♕ valiant

Since her resurrection into this strange modern world, Sonja had kept careful tabs on the happenings of both the lycan packs and the covens whilst keeping entirely out of the war. She was wholly disappointed to discover the state they were in, and to learn an entire war had been started by her father because he was unable to handle the simple fact he’d ordered her execution. The former princess knew the new elders were to be chosen today, she knew one of them was her double, Selene, and the other was the son of Amelia. She’d heard many stories of the two, her curiosity towards Selene was greater than it was towards David. Perhaps it was because Selene’s story was close to her own, but she was glad the other woman had gotten her freedom and revenge against Viktor. 

Perhaps she would consider re-entering the coven society….there were not many that had known Lady Amelia personally, she’d be able to tell the new Elder much of her if he wanted to know. It had to be quite shocking….to go from simply being the assumed son of a coven leader to the son of an Elder. Being an Elder’s child was no small thing, it brought forth status and consequence that was a heavy burden to bear. There had been many times in her youth that she’d wanted nothing more than to run away from everything to have a moment’s peace to herself; and it was partly the reason why she had so often disobeyed her father to go beyond the world on patrol, she’d needed some time away from her duties to breath lest she go mad. Sonja doubted she would be surprised if one of her informants told her he was struggling with his new position. 

It was still dark, she had no reason to worry for daylight; the train ride to Györ from Budapest was a brief one, particularly in modern times. It was were she’d settled for the time being, the history of the city had remain mostly untouched, making it more familiar and therefore comfortable to her. But few were awake at this hour, much less travelling, suffice to say she noticed quickly when a young man boarded the train and stood staring at her in the car. She stared back in an unflinching manner, thin brows raising briefly in amusement when he suddenly sat down and looked away. Hmn, did he recognize her for who she was, or was he yet another vampire confused by her resemblance to Selene.

“I will go out on a limb, and say you’re aware that staring is impolite, but your face looks as if you’ve seen a ghost.” The vampiress spoke up wryly, green hues watching the man with an impassive expression. Sonja of course, knew whom she was looking at. This, was David, son of Thomas and Amelia. She waited for the other vampire to respond, not yet moving to settle in another train car. She was curious how he would act, if he would be brave enough to ask her who she was or not.

The look wasn’t meant to last longer than a moment. David hadn’t been known to stare in astonishment often, but he did it whenever Selene did something she shouldn’t have been able to. Like stand in the sun, or come back from the dead. He’d thought somehow, when he stepped on the train, that she had read his mind and showed up to stop him from leaving. That was until upon further inspection it turned out to be someone else.

There was no prior knowledge of Sonja in David’s memory banks. His father never thought to mention her, and though David was an avid reader there weren’t many descriptions of her in the books he had read. The only information he knew about her was the fact that she had been Viktor’s daughter and she had died. That was why he turned away from her trying to think nothing more of the unknown woman he almost mistook for Selene.

When she spoke to him, David turned his whole body to face her. He definitely did not mean to be rude. “I apologize, but yes. I thought you were someone else. The similarity is uncanny, but her hair is different now. Just for a moment though...” His head cocked to the side slightly, now that he was able to really observe her since they were engaging in conversation.

It was still dark when he boarded the train, his destination was randomly chosen when he paid for a ticket. He should have taken a car, but he didn’t think there would be others around at this hour. When he got closer to the only other passenger in this car, he stopped and stared unintentionally. This person looked eerily similar to Selene. When he realized what he’d done, he sat down immediately and looked away. @wcrstarter​

His comment doesn’t phase her but it does bring back that god-awful memory of having to watch David bravely but foolishly rush at Quint to protect her and his coven. Had Quint not been in his lycan form she doubted David would have had trouble taking him on. The last sight of him she had before Quint dragged her away had been David laying on the floor bleeding out. A horrible reminder of what happened when she stayed too long anywhere.

“Perhaps.” Eve replies with a hapless shrug. What did it matter? Her father was in just as much danger as she was and who was to say he would even want her? “I can never stay anywhere too long to be sure.” It’s true, something always comes up to make her feel anxious and unsafe and she has to split as soon as she had arrived.

“David, I-I don’t know. I appreciate you coming to help but do-” She falters some and looks at her feet briefly. “Do you think he’ll even accept having a daughter?” her mother, as much as Eve loved her, had made it clear she was not a good parental model.

