Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne hurried from the room full of sick and moaning patients in a vain attempt to catch up to her sire. Her sire's face had been so full of fear and heart-rending loss that it filled the younger vampire with dread as she hurried back down the stairs and through the storage room. Coming once more to the darkness of the storage rooms beneath the hospital, Ariadne was forced to slow as she looked for her sire. Eventually locating through the sobbing sounds coming from a dark corner of the room. Corauni sat upon a crate curled up with her head buried in her knees. Her shoulders and head shook violently with each mournful wail that Ariadne heard.

Approaching closer, once she had located her sire, Ariadne froze as she saw Corauni hold up her hand as though telling her to stop. Though it was difficult to see in the darkness her sire's eyes looked dark with bloody tears. She remembered how the madwoman had cried out blood the previous night in their shared cell in the prison. Corauni's sobbing slowed and she spoke through the last of her sobs in a voice that almost seemed angry.

"S-stay back. Ariadne. I-i'm not quite recovered all the wait yet. J-just go into our room and wait. I'll be fine."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne stopped at Corauni's command, brown eyes filled with worry as she looked on. She wanted to rush to her sire's side, to comfort her, help her in some way. Yet, something told Ariadne to obey her command. She still didn't know Corauni very well, couldn't analyze her moods to know when to push and when to leave her alone like she had with Princess Anna all those years. Ariadne decided to give Corauni the space she desired.

The young vampire meekly turned about, wrapping her arms about herself as she went to find the pair's room. As she wandered the halls, Ariadne thought of Corauni, of the strange vampire she met in the dungeons of Constantinople, of the young girl in the hospital, and of Anna. It helped distract her from the unsettling fact that she didn't know where she was going.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Eventually Ariadne found the way back to their room and settled down to await her sire. Though the bed was comfortable her only companion was that insufferable candle in the corner. Her new life only seemed to get stranger and stranger, uncovering it's secrets just seemed to reveal more secrets and worries.

Worst of all she did not feel tired as of yet so she could do little but wait for what seemed like forever. Eventually she did begin to feel a strange drowsiness begin to fall on her even as the small candle seemed to die out.

She could barely keep her eyes open even as she watched Corauni slide into the room. Her sire's face was bruised though she looked much better than she had when Ariadne had last seen her, a healthy red color in the older vampire's cheeks. Her sire laid upon the bed beside Ariadne just as the younger vampire slipped into a restless sleep, very similar to death.

----------

Ariadne was still vaguely aware of her surroundings even as she lay in the small dark chamber throughout the day. Eventually as the sun set she felt herself begin to stir as though waking up from a night's rest.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne sat in the little room for what felt like ages, eventually laying down to stare at the ceiling. The young vampire worried endlessly for her sire. On another night, Ariadne might have gotten up to search for her, but she was just so tired. It was very different from any tired feeling she had experienced before. This was not the type of feeling one could fight, or at least Ariadne hadn't learned to fight it yet. By the team Corauni appeared, Ariadne was so tired, she just barely managed to snuggle against her sire before passing out.

The day's rest was odd. Ariadne's sleep was dreamless. She was aware, yet unaware at the same time, as if daydreaming during a class lecture until suddenly aware that it was over. When Ariadne awoke, her brown eyes fluttered open. She yawned, exposing her new fangs without thinking about it. Her first thought was to see if Corauni was still there with her.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Corauni was still lying beside Ariadne, as the younger vampire finally woke from her strange rest. The candle had burnt out during the day casting the room into darkness. Though it was dark she was near enough that she could see that her sire was awake. Her soft brown eyes staring up at the ceiling as she whispered softly to herself in some unknown language.

Eventually she finished her prayer and smiled as she looked down at Ariadne and said. "I hope I didn't alarm you, too much. It is a shame you had to see me so close to frenzy but as I told you last night it is an unfortunate part of our lives now. I assure you I am much better now though I have little idea on how to save the girl upstairs."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I'm just glad you are okay," Ariadne quickly said, wrapping her arms about her sire in a possessive embrace that left her momentarily baffled at her own actions. Unsure, Ariadne loosened her grip. "I was just frightened because I didn't know what was going on. Everything is still so new to me."

Ariadne sighed, thinking about the poor girl that they didn't seem to know how to treat. "If it's true that our power can diagnose illnesses, maybe there is nothing physically wrong with her. I confess I know less than I ought about the human mind but..." Ariadne suddenly froze, a new and frightening idea dawning on her. "Could... could she be infected by a demon of some kind?" The young Salubri asked, looking uncomfortable with her own question. "Normally I would say that's ridiculous, but I would have said the same about vampires a few days ago."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I am quite well, and thank you for your concern. Though I think it would be better spent on the poor girl upstairs." Corauni said as she returned Ariadne's embrace softly while listening to Ariadne's questions.

