Nephriel

Seeking Passionate Casual/Advanced Writers

Doctor Who, Dragon Age, SVU, Hunger Games, and Divergent.... Any of these I'd be more than willing to play. My ONLY problem is that sometimes I disappear for a few days because of work and I have a kiddo. I can, and like to double. My post length varies between three and six paragraphs per character I'm playing depending on what I'm getting from the other player.

:) Message me if you still want to do any of these and can deal with my poofing on occasion.

The Binds that Break

Dylan understood the tone... it was her own irritation taking its toll on her friend. She took a breath and pushed it down, being round Clem had taught her to keep her emotions under tight control. It was best not to let this stranger shake that resolve because she wanted to be a calm place, a quiet place for Clem. Someone that could give her some peace when everyone else was crowding her with their emotions. Another breath in and out and the anger ebbed away as did the worry. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jogging suit and looked at the stranger coldly.

"She is my BEST friend, hurt her and I'll hurt you, just so we're clear."

Ried grinned, "Message received, vampire."

Dylan would have been tempted to bare her fangs just to prove a point but it would do nothing but upset Clem and at this point she'd already reigned in her temper so she let the name calling slide off her like water off glass. "Good... I'll see you later Clem." She walked over, squeezed her friend's hand, letting her affection filter to the surface to act as a balm for some of the negativity she'd passed to Clem earlier. "I'll be in the gym and I'll save you a sandwich from the kitchens."

She headed out and Ried shook his head as he watched her go before returning to Clementine. "Back to what I was saying..." He'd seen her confusion when he'd mentioned runes and sighed as he rolled up his sleeve and showed her the golden flower tattooed on his wrist. "Normally it's placed on the neck of a witch at his or her coming of age but I was a little late getting mine and already had a tattoo there." She'd see the tribal style rose on the side of his neck, mostly hidden by the hood he didn't currently have up. "This is kind of like a rune... It holds the ability to amplify the magic already in a witch but Moroi can't use it because it binds the four elements into one and Moroi can only use one at a time... except for Spirit. There is a little spirit in all four elements, that's why spirit never Declares... proficient in none but has them all. Runes are markings that amplify a certain spell, spells take all four elements to complete, another reason you don't see Moroi witches."

He was giving her lessons already, but at least she'd seemed curious, maybe teaching her wouldn't be the pain in the ass he'd figured it would be. "What I plan on finding out is if your abilities lie in some form of Spirit, if so... you should be able to manipulate certain elements but probably have never done it on purpose... Since your abilities seem emotionally controlled more than spirit usually is it's more than likely that you'll never be able to completely control it but you can learn what causes things. Does it rain when you're sad? Does fire burn higher when you're angry? When you're happy do plants bloom? You'll have to start paying close attention to find out."

He rubbed the back of his neck, here was the part that worried him. "Your parents say that you sometimes see the Ghosts around your mother but they leave you alone, they don't swarm you like they do her... I've also been told that when Spirit affects you the most... Shadows gather. That's a sign of dark magic, like the kind that turn Moroi into Strigoi... Dark magic is Spirit the same way Light is... Two sides of the same coin. Spirit users use up their own light and it creates darkness in them, you seem to be able to manipulate both sides instead of just the one."

He paused, "Does any of this make sense? I'm hoping that if I can help you... we can understand Spirit use better. Maybe help the ones who've used up all their light and lost their minds... I know you've taken you're mothers darkness before but it didn't stay with you. Somehow you dissolved it... unraveled it when she was at her worst."

The Binds that Break

He shook his head, "No, no attack classes. It isn't productive for you, your strength lies in magic..." He eyed the blood bag and the tube running into her arm. "I'm sure you've discovered by now that you have to feed like a Moroi but you don't have the fangs for it or the biology it would take to metabolize it into your system in the way the Moroi do. That's why you need the transfusions... and why you can use magic in the first place." He shook his head, "So even if I found a rune that would allow me to block you from your magic you'd still never be a normal Dhampir, you would still be weaker and you'd still need the transfusions because your blood is breaking down over time."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "AND if you can learn to use your magic correctly it is possible the Moroi might eventually accept you... Especially since the Queen thinks learning to hone your magic could help other Spirit Users and the Shadow Kissed without eliminating their bond."