“Continuing to move is a good idea. If I’m with you, I’ll be able to help you track him faster. This is what I’m good at, Eve.” David circled around her to check and make sure no one else was in the building. If they were ambushed, they had no where to run and he preferred to keep moving until they found somewhere safe.

David wouldn’t pretend to know he understood how Eve felt, but he thought perhaps her mother was cold because of how old she was. His own father was cold and distant sometimes as well. “I think your father will accept you, but it might take time. He was human more recently than your mother though, so there is hope.” David himself was born a vampire, so he couldn’t pretend to know what that change felt like either. The only thing he knew about Michael was that the man was loved by his hero, but he had hope that she would be loved.

i let my real life issues drag my activity to a full stop, to say i lost track of time is an understatement. basically, i lost my job that i had for about 9 years when i stopped writing and i sank very deep. it took me a few months to get a new one and then that didn’t end up lasting very long. i don’t wanna get in too much detail outside of that. i want to move onto a positive note.

“Maybe if we smile a bit, or maybe the opposite. I’m not really comfortable in party situations, I’m so used to… surviving at all costs not drinking and making merry.”

CUT TO , A LINE DRAW IN THE SAND ––––––– › on it’s right is an all encompassing darkness. something that beckons with a low groaning and vibrations stronger than land grinding against land  .  .  .  to the left is light. a blinding and unrelenting light. it shrieks loudly enough to draw blood from a beings eyes and ears. the line looks like a river, not of water, but of CHROME / MERCURY / METAL. a natural border between two realms of existence, full of choices that pertain to specific outcomes and outcomes that rely on specific choices. illusions of freedom. it runs narrow, as not many would take it for a river. perhaps a leak from some far off chemical plant that slowly seeps it’s way into universes, poisoning fate and her twisted sisters. but they walk with purpose along the stream. one foot slides directly in front of the other, carrying a weight that has seemingly been weighed upon their shoulders since the birth of their existence.

with a ghostlike air to them, feet gliding across the surface as if they were floating just above its surface. their movements are restricted within this respective space. though heavy shoulders branch out to both sides. equal parts division and conjoined. when their head tips back to face what some would call a sky, there is no warmth, for there is no sun, or moon for that matter. AS ABOVE, SO BELOW. the only sensation that registers is a tingling that starts the base of their throat and branches out like tree of life. roots of black and white branch out of her in spiraling tendrils before delving into the space around. their arm reach out into an empty and sky full of dulcet auguries. the melody fading fast on lost on the untrained ears. something that feels like a breeze graces their skin. the feeling cause her lips to break into a small smile and breathe in deeply through their nose. this is peace. this is, power. this is –––– the earthen plane grounding her back into a cage.

it was becoming to be a rather frequent occurrence, her consciousness being anchored both on earth and in her own void. adalinda had completely forgotten that she’d left the privacy of her own suite to explore a bit of france on her own. she works quick in delivering a seamless recovery and breaking out a beaming smile. there was a certain fondness that came to mind whenever she thought of france. of a time when her parents were still alive and they’d sneak away on vacations for brief moments. they never lasted long, a week at most. she’d been back a few times since then, but always surrounded and flanked by guards and over bearing eyes. it was easy to appreciate france, for several reasons. self awareness, art, brashness, architecture, food mdash;— the pastries. a memory dances on their with mouth watering proportions with tastes of raspberries and rich chocolate.

❝ bonjour, monsieur. my knowledge of the area only spans as far as a bakery a few streets down, if i am to be honest. ❞

her smile dims a slight bit remembering the first time she’d entered the shop. the smells were near intoxicating and contrasted pastries from back home so greatly. it seemed so silly to fall in love with the flavors of a country but it was one of the last priceless luxuriates adalinda had shared with their parents.

❝ but what is france if not one of the most magnetic places to get lost in ? ❞

Born as a pureblood vampire, David never knew what the sun looked like or how those rays felt against his skin. As he stood here with a spotlight shining down on them both, he could feel the warmth as if he were truly a living, breathing human. Watching the being in front of him, he wondered what the world would be like if more of the humans were pleasant like this. Though it was only an introduction, he thought perhaps in another life they could have been friends. All this from a mere two sentences, he must have been going crazy from mental exhaustion. "It can be alluring when one takes the time to soak it in." An important thought dawns on him and suddenly he's feeling as if he should cut the conversation short. David has not eaten in days, maybe weeks since he began his journey. Of course, his body isn’t scarred or in need of healing, but he is hungry and she could be looking more and more like food. That magnetism she mentioned moments ago wasn't the city, but the desire deep in his belly to sink his teeth into her and take a drink of her blood. Drinking from humans wasn’t exactly forbidden, but he didn’t like to drink from others unless he absolutely had to. Fresh blood from a human had never touched his lips before because there were always alternatives. If he didn’t find the French Coven or another vampire soon, he’d have no choice in the matter. Though he didn't burst into flames under the light, it did drain him of his usual strength. The more they talked, the more her stood out to him beneath her skin. David gulped. He needed to leave, and soon.

