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Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)


Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Fret not my child. I'm sure that your cousin appreciates the sacrifice you made for her. You're death cannot make her love for you fade she will always remember it and perhaps become wiser because of it." Corauni said with a gentle hug as they reached a doorway behind the hospital. The pair of ghouls immediately headed inside leaving Ariadne with her new sire once more.

"It is a hospital. One of many founded by your cousin, thanks to your influence on her. Our main reason for being her is that it will be a safe place for us to rest from the sun during the day. It's also a great place to teach you about some of your new abilities." She added before opening the door for Ariadne. Beyond the door a flight of stairs lead downward into darkness, it was difficult to see though there was thankfully a hand railing. Eventually the room opened up into an equally dark storage room of sorts.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Thank you," Ariadne said with a shy smile as she returned Corauni's hug. She listened attentively, following her sire deep within their new hospital home. The building was dark, so much so that it was hard to see. Apparently, night vision wasn't one of her new abilities. Ariadne felt a bit relieved as she reached out to use the guide rail to make her way down to the storage room below, a very human quality.

"You are very wise Corauni," Ariadne said as she carefully stepped down the staircase. "May I ask what sort of life you lived when you were... you know? Before?"
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"My own embrace was thankfully much less violent than your own but it was not without it's heartaches. It was long ago but the memory remains fresh and I will gladly tell you the tale once we get to the safety of my cell." Corauni's voice said from behind her as they descended into the darkness.

The basement was cool and dark though there was enough ambient light that Ariadne could see well enough to follow her sire. They wound their way past crates of food and medicines. Eventually they came to a door which lead into a spartan though comfortable looking room. A small candle sat in the corner away from the cushions which sent a meager amount of light around the room.

The brief prickle of fear was calmed as her sire lead her into the room an bade her to make herself comfortable. "You needn't fear such a small flame so long as you do not handle it yourself. Unfortunately seeing in the dark is not one of our many powers."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"I would be honored to hear it," Ariadne replied, the pair making their way down the stairs and through the dimly lit corridors. It was true when Corauni mentioned that this place wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for her efforts, and Ariadne took a small amount of solace that her previous life has left a positive legacy - despite what some people may believe about her now. Perhaps, Ariadne could even continue that legacy through the shadows of her new life. She was determined to help somehow, no matter how small it might be.

Ariadne pondered how she might do that in silence as she followed Corauni into the next room, when suddenly a spike of fear rudely interrupted her thoughts. Ariadne hissed, her fangs suddenly extending long and sharp beyond her lips. The petite Roman took a step back toward the wall before realizing all was well. It was just a candle. A candle. Ariadne shuddered in embarrassment. Not only was she afraid of a little flame, she had hissed at it. Ariadne glanced around, took a step closer to Corauni, and diverted her eyes from the cursed little flame. Her fear was irrational, but most fears were. She would just have to find a way to conquer it.

"W-what sort of powers?" Ariadne asked, choosing to focus on that rather than the embarrassment of her little jump scare.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"There is no need to feel embarrassed my childe, we all suffer the from the red fear. One day you will learn to control it around small flames like candles and even fire-pits but always remember to treat fire with respect. There is a reason for the fear after all." Corauni said as she lead Ariadne over to the side of the room away from the candle. She took a seat on the bed and curled up in a comfortable position and bade her childe to join her.

"The kindred have quite a variety of powers at their disposal from supernatural speed and strength to the ability to control shadow and make illusions. Each of the clans has a unique disposition towards certain powers though and with but a little training they can use them upon embrace. We Salubri are disposed towards the arts of auspex, fortitude, and obeah. The latter is entirely unique to our clan and it is the reason we are commonly referred to as healers."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Sometime soon I hope." Ariadne smiled shyly as she sat down at the edge of the bed, obeying Corauni's instruction but maintaining a respectful distance. As her sire began to explain her new powers, Ariadne thought back to the night of their first meeting. A lot of it was becoming a blur, but the memory of the song and Corauni's approach was unforgettable. The end of her pain equally so.

