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Tweak says, "i love shia labeouf"

chemin_argent (chemin_argent) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2008-12-20 08:19:00

Entry tags:

danté donovan, sydni wilson

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
Who: Sydni and Dante
What: An unexpected meeting
When: Late, after festivities
Where: Private/concealed location in the forest

"...So mote it be!" With that, Sydni lowered the hand that held her wand and took a deep breath. She could 'see' (or visualize, really) the last of the electric blue flame that made up her circle return to the wand. There, it was done. She had never been very good at 'seeing', but when she had been scrying in her blacked mirror tonight, she had felt a strong sense of peace, and she had cried. Her parents were there. There were so many people awaiting the opening of the Veil, it was nearly oppressive. Like anyone with faith, she believed she felt and saw these things, whether or not anyone else believed it was real.

Pouring out the rest of her cakes and ale, she offered the libation up to the Lord and Lady, the Elements, and any who had participated in her ritual. Putting away her things, a slight smile graced her lips. She had been dreading this night for a long time. But she felt freer and more peaceful than she had in a long time. Her parents were at peace. She had been wrestling with that for a long time, and she had been unable to think of them as happy. Now she could. Their lives, like so many others', had been stolen away, and she imagined them as bitter as she. Now she could begin to let go of that.

Certain that most people were either at the festivities or asleep, Sydni had been unafraid of interruption. After leaving Idehr and Maddy, she had returned home to let Molly out and change into more suitable clothing. This place was 'hers'; or at least, she used it for her rituals. There was a large, flat rock she could use as an altar, and the space was a natural clearing. Tonight, she had even built a small fire. Dousing it with dirt and stirring the coals with the blade of her athame, the brunette shivered. She had removed her jacket for the ritual, but now the cool air was upon her dampened skin; she often got exceptionally hot during ritual. Just a bit more dirt, and-

Her head looked up sharply. She had heard someone. So she thought. Listening carefully, though, she could detect no other sound. Pausing, she took a whiff of the air. Again nothing. Maybe her senses were still not tuned enough. Or, more likely, no one was there. She couldn't shake the feeling, though, as she went back to cleaning up her ritual area. Mentally, she set up a 'shield' and bid the entity leave. The last thing she needed was some dark entity following her around.

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darkdevotion
2008-12-21 10:42 pm UTC (link)

How could Dante hope to get any peace on All Hallow's Eve? Tonight of all nights was set aside for the crazies and the freaks, those who went against the grain of societal norms. He was one of them, though he worked hard to not appear to be. It was something he was good at considering his age. Dante had been fooling them for damn near forty years now, but he had to admit that now of all times the act was wearing thin.

He was alive in this haven, but where was his freedom? Out there he had a chance to fill the desires of the dark voice in his head. Here - well, here he had to exercise control more so than ever. The darkness was there, right beneath his skin, clawing at him from the inside out. He needed an outlet, and since Hayate had so rudely told him to keep away from Chris, he had to find something other than annoying the vampire to occupy his time.

It was then he caught a scent upon the wind. His keen senses were able to catch upon the slightest of odors, and this was an oddly familiar. Another werewolf, that much was certain, but he had never met this one before. He spied her in the small clearing, performing some sort of ritual. She was alone - how silly of her.

He could tell that she heard something, but she hadn't picked up on his location. A ghost of a smirk formed upon his lips as he rounded to the other side opposite from where she was looking. "What are you doing?" His voice was calm and almost innocent. He was partially hidden in the shadows and the devilish glint in his eyes was hidden for the moment.

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chemin_argent
2008-12-21 11:19 pm UTC (link)

The 'disembodied' voice scared the crap out of her, evidently, as she dropped her athame and nearly toppled over herself. Wolf reflexes were good for something apparently. Stand and turning to face the person who spoke, she answered vaguely, "I'm putting out a fire." She was not stupid. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there and explaining before knowing what he knew was unwise. Most found her faith troublesome at best, and she did not desire a confrontation out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, from where he was standing, he had gotten a good view of her pentacle tattoo - a crescent moon woven into a pentacle with a great deal of Celtic knotwork. The words, "I am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars," were inscribed around it, and the star was shaded in green and the moon in blue. That was a pretty big clue.

