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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 12:49:32 GMT -5
Tarus had made it back to his apartment in time and sequestered himself in the windowless bedroom for some sleep. He slept restlessly, images haunting him in his sleep. Images of his childhood, of his time spent in training, of his sister whom he had not seen or heard from since they parted ways, and of Phoenix.
He woke when it was nearly dusk, showered, changed, made himself some dinner, ate, and then decided he could not stand the silence of his apartment any longer, but didn't really want to go back to the club either. It was dark enough to go out by the time he finished eating, so he decided to take a walk, get some exercise - he didn't have to go back to work until tomorrow night, a fact he was grateful for. Pulling on his tennis shoes, he stepped out into the coolness of the night, turning to pull the door shut behind him, he noticed a small white piece of paper taped to the front of the door. It held one word, written in a very feminine hand, "Park". Park? Central park? He had no idea what it meant, but he had a vague idea who wrote it. Setting off at a moderate pace, he began to jog in the direction of Central Park, which was not far from his apartment - an easy 10 minute run.
He pulled up to a brisk walk as he neared the park's edge. There were always people here, night time strollers like himself, lovers, and friends. He slowed his pace even more, not really sure what direction to head in. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down, averting his gaze from several passersby. He wasn't in the mood to converse with anyone tonight - well, except for one person...
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 13:03:57 GMT -5
Phoenix had hardly gotten any sleep the next day. Annie was worried about her, thought that she had the flu or something. Phoenix didn't like worrying her little sister, but dammit, she couldn't sleep hardly at all once she got home. Her mind just wouldn't shut up! It irritated her to no end that she could hardly get him out of her head when she was awake, but now she couldn't stop thinking about him when she was trying to sleep too. And then she had one hell of a nightmare that the rest of the pack found out that she was speaking to a vampire and didn't try to kill him--not that she hadn't before. She couldn't stand that one. She'd woken up crying because in the nightmare, Annie had been the one to find out, she'd been the one to tell the rest of the pack, and she'd turned her back on Phoenix, saying they were no longer sisters.
When Phoenix woke up, her sister had gone shopping. She left a note for Annie, telling her that she had went out for a run, that she could come join her if she wanted to, though Phoenix knew she wouldn't . Not tonight, there was a mini-series of her favorite show. So, Phoenix had left and went to the address that Tarus had given her, hoping it was the right place. She left a note, telling him to go to the park, and left it at that. She would find him once he got there.
She'd been hiding in the trees for the last two hours, scoping out the park, making sure that no one from her pack was there before she saw him. She didn't go over to him, since he was so close to other mortals, but she moved to where she was visible from where he was standing, leaning against a tree, her arms crossed over her chest.
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 13:14:31 GMT -5
The wind picked up a bit as Tarus was shuffling his feet along the sidewalk that rand through the park. He really didn't know what he was doing here, following some anonymous note that only said "park". Maybe it wasn't this park he was suppossed to be at. Then he caught the scent - one of the few perks of being a vampire, the increased sense-awareness. It was HER scent. He looked up suddenly turning his head back and forth searching for her.
He caught sight of her leaning up against a tree, arms crossed, staring directly at him. He smiled weakly - he was glad to see her, but the way she was standing made him uneasy. She didn't look pleased...but then why the note telling him to come here? He was confused, but then he often was when he was trying to figure out this one - she was a mystery which had no end. Of course that was one of the things he loved about her.
He met her gaze across the distance and began to lope casually toward her, taking in the sight of her again - memorizing the way she looked just now, her green eyes shining in the moonlight. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, ready to greet her with a hug, then stopped himself short of it, looking down at the ground again briefly and kicking at the dirt there, before meeting her gaze. "Hey." he said simply.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 13:34:11 GMT -5
Nix watched him as he walked towards her, and she had to keep herself from smiling. He looked nervous as he took in her posture. Good, he should be nervous. She was indeed furious, but not with him. She was furious at the fact that she had let herself feel emotions for a vamipre--even if he was different from the other vampires. She was furious because she not only put herself in danger with speaking to him, but she put him in danger also. And she was furious because she felt like a traitor to her parents, and a traitor to her sister because she wasn't driving the sais that she always kept on her into his chest, but instead wanted to make that worried look go away forever.
She raised an eyebrow at his cautious greeting. "What, every other night we see eachother you can't wait to irritate me, and yet today you stand there as if you're afraid of me?" She asked, trying not to smile. She wasn't angry with him at all, in fact, she was happy to see him, that was the whole reason she'd left that note on his door, was because she wanted to see him. But she needed something for an outlet, and he was just an all too appealing target for her frustrations...She just hoped that she didn't give herself away. This vampire was all too comfortable with reading her real emotions, knowing them himself before she even did.
