earlymorninstar

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

Clara hadn’t exactly known what the ideal plan was -- they were going out to search for this shadow mage whom had chosen to wreak havoc on others. It all sounded wonderful, but Clara knew full well it was going to be more difficult than most had expected. You don’t just go out and find mages -- unless this crazy one really had entirely lost their wit. Perhaps that would be to their advantage... Clara stood still as they seemed to sort everything out and Kieran had decided to choose partners.

It was a bit of a surprise that he’d not partnered himself with Ryanair, but again he’d placed himself with Esther. She’d looked away as he chose, simply shrugging when she was put together with Christian and another - Ana. With that, everyone had parted and Clara had shuffled away as well. Christian was dressed well enough - Clara had to run off to change into something other than a dress. It was rare to see her in any sort of pants, and she’d frowned as she headed into her room and stripped, before throwing on black pants and a form-fitting black long-sleeve top. She’d secured her curls with a few more pins atop her head before eyeing herself in the mirror for a long moment. She looked tired; she looked like she simply did not want to deal with not only the entire mess that Kieran had put her in, but this whole mage business on top of it.

With a little huff, she slipped on her boots before she headed downstairs back to the other two. She’d pushed a loose curl from her face before she met Christian and Ana, leaning herself purposely on Christian for a moment.

“Well then - Ana, I’m Clara - this is Christian, but I suppose he’s already introduced himself.” Christian steadied himself as she leaned against his arm before he shook his head. “Well, I suppose we should head out then.” Christian continued with a smile and Clara hooked her arm in his in the meantime before he turned for the door.

It definitely was going to be an interesting day...

@Arista

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

Clara had not been aware of what she was stepping into when she'd come downstairs that morning. She'd gone through the motions with Wolff – allowed herself to be checked and then she'd taken whatever pill he'd prescribed. Still, she'd been entirely confused about the situation, clearly having missed a hell of a lot the night before when she'd secluded herself yet again. When Christian had awoken her, she'd only been partially listening to him – at least enough to hear what he'd expected of her in the morning. But now as she came back down to reunite with the group although reluctantly, she was listening with full attention – and she didn't like what she was hearing.

A frown fell on her lips as she sat close to Christian while she crossed her arms over her chest. She'd still been tired, but at least she'd gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before. Even so, her worry about the widespread illness caused by a rogue shadow mage was enough to wake her up and keep her attention. From what she'd understood – whatever this spell was could drive any supernatural being to sheer madness – which is why everyone assume it was hitting in their town as of late. Honestly, at that news she was willing to just pack up and go – but she knew better than that. No one in that room would have run from it – and by the looks on their faces and the ongoing discussion – she knew she'd be out there with them. They really hadn't a choice.

The wolves were the first to volunteer and Clara had shifted uncomfortably from where she was sitting. Christian, much to her dismay had chosen to clear his throat and stand, leaving Clara where she'd been sitting next to him. "Count us in – the quicker we can figure all of this out, the better. Perhaps we can then bring the town to normalcy once more." Clara had only given him an incredulous look, surprised he would be so quick to join these people. But then again, Christian always was a man of honor, where his manners always took precedence. To not assist these people while he was staying under Kieran's roof would have been absurd – even though he knew full well he owed nothing to the man.

Clara huffed quietly to herself as she leaned back in her seat. "I suppose I'm in as well, then." She added quietly. Yes, the quicker this could have been handled, the better- then maybe she really could just run off and be done with it all… Her gaze had never lifted to Kieran the entire time in the room – refusing to even acknowledge him.

@Arista

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

Clara had awoken the next morning, hardly in the mood to get up let alone to interact with the others. Still, she’d told Christian she would partake in whatever little health check they were going through, so she had no choice. Not to mention, she figured others would start questioning why she was always keeping herself separated from the group. None of them needed to know who she was in relation to Kieran - that was for certain. She did not need anyone asking questions or prying into their history because, quite frankly, she didn’t want to talk about it. It would only ignite her anger once more even though -- that morning she simply felt like a deflated tire. Anger wasn’t the very first emotion that came to mind when she thought about him -- but that acknowledgment alone had pissed her off.

