;the betrayer

     Initially,hearing adorable thrown her way hadthe vampire’s brow quirking. Oh, how she hatedbeing called things like that. It never failed that they often fell from thelips of lycan males. However, hissave was quick, as Sophie found the comparison to rain being one she ratherenjoyed. A hint of a smile formed, only to widen when the lycan presses hislips to her hand. Surprise was practically etched into her face. It had beenages since she had been greeted in such a way. His mishap was suddenly forgiven. “Thepleasure is all mine, Mr. Isham,” she informed him as she withdrew her hand toclasp it with the other in front of her.

     His questionshad the vampire laughing softly from sheer amusement. “I regret to inform youthat I’m not like every other girl.” Her words were ones she was sure had beenspoken a thousand times by others. But she meant hers entirely. The 18thcentury wasn’t a good fit for her, and while she loved the modern world, it wasalmost as difficult to navigate these days as her human life had been. The inventor struggled, though you’d never know it.Narrowing her eyes to the male, Sophie shook her head at him. “You think youknow me so well already, don’t you?” There was a playful tone in her voice, onethat gave way to another light chuckle. “Those princes were unappealing becausethey saw me as nothing more than a convenient arrangement. When a man is capable of viewing a woman as all thewonderful things she is, that’s when I’m impressed. –And quite frankly, menlike that are severely lacking.”

     “Mr. Isham? Good god, woman, I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that.” Johnny gave a snort. “All due respect, m’am, after thirty-some odd years, you’re no longer considered a girl. Not saying you look old --- I would never imply such a thing about a woman! --- but . . . yeah. Give yourself some credit. Don’t worry ‘bout it, though. You’re still a five-star dame and girls are no fun when there’s a lady around..” He gave her a little wink, lips loose with a grin. She didn’t look a day over thirty, but with the smell of the leech disease on her skin and breath, Johnny was sure little Sophie was old Sophie. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare,” he replied, quick to the defense. “You know what they say about appearances. They’re nothing but deceiving.”

     Cocking his head the side to lend a listening ear, he laughed at the idea of someone he’d found swirling around in the ballroom finding princes lacking. “What can I say, doll? We men are nothing but DOGS.” His chest rumbled with a bit of laughter. “But you can be honest with me, Muffin. It’s their breeches, isn’t it? The waistcoats? I’ve seen the old paintings and all those fancy pant-wearers look like they just want a pretty face to wear as a beard. Look like they’d rather roll in the sack with each other rather than a little princess.” He tsked his teeth, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Perhaps what they lacked was an interest in women. Now that would put a damper on things, wouldn’t it?”

     The vampirehadn’t heard the other enter, hadn’t even heard the pounding of a heartbeatuntil a voice broke through the music. Her dance came to a sudden stop as shewhipped around, brow furrowed toward the male in the doorway. It took all shehad not to spit something back at him—but she held her tongue. She wanted toimprove her relations with the lycans, not continue to destroy them.

     Smoothing herskirt out, the vampire collected herself and stood poised as usual. His playfuljab did, genuinely, force a smile to tug at her lips. “Oh, my glory days weremuch more recent, stranger,” She cooed quickly as she eyed him. Easy, Sophie. Shecouldn’t put a name to the face, but she would make an effort to do so soonenough. Brushing back stray strands of hair that had fallen from her bun, thevampire tilted her head curiously to the lycan. “Cinderella was a poor excuseof a princess. She could bore the life out of anyone,” She mused lightly. “ ButI have danced with princes—They weren’t much to my liking.” Deciding to take theinitiative, the vampire strolled to the lycan, closing the distance between thetwo as she extended her hand. “Sophie—And you are?”

     For all the drab she dressed herself up in, Johnny had to admit the little bloodsucker carried herself well. Head high and poised --- a right damn lady if he’d ever seen one. The corners of his mouth tugged into a little smirk as she cooed and strode towards him, gliding across the floor like this was just another part of that dance she was doing. “Sophie. How adorable. You’re like a drop of cold rain on a summer’s eve, if I can say so myself,” he quipped with glee as he took her hand in his coarse palm. Ever the gentleman, he swooped into a bow and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, standing smooth as he brought his hand back to his side. “Johnny Isham. Always a pleasure.”

