earlymorninstar

[Leave the hurt behind] Raijinslayer x Earlymorninstar [18+]

She had been lost in her thoughts upon that shore, tempted to step closer to the water and let the cool liquid spill across her feet with each passing wave, but she was pulled abruptly from her musings as soon as she had caught his scent. It wafted on the air, laced with the musk and salt of the ocean, and Clara couldn't help but heave a sigh. It was inevitable that he would come looking for her; there was no way for her to avoid it. However, it was curious how quick he was to come find her this time around. Honestly, it was rather brave of him, if he had been intent on prying her from the beach to drag her back home – this was not the time or place to pick a fight with her. The woman had been in a terrible mood the moment she'd set foot in her old stomping grounds. She hadn't been there since that night – that horrible, awful night that haunted her day in and day out and now that she was here, she thought of nothing but that night… It was quite the way to sour her mood.

Even still as he approached her, Clara had not moved. Her arms lifted to cross upon her chest as she looked out upon the dark ocean, listening to the rhythmic waves pulse in and out for a long moment before he'd finally broken that little bit of peace that she found. His words had caused her brow to twitch and she shut her eyes in the annoyance that was soon building within her. He had told her only a few days – they'd be in and out and they'd be gone once he was sure that the property was in good shape until his next visit… She was not surprised that something had gone wrong – it had been so very long since they'd been there.

After a long moment, Clara had finally turned her attention to Jaden, her eyes narrowed on him for only a moment. She'd noticed how he'd collected her shoes somewhere along the way. "Of course we will…" She murmured, her soft voice dripping with sarcasm as her glare remained upon him momentarily before looking back out to the ocean. "Because that's just how my luck works, isn't it?" She continued. "Stuck in this awful place for far longer than you promised me."

She'd noticed how he couldn't even look at her for far too long – a habit that he seemed to be picking up as of late. Clara couldn't necessarily blame him – she'd been quite terrible to him over the past years, and part of her did feel guilt although she'd never admit it out loud. Because no matter how she had treated him, he continued to remain – continued to try to keep her happy regardless of her anger. He had to have known that most of her anger had not sprouted from him, but from another and she couldn't very well contain it. A slighted female was a dangerous one, at the end of the day…

But also at the end of that day – she owed him her very life.

Perhaps that was why for all of the yelling and the grievance that she had given him, she had never harmed him nor would ever think of doing so.

"I still don't understand why you needed to drag me here. You could have left me at the last estate…" Ah, but he knew full well she would only go out searching for trouble, didn't he?

@Raijinslayer

[Leave the hurt behind] Raijinslayer x Earlymorninstar [18+]

The world is hard, the world is mean
It's hard to keep your conscience clean...

Hatred...

It was such a futile thing and yet it held such power all in the same. It had the capability to consume the soul; to engulf a person entirely and control every little move and action that they could ever think to make. Hatred was a driving force that no one could hide from, no matter how hard they tried. At least, that’s what Clara believed...

It had drifted through her veins and heated her with a flame that would possibly never die out. It forced her out of bed every single night; forced her through the town and down to the very spot where it all began - where she re-lived every bit of what drove her to its existence. She would never hide from it, nor could she manage even if she tried. It lifted off of each breath, dripped off of every spoken word, and existed not only on her gaze, but also dwelled deep within whatever heart that she might have had left. Yet, maybe her hatred was not as futile as it could have seemed. Hers had reason and meaning behind it - a hard and heavy meaning; One that only her, her sire, and the man who had brought her in had known. To everyone else, she was the hard bitch in town who disassociated herself with nearly everyone and mistreated her tutor every moment she could.

Her steps fell heavy on the cobblestone beneath her as she breathed in the salty and warm night air. It was all so very familiar and left a horribly bitter taste in her mouth. ‘We’ll only be here for a short while,’ he said... ‘Don’t get worked up, Clara, darling...’ Fuck him. Leave it to her tutor to bring her right back where it all began, as if she could simply move on and ignore the hard truth that lingered and haunted her down every street. He promised her that he only needed to retrieve a few odds and ends from his estate and to ensure that the land had been taken care of in his absence. Once he was satisfied, they could go.

If only it was that easy.