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 13:42:06 GMT -5
He relaxed a little and grinned openly. "You looked angry at me. I was hoping you didn't wake up today cursing me for....well for last night." he paused, "I really didn't mean to ruin your fun. I hope you really weren't that upset to see me." he shrugged, "Guess I thought that you would want to try to rip my heart out again today."
Although part of that was true - she did indeed rip his heart out - he was sure it wasn't on purpose. He was simply oversensitive to her. No one had ever affected him the way she did. He hated the pain he saw in her eyes now, even as she kept her tone light and casual. Something was very wrong, and he thought he knew what.
"Your pack..." he said slowly, "They know you are here?" he asked, although he knew the answer, he hoped for once he was wrong. Always holding out for the impossible he thought...it was like his mantra.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 13:57:58 GMT -5
She looked up at him for a moment and let out a huff of air, irritated. Nothing was going to be the same again. "I'm not angry at you, Tarus. I've never been angry with you, no matter what I've said. I've been annoyed by you, among other things, but I've never been angry with you. I've been angry at me, but never you." The words came out quickly, before she could even censor what she was saying. As soon as she said them, she wished she could press a stop and rewind button. She'd told him way too much that time. Instead she simply clamped her mouth shut tight, looking away from him for a moment. "Rip your heart out again? When did I do that the first time? I'm pretty sure I was always trying to shove sharp pointy objects into your heart, not rip it out." She said, smiling slightly at him inspite of her embarrassment at what she'd revealed.
She shook her head. "No, my pack doesn't know I'm here. I haven't spoken to any of them yet. And when I do, I'm sure in the hell not going to tell them about you, I am just going to bring it up as a hypothetical situation, remember? I left my sister a note, telling her I was going to go for a run, to not worry about me."
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 14:59:38 GMT -5
Tarus was relieved that she wasn't angry at him, so much so that he almost missed what she was saying almost, but not quite. She'd never been angry with him? She was angry at herself? As much as he loved to hear that confession, he hated it too - he didn't want her to be angry with herself. Now more than every he hated what he was, knowing he could never ever be what she needed him to be. He would either make her an outcast or die by the hands of those she called family, he was positive it wouldn't be the first option....his mind reeled with the reality of what they were doing here together. It was dangerous, and if he loved her at all he should leave her alone....but he couldn't. He loved her, he would die for her, but until his life was demanded of him as payment for this....for loving her, he would not remove himself from her. Either way was death - one a death of the body, the other a death of the heart.
He gazed down at her, with nothing but love in his eyes, as he quietly answered her, "When you left me." He did not bring up the pack again - he knew what she had said she would do - there was nothing he could do but make things worse for her, so he let it go.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 15:19:34 GMT -5
Phoenix shook her head, stepping further away from him. She felt like she wanted to cry, and she hadn't cried since the night her parents were killed...She'd thought that she had forgotten how to cry. "Tarus, you can not look at me like that." She said, shaking her head. She was fighting against herself, trying not to see what was going on. She knew what it was, and she didn't want to believe it, because it made things far too complicated, not only with the pack, but with herself, with her sister...With everything. And yet at the same time, everything was much clearer, and she realized the exact extent as to why she ran away. She turned around, not moving, just standing there with her arms folded over her chest, her shield against the world. "Do you want to know why I left, Tarus? The real reason that I left?" She asked, turning so that he could see only one side of her face as she looked at him, resigned. She couldn't change anything with the two of them. Hell, she'd put half the world between the two of them, and still she couldn't get him out of her head. She would have to find a way to stop fighting with herself.
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 15:30:50 GMT -5
Tarus immediately regretted showing her how he felt. Not because he didn't feel that way, but because he could see it hurt her, upset her, tormented her to no end. His arms ached to hold her, to comfort her, but she had stepped away and crossed her arms, body language for "I need space" - whatver she needed, whatever she wanted, he would give it to her. Instead he leaned against the tree beside her, staring in wonder at her. How could she honestly believe that this was wrong? He knew, of course, how she could - he was a vampire. She hated vampires. But for once he longed for her to look at him and not see his race, but to see only the man he was behind the eyes.
He silently cursed his twin Emiste, wherever she was for dragging him into this life with her. But then that wasn't exactly fair either - he was partly to blame for his complaceny. But at that time he had been unaware of this rivalry - no one ever told them, not until after. That was the school's intent, raise and breed skilled, unsuspecting warriors. By the time they found out it was too late. This was why he cursed his existence.