      “---Though, I question your taste in princesses. What’s so wrong with Cinderella, other than the rats and mice that do chores and make pretty dresses? That, I did see, and I figured that’s what every girl wanted.” He asked and rose a brow. “Suppose you’d know, having danced with princes, after all. Tell me: what makes them so unappealing, too? Is it maybe that you’re just impossible to impress?”

     a grin spread across their face, rolling their eyes as johnny carried on. “as if not receiving an invitation has ever stopped you from crashing my fun before.” marlowe lifted their foot from the old man, taking a short step forward to meet the other lycan. “ugh, please tell me you’re not seriously considering eating this one?” they wrinkled their nose in disgust. “he’s so old.”

     marlowe watched as johnny bent down to admire their work, staring at his exposed back and considering putting a knife into it. but, no. they resisted. johnny and marlowe had attempted to kill each other several times, but it was more a game than anything personal. marlowe owed it to him at least to keep things more original than a pocket-knife jammed in his spine when he wasn’t looking. 

     “so how about we get up to some real fun?” they asked, already bored despite the dying man laying next to them. “things have been much too quiet around here, it’s time we changed that.”

     “the thought would’ve been appreciated anyway,” he huffed. “i don’t KNOW, marlowe, but it would be nice to have the option before you completely ruin it.” johnny cocked his head to the side and sniffed at the santa. all he could smell was fear, blood, and urine. the man was terrified and it inspired a snarl-like smile to carve his lips. 

     johnny straightened his legs as he stared at them. he perked at the idea of fun, eyes alight and grin wide. “i’d agree, muffin,” he replied with a nod. “damn — i forgot how much i missed you after all these months, goodness. you’re going to make me fall in love with ‘ya if you keep talking like that.”

She wasn’t sure just how serious he was being about anything she said, leaving her with no reaction but a silent kind of awe at the story of his scar. It wasn’t so much the bar fight, that much she could have predicted, but the fact that it was from the thirties captivated her far more than a small detail could. Although she’d joined the ranks of the immortals, she was still only thirty-one. It wasn’t exactly memorizing to recall the events of the nineties when people were running around with memories from decades before that.

“Sure. Hypothetically if we went to Loch Ness and were able to find her, although all signs point towards that being a very difficult task,” She’d learned the hard way, monsters find you, not the other way around, “ I would swallow my pride and let you try to fight her. Totally betting on Nessie though, you would be on her turf.”

     “I’d say we have more than a few years to spare for such an expedition,” Johnny pointed out before balking in absolute shock. “What?! --- Do you mean to tell me you would cheer against me? Muffin, I thought we could be friends, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that.” He shook his head in disappointment, setting back against the plush couch. “And what if she were to almost kill me? Would you keep sitting back, then? Now, how would my death weigh on your conscious?”

“Let’s just say I like to keep my options open.” He smirked, it was the truth after all. Even the girl who said she was looking for a husband could be persuaded away from her morals in the right situations. He preferred to take things on a case by case basis, each one a delicious brain teaser with a sweet reward. “I’ve got quite the opener as you can tell. Just cast the net and see what you reel in.” For someone who had never been fishing a day in his life, he was a fan of the analogy. “As long as they’re not married. I never have the patience to deal with the jealous husband, I’ll be honest.”

“You’ve been here for a while, yeah? What would you say the expectations should be. ”

     “Smart man,” Johnny remarked with a tip of his head. Chuckling at memories of ruined housewives and dashing out of homes in nothing but a pair of breeches, Johnny sipped his whiskey and gave a shrug of his shoulders at the question. “Excellent, no matter what your tastes may be,” he replied, though to be honest, a dame or dog piece wasn’t something he had his eye on for the moment. "You can reel in all you want, Edmund, but there are bigger fish to fry than just one fuck buddy. BUT, I suppose I could make a suggestion or two.” He flashed a smile. “After all, that’s what friends are for, right? You buy me a few drinks and I help you get that prick of yours wet, hmm?”

     shitty christmas music poured from loudspeakers, colored lights were strung upon every storefront, and you couldn’t walk more than ten feet without seeing a poster for the ‘annual children’s christmas play’ the quaint little town was just full of holiday spirit.

                    gross.

