earlymorninstar

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

Clara had not focused on anything other than the man before her and the need to pull out those rods as quick as she could. She hadn’t paid attention to her own pain; had hardly noticed her own burning flesh or the horrible sensation shooting through her hands as she gripped each rod while her other hand braced his chest to pull it out. She was silent, unsure of her own motives; unsure of what would even meet her once she was complete. Would it be the regular Kieran that she’d been previously hell-bent on killing - or would it be the new, crazed Kieran that no one could stomach being around? For all she knew, this could have very well been a trap and yet there she was, blindly trying to rid him of the rods in his chest and the pain and hinderance that it had caused.

Why she didn’t even think twice was beyond her -- she had no idea what had suddenly changed; what motivated her to want to even help him. She wanted to pawn it off on instincts - the need to save her sire at all costs- but it did seem like something changed. She just didn’t know how or why that was.

Clara didn’t even notice when Ryanair had suddenly been by her side to assist. Even Kieran’s cry had startled her from her own thoughts and had brought her own pain into light. She nearly hissed at the sensation shooting through her own hands and she could hardly stomach the smell of her own burning flesh now coupled with Ryanair’s and Kieran’s, but still she pushed through until she could pull at the very last one.

It was almost as if her stomach had been in her throat as she pulled it out and she sat back almost in her own confusion about what she was doing and why she even cared- but it wasn’t the time to think about it. The silver would hinder his healing, even as it was now removed. Who knew how long he’d been there - how long he’d been stuck like that?

She’d looked around the room suddenly to find any semblance of fabric that hadn’t been drenched in blood. She’d been able to find at least some sheets and she scrambled to her feet to grab at them before returning back to Kieran, immediately working to press them against his chest to stop the blood from oozing out.

Nothing around her would piece things together -- they needed answers, and she couldn’t fathom how any of this had happened. Their bond wasn’t strong at all, but hell - she should have known something was wrong. Even Ryanair had been clueless to Kieran’s injuries - lying behind closed door. Nearly half of the group had been slaughtered overnight - and no one had heard a single thing. How the hell was it possible?

She’d rather dwell on those questions than wonder just why she was so frantic in making sure Kieran was alright.

Her hands were burning even as she held the fabric to him, but she disregarded the pain as she tried to fully assess what happened and if he would be alright -- if he was even the normal Kieran even in that moment.

“What the hell happened last night? None of this fucking makes sense...”

@Arista

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

Out of all things, Clara hadn’t entirely expected Ryanair to react. The poor thing seemed rooted to the spot, in shock over the gruesome scene before him. Clara had kept herself disconnected from most of the group - distant from nearly everyone except Christian whom she’d looked for immediately in the carnage. He’d not been there - she’d been relieved to notice - but then she wondered how the hell all of this had happened underneath their noses. She’d actually slept through that night, and clearly, so did everyone else who were beginning to emerge from their rooms.

Her gaze focused on Christian for a long moment as he also emerged, carefully approaching the rest with as much surprise and shock as each of them. His eyes remained only on the bodies below, even as Clara turned suddenly on her heel next to him to take off after Ryanair. She’d seen him slam on the door - again, something she hadn’t expected, before he’d broken into the room.

Clara was quick to meet him - determined just as he to figure out just what the hell had happened and how it had happened. Kieran had to have been behind it - with everything that had been happening as of late - however, the new scene that she was met with had caught her off guard just as it had Ryanair.

Her steps came to an immediate halt as she stepped into the room - the smell of burning flesh invading her nose all at once as her gaze lingered on the blood all over the room before they fell on Kieran.

“....What the fuck?” The words were a whisper on her lips as she had seen Ryanair fall in the corner of her view. She’d not looked at him - her attention focused only on Kieran who hadn’t moved. The air almost left her lungs in that moment, unsure if he was even alive - and unsure if she should even approach him. She’d paused and took a step forward before suddenly lurching forward towards him.

“...Kieran?” It wasn’t really with much thought that she’d dropped next to him to try and take the rods out immediately - ignoring her own burning skin at the touch of it. She was only focused on him -- not Ryanair across the room - not anyone else who could have come in. Perhaps it was instinct - or sheer panic, but suddenly she felt she needed to help.

