[hider=Meanwhile…]Upon Dämmerlicht, an ancient and powerful being let out a long and disheartened sigh. She grieved the passage of time, and a deep and irresistible exhaustion set itself upon her bones. She felt worn out, though not in a physical sense. Her body was still youthful and spry, but her spirit longed for the hereafter. She felt no joy in the world around her as it marched on, and longed dearly for the eternal sleep. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires to wish for this sleep before too long, as even the staunchest of wills could be broken through the trials of time. Frequently the vampires who found this feeling ebbing into their bones made their final arrangements before finding a nice view and placing a silver stake within their heart.

Nicole, however, was denied this luxury. Her status as the Queen of Night bid her to prolong her existence until the heir returned. The ancient laws and rituals binding anyone who called themselves a vampire to their whim. By all accounts, Nicole could merely override the laws and execute herself whenever her desire brought itself to bear, but doing so would rob the vampires of the Queen of Night, as without the proper ritual taking place to pass the powers unto the chosen heir the being would be lost, and with it the hierarchy of vampires would be thrown into utter chaos as a galaxy wide power vacuum was opened.

Such bloodshed would be best avoided, and it was only the knowledge that this would occur that kept Nicole sitting within her chambers. It was a major frustration that the currently chosen heir had invoked the right of exploration to stave off the process. Nicole knew that the heir felt unworthy, and perhaps exploring the galaxy for a time would allow her to gain knowledge not available upon the vampire worlds. Still, the long absence had proved both worrisome and frustrating. Only the continued responses for status updates kept Nicole aware that the heir had not been slain or died in some foolish manner.

Closing the book she had been half reading with a firm thump, Nicole set it down and rose from the padded chair she had been reading in. It was a gothic design, ebony in construction with red cushions for both the seat and the back. Walking gently towards a terminal in the room, rather out of place with the gothic designs prominent throughout Dämmerlicht. Nicole gave her wings a stretch before setting down at the terminal in another padded chair. Nicole’s raven like wings  spent most of their time folded tightly, as she had little use for them any more. They often grew stiff from this and often caused quite a lot of pain from the disuse. Nicole had always found it amusing that among the various flavors of gothic, steampunk, and even dieselpunk that gave Dämmerlicht its unique setting there was always room for a bit of modern technology.

The terminal booted up easily at her command and Nicole navigated her way into the communications arrays without hinderance. Flexing her fingers, Nicole typed up a simple message and sent it away to the portable terminal that had been assigned to the heir.

[i]The days feel like they are growing longer and longer. Time feels slower with every passing moment. I urge you to return and relieve me of this existence before too long, as if I lose the will to press on then there will be a power vacuum that will likely cause us to lose everything that we have strived to build up in terms of our public relations. Please, make haste in whatever task you may have.

-Nicole.[/i]

With the message sent, Nicole rose once more and approached a nearby coffin. Wanting to pass some of the time she was here asleep to try and relieve the weariness that wormed through her bones. Bringing her wings forward, Nicole lay down within the coffin and wrapped her wings around herself. With a quick thought, the lid of the coffin closed gently and Nicole soon fell asleep.

Aboard the [i]Quest for Flavor[/i] and within Vanessa’s private quarters, a small red terminal pinged as a message was delivered…[/hider]