     marlowe hadn’t chosen the location on purpose; sure religion was an easy target and they’d certainly used it against the mass before, but this time it was simply coincidence. they’d been watching the jolly fat man ring his bell, offering a hearty ho-ho-ho to all those who passed. he’d been out there for hours, collecting for some charity or another, finally deciding that it was too late in the night to be standing on the street corner with a bucket of money. marlowe had stayed back, watching the would-be santa lug the money across the street and disappear into the small church. they followed moments later, catching the fat man by surprise.

     and now, here they were. standing over the man in the red suit ( that happened to be much redder now, coated from his own blood ), staring at the person who’d just walked in on the scene. they gestured with their hands, a foot firmly planted on the man’s stomach to hold him in place as they spoke. “well this is awkward, isn’t it?”

                                       “–guess i’ll be on the naughty list this year.”

      johnny held up a finger to silence them. “do not talk to me, marlowe, i am very angry that i did not get an invitation you’re far superior party AND for tenderizing the meat when you KNOW i prefer mine shredded”

     my gods, he thought with a disappointed snort. it was like they didn’t even know each other. "to think i invited you to a birthday party once.” he didn’t mention he’d only invited marlowe so they could eat the dinner guests afterward. santa wouldn’t appreciate that very much, and it was far too early to push them to terrified. 

     “now, now,” he said with a sigh, bending down to look at the chap’s blood-red face and tear-stained cheeks. with a frown, he twisted his stare up to marlowe’s. “i see you still have no concept of finesse.”

     The castlewas truly an extraordinary sight. From the décor to the archways, Sophie wasimpressed by the lycan stronghold. Despite the unrest she felt within thewalls, she was quick to take advantage of the chance to explore. It wasn’t longbefore she had found herself in the second floor ballroom. Upon entering, itwas almost as if she had stepped back in time—back to her human time. While herchateau was far away in France, she couldn’t help but to be reminded of her oldlife the longer she spent in the castle. Her heels clicked lightly against thefloor as she moved deeper into the grand room, eyes wide as she took it all in.In her mind, she saw back to the lavish banquets and balls that had once beenher life. She saw the stunning gowns she once wore, the intricate jewelry shewas once adorned with, and the faces of the suitors who pleaded for her hand.      Alonging smile had crept on her face, and before she could stop herself, thevampire was pulling out her cell phone and placed it on the mantle. She wasquick to turn on her music—a rather lovely classical arrangement she had grownvery fond of over the years. Her light, flared skirt complimented hermovements, and her doe eyes slipped shut as she embraced the past. Herspontaneous dance began with her imaginary partner, and for the first time inmany years, she was Lady Sophie Boucher once more.

                             “now isn’t this cute.” 

      Hands clasped behind his back and shoulder propped against the wall, he grinned at the little twirl of a bleeder in front of him. It was so hard to take them seriously when they danced alone in empty rooms, a pretentious enough display that made him question why he’d ever left the south of Chicago. Gods --- he hated old-world Europeans. 

      “Are you reliving the glory days, m’lady?” he asked, rather mockingly but he flashed a friendly smile to appease the jab as good-humored. “You know, I was there when Cinderella was first shown in the pictures. Charming little thing, I’m told, I didn’t spend much time watching it, admittedly; but my point is, if I had seen it, I imagine it would’ve looked very much like this.” He gestured towards her. “Are you going to tell me you’re like all of those little girls dreaming of dancing with princes in fancy gowns?”

         ashe raised her eyebrows, her hand coming down as they both came to rest on her hips. there was something in his tone, that tilt to his smile that gave away his thinking. that smile of hers hadn’t fallen away though, even at his snark, she did what she could to throw it back at him, in her good natured way. ❝oh my god, really? i wasn’t aware. i had noooo idea that i’d been pulled into the underworld with all of the shit that goes bump in the night.❞ she paused to wrinkle her nose in her amusement, one of her hands raising to finger gun his way. ❝thanks so much man, wouldn’t have figured that out without your astute & eloquent observation…❞ she took a breath, unable to hold in her laughter at the conversation she was having. how weird had her life gotten?