Why the hell did he think she would be able to keep herself in once piece there? Why the fuckdid he think she would be alright; that she wouldn’t hold on to a false hope that was held somewhere deep, deep inside; a hope that even she, herself, denied? To her, it had only been a hope to get her hands on that bastard once more and rip him into as many pieces as he had done to her heart that night -- But then again, perhaps it was something much, much more than that.

Her heels clicked much more loudly than she’d ever expected, but it had been late enough that no one other than the street rats and the young party-goers of the night would hear; if they even could through the haze of liquor and booze that hung off their bodies. Her lips twisted in disdain as she brushed them all by, headed deeper into town and towards the border - where cobblestone met wood and where wood met sand. The salty air blew through loose tendrils of her hair that had been continuously held tight in pins and curls. For that one moment she allowed her eyes to shut as that same breeze engulfed her, lifting her skirts from her ankles. It felt so wonderful and so horrible all in the same, for it was that very breeze interlaced with the sounds and smells of the ocean and sand that had sent her back immediately. It had been that realization that had caused her to roughly kick her heels off and sink her feet into the cool sand as she began her decent onto the beach.

The sea is calm, the sea is gray -
it washes everything away.

Clara Emerson... Sweet, sweet Clara Emerson. Where had that girl gone? Where had she been lost to so very long ago?

It had been there, right on that very beach. It had been there where she’d been robbed of her innocence in those few simple and fleeting moments. There, where she believed every lie that he could have told her, all because she had once been yearning for an escape. Oh, and what an escape he had given her. And yet, even then she was left alone with nothing but turmoil -- she still could not find the answers that she sought desperately.

”You listen to me girl. I have given you ample time. I have given you the freedom that other girls your age would never dare to dream of. You are going to allow the Duke to court you beginning tomorrow, and you will marry him.I will not have our family disgraced any longer. Do you hear me?”

She’d been a daughter of privilege, it had been true. Clara had at once been given the world, but it was not enough for her; it had hardly been enough. She had dreams that no other girl could imagine; dreams of far off places; dreams that were held within books that no one else would read. The girl had been found more than once, stealing away in her father’s library, keeping herself up for nights on end reading and absorbing any exciting new ideas that she could. And yet, there was no one to share it with; no one to speak to about it, because the fact of the matter was, she wasn’t supposed to speak. No matter how many boys had some along, no matter how many men had come along, each were more content with her silence than her words. What man would want their wife to have more of an opinion than they do on any subject? It simply was unheard of.

And the years came and the years went and Clara had found no one suitable enough for her. Yet, in the very end it wasn’t her decision. The townspeople had begun to talk; she’d heard the hushed murmurs of the wives and girls, wondering what was wrong with little Miss. Emerson - that she could not fetch a husband for herself.

”Well, she is quite odd, do you not think? The poor dear locks herself away at night.”
“Do you hear what she talks about? She lives in a man’s world... No one wants that!”
“Perhaps she’s barren... She is getting old enough. No one wants an old wife!”

It was a disgrace and her father had all at once left her in shambles that very last night; so much so that she felt the need to finally find her escape. She would rather run away and feed herself to the wolves than to be subjected to silence in a marriage that she did not yet want. So, Clara left; she stole away into the darkness that night under a heavy cloak with nowhere to go and no plan to follow. She simply walked and kept walking until she felt that she could walk no more. No one was around; no one had been there... She would be fine and she would be safe - no one would miss her.

Her steps had eventually slowed sometime along the night while her thoughts and heart had begun to race over what she’d actually done. Should someone come and find her, Clara had no idea what her father would do - nor did she want to dwell on it. She didn’t have time to dwell on it either as a shape came into view up ahead of her and her heart had practically stopped. Someone was there; perhaps someone to come and take her home...

Yet, what had confused her the most had been the fact that she’d felt that overwhelming fear for only a fleeting moment before she was consumed with an odd sense of calm; she had felt drawn and curious - something she couldn’t quite explain for the life of her. The man before her, as he drew closer, had been not only mesmerizing, but it was as if he consumed her soul all at once and she had let him.

