earlymorninstar

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

Clara wasn't terribly certain if Ryanair would actually open up to her – she'd really give him no reason to over the past few weeks – but she needed to know what was happening behind the scenes. She needed to know if he had any further insights of what was going on – she needed to know if there was anything she could do to fix it. The image of Kieran before her was the same that she'd painted throughout all of the centuries that had passed – the emotionless vampire who could care less about his actions; who could simply change someone and abandon them without even a second thought – the same man who hadn't even come looking for her or wondered if she was still alive.

Her thoughts had been interrupted by Ryanair's response and she hadn't realized her hands had balled into tight fists at her sides. As he'd moved to sit down, she released them and followed after to take a seat next to him, regardless of the need and want to stand and pace. Clara had sat herself down slowly, her attention never wavering from Ryanair as she expected to hear some answers.

What she didn't expect was to see those bites all across his neck as he'd dropped his collar. Clara had only looked briefly before she turned away with a heavy sigh. She'd only assumed Ryanair had kept distant just as she had because he understood something was wrong. She wasn't terribly suspicious that the man would be abusing him in such a way – hell, Kieran doted over him just as much as Ryanair wanted it – she couldn't imagine anything else.

The frown remained upon her lips before she looked back to Ryanair. "I'm sure we'll get all of this sorted out." Words of reassurance, she supposed. Weeks ago she could never imagine sitting down and even socializing with the man before her, but something about the situation had her feeling pity. Something within her wanted to prevent him from any sort of pain caused by Kieran, simply because she knew it all too well… Even if she had begun to waver in her thoughts of him; even if she'd begun to yearn for what they once shared in that fleeting moment yet again.

Now – she wasn't so sure. Everything she'd assumed about Kieran throughout the years seemed very true suddenly – but the days before they'd come to the manor seemed to be very different.

She was conflicted and she needed more answers. Regardless of wanting to believe it simply was true and he was as she thought – she knew better than that.

"You might as well get some sleep. " Clara murmured as she came to a stand, eyeing the male only for a second longer. She'd not offered any further words of reassurance, simply because she wasn't so sure of everything herself…

As she turned away from him, she left the room but kept the door closed behind her. She needed to talk to Wolff – And with that, she headed through the mansion in search of him. She loved how everyone seemed to have a damn plan, but she was the last to find out. Although, she still had doubts that half of them even knew Kieran had been her sire – so why would they include her in the first place?

@Arista

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

Two weeks had passed -- two very long weeks. The entire house seemed to be on edge, which had only been slightly comfortable to Clara considering she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed something was different. Although she was probably the least qualified to even make a comment about it - she knew enough to see the changes; she could feel the difference and it almost made her skin crawl. However, the fact that no one else had even made the move to question it or furthermore check him out -- it had bothered her. Clearly something had happened between him and Ryanair - the two that had been so close it nearly made her sick, had suddenly become very distant. Before, she’d noticed how Ryanair always had to touch Kieran; always had to have the closeness that Clara never could -- and now he was hardly seen in the same room with the man.

All of this left her terribly unsettled through each day, growing worse and worse as it’d gotten under her skin. All of her frustration was bubbling up within her, threatening to explode on each and every one of them -- she’d wanted to scream and shout - shake them, make them see what had been going on and make them ultimately fix it.

Yet, their silence also told her everything she needed to know - maybe none of them knew just what to do.

Christian had seen her agitation; he’d seen it slowly simmering towards a boil and had decided it was best to stay clear. Kieran’s actions were indeed odd, and the distance that was between them had only grown -- actions that had been far from what Kieran had once told him a few weeks back. He’d made mention of reconciliation, and yet, Christian had seen none of that. It had been quite the opposite, he’d noticed, that even Ryanair had been distant towards his own sire.

Still - he’d hardly known both of them well enough to pass judgement, regardless of the fact that it seemed to be rather obvious that Kieran did not usually act in such a way...

Throughout those two weeks, Clara had become just as distant. She did not mingle with the rest; she kept to herself and simply observed. The damn man put on a show well enough - he’d come down, interact, show face -- but it wasn’t the norm. He seemed detached - like he’d physically been there but mentally -- he just wasn’t. And each time he’d shown his presence and Clara happened to be around, she could not help but study him with that same glare - knowing full well something was different and yet she’d had no answers.