@Arista

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

Clara knew they shouldn’t put their faith in her -- What good was she going to do at the end of the day? Even so they were still persistent in thinking that both her and Ryanair could help the situation - and if their hope kept them calm, then so be it. She was quiet after their responses, only sinking back in her chair with a frown. She’d reached for her glass again, taking another slow sip while they spoke to Ryanair. Lord, she wanted to just sleep it off and wake up fresh at this point. She really should have left a long time ago -- at least then she would have been mulling over his existence, but she’d moved along with her life. Now she seemed perpetually trapped in a loop of making sure that her sire was okay with little in return.

She was quiet as everyone made to exit, and she stood up slowly to follow after each of them. Clara had pulled away from the rest of the group to go straight to her room then, unwilling to run into any other person for the night. She was determined to try and get a bit of sleep -- if she had to interact more with Kieran, she at least needed to be on her toes -- Ryanair seemed to need the help more than she would.

Once in her room she’d downed the rest of her glass before she’d undressed and thrown on another large shirt with shorts again. She’d plopped into bed and stared at the ceiling for a long while, still troubled by the fact that now his fate seemed to lie only within her and Ryanair’s hands.

It was another weight on her shoulders that she didn’t want to carry...

---

The next morning Clara had awoken with a start - almost surprised at the new light in her room. She hadn’t expected to sleep through the night - it was quite the rare occurrence.

She’d stretched in bed with a yawn before she shoved the blankets away from her. The house seemed awfully quiet - more so than she was used to. Hell, she was usually the last to wake and stir. This time, however, it seemed like she was one of the first to wake -- there was no scent of breakfast on the air and no hustle and bustle of everyone waking.

Her brow furrowed as she slipped out of bed, not bothering to get a shower just yet before she headed into the hallway. She’d stepped quietly towards the staircase, but had raised a brow when she’d seen Ryanair stiff just ahead of her. Her steps had slowed then, unsure about heading towards him, and yet, when she did, she’d stopped in place.

“...What the fuck?”

Clara’s voice had broken the silence as she took in the view before her, her stomach seemingly dropping to her toes. She’d seen familiar faces and some new, seen the blood spattered nearly everywhere, mixed with snow all throughout the floor. Her lips were parted in shock as her gaze soon lifted to the ceiling to read the words that had already been dripping to the floor.

Her hands clenched into small fists then, her anger suddenly slipping through her shock. “Where the fuck is he...?”

@Arista

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

Clara had stared at both of them for a long while, slowly absorbing the information that had just been thrown her way. From what she’d understood - they expected her to suddenly assist them with bringing Kieran back somehow through their bond. That was all fine and dandy for Ryanair -- But Clara had some serious doubts on her end. How the hell was she supposed to suddenly help the man through their bond? Pretending like it didn’t exist wouldn’t help any -- Sure Wolff, whatever you say. He’d no idea that she’d seriously contemplated killing the man; seriously contemplated just leaving the entire thing behind her -- and now they wanted her to help.

She let out a slow sigh, mainly to calm herself, knowing that being a bitch like she usually was, wasn’t going to get her anywhere with these people. She’d enjoyed it around Kieran; she was able to get her way around Christian; but she doubted any of her attitude was going to help here. These people seemed determined and she didn’t exactly know how to break it to them.

Clara lifted a finger to pinch the bridge of her nose, her eyes shut in a bit of annoyance. “So - wait.” She began with a frown before she’d dropped her hand and eyed the two of them once more - almost hoping they would change their minds. “You honestly think I can help you people?” A pause. “Sorry to break it to you, but even if there is a bond there -- it hardly is anything that I’d be banking on.” She frowned and leaned back in her chair.

“He’d probably be more effective with whatever you need than I would be.” She reminded them as she lifted a finger to point to Ryanair. Honestly, did they expect her to suddenly dote upon Kieran? How the hell was she, of all people, supposed to bring him out of it if it were even possible...