He was talking far more than he usually did but it was because he was thinking aloud and also because giving her hope was the fastest way to get her to cooperate with his lessons... As she asked him why she could feel nothing he momentarily seemed puzzled as well. He went over the possibilities in his head and settled on the only one that made sense. "My runes... they're probably blocking your abilities." He could explain in more depth but there was no reason to for the time being. Moroi didn't need runes, they channeled magic on their own... their magic was self contained. There was no reason to teach the Moroi, or the Dhampirs, how to do such things... It would be dangerous, make them far too strong and then the Witches would have no way to contain them. Dhampirs would be forced to use their own energy because only Moroi and Witches could tap into nature itself... then there would be quite a few dead Dhampirs.

He glanced at the curtain as Clem addressed Dylan, "You can sense her from a distance then? How far? I need you clear right now, I'm studying how your magic fluctuates naturally, if anyone is too close and is influencing you then the information I'll get will be wrong."

He stood and pushed the curtain back, taking in the girl on the other side... Moroi, but sturdier, the one he'd seen earlier. "I need you to leave."

Dylan frowned, a bit of anger slipping through her. "Excuse me? She's my friend, I'm not leaving her alone with you."

He arched a brow, "I'm here to help her, do you want to hold her back? If not, I suggest you leave."

Dylan stiffened, "How are you going to help her exactly, because frankly she has been poked with enough needles for one lifetime."

He lifted his hands, "I have needles? Do you mind telling me where I'm keeping them, I'm not sure I can recall."

Dylan grimaced, "Smartass."

The Binds that Break

Dylan smiled a little, "Of course... it shouldn't take me long."

~*~

Ried opened his eyes from where he lay on his bed as his phone buzzed. He lifted it and then sat up after reading the notification. Clementine had reported to the Feeding Station. He drew himself to his feet and headed for the door, now was as good a time as any to meet her, especially since her assumption had been correct. For the first few days he'd be assessing her during her transfusions and lunch times. He entered the place shortly after her transfusion had begun and nodded at the nurse there.

"Is there anyone with her?"

"Well, her friend... Dylan Melikova, but she's busy feeding."

Ried nodded and moved towards the curtained area the nurse indicated, at least he'd have a few minutes with the girl undisturbed. It was important that his first impression of her wasn't clouded by someone else's emotions or their opinions. He stuck a hand threw the curtain and waved, letting her know he was coming in before he entered.

"Clementine Abatangelo-Lazar, I am Ried Maddox. I'm here to study you, figure out where the basis of your magic lies... try to help you figure out how it works. I'm not sure how much you've heard of Witches, but generally it's our job to make sure humans don't become aware of your kind or any of the other 'supernaturals' out there. You can make my job easier by cooperating and answering my questions..."

He again let his eyes scan her, she really was frail... almost even more frail than most Moroi though at least now she was regaining color due to the transfusion. Her magic crawled over his skin like a living thing, it wasn't something she'd be doing intentionally.... all of his kind were sensitive to magic. It felt foreign even by his standards... like light and dark clashing, which considering her parentage, made sense.

It had been assumed that the Shadow-Kissed were sterile but apparently, not as sterile as they'd thought. In his lifetime, he'd never heard of another Shadow-Kissed child though there were plenty of people who were in relationships with their Shadow-Kissed Guardian. It was a curiosity... SHE was a curiosity though most didn't see her that way. The Moroi and the Dhampir saw her as an abomination... Of course they would.

He took a seat next to her and ran a hand through his hair, pushing his hood back in the process. "First of all, I'll be having the school change your classes. There is no reason for you to be taking Dhampir classes, you aren't built like a Dhampir and you have magic. You need to be learning how to channel it... but there is also no reason to draw MORE attention to you. Therefore, half your classes will be Dhampir... focused on defense rather than attack and the other half of your classes will be magical... taught by me. The Moroi have never faced your type of magic and no one else can use it. I might be able to figure out how you're tapping into it... and then I can help you learn how to use it."

Of course that would also require him to learn how to use her particular brand of magic... Honestly, he might not be able to BUT if he could at least channel it... figure it out... he could teach HER how to use it.

Clem would notice, if she tried to focus on him, it was like radio silence. She couldn't feel anything from him, it was like the area he was in was completely empty... no one there... No emotions, nothing. This would be because Ried was covered in too many different magical runes, it was like trying to mix water with water... there was just more water... no difference to catch onto... just a mirror reflecting yourself back at you.

