earlymorninstar

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

As soon as she'd seen the mansion up ahead, Clara could nearly breathe a sigh of relief. She was quick to follow the others inside, shaking off the chill of the night even though it hardly affected her. Christian was right behind her, the relief clear on his features as he stepped inside, only to follow the others towards the living room. They'd both slipped off their coats and left them where the others had, and Christian was the first to take a seat, eyeing Clara when she chose to remain to stand. Once more she was stuck in a room with all of these people, and she was none too happy about it. At least this time Christian had been there with her, and she had sought that comfort – standing close by to him and away from the others.

The burning question on everyone's mind had finally been asked and Christian cleared his throat. "Ah, yes – I'd like to know that answer as well. That town has never been disturbed such as that before – there must have been a cause…"

Other than wolves just carelessly attacking for mindless fun? Clara wasn't so sure.

As far as she knew, Christian held that estate for far longer than she had known him – so he was familiar with the town. Furthermore, throughout her mortal life there, she could hardly remember any threats such as that on the town – why so suddenly would they want to burn it to the ground?

Clara frowned as she shifted uncomfortably next to Christian, her arms crossed upon her chest tightly. Yet another fight she'd gotten herself caught up in within the past week – and it was only a short amount of time that she'd gotten ahold of her sire once more. Part of her was beginning to believe that nothing but trouble followed him.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

Just as she had believed that Kieran had trouble following him everywhere he went - the same could be said for his alliances and acquaintances as well. If she’d learned anything over the past week or so, it was that he’d always been in someone’s company, and for the most part, it was to his advantage. She’d continued to follow after him, caught off guard at the new face - another wolf who had stood out compared to the others. She’d given pause when just the sight and sound of that wolf had caused the others to stop and show submission, and she’d taken the moment to survey the scene and make sure that Christian was still with her. Of course, he’d been in better shape than herself -- he always seemed to get out of things better than she - after all, he was quite older than her...

When Kieran had come back towards them, she’d still fought off a stray or two as she heard him speak of a mansion up ahead. Thank god it wasn’t going to be that far - the children shouldn’t have been out in the cold that long, and the quicker they could get into cover, the better. At least she could help them out -- that was a better excuse than helping Kieran.

Still, the both of them followed after the new wolf now, knowing that they had a new ally. There were still a few strays that launched at them - and Clara was quick to throw them aside just as well as Christian had.

“Fuck - how far away is this place?” She hissed, speeding forward after the wolf and the others with Christian at her side.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

It was quite possibly one of the worst times for this to have happened. The wind was picking up, blowing snow all around them - making it more difficult to maneuver through it, and just as difficult to see their attackers. Honestly, Clara had begun to wonder if Kieran had attracted trouble - Every time she’d crossed his path, someone was out to kill him - and she just so happened to always be around to save his ass.

Clara was cursing under her breath once he’d taken off with his glorious plan, and she glared at his back before she took off after him. Wonderful idea - act as bait... She growled as she quickly knocked another wolf from her path as she chased after Kieran. Christian hadn’t necessarily had a moment to think about what was going on, furthermore to register that Kieran had asked for his help so suddenly. Of course he’d help - what other choice did he have? He’d be an awful person had he simply ran away with Clara otherwise. Not to mention, the girl had been quick to chase off after Kieran.

Both of them had been dodging and attacking the wolves that came after them. Clara had made sure to keep as many of them away from Kieran and the children as she could, reaching out and slicing at them as they approached her. Again, it seemed as if they were never ending.

It wasn’t long before they’d broken off -- Kieran would take the children that he held, and the others would follow with their own. Clara hung behind with Christian, both covering each other when the wolves attacked.

It was only when she was sure that they’d thinned out and were done - at least for the moment - that she ran off towards where that pull told her to - Christian was in her wake. She’d only received a few scratches here and there, but they were already healing.

Fuck - she couldn’t stand wolves...

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

A week had gone by -- an entire week since that horrible little battle. Clara had stayed clear of Kieran and his home, knowing it might have given off the wrong idea if she continued to show up out of the blue. Christian had become suspicious of the whole ordeal as well, but he did not press her further. If she was in a calm mood - he would absolutely take it over her awful moods that seemed to occur more often than not. She’d been content - but she wasn’t entirely happy. Honestly, what could she have expected? Kieran did not come looking for her either through the entire week. She knew he was still around - that she could tell, but he seemed quite happy to just leave her alone just the same.