Clara would eventually regret everything that happened that night, but she could have never known. All she knew in those few hours were of the conversations that she’d always wished she could have with the men in town. They spoke of distant lands, of sciences and math, of things she’d read and theorized about, but was never able to express. Everything she could ever want, she saw within him in those short hours. Perhaps that was why she had given herself over so very easily; why she suddenly felt the sand beneath her in a heated tousle of skin and fabric. She felt herself lost in him more than she could ever become lost in a person; from the sensations he gave her, to her racing heart, to the aching in her belly - she needed him and she wanted him.

And he gave her every bit of it... But he took much more than she could ever give him.

The pain had been fleeting before it became blinding, laced with the pleasure that still surged throughout her body. She at once became weak before she became overwhelmed, writhing on the sand before she felt him leave her... And he would not return.

Sink into the deep, cool and blue and kind-
Then drift off to sleep; let the past unwind.

Had it not been for her tutor that night, she would have died on that very beach come morning. Her sire had stolen away every bit of her innocence within moments and left her with an immortality that she had never wanted. Her fingers came up to trace the velvet ribbon held tightly around her neck before they clasped the emerald that hung carefully from it. Other than her immortality, it was the only fucking thing she had left of him; his mark. No matter how much she convinced herself to throw it in the ocean and be done with it all, she never could. He was still alive; something within her knew it very well.

And she would fucking kill him herself.

The question was, did he even remember her? And furthermore... would he ever reveal himself to her again?

Leave the hurt behind.

[Lather the blood on your hands] 18+ UPDATED [Ignore Post Count]

Bump

[Lather the blood on your hands] 18+ UPDATED [Ignore Post Count]

Bump.

Male seeking female partners for romance...inquire within (ignore post count)

@RyderTheWriter I also have a search thread, if you would like to take a gander.

Male seeking female partners for romance...inquire within (ignore post count)

@RyderTheWriterI like your prompts - not sure I have characters to fit though. :/

[Lather the blood on your hands] 18+ UPDATED [Ignore Post Count]

Bummmp.

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

Haha I would gladly if it meant breaking through the lack of things to do in my office today! :3 No worries!

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

He seemed accepting enough of her answers and he didn't pry further into what she had told him, thankfully so. The idea of her father simply moving away on his own had seemed like a reasonable lie – much more presentable than the truth of it all, anyway. It wasn't terribly difficult to keep up with either, so she wasn't terribly concerned about keeping up the front as long as she needed to. Hopefully, her father wouldn't be brought up again in the meantime.

Alyssa had taken another bite of her lamb when he'd spoken once more, taking every ounce of information in as quick as he tossed it at her. For every small bit of information she could have given him, he seemed to have an entire novel of his own to toss her way. It was terribly interesting to listen to; he had a certain way that he spoke which had kept her enthralled. It wasn't necessarily every day that she was able to sit down and have a legitimate conversation with someone… She would at least sit back and enjoy as long as he didn't ask the wrong questions.

His words had caused a small smile to form on her lips. It really was an odd thing to be an only child and he was right in that they usually had to busy themselves with things that siblings normally wouldn't do – hence her literary education. She'd forever distracted herself with books, especially after her mother had died – her classes were the only thing that kept her distracted enough to keep her functioning for her father who had been falling apart piece by piece after she had soon left them.

As of late, she hadn't even had the time to delve into anything recent… Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden clash of thunder that interrupted Mansfield's conversation, and she couldn't help but jump lightly at the unexpected sound, immediately feeling silly for doing so. And yet, Mansfield was quick to fill the void with his words once more and he had her smiling again.

She had been slowly enjoying her meal until suddenly his questions had shifted a bit, and Alyssa felt a bit uneasy in having to answer him. Why had she chosen to apply to such an informal ad? Because she was terribly desperate and needed the money, and it had truly been on a whim that she was hoping it was legitimate? That would have been the truth had she been willing to spurt it out so easily… She seemed to ponder over the thought for a moment, mulling over just what to tell him that would sound logical enough. She bit the inside of her cheek and after a moment's pause, had decided to answer him. "Well, it honestly seemed like a good idea at the time. Yes, I needed something new, but I didn't truly want something as typical as your normal retail job or anything of the like… I figured I'd take a chance on an opportunity and given the fact that I have a thing with trying to keep things as orderly as I can—" A control thing, she knew it. She couldn't keep total control over her father and maybe that was what finally broke her – apart from the consistent abuse that had only seemed to get worse with time. "I figured it would be a good fit."

