[h3][center][color=firebrick]Violet[/color] & [color=9354FF]Fritz[/color] Part 1[/center][/h3]

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From the balcony’s vantage, Ryn scanned the estate gardens, searching for any sign of Ms. Persephone. Pale moonlight filtered through the breaks in the clouds, casting long shadows between sculpted hedgerows and flower beds. A flicker of movement caught his attention. A figure, little more than a silhouette, stalked to and fro along the footpath before melting into the dark.

He leaned forward against the balustrade for another glimpse, but she was gone. Still, he had to check. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ryn was down the stairs, bursted through the courtyard doors, and stepped out into the night-cooled air. The summer wind teased at his clothes and hair, heavy with the green tang of newly sheared grass and wafts of perfume escaping from the ballroom. The nearby river’s murmurings joined the nighttime chorus—crickets’ rasping trills intertwined with leaves rustling in the breeze and muffled music. He paused, orienting himself to the direction the shadowed shape had taken, then set off at a purposeful stride.

Ripping the shoes from her feet, Violet tossed them to the side as she let out a soft relaxing sigh. Her feet were screaming from pain from the heels, she wondered how she could have ever worn those all night.

Violet continued pacing, her dress swishing amongst the blades of grass as she nibbled nervously on her fingers. [i] He’s dead…I killed someone..So I could live..[/i] but yet the strength she felt, her eyes… her strides. She felt herself again and yet she didn’t. Lost in her thoughts Violet didn’t notice the shadowed figure in the distance closing in on her location.

Ryn slowed his pace, shoes sinking into the soft grass. Ahead, something moved, the outline of a woman made distinct by the glow of the moonlight filtering through the trees. Not wishing to startle the lone walker, he gave voice to the evening quiet. [color=9354FF]“Good evening. A fine night for a stroll, is it not?”[/color]

Her foot hovered over the ground as the pacing ceased. She leaned her weight into her step as she turned to look at the masked man. The long horns stemming out like twisted branches. The voice was unrecognizable to her. As the moon painted his outline, Violet took a reluctant step back as his scent caught on the wind. She held in her breath as the familiar luring scent seductively called out to her.

As she turned towards him, the moon illuminated Lady Damien. Her pale skin seemed to glow, a porcelain canvas framed by flowing dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders. The deep red dress she wore hugged her figure with elegance, the plunging neckline and high leg slit adding a touch of glamor that left little to the imagination.

[color=9354FF]“Lady Damien!”[/color] Ryn called out, relief in his voice. [color=9354FF]“There you are. When I didn’t see you at the party, I feared you taken ill.”[/color]

Ignoring her complexion, she looked far from ill. Her ruby eyes burned with an intensity he had never witnessed before, sharp and aware, more alive and hungry than he had ever seen her. The way she looked at him sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge.

[color=Gray][i]The beast grinned in anticipation.[/i][/color]

[color=9354FF]“Are you feeling well?”[/color] He asked, even though he knew the answer. The red eyes of the woman looked the man up and down before returning a very forced smile.

[color=firebrick] “ I am well, thank you.” [/color] Her voice sounded stronger, even confident in its tone yet the cold delivery of it minced the chill in the air. As he continued to approach she broke eye contact attempting too ignore the allure of his scent as it catched on the wind again.

Violet took a step back offering him another forced smile too show everything was fine. Attempting to ease the tension in her face. [color=firebrick]” Feel better then I have in a long time.”[/color] this time the smile that followed was genuine but it was as if a sick joke caused it. She could feel the darkness within her chest start to crawl slowly to the surface, that same feeling that consumed her as she fed on the boy in the stable. In an attempt to subdue it she spun around slowly on her heel before taking another step back.

Good, so she could still exert some control over the insistent thirst clawing at her insides. [color=9354FF]“That’s fantastic. The last we spoke at the park, you were not fully...present,”[/color] Ryn said, beginning to slowly circle around her.

Her shoulders pinched upwards slightly as he moved closer towards her. Her red eyes fixated on the masked man as he circled her like prey. Violet breath  

He produced a coin identical to the one he had given that night, letting it flip and tumble across his knuckles. He hoped the metallic flash would jog her memory. However, considering her disoriented state back then and her current condition, he would not be surprised if she did not remember him or if she was not particularly concerned with who he was. All that mattered was that Ryn was living, breathing flesh with a heart steadily pumping warm blood.

[color=9354FF]“Now, you’re awake…”[/color] Ryn studied her closely. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, the flutter of her throat as she swallowed hard. [color=9354FF]“But you seem...distracted.”[/color]

The coin spun through the air before he snatched it back. [color=9354FF]“Are you...hungry?”[/color] A pause, weighted with significance. [color=9354FF]“Or is this… a craving?”[/color]

A subtle, yet crucial distinction—the former a natural, bodily need. The latter an insatiable mania, capable of twisting someone into unrecognizable contortions to sate it.