"Fortunately you do not share the superstitions of many of your kind. I am sure one of the good sisters upstairs has already sent for an exorcist, and unfortunately there is little that can be done to save her. They tend to kill far more than they save." Corauni sat up on the edge of the bed and urged her childe to follow.

"I do not believe in demons or devils. Other than those who are our cousins, perhaps....no they are dead. The last of the fallen clan is dead but that does not mean we have rid the world of their allies." Corauni seemed to be talking to herself more than Ariadne and the words she used only served to frighten and confuse the fledgling more.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Following Corauni's beckoning hand, Ariadne joined her sire at the edge of the bed. She listened intently, running a finger through the curtain of dark curls falling over her shoulders. The fledgling vampire sighed inwardly. If not a malady or a demon, then what? Not that she wasn't relieved to hear that demons did not exist, but it just meant they still didn't know how to help the poor girl.

"I'm sorry... cousins? fallen clan?" a bewildered Ariadne politely interrupted, placing her palm on Corauni's hand, her lips twisting in confusion.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I'm sorry, Ariadne. I forget you aren't even a night old yet." Corauni said as she washed her face and fixed her clothing for the coming evening. Ariadne hadn't thought about it but there was really very little she had to do. It did make sense that she wouldn't sweat after she had died, there was so much she would have to simply get used to in her new life.

"When I say our cousins, I mean the members of the other clans. In this particular case I was referring to the Baali, the worst of the entire lot. Thankfully they no longer trouble our world thanks to our warriors and allies among the children of Assam." Corauni said in explanation as she finished her preparations.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Do you have anything nicer that I could wear?" Ariadne asked shyly as she joined Corauni near the basin. The young Salubri pondered her sire's words. She had lived for 25 years and felt like she learned much and shared it, she hoped, with Anna to make the girl a stronger leader. Still, Corauni was right. She did feel very lost and confused in this new world, a strange world full of vampires and other creatures of the night, creatures that she was certain only inhabited the land of gothic fairy tales. It was as if those old books filled up to the brim and started overflowing their magic and horror over the real world.

Ariadne pondered this as she considered her sire's suggestion. She couldn't help but admit that "the worst" vampire sounded very frightening, but Ariadne was curious by nature. She found that such classification of people was often a matter of perspective.

"What makes these Baali so horrible?" Ariadne asked, turning to look down the hallway idly. "And what might they have to do with that poor girl?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Corauni suddenly seemed to realize that her new childe was still clad in the bloody rags of her ordeal and nodded towards a trunk as she said. "I'm sure you will be able to find something to wear in my trunk. Though I doubt if it will be of the sort you are used to at court. Still anything is better than the old rags you currently have."

While Ariadne opened the trunk and got herself dressed Corauni sat down to wait. The clothing within the trunk was indeed far simpler and more coarse than Ariadne was used to but it was far better than what she currently had.

"I told you that there are other clans beside our own, there were thirteen to be exact. While few of them are what would be considered good or even kind none seek the destruction of all things. The Baali did, in many ways they are the opposite of the Salubri. Among vampires we are often referred to as the shepherds of humanity. The purpose of the Baali was nothing more than the return of our world to the primordial darkness, even if it means their own destruction."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Thank you," Ariadne said with a shy smile as she moved to take a look through Corauni's trunk. It was true that Ariadne was used to finer materials. Anyone who lived amongst the Emperor's family had to look the part, but the former Roman handmaiden was so happy just to be out of her dungeon rags that she didn't really care what she wore as long as it was something new.

Ariadne picked a gray dress that looked like one of the softer ones of the bunch and carefully slipped it on after discarding her tattered robes.

"How do I look?" She asked once she'd changed. "It's hard to imagine that becoming a vampire could sap someone of their humanity and their soul... unless they already lost their souls before becoming vampires. You think that poor girl was taken by these... Baali?" Ariadne asked, her face changing to a look of worry.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

While the majority of the trunk was devoted to clothing, Ariadne did notice a number of other personal items. Though none of them were nearly as interesting as the strange amulet she had noticed. A winged disc with the upper body of a man carved from a smooth stone, perhaps marble. Finally she found a suitable dress and slipped it on after discarding the disgusting prison rags.

"You look like a woman reborn, my dear." Corauni said with a smile before growing more serious as she answered the further query. "That is exactly the sort of person the Baali would seek to embrace. It takes a special kind of depravity to unite the other 12 clans in a common goal of your destruction.

The girl you saw upstairs was not always this way. She was once one of the most pure and religious people I ever met. She was raised here after running away from her father, a rather unpleasant sailor."

Corauni stood once more now that Ariadne was dressed and added. "I doubt if any of the Baali still survive, but they were repelled by holy symbols and faith. I have tested other symbols discretely, all of them have been destroyed by what ever haunts this girl."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Thank you milady. You flatter me," Ariadne said with an instinctive courtesy. She seemed to light up with Corauni's complimentary words, showing both her amiable disposition and her courtly manner.