But then the second part of his question had given her pause, and her brow had twitched in the slightest. Part of his insinuation had been very true – to get out of that house meant getting away from everything that reminded her of the hell she'd been living in for the past few years. But she very well couldn't tell him that either. Perhaps he had noticed how she'd been uneasy over certain questions; perhaps he had noticed how she didn't even touch the wine that had filled her own glass; maybe he could see through every bit of deception that she was pouring into some of her answers. He was a psychologist after all, wasn't he? And he had to be a damn good one to be constantly on the move the way he was…

She had eyed him carefully then, placing her fork down after a moment. "If you're referring to the clearly droll day that I'm used to in efforts to find something new, then I suppose I'd be running away from that." Alyssa spoke quietly. "But, as I said, it's only me and my father and he's moved away, so who else could I be running from?" She shrugged again, attempting to save face as she glanced back down to her plate. He couldn't have read through her that quickly, could he have?

@freedomliveson

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

Clara was confused – perhaps more confused than she'd ever been over the situation. She hadn’t expected Ryanair to explain anything at all, most of which to include what he'd known about that night. The girl was complaining just to vent and get it off of her shoulders, and yet he met her with a reason which she'd never heard, or anticipated, before. She hadn't quite known what to think, and initially had parted her lips to argue with Ryanair, but she thought better of it. Her lips closed tight and she narrowed her eyes at the ceiling for a long moment. Perhaps it was better that way; although she wasn't quite sure she would ever get an absolute explanation out of Kieran… especially if this onslaught of attacks continued. There was only so much the body could handle…

She let out a slow sigh to keep herself from another outburst as she studied the ceiling as if it had been the most interesting thing in the room. Meanwhile, her thoughts were racing and she was mulling over what he'd told her and wondering if she should believe him or not. He'd given her no reason to doubt him, had they not just been carelessly throwing snowballs at each other before this whole ordeal had come to light? What would he have to gain in fabricating some story about her and Kieran?

The frown remained on her lips throughout her inner turmoil, and she had shifted a bit in place as she glanced to Ryanair over the new commotion. She wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or not – wanting to pry more information out of him if he, in fact, knew anything further, but then knowing full well that it wasn't the best idea to do so. He'd given her enough to wonder over, and she would have to eventually seek her answers elsewhere.

Clara still couldn't shake her emotions over the whole situation, feeling terribly tired but knowing full well that any sleep she sought wouldn't help her in the least. She would eventually wake up from that same dream over and over again, and no matter what she did, she couldn't hide from it. All of the years that she'd managed to blur the lines, forget the details, and inevitably make herself feel at least the tiniest bit better over it had all suddenly been for naught. It was as if he'd done it to her all over again, and she couldn't help the anger that still bubbled within her – regardless of the fact that he'd slighted her centuries upon centuries before.

She had watched the interaction between Lye and Ryanair only partially, seeing what was occurring without truly registering it, but soon Ryanair had left and Lye was soon removing the needle from her arm. Clara had sat up carefully, ignoring the sudden rush that had come over her head at the new movement. Maybe she could wander off and lock herself away in her room – surely the wine would get to her much quicker now that she'd given as much blood as she had.

But Lye's invitation hung on the air and despite the frown that still lingered, Clara bit her lip and thought it over. It probably would do her some good to get out and get away – it probably was a better idea than shoving herself into her own little corner until sleep took her over again…

She glanced to Kieran for a moment before she breathed a quiet sigh. Lye was right – she needed a distraction. "Alright… I'll come along." She spoke quietly and moved to slide her legs over the side of the bed before she carefully came to stand. She'd been a bit light headed, but she knew it would soon pass. She still had kept her distance between everyone in the house and herself, finding it easier that way, but what would one quick trip into town hurt?

"Just – let me get changed first and I'll meet you in the foyer." She offered before glancing once more to Kieran as she slipped out of the room.

It wouldn't take her long at all to get dressed, sliding into a pair of jeans and some black boots before she slipped a long-sleeved black cotton shirt over her head. Clara had tossed her hair up into a clip, brushing away the stray tendrils that fell from it out of her face before she eyed herself in the mirror for a moment longer. She looked tired and almost spent, and she frowned as she finally turned from the mirror and headed out of her room and down into the foyer.

@Arista