InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Llama llama DUCK."

Armand (vagabond_child) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-04-08 02:36:00

Entry tags:

armand, complete, day five, marcus cole

Who: Armand and Marcus
When: Day Five, early evening
What: A strange encounter
Where: By the Labyrinth
Rating: Well, given it's Armand, at least an R.
Status: Complete

It wasn't the first time he'd hated the coming of the dawn. It never seemed all that fair that he had to hide out through the daylight hours. Humans had to sleep, too, but at least they got a choice about when they went to bed. More than anything, he had wanted to stay up with his lover and help him through the bad dreams, but he hadn't been able to. The coldness had settled over him, the lethargy, and he'd had no choice but to crawl into his coffin.

When he awoke, it was dusk. The sky would still be a deep purple from the sunset. He pushed aside the heavy lid of his coffin and stepped out. His first impulse was to look around for his lover, but a quick scan told him the redhead was in the shower. Well, that was fine. He needed to go out to hunt. His wounds were so close to healed, his skin sort of a light tan color. He wanted to be as he was before, pale, beautiful, and as far as he was concerned, this couldn't happen fast enough for him. He would duck out, hunt, and then come back before too long.

Sending a quick mental thought Schuldig's way, cutting his shoulder-length hair to the short length he prefered these days, and getting dressed, he was soon ready to go. The night air felt good on his skin. Laughing with pleasure at the whole thing, he rose up and took to the air, flying through the night. Not Juniper, not again, he would kill her if he took so much. But someone, he would find someone. Whoever was out, really, he decided. He wouldn't be picky. Fate could choose his victim.

There was movement about a hundred feet away. Instantly, the vampire was in hunting mode. His eyes narrowed, and he took in every detail of the human. Dark, flowing hair, handsome face, toned body... this was not a bad choice, not at all. He circled from above, checking him out, and then landed softly behind him. "It's late, and dark. You are alone. Why would you take this risk? Don't you know that children that wander can be hurt?"

(Post a new comment)

marcus_cole
2009-04-09 02:18 am UTC (link)

Marcus strolled the streets of the rustic city, still pondering the news that Tonks had given him that morning. The consequences of it for his entire life would be immense. Well, provided they could stay together when they left. Except that that wasn't what they had been planning at all, not that either of them had been looking forward to what they were planning. Either way, he supposed, the consequences would be immense. Either he would be raising a child, or he would always know that he had one, somewhere.

So it was that the wandering Ranger was completely oblivious to the quiet arrival of the undead predator behind him until the vampire spoke.

"I appreciate your concern, friend, but the risk does not seem so great to me. I am no child." Marcus had his pike out in an instant, but kept it unexpanded and out of sight. Turning around to face the fellow that had joined him, he was instantly struck by a terrifying shock of recognition. He knew this 'man' and knew that he was about to be fighting for his life.

"You! Why does it have to be you?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-10 01:46 am UTC (link)

The vampire smiled sweetly at his chosen victim, looking him over with obvious pleasure. He was very handsome, he decided. Usually, he didn't like the look of facial hair, but on this man, it worked well. He lazily reached out his mind for that of the other man, meaning to cause fear. He wanted him to run, he wanted to play with his victim, hunt him, chase him down.

"You are as a child next to me..." He frowned slightly as he tried to force his will into the human's mind. Perhaps it was the training that he'd had, but he found it hard. He could still read his thoughts, though, and laughed softly. "You got your lover pregnant... and you want to go home. Interesting choice, Marcus Cole." He walked slowly closer, then reached out and touched the human's hair, doing his best to hold him in place with the power of his mind.

But all that stopped when he saw... himself. In Marcus' head. But he didn't remember meeting this man before. "Wait... hold on... how do you know me, mortal?" He studied Marcus' face intently, trying to place it, but he would swear he'd never met him before today.

"Explain, now."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marcus_cole
2009-04-11 11:16 pm UTC (link)

Marcus remembered too well his previous meeting with Armand. It had been on Mirage. It had been in a vineyard. Marcus had been out, at night, for a walk. The vampire had approached him, pretending to be a frightened child. Marcus had taken the bait and offered his assistance, as he Ranger's code bound him to do, and the vampire had been ready. Manipulating his will with the power of his mind, Armand had made Marcus offer his own flesh and blood for his meal. It had been horrific, and the Ranger had vowed it should never happen again.

