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Tweak says, "CHIMEKO ROCKS YOUR SOCKS OFF"

Armand (vagabond_child) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-09-09 07:42:00

Entry tags:

armand, arrival, complete, day 14, toph bei fong

Day Fourteen
Who: Armand and Toph
Where: Along the beach, to start.
When: After dark
What: Armand arrives
Rating? This could be a PG-13 for descriptions of burning alive.
Status? Complete

The small televangelist who had somehow gotten a hold of the icon held it up, and Armand saw the very face of Jesus blasted into the fibers. Dora, her name was, but he didn't really care about that. She could have been anyone. The veil was the important thing. Just a simple piece of white fabric, but the face of the savior...

Gabrielle had gone down into hell itself, maybe as some sort of reaction to losing her son. She had been reckless, impulsive, since Lestat had pulled his disappearing act. And she'd brought the Veil from the very grasp of Satan. Armand couldn't stop staring at it. His mind slipped back more than five hundred years to when he'd been the one creating religious imagary. He could smell the paint. And then, to see that his best work was thrown in the mud when he was kidnapped, and he had failed. He hadn't protected the icon.

This one, though, was a million times more precious. A real relic. Not made by human hands. The sun was going to rise soon. Any sane Vampire would be safely inside by now. But though Armand felt the drowsiness of the coming day, he didn't seek a resting place. Instead, he stood where he was, on the steps of a church, and waited.

It had been so long since he'd felt like this, that there was anything in the world worth sacrificing himself for. So long since he was last filled with this religious feeling, this faith, this hope. It was overwhelming. But it left no doubt to him what must happen. He was evil, the Veil was good. Therefore, to sacrifice himself to the power of the icon, that would be a good thing.

His eyes started to hurt. The sun was starting to lighten the sky, though it hadn't made its appearance yet. It wouldn't be long. He looked to the East, waiting. Others pulled at him, told him to stop, but he pushed them away. Soon enough, they had to go into their resting places themselves, and left him alone. Only mortals would see him die. But, since it was to them that the world belonged, maybe that was fitting.

As the sun crested the hills and sent it's first rays shooting to the steps of the church where the vampire stood, he saw his first sunrise in over 500 years. How nice, that he would die in beauty. His skin started to smoke, and the pain shooting through him was unendurable. But he did endure it, and even somehow remained on his feet.

Something was wrong, though. Flames should have been shooting out of his skin by now. He'd been so sure his death would be quick. But the minutes passed, and he just smoked, blackened, but didn't burst into flames. His wild mind, crazed by the warm, early-morning sun, remembered the story of Those Who Must Be Kept. Put into the sun for a whole day, and they survived. He wasn't going to die. He was too old.

He fell onto his knees, screaming in denial. He'd come here to die! His sacrifice had been rejected. But not by everyone, it seemed. Maybe the sun didn't want him, but someone did. A burst of golden light shot out of the sky, illuminating the vampire, and when it lifted, he was gone. To a mortal watching, it would have just seemed another miracle. They had been quite common since the Veil had been brought to earth.

Armand, however, nearly passed out. An unusual thing for a vampire to do, but he wasn't fully himself from the sun. The light, he was sure, was God's wrath shining down to kill him after all. So when he found himself deposited onto the sand, his skin still smoldering and blackened, he was shocked. Was this hell? It really didn't look like hell. And it couldn't be heaven, not when he was in so much pain.

He'd landed on his knees, just as he'd been when he'd been back on earth, and slowly, he rose. He winced with every step. Already, his body was trying to heal, but the damage was extensive. He was still formed exactly as usual, of course, but his skin was black. It was nighttime here, and as he looked around, a few things became apparent. He was by the sea, and he was nowhere in North America. Even in Florida, it wasn't as gorgeous as it was here. And it just didn't feel right, somehow.

Where was he? Where had his sacrifice taken him? Who had rescued him? He didn't know, and, standing in one place, he looked around.

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rocksolid
2008-09-10 09:44 pm UTC (link)

Toph let the conversation drop when he agreed not to use that gift on her. Mostly because she didn't want to argue either, but also because she hated that all the blood rushed to her cheeks when he had called her beautiful. It wasn't a compliment she got often, and not knowing what she looked like -- it made her a touch insecure about those sort of things. She tried to shake it off quickly though, thoughts and all, not wanting him to know that. Katara was the only one she'd ever shared that with.

"Cinema? Like movies right? Someone was telling me that they're like plays on a screen...We don't have those where I'm from." She said, appreciating the fact that apparently she wasn't the only one not totally used to those. Even if those, like reading and writing, didn't really work for her as they depended a good deal on the sight she didn't have. "I like to explore though, lately I've been trying to learn how to use a sword, and I like music -- there is a lot of weird music here the golems play for me on these little round discs."

