Whisper stood nearby, her senses spinning with the faint scent of her own blood. Not really her blood, but that of her family. It was a combined scent she hadn't come across in decades. Memories, both painful and nostalgic, washed over her like a tide, pushing her to the brink of recognition. Now, she found herself wondering which of her 'family' it might be. <br><br>
The wind shifted, and the aroma sharpened as she stepped closer to the back door of the Basilias, the bleeders’ den...the illicit heart of the city's underground where the creatures of the night (and day) tangled with the fleeting hum of humanity. She frowned, her instincts quivering. The blend was unmistakable now: a richer, ancient scent that resonated with her core, and intertwined with it was something lighter, more fragile...almost too human.
As she gazed at the solid and non-descript rear door of the Basilias, she considered the possibilities. Was it one of them who survived? An old relative who had managed to slip through time and death? Or a blood chylde—an offspring of her line who had taken a very different path? The thought both thrilled and concerned her.
Minutes slipped away unnoticed until finally, the door creaked open, spilling a muted glow onto the cracked pavement. A figure emerged, silhouetted against the light. Whisper pressed deeper into the shadows, her breath quickening as she scrutinized the stranger’s posture—his gait held an eerie grace, a familiarity of movement that tugged at her hazy recollections.
Then it hit her. The scent had taken form; she recognized it now. Beneath the remnants of curiosity, she recognized the bodily movement. He was unfamiliar, but he was certainly a well trained vampire. He had the body and motion of a sword fighter.
As the figure stepped further into the alley, she could see him more clearly, and her heart fell into her stomach. There were debts somewhere in this resurrection. She felt the edges of a dark legacy pressing against her, a burden she thought had rotted away with the years. Her blood...the blood that twisted through the veins of her family...had returned to unravel once more. She didn't know him, but she knew that blood he carried. She knew it well, for it was her own.
He glanced her way but she was well hidden in the shadows, noting his lift of brown and the icy white of his hair, much like her own. He took a step her way, inhaling deeply as if searching her out but her own abilities kept her well hidden in the dark shadows. Frowning, he stepped back in and closed the door leaving her to breath out as she emerged from the hiding shadows which had enveloped her. What was this place? she wondered as she began to circumvent the building.
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Dutchtown:.. ..Eastern European Neighborhood.. .Chicago, IL. says to ALL: He glanced her way but she was well hidden in the shadows, noting his lift of brown and the icy white of his hair, much like her own. He took a step her way, inhaling deeply as if searching her out but her own abilities kept her well hidden in the dark shadows. Frowning, he stepped back in and closed the door leaving her to breath out as she emerged from the hiding shadows which had enveloped her. What was this place? she wondered as she began to circumvent the building.
(08/17/24 12:12:50 pm)
Whispers and Shadows
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: Whisper entered the Basilias, the pulsating beat of music assaulting her senses. The club was a cacophony of color and light, where laughter mingled with the distant sound of liquid in glasses. Yet, worse than the muted bass was the rancid stench of humanity. She positioned herself at the bar, scanning the room through the haze of smoke and flashing lights. The sight of humans mingling with vampires intrigued her—why would anyone willingly step into such danger?
As she settled onto a stool, she noticed them: the vampires, their predatory gazes locked onto their prey. Time seemed to slow as the dimly lit booth drew her attention; a striking Asian woman danced with a brunette, innocence radiating from them both. But nearby, a taller vampire loomed, his hunger barely contained.
“Sparkling,” she murmured, a nod to the bartender, who slid a glass her way. As the bubbles danced in the glass, her senses sharpened. She leaned slightly, gauging the distance to the man, then stiffened as she inhaled the rich scent of her blood...but from another.
(08/17/24 12:25:39 pm)
Whispers and Shadows
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: Whispers gazed drifted from the two mortals dancing with a vampire who clearly wanted to feed. Their laughter and conversation drowned out the pulse of the club, but Whispers could sense the predator's hunger lurking behind his charming facade. She shivered as a faint scent wafted through the air...a spicy aroma that had anchored her outside, now mingled with the greasy wafts of human food.