She stretched in bed and gave a long sigh before eventually getting herself up. Her steps had taken her to the shower where she remained for quite a long amount of time, reluctant to step out from under the hot water. Still, she’d left and dried off - throwing on another one of her dresses in the meantime with another long stretch of her arms. She’d brushed through her hair and tossed it up again with a couple of pins before she’d decided to leave the room.

Clara had only heard a few words as she headed down the hall, hearing everyone mingling and seemingly getting ready to go out. Marvelous. Not only would she have to socialize, it seemed like it would be another outing that she had to endure.

Christian had looked over to Wolff as he stood to follow everyone out, his brows furrowed in concern over the discovery of that morning. “Clara? Yes - I’m sure she’ll --”

“I’m here, I’m here.” Clara waved him off again with a sigh before she looked to Wolff. “Now, what do you need me to do?”

Christian had watched when the girl separated from him and headed off with the other male, pleased that she’d actually listened to him that morning. Still, no matter how pleased he was with her, he couldn’t get passed the troubling thoughts that now presented themselves. It wasn’t just an illness or a misdirected spell - this seemed much worse than that. And if their assumptions were true, it was going to be more difficult to deal with than he’d first imagined. He’d wondered if others out there had realized what they had, or if they decided to up and run from it -- which would have been a decent option. Yet, all of these people around him opted for defending their homes, and for that he couldn’t fault them.

The more they found out about this mage - the better - yet all of his instincts were wanting to simply take Clara and leave. His priority had always been to keep her out of danger, and just by being there he felt as if he was throwing them both into the fire -- no matter how many people they had on their sides.

@Arista

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

Christian had leaned back in his chair after they’d headed towards another room, belly full and content, knowing Clara was left to her own devices. She wouldn’t come from her room that night -- he’d been familiar with these moods and knew what she’d probably end up doing. Still, he’d wondered the actual cause of it - both her and Kieran had been gone a while earlier...

His thoughts were pushed aside as Wolff had stood and Christian raised his brow after a moment. “So it is actually a legitimate illness?” He asked suddenly, all of the sudden his worry piqued by his interest had been caught. He’d heard the rumors - heard of the sickness that was slowly making others go insane. It made sense - what other reason could have sparked those wolves to try and tear apart that town? It had seemed like an unplanned attack - almost as if they’d just been passing through and decided that town had been in their way.

Still, if this had been true it posed a problem for every one of them in that room. Was it contagious -- and were any of them able to catch it? Clearly Wolff had a plan and Christian was not about to protest - however, Clara needed to be involved as well.

Christian followed the others, taking note that Clara’s door had been shut as he passed by in the hallway. One by one, each of them had been checked and given a pill to swallow before they each separated for bed. Christian had lingered behind, waiting for everyone to scatter before he moved to linger outside of Clara’s door once more. He was unsure of if he would bother - and he wondered if he should inform her in the morning. Still, he grabbed the handle and quietly pushed the door open before he had stepped inside.

She’d been curled up underneath her blankets and her back was facing towards him. The empty bottle of wine had been left on a night stand with the empty glass placed next to that. He’d sighed as he carefully approached her and sat down next to her, his hand coming to rest upon her shoulder.

Clara had awoken with a start and she nearly jumped up before she’d focused on Christian. A quick huff fell from her lips before she pressed a hand to her head with a groan. “... What do you want?” Clara mumbled and Christian shook his head.

“I’m just checking in on you, darling.” He commented. “And, in the morning I need you to pay that Wolff guy a visit.” Clara furrowed her brow as she peered up at him and she shifted to lie on her back. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Remember we’d heard of those rumors a few months back? That others were getting sick and it was causing them to go mad?” Clara had only nodded, half listening. She was exhausted - she just wanted to actually get some sleep through the night. Her body ached and she didn’t want to feel it anymore.

“Well, apparently it was the cause for the attack on the town the other night. Wolff has more information, but I need you to get checked by him in the morning. Only a precaution -- we all went through it.”

Clara gave a huff and waved her hand at him to dismiss him. “Whatever. Fine, then.” She’d responded with a little huff once more.

“Are you alright--”

“Stop. I’m fine. Don’t ask.” She cut him short as she shifted again. Christian only sighed and reached over to run a hand gently through her hair. “I only worry, Clara...”

