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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 14, 2008 16:01:48 GMT -5
Norah was exhilarated as she walked through the streets of Knockturn Alley. Now, at last, she felt that she belonged here, with the dark and the wicked and the powerful. It was somehow so life-affirming to walk about without the burden of breathing or hearing one's clumsy heart beating away. She could smell the night air and all of its delicacies without having to waste each inhalation on the primitive gathering of oxygen.
She strolled into the Rusty Nail, a place where once someone as "normal" as herself might once have stuck out. But now, she was just like the shadowy figures that lingered in the dimly-lit corners of the shabby old pub. The thought made her smile.
No longer was she a weakling, an object of scorn. She was now powerful, immortal. Something to be feared. Although she was tempted to find a foolish mortal and begin her first feast, she decided to wait. The feast would be sweeter with the waiting. Until then, why not have a drink and scout out the clientele for likely candidates?
She ordered a bloody mary--just for the hell of it--then turned around at the bar with her drink in hand. Hmmmm... so many possibilities...
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 14, 2008 20:40:57 GMT -5
Ryland, though he had been a vampire (or, as he liked to say, creature of the night, since it was much more theatrical and a little more bone chilling) for a couple of centuries, was still exhilarated by it. He had never stopped loving the hunt, or the taste of blood, but what he enjoyed most was the smell of terror on a woman just before he bit her. He lived for that, so to speak. More correctly, he had died for it.
He had noticed Norah the moment she walked into the bar. He was in the shadows, so far not bothering anyone, though he vowed that would change before the night was through.
"And you might be the one to kick it off," he whispered, out loud, as he watched her movements. He wasn't close enough to her yet to notice the lack of blood in her veins.
He sat a little more forward, so that his face was in the light, and kept his eyes steadily on her, as if willing her to meet his gaze and come over.
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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 14, 2008 21:34:04 GMT -5
If she was going to walk amongst the creatures of the night, Norah realized, she was going to need more appropriate clothing. Something black, and probably leather. Something befitting her new status. Walking in to a place like this dressed like an American housewife would simply not do. She was sure she would not catch anyone's eye like this. She would not fill anyone's heart with fear. In one respect, at least, it was a point in her favor. After all, she could more easily play the innocent act on some unsuspecting mortal if she was dressed like one. But she wanted to look at least a little bit dangerous. She'd have to ask her vampire friends how they got new clothes when the stores were not open late at night.
As she looked around, she could hear the heartbeats of people. She couldn't hear where each one was coming from; rather, she was bombarded with the sound from all sides. She would have to learn how to get used to the sound and tune it out.
Her eyes stopped on a man sitting in the shadows. He was watching her and something about the intensity of his hooded gaze made her straighten up a bit. Was her first victim going to come to her? It was all too delicious...
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 14, 2008 21:45:40 GMT -5
Ryland's lips pulled into a sly smile whe she finally met his eyes. Oh, he could have fun toying with her before he finally killed her.
He never saw the point in turning them. Unless it came to making an army of them, which it might in the near future. As it stood, he never liked giving his blood back to them so that they could share the same wealth he did, feasting on humans as he did.
He leaned back, slowly, until he was in the shadows again, and kept watching her as he did so. He was the hunter, the seductor, he did not go to them. He was counting on the fact that her curiosity would pull her to him.
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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 19, 2008 15:59:39 GMT -5
Norah felt drawn to the man in the corner, and it was easy to see why. Out of everyone in the place, he was the only one that didn't look like the very dregs of humanity. There was a man sitting close to her that was almost big enough to be a troll, and twice as ugly. There were two hags cackling at the other end of the bar from her, and an old man with no hair or teeth sitting over by the wall. There were a few younger guys, but they all looked vaguely the same--long hair in tangled masses, scraggly beards that didn't look like they'd been trimmed since the 50s, and ragged clothes that hung off of their bodies. She supposed, if she was looking for innocents, this was not the place she wanted to go.
But there was the man in the corner, with his hooded eyes and mysterious smile. Taking another sip from her drink, she moved away from the bar and towards the man in the corner, as if in a trance.