"Is that how you saved me?" Ariadne asked, looking down at the cross that still hung around her neck. "I still have much to learn about medicine, but I imagine someone in my state... well only God could save them."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"It allowed me to take away the pain you were suffering but I would not say that I saved you just yet. It was with heavy heart that I even gave you the chance to become like me though I would gladly take your pain away again if I had the chance." The sadness on Corauni's face was enough to make Ariadne almost want to cry. Then with a deep sigh her sire's smile returned and she quickly apologized.

"Forgive me, my childe. I do not mean to fill you with fear or regret but to be overcome with sadness on occasion is to be human. Enough of that though." She said with a smile as she sat up on the bed and looked about the room quickly.

"Perhaps you would like to test out one of your new abilities before the coming of the sun makes us rest? Concentrate on your hearing, and listen as deeply as you can. Tell me what you hear?"
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne's slim shoulders slumped with the weight of her sire's sadness. It wasn't unusual for her to be sympathetic to the woes of others. Still, there was something supernatural about their new blood connection. It pulled at Ariadne's heart strings and made the burden of Corauni's sorrow almost impossible to bear.

"I've only known you a short time," Ariadne began, smiling shyly as she reached out to touch Corauni's arm. "but I think I'm very lucky to have a chance to be like you."

When Corauni smiled, Ariadne smiled too. The Roman woman closed her eyes, happy to obey her sire's instructions if only to turn that frown upside down. She tried to empty her mind of her conflict, just focusing on the world around her. At first... there was nothing, but the quiet world slowly began to open up to her.

"I hear... the wind," Ariadne whispered hesitantly. "Trees swaying in a gentle breeze. An... an owl hooting. Like the ancient goddess of wisdom's companion.."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Just concentrate a bit harder and you should hear it." Corauni's voice whispered from where she sat beside the fledgling vampire. Ariadne continued to concentrate on her sense of hearing. Pushing through the background sounds of the wind and the creaking of the hospital a song came into focus.

It was the two ghoul servants who had saved her singing a hymn of mourning from somewhere in the hospital. As she continued to concentrate it sounded almost as though they were in the room beside her though they weren't. She found that she was able to listen to other sounds in the hospital as well, from the cries of the sick and hurt to the soothing sounds of the nurses.

"Do you hear it now?" Corauni's voice came in a whisper once more as she sat forward on the bed.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Listening to Corauni's words, Ariadne took a deep breath, forcing herself focus. She let her senses carry her on a journey far beyond the limits of her body, to hear everything there was to hear.

At first there was nothing apart from the familiar wind, the soft hoot of the owl. Eventually, however, there was more. The smallest sound, softer than a pin drop, became a whisper. Ariadne strained, wanting to learn more, and eventually the whisper became a voice. The voice became a song. The song became a perfect harmony. The harmony of the duet mixed with the rest of the sounds of the hospital, the cries, the coos, the prayers.

Ariadne's eyes opened wide. The young vampire pressed a hand to her chest. She might have gasped if breath still came without thought. Ariadne felt like she sat at the apex of an orchestra, the grand orchestra of life. Rather than the conductor, she was a wealthy patron with the best seat in the house. It was breathtaking, overwhelming, but also exhilarating. At that moment, Ariadne felt more alive than she had in a long time.

"Wow," Ariadne whispered. She gazed upon her sire in awe. "Perhaps it is I that is the owl, listening to this medley of the night."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"It is wonderful, though I doubt we gain as much from it's beauty as the Toreador clan. I may have allies among the other clans but sometimes they can be a bit distracted from their higher callings." Corauni said with a shrug of her shoulders before standing and moving to the door, waving for Ariadne to follow her as she talked.

