Flying Lessons
Nov 10, 2014 9:48:29 GMT
Post by Admin on Nov 10, 2014 9:48:29 GMT
« Thread started on: Jun 22nd, 2012, 11:23pm »
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((comp dated 10-10-2004))
II
Waking up beside Devan was becoming second nature to Alexandra. She pauses as she stands and glances down at the still sleeping form of her lover. She wonders why it hadn’t always been this way. How could she have spent so much time fighting this arrangement? For her first two months at Serenade she had slept alone in the bedroom she had woken up in her first night in this house. But a week ago she had resigned herself to sharing a bed with Devan. She turns away from him and pulls on her robe. Had it only been seven nights? It felt so right that it seemed more like eternity than one short week.
“Eternity,” she laughed quietly as she heads for the bathroom. She had never believed in words like eternity and forever in her previous life. Yet, as she crosses the floor, it dawns on her that in that past life, those words did not exists. Forever meant no end, and in that other life there would have been an end. Now, though, she could say forever and know that it was true.
“Oh, Devan,” she whispered to herself, “I never appreciated your gift to me. A curse is all I thought it was. An eternity of life while these I love die all around me. now I know that with this eternity comes a chance at a deeper love than could have occurred at a mortal level. Thank you, my love.”
She enters the bathroom and looks around. Everything is in its place. Toiletries on the counter by the sink, a bubble bath ready and steaming in the tub, and her favorite morning drink on a crystal stand within an easy arm’s reach of the side of the tub. She drops her robe and eases herself into the the warm, sudsy water. Sending her morning greeting and thank you to Alyssa, she closes her eyes.
As she lay there in the tub, her mind goes over everything she has been taught by Devan. From the summoning of the servants and the everyday running of Serenade, to the rules and intricacies of being on of the creatures of the night. She learned that her clan bloodline is Ventrue and Devan is Virginia’s Prince of the Clans. She learned she is more of a daughter than a wife to Devan by Clan thinking.
Bonds are different to Vampires than they are to mortals. Because of the longevity of life for the Vampyre, and the need for change and growth, alliances and bonds are longer than most mortal marriages but not subject to the same restrictions. There is really no official recognition for any of the bonds made between vampires, with the exception of the announcement of the Prince’s taking of a companion. That recognition is really just a way of informing others that one particular woman is off limits till the Prince takes another, or the woman leaves.
Some bonds, Alex was told, were only 50 to 75 years old. However, some bonds have lasted for as long as 100 years or more. The length depended greatly on the two vampires, the century they were in, and the circumstances surrounding the bond.
Devan had explained other rules to Alex as well. Some rules she knew were going to be hard to keep. One of those rules stated that after five years you could no longer see your family or mortal friends. Once you were embraced and brought across, you ceased to age. Five years was the limit for the amount of time you could keep up the deception of your appearance. Other rules were just as hard. Constant moving was a necessity, for the same reason as not seeing your family. Society noticed when someone lived in a single place for Not being able to wear the crucifix her father had given her on her sweet sixteenth birthday was also a blow to Alexandra. The first time she had tried to pick it up it had burned her hand like no heat she had ever felt before. Alyssa had come immediately and take it the cross away to be given to a nearby mission as a donation. As Devan had wrapped her hand, he told her God probably had no likeness for immortals after the Garden of Eden and that they and their souls were on their own. Feeling that the sacrifice was worth it, Alex didn't mourn for longer than the two or three days it took for her hand to heal and the scar to disappear. Healing fast was one of the good side affects of being a vampire. Alex had sliced her hand one evening for a snack. No sooner had she stopped the bleeding than the cut was half healed. One hour later there was not even a scar left to tell that she had done anything to her hand at all. The burn had taken longer to heal because of the religious nature of the item used.
Very few things could kill a vampire, though crosses, churches, and Holy Water were among the more important things to be avoided. A stake through the heart could also kill if not immediately removed , as well as being beheaded and burned. Being buried in a casket with a crucifix nailed to the lid was another way to terminate a vampire. Things like garlic wreaths and sunlight were myths made up by frightened mortals centuries before. Sunlight could be tolerated for short periods of time if the vampire was strong and had recently fed from a fresh source. Some vampires simply explained their avoidance of sunlight to photophobia and other related diseases.