     he raised his brow — what an ODD creature. johnny wasn’t sure what she was talking about, thinking she might be a bit airy or something, but he was sure glad to see she was all cutesy. such a doll. “what can i say, love, i’m only here to help. a regular gentleman.” he straightened his shoulders like he was one of those soldier chaps, giving her a little wink as he chuckled. “so tell me something, muffin, do you really know what types of monsters roam around here? or do you just sort of know.  this is important, i promise, if only for me to be able to decide if you’re the monster after all.” he propped up against the wall again. “because i’d hate to think i was talking to a fair maiden when she was really the dragon after all.”

            she didn’t want to stay in her apartment tonight, like she normally did. she’d caught up on all her homework, & realized that in the month she’d lived here, she hadn’t really gone out & explored altolusso. eyes checked her phone, seeing that it was almost 3 in the morning. it was basically the middle of the day… people should be out & about. she was up & moving, sliding on some acceptable clothing & shoes, before being out the door & into the hallways. even though she wasn’t really going anywhere, she was still excited to learn more about the place she was now calling home. she turned a corner, her foot getting caught on nothing, a true talent of hers really, & she tripped, damn near running into the silent individual she hadn’t sensed around the corner. she managed to right herself right before she hit the ground, looking up at the person before her, lifting a finger, smiling through her embarrassment, ❝i know what you thought you saw… but me almost busting my ass over nothing was not it. nope. nu uh.❞ 

     “i wouldn’t dare to see anything you didn’t want me to,” johnny replied. he’d come to a halt as soon as she caught whiff of scent, knowing she was close and obviously not paying attention see as how she’d rounded the corner and nearly rammed  into his chest. “now, muffin, you really should be careful,” johnny purred, lips loosening into a twisted grin. something about the dame seems soft and he knew at the first glance that she was HUMAN. a pretty one at that, smiling and waggling her finger like she was someone to be listened to. well, she certainly caught his attention, johnny humored or not. leaning forward, johnny said in a low tone, “i’m told all sorts of beasts roam around in these apartments. right dangerous if you ask me. they might’ve pushed you down just to see you bust that little ass of yours.” 

     Roman nodded slightly, flicking the butt of his cigarette and watching the ash fall to the ground. ashes to ashes, right? It took him several moments to register the other’s question–for some reason he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer it at first. “No, I’m not.” Roman turned to face the man, taking in a long puff of the fag between his fingers before adding, “First time I heard of any kinda…gathering like this. Been looking for someone, figured this was my best bet at finding them.” Honest, but not too honest. Enough truth to sate the stranger’s interest ( hopefully ), but not enough to show his hand too early. “What about you?” Roman cocked his head slightly, already having formed an opinion on the man next to him. “You don’t exactly seem like a team player. No offense.” There was an edge to the comment, despite the lightness of his tone.

     Johnny cocked his head to the side. Maybe the talking scuff wasn’t completely boorish. “Are you now, my friend?” He asked, intrigued. The other was looking for someone here? Was it someone Johnny knew? Perhaps this business would be interesting enough to warrant a little play-date. “Now, I don’t know why you would think that. As you can see, I wore black for the funeral,” he said, gesturing to his attire with a smile. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t attended it, exactly; he’d shown up for the march at least. “I happen to be good friends of the widower. Widower --- what do you call the partner of a man who’s fiance died? Is there a word?” He shrugged. “Whatever it may be, you could say I'm a part of the family. I came to pay my respects as family members should.”

Due to recent events Alice had been spending more and more time outside, when she could. Fresh air could still work wonders even if her physiology wasn’t the same as before, she’d even found a nice, small clearing nearby in which to sit and relax. Of course, she’d planted some native flowers a few days before and used it as an excuse to come often and check on their growth. Now, with a fire going, she felt she could finally breathe. The snap of a twig destroyed her manufactured peace and she barely turned, apathetic “You’re welcome to join me.” She was not averse to company but she wouldn’t tolerate a true disturbance.

     He’d caught the scent of smoke, and hopeful that it might make for an opportunity to burn a few houses down, Johnny followed it through the city over something that looked like a garden. Perfect ---- he could burn something PRETTY. When he stepped into the small clearing, however, there was a bloodsucker already tending to it, a lone little woman giving out an invitation and who was he to turn it down? “Good. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to crashing your little party.” He glanced around, not able to see anyone else in the darkness. “Please tell me you have marshmallows. If you don’t, then this is just simply a disaster.”