Picking up her athame, she wiped it clean on the bottom of her loose shirt, then sheathed it, and grabbed her jacket. "Who are you?" she asked. Something about this man put her on edge. More accurately, the events up to his appearance put her on edge. It was all kind of creepy, and her timid nature was taking a bit to calm down. Now, though, she could recognize him, as well, as another lycan. She couldn't place him, as she tried to keep her distance from other lycans on the full, and from people in general during all other times. If he had seen her shifted form, he might have recognized her though - her entirely white coat was quite striking.

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darkdevotion
2008-12-22 01:19 am UTC (link)

"Obviously," he said as he stepped from the shadows. He rounded the rock she used as an altar, hands shoved lazily in the pockets of his trousers. He was carrying himself as a dominant male even though he spoke innocently. He was nothing if not a collection of contradictions. It helped to throw people off at times, though he was not sure if it would work with another lycanthrope. She would have caught scent of the aggressive pheromones even if she was an inexperienced werewolf.

Dante had caught sight of the tattoo, but it was of little importance to him. What she did out here for whatever reasons were of no concern to him. It only mattered that Dante found her interesting, and once his interest was piqued he had no other choice than to follow it to its end.

"Me?" He let out a chuckle and kicked at the dirt at his feet. "I'm Dante." There was only a slight pause in the conversation as he caught sight of her dark hair glistening under the moonlight. "Who're you?" A name to go along with her pretty face would be nice. He'd be sure to commit it to memory once he learned it, and anything else he could about her.

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chemin_argent
2008-12-22 07:53 pm UTC (link)

The wolf inside of the brunette did not like the scent of this man... a challenge. This was her place. But it was not near the full and Sydni had control; she was able to quell the growl that rose in her throat. She had no indication this man was not to be trusted, other than a squicky feeling in the pit of her stomach. Instead, she merely took a slightly defensive stance, instinctively. Her father had taught her to be prepared, though he had always worried that her gentle nature would counteract the skills he gave her.

They were not too different apparently. The one thing that could overwhelm her timidity was her curiosity. Thus it was that she could study sharks with no fear, yet talking to a stranger made her pulse race. This also gave her the appearance of being a collection of contradictions, like him. Though, unlike him, perhaps, she had boundaries as to how far she would go to satisfy her curiosity.

Caught off guard by the slight pause, the lycan's timidity returned, though her guarded stance remained. Softly, she answered, "Sydni." Unnerved by her tingling spidey senses and her general shyness, she made a slight gesture to indicate she would be leaving. "I'm done here..." She hoped he would take the cue and depart so she could as well.

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darkdevotion
2008-12-26 06:45 pm UTC (link)

Elysium was open range land for all. No place was sacred here, not if it was out in the open. The girl could be defensive all she wanted; the fact of the matter was that if Dante wanted to do something he could. Sydni could pretend that she was strong enough to stop him, but she would just be lulling herself into a false sense of security.

"Done so soon, Sydni? Need any help getting home?" He smiled at her in that way that he smiled at everyone. He was the boy next door, the one you saw growing up from a small child to an adult. In that smile was the man who was willing to help you mow your lawn, or even assist an old lady across the street. There was nothing creepy in his facade, the one he had perfected long ago. If she was jumpy it was because of the moonlight, and her own paranoia.

He stepped closer to her, the brilliant green of his eyes shone even in the darkened area. "Didn't you go to the festival?" As far as Dante knew, everyone had gone to the festival. So why, oh why was this dear one out here in the middle of the forest? A ritual of some sort, but Dante was not familiar with the ways of a Wiccan.