Swallowing hard, Violet offered him a reluctant smile. She locked her fingers together in front of her body, squeezing to distract. [color=firebrick]” Lord..Fritz..”[/color] Violet managed to say. Her memories were shaky but she seemed to hold many of the ones she once lost. [color=firebrick]” I hope you are well” [/color] she breathed pinching her lips together in another forced smile. She attempted to not play into his little game, her chin inching slightly higher as she continued to keep her eyes on him.

Ryn’s smile was less forced, softer. Considering the curse Udo had placed rendered introductions impossible the last they conversed, he was happy she was able to piece together “Fritz” from what fragments remained.

A wan chuckle flitted past his lips. [color=9354FF]“I wish I was.”[/color] He admitted. [color=9354FF]“A lot of things happened since then, not all bad, but… not all good either. A dear friend was taken from me, murdered and… I can’t stop wondering if things might have played out differently had I been stronger.”[/color]

The coin vanished from his hand as he stood in front of Lady Damien. [color=9354FF]“But what of you?”[/color] He gauged her response before removing a glove from one hand. [color=9354FF]“Are [i]you[/i] doing well?”[/color]

[color=firebrick] “I’m sorry for your loss…that is awful. I hope-”[/color] she froze for a moment as the thoughts of her own demise tormented her. [color=firebrick]” They are in a better place…”[/color] she added, her tone was more of a statement then a wish. [color=firebrick]”I..’[/color] she stuttered on her words but managed too pull herself back [color=firebrick]” much better then our last meeting. That I can assure you at least. “ [/color] she played with her fingers nervously as she nearly bit back her grins attempting to hide the secrets that hid just beyond her lips. [color=firebrick] “ I’m sorry if my presence out here made you inquire as too who was out here…Wouldn’t want to pull you from such a lavish event after all.” [/color] Violets voice laced with desperation as the cravings he so casually mentioned continued to bite at her.

Torment twisted her features as she spoke, fighting the feverish want corroding her from within.

[color=9354FF]“You do not need to apologize. I chose to come here, and I choose to remain.”[/color] His bare hand lifted, fingers splayed so she could see them. [color=9354FF]“I’m going to check your vitals. If you wish me to stop at any point, say so and I will.”[/color] Inch by inch his hand advanced, giving her a chance to cry halt. When she remained mute, he pressed his fingers against her forehead.

Her skin shocked cold against his, her entire frame wracked by infinitesimal tremors. That should be reason enough to pull away, but his fingertips trailed down to the thrum of her pulse, counting out the erratic beat. No one had touched Violet with such a gentle touch before, other then Roman, that it quite literally shocked her. She felt herself freeze as he continued to count the beat of her heart.

[color=9354FF]“How bad is it? The urge.”[/color]  Violet red eyes shifted slowly to his, staring for a moment. She was stunned slightly, unsure of what he was speaking on…did he know?[color=firebrick]”Urge? What do you mean…?”[/color] biting back a nervous smile. [color=firebrick]”Something wrong with my pulse?” [/color] She wasn’t even sure she actually had one at this point.  

Ryn met Lady Damien’s anxious gaze, considering for just a moment whether to feign ignorance. But what purpose would that serve? [color=9354FF]“The thirst for blood,”[/color] he answered her first question plainly. Any color that may have been left in Violet face dropped as those words left his lips. [color=9354FF]“That’s what you’re feeling, isn’t it?”[/color] He felt her pulse spike beneath his fingertips. As he answered her second question, Ryn favored her with a reassuring smile. [color=9354FF]“Your pulse is racing.”[/color]

He fell silent, giving her a moment to process his words before asking, [color=9354FF]“Have you ever drank blood?”[/color] Her red eyes, gleaming with an otherworldly intensity, traced every contour of his face, their gaze unsettling in its intensity. The smile he offered only deepened the unease that gripped her, its warmth a stark contrast to the cold feeling of her skin.

Words stumbled out of her mouth, disjointed and hesitant, as if struggling against an invisible force. She shook her head, trying to ward off the encroaching darkness that seemed to envelop her thoughts.

[color=firebrick]”I…”[/color] Her voice trailed off into a whisper, barely audible over the pounding of his own heartbeat, which echoed in her ears like a siren's call.

Her gaze fixated on the pulsing vein visible on his neck, a tantalizing invitation that beckoned her closer. With trembling hands, she reached out to touch it, her fingers grazing his skin as if drawn by some unseen compulsion. But as her touch made contact, a primal hunger surged within her, overwhelming reason and restraint.

Her eyes darted to his outstretched arm, still extended towards her, a lifeline offering solace in the darkness. But as his fingers brushed against her skin, she felt the coursing of his blood beneath, a symphony of temptation that threatened to consume her.

Lost in a haze of euphoria, she found herself drawn to his wrist, almost unconsciously, as if guided by some sinister force. His pulse pounded against her lips, each beat a seductive promise of ecstasy and danger.

[color=Gray][i]Then the world turned into a monochrome of black and white.[/i][/color]