She’d been lying in bed that night, mulling through one of the many books that had been purchased when Christian had taken her into town the week prior. It was another night that would bring her no sleep. She couldn’t get comfortable - she couldn’t relax. Something had been bothering her more than usual, and the fact that she still heard Christian rummaging downstairs told her he must have felt it too.

It didn’t take long before the scent of smoke sifted through the estate.

Christian was the first to come upstairs just as Clara moved towards her window, pushing the curtains aside to see the yellow and orange glow enveloping the town. She’d heard the screams and seen the townspeople running -- their estate had been on the far edges of the town, not yet touched. She swallowed hard for a moment, unsure of what to do - Christian would want to flee, but she’d all the sudden felt the urge to go back to her sire.

She stayed rooted where she was, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat as Christian barged in her room. “Clara - we have to go!” He suddenly barked at her and she looked over her shoulder quickly at him.

“I know where to go.” The girl suddenly spoke and Christian blinked, expecting her to follow him at first. She’d quickly grabbed her coat that had been draped over her chair and he followed suit - grabbing his on the way out. Hopefully the estate would make it through the night...

Clara was quick on her feet, making sure to stay on the outskirts of the town - brushing past the humans that had been shouting and running and altogether had been in her way. Christian did not question her at first -- this had been her home town - she’d probably been more familiar with it than he was.

The scent on the air, laced with burning wood, had been strong. Christian had noticed it before she had and he growled in response. “Damnit...” Fucking wolves -- always running about and causing a goddamn mess. “Clara be careful - they must still be around --” He warned, just as Clara had given a moment of pause when they’d approached Kieran’s home -- already up in flames. She’d swallowed hard for a moment before she looked around, but Christian had pulled her from her thoughts as he suddenly shoved her away, also knocking another figure out of the way.

“Clara, we have to go!” He hissed at her, and she only turned and took off again, this time following that familiar pull. She would probably have to explain herself if they caught up to each other -- Christian would no doubt have some questions.

WIthin moments she’d seen them, however, children in tow. “What the hell!” Clara hissed as they approached and Christian remained on alert, eyeing their surroundings carefully. Who were these people... “Does trouble come looking for you people?” Clara bit out again.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

Clara had stayed in her room and had slept much of the day away. She buried herself in her blankets, happy that when she'd awoken again – she wasn't assaulted with the brightness of day. Her attention had shifted to the fireplace across her bedroom, seeing that Christian must have lit a fire earlier in the evening. A quiet huff fell from her lips as she moved to pull a pillow closer to her, the pain in her shoulder and side slowly subsiding. Sleep certainly did help the process; however, it still was taking far too long for her liking.

As she lie there, her mind started to race once more – unwelcomed thoughts about the previous couple of days. She'd intervened twice on men who had wanted to kill Kieran – and had risked her own life just to keep him alive. The thought troubled her, knowing after all of these years of planning and obsessing over how she would bring her sire to an end – she was at his side fighting for him. It would have been easier to just allow someone else to have done the job; that way she wouldn't have to worry any further. His new little replacement would feel the pain of abandonment just as she had, and that was satisfying enough for her. No need to kill that one – he just needed to know the suffering she'd endured while he lapped at the overflowing attention he received.

A frown falling upon her lips, Clara had groaned as she shifted to lie on her back, glancing up at her ceiling for a long while. It was foolish of her to become involved in that fight – who knew if there were more of them, and who knew if she would become a new target. Clearly she was a new face – it was only a matter of time before others had put two and two together.

A soft knock at her door had her wishing she'd still been asleep. Hell, even if she had been, she knew he still would have come in.

"Clara?" He was met only with a soft noise as she pulled the covers up around her to cover her face. "Darling – in here all day again? What happened last night?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She murmured from under the covers, rolling on her side again. It had been a long while since she'd stayed out like that before – however, her previous escapades had been much more – relaxing.

"Clara – "

"Christian, please. I'm alright. I'm here in one piece." She spoke, moving the covers away from her face to look up at him with that same frown. "What more do you want from me?"

Christian sighed as he studied her for a moment longer. "I’m only checking on you Clara… You've been… distant ever since we came back here." He knew it was a mistake.