Clara frowned and pulled her blankets up a little further, rolling on her side to face him. “I know, Christian... Don’t worry about me... I’m fine, really.” She murmured. “I just want to sleep.”

Christian watched her for a moment longer, his fingers still running through her waves. “Alright, love... Just please go see him in the morning.” He reminded her before he’d leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She’d closed her eyes and curled up tighter without a response and Christian had turned from her before closing the door behind him.

With his own sigh he had headed to his room only to get undressed and climb back into bed. As long as she’d listened to him come morning, he wouldn’t pester her.

@Arista

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

When Kieran had let her go she’d felt weak - almost like she needed that support that was suddenly stolen from her. Even so, her feet remained planted and Clara did not turn to him. It felt as if the very weight of that night fell right back onto her shoulders; her wounds felt as if they suddenly started bleeding once more and she felt as vulnerable as she had that night so long ago. It was harrowing - hearing him speak of it; hearing him apologize for something that he’d never meant to do. It all had been a mistake, in a sense, and Clara still was not sure if she would ever get past the bitter taste suddenly in her mouth.

His words echoed in her ear as she stood there, hardly moving. Her eyes only focused on the grass beneath her, and she’d almost been able to muster the energy to bite back at him. Her words only died into a quick breath as she’d heard the door open and seen Esther standing there. Part of her wondered just how long she’d been there - what could she have heard and what could she have seen. Either way, she swallowed again and straightened up, her arms crossed once more against her chest. No; nothing had just happened.

Kieran was quick to collect his jacket and she did not watch him at first until he’d approached the door and offered his arm to Esther. She’d seen her little show of affection, and part of her felt that quick stab of something that she’d hardly wanted to feel. Fuck. She needed to go somewhere else and she needed to go fast.

Everyone had settled in for dinner but as she came in, she’d noticed Kieran wasn’t quite there yet. So, she quickly slunk around the rest of them and into the kitchen in search for another bottle of wine. She’d grabbed the first bottle of white she’d seen along with a glass before she quickly headed away from everyone, making a beeline to the steps and up towards her room. The door slammed quickly behind her and she leaned against it for a long moment before she allowed her body to slide down slowly. Her legs were pulled to her chest and she’d only stared at the ceiling above her, the bottle next to her on the floor and the empty glass on her other side.

She felt drained and yet something within her buzzed and raced - something almost awoken but unwilling to be awoken all in the same. Clara hadn’t liked the feelings surging through her; the thoughts and memories that once were hidden and now overwhelmed her mind. Fuck him -- She hated how he could so easily do that. She hated how he made her lose control...

--

Christian had seen Clara come in just as quickly as she’d left. He’d already had his plate ready and was sitting and conversing with the others before she’d left. He’d half expected her to come in and sit down with him, but her movements had him concerned. Not to mention, he’d seen the bottle she’d taken out and his brow furrowed in response. Wherever she’d been - whatever she’d been doing had upset her yet again. Honesty, it might have been a good idea to start thinking about taking her elsewhere.

His thoughts had him glancing over to Kieran who seemed more content than he’d had the day before. The man was conversing and having quite the time, it seemed, which had only caused Christian to study him for a moment longer. Whatever he’d done or he had planned, if this was the consistent result of it, they’d leave soon enough.

@Arista

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

Shit - she didn’t want to hear the words coming out of his mouth. A sense of dread hit her as she still squirmed in his grasp and she continued to fight to get free. No reason nor excuse could ever be what she wanted to hear and she was terribly frightened of the truth. To speculate why he could have left was one thing, but to hear it directly from the source was an entirely different thing. Even though Clara truly did want to know, she was terrified of the cold truth - so she resisted. She became almost desperate in that resistance, growing almost more upset and emotional than angry and it continued to build the more he held onto her and wouldn’t let her go.

“I don’t want to hear it!” Clara continued to struggle, trying to cut him short before he could get anything out further. “I was a goddamn mistake and I know it. Why the hell would you show back up?” She continued, but her eyes were shut tight. He wouldn’t let her go no matter how much she refused to settle and she couldn’t deal with that. By now Christian would have even let her go; he would have known to just leave her alone and let her run like she’d so terribly wanted to. She wanted to shut herself away from it; from him.

