t leave a tremendous amount of time for socializing. But he wasn’t complaining, this is what he came to New York for, the soreness and bruises were proof that he was working hard.

                   “It isn’t as bad as it looks,” he tried shrugging nonchalantly but instead found himself wincing as he moved his shoulders even the slightest bit. “It’s more of a consistent dull throbbing,” he explained with an aloof smile. Growing up he’d always pushed his limits, accelerated healing came in handy when you and your friends were the type to jump off roofs just to see if you could land on your feet. His mother hated it.  “I’m Austin by the way, I don’t think we’ve met?”

“ohhh, wait like for that vampire soldiers thing or whatever?” evelyn asks, though it’s clear she already knows the answer. although, she doesn’t exactly get their purpose just yet, to be honest. but to be fair, this whole world gives her a serious migraine in general. “that seems like... super rough. like, what do you guys have to do?” she asks with an air of sincerity before cocking her head to the side, features wincing at the thought of any pain. “no, we haven’t. i would be evelyn.” she says with a smirk, extending a hand in his direction, limping her hand slightly as if it would earn the back of it a kiss.

↳ with lilit

“ I am 906 years old. I am allowed to be condescending, I earned that right. I am Advisor to your sire’s pater (Greek for father), but you are correct about insulting a princess. However, a princess is only a title that one is born to. Earning respect  is something your sire has begun to do with me. It started when she turned you and took responsibility and authority over you.” Lilit was once again spiraling into a rant where she would be more successful talking to a brick wall. This training fangs fledgling wouldn’t understand any of her words, or at least Lilit highly doubted she would. 

“Do you want a gold star?” Lilit laced the venom of sarcasm in the stitches of her syllables. “Right now I would put you at a participation trophy at best. So keep working on it.” 

Lilit took a deep drawl of her own bottle, opting to shy from the glasses on the table. She would need the extra liquor, “Well she may be a bad bitch, but you are a tiny little kitten in a room full of rocking chairs.”

A ghost of a smile, the genuine kind that might light up her face through the inebriated glaze, hinted at the corner of her lips, “I was swimming naked under a crescent moon when I was turned by my own wish. That was so many years ago in Northern Greece.”

starring: julia felicity ( @immortalfm​ ), evelyn yun setting: nyu party

although she never went to college or planned to — did dropping out of high school at seventeen give it away? — evelyn likes to think she’s made it as an honorary graduate, considering how many friends she has who have gone and just how many invites she’s gotten to the parties in the nyu space. but truthfully, it’s been a while since she’s allowed herself back into the folds of the college partying scene. for obvious reasons. and while she has a highly biased preference for the underground clubbing scene, trust that evelyn would absolutely never pass on an opportunity for a good time. as she maneuvered the party, already slightly tipsy after pregaming at her own place, she greeted a few familiar faces before ending up in the kitchen. she was kind of proud of herself as she felt her self-control becoming a little easier to maintain, but she still couldn’t help the way everyone’s warmth and the sounds of heartbeats clouded the remainder of her sober mind. searching the cabinets sloppily for glasses, she tried to focus on getting herself a drink.

↳ with astor

NO  ONE  HAD  EXPRESSLY  TOLD  astor  where  the  coven  lie  within  the  city  —  but  to  someone  who’d  spent  the  first  several  centuries  of  his  undead  existence  tracking  ,  hunting,  &  killing  other  vampires  ;  it’d  been  a  relatively  easy  task  to  follow  his  nose  to  central  park.  he  wasn’t  a  fan  of  the  word  lurking  ,  but  it  was  honestly  what  it  was.  he’d  been  circling  the  building  for  a  few  hours  now  ,  sometimes  on  the  ground  ,  other  times  from  the  lower  -  story  roofs  in  the  square.  he  wanted  to  note  &  memorize  every  face  that  came  &  went  ,  to  learn  their  scents  &  eavesdrop  what  he  could.  there  was  a  need  to  know  who  he  had  to  be  weary  of  ,  who  it  would  be  unwise  to  kill.  he  had  no  want  to  make  friends  ,  but  he  knew  a  death  dealer  who’d  be  cross  with  him  if  he  crossed  certain  lines  with  those  who  were  affiliated  in  the  coven.  &  astor  remembered  how  it  went  ,  an  attack  on  one  of  them  was  an  attack  on  all  of  them  ,  &  he  had  no  desire  to  become  so  entangled  with  them  once  more.  