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chemin_argent
2008-12-26 08:53 pm UTC (link)

No, Dante had done nothing to indicate he was other than a gentleman. Sydni was generally a skittish person. She had a more than active imagination, and combined with her timidity, it made her overly cautious. And while she would know there would be no way for her to stop, once she knew what he was, it would not keep her from trying. It was very Atticus Finch of her.

"Yes, and no, I don't, thank you," she replied with a slight smile. It was nice of him to offer, really, but this city girl knew enough not to let someone offer to carry groceries down the block to your home, let alone her sacred items through the forest to her home. Setting the final few items - her chalice and tray - in the bag she had, she put it on her shoulder, ready to depart.

When he stepped closer, she couldn't help but stare. He had the most emerald eyes she had ever seen. Blinking a moment after he spoke, Sydni had to let her brain kick in again. "Oh, I did, but then I left to do my ritual." Well, she hadn't exactly meant to explain that much. But while she was at it, she might as well finish. "I'm a Witch. Not a born witch, but Samhain is a holy day for me. In memory of the dead..." she finished, pain flashing briefly across her features.

Now that they had begun a conversation, it was difficult to just leave, and the brunette shifted uncomfortably. What now?

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darkdevotion
2008-12-29 09:04 pm UTC (link)

All of Sydni's hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo didn't really matter to Dante. Oh, he acted like it did. Nodded with wide eyes as if he were truly interested in her words. He wasn't, but that didn't mean he didn't store them in his memory. She was a witch, not a real one, but one who did it just for religious purposes. How quaint.

"You're not going to turn me into a frog, are you?" He joked as he stepped closer to her. He could smell her fear in the air, dripping off of her like sweat. Pheromones were the one thing couldn't hide, at least not from a trained lycanthrope like Dante.

He rounded around her form, watching her carefully from the corners of his eyes. "So let me get this straight... you come out here, in the middle of the forest, to perform a ritual." He paused a little to her right, just close enough to grab at her should she run away. "Aren't you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" He smirked, his canines growing secretively behind his lips. "Or whatever else these woods may hold? You know..." he around her again, stopping directly behind her so he could lean in close to her ear. "It's not safe for young girls to walk home alone in the dark."

There was a very dark undertone to his words. They were contradictory to the charming smile he cast in her direction once he stood in front of her. "Let me walk you home. I'd hate to see anything happen to a pretty girl like yourself."

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chemin_argent
2008-12-29 09:43 pm UTC (link)

As skittish as she was, she would have turned fiery in a moment if she knew what he was thinking. Her temper, obstinacy, and curiosity were the only things that could overcome her timidity. Though, of three, the curiosity would be the one to hold out if it were tested.

A nervous chuckle escaped her lips at his joke. "Hardly." Though, a friend had once sent her a ridiculous spell for turning someone into a frog. The instructions actually had "Stop laughing" written in at various points.

As he moved around her, Sydni's skittishness transformed into actual foreboding. Afraid now that this wasn't just a harmless encounter, she turned her head to follow his movements. "It's better to do it outside," she stated, her voice stronger now. It was a bluff, if her racing heart was any clue. But a bluff could sustain her if it came down to it - give her a kind of courage. Though that might not mean anything. Her initial thought was, I'm the Big Bad Wolf. Of course, that was so laughable she almost did laugh aloud. Maybe on the full moon. That squicky feeling grew to an actual shiver when he whispered in her ear, and she jumped and turned around quickly. Now she was terrified. It was all she could do to keep the growl in her throat from bursting forth. She did not want to challenge this man.

She wanted to say no. No way in Hell, and fuck off while you're at it. But she doubted that would go over well, at all. But from what her dad had taught her, she knew that showing strength could actually deter predators. And this man was oozing predation. "I'd rather you didn't, but you may if you insist." There. She hoped it was neither a challenge nor a submission.

