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Tweak says, "Are you hopping, Bunny?"

Rhiannon Jaxyn Montgomery (bound_rhiannon) wrote in bound_rp,
@ 2014-09-01 20:29:00

Entry tags:

in progress, liam edvarsson, private, rhiannon montgomery

I'm searching for something which can't be found - but I'm hoping...
Date: 8/1
Time: 2:15 AM
Location: Rhi's old apartment
Characters: Rhiannon Montgomery, Liam Edvarsson
Description: A chat, and perhaps and understanding.
Status: Private, in progress

The rubber soles of her boots padded lightly across the damp street. It hadn't been raining, but somehow this neighborhood always seemed to remain wet. Her heightened senses did little but enhance the dampness and decay of the old neighborhood. Popping the collar on her jacket to hide her face, the young Miss Montgomery picked up speed.

Over-dressed for this place, her heart pounded, blue eyes constantly peering over her shoulder and trying her best to ignore the leering. She could kill them all, and without much effort, if she chose to. But there were other things on her mind just then.

Slipping into a familiar alley, Rhiannon stared up at the bars taunting her. In the past she'd have had to climb onto the garbage can to reach, but no more. Bending her knees, the vampire leapt, tiny hands curling around lowest bar of the lifted ladder. "Take that..." she told the metal, as if it cared. Teeth glinting, she silently slinked up the steps until she was at the fourth floor window.

Her window.

Swallowing, a pair of hands and a nose pressed to the glass. It looked the same... Her heart twisted within her chest. She didn't realize it, then, but the barriers in her mind lowered just enough that sadness could trickle down through the blood-bond. Switchblade removed from her jacket pocket, Rhiannon slipped it beneath the frame and flicked, the window now an open invitation.

Pushed up and slipped in, Rhiannon found herself surrounded by memories. Lights off, not that she needed them, Cerulean gazed at all that she once was now coated in a layer of dust and darkness. It almost smelled of death. Twin-sized bed pressed horizontally to the wall and piled high will stuffed animals, it was wrapped in a neon spread. There was no headboard not foot-board, or even a frame, the box-springs and mattress simply resting flat upon the floor. Her own drawings covered the walls, charcoal and lead mixed with the occasional pop of colored ink or chalk. It was a teenager's room. But it felt a lot like a tomb.

Closet left open, the stripes of color that had filled her wardrobe welcomed her, florals and prints clashing in a wide array of both winter and summer attire. Unlike her life with Valerian, here Rhiannon had just enough to get by, and even this one small closet had space left. Shaking her heard, she found herself removing her jacket and hanging it on the door knob, followed by the rest of her clothes.

The dress that she found herself reaching for had never been worn. Inexpensive, but a lovely shade of pink, her father had brought it home for her just because. Staring down at it, she ran her fingers over the mass produced lace. "You found out, didn't you?" she whispered into the silence. "That the cancer was back. And you were going to tell me." That was why they'd gone on that trip, wasn't it?

And that was when he was shot...and she was taken...

She didn't realize she was crying until her vision blurred, her hand rising to wipe at her cheek with the back of her palm. Sighing softly, she backed up until the back of her calves touched softness. Knees bending, the half naked girl sank onto her bed, fabric bunched in her lap.

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bound_rhiannon
2014-09-27 09:03 pm UTC (link)

Full lips quirked. He sat down just as she returned to her former position, and her entire body stiffened. It lasted but a moment, though, before her shoulders hunched over once more. "It's not that difficult," she murmured, shrugging her boney limb. "Lots of things push your buttons. And you're not good at hiding your feelings." Shaking her head, her chin bent forward, magenta and purple tips falling over her shoulder. "You say that as if you assume I will need to fight a thousand year old vampire." And she had no intention of doing such a thing.

"But I'm not risking..." Lips pressing together, she search his blue eyes in attempt to get him to understand. "I was pent up in this house. In this room for so long...I'm alive, Liam. Don't put me in a cage when I finally explore a bit." Blinking rapidly, she refused to let the tears fall, though they fight to. "You know, the reception was the first party I ever really went to. The first time I ever got to dress up and go out and...I've never been on a date. Or kissed a boy. I can't even drive."

Please understand...

Barrier falling in her mind, the words traveled through their shared connection, though she was unaware of such. But likewise, for the first time she felt his genuine concern for her, and she gasped softly in surprise.