She’d felt his breath against her skin and it almost made her want to yank away - put as much distance between them as she could, but his grip was firm. Clara swallowed the small lump in her throat at the sudden feeling shooting through her and she still refused to open her eyes. However, her body slowly stilled- wanting to ignore all of those memories; all of those feelings. She’d played that night over and over again - he’d been a solution that she’d looked for. He’d been her way out and he’d met her with just as much desperation as she’d met him. Something about it just felt -- right; Any of her fears of running away had all been settled under his touch. All of her concerns and worries had been silenced by his lips...

And then he was gone, and she was left with the most awful ache and void that she could never stitch no matter how large the needle.

Clara had almost stilled entirely, her hands dropping weakly to her sides as she frowned, unable to hide from the feeling that surged through her at the mere touch of his lips against her skin and she nearly whimpered in defeat. “You did more than just fuck up.” She spoke quietly then, un-moving and unable to swallow the lump that remained in her throat. “You broke me.”

There came a long pause as she still didn’t move. “Just let me go...” She felt deflated; defeated -- and she needed to run. She needed to be alone and she needed to be away from it all. All of the years of trying to push it down; trying to rid herself of the ache and need -- suddenly it had risen from the dead all from the mere touch of his lips against her neck. She didn’t want to give him that control...

@Arista

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

“Fuck!” Clara bit out as his hand collided with her collarbone. She’d still straightened up and was able to jump over his swiped leg before returning another punch of her own. She couldn’t give up and she wouldn’t give up. She’d continue to fight him until the day she died, she knew it. He’d done no good by her all of these years - every time she thought about that night, she’d obsessed over every detail. She’d wondered if she’d done anything wrong; if she’d been the cause of his sudden departure. At one moment it was so perfect - she hadn’t expected what would have happened only moments later and she was such a fool for falling for all of it. He’d lured her in, had his way, and tossed her aside. And there they were -- how many centuries later and it just so happened that he showed up again with little to no remorse? No, he wouldn’t feel any remorse, would he? He’d so easily forgotten and moved on to another - her replacement - and they strutted so openly in front of her.

At the thought, Clara had growled as she headed towards him again, determined to make him suffer and make him simply feel. His words were only reassurance. Kieran would never understand, just as Christian could never understand what she felt. But god damnit, Kieran was supposed to understand - he was supposed to make it go away! That’s how all of this worked, she was sure of it!

She became blind to everything around her - her attention focused only on her prey before her, filled with the growing determination to cause him more pain. If anyone had noticed their fight, she could care less. If Ryanair tried to intervene, she would take it out on him too. Christian had probably known better - even if he decided to come looking, he couldn’t intervene. She’d given him plenty of what-for’s in the past over interrupting anything she’d gotten involved in.

Her attention remained focused on Kieran as she came after him once more, however, she was caught off guard at he’d suddenly grabbed her. She’d felt his chest against her back and right away she’d tried to pull away from his despite his hold on her arm. “Let me go you son of a bitch!” Clara growled, still trying to loosen his grip on her. Her fangs remained bared as she fought against him, not caring if anyone had heard them at that point. Bastard - he couldn’t win this one...

@Arista

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

His words only aggravated her further, coupled with the fact that Kieran had remained emotionless throughout the entire exchange. It didn’t help that he’d met each one of her blows with one of his own, and he had yet to waver under her assault. Clara wasn’t entirely sure how she thought this would play out, but then again, nothing as of yet had met all of her plans; all of her worrying and thinking about what she would do if she would ever come face to face with her sire again.Nothing had met her expectations. Her fangs were bared as she lurched forward, her punches unending, her kicks and swipes never faltering and she’d never shown an ounce of fatigue even though she knew full well she’d not been sleeping well as of late and this would do her no good.

“Fuck off...” Clara hissed suddenly. “You just want me to beat the shit out of you?” She growled amidst her attack, her eyes never leaving his form. None of this was ever supposed to happen -- he was the cause of everything. The cause of her pain; the sole reason that throughout all of the early years she just wanted to die and be done with it all. She had to go through all of it without a sire - and although Christian had done the best he could, it still couldn’t fill the void that she felt every single day. Nothing would fill it - no liquor, no men, hell, no fighting or even running away had filled that void. It was an ache that continued to grow and thrive even though she’d never meant to feed it.