The Roman's lips creased in thought as her sire explained the situation with the poor girl, though remnants of her beaming smile seemed to linger on her cheeks even still. Ariadne moved closer to her sire and whispered in her ear, looking around cautiously to make sure none could hear.

"So you think she is a vampire like us? Is there some way to know for certain? I do hope we can help her somehow."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Corauni seemed glad that her words had made Ariadne feel better, though she still looked to be worried about the situation. These Baali, or whatever might be messing with the girl upstairs seemed far more like the vampires in stories she had read. It did make her wonder what other kinds of creatures might roam the world at night, and here she and her sire were. Perhaps the only good thing in a world of black and grey, or at least the only good thing that she knew of.

Corauni shook her head in response to Ariadne's query as she said. "Oh no, if she were one of the kindred we would know. I couldn't tell you how exactly but you would know another of our kind unless they were using a power to hide from you. I think it more likely that one of our kind has found some way to curse the poor girl.

Some of our kindred can be rather unpleasant if slighted, and if that is the case we must find out who. I believe it is time for you to meet the local court, the prince will be able to aid us. Hopefully the cost will not be too great. Are you ready to go then, childe?"

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I see," Ariadne nodded and then sighed. She had rather hoped that the stories of curses wouldn't be among the things she found out were actually true. More and more, it was starting to seem like she had woken up within the pages of a dusty, old Gothic Fairy Tale, but then it was no wonder that people could conjure up such fantastic and creative ideas. Perhaps it was not just imagination after all but experience that told those stories! Ariadne always thought it would be fun to explore such worlds, but now she was not so sure. She couldn't help but think of Anna and the poor vampire that she'd met in the dungeon of Constantinople, lone hearts in a world of spades. The Roman wanted to help both, but they seemed so far away. She would have to focus on one problem at a time though, and her priority now was to help bring life and purity back to this poor, tormented girl with the strange aversion to holy symbols.

"Yes, I am ready. Should we take the girl with us to ensure she is safe from that exorcist?" Ariadne finally asked. "And please tell me about this 'prince,'" she added after a few moments with a look of confusion. "I was unaware that any of the Emperor's family resided in Thessaloniki."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"As much as I would like to hide the girl away from the exorcists, I fear it may put her in more danger. I will have Melpomene and Euterpe keep an eye on things till we return though. Hopefully it will all be enough to save the poor girl from her tribulations." Corauni said as she led the way back out of the hospital through the back staircase.

A refreshing breeze greeted Ariadne as she stepped from the doorway and looked up at the starry sky above. There was a storm on the horizon judging from the distant dark clouds over the bay. Corauni led the way towards the town as she answered Ariadne's further question.

"The prince is actually not related to the emperor, it is the term we kindred use to describe our local ruler. Much like the emperor though he rules his city from a court which is usually called elysium among our kind. I imagine it is much the same as the court you are used to, save for the fact that it can be a little more cutthroat."

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I guess it's a small world after all," Ariadne replied when Corauni told her of the vampire hierarchy and courts. She looked around them as they walked toward the town, her new dress gently rippling in the soft breeze.

"If that's the case, I find that princes tend to enjoy hearing themselves talk. Things usually go best if you just let them do so, sprinkling in polite nods and smiles here and there. I look forward to meeting them nonetheless. It seems I have a lot to learn about this new world."

 

[dmronny]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"That has been my experience with their kind as well. Though I should warn you that the prince in this case is a she. I'm not sure of why our princes tend to prefer the masculine term but they do." Corauni said as she led the way down the dusty street and deeper into Thessaloniki.

Ariadne knew the city well enough to not feel completely lost as she had been the previous evening. Anna frequently visited the city during the summer and she had accompanied her cousin during many of those visits. It had been during one those visits that she convinced Anna to open the hospital she was now residing in.

"I almost forgot but I should tell you the laws of the blood before meeting the prince. First never reveal your true nature to non-vampires, second respect the domain of all vampires as you would have them respect yours. The third is do not create another without permission from your elder, fourth is that you are responsible for any of your own progeny. Finally and perhaps most importantly do not kill another of our kind. Any questions?" Corauni gave a brief rundown of the laws in her soft voice before turning and regarding her Ariadne as they continued their walk.

 

[Ranger Princess]

Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne looked surprised when Corauni told her that the prince was a she. The idea of a woman being called prince rather than princess was strange, at first, for the former Roman handmaiden, but there was also something pleasant about it. Perhaps it spoke to a difference in culture between humans and vampires. If the vampires treated sexes equally, maybe they weren't such horrible monsters after all?

"Ha, the ladies of the court like to hear themselves talk even more than the men at times!" Ariadne laughed, smiling at her sire as they walked through the streets of Thessaloniki, and then she nodded thoughtfully as Corauni explained the laws of the blood. "I take it this woman is our elder then? I am intrigued! I've always felt a bit more comfortable among other women. Can you tell me a bit about her?"