Many a restless night she’d been wandering the manor - mulling over what to do, trying not to crawl out of her own skin. She’d been tempted to just give it all up and run away - He’d never notice she was gone and perhaps it would have been the best for her as well. There was nothing for her here other than a sire who could care less about her existence -- she’d felt it more and more each day and it weighed heavy on her shoulders - more so than she’d like to admit.

And yet, each time she was ready to just turn everything in and leave, her feet stayed rooted. The fact that Ryanair was always off on it his own had set off alarms and she simply could not ignore it.

So - when she finally had noticed he’d been alone, she wasted no time in sneaking behind him to shut the door and lean against it to prevent him from leaving. Her bright eyes remained focused on him, determined to get some answers.

“What the hell is going on?” She’d bit out, but her words had only been a hiss. She did not need others to hear her or evesdrop either -- they didn’t want to help before, she sure as hell didn’t need their help now. “I know you know more than the others, so don’t lie to me. You used to fawn over him and now you hide - what did he do?” Her words had suddenly softened without realization. Maybe it was also the instinct to keep others from getting hurt like she had - but something within her had also wanted to protect Ryanair -- no matter how much she’d denied it. She’d been terribly jealous of the other male without even admitting it to herself, but to see the same man who’d scorned her in such a way now do something to cause Ryanair to shy away -- it hit a nerve that she no longer could ignore.

@Arista

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

Honestly, she wasn’t so sure that he would answer the door - and really, she didn’t know what she was looking to accomplish by pounding on his door. All Clara knew was that she was terribly tired and she couldn’t get beyond that bothersome feeling that something was very, very wrong. The longer that the time had passed, the worse she’d felt about it. She couldn’t get herself to settle or go to sleep and even the wine didn’t help calm her nerves. There was nothing she could do to just simply relax and ignore it. Why the hell was she even bothering, anyway? Screw him - he really hadn’t done much for her save for that apology -- why would she even care?

Her frustration was high while she banged on the door before her fist eventually met air and she had rested her attention on Kieran. Her eyes had narrowed, and quite frankly she looked furious. Even so, she tried to peer around him to see if Ryanair had still been around -- She’d only hoped he’d figured everything out and that would be it...

Yet - as she eyed Kieran she could tell something was different. He stood there emotionless, not even showing signs of his usual exhaustion of her anger. Her arm dropped for a moment, unsure of what to say since she’d been so caught off guard by his appearance. The sudden movement behind her had her distracted, realizing Ryanair had, in fact, been in the room and had run off to the bathroom. Silently she wondered what the hell that was about before her glare returned back to Kieran.

“...What the fuck is wrong with you?” She suddenly hissed, her hands balled into small fists. “Not that I give a shit, but it’s creeping everyone out.” A lie...

Still, that emotionless expression was getting to her. Clara at least wanted a rise out of him, but she doubted she was going to get much of that. “Whatever - “ She continued, lifting her finger to point at his face. “I’m going to fucking figure it out - like it or not.” She barked again, and turned away from him to stomp back to her room to get dressed. Something was, in fact, wrong -- she just didn’t know where to begin... Maybe she needed to hear from Ryanair to figure out his take on it.

@Arista

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

The warm water fell around her and Clara leaned against the wall, letting it fall down her front in hot waves. Her eyes were shut, the frown still on her lips as she tried to clear her mind; focus only on the water, hoping it would relax her muscles. And yet, as time passed, she could not relieve the tension that shot through her uncomfortably. It was almost like an itch she couldn't scratch – something was off and she could practically smell it. Honestly, she'd hoped Ryanair would have followed after him to quell her own curiosity – but something told her she would not settle that night.

With a growl, her fingers curled into tight fists and she'd slammed one against the tile behind her. Damn it – Clara couldn't get past the worry that was suddenly surging through her no matter how much she'd tried to hide it. Part of her wondered if it was only due to the fact that he was her sire, and it was merely her instincts shouting at her to make sure everything was alright. And yet – she knew she wouldn't. Hell, if something was wrong with him, Ryanair could deal with it. Those two were attached to the hip, he would figure it out. And if he needed help, well, she wasn't the one to come running to.