“Your venom is basically toxic to people like me.” She told him in a very matter of fact and dry tone, though her voice was still rather quiet. “And I’m not scared of … of that.” Alba couldn’t help but scoff and give him a dirty look. “Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t protest. That kind of seems right up your alley. But I’ve never tasted lycan and I don’t plan to.” Even though she wanted very badly to bite into his flesh and fulfill her hunger. Not because of him, but because she hadn’t fed in awhile. That was what she chanted in her head. She took a step back just as he did, her eyes still remaining on the ground. “I’m a vampire. We don’t get frown lines. ”

     “Is it now?” He asked, eyes widening with surprise. “I didn’t know. I suppose it is a good thing I didn’t just JUMP on you then, hmm? Nasty business.” Johnny couldn’t help but laugh, finding it funny how she claimed to never have tasted lycan. Was she expecting him to believe a little spitfire like her stayed away from the war? Or was she a pup? “Let’s not test that, eh? It’d be a shame if it turned out you were wrong. You’re so . . . cute already. A regular ol’ baby dame.” There was really no other words to describe her, and Johnny wondered if she’d appreciate the sentiment. “Maybe that’s why the little princess cut herself open . . . frown lines. I once read in Cosmo that older women get very sad as they lose their beauty.” He shook his head. “Terrible.”

“Johnny it is.” He said, pouring the second glass and sliding it back to the man, with the bottle included. It was clear that he was enjoying the bottle much more than Edmund, and what kind of man would waste good whiskey for the sake of being selfish? That man was usually him, but son long as he was the new person in town, there were only friends to make. Enemies were saved for when he was ready to pack up and leave. Besides, a man who could hold his liquor was bound to be a good companion in a fight. “Bridesmaids is something I can agree on. So far none of the women here have been quite up to par. Although, I suppose I can’t judge yet. I haven’t met any of my neighbors yet- Altolusso. Do you know the place?”

     “My friend, you have got to lower your standards,” Johnny tilted his glass to Edmund, laughing at the other’s expense. “One could say I do. I have been here a while,” he remarked, swirling the amber whiskey in his glass, taking a drink to wet his that. The snobbish fellow must’ve been new. Made sense, considering Johnny didn’t find him familiar in any way. Leaning against the bar, he propped up on his elbows and thought for a few moments. “What sort of dame you looking for? A piece for life or one for an hour? Or --- what, you one of those that goes for the dogs instead?” Johnny gave the other a look, like he could tell what sort of tail Edmund chased if he just waited a little longer. Nope . . . nothing. He was pretty enough, though. “Not that I’m judging, Edmund. We’ve all got our taste. Just wondering what sort of mate you want since you seem to have an eye out.”

“I wouldn’t need your corpse. All I’d need was a photo!” She clapped her hands together at the joke, not hiding the fact that she was proud of herself for delivering a line. Jokes had never been her strength, but every so often she could pick up the signs of a good set up. And if anyone was going to just roll with it, she’d have to guess it would be Johnny. He’d been the one to suggest that she come up with a way to frighten a bunch of random people anyways. “I gotcha there!”

Anyone else might have tried to hide the enjoyment from their voice, but she wasn’t practiced enough to know any better. “That’d be what you get for killing the Loch Ness Monster. It might have feelings you know.”

    “That is WONDERFUL, thank you, Muffin!” Johnny threw his head back, laughing --- how he wished he could inspire such a reaction. It’d been years since a simple photograph could do the trick. Johnny was beginning to think he was losing his touch. “Just make sure you get my left side, yeah? That’s where I got this scar from a barfight back in the thirties. Baby-face, can you believe that? Had a mean hook on him, that one. Never would’ve thought it just by looking at him either.” Johnny turned his head to the side, showing the jagged line that carved up his left temple. “Fucker smashed a beer bottle on me.” Arm falling back to his side, Johnny flashed her a toothy smile. “Feelings? It's a monster trapped in a bloody damned lake, of course it's got feelings. But imagine how < terrible it would be for Nessie to hold onto that simmering rage and loneliness bred from centuries of neglect, only to get offed by a couple of idiots who don’t even want to play. We’d give her a proper chance at sport though, wouldn’t we? I’d say it’s fair.” 

johnny isham