Already, this time, he could feel his anger at the ease with which the unholy predator scanned his thoughts eroding the inner calm he knew was essential if he was to resist this monster. Years of Ranger training had prepared him somewhat, however, and the vampire would not find his mind so easy to penetrate. Taking a deep breath, Marcus calmly placed his most important secrets out of his own awareness and away from the creature's attentions, and concentrated on retaining enough free will to perform one or two crucial actions.

"I know you because you have fed on me before, vampire. It will not happen again."

Holding his Minbari fighting pike unobtrusively in his hand, Marcus made the smallest of motions, and extended the staff. From a point just in front of him, the end of the pike shot upward, straight at the chin of his enemy, who had been overconfident enough to get very close indeed.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-12 04:49 am UTC (link)

The thoughts flashed through the vampire's mind, and he frowned. His laughter was gone, his smiles, he was completely and totally confused. And, really, he did look like an innocent child, incapable of committing the crimes that Marcus remembered, though, of course, that was a big lie. But his angelic face carried on the fiction very, very well.

His thoughts cost him, however. For awhile he considered what was in the dark-haired Ranger's head, he wasn't paying nearly enough attention to anything else that was going on. He'd even stopped trying to project fear into Marcus' mind. And, really, he didn't want Marcus to run, not anymore. It was a mystery, how this man could remember things about him that he didn't. Really, if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was an unsolved mystery. At least one about him.

So, while he tried to figure it out, the Ranger managed to shield his thoughts enough that the fighting pike actually did connect with his face. He didn't so much as flinch, however, though it did hurt. There was no bruise, no injury, but he could still, and did, feel pain. The look he gave Marcus was so much like one an injured child would give to a cruel adult that it was a little eerie.

"You hit me..." Rage twisted his features, and he reached out and grabbed Marcus' head, twisting it roughly to the side so his neck was bared, holding him in an iron grip. "Maybe I will not give you the pleasure this time! I think I will just feed, and make it as bad for you as possible!" Imagine, the nerve of the man. No one hit him, no mortal at least. It was past all endurance.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marcus_cole
2009-04-14 01:46 am UTC (link)

The speed with which the vampire reacted to his strike astonished Marcus, and his head was seized in the monster's vice-like grip before he knew what was happening. The predator's strength was superhuman, and struggle as he might, Marcus had no chance of tearing himself free. It was terrifying to feel so helpless, to know what hated thing was coming and to be powerless to stop it. Swinging his pike somewhat blindly, he attempted to strike the creature's body while his hands were busy. Either he would get in a good body blow or Armand would release one of his hands to parry the weapon.

"I don't want your pleasure, monster! Not used to having your prey fight back, are you?"

Though part of him felt that this victimization was inevitable, the Ranger in Marcus could not give up. No matter the fear, no matter the temptation to despair, Marcus would fight as hard as he could to free himself and defeat this beastly enemy.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-14 03:38 pm UTC (link)

Armand didn't do either. He didn't see the attacks as worth noting, except that they hurt. But they couldn't possibly injure him, so he allowed the Ranger to flail around, kept his hands firmly on both sides of Marcus' head, and held him as steady as ever. Each attack made him more angry, and it was becoming hard not to simply snap the Ranger's neck. But he held off, just barely, and snarled into Marcus' face, his sharp little fangs showing.

"I will give you nightmares in place of the pleasant daydreams you could have had! Imagine, the nerve of it all, to strike me..." He continued to rage on in that way for a couple more minutes, then suddenly, faster than a snake striking, he darted forward and buried his fangs in the Ranger's throat.

I will know your thoughts, mortal, I will know how you know me, and by what madness you dare to attack me... There was a woman in Marcus' thoughts. He would have smirked, if he could. She is pregnant... I've never killed a pregnant woman before... And he projected into Marcus' mind that exact thought, Armand taking the bright-haired witch and drinking from her. He sensed this would hurt the man he held captive more than anything else.

Meanwhile, he took the information that he needed. And realized that Marcus wasn't lying, he had in fact seen him in some other place. It still didn't make a lot of sense to him, but he'd yet to find the mortal who could lie through the blood bond. When he'd taken enough to make the man woozy, but not completely senseless, he pulled away and shoved Marcus to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marcus_cole
2009-04-15 11:36 pm UTC (link)

Though it seemed to be having no effect, Marcus kept whacking Armand with his pike. Once the vampire struck, however, Marcus' attention was turned inward, and his arms fell limp at his sides. His physical body swam away from him as he began to feel the horror that came with the undead monster prowling his innermost thoughts, and him unable to stop him. Marcus felt terror and despair as his worst moments flashed through him again, his brother leaving, the Shadows attacking. There was also an image that Marcus found acutely painful. It was a vision of Tonks, very pregnant. In his mind, the Ranger was forced to watch as the evil creature fed on his lover and slew her and their unborn child. In anguish, he would have screamed, except he had lost the strength to do so.