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 20, 2008 3:57:11 GMT -5
Perfect. He had never failed to entrance a victim yet... male or female. He wasn't choosey. He preferred women, but they were all the same when they were dead.
Whatever had made her choose this dive to step into tonight, he was thankful for it, but she would regret it. Well, until he drank the life from her. Then she wouldn't be able to feel one way or the other about it.
As she came closer, his eyes narrowed slightly. There was something vaguely familiar about her, something that reminded him of the wife he had lost, when he was still mortal, and he suddenly wanted this woman's blood twice as much. He stood from his seat to meet her as she drew near.
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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 21, 2008 23:29:39 GMT -5
Norah's lips curved into a smile. Oh, this man was delicious. Or would be, anyway. She wondered whether it would be inappropriate to have a bit of fun with this one for a while before killing him. Though he was fully dressed, his clothes clung to him in a way that indicated to her that his body was as strong and hard as if it were carved out of marble. Even his face seemed too perfect to be real--the very picture of masculiinity. It seemed almost a shame to waste someone this beautiful. Was it wrong to play with one's food?
"Good evening," she said in a flirtacious tone. "What brings you to a nasty little dive like this on such a fine night?"
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 22, 2008 1:07:37 GMT -5
Ryland gave her a curious look, but smiled hungrily. For the innocent housewife appearance she sported, she certainly acted much bolder. Maybe it was a fetish she played with, which deepend his curiosity as to what this woman was really like.
There were too many people around for him to realize that he couldn't hear her heart beat or the rush of her blood, as vampires often could. Nothing was clicking with him yet.
"Would you believe me if I said I was waiting for you?" He asked, closing all but a couple inches of the space between them.
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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 22, 2008 19:32:06 GMT -5
Norah almost laughed. Even at her most naive, she never would have fallen for a line like that. But with him standing so close, it was difficult to really think about anything else. This man was too perfect. A heartbreaker, to be sure. He seemed almost predatory in nature, the way he sat back in the shadows, waiting for her, then advancing so close that the nearness of him, and his dark, musky scent would put her brain in a fog. And damn if it didn't work. She almost forgot what she had come here for.
Almost.
"That kind of tired line work on all your other conquests?" she inquired lightly.
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 24, 2008 16:09:56 GMT -5
"Yes," He answered simply, somehow even closer to her, though he had not moved his feet. "And I know you're interest has been piqued, mon cher," he stated, rather sure of himself and their bodies were so close that he could feel the breath on her lips when she exhaled.
The way he moved when he spoke was meant to tease her, sometimes his lips coming close, sometimes backing off. "That your heartbeat is started to quicken... that you feel your curiosity... everywhere..."
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Post by Norah Lake on Aug 24, 2008 23:28:28 GMT -5
"Well, to be quite honest," Norah replied smoothly, "you don't even really need to speak to pique a woman's interest. Especially when you're in a place like this. It's not like you've got a lot of competition."
Her heartbeat... that was a laugh. Earlier this evening, that statement might have been true. Getting the attention of a man who looked like him would certainly be enough to make her heart beat a little faster. Oh, the rest of it was true, of course. Yes.... she was definitely feeling a little "curiosity" when he moved back and forth like that. But her heartbeat was silent now, and would be forever. She let out a soft sigh, almost regretting that fact.
"Hm... you seem to know a lot about women. I don't doubt you've had a few women in your time. But maybe there are a few things you don't quite know about...."
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Post by Ryland Holden on Aug 25, 2008 1:53:08 GMT -5
"I like your honesty," Ryland told her, his hand raising to catch a lockof her hair. It was silk to the touch, and he smiled again as he took in the sight of her.
There was something incredibly sexy about a woman who looked like an innocent housewife suggesting that she could teach him things. Sure, she looked older than him, but he knew for a fact that he was older than anyone in this bar.
"You mon cher, might be the last woman I ever have." He was certain that he would be the last man she ever had.
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Post by Norah Lake on Sept 15, 2008 23:44:08 GMT -5
"Oh, really?" Norah teased, her eyes dancing. Of course, she knew that his statement would, in fact, be quite true. He, however, would be the first man she ever had. Well, not in the way he thought. Instead, he would be her first meal.