a  curious  little  creature  caught  his  eye  as  she  exited  the  building  ,  talking  rather  loudly  on  the  phone.  how  many  of  them  were  so  young  ?  he  couldn’t  help  the  way  his  head  shook  as  she  walked  towards  him  ,  not  even  noticing  his  presence  until  she  was  almost  upon  him  ,  only  catching  herself  at  the  last  moment.  fine  ,  blonde  eyebrows  raised  ,  his  lips  pursed  ,  an  amused  gleam  in  his  eye  at  her  posture  &  mannerisms.  ❝  hello  to  you  ,  too.  i  know  you  were  awfully  distracted  ,  but  i  was  here  first.  ❞

finding herself back into the swing of things did wonders to elevate evelyn’s spirit. although she still relies on the coven for questions, concerns and just general help, she’s made the conscious decision of keeping them at arm’s length, if only because she can’t stand too many people there. and perhaps integrating back into mortal society is where she belongs anyway. she especially believed this sentiment as she accepted a new gig for the weekend, a set at a secret event. “yeah, let’s literally do it, bitch. give me like, all the details and stuff. it’s like thirty minutes, right?” she rests the phone in between her ear and shoulder as she opens the door, leaving the apartment complex. “okay, oh my god, i’m so ready. see you then.” she finishes off, her phone meeting her hand once more to hang up. 

↳ with zaiden ( @immortalfm​ )

❝  DO  YOU  THINK  YOUR  PATHETIC  pouting  is  going  to  make  you  any  less  hated  than  you  already  are  ?  ❞  the  cold  ,  unforgiving  drawl  drips  from  pierced  lips  before  he  can  stop  himself  ,  sapphire  hues  glittering  with  dark  amusement  as  he  catches  the  passive-aggressive  glare  shot  in  his  direction.  inked  digits  are  wrapped  around  a  mug  of  his  favorite  –  body-temperature  a-negative  –  and  though  his  tall  frame  leans  against  the  entryway  to  the  living  space  with  comfortable  ease  ,  the  razor  sharp  edge  to  his  pointed  stare  is  danger  enough  on  its  own.  the  casual  style  of  dress  down  to  the  way  he  sips  the  drink  he  had  been  nursing  do  little  to  conceal  the  poised  machine  that  lays  coiled  deep  within  his  bones  –  like  a  viper  waiting  to  leap  forward  and  strike  with  venomous  fangs.  he  hazards  a  smirk  ,  tapered  teeth  gleaming  in  the  low  light.  ❝  i’m  surprised  you  still  show  your  face  around  here.  or  that  lucia  didn’t  put  your  ass  down  already.  maybe  i  should  tell  aleksander  about  your  little  stunt  ,  myself  ,  ❞  he  poses  the  last  thought  idly  ,  humming  to  himself  before  taking  another  slow  sip.

↳ with zacharie ( @fangedfm​ )

                    Ever since moving to New York, Zacharie had found himself completely drawn in by the city’s nightlife. No matter how many night he spent walking the city’s endless streets he was never bored with what seemed to be waiting for him. Tonight he was sitting at one of his favorite bars contemplating just what else he wanted to do with his time when he became aware of the vampire who was now standing beside him.

                    “Excuse me?” The young vampire was clearly not familiar with him, which he found amusing because he was sure at this point everyone knew about him and Zade. It wasn’t like they were going around keeping their relationship a secret. Instead of answering her, Zacharie found himself rising to his feet, raising an eyebrow with an amused looking smirk as he thought about just how much Zade would hate being called a dog. “I’m sure Zaiden would self-destruct if he heard you calling him that. Which I would love to see honestly.” He let his words sink in, taking a slow sip from the martini in his hand. “My name is Zac. You must be new around here.” He leaned back now against the stool behind him, still smiling as the amusement shone in his gaze.

as the other stood up and evelyn got a clearer picture of zacharie’s face, she flinches herself back slightly, taken aback by the scar and scrunching her face up as a response. “um...” is all she can muster for a few moments, his words not exactly processing in her brain yet. she can’t help it — like, the semblance is just way too spot-on. she takes her gaze away from him for only a moment as she gets the bartender’s attention and puts her order in for a double vodka straight, her go-to. 