Speaking softly to her, trying to soothe her with his words he replied, "Tell me. Tell me why you left. Tell me why you hate me. Tell me everything." Just don't tell me to go away he mentally begged.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 15:48:16 GMT -5
She closed her eyes for a second and savored the feel of the breeze against her skin, gently pushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes to explain, looking directly into his ice blue eyes with her forrest green ones so he would know she lied about nothing she was goingto tel him. "The last night I saw you before I left, I was determined to end it that night. To kill you, to be rid of you, rid of your influence. You affected me for some reason, and I couldn't take it . I had to make it stop. I nearly did kill you, but every time that I hit you, I felt the blow to myself. It took everything in me not to cry. I didn't want to kill you, and I didn't understand that. Why was I so against killing you? I'd killed a dozen vampires before I'd met you, and yet I couldn't do it. Everytime that I fought with you, I did it so I could prove to myself that I wasn't weak. But that last night, I had my sais against your chest, just over your heart...All I had to do was push down...And i couldn't do it. So I left, I had to get away from you. I didn't understand why then, but now I think I do...And now I'm more scared than I ever was before. I don't hate you and I never have. Hate is not what I feel for you, Tarus..."
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 15:58:28 GMT -5
Tarus listened as she talked - too fast, rushing through her words, betraying how nervous and scared she was to tell him. He wanted her to know she could tell him anything, that he would always listen to her - she was the most important thing in his life.
He remembered that night all too well. He had battled with her many times before - sometime in the midst of all their conflict, he had started to feel things for her, and it changed the way he fought with her. He didn't want to hurt her, ever. If that meant letting her kill him - he was willing. That night she had won, and he had finally stopped hoping for the impossible to become possible - it had seemed like she truly would kill him, like she truly did despise him. And then, she'd let him go - with a snarl and a warning, yes, but she'd let him go. And then she'd left. It was that night that he knew he'd gotten to her just like she'd gotten to him. He'd understood her need to get away, but it had brought back that last shred of hope that he had since then, refused to let go of. He lived for one purpose, for the thought of one day seeing her again.
That had happened last night. And now here they were, standing alone in the night, underneath the starry sky...and she was telling him this, everything he had ever wanted to hear cross her lips, those beautiful lips, and he found himself watching her mouth as her lips formed the words, and then he couldn't control himself any longer. He was kissing her...trying her out gently, pouring now the depth of his love for her into the kiss, and hoping all the while that she would never run away again.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 16:26:42 GMT -5
Phoenix's breath caught in her throat as he began to kiss her. She hadn't been expecting that, and it caught her off guard. She placed her hands against his chest, thinking to push him back, but then she found herself kissing him back. She was overwhelmed by the amount of emotion he was showing her, and she had no choice but to respond with all her own feelings. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to once again just feel, to match his emotions with her own. She reached up and wrapped one arm around his neck, pulling hm closer to her.
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 16:30:52 GMT -5
Tarus felt her wrap her arms around him. She wasn't pushing him away. He loved that and he kissed her harder before finally drawing away and resting his head against her forehead. "I love you. I have love you for years. Why do you shut me out all the time?" he whispered. He knew he was laying it all out on the table now, but it hardly seemed to matter anymore. He wanted her to know, so there would be no mistakes.
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Post by *Phoenix McKenzie on Aug 1, 2008 16:53:35 GMT -5
She smiled slightly when he pulled away. She was smiling while he kissed her, and she was smiling now. "I was shutting everyone out, you shouldn't have taken it personally." She said, joking before becoming serious again. "I guess it was because, I felt like I was betraying my mother and father, falling for a vampire." She said, looking directly at him. She knew that her sister would be furious, but eventually she would come to terms with it. Annie may never like it or understand it, but...she would accept it. Annie couldn't hate her forever. The pack would be furious, but what were they to her? She'd only recently joined with them, and it was only so she could fight. It wasn't because she longed for a bigger pack. She simply wanted to fight. If they despised her, oh well.
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Post by taboudreaux on Aug 1, 2008 17:02:10 GMT -5
He smiled warmly at her and held her close. Hoping no one was watching. She didn't need that tonight. "How could I not take it personally?" he teased her, "You only wanted me dead." he kissed her hair, never wanting to let her go. "And, I understand. My sister is the same way - always trying to avenge out parent's deaths." his eyes narrowed as she spoke of her, hoping Nix didn't see. "You do what you gotta do, Nix. But know that I will always be here for you. That I don't care what society tells us. Ultimately..." he paused, "Your life is what you make it." And he wanted his life to be her.
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