"Something tells me you're not the kind of guy who plays for keeps," she replied, smiling wickedly. "That's OK, though... I'm not looking for forever. I've got time."
She had never been incredibly good at seduction. And the little dance she was having with him made her still feel incredibly green. Still, he was good practice. "You got a name?"
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Post by Ryland Holden on Sept 16, 2008 13:05:08 GMT -5
Ryland grinned like a chesire cat. "I do play for keeps," he told her. No girl he had ever had had been taken by another after, no other than Death, anyway.
Even Sarah, so many years ago. But that thought rarely entered his mind anymore, and she was rarely ever more than a distant memory in his dreams.
"I do have a name... and I shall give it to you in return for yours... and a little more perhaps? They call me Ryland." Here, he smiled a little moremischeviously. "I used to be a doctor."
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Post by Norah Lake on Oct 14, 2008 22:46:46 GMT -5
Norah wondered just how many women had lost their hearts to this man. He was almost inhuman in his beauty, and the magic spell he weaved with his words.
"A man who plays for keeps," she said, smiling mysteriously. "What a novel concept."
As beautiful as he was, she silently wondered whether she would be doing the rest of her sex--the human ones, anyway--a favor by ending this man. No doubt he had a trail of broken hearts left in his wake.
"My name is Norah," she said. It sounded so pedestrian, so innocent, compared to his name. But then, that was the illusion she was going for. Maybe later, she would have to change her name to something a little more fear-inspiring. "What do you mean, you used to be? Aren't you a little young for retirement?"
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Post by Ryland Holden on Oct 19, 2008 13:41:43 GMT -5
"Norah," he repeated, playing with the word on his tongue. "Such a poetic name. It is a pleasure to say it."
He wanted to laugh when she called him young. He may have looked like he was in his twenties, and he may have looked younger than her, but she had no idea...
"I'm older than I look," he said, his voice still smooth. "And you could say the profession lost its appeal."
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Post by Norah Lake on Oct 19, 2008 18:30:09 GMT -5
Norah almost rolled her eyes. Her name was anything but poetic and she knew it. It didn't matter, though. His pretty words pulled her in, anyway. She wondered just how long it would be appropriate to keep playing with him. She was getting thirsty, just imagining how it would feel to sink her teeth into his flesh.
She moved in very slightly, although she was already standing quite close to him. "Well, if you're not a doctor, then what do you do with yourself?" she asked. "Do you just spend all of your time sitting in dirty little pubs looking for women to seduce?"
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Post by Ryland Holden on Oct 22, 2008 17:35:12 GMT -5
Ryland never looked for women. They always came to him. He had a seductive nature, and luring the sweet, innocent victims to him was almost painfully easy.
"I happen to like The Rusty Nail, dirty as it may be. I find the clientel... interesting." Indeed, he was an observer, and he rather liked it that way. He learned a lot about people just by watching them. Norah, for example, moved and spoke and acted like a mostly naive woman who was hiding a wild nature beneath. He had no idea that what she was hiding was the same thing he was.
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Post by Norah Lake on Dec 20, 2008 18:06:41 GMT -5
Norah smiled seductively. "So you're an observer, then?" she said, tilting her head curiously. "You're not a doctor anymore, you don't have a significant other, and you like to sit in dirty, dingy old pubs watching other people." He was becoming more and more fascinating to her. It seemed he was a man who could have everything, and was instead satisfied with nothing. What would it take to please such a man?
"I've always been an observer of life myself," she remarked. "I was a photographer, taking pictures of other people's lives, but never mine."
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Post by Ryland Holden on Dec 21, 2008 0:50:54 GMT -5
"Was?" Ryland repeated. "Have you stopped taking pictures?"
He gestured towards his table, where he had been sitting in a silent way of asking her to join him. There was no harm in getting to know her before he ended her life as she knew it. What was that he always heard mothers telling their children... don't play with your food? Of course, he was sure they didn't quite expect their children to be eating other people.
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