With her thoughts she’d only gotten more angry and almost more desperate to hurt him. She’d tried to keep herself in check, but her emotions were going to get the best of her and she knew it. With a growl, she’d lunged and dropped in an attempt to swipe his feet from beneath him. She needed an advantage - and she’d intended on pinning him suddenly, her curls fanning around them both as she caught her breath.

“You have no fucking clue what you’ve put me through. Not one. damn. clue.” She continued, her hand reaching out to grip his throat. “And you can give two shits about it - I know it. Don't suddenly pretend like you care about me - don't even fucking feel obligated to.”

@Arista

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

Clara had no idea what to think as he asked her to fight him; she'd no idea what his motives were; what his plans for all of this could be. She was unsure of herself and unsure of the situation, wondering if she should walk away and not play into whatever he had in store. But then again, it gave her the chance to make him suffer - if she possibly could. He was, after all, her sir e- but he knew nothing of the training she'd received from someone who had to be around the same age as Kieran. Still, she watched him carefully as he removed his jacket and headed towards the back door, although she momentarily remained rooted to the spot. Clearly, she was struggling internally; weighing the negatives against the positives should she decide to fight him.

As Kieran stepped outside she'd wavered but ultimately decided to follow him along. No, she did not care that she was in her usual corset dress – her hair was already tucked up messily – she'd fought many wearing much worse.

As he faced her, Clara fought the urge to shake her head. His other fledgling hadn't been around and she wondered if he would come in trying to play hero if he'd seen them. Hell – the entire household could be against her if this was some sort of trick.

Regardless, she was tired of hesitating. She wasn't sure if she would get another moment such as this and her form was stiff only for a moment longer. "What the hell do you gain from this?" Clara still hissed, but it was only a second later that she finally lurched forward to meet him, her fists clenched to swing at his jaw as soon as she could. Should he not fight back, she knew she'd withdraw as well… Even so – she knew it would feel good to at least get some of her pent up rage out – as she showed no mercy as soon as her body met his.

One by one she'd shot out punch after punch, kick after kick - dodging what he would send her way, and quite honestly, it looked like she wouldn't let up. Her eyes were bright in that anger - determined to make him feel every bit of the pain he'd forced her to feel throughout all of the years.

@Arista

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

Of all things that Clara could have expected him to have wanted of her, his request had hardly been on her radar. She'd almost expected him to ask of some other task from her; ask for her assistance on whatever the hell they were going to do now that their town had been pulled apart, but instead the man before her expected her to do – well, what she'd wanted to all along. And yet, now that she stood in front of him, she felt deflated. She had attempted to brush away the surprise on her features as he spoke, and instead chose to take a slow, long sip of her coffee as she pondered her choices and options.

He'd stood there like someone had just killed his kitten and it was unsettling…

"You're shitting me…" Clara murmured as she finished her sip and had moved to place the cup on one of the chairs closest to her. Still, she hadn't quite moved further into the room, unsure if this was a trap or a test. She did not trust him in the least bit, nor could she bring herself to trust him even if she wanted to. His request was odd – something that still did not sit well with her even though she should have taken the opportunity immediately.

She'd wanted to hurt him so badly – make him feel it – because she truly doubted he could ever begin to understand what he'd put her through.

"To fight someone who is unwilling to fight back is not only uninteresting– but it's pathetic." Clara suddenly bit back as she eyed him carefully, still choosing to keep her distance. "And if you think for one instant that that…." She paused and shook her head after a quick moment. "Beating the hell out of you with no defense will not fix a damn thing."

Oh, but she really should have. She was itching to – only, what good would it do her if he just stood there and took it? If he just allowed it? There would be no fulfillment out of it and Clara understood that. Hell, she would have been better off beating the hell out of a punching bag if he'd just decided to stand there and take it. What kind of a man does that? No – He needed to fight back, damnit!

"And don't pretend like you suddenly care, either. I will not fall for such lies."

@Arista