In a daze, he fell to the ground, unaware that he had been shoved, unaware that two small wounds slowly bled on his neck, barely aware of where he lay. The drowsiness that so wanted to steal over him was troubled by angry words.

"Wha? Meaning?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-16 01:31 am UTC (link)

Armand knew he'd caused Marcus pain. He knew it, and he reveled in it. No one attacked him back, certainly not a mere mortal. Although, despite himself, there was a tiny bit of respect in his gaze as he looked at the fallen Ranger. To fight him like that had taken considerable will power, a trait that few humans really truly possessed.

"How do you know who I am? You say through your blood that we met, but we haven't. Did you read those books everyone was talking about? But, no, that didn't show in your mind at all." He knelt down so he was on the same level as Marcus, and looked intently into his eyes. He didn't like not understanding things, clearly. It irritated him, confused him.

He suddenly hauled off and slapped Marcus across the face. He was actually relatively gentle about it. He could have crushed bones. But instead, he just hit barely short of giving the human whiplash. "Tell me what you know! I will find out, you would be best served by telling me. I may not hurt you quite so badly."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marcus_cole
2009-04-16 11:07 pm UTC (link)

Marcus had been quite out of it while Armand spoke, but the vampire's slap brought his awareness back into sharp focus. His body was weak from blood-loss, but his trained mind moved surprisingly fluidly for someone in his condition. He had been helpless to stop the monster from seizing him and feeding on him, and the pain of the nightmares had been excruciating, but he refused to give in to this creature's power. Exhibiting a strength of will only to be found in someone that had gone through rigorous training such as Rangers received, Marcus glared defiantly at Armand and resolved to tell him nothing.

Unable to move his arms to strike the beast, or indeed even rise from the floor where he lay, Marcus struck back the only way he could, spitting directly in his attacker's face.

"You can't kill me here."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-17 12:50 am UTC (link)

Armand jumped when the warm spit hit his face, and the scowled. "You spit on me!" He couldn't have sounded more enraged if someone had killed his entire family in front of him. Of course, his family was long dead, at least the members of it that he knew. But he was completly and totally infuriated, and showed it with another bone-shaking slap across the face.

But Marcus' words soothed him, at least a little. Yes, he was annoyed that the human would dare to defy him, dare to talk to him like he did, but he also had a point. And if Armand let himself get much angrier, he was going to end up killing Marcus, and probably find out first hand exactly what happened when Jareth got upset.

So, he tried to remain calm as he flicked the spittle off his cheek and looked down at Marcus. "No, I can't... but I can hurt you a lot. You might want to reconsider."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

marcus_cole
2009-04-23 12:50 am UTC (link)

Marcus was unable to suppress a grunt as an angry Armand hit him with a less-guarded slap than before, rattling his teeth and nearly bruising his cheekbones. He knew the vampire was right. Despite the Goblin King's prohibition on murder, he had said nothing about damaging or causing pain to one another. The monster before him had no reason to think he could not torture or even dismember the Ranger to the extent of his will. Marcus knew this, and yet found himself stubbornly resolved to not give the beast the pleasure of his cringing submission.

"Do your worst, monster. I can take a lot of pain. I don't know what it will gain you. You've already fed on my blood."

Though Marcus was resolved not to submit, he didn't really see the advantage for himself in provoking Armand, nor did he desire the experience of prolonged suffering. What he really wanted was to find a way to either fight off the vampire or escape; however, with his body too weak to respond, he didn't see yet how he was going to do either of those things.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

vagabond_child
2009-04-23 05:44 pm UTC (link)

The vampire looked down at the Ranger and seethed. He never had been all that amazing at hiding his anger, and usually, it didn't matter that much. When one dealt with humans, it didn't matter if anger happened, not usually. At the worst, there would be one dead human. Not such a tragedy, not so far as Armand was concerned. But here, it could end badly for him.

He looked down at Marcus, rage in his eyes, making him look like the demon that he truly was. He wanted more than anything to take the human into his arms again, and this time, not stop until he was totally drained. Or just to reach out and snap his neck. He wanted it so badly he was shaking with the effort of holding himself back.

"Fine. If you won't tell me what you know, you're of no use to me. Keep your eye out, though... and tell your pretty lover to do the same." With that last threat, he smiled and rose into the air as if he had wings. In seconds, he was gone, leaving the Ranger to fend for himself, if he could.

(Reply to this) (Parent)