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darkdevotion
2009-01-07 01:34 am UTC (link)

It didn't matter if Sydni was a werewolf herself, there were some of their kind, other lycanthropes, that were bigger and badder than others. Dante liked to consider himself in that group, and in many cases he qualified above and beyond. Adding to that, Dante didn't even have to wait for the full moon having perfected the art of transforming long ago. But people he talked to didn't know that - he told bold-faced lies about his transformation, saying that he had only been a werewolf for a few months now. It made people more comfortable around him, thinking they had nothing to fear.

Challenges and strength didn't deter Dante, they actually drew him in. It was attractive to the man, and poor dear Sydni had no idea what she was doing by showing that to him. He actually smiled at her, something toothy that bordered genuine kindness and being downright creepy. "I do insist," he said. His wolf was licking right beneath the surface of his skin, wanting to come forth and mark this one for its pack. Dante held it back though knowing that there was one other who he wanted more than this girl. How the other was his ultimate prize, but that did not mean that he could not also possess this one.

"Tell me, Sydni," he began to say quietly, his arm crooked in a way that invited her to hold it. He could smell her agitation and fear, and it was like sweet nectar to him. He lapped it up like a wolf would lap up the blood of its victims, and he yearned to bring forth more. "Why are you so afraid of me?" He leaned forward and smirked at her. A challenge to the act that she was putting on for him. Would she keep up the facade, or would she give in to the fear that was threatening to take over her entire body?

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chemin_argent
2009-01-07 04:26 pm UTC (link)

Sydni was well-aware that there were others bigger and badder than she. That was probably a partial source of her general skittishness, though there was more to it than that. Moreso, she was simply intelligent enough to recognize the strengths of others; she was not the end all, be all of anything, really.

The brunette frowned at his response, showing further her disapproval, and her continued to race. The last thing she wanted was for this man to know where she lived. Perhaps she would go to City Hall first... That was probably closed. And she certainly wouldn't bring her troubles to somebody else's door. Unless something truly terrifying happened, she felt she must deal with this on her own.

At his offered arm, she took a step back. "I can walk of my own volition, thank you," she declined icily. Her obstinacy was beginning to overcome her anxiety, though it was certainly there. And this became even more apparent when he challenged her facade. She paled, which was quite a feat as she was considerably fair-skinned to start, and stared at him dumbfounded. How does one answer a question like that? How could she say he was entirely creepy and unnerving when he'd only been polite? Certainly not threatening. Finally recovering her voice, she gave the best answer she could, "You smell angry." Her wolf knew it was aggression, though angry was the best term her human mind could formulate.

Truthfully, a good part of her wanted to run, very far and very quickly, away from here. But the logical part of her mind feared turning her back to this man. And the scientist in her knew that wolves and dogs had an instinct to chase what fled from them. She did not want to incite that sort of reaction. And so, as she moved to head home, she made sure he was walking with her before she took to many steps in that direction.

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darkdevotion
2009-01-08 06:46 pm UTC (link)

He lifted his hands in front of his body, palms facing outward when she turned down his offer. "Hey, just being gentlemanly," he said in his own defense. Guilt was something that women were vulnerable to, and maybe this she-wolf was no different. He was only being nice, and she had no apparent reason to be so curt with him. It was what Dante wanted her to think - the more she doubted her intuition, the more she would allow him be close to her.

Dante chuckled at her answer, letting his head fall forward slightly as he laughed. Oh, if only she knew what she was really smelling she would have run far from him long ago. Anger was only scratching the surface of what he was exuding, but he played it off. "Angry?" He asked for clarification though he didn't really need it. "I'm sorry," his chuckle subsided, and he let out a content sigh. "I don't think I've ever had anyone tell me I smell... angry." He sighed, wiping the non-existent tears of laughter from his eyes. "Sydni, while I may 'smell' angry, I'm not angry at you." And he wasn't, and he had no intention of taking out his feral anxieties, and wants, and aggressions out on her.