« Last Edit: Jun 22nd, 2012, 11:24pm by Llewellynn »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
((comp dated 10-10-2004))
II
Waking up beside Devan was becoming second nature to Alexandra. She pauses as she stands and glances down at the still sleeping form of her lover. She wonders why it hadn’t always been this way. How could she have spent so much time fighting this arrangement? For her first two months at Serenade she had slept alone in the bedroom she had woken up in her first night in this house. But a week ago she had resigned herself to sharing a bed with Devan. She turns away from him and pulls on her robe. Had it only been seven nights? It felt so right that it seemed more like eternity than one short week.
“Eternity,” she laughed quietly as she heads for the bathroom. She had never believed in words like eternity and forever in her previous life. Yet, as she crosses the floor, it dawns on her that in that past life, those words did not exists. Forever meant no end, and in that other life there would have been an end. Now, though, she could say forever and know that it was true.
“Oh, Devan,” she whispered to herself, “I never appreciated your gift to me. A curse is all I thought it was. An eternity of life while these I love die all around me. now I know that with this eternity comes a chance at a deeper love than could have occurred at a mortal level. Thank you, my love.”
She enters the bathroom and looks around. Everything is in its place. Toiletries on the counter by the sink, a bubble bath ready and steaming in the tub, and her favorite morning drink on a crystal stand within an easy arm’s reach of the side of the tub. She drops her robe and eases herself into the the warm, sudsy water. Sending her morning greeting and thank you to Alyssa, she closes her eyes.
As she lay there in the tub, her mind goes over everything she has been taught by Devan. From the summoning of the servants and the everyday running of Serenade, to the rules and intricacies of being on of the creatures of the night. She learned that her clan bloodline is Ventrue and Devan is Virginia’s Prince of the Clans. She learned she is more of a daughter than a wife to Devan by Clan thinking.
Bonds are different to Vampires than they are to mortals. Because of the longevity of life for the Vampyre, and the need for change and growth, alliances and bonds are longer than most mortal marriages but not subject to the same restrictions. There is really no official recognition for any of the bonds made between vampires, with the exception of the announcement of the Prince’s taking of a companion. That recognition is really just a way of informing others that one particular woman is off limits till the Prince takes another, or the woman leaves.
Some bonds, Alex was told, were only 50 to 75 years old. However, some bonds have lasted for as long as 100 years or more. The length depended greatly on the two vampires, the century they were in, and the circumstances surrounding the bond.
Devan had explained other rules to Alex as well. Some rules she knew were going to be hard to keep. One of those rules stated that after five years you could no longer see your family or mortal friends. Once you were embraced and brought across, you ceased to age. Five years was the limit for the amount of time you could keep up the deception of your appearance. Other rules were just as hard. Constant moving was a necessity, for the same reason as not seeing your family. Society noticed when someone lived in a single place for Not being able to wear the crucifix her father had given her on her sweet sixteenth birthday was also a blow to Alexandra. The first time she had tried to pick it up it had burned her hand like no heat she had ever felt before. Alyssa had come immediately and take it the cross away to be given to a nearby mission as a donation. As Devan had wrapped her hand, he told her God probably had no likeness for immortals after the Garden of Eden and that they and their souls were on their own. Feeling that the sacrifice was worth it, Alex didn't mourn for longer than the two or three days it took for her hand to heal and the scar to disappear. Healing fast was one of the good side affects of being a vampire. Alex had sliced her hand one evening for a snack. No sooner had she stopped the bleeding than the cut was half healed. One hour later there was not even a scar left to tell that she had done anything to her hand at all. The burn had taken longer to heal because of the religious nature of the item used.
Very few things could kill a vampire, though crosses, churches, and Holy Water were among the more important things to be avoided. A stake through the heart could also kill if not immediately removed , as well as being beheaded and burned. Being buried in a casket with a crucifix nailed to the lid was another way to terminate a vampire. Things like garlic wreaths and sunlight were myths made up by frightened mortals centuries before. Sunlight could be tolerated for short periods of time if the vampire was strong and had recently fed from a fresh source. Some vampires simply explained their avoidance of sunlight to photophobia and other related diseases.
« Last Edit: Jun 22nd, 2012, 11:24pm by Llewellynn »