~*~

It didn't take Dylan long. She wasn't one to take longer or take more than absolutely necessary. She liked feeding and the sensation that came along with it but she didn't like what it did to those she fed on. Sure, the feeders who were brought here were willing but most of them had needed money to start out with and then had continued only because they were addicted to the bite. Dylan wiped her mouth and sighed before tossing the tissue and heading for Clem's area. She was stopped though by the nurse, "You have to wait... She is having a meeting with the Witch. Once they're finished you may see her."

Dylan tensed, her mouth moving into a frown. "I'm her best friend, we're like family... Does her father know he is seeing her alone?"

The nurse nodded, "Prince Lazar does indeed know... It is important that the Witch meet her alone for now."

She grimaced, Clem didn't like strangers... Clem didn't even really like being around people. Dylan was worried....

The Binds that Break

Name: McKayla Rae
Race: Shifter
Clan: Lakshme
Symbol: Snake
Gender: Female
Abilities: The Lakshme family believe the snake is their patron animal. They are one of the strongest shifting families alive and are the only family that can take on human forms as well as animals, shedding their old skin like a snake if they wish. The Lakshme family believed that they started off as normal Shifters and evolved into something more when the human threat grew where others of their kind did not. This gives them a bit of a superiority complex. In order to take on the form of another human, McKayla has to have hair and something personal of theirs that contains great meaning to the person in question. She also have to have an intimate knowledge of the person, for this reason Kayla tends to be extremely perceptive and good at reading people... getting in their heads. Her kind can only hold the form so long as they have those things in their possession and on their person... they cannot take on the form at will without them.

History: Kayla is the last of her family line, her family was wiped out by Skinwalkers. Kayla can take on the form of another human and it is like looking in a mirror, she becomes a doppleganger to a living person.... but a Skinwalker steals the person's existence, their identity and actually walks about in their skin. Skinwalkers were once shifters who became dopplegangers and killed the one they mimiced to retain the form. A skinwalker can become anyone they've been before at will because they claimed the person's existence. Shifting into another being is addictive, holding a form too long can cause you to become stuck. There is a theory that this is what happened to werewolves. Their ancestors preferred the form of wolves so much that they lost the ability to transform into anything else and because of the addiction running in their blood the moon forces the change. So, for this reason Kayla does not shift into another person unless there is a need... the more you do it the closer you are to becoming addicted and becoming a Skinwalker.

The Binds that Break

Dylan arched a brow and sighed, "Clem, you know that kind of thing is kept under wraps. The school doesn't want to drag any more attention to you than needed, they know you're having a hard time with the other students. From what I understand the guy isn't just here about you... but whatever else he IS here for is being kept hush hush, even by our parents. Though, they did say something about new students... and that they were different."

She frowned, "Though, honestly, with the way this school deals with different I don't know that it's going to end well."

She stood and caught Clem's hand, pulling her to her feet. "I got unpacked earlier. I'll take you there. I need to feed anyway, I've been training so hard I think I've forgotten to for the past.... three days?"

She tucked her hands in the pockets of her jacket, mostly because otherwise she'd be tempted to hold Clem's hand and though it had been fine when they were kids she didn't want to draw any attention to her change in feelings... She'd been keeping it a secret for quite some time and wasn't really sure how to deal with it. Moroi were supposed to create more moroi, to have one who tended to lean towards females... her best friend... it would be frowned on and it would be something more to add towards Clem being pointed out. So, she'd buried it and avoided most shows of physical affection... most of the time. Not even Clem knew, especially not Clem... It scared Dylan that she'd turn away from her to avoid more weirdness in her life. Clem barely coped with the weirdness in it now...

~*~

Ried pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the back of the chair to his room and collapsed onto the single bed. That had been one of his stipulations to this trip... He wasn't going to be stuck in a room with anyone else, he liked his privacy. Honestly, when the Coven had approached him and told him what they'd wanted he'd refused at first. He liked doing things his own way, hadn't joined a Coven for exactly that reason but then the Council had summoned him and had made it clear they could and would strip his ability to use magic if he didn't cooperate. He sighed and shook his head, why they'd sent him instead of one of their own was still a mystery to him. Maybe because he'd fit in better with the Dhampirs because of his runes...