↳ with lilit

Training Fangs, Lilit’s own name for the annoying newborn, seemed oblivious to her own rudeness. Lilit had opened up her own time to try and make her a drink and she had impulsively disrespected Lilit. Then, as if that were not enough, she went about with the new information as if the offense had never actually happened. It was Lilit whose jaw now slacked at the very interaction taking place. “You do understand that you just disrespected a 906 year old vampire and now you act as if it were nothing. I know you are new. I know your sire is the princess. I know she has taught you about respect in this house.” 

Lilit placed her glass on the counter, the blender perched in her other hand. A strawberry daiquiri to start.  “I will let the disrespect slide this time and I will drink with you, every time you say the word like, We drink. Mix the blood in and it should be a wild night.” Lilit raised the glass to her lips, “When I finish this, I take whiskey on the rocks.” Lilit had already been drinking since she had arrived home. It had been a crazy night to say the least. “So, what made Lucia turn you anyway?”

“well, you just like... disrespected my sire. sorry but like, no one is above insulting the princess.” she persists before cocking her head to the side. “see... i'm learning fast after all.” and there’s an artificial sticky sweetness to her voice, laced with very apparent sarcasm. as lilit suggested her little drinking game, it makes evelyn want to roll her eyes and so she does, though this time out of playfulness than sarcasm. pouring liquor into the glass and mixing it as she would any other drink, she definitively adds a bit of blood, the last ingredient but certainly not the least. “you know what... you’re on. my tolerance is very high, i’ll have you know.” she smirks, lifting her glass in the air before taking a sip, excited to test the drunken vampire experience. 

↳ with austin ( @fangedfm​ )

                    The decision to move to New York wasn’t something that Austin had decided on lightly. He knew that he was lucky the lycan attack that had claimed three of his friends hadn’t taken his life as well. And that was why he was here getting his ass kicked on a near daily basis. He needed to learn how to better protect himself so he would never be caught in such a situation again. He knew that he had a lot to learn, which was why he never minded when his training sessions left him exhausted and beaten. He needed to build up the stamina that the other death dealers had if he was ever going to be a part of their ranks. And that was the ultimate goal really. He wanted to be one of the death dealers. Someone who was tasked with taking care of the coven. Protecting them from outside threats.

                   Tonight though he was exhausted and all he wanted to do was make it back to his bedroom and hibernate for a season or two. The problem was that he was sure just how to get back to his bedroom, he was too tired to just start wandering around and the couches here in the living area looked far too comfortable to pass up.

                   “I just need a few minutes,” he mumbled to himself as he sank into the plush cushions. It didn’t take him too long to get comfortable, all but melting into the couch as he let out a loud sigh. It was only after a few moments he realized that he wasn’t alone.

                   “I’m sorry, you don’t mind a little company right? Though honestly, I’m not sure I could get up if I tried at this point.”

evelyn is convinced that the middle of the week is her own personal hell. because what the fuck is anyone supposed to do then? and quite honestly, she is absolutely not looking forward to centuries worth of wednesdays. over a month ago, she probably would spend most of the week crafting new mixes, setting up new gigs and feeding her dependencies, but since then — that routine has been completely obliterated. and so all she has seemed to do is sleep in later and later into the night and occasionally transitioning from her room to somewhere else in the mansion. the least she could do is give herself the gift of a change of scenery.