"Auspex can be used in conjunction with any of your senses, though it is possible to be overwhelmed by certain stimulae if not careful. Fortitude as you might guess makes us a bit hardier than others of our kind, which is beyond even that of a mortal. Now I shall show you what is possible with your powers of Obeah, you won't be able to do much beyond diagnosing ailments yet I am afraid but it is just your first night.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne's soft brown eyes looked off into the distance, dazzled for a moment by the orchestra of the night, until she shook her head to focus. She'd missed some of what Corauni said because of her distraction but smiled anyway, latching onto every word she could to get back up to speed.

"Obeah... what a fascinating word." Ariadne's eyes brightened with interest. "I would love to learn it. Diagnosing an illness is sometimes more than half the battle. For what are we without knowledge but a lost soul in the dark."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"It is an oddly fascinating word. Unfortunately I do not know where it comes from beyond the tale of where Saulot discovered the ability. Long, long ago he is said to have traveled far to the east. Much farther than any of our kind save the gangrel might travel, and further east than even my homeland. There he stole the knowledge of healing from those who held it and brought it back with him." Corauni said as she led the way to the upper area of the hospital where a number of beds were filled with patients.

The two ghouls were seated at the far end of the room where they softly sang the same tune that Ariadne had heard from below. There was also two nurses attending to one of the patients nearby. Corauni smiled as she lead her childe to a nearby bed on which lay a young sailor. His face was awash with cold sweat as he mumbled in his restless sleep.

"Here we are. Now lay your hands on him and concentrate like this." Corauni knelt beside the bed and holding the sailor's hand she watched his face as he lay there sweating.

I almost forgot that you can increase either auspex, fortitude, or obeah to second level. So just let me know which you want to increase.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"He sounds like the brave and adventurous sort," Ariadne replied as she followed Corauni through the halls of the infirmary. "Like Odysseus."

Ariadne wondered about this mysterious man that traveled far to the east and began her own vampiric heritage. If he coveted healing powers like Corauni said, perhaps he had a kind soul. Ariadne hoped so. She was meant to continue on his legacy after all. Or was she?

The young Salubri vampire left that thought for another day as her eyes fell to the sick young man in front of her. She offered the sailor her kindest smile, softly resting one hand upon his shoulder and the other upon his forehead. Ariadne closed her eyes for a moment, collected her thoughts, and then serenely gazed upon the young man, concentrating on whatever malady plagued his poor soul.

Oooo fun. I'll have to think on that a little.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne concentrated on the man's sweaty face as he moaned with the fever wracking his body. His skin was clammy as her hand brushed against her face, for the briefest second she wondered if her new body could catch a disease. That thought faded as a myriad of symptoms came to her mind, she could see how close to death the young man was. In fact he already seemed to be well on his way to recovery from the ague that had wracked his body.

Ague was of course something she could diagnose without these new powers as it was so common. She had even nursed Anna back to health from such a malady at one point, but her new powers worked so quickly. She could think of no other way to describe it other than as magic.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Ague..." Ariadne whispered. It came to her almost immediately. Ariadne half kicked herself for not recognizing it sooner. She'd treated dozens of cases after all. Even her beloved Anna. Still, the speed that she was able to sense the young man's symptoms was astounding. It would definitely come in handy in a pinch.

"It seems God is smiling upon you today, for the worst of your illness is over," Ariadne said with a smile to the young man, then looked up to Corauni. "Rest should do him wonders, but there may be some herbal concoctions if he is in pain, ginger or willow bark perhaps..." Ariadne paused, looking suddenly sheepish. "But I guess you already knew that. This is quite a facility."
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Truth be told, I had already diagnosed him and the nurses here have been treating him exactly as you suggest. I chose him as a test for that reason, perhaps you feel up for a more difficult test of your faculties before we retire?" Corauni said as she stood from the young man's side with a weary smile before heading over to another bed nearby.