Drawn past the pulsating lights, she caught sight of him in the dim hallway that led to a sign announcing alcoves. His hair shimmered like white satin, framing a face carved with shadows. When their eyes met, time hung in the air, fragile yet palpable. There was an unspoken bond...a charge of awareness that crackled between them. (08/17/24 12:35:46 pm)
Whispers and Shadows
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: They were strangers, yet the familiarity was intoxicating. Whisper could feel the history weaving around them, knotting their souls. Flashes of warfare and torment danced behind her closed eyelids: gallant soldiers, agonizing cries, and the echo of a guillotine’s drop. A shudder racked her body, and she blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the phantoms.
“Who—” she began as she opened her eyes, only to find him suddenly beside her, a heartbeat away. Grigori, stood at her side, his own face expressing the same certainty and wariness she held.
The room felt charged, alive with secrets, and she knew...they knew...they shared the same bloodline...the cursed legacy of their lineage binding them beyond time. For as with the shadows of the dance floor, life and death tangled in a cryptic waltz. Whisper took a step closer, drawn unwillingly to the storm brewing in his gaze. "What is your name?" she asked quietly. "Grigori," his heavily accented tones drifting over her.
No...not a name she knew. "I'm..Whisper... I was called then, Wilhelmina." His expression was as blank as hers. "Who was your sire?" Their matching questions hidden beneath the musical beat of the club.
(08/17/24 12:57:14 pm)
Whispers and Shadows
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: Whisper spoke as Grigori did. "Phillipe," she said, her voice low and haunting amidst the thrum of the jazz club. "Louis," Grigori echoed, the name layered upon the one she’d spoken. Brothers. Which made them... cousins of a sort.
“How long?” she pressed, her voice barely above a whisper. Grigori shrugged, his gaze drifting back to the dance floor, where an Asian girl was being towed away by a hungry vampire, her eyes wide with desire. For a moment, his gaze lingered on Marta, the girl’s gasp echoing in his mind like a frayed thread of past affection.
Whisper felt a pull, an invisible string that tied her to the girl. Inhaling deeply, she turned her attention to Marta. “Who is she?” The question hung, thick and palpable in the air, the tantalizing scent of blood tugging at her instincts. It wasn't fully theirs but... a hint, a taste.
“You’ve been feeding her,” she accused, her eyes narrowing as she looked back at Grigori. His denial stunned her. “No,” he said, his voice steady but distant.
“I found her that way,” he murmured, yet his gaze remained fixated on Marta, a swirl of emotions battling behind his dark eyes.
(08/17/24 01:07:44 pm)
Whispers and Shadows
✢ W H I S P E R ✢ | WILHELMINA BRYANT | ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ I found in my many years, there are two ways to spend forever. You can grow aloof and bored or you can find the fight you're willing to die for. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: Whisper’s heart raced. This was a mystery, a riddle wrapped in darkness. But this... this was a different shadow. “What do you know about her?” she pressed, but his silence spoke volumes.
As the vampiric symphony of the club swirled around them, the truth hung just out of reach, waiting for the right moment to be severed from its tangled past.
"very little, I can't glean much from her blood," Grigori said. His words made it clear to her that he fed from her, even if no one else did.
"I see," she replied, watching as the woman settled down at the bar. "She smells." Her words noting it wasn't an offensive scent, but one close to their own. "Like us.." she added.
(08/17/24 01:20:18 pm) Silver Shadows
✢ GRIGORI IVCHENKO ✢ ] ✢ DEVENEAUX | Vampire | CLAN ✢ [ You must feel it...in those quiet still moments...the frigid rush of power gushing from that silent wound deep inside. CHICAGO, THE PRESIDIUM
..:Basilias:.. ...Bleeder's Den... ..Club Area.. .Suburb of Chicago. says to ALL: "Yes," he murmurs quietly, not missing the drink and the passing of Marta back to the dance floor. "Why keep her?" Whisper's words echoed in his mind. That was a question he'd asked himself more than once since the girl had come to him.
"For that reason, somehow she is family. But who and what, I don't know." Whisper could hear the puzzled tone in his voice.
He watched her settle in at the dance floor, then shifted his gaze back to the alcoves where several others were engaged. "Come, let me introduce you to Justine....an owner." he said as he stepped back from the bar and gestured before him to Whisper. "This way," knowing the other guards would keep an eye on the patrons, both human and not.
Last Edit: Aug 17, 2024 14:21:00 GMT -6 by WHISPER