Her gaze fell once more as the marks were revealed, all of the color draining from her face. She whimpered softly. she hadn't even had the chance to explain to Valerian yet, though she had revealed the burns, at least. "When pretty girls fight back they don't stay as pretty..." The words were acid on he tongue, the tiny girl hearing them repeating in her her head just as clearly as she had heard them the first time.

"The man that killed my father. He chained me in his basement. He had me...for a while."

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bound_liam
2014-10-06 01:13 am UTC (link)

“That’s just it, Rhiannon. The unknown world is unpredictable. There is a force of evil that has no particular home, because its home lies everywhere. It is a living, breathing parasite under our souls. And if we entertain this evil, it will control us and we will become a miscreation of the purest form of it.” He lectured, silver eyes burning into hers. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, Rhiannon was innocent, and she couldn’t protect herself no more than a kitten could protect a rattlesnake.

“This evil, it is a path rogues take, and they prey upon our weaknesses. I know this because it is what I am, or at least it was.” His eyes slowly dropped to the scars along her chest and the tattoo that braided down her side. “You are our progeny - our weakness - but I want you to be strong. I’m not trying to put you in a cage, Rhiannon. Trust me, you have put yourself in one. You act on impulse rather than logic. In any case, you must be properly trained before you can roam the darkness.” He paused for a brief moment. “It is quite possible you will meet a thousand year old vampire. And I can guarantee that if attacked, the odds will not be in your favor.”

Liam was not the kind of vampire to sugarcoat his words, and he wanted Rhiannon to live in truth, while fully aware that her life was in danger. That their species was endangered.

He scanned the room in silence, pink wallpaper in shreds, countless bolts on the door for extra security. It appeared like a decorated prison cell, and to Liam, just as lonely. Her words caught his attention and he turned his gaze to meet her softer features. “We just want you to be safe. I want you to be safe.” His voice was low and tangled with concern before his brows furrowed deeply. “Who is this man? And is he…still alive?”

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-06 02:07 am UTC (link)

"Then you need to teach me. So that I can understand and know how to defend myself. I would rather die than be a victim." Again. The word was left unsaid, though it fluttered silently through the air. "And I'm not above killing myself to stop it from happening."

Rhiannon shook her head. "Then train me," she repeated, frustration lacing her stare. "I'm not a burden. A weakness. And I'll prove it to you." She would do anything to show him that she wasn't, if only for Valerian's sake.

Sighing softly, gold and magenta pressed against his shoulder as she rest her head against him. The action surprised even herself, but she wouldn't help but seek out the contact. "I don't know his name. I wasn't allowed to speak so I never called him anything. And I was so sick by the time the police found me that I don't even remember them showing up. Valerian found me before the police came to the hospital for follow-ups, so I don't know if he's alive or dead."

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bound_liam
2014-10-06 03:14 am UTC (link)

“I will. We will. But not here.” He whispered in the darkest shadows of her room. Liam glowered in the brief air of silence at the thought of her absence. He began to see Rhiannon for what she was, uncovered, revealed, and vulnerable.

Vulnerability took strength.

“You aren’t a burden, or a weakness. But between Valerian and I, you are an easy target. A war is in question, and you cannot blame us for trying to protect you.” He said firmly, before he felt the soft, colorful waves of gold and pink locks rest against his shoulder. It too, surprised even Liam. And then he realized, all she wanted was reassurance, and to be understood in a world so treacherous as this one.

He wrapped a strong arm around her small shoulders, an arm that was a blanket for security. “That life is over now. I’m sorry I haven’t made it easy for you to adjust. I am so used to living alone, that I have grown tired and jaded, but I apologize for putting that on you. You don’t deserve that, and neither does Valerian. I truly admire him, for he can see light in the darkest tunnel when I see nothing but darkness.” He mused aloud, implying that she was the light only Valerian could selflessly recognize.

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-06 03:49 am UTC (link)

"I don't mean to cause problems. So I'm sorry for that. But there's so much I don't understand, and I'm just so used to my world being nothing but a room. This one, and then that basement. I feel...claustrophobic if I can't move around." It was especially true if she couldn't see the sky, and not feeling the sunshine was the hardest part about this transformation.

The strength of his arm felt good; it felt warm. And she didn't flinch like she did with most men, in a true sign of her trust. "You'd be able to find it, too...you have but to light a match..." A bit more philosophical that she'd intended perhaps, but she smiled for it nonetheless. Sniffling away some tears, she tipped her head back to glance up at him. "Hey, look..." she murmured, tapping the tip of his nose with her forefinger. "I can actually reach."