Clara had glared at the wall ahead of her as if it had been the one to cause all of the inner turmoil that she'd been struggling with. She'd roughly grabbed her shampoo and worked it through her hair before she stood still, allowing the water to fall over her much longer that time. A long sigh fell from her lips before she turned it off and grabbed at her glass. That had been emptied all too soon and as she wrapped herself in a towel, she went back to the bottle to fill up her glass again.

Hell, she was nearly pacing in her room while she drank – unsettled and unable to relax. Everything within her nearly pulled her to Kieran's room, but she made sure to keep her heels rooted. No – Ryanair would fix it. She had no place in meddling with whatever the hell was wrong with Kieran…

Even so – she eventually had calmed herself enough to get dressed, slipping on shorts and a tank top before she'd tossed herself into bed. Maybe things would be fine come morning…

She knew she was wrong about that – she'd only been lying to herself.

--

The night was one of the longest ones Clara had had in a long while. She'd tossed and turned, been up and down – walked through the mansion, stayed in the study, tried to read a book and tossed it aside. She was back in bed and then out again – and it wasn't long before the sun began to rise.

Once Clara did settle, it was only for a couple of hours before she'd awoken with a start – much like she usually had. She'd been plagued by nightmares for years – that abandonment and pain flashing through her dreams over and over again where she couldn't escape them.

With another growl and huff, she grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her face, nearly screaming into it. She was exhausted – she wanted to sleep – but the worry and need to figure out if everything was okay was enough to keep her awake.

…Damn him…

In one swift movement, she'd tossed the pillow aside and had gotten up out of bed. Her curls were nearly unruly as they fell around her face, but she didn't care. She'd only thrown open her door and stomped towards Kieran. She didn't even hesitate before her fist hit the door, knocking roughly against the wood. If he was up – fine; if he wasn't – he better damn well get out of bed and act normal that morning…

@Arista

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

Clara was quiet – more so than she'd been the entire time she'd been around those people. Her nails absentmindedly raked at her arm while they remained crossed, fighting the urge to go up to Kieran and beat it out of him. The looks and words of concern continued and were met with only a quiet reassurance that still didn't sit well with her, and she silently followed the rest inside. She'd paused in the large foyer, unsure of where to go or what to do with herself in that moment as she watched Kieran make his way upstairs after dismissing Esther. Her toes tapped quietly against the floor, idly mulling over what she should do, versus what she wanted to do, versus what she really wanted to avoid.

Christian had noticed her silence and noticed she'd not moved from the foyer as the others began to disperse. He watched her carefully as he stepped away, curious to her behavior as well. Clearly the others were worried about Kieran, but Clara had a bond with him – even though he'd wished they hadn't. He wondered if she knew more than the others at that point, but knew full well it was a dangerous thing to even acknowledge that she may be worrying over the man. He'd frowned as he turned from her with a sigh, to head towards the living room where he had leaned back in a chair slowly. Perhaps they all had much to talk about – what had happened today, Christian had a sneaking suspicion, was probably only the beginning.

Clara had noticed that Christian had left her and soon Kieran was out of sight as well. With a little huff, she turned on her heel and made her way back to the kitchen. Maybe another bottle of wine down for the night would make her thoughts cease, at least momentarily. She wanted to get to the bottom of it; wanted to shake him from whatever the hell was wrong; but then again she wanted to avoid it all together. No; he did not deserve that from her.

She'd gone into the kitchen and swiped another bottle with a glass before she headed back out to the foyer. It was then that she'd noticed Ryanair and had only glanced his way. Without a doubt he would know something was wrong as well – hell, he probably knew it sooner than she had. Part of that realization had annoyed her while the other part could care less. Still, she knew he would be the first to check in on Kieran, which would allow her to sneak away. As long as someone checked, she wouldn't have to worry about it…

Even so, as Clara turned from Ryanair and headed up the stairs, she couldn't shake that need to check in. She could not deny that something was wrong and the itch to fix it or at least make sure he was alright was distracting. She'd frowned as she passed by Kieran's room and onto her own before shutting the door behind her.

The bottle was soon uncorked and she'd immediately lifted the glass to her lips for a long sip as she stepped inside her room. A shower would help – she was sure of it.

And with that she undressed and carried her glass into the shower with her, allowing the hot water to wash over her – but it still didn’t clear away her troubled thoughts.