Michael did hesitate when the man said to wait. Michael wanted to let his guard down, but after all he had been through, he just couldn’t manage that. He couldn’t just let everything fly. There was something about this, his words. He didn’t perceive aggression from David, but there was no way he trusted him yet. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth!” Michael growled “How do I know that you’re not trying to kill me like almost every other vampire.” 

His whole body froze when David said that he had a daughter. No.. how did he not pick up on that with Selene. He would have known she was pregnant… wouldn’t he? He took a step back, black eyes returning to their natural shade. “How do you know about my child when I don’t?” He sounded hesitant and a little sad. How did he not know about his child. 

How could he prove everything he’d said? It was a dilemma David would need to get through quickly before he lost Michael interest. Not everyone would take his word on faith, so it’d be best to just stick to the truth instead of trying to convince Michael of this. “There’s no real way for me to prove it, you just have to trust me.” Moving a hand to run through his hair, David sighed and added, “I’m sure you could kill me faster than I could kill you at any rate.”

Relief flooded David when Michael at least calms down. He took it as a sign to relax and his eyes also shifted back to their natural color. David could see the heartbreak almost as if it were a shadow looming behind Michael. He did his best to explain without getting into too much detail.

  It was no business of Varga’s to catalogue David’s comings and goings throughout his own Coven, but as this visit made for the fifth consecutive day of training under supervision, he suspected the Elder’s motives were born less of happenstance and more from a lack of faith in Varga’s reformation. Given his contribution to Semira’s failed coup, Varga knew he should count his neck staying upright on both shoulders as a blessing—and not balk with such an openly dour expression to the idea that someone may not entirely trust him.

   “We run quite the demanding regiment, my Lord. Consider it a melding of traditional values refurbished with technology of the modern age.” 

   He knew very well how it sounded: like hot air pouring off of freshly-dropped horse shit—and all for hyperbole’s sake, so that their Coven’s swift and sure recovery might be sung to those sitting comfortably in high places. It was what his father would have done for Viktor, for the Council, and all the other coven advisors whose main seat of power rooted in footing the bill.    “If I may suggest, my Lord, but the training quarters are large enough for you to take private training sessions, should you require.” 

Glancing over at Varga, David took note of his stance and wondered if the other didn’t want to see him down here. He had meant no offense when he mentioned the recruits improvements, he was impressed with them and their teacher. Now with Semira out of the way, David found no reason not to trust Varga. Especially after their fight together against the lycans some time ago.

“It’s impressive.” Though he didn’t have to tell anyone why he went anywhere, David felt that he should at least explain to Varga why he came down here in the first place. “If I’m in your way, please let me know. I have no pressing matters, so I happen to find myself wandering this way during my free time.”

The offer of private lessons has David turning his head to really look at the Death Dealer. He’d always admired them, he thought most vampires paid them no notice. At least, in the stories it seemed as though they were taken for granted. It intrigued David, but instead of accepting straight away he smiled and tilted his head.

“That doesn’t mean it should happen.” The girl replied stubbornly. Especially when you could do something to prevent it. She had that opportunity to protect her mother and she took it, David should have taken his and stayed away. “I don’t want anyone to die for me.” Who would? Having to live with the knowledge that someone had lost their life just so you could walk this earth another day.

The atmosphere of the church was heavy as the two young immortals stood in front of each other. David was offering to look for her father as while she did appreciate it, part of her doubted it was meant to happen as of late. “I haven’t seen a vision from his eye for some time.” Even then it could be hard to tell which was which parent until she saw either a mirror reflection or perhaps a hand to give her a clue. If it was her mother then she needed to leave and if it happened to be her father then she may linger around a little longer.

Either way she ended up leaving a little more upset than before.

“If my own mother hasn’t found him yet then how can you.” She doesn’t say this cruelly or even skeptically. She genuinely wants to know.