"Liam...would you help me carry some things back? Not a lot, I just...I want some pictures of me and my Daddy. My mother's necklace. And a couple of other things. If that's okay?"

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bound_liam
2014-10-06 04:17 am UTC (link)

“It’s not your fault. I forget what it is like to be human, you know, it was so long ago that I hardly remember how to feel, how to understand someone.” He spoke quietly, nodding as he listened to the docile sound of her voice. He knew all too well what she meant. Trapping a vampire, especially one that was wild, restless, and young, was like imprisoning a belligerent and rapacious lion.

“I can see it,” he assured her, whispering as he softly tucked a vibrant strand of hair behind her ear. “You are a light in the distance, and with training you will burn as bright as a flame.” Liam smiled warmly, feeling the soft touch of her finger tap the tip of his nose. “Yes, but it doesn’t count if you are sitting. At least my feet can touch the floor.”

He stood to his entire height, towering over his progeny as he reached a hand out to her. “I will, but you must promise me, that if you leave, you must let myself or Valerian know. How else are we to protect you?”

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-06 04:40 am UTC (link)

"Don't worry. I'm good at reminders," she added, offering a crooked smile. "Besides. You fell in love with Valerian. So he must have made you feel something to marry him, and likewise he wouldn't have married you if you didn't have some emotions." Maybe he had more of his humanity than even he realized...

Cheeks tinted at the compliment. But not just because it was a surprise to hear from him, but also because it reminded her of Beau. "I am called Rainbow Brite for a reason..." she pointed out, actually managing to giggle at the light teasing. "I'm pocket-sized, and easily portable...and we can't forget cute." He was right, though. Her toes couldn't reach, even if she pointed them.

"I promise," she agreed. Curling her fingers around his she hopped off the bed. She didn't even bother to hide behind the dress in her hands anymore. She'd bared her soul, and most of her body already. There was no reason to hide anymore. Leaving it on the bed, she slipped into the jeans she'd come in, her gaze avoiding his as the denim glided over the series of gashes that lined her inner thighs. "I'm not hiding it, but don't tell Valerian about these scars, okay? Knowing generally what happened to me and seeing...they're different." He was an emotional man and such a fierce protector. With talk of so much pressure that he was under, she didn't want to add to the burden. She wanted to protect him. "He'll be twitchy enough at the thought of me living in a place like this and owning clothing that only cost five dollars..."

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bound_liam
2014-10-06 05:19 am UTC (link)

His eyes trailed slowly over her round face, a face that bared such innocence, such youth. Her words made him smile, the thought of Valerian made him smile. “Yes, well Valerian is so different from anyone I have ever known. He is truly the only one I can trust with my emotions, everyone else I protect my vulnerability against.” He said softly. Emotions were not something he gave away freely, they were heavily earned with undeniable trust.

He smiled softly at her. “Let’s not push it,” Liam teased as he effortlessly raised her forward, watching as the dress fell to the floor and her most of her body was revealed to him. His eyes immediately shifted towards the window. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen thousands of women in his life, but Rhiannon was different. She was much like a child that needed guidance, that needed a parent.

The moon shone brightly behind a cloud of haze, a silhouette of shadows tracing the corners of her pink room. Once she finished slipping into her clothes, his gaze settled back on her. “If it means that much to you, then you have my word. I won’t tell.” Liam disliked keeping anything from Valerian, but he knew his husband was under enough pressure, with the looming war a constant shadow, with the hotel, and cost of losing an old friend, Valerian didn’t need anymore stress. “But you know he will eventually find out.” He finally said as he leaned over and picked a photograph off the floor, a picture of Rhiannon as a child and a man he assumed to be her father.

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-06 01:13 pm UTC (link)

"You seem to be sharing with me just fine?" Rhiannon paused long enough to slip her shirt over her head. Falling to her knees, she pulled out a shoe-box that was stacked neatly among some shoes. Always hide in plain sight. Lifting the lid, she flipped through some photographs. "I'm glad we're talking, by the way. Truly."

Pausing in her search, she glanced up at him with a saddened look. "I know. I'll tell him, I'll tell you both, as much as you want to know. And I'll show him, too. But..." Pulling out a small velvet box, she popped the lid and stared down at the silver heart pendant covered in tiny diamonds. "When I was in the hospital, when the nurses saw me first time there was this...look that they gave. I can't handle that look from him." A bit of horror, and a lot of pity. "I'm already dreading that from...nevermind."

Rhi trailed off. He could probably figure out to whom she was referring. But she wouldn't say it out-loud unless directly asked.