"I'm only adjusting." She lied. "I did grow up here after all – it's hard not to think about it." Christian wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer, but he knew pushing her would only set her off, and he didn't need to deal with that at the moment. "Fine, Clara – If that's all it is –"

"That's all it is." She reassured him. Christian sighed once more as he shifted to lie down next to him, pulling her close. She'd bit her lip to bit e back the pain as his hand came around her shoulder, only curling up a little tighter in response. She let her head rest on his chest, taking solace in the comfort that he offered. "I only worry about you, Clara. You make it very easy to worry…"

"Well don't… I'm fine… You know that."

It wasn't long before she drifted off once more. She was very far from just fine…

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

It seemed that their lives were constantly buzzing – something Clara was hardly used to. From what she'd seen, people were in and out – there was always something going on; always something around – she'd found it almost exhausting. The girl had only been used to her and Christian – and even so, she managed to keep her distance from time to time. Sure, he'd taken her out to elaborate parties and events, but she'd really rather had been home than have been forced to mingle with strangers. Even as a knock came at the door and the children that she'd seen the day before nearly bounded in, Clara shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She really felt cornered and she was ready to go. How the hell was she expected to mingle with not only the one who had once betrayed her, but also with the one who had replaced her, and furthermore – all of their friends?

A frown fell on her lips as she ate quietly, observing without as much as a sound coming from her lips. She found it odd – for someone who could change another and abandon them on a whim – he seemed to care a hell of a lot about everyone else.

As soon as both Isabella and Esther had risen to leave, she knew it was a chance for her own escape. She'd studied the two females carefully, watching as everyone had said their goodbyes before she'd risen carefully herself, still masking the fact that she was in quite a bit of pain and wanted nothing more than to lie down. It was within a matter of moments that the room had emptied and all of the hustle and bustle of the morning had died down. She was already making her way carefully around the table when she'd heard Kieran address her.

All she could do was stand awkwardly for a moment, not prepared for gratitude, and unsure of how to respond. Clara had almost tried to grasp for a snide remark in return, but she could barely think of one on a whim. Perhaps she was too tired – yes, that would be her excuse.

"Yes, well… " She paused, still unsure of what to say as she headed towards the door. "I'm growing tired of saving your ass." Nice, Clara – wonderful comeback.

"Good day—" She murmured quickly after that before nearly scurrying out the front door – breathing a sigh of relief at the fresh air. Without a doubt Christian would lose his mind when she got home, and with that thought, she took off towards his estate.

Eventually she'd gotten there and she lingered outside the door in a moment of hesitation. Maybe she'd be able to sneak up to her room and cover up – maybe he wouldn't notice what a wonderful job those humans had done to her. She bit her lower lip as she pushed the front door open, slowly sneaking in.

Her steps were careful as she slid near the staircase, trying to ignore the creaks that fell upon nearly every single god-awful step that she'd placed her weight on.

"…Where the hell were you?"

All of the sudden she'd felt the air fly from her lungs. Damn…

Clara had turned to look over her shoulder at Christian who leaned against the doorway of the main sitting room. His arms were crossed upon his chest and he hardly looked happy. "Miss – 'I'm only going on a walk'…" Clara gave a little huff, hardly in the mood to fight.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"You're kidding me… Clara – you've been gone all night –"

"Christian – I'm a grown woman. I feel as if you sometimes forget that." She suddenly bit back, taking a few more steps up towards the main hallway.

"At least let me know that you're not coming home so I don't have to stay up and worry all damn night!" Christian shouted up after her, and she'd only waved a hand to dismiss him. Hopefully he wouldn't pry – she prayed he wouldn't pry…

Her steps soon led to her room where she shut the door behind her. She'd glanced towards all of the bags that Christian had left for her before she quickly stripped and threw on her shirt from the night before. With a wince, the girl climbed into bed, forced to lie on her back due to her injuries. Within moments, however, she'd fallen asleep.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

Clara had let the hot water run over her, careful of aggravating her wounds even further. The water felt wonderful against her aching muscles and only served to make her even more tired than she had been before. Still, she could not help but indulge as she leaned against the wall, allowing the water to wash all of the blood and dirt from her body. It had been quite a while before she'd emerged to dry off, finally willing to look at herself in the mirror. Most of her bruises had faded away, but the cut on both her shoulder and side still had been reluctant to heal as quick as she'd like. With a frown, she mulled around the large bathroom, checking cabinets and drawers before she'd found something to re-wrap her wounds in. It had been tricky by herself, but she'd managed to wrap her shoulder and then her waist, where the slice had looked particularly angry on her side.