"Eve..." Feeling exasperated, he rubs his face from his eyes all the way down past his chin, "I am already living well past my expiration date." He's not sure if she already knew about his death, but he felt the need to remind her he should already be dead. Though he's sure she didn't want to hear or think about that, he hopes it will keep her from trying to lose him when he takes his eyes off of her.

At her admission about her father, David doesn't allow his doubt to show on his face. He's  not entirely sure how the visions work as he's never experienced anything like it. Despite that, he wanted to stay hopeful for her. "Perhaps he is too far from you for the visions to work." He doesn’t believe it because he thinks the reason could be far more sinister.

He doesn’t answer her next question immediately. He’s not so sure he’d have an easy time tracking her father since he barely knows anything about the man. Still, two minds were better than one. “If the vision ever picks back up, I might be able to help you find him. Especially if he ends up in places you haven’t seen before, maybe I have.” It’d be easier to find her mother first, then all three could search for Michael together.

As pleased as she was to see a familiar face, David really shouldn’t have followed her here. “If I didn’t leave her then she would have gotten hurt or killed because of me.” Trouble and danger followed the young teen like flies on a carcass and any who were near tended to bear the brunt of it along with her. Her mother would have done anything to protect her and Eve knew that very well. That was why she had to leave like she did.

“I’ve been running and hiding for awhile now. I’ve done pretty well up until-” Her sentence falters and stops when David mentions her father. Of course she….she had hoped maybe she would catch sight of him at least while on the run. As if fate would be kind to her just once and let her find her lost sire. Naturally no such luck came…

“No. No I haven’t.”

“People get killed protecting one another. That’s what happens in war, Eve.” It was true, but David hadn’t been a part of the Lycan and Vampire war before now. At this point, so many years later, he wondered why on Earth it was still going on. With all of the old council dead, could they not just forge a truce?

Those were the ideas of an idealist, but David hoped one day it could be possible. Maybe Eve could help with that, but right now all everyone seemed to want to do was shun her for what she was instead of embracing it. “Well, now we can look for him together. Are you still able to see through his eyes?” He can tell it hurts her to think of her father, yet he still continues to question her about it. David had a massive sense of purpose, and that was to repay Selene and her family any way he could.

Was it selfish to feel bored? He should be happy, they prevented the revival of war. They no longer had to run since they still had this stronghold, they were rebuilding and taking the world back. David just didn’t think it’d mean so much goddamn paperwork and sitting around waiting for people to get back to him.

Frustrated, David stands up abruptly and exits his office to go anywhere else. Someone could take a message if the architect ever decides to get back to him during this century. It only takes him a few moments to get to the training room; he practically ran away from his office. This was the fifth day in a row he found his way down here because he was interested in the progress of the new trainees.

The ancient and welcoming church had seemed the only secure and quiet place to make her stop and rest. This year had been difficult to say the least, on the run from lycan and vampire alike and not bothering to wait and see who was friend and who was foe. She could not take chances. She had rules and they needed to be followed.

Eve knew she was being followed now, thus why she slipped inside the huge and empty building to hide among the pews. These buildings were suppose to be sacred right?

Fat load it might do her, that was until she spotted the figure who followed right inside the double oak doors after her.

“David, long time no see.”

That was putting it mildly.

Scoffing, David places his gun back in it’s holster. He’d instinctively took it out when he smacked into Eve. It takes him a moment of staring with his brows drawn together, then his body relaxes and he walks closer to her. Now that he’s found her, he’s not entirely sure what they are to do now. Continuing to run had never been David’s favorite course of action, yet bring he straight to the danger could hurt her even more. What would her parents want him to do?

Michael was incredibly put off by the way he was looking at her. Oh hell, he didn’t like this. He was immediately put a little more on edge, especially when he saw the way that he looked around at their surroundings. They were basically alone, and Michael found himself with his claws extending. This person was about to make a big mistake if he tried to attack him. He was ready to defend himself at that moment. 

He saw the way he brightened and he got excited. Then, Michael’s family was mentioned. He didn’t know he had a family. He growled low, black eyes now glaring at him. “What family,” The growl mumbled in his chest, fangs extending for a moment. “The only person I have is Selene.” It was clear then that Michael had no idea about Eve. He didn’t know he had a daughter. 

Realizing his mistake entirely too late, David implores, “Wait!” Just in case he has to protect himself, David’s eyes shift from brown to ice blue. Though the move seems aggressive, he shouts, “Selene saved my life! She’s been looking for you since you both escaped.” Was it also his place to reveal to Michael he had a daughter? He decided he would have to, that wasn’t exactly a detail he could just skip over.