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bound_liam
2014-10-18 05:59 pm UTC (link)

“Perhaps there’s a small part of me that wants to better understand you, and what it is that makes you so annoying.” He said with a slight smirk as she fell to her knees and began sifting through photographs. It was strange, watching the vibrant, effervescent young girl mold into something softer, something more human and quiet. He liked her better this way.

“You should just be glad I’m even talking to you at all.” He said before crouching down to her level and eying the small velvet box, a silver pendant reflecting off the pale moon, encrusted diamonds glinting in the dark shadows of her room. Liam’s eyes fell over Rhiannon’s round features, expecting her to continue until silence lingered between them. However, he preferred the silence over the topic of…Beau any day. Instead, he diverted his attention back to the pendant.

“What is this?”

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-18 06:49 pm UTC (link)

"I can answer that easily. I have a positive outlook. And you like scowling." But there was no bite to her words, and instead her lips twitched in amusement. "Sometimes you have to force yourself to be happy or else the sadness becomes crippling. And I refuse to let cancer or that man win."

Thumb gliding over the tiny stones, she turned the box so that he could see. "My dad gave it to my mother when she found out that she was pregnant. It's not fancy or anything, but it meant the world to my Mama." Her parents had gotten married so young that they hadn't been able to afford a lot of nice things. But they always made up for it with love. "I think the clothes Valerian's bought me these last few months cost more than my father made in an entire year. This is what I'm used to."

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bound_liam
2014-10-20 03:25 am UTC (link)

“When you’ve been around for as long as I have, the world becomes a single blur, and you can’t help but feel jaded by it.” He admitted freely, his silver eyes catching sight of the distant moon and pale orange creeping slowly over the horizon. “I would rather live with internal truth, than deny myself further.”

His eyes fell to the pendant that seemed to harvest a collection of memories. “Those things are nice, but they don’t compare to your father, and his sacrifice for your sake. I’m sure if he were to see you healthy, he would be proud.” He gave her an encouraging smile before standing to his feet, a hand welcoming hers. “We should go soon, the sun is starting to rise, and Valerian will worry. I’ll help you gather your things.” He said, gently wrapping a hand around her small fingers and lifting her up gently.

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-20 03:47 am UTC (link)

"And yet, despite that internal truth, you allow yourself to find and to feel happiness with one of the most special men that either of us have ever met." A bit presumptuous, perhaps, but she was fairly certain that it held true for Liam. "You believe in love and joy, Pinocchio. Enough so that it turned you into a real boy."

Closing up the box of treasures, she tucked it beneath her arm and curled her fingers into his offered hand. "The fact that I have fangs and eat people might be a small problem..." she pointed out with a crooked smile. Most of what she wanted to gather was the photographs and some of her drawings, her childhood stuffed animal and her favorite blanket. Her parents' wedding rings and the necklace were tucked safely away in the shoebox with the photos and a couple home videos. The rest didn't matter.

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bound_liam
2014-10-30 09:44 pm UTC (link)

As he sat beside her, under the dismal shadows of the room, he realized that he finally agreed with her on something. “That is what I mean by internal truth. I don’t have to pretend I am happy. Valerian is my soul, and the air I breathe. He has taught me to be happy, in this pit of an existence.” His eyes slowly wandered down Rhiannon’s face, and to her hands folded neatly in her lap. He felt as though he had said too much, there was something about being vulnerable with his progeny he had trouble coming to terms with.

He stood by her side, the contrast between their heights comical to say the least. “It may be a problem, but he is your father, and to my understanding fathers love their children no matter what. Whether it is eating people, or dying from a disease.” He bent down to pick up several photos scattered across the floor, placing them carefully in an empty shoebox next to her bed. “We can come back if we need to,” Liam said quietly, but firmly as he pulled Rhiannon gently towards the window, a small beam of light stretching over the distant horizon. He knew that they only had a few minutes to spare before sunlight would reign over the city, and demand their lives.

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bound_rhiannon
2014-10-31 11:53 pm UTC (link)

Fore finger of her free hand pressed to her full lips in thought. She was quiet for once, her expression contemplative, as if weighing what Liam was saying. "That may be true..." she murmured, her gaze fixed on the window - anything but Liam's face. Small feet followed the man's lead, as if on autopilot. She had no need to protest, and she felt her body beginning to ache for the over-sized mattress that dwarfed her tiny frame. "Maybe. But we'll never know. I watched my father die."

She said nothing more, and instead slipped out the window to walk home quietly with her Sire.

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