The tattoos running down his spine weren't just tattoos, they were runes. They channeled the body's energy and allowed him to move faster and fight harder. With them he could be on par with a Dhampir for a few minutes or in a few short bursts and he'd made sure to become as lethal a fighter as possible to make those few minutes count. Add to that fact that he could also use magic and you had a formidable weapon against the Strigoi, not as effective as Moroi and Dhampirs working together since his magic drained energy from both around him and inside him and so it was limited, but still effective.

He sat down on the bed and picked up the phone, dialed the number and waited till the answer on the other end of the line came. "Dante, I'm here. I know things have gotten desperate but are you sure you want to do this? Just because they're orphans doesn't mean-"

The answer had him sighing again, "Yeah, right... Bring them by tomorrow, that's when the students show up, but don't say I didn't warn you."

He hung up and ran a hand over his face, introducing three werewolves and a shifter to the school was bound to be a game changer. Ried just hoped the kids could keep what they were a secret until they made friends but that hope was still a tiny one. The other races were desperate, they were dying out and after the last several years the Moroi were thin ranked as well... they needed the protection lended by numbers, they needed to learn to work together because there were things other than Strigoi out there... and from what the Council of Elders had to say, they were all in very real danger.

The Binds that Break

Ried wasn't happy, his skin was crawling with the sensations of so much magic on his skin... Magic that was fueled by blood and not by nature. It was self contained in creatures that once upon a time he'd have thought were just myths and fairy tales, and it was wrong. Magic was in all living things, vampires absorbed it.... stole it from the beings they fed on. Of course, that isn't what they were taught. Vampires were taught that their magic was always inside them and was simply awakened by the blood. It didn't matter to Ried, either way they needed blood to sustain it. He kicked the stand to his motorcycle into place and tugged his helmet off his head, grey green eyes scanning the area around him with something akin to distaste.

It wasn't his choice to be here, the Council had sent him. He was the right age, in the right physical condition, and he was new to his Grandmother's Coven... Still proving himself. He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and raked his fingers through the brown hair that had been pressed down by the helmet... making it messy, before shrugging his leather jacket tighter around his shoulders and pulling up the hood. The weather here was cold and grey... It made it less likely for the Vampire's pale skin to burn as easy. He flashed his ID at the Guard then flipped his arm over and revealed the tattoo on his wrist that marked him for what he was... a Witch... or Warlock if you preferred.

The Dhampir guard gave him a nod and Ried remounted his bike and rode it through the gates before parking once more and eyeing the school looming up ahead of him where several vehicles were now parked unloading students. Dhampirs weren't as bad as Vampires.... or Moroi.... he was supposed to call them Moroi here... but they protected the va-Moroi almost blindly. It irritated Ried to think of anyone throwing their lives away for a species that thought themselves superior just because they were told it was right... what they were born for. True, things had gotten better with the new Queen but such traditions were hard to let go of especially in such long lived beings.

Ried was walking through the courtyard, headed towards the main building to 'sign in' when he FELT her... the one he'd been sent for or at least one of the reasons he'd been sent. He froze midstep and turned his gaze towards her. She was absorbed in her drawing, hadn't even noticed him... or if she had she was ignoring his presence. Ried shoved his hands in his pockets, tilted his head to the side and took her in. She was frail for a Dhampir but then... He'd been expecting that from the report. "Clementine?"

Not his voice, someone else was approaching, another female with her hair in a messy pony-tail dressed in training gear. He could tell without even seeing the fangs what she was, though she looked sturdier than most Moroi. He'd no interest in meeting her, so.... he walked off. He'd meet the girl... Clementine, on his own later. He'd have more time to analyze the strangeness of her magic then....

~*~

"Clementine?"

Dylan knew that slouched posture, it didn't take a genius to see that Clem wasn't happy to be here... no one would miss it, especially not her best friend. Dylan trotted over and paused at the bench as she noticed the tall male walking away but brushed it off in favor of the one she'd been so eager earlier to see.

"You know, if you keep frowning like that you're going to get early wrinkles." She plopped herself down next to the girl and kissed her cheek obnoxiously, using her hand to catch the girl by the opposing cheek and pull her into it with a loud, "MWAH!"

She hoped her good mood would rub off on Clem and she'd feel a little better, "You know I hate seeing you like this. Aren't you a LITTLE happy to see me again after MONTHS?" She rested her chin on Clem's shoulder and looked down at the drawing, "Whatcha dooooin'?"