She carefully slipped into the set of clothes that had been left, reluctant to take them. She knew nothing of the female downstairs and wasn't quite sure if it was a good idea – however – she could very well pin it on Ryanair if it had been a problem. Her guard would remain up – she still felt as if she couldn't trust any one of them – After all, they knew Kieran, for christ's sake – and she knew full well she couldn't trust him at the end of the day.

Clara had given a long sigh as she found a brush and managed to work the knots out of her wet hair. With a little scrunch, her natural waves had returned and she tousled up her long locks before they fell loose around her shoulders, stopping at her waist again. Eyeing herself for a moment longer after she'd dressed, she frowned slightly. It would do – not as if she had anyone to impress anyway.

She'd been tempted not even to leave the room and collapse on the bed, but she really needed to figure out when she could slip away from them all instead. So, shoving her absolute exhaustion aside, Clara eventually emerged from the room and headed downstairs carefully and quietly, not wanting to fully interact with the rest of them, but unable to ignore her hunger just the same.

As she rounded the corner to the dining room where everyone had been, she'd raised a brow at the conversation at hand, steering clear of both Kieran and Ryanair as she entered the room. Perhaps it wasn't the best of times to have decided to join them, but it wasn't much of her business anyway. Regardless, the topic had her almost scrunching her nose as she silently went for her own plate of food. Who would want to marry him of all people? The thought alone was almost laughable – that man could never be trusted, she was absolutely certain. And, honestly, if she had her way – there wouldn't be much to marry once she'd been finished with him.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

Clara had been quiet as her frown deepened at his response. What did she expect -- for him to just allow her to leave without a second thought? Who knew if there were others out there, and she was smart enough to know that the rest of the vampires who had assisted hadn’t exactly gone home. She’d stood there for a long while before the girl gave a quiet little huff, turning on her heel to find a chair to park herself in. She was uncomfortable and on edge, and she knew she would hardly sleep that night. She just wanted to be home in her own bed and away from these people. She didn’t do well with strangers, let alone a crowd of them who all were familiar with her sire.

She had pulled her legs up closer to her, almost in a little ball in a chair farthest away from them all. Ignoring the protest in her side over the position, that’s where she remained. She’d taken in her surroundings carefully, and taken note of where everyone remained - she wasn’t about to take any chances. Hopefully, Christian wouldn’t throw an absolute fit when she was allowed to leave.

Morning had come and it seemed like ages when it had. She’d only nodded off once or twice, awoken by any little sound or shift that had occurred. Clara had been utterly exhausted and she’d attempted to mask her underlying stress as well - knowing it did her no good to stay awake as long as she had. Sleep would only help her heal faster, she knew, but that wasn’t exactly an option in that household.

When Ryanair approached her she’d only glanced his way for a moment, reluctant to take the cup from him. She still had a bad taste for the male, not that she could really help it. It was hard to like someone who’d gotten everything that you were supposed to have. With a small sigh she’d reached out with her uninjured arm and carefully took the coffee. She’d been hungry; she’d been exhausted -- she just wanted to lie down and sleep it all off.

Clara had listened to him carefully and at the mention of Esther, she had only glanced towards where the other females had been sitting. Was it a good idea to borrow one of their sets of clothes? She wasn’t so sure - but it was becoming painfully obvious that she wasn’t about to leave any time soon, and she couldn’t very well walk home looking like the mess she was... She hadn’t responded to Ryanair, only offering a quick look towards him as he left her.

Still, a shower seemed tempting -- she needed to get washed up...

With a strong ache in her bones, Clara had pushed herself up quietly from the chair, still nursing her cup of coffee as she had actually taken Ryanair’s advice. Now - where had he said? Fourth door to the right... that was it. As quietly as she could she’d entered the room and nearly made a beeline towards the bathroom -refusing to look in the mirror as she passed it by. She knew she looked like hell and didn’t need that confirmation either. She had reached to turn the shower on before carefully removing her ruined clothes with a little huff -- Honestly, she wouldn’t be out of that bathroom for a while - allowing the hot water to wash over her as she stood there, the frown still on her lips. She shouldn’t have been there - of all places - taking a shower in his home... Everything within her wanted to run.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

From the moment Clara had stepped inside, she felt odd- detached, even. Everyone was so quick to settle in and allowed themselves to be patched up. Each found their own places, and it wasn’t long before liquor had been dealt out. Even as Ryanair had offered her a glass, she still eyed him with no expression on her features, but she made sure to take the glass. She was never a girl to refuse a good drink, and after a night like that - she needed it. She felt exhausted and weak, and yet she still remained on her feet - stubborn to the bone.