On this bed a young girl lay sleeping peacefully and did not in fact seem to be sick at first glance. Nearing the bed Ariadne couldn't help but notice that the woman was tightly bound to the sturdy cot. A cross rested on the girl's gently rising chest and as Ariadne neared she watched in horror as the holy object was suddenly thrown by some unknown force across the room. Smashing into pieces against a wall as several of the nurses crossed their bodies where they treated the other patients.

"I have had some difficulty in discerning what affects this girl, myself. I'm not quite so superstitious as the nurses, though without a clue as to what to do...I'm afraid of what may happen to her."

Corauni's whispered softly in Ariadne's ear before moving to the opposite side of the bed and kneeling as she had with the young man. One of the nurses collected the pieces of the broken cross before bringing a new one to place on the peaceful resting girl's chest before hurrying away with a look of fear on her face.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

"Yes, definitely," Ariadne replied when asked if she was up for another test. She liked the idea of putting her powers to good use to help people. Ironically, it was also a nice distraction. Trying to help others let her think less about her own problems, her own condition. It would be nice to get into a routine again, Ariadne thought.

As she approached her next patient, a young girl bound to her own bed, Ariadne couldn't help but frown. What sort of illness could require such a drastic action? Before she could think any more on that, Ariadne stopped dead in her tracks. She watched in horror as the cross laying atop the girl's body simply up and flew away. The hospital felt eerily quiet in that moment, the cross shattering upon the floor.

Ariadne looked from the broken cross to the young girl then down to the cross hanging innocently around her own neck. Was it because of her? Ariadne wondered, gently stroking her own cross with her fingers. The strange vampire Ariadne met in the dungeons had talked of vampires as monsters that could never be saved. Was she a monster? No, Ariadne thought to herself, rejecting that theory. Her own cross was content to rest about her own neck. Ariadne let it hang there and steeled her resolve. She approached the girl again, this time ready to find out how to help. There was something strange afoot, but Ariadne was convinced she was not the cause.

Once she reached the bed, Ariadne smiled softly. Seeing a young girl in such a predicament would soften even the hardest of souls, and Ariadne's soul was far from hard in any circumstances. She took the girl's hand like she had done with the sailor a few minutes before. Ariadne looked down at her with her soft brown gaze. She focused on her desire to help, to understand, to comfort. She closed her eyes and hoped her own life experiences combined with her new powers that she tapped once again could help this poor girl.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Concentrating on helping the young girl as she had the sailor Ariadne found this diagnosis was not so simple. Try as she might there was no physical or mental defect that she could find to diagnose. It seemed as if the girl was in perfect health both bodily and mentally, yet something tortured her. Perhaps it was Ariadne or perhaps something not of this world. She simply could not find the answer with her current abilities.

Looking up she would see the same look of defeat on her sire's face as she stood from beside the girl. Corauni looked down at the young girl with pity for a few seconds more before covering suddenly covering her face and running from the room very much upset.
 
Re: Sweet Sacrifice (Ariadne)

Ariadne's icy blood thrummed with power. She recognized it and knew at once that her power was working. It all felt just as it had done with the sailor a few minutes before. The tingles and sparks rushed through her veins. Ariadne still understood little about her powers, but she knew the key was her blood. It was just an instinct, but she trusted it. Her powers were working, yet they failed. They told her there was nothing wrong with this young woman. That couldn't be right... could it? Clearly something plagued her.

Ariadne tried once more in vain until finally looking up at Corauni in resignation. She shook her head, shoulders slumped, unsure what to say, but the look in her eyes said it all.

Corauni's sudden horror sent a chill rushing down Ariadne's spine. The young vampire froze in terror for a brief moment that felt like centuries. She didn't understand why, but watching Corauni so distraught was like a dagger in Ariadne's undead heart.

"Corauni? C-Corauni??" Ariadne's lips trembled as she called after her sire. The vampire picked up her legs and got herself moving to follow Corauni, trying to keep up as best she could. "Corauni? What's wrong? I'm frightened..."
 
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