collapsed on the couch and looking at her split ends with a single airpod tucked into her ear, it was very clear she was bored. was it boredom of her status at the mansion? boredom from the stagnation in her dj career? or just general dreariness? you kind of never know with evelyn. “oh my god, what happened to you.” she responds, the sentiment coming across much less of a question and more so an observation, as her eyebrows drew together and her eyes scanned the other’s beaten form. “that looks like... really bad.” and although at the back of her head, she knows lucia probably mentioned something about healing super fast or something like that, but y’know... still. she’s never been that hurt in her life. like, ever. even when she drunkenly fell off that one guy’s back after piggybacking. “does it feel like, weird and stuff?” because she has to ask, face wincing up slightly as she does.

starring: sinclair portier ( @enpcssant​ ), evelyn yun setting: the mansion

the past month had been arguably rough for evelyn. no... scratch that, that for sure was an understatement. because what do you get when you combine a deep lack of control, an unexpected rejection, an emotional episode that leads you to take two lives and the depression comedown that follows after such regret? basically, a mess cocktail. you get a big fucking mess. and not even the kind of concoction that evelyn prefers. she has always loved living life on the edge, flirting with the prospect of danger on her doorstep at all times, but this was something new. this was something that for once, it was difficult to bounce back from. and honestly, she was just fucking sick of it. sick of her new status, sick of her new world. after being in the mansion for an ungodly week, she was fed up. which is how she found herself taking back her stuff, hoping to catch the next subway train right back to her apartment, a place of familiarity and a sense of normalcy after all this stupid supernatural drama. 

↳ with lilit

“Fledglings do not tell 900 year old vampires what they can and can’t do. Let’s not let that happen again.” Lilit was growing annoyed with her already and then she tried to tell her what to do. Instantly Lilit regretted ever taking on this teachable moment. “Fine, drink it straight. I no longer care to make it bearable for you. I will make myself a martini and you can drink your glass of blood.” Lilit busied herself with acquiring her own blood and the contents of a strawberry aquarium. 

“Lucia has a lot to learn, but I think she is capable. You on the other hand, we will see.” Lilit looked to the fledgling as she made mixed her strawberries and blood in the blender. “If you care to take a small intermission from your vapid life, you can mix your drinks with the blood and it tastes better. Also the blood lets the effects of alcohol work on you. Something tells me you might want to take notes because I know Lucia had to tell you this stuff. If you think I am making a drink for you after your attitude, you are mistaken. Make it yourself.”

lucia: can i help you?

evelyn: tbh i only care about you in that gc which is why i'm gonna be honest for a sec

evelyn: like i know i super super fucked up and like trust me i felt awful the next morning i like didn't even leave my room for 3 days it was a literal living hell omg

evelyn: but this like new vampire shit has been like really fucking hard and my emotions are like only JUST slowing down a little ugh

evelyn: but i'm sorry if i was stupid in the gc i'm just not going to be anyone's doormat

↳ with lilit

The new one walked into the kitchen and began the meal prep of the century. Lilit’s nose scrunched at the bitter metallic aroma. Times had changed and blood was still blood. “Do you really care or are you just failing at making small talk?” Lilit pulled the yarn through and tied it off at at the end. “Tunisian Crochet, there’s knitting that requires two needles and it’s quite bothersome. This is one hook and it creates a much more dense piece. It’s a throw blanket. I can continue to bore you or…..” Lilit used her speed to appear beside her at the microwave.

“Or I can show you how to make this more bearable. I’m usually not this nice but since your sire is a failure someone will have to do the instruction.” Lilit managed to look bored but the idea of taking on one of Lucia’s mistakes and shining it out was hard to ignore. “I’m Lilit, the accent is Macedonian. I’m over 900. I’ll drink this.” Lilit took the warm blood from the microwave and sipped it as if it were a fine wine. “What’s your favorite cocktail? You look like you can barely stomach straight blood and I’m this day you don’t need to put yourself through the trouble. When I was new….well that was a different story.”

as evelyn turns back around to face lilit, she releases something just shy of a giggle at the unexpected bluntness of her question, using the back of her hand to suppress it just slightly. she leans on the island between them, aiming to get a better look at whatever she was making, and cocking her head to the side as if she was inspecting it. as lilit details her creation, evelyn feels a slight smirk coming on as her mind drifts off. mostly to think about how she plans to change up the progression of her recent remix. another synth, maybe? sound effects?