She’d taken a quick swig of whatever liquor they provided, hoping it would numb the pain that continued to throb throughout her body. She needed to get home; get back to Christian before he came looking for her. She’d only told him that she would be out for a walk; never could she have expected to be thrown in the middle of an onslaught of humans hell bent on killing any vampire in their way. Her lips curled into a frown as she moved about the room, closer to a corner just to make herself feel safe. Ever since that day centuries ago - she’d trusted no one. Hell, it took her years to even trust in Christian and all he’d ever wanted to do was help her. Now she was trapped in a home that belonged to the sire whom she’d wanted to kill - with a group of people who she could only assume were his friends and acquaintances. Clara was uneasy and she was wounded - not a good combination.

She watched as each had gotten bandaged up, and she had protested immediately at the assistance. However, she was quick to learn that Wolff was not one to take lightly to those protests, and she found herself bandaged up in an instant. Although it did help, the pain hadn’t subsided and she fought to hide it in front of all of those people.

Time had slipped by and pretty soon nearly everyone had succumbed to slumber. Both Kieran and the other had been tucked away elsewhere while the remainder of the group had fallen asleep in their spots on the couch. Clara had nearly been pacing - beside herself that she was suddenly caught in such a spot - feeling both dirty and exhausted from the fight. It was late - Christian would be worrying - he couldn’t find out what she’d been up to.

The girl bit her bottom lip carefully as she eyes Wolff with that same suspicion, even though deep down she knew it was pointless. He’d patched her up for christ’s sake - he was probably the least of her worries.

“You know... I really should get going...” There was no sneaking out - she understood that. Something told her she wouldn’t get herself past him, nor the other guards if they were still around.

@Arista

[Beneath a moonless sky] 18+ [Arista x Earlymorninstar]

It was so odd-- all at once everything seemed to come to a halt and she was left breathless, staring at the scene before her. Her adrenaline was through the roof, still unsure of how she’d gotten caught up in that mess and furthermore conflicted about her real reasons on why she was there to help. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths as she studied the woman who clearly held power over the other new vampires, and she knew it was time to stay quiet. Yet, as Clara studied everything before her, she became suddenly aware of the pain shooting throughout her body. It was almost dizzying all at once, and yet she stayed stiff, unwilling to allow any others to see such weakness. She knew no one there, and therefore trusted no one out of the lot -- let alone Kieran.

At the thought her head turned towards the male just as he’d stumbled and she frowned in response, unaware that Ryanair had made his way to her side. One hand came up to cover her shoulder, trying to add pressure to stop the bleeding which should have stopped by then. Each wound felt like it was on fire, and she couldn’t will it away. Her jaw clenched, she nearly groaned at the mention of silver. Made sense - nothing was healing as it should, and she knew then it wouldn’t be healing for a while.

Clara cursed under her breath as everyone began to part and clean up the massacre that was all around them. She took a moment to glance down at herself, frowning at the sight. She must have looked absolutely horrid... She blew a stray strand of curls from her face before she sighed -- not a great decision to wear cream that day, that was for sure. She was practically covered in everyone else’s blood, mixed with her own. Honestly, part of her felt pleased -- at least the others wouldn’t notice her own wounds so quickly.

As Ryanair spoke, it suddenly stirred her from her thoughts and the haze that had entered her mind throughout all of the pain. What had he asked? She’d been expressionless as he spoke to her before she turned away. It was late - Christian was probably worrying, and hell - if she showed up like this... No, she would have to sneak home somehow.

“I really should go--” Yet, Clara’s words were cut off by another’s as it felt like all her breath had left her lungs. Didn’t seem like she had much of a choice - and the sudden sensation to follow Kieran had taken over her as Ryanair left her side and Kieran was headed within the house.

Clara didn’t like it one bit. Even as she reluctantly followed slowly and carefully, she did not trust being in a household of strangers -- let alone Kieran’s house of all places. It was unfamiliar and her guard was up immediately. The moment she could leave, she planned on sneaking away as quick as she could. Who the hell were all of these people?

“God damnit...” Clara nearly groaned under her breath as she trailed far behind the others. Her steps slowly took her inside as the pain continued to fog her brain. Both her shoulder and side had substantial wounds. This was going to be one hell of a night, and honestly, she needed a hell of a drink after all of this. Saving him - let alone his other pet - a couple of times in a matter of days was exhausting... He owed her the world...

@Arista