She was purposefully being annoying, any mood other than sad was better for Clem. When she was sad or angry bad things tended to happen.... plus Dylan hated to see her like that.

The Binds that Break

Dylan sighed as she threw a few more lazy punches at the practice dummy in the gym. It had been an uneventful week so far but that's how things worked for her. The Guardians watching over the school came early to do the rounds and check the barriers and the surrounding areas for Strigoi. There were no other kids her age there and that meant she was left to her own devices most of the time while her 'parents' were out patrolling. Gunner Marks and Angelina Ross were the closest thing she had to family other than Sebastian Lazar, his wife, and their child Clementine. They'd taken her in when she was still just a baby and they'd raised her themselves. It was an odd way for a Moroi to be raised but most people had quit gossiping about it... Now, they just talked about her choices.

See, most Moroi were almost regal in the way they carried themselves. They practiced the fine arts, they used their magic to make things grow, they were raised to be dainty and let others defend them... Dylan wasn't like that. From an early age she'd been different. She'd been around Moroi and she hadn't liked their nobles or the way they treated Dhampirs like her grandparents on Anna's side. She'd watched Anna and Gunner practice and had been around Sebastian who was one of few who'd been in agreement with learning to use magic offensively... She'd wanted to fight too... So, after much discussion... Anna and Gunner had given in and they'd trained her themselves.

Plus, there was Clem... She was an odd case. She'd been born to a Dhampir mother and a Moroi father which usually resulted in another Dhampir but because of the type of magic that Sebastian used and because of Serena, Clem's mother, being Shadow-Kissed the outcome had been.... a little different. Before Clem there were no known cases of a Spirit User and a Shadow Kissed having an offspring. For one, the Spirit users themselves were very rare and in order to become Shadow Kissed you had to die and be brought back... Something that wasn't easy for either party. Then, there's the fact that Spirit Users tend to slowly lose their minds due to the darkness that creeps up on them whenever they use their abilities and because of their bond, it bleeds onto their Shadow-kissed partner.

Add all that together and Clem got an odd touch of Spirit and Shadow too her.... She's mostly a Dhampir but she has magic... but not your normal magic. She can feel other people's emotions and pain, she can draw that into herself, and she can share her own with others. This takes it's toll though... The ability to use magic is Moroi and Clem, despite her odd ability, isn't Moroi so constitutionally she is fragile. For a long time Clem was sickly, no one could figure out what was going on... Then, a bunch of tests later they figured out she was becoming anemic... severely. They put her on iron and it helped for a while but it wasn't just iron issues... her blood cells were breaking down. To remain healthy Clem has to have regular blood transfusions... Moroi have to feed to stay healthy and use their powers... Clem pays that price too, just a little differently.

Because of her oddity, Clem had been an outcast between both the Moroi and the Dhampir sides. She was a Dhampir who was too weak to fight, a magic user who wasn't Moroi, and because of her father's acceptance of her and her odd Moroi like abilities she was stuck somewhere between being technically a noble and most definitely not because of the strict social hierarchy Moroi had in place. It was a matter that was still under debate because her father was the Prince of his line which made either Clem or Sebastian's little sister Kenzie the next in line for the title... Seb was fighting for it for her, trying to do the one thing that would make Clem's life easier... but the Moroi were stubborn and resisted change in anything, for any reason...

Dylan felt protective over Clem, she'd spent most of their younger years protecting her from bullies and being her only friend. Dylan knew it was starting to wear on her... the jokes and the not belonging... It sometimes even put a strain on their close relationship because Dylan was able to get along with either side, at least in Clem's view. Dylan hoped that this year would be the year Seb would push the issue hard enough for Clem to be accepted as the next Princess... because if it didn't happen she was worried Clem might snap.

Dylan looked up when she heard someone entering the gym and spotted Anna, "Hey Mom..."

Anna smiled warmly, "Warming up?"

"Something like that..."

Anna shook her head, "You forgot what day it is." Dylan arched a brow and Anna answered, "Day before orientation... the teachers show up."

"Clem!" Sebastian taught the Spirit Users in the school, it was a small class but an important job, which meant Clem would be coming with them!

Dylan tugged off the wrappings on her hands and took off out the gym doors to the courtyard just as the cars started pulling in.

The Teddy Bear Agreement

I'm interested but it is late for me so I will catch you tomorrow!

The Binds that Break

Kk, I'll get us kicked off tomorrow then. :P