@Arista

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

At first, Clara had pretended not to notice and had avoided the scene altogether. Her arms remained crossed about her chest as she looked elsewhere, hearing Esther call out his name over and over again. Why should she even show interest or even a snippet of worry over his sudden detachment? Hell, that was the one thing the man was good at, wasn’t it? His distance was nothing new to her, although she had to admit his behavior was suddenly odd... Sure, he’d shown her that detachment before but when it came to the others, especially Ryanair, that distance was absent. He was more attached to them then he would ever be with her.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance over as Esther had slapped him, and for just a split second she’d felt the urge to separate the two. Her arms had tightened as she eyed them, more focused on Kieran then as he seemed to be in a daze for only a moment longer. It was when he’d looked over to her and Christian that she’d suddenly looked away from him, unwilling to be caught showing even a second of concern for him.

It was instinct - or at least that was what she told herself. Even so, Clara could not push that urge away either as he turned and started heading towards the mansion. Something within her wanted to go up and shake him just as much as Esther did - check on him and make sure that everything was indeed okay -- even though she knew he did not deserve any ounce of her worry or doting. She was sure Ryanair would be the one to throw himself at him should he notice that something was wrong as well -- there was no place for her.

And yet - ever since the day before, he’d awoken something within her that she was almost certain she’d extinguished a long, long time ago. His mere touch; the feel of his lips on her skin had brought back those memories and had drowned her within them. All at once she had felt that desperation and that primal need that had once brought them together like magnets so long ago. She could not deny that, even as her body betrayed her in such a way -- As long as he didn’t know, she would continue to squash it and push it so far away as long as she could.

Yet that need to feel accepted, to fill that void that hung over her ever since he left her was probably the hardest thing she’d had to kill -- especially while they were under the same roof.

It tore her apart, really - the internal struggle of wanting to make him hurt and feel the sheer pain and loneliness that she’d felt all of those years, coupled with the all too familiar need and lust of having him with her once more -- it was conflicting; it was confusing, and she wanted it gone.

Clara had shaken her head suddenly, not following after him immediately like the others had. Christian had noticed her drift and had eyed her for a moment longer before she glared at him and waved her hand to dismiss such concerned looks. Without a word, she’d followed after the group, however, she was unable to keep her focus from Kieran. Their bond may not have been strong at all, but something was off - something felt wrong and she couldn’t place her finger on it.

@Arista

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

Clara had given a little huff in response to the voice over the headset, but it was short-lived. As she’d sent another swing, there came another burst of energy and she’d seen what Lye had sent out to the others -- immediately shutting out the dark being in front of her. She took a slow breath before tossing her branch aside with a little scowl. She hadn’t looked immediately towards Christian, knowing he probably wasn’t the happiest either. This was quite the mess and she knew they were both thinking it. Hell, if they were with any other strangers she might have slipped out long before Christian had...

But, sadly enough, she was invested -- deeper than she would have liked.

“Come on - let’s head back.” Christian murmured as he looked over to her.

Clara only sighed in return and turned from him to head back towards the others. She at least knew where Kieran was - she couldn’t hide from that. Hopefully that would be enough fun for the day -- the sun was starting to drop in the distance and she just wanted to relax; she wanted to wind down and not have to worry even more about other things on top of the new emotions and feelings that had surged through her since yesterday.

She crossed her arms over her chest as they walked, Christian at her side while her steps brought her back towards Kieran and Esther.

“I trust that’s enough for tonight?” She asked suddenly as she approached them, rolling her shoulders as she stretched slightly. She’d hoped one of them would agree -- she could go for another drink...

@Arista

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

Mages, or even anything to do with magic had not been on her radar. Clara had never dealt with anything like this before -- not that Christian hadn’t. She felt suddenly out of her element, unsure of what to do and how to entirely defend herself around the thing. Her frustration grew to new levels as she continued to swing her branch out every time it had gotten close - at least to deter it. She couldn’t touch it; she couldn’t attack it -- hell, what the fuck were they up against and how the hell could they even help?

She’d heard the voice over the headset and she nearly scoffed in return, still a bit away from Christian. It was better if they weren’t entirely together -- it made the thing work even harder to try and get to one of them. “Fucking figures.” She continued, jumping off to the side as she swung out again. “How the hell are we even supposed to help?” Clara began with a huff. “Just --” Again, she tucked and nearly rolled to the side before she got up again. “Keep fucking running from them?”