Well, she could try to beat the shit out of him - maybe that might beat whatever darkness was within him -- that was a thought.

“But whatever.” Clara continued as she stood while Ryanair moved from her side. “If that’s what you think will help, so be it -- I just wouldn’t put so much faith on my end.”

@Arista

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

Clara was terribly quiet as she followed along, her pointer finger absentmindedly tracing the side of the glass in her hand. She was curious and furthermore concerned - wondering why Wolff had needed the two of them. Ryanair had been the one dealing with Kieran exclusively -- she’d only been one he’d just so happened to sire and cast aside. Really, she hardly was a part of the play before her. Even so, she continued along as they approached the room, and once they stepped in, she scrunched her nose in response. The room was like an infirmary, and it reminded her too much of a sterile hospital. She’d never been one for hospitals or doctors in general, so the room itself made her uncomfortable.

Their attention remained on Ryanair so in the meantime she’d shuffled away to find a chair to sit in. She’d placed her glass on one of the bedside tables as she crossed her legs and watched the scene in front of her unfold. Ryanair’s skin was riddled with bite marks that not only looked painful, but they looked angry. Clara frowned as she watched them dote over him, silently cursing Kieran once more. Seeing him inflict any sort of pain on another - whether he meant it or not - had absolutely gotten under her skin.

Once Wolff had begun to speak once more, Clara turned to watch the two - eyeing the new female for a long moment. There were so many new faces that went in and out of that household and she still didn’t know exactly whom to trust. Her wall remained up no matter who they were.

“So... If it’s psychological, how the hell would we alleviate that?” She asked suddenly, her brow lifted in a bit of confusion. She would have rather it been physical - something they could actually fight. Psychological had been an entirely different story. There had been nothing tangible to heal; nothing to grasp and take away from it.

“I mean - you can’t just climb into his head and take everything else out...” And what could they even want with her anyway? Clearly Ryanair wasn't in any shape to help much, and Clara - well, she didn't necessarily have much of a bond with Kieran to begin with...

@Arista

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

Clara was rather quiet throughout dinner despite the fact that her mind had been racing. Although Kieran was nowhere to be found, she still tried to shake off that unnerving feeling that just by being around him had caused. She hadn't experienced that before – sure, she'd felt mainly anger and definitely hatred for him at one point; she'd once felt exhilaration and excitement – among many other things throughout all of the years she'd been alone – but she'd never encountered this. Simply being around him had made her feel wrong, and she'd been lucky. Ryanair had received the worse of his abuses – maybe it might have been a good thing that Kieran had kept away from her all of this time.

While everyone ate, she did not drink as much as she normally would in an effort to get herself to sleep at night. This time she simply ate quietly and sipped on a glass, knowing she'd have to speak to Wolff immediately after. She'd noticed Ryanair's suddenly healthy appetite and frowned in response over it, but other than that, she'd kept to herself. Clara could hardly pay attention to the mindless chatter at the table, her thoughts consumed over the troubling events that had been happening under the same roof -- and the mere worry that there was nothing they could do about it.

Hell, why was she even worrying, anyway? It was only weeks ago that she'd wanted the man dead, and it seemed he was on a straight path towards that fate. Who was she to stop it?

Then again, even if in the slightest way, things had changed, hadn't they?

She nearly groaned at the thought, but soon Clara had finished her plate as she noticed both Wolff and Ryanair absent from the table. With a sigh, she grabbed her glass and plate and headed into the kitchen. She'd spotted the two and cleared her plate in the sink before she filled her glass again. Having grabbed her glass from the top before she rested it at her side to carry, she finally turned to Wolff and Ryanair. "…Shall we, then?"

@Arista

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

Clara did not waver as she stood in the doorway, knowing she wouldn’t leave until she saw to it that Ryanair was let go. She’d stood very still as she eyed the two of them, taking notice of the sheer desperation on Ryanair’s features. Still, she looked oddly calm, her focus mainly on Kieran even as he’d released Ryanair. She’d felt relieved in that moment, and yet she still felt just as on edge as she felt the moment she’d seen Kieran once more. Something about him lately had made her hair stand on end and made her nerves come alive. Whatever was causing it she wanted to squash and get rid of -- the man was hardly tolerable. It just felt so wrong to be even in the same room as him - it made her skin crawl.