"Forgive me," he said with a slightly sinister gaze. "I suppose I am still getting used to being a werewolf and all of the weird emotions that come with it." He made a circular motion with his hand around his chest to indicate the tumultuous feelings inside. Dante did not want her to fear him, though a part of him longed to taste that fear along her flesh while he ran his tongue over her skin. Fantasy, yes, but it now preoccupied his mind.

"I'll tell you what," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let me at least walk you out of the forest, and then you can walk home alone. Deal?" He knew she didn't want him following her home, but he had already captured enough of her scent that he would be able to track her later. It didn't matter to him if he walked her to her door, or not. He followed her as she began to move away from her ritual area. It wasn't a long walk to the edge of the forest, but Dante was curious as to what the girl would do while they were together.

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chemin_argent
2009-01-08 07:09 pm UTC (link)

Her father had been right to worry about her being too nice. Dante's facade worked, somewhat anyway. She did feel guilty, though the terror she had felt earlier at his whispered comment kept her from entirely brushing away her ill-feelings about this meeting. Her look did soften, however, while her posture did not.

Shifting slightly, she lowered her gaze a bit. "Yeah, it sucks. I-I think my wolf is angry, too. Like... That's just how it is." She wanted to clarify her wolf was not simply angry right now. The wolf felt angry all the time. All the time. She had been to the medical pavillion several times after a full moon. She apparently fought with other lycans. Unwise for such a young one, and if she could have reasoned with the beast inside, she would have warned herself. Dante had successfully manipulated his prey into sympathizing with him.

Pausing, she nodded. If he acted so strangely because of his wolf, then she could let bygones be bygones. If nothing else, she was a forgiving woman. It didn't mean that she would completely forget her initial mistrust of the man, but she wouldn't cross the street if she saw him coming.

Now that they were walking together, Sydni's anxiety settled into her usual timid nervousness and she found herself tongue-tied. What does one say to someone who was slightly nerve-wracking, but who was also sympathetic? It was best to remain quiet.

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darkdevotion
2009-01-09 06:57 pm UTC (link)

Her sympathy brought a smile to his face. Women were a predictable sex, and Dante had studied enough of them to know the general habits they shared. There were exceptions to the rule, there always were, but he learned to adapt to them. Since she was a werewolf she would sympathize with his own werewolf experiences, and how they were difficult. Dante could sense that she was a young lycanthrope, and he pretended that he was one as well.

Sydni didn't need to speak as they walked out of the forest. He was careful to not spook her anymore - his earlier behavior was just for fun and to get a rise out of the girl. It was always a challenge for Dante to scare his prey first, and then act in a way that brought them closer to him. The dichotomy of his actions always confused those around him, but like he told Sydni it was because of the wolf.

When they reached the edge of the forest Dante stopped walking, as promised, and leaned against one of the trees that stood at the edge. "Think you can make it home from here?" He said as his eyes turned toward the lights of the town. "Don't get lost now, y'hear?" It was a joke since it was hard to get lost anywhere once you were out of forest.

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chemin_argent
2009-01-09 07:14 pm UTC (link)

Sydni would eventually chalk up his actions to his "new" race. She was a trusting person, as much as she was forgiving. Unless he had outright attacked her, it would have been unlikely for her to not forgive him eventually. And since he had not attacked her, she was open to trusting him after this meeting. When it was not so dark or foreboding outside.

As they walked and he didn't seem disturbed by her silence, the young lycan grew more comfortable with his presence. There was something to be said about silently being in the presence of another, so long as it wasn't awkward. And despite her earlier terror, she felt less and less ill at ease. He still smelled off to her wolf, but his explanation had soothed her human mind.

Smiling at his question, she nodded, and then laughed lightly at his joke. If he had not frightened her so badly earlier, she would have invited him in for some tea or coffee. But as it was, she was ready to bid him goodnight. "Thank you. Happy Halloween," she said softly.

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