She didn't understand a lot of the things they had here to keep everyone entertained, but she enjoyed listening to the music discs of strange bands, and she'd been meaning to explore the resort more. The hot springs seemed nice. Maybe Armand would explore with her sometime, though the hot springs weren't the best idea while he was burnt.

"How old are you, anyways?" Toph asked as it occurred to her. He sounded young, and he had a strong physical build, but being immortal -- she wasn't sure. And he'd lived through the creation of movies or cinema or whatever.

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vagabond_child
2008-09-10 10:30 pm UTC (link)

As he spent more time around her, he got more attuned to her thoughts. He'd forgotten that aspect of being around a mortal. At first, he had to make an effort to get inside her head. Now, some of her emotions were coming across without him having to even pry. So he could tell the feelings that went through her when he called her beautiful. Of course, the flushed cheeks didn't hurt his perception, either. Tactfully, he didn't mention it, nor did he pry further in her head for details. She clearly didn't want him to know, so he didn't pursue it.

"Yes, the movies, I think they're commonly called. They've been around for years, but I've only just moved into the present and discovered them." He spoke in a way that was ever-so-slightly self-mocking. "I find them fascinating, I will admit." He listened to her speak with a half-smile on his face. "These round little discs, I assume you mean CD's? We have them on my world, too. Again, something I am only recently learning about."

Just as he'd spent years doing little but read, he'd also recently done similar things, spending as many nights as he could watching movies, or listening to music. At first, it had hurt his ears, but he kept with it. Now, he loved it all, not having a favorite genre or anything, just sort of equally enthralled with everything he saw or heard.

"It depends what you mean... I was perhaps Eighteen when I was turned, but I've lived several lifetimes since them." He looked at her thoughtfully once more. It was an excellent opportunity, the way he saw it. When had he ever gotten to speak to someone from a whole other world before? "Tell me, if you would, what's your world like? This is new to me. I don't often have that experience anymore."

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rocksolid
2008-09-10 11:17 pm UTC (link)

"They might be. I asked for music, and the golem gave me the disks." She'd eventually had the golem proceed to play it for her as she'd had no idea what she was meant to do with the CD. Some of them were cool, with sounds she'd never heard before, sometimes references she didn't understand, but she enjoyed them all the same. Toph had tried simply listening to a movie as well, but it hadn't worked out too well. There were CDs with stories on them though that weren't bad.

"I'm seventeen." She offered, toying with the idea of living for several lifetimes in the same body. Reincarnation was the belief where she was from, but that was the spirit passing between bodies. "My world...It's not like this one. We have the Earth and Fire Nations, the north and south poles are part of the Water Nation. Then there used to be air nomads, but now Aang, a friend of mine, is the only one left -- the Fire Nation wiped out his people. We actually are still trying to restore peace. We don't have a lot of the things here; like movies, CDs, someone was talking about com-computers and e-mail."

She wasn't exactly sure how to describe it though, but after a few minutes a thought came to her and she grinned. "I know!" Toph motioned for him to follow, taking a few more steps back to give her more room to work with. One foot slid in front of the other, and she moved her hands steadily this way and that, so with each movement dirt rose and shifted into shapes she remembered. Toph could almost exactly replicate the cities she'd been in if she traveled through it enough.

The first was a large pyramid shape with chutes and arches and houses built as if on the side of a mountain. "This is what Omashu in the Earth Kingdom is like." Another rose, this time the city was built within the top of a dormant volcano. "This is the Fire Nation capital city. I haven't been to the water tribes, but where Katara is from they live in these hut things covered in animal pelts." Finally she lifted a stone slab where she had the shapes etched out in it. "Then the Western Air Temples were built under a cliff upside down like this."

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vagabond_child
2008-09-11 10:00 am UTC (link)

He nodded slightly. Apparently, the Planet meant what it said about them being taken care of. It was comforting, but at the same time, a little annoying. He'd thought he'd gone beyond the point where he needed 'taking care of'. It hadn't been an easy process to get some small measure of independence, and it was hard to feel like that was being taken away.

"I see. Interesting. I thought we must be around the same age. Or appear that way, at least.

He wasn't sure how to understand what she was saying. It was so alien to his experience. It helped immensely when she led him away from the center of the room. An eyebrow rose as she made cities rise with just a wave of her hand, all in perfect miniature. She was constantly a surprise to him.

"Well, isn't that something? That's quite a talent. And much easier than trying to imagine what you're saying. Forgive me, but your world seems strange. I've never seen anything like it."