Ryanair had headed her way towards the door and she was suprised by his touch on her arm. Still, her attention remained focused solely on Kieran even as he smiled at her. It was enough to make her want to cringe and distance herself immediately from him, but she stood just as still as she’d been when she arrived. She’d not looked towards Ryanair as he passed her - she simply allowed him to leave while she remained in the doorway.

As Kieran headed towards her and for the door, she’d only stiffened slightly, watching him carefully. “Dinner will be ready shortly.” She reminded him as he passed her and she fought the urge to immediately pull away from him. And once he’d disappeared; once she felt and knew he was far from her, she had let out a quick breath that she didn’t know she was even holding in.

Holy hell - she never let anyone intimidate her, but something felt so terribly dark... She felt on edge.

With another puff, Clara pushed a few stray curls from her face before she turned on her heel to head towards the kitchen. She hoped that’s exactly where Ryanair had gone off to - after all, others were around him so that way Kieran wouldn’t have any opportunity to steal him away once more. She’d quickly headed there, far, far away from where Kieran had left her.

She’d headed into the kitchen rather quickly and had been relieved to see Ryanair with the others. She hadn’t said much, just moved around to find something to drink along with a glass to follow- however, she purposely brushed past Ryanair. “We need to see Wolff after dinner.” She murmured under her breath as she stood close to him, reaching for a glass. “He has to ask us a few things...” And with that, she moved away from him again to pop open another bottle of wine. After she’d poured her glass she took a long sip and leaned against the counter with a deep sigh. She had a feeling it might be a long night - and dinner was going to take far longer than she liked. She wanted to know exactly what Wolff had wanted -- furthermore, she wanted to know if he knew how to fix it...

@Arista

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

Her steps had moved just as quick as her thoughts. Clara bit her lip as she continued towards the pool, her attention only on the floor ahead of her as she tried to mull things over and piece them together. Yes, all of this had started when they’d decided to go out after whatever had caused the attack on the town. She knew it was a damn foolish thing to do, first off, and now look what happened. If Wolff was right, and honestly, she was really beginning to think he was, nothing good could come from this. It would only get worse and worse until Kieran eventually had lost his mind and she really wasn’t sure if there was any coming back from it at that point either.

Ryanair had to have been going through at least a little bit of what she had - and for that, she almost sympathized with him. She’d known that need to distance herself from the man who had only caused her pain, regardless of the fact that she hadn’t left just yet. God damnit, why hadn’t she just turned away from it all and left with Christian? Fuck - why didn’t he just drag her away like he usually did at the end of the night when she was off getting herself into whatever trouble she looked for?

Because it was the right thing to do?

Shit - Sure it might have been the right thing to do to help Ryanair, but to reconcile with her sire was a whole different story. And if he was slowly becoming lost to the world...

Part of her wanted to just accept that and be done with it but the other couldn’t forget that one fleeting moment where he had apologized; where she felt his touch again and felt his lips against her neck.

Her thoughts were immediately interrupted when she’d heard the voices in front of her and she’d come to a stop outside the door. She’d seen Kieran’s back - seen Ryanair’s look of almost desperation to get away and for a moment, she hesitated. Fuck - she needed to help; she was better than just walking away and she knew it...

“I think its best if you let Ryanair tend to dinner.” Clara suddenly spoke as she headed towards the two of them. Once more her words were quiet and less harsh than usual. “I’m sure the others need some help...” She was careful, unsure of the man in front of her yet she knew it would be best to separate the two. “Come now - let him be for now. You have the rest of the night to have whatever little discussion that you’d like...” She needed Ryanair to herself as well, if only to get to Wolff to figure out why he urgently needed to talk to both of them.