Christian was just as frustrated as her, however, he’d felt the sudden burst of energy around them and had seen Vox once more. “Just keep dodging, Clara!” Christian hissed out again, knowing help was on the way.

Perhaps the two of them were in over their heads -- he’d thought about it for the brief moment he had, concerned over the fact that he should have just taken Clara and ran for it when they had the chance. That way he’d keep her away from Kieran and away from this god awful mess that wasn’t really theirs to begin with.

@Arista

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

It was quiet - almost too quiet. They walked along slow and carefully through the thin trees, and the stiff and cold ground crunched beneath their feet. Clara remained close to Christian, her anxiety rising the longer they traveled in that silence. Something definitely had felt off the longer they continued, but it was something that Clara couldn’t explain. Her attention focused on the bare trees around them, attempting to peer through the numerous branches that continued to overlap, creating a haze of sticks and branches that seemed to blend together after a while. After all, with such silence along with the previous talk of mages and shadow mages and the impending doom that might have been lingering not only on the town around them, but on them as well - it was enough to make her worry more than she usually would.

Christian had noticed her anxiety - he could feel the tension thick on the air. Even with Anna on their side leading the way, it was too quiet, too heavy. He’d still brushed it off, at least for Clara’s sake. It was pointless for both of them to worry too much - or to at least be obvious about it. If Christian showed his worry, Clara’s would only heighten and she wouldn’t be able to pay attention to what she was out there to do; she’d be caught off guard and distracted.

Although -- It didn’t matter how anxious she was or how he tried to hide it -- the sudden voice over their headset had both of them stopping at once - the words coming over quickly before Christian had suddenly grabbed Clara, pulling her away from the black mass that was now in front of them.

The sudden force of him grabbing her had almost knocked the wind out of her lungs just as quickly as the surprise of the attack had. Clara had stared at the form in front of them, unable to contain her shock.

“--The fuck is that?!” Clara hissed out, but had been ready to spring forward before Christian grabbed her arm again.

“Clara! Pay attention!” Christian suddenly barked. “Do not touch that thing.” He’d pointed to his own headset for her to pay attention, but the words had already been cut off. She’d only had her dagger at the time and honesty, she doubted its capabilities against whatever the hell was in front of her.

Within seconds it was circling them and she was dodging as best she could - split from both Christian and Anna as she looked to find something to defend herself with. Having seen Anna - she followed suit - grabbing the closest branch she could pick up before she swung it out at the figure that continued to swoop down on all of them. “Mother fucker!” Clara bit out, trying to avoid touching the damn thing the best she could. “How the hell do you get rid of them?!”

@Arista

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

Clara was quiet as she walked away with Christian, refusing to glance back at Kieran or even the mansion. Whatever, this little game of cat and mouse would keep her mind off of the night before, and for that she was at least grateful. The fact that he really had no valid reason for what he’d done had pissed her off even further - but it seemed that he felt at least some remorse. But why now? Was it that she was there, in the flesh in front of him and he felt that he needed to atone for his sins only for his own relief? Lord, he never came looking from her after it had happened -- there had been centuries in between that time and now...

She gave a little sigh at her own thoughts as she walked with Christian, but she’d pulled away from him to stretch her arms over her head. “Are you okay?” She’d heard the voice next to her and she’d only glanced over to Christian in return with a little shrug of her shoulders. “I’m fine -- why?”

“You’re just too quiet -- not your usual quiet, just... distant.” He completed as he shoved his hands in his pockets again. Once more she gave a little shrug as she glanced to Anna as well. “Don’t worry about it, Christian -- Let’s just figure all of this out and be done with it.” Clara reminded him and looked forward again.

She felt like it would be a wild goose chase. It was difficult to find a mage unless they wanted to be found -- Although, with how reckless this one seemed to be, it probably wouldn’t be too long at all before they found something. Still, Clara had no particular idea as to what they were looking for. She’d never dealt with mages - hell, Christian and her always had kept a low profile. He’d never really gotten involved in things like this unless he was in a position to.

She assumed he must have felt guilty enough that Kieran and the others had helped them and put a roof over their heads -- he owed them. Clara almost scoffed at the thought - She didn’t owe Kieran shit. At the realization that her thoughts had flown right back to her sire she glared at the treeline ahead of her, growing frustrated. Fuck - She needed to keep herself distracted and quickly. Hell, she needed another good fight..

@Arista