@Arista

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

As soon as Wolff had wanted her to tag along, Clara had felt a wave of relied wash over her. She’d still not known if he’d had an answer, but the mere acceptance of wanting to discuss it with her had her quickly prancing his way with more of a pep in her step than she’d had before. Perhaps she was hopeful that he knew exactly what was going on and that he knew how to fix it - yet she knew better than that. Kieran’s behavior was odd- almost as if it wasn’t even him in his own skin. Any semblance of the man who had been trying to explain his mistakes to her all in a fleeting moment was absolutely gone. Now all she could see was an empty person whom now she knew had been wreaking terror on Ryanair.

When Wolff had spoken, her brow furrowed and the frown remained on her lips. She’d crossed her arms upon her chest and her nails pressed firmly against her skin while she’d listened. At least he’d had an idea - that was a start- but as far as a solution, Clara wasn’t so sure. It had made sense -- “Wasn’t that when all of this began?” Clara asked. “When we came back from that attack - that was when he started acting off...” It was a thought -- she gave a little huff in return but had remained silent after that, her thoughts trailing.

If this continued, Kieran would only get worse...

Something about that didn’t sit well with her no matter how much she’d wanted to deny it. Weeks ago she’d been determined to kill the man - not only kill him, but destroy him entirely. The fact that she now was concerned over the well being of Kieran was so far from what she’d expected. Something within her hadn’t wanted any of this; something within her wanted to make sure that everything was going to be alright.

She’d bit her lip at the thought, but was interrupted as soon as she’d heard Wolff’s change of tone - footsteps following shortly after. She’d turned on her heel to see Kieran there, and it seemed to make the hair on her neck stand on end - almost as if her parent had caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been. Even so, she narrowed her gaze at him and didn’t say another word as he passed. As long as she was off his radar, she’d be fine.

When Wolff spoke again, she’d only raised a brow. She hadn’t even the opportunity to answer him before he was off again, and she was left alone while she dropped her arms at her sides. With a long sigh she’d turned on her heel again in search of Ryanair -- hoping he’d still been passed out by the pool. It would be easy enough to snatch him up then to bring him to Wolff after dinner. “God damnit...” She hissed under her breath. What the hell was she getting herself into?

@Arista

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

Clara had been brooding – walking down hallways in search for the male they'd been talking about. How no one had any real answers baffled her – although it was not as if she'd had her own. The only things she'd even been aware about was Kieran's sudden behavior, and the relationship between Ryanair and himself. To see the wounds on Ryanair's neck had sparked a new fury within her that she'd wanted to ignore. No; she hadn't cared for the other male, but then again, to see someone else suffer under the same hands that had put her through hell alone all of those years- she wanted justice. If she had the chance she'd been willing to beat the hell out of Kieran all over again if she could and part of her thought to seek him out all in the same. Yet – still there was an underlying instinct there that told her it wasn't exactly Kieran doing all of this – it couldn't be.

She took each stride with purpose, searching for Wolff at each corner she turned. Everyone else seemed to have scattered for the moment, and it looked like most were outside. She'd been thankful of Christian – happy that he'd decided to stay out of her path. She'd been so terribly sleep deprived and on edge and no matter what she did she couldn't settle herself – not until she'd gotten to the bottom of it all.

Although, Clara really had no idea how she would manage it considering no one else seemed to have the answers she was looking for.

Eventually she'd headed down the steps rather quickly before she'd turned the corner and seen him.

"Wolff –" Clara called out, although her voice remained a hiss as she approached him. "Please tell me you at least have an inkling of what's going on…" She began, slowing her steps to a stop in front of him. Although she was frustrated, her words were oddly softer than usual. "I just had a conversation with Ryanair – and I know it has to be obvious to everyone else that something is off, but someone at least has to have an idea…" Although, she wondered if Wolff might have found it odd that she suddenly was questioning what had been wrong with Kieran. Hell, she'd almost been desperate to know; needing to fix it. She wouldn't feel alright until he'd been back to normal… She'd continued to keep silent about the fact that Kieran had sired her as well and she doubted the man had ever made mention of her much before. Plus, she'd kept herself distant from all of them – to suddenly be itching to know what was wrong seemed abnormal for her.

@Arista