He frowned slightly, and then his eyes brightened up. He wasn't very good at discribing things, so instead, he very lightly projected the images into her head. Not messing with her emotions or anything this time, nor making her do anything against her will, this was the easiest way to show her his own world.

Through her mind, images of the Golden Horde, now called the Ukraine, where he was taken. Cold and wet there. And then Venice, beautiful and warm in comparison, surrounded by gorgeous art and churches. He spared her the glimpses of the graveyard beneath Paris, but did show her the Theaters and other loveliness there. And then, it was off to the Modern Days, with tall buildings and technolegy. After that, he gently withdrew from her mind.

"Those are the places I have spent most of my time throughout the years, though there have been others, of course."

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rocksolid
2008-09-11 12:41 pm UTC (link)

"I've been getting better at little details. I've got all the time in the world to practice here..." She commented. It was strange not having any purpose here, but it was so similar to the way she'd grown up that she easily found ways to amuse herself. "It's alright. You're not the only one. Katara and I are the only ones here from our world."

Toph was taken aback by the images projected into her mind, not so much the way they were built or things within them -- though Venice and the theaters were beautiful. It was the colors that struck her so strongly. Toph had never any problem with picturing the way things were built, architecture and that wasn't lost on her. To be able to see artwork though, the warm colors of Venice, the red of theater curtains, it was all she could do to hold on to those images. Even if she couldn't actually name the colors she saw, it was still so much better then the blackness she was so accustomed to. It was one of few things that could actually stun her into silence for a long while.

"Thank you." It was all she could really manage, not sure what else to say. Armand would get it though. He probably hadn't even realized what it would mean to her to see the world the way he did, but now it would be impossible not to pick up on how much it meant to her. It made he feel more then a little foolish, getting so worked up about something silly like colors and art and the way water and snow actually looked, but she couldn't help it.

Eventually she shook her head and gave a sheepish little laugh, letting her own miniature cities crumble back down to piles of dirt, and turning back towards the building. "I -- um -- anyways, there are probably more people here from your world. Those last things, the technology, it's like a lot of the stuff here." Toph said, trying to shake off the childish sort of desire to know the names and how many colors their were, and more about Venice and all the artwork and stained glass in the churches he'd given her a glimpse of.

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vagabond_child
2008-09-11 01:31 pm UTC (link)

He hadn't thought. He'd never been blind before, and the images he projected into her head were bright, vibrant. Venice, New Orleans, Florida, even Kiev. All full of colors, just like the paintings he'd made while he was a mortal. He hadn't realized how much it would mean to her to see them, even in her mind. Her silence, and the emotions she was projecting, made him feel a confusing tangle of emotions.

"You're welcome... would you like to see more?"

He spoke gently, though he knew that if he showed pity, it would infuriate her. Of course, he had the same thing. He could handle being hated, but pitied... that was a different story all together. So he made sure not to show too much compassion. Easily, he slipped his thoughts back into her mind, murmuring softly as he did so, "I believe that, first, I will show you what you look like, beautiful one."

He looked at her intently, and let her see through his eyes. The dark hair, smooth skin, everything he saw. He had noted her discomfort with being called beautiful, and he wanted her to know she was. Then, he slid back to Venice, focusing on the churches. They had had such gorgeous churches there, full of light and color. He'd seen them both while mortal and as a vampire, and gave her a head full of his impressions. That, he sensed, would probably be quite enough for her to handle, and he backed out of her mind carefully.

"If you ever need this again, my darling, come to me and I will show you." When she changed the subject, though, he went with it. He sensed she was shaken up by the whole experience. "It could be interesting to meet these people, then, that share my world. Although, really, I already know about my own world. I want to learn more about other places. Might as well take advantage of being brought here."

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rocksolid
2008-09-11 10:01 pm UTC (link)

She didn't say anything when he offered to show her more, but she certainly didn't object. The young earth bender hadn't wanted to ask, but figured he could tell how badly she'd wanted to see more. She supposed it should've bothered her more then it did, his being able to pick through her thoughts and emotions, but her proud nature kept her from asking things of people. With him she didn't have to ask, and he already seemed to understand so much about her, the way he kept pity from his tone, or had left the feelings of contentment before to keep her from being furious about the compelling gift.

Her cheeks flushed at the repeated comment on her beauty, but before she'd had a chance to say anything against it the image of a young woman formed in her mind. It was like looking at a stranger at first. Toph bit her lip, lifting a hand to touch her cheek, forcing herself not to go all mushy. She was almost thankful when he moved on to the pictures of churches again. They were different from the temples she knew, but it didn't matter. She loved the way the light filtered in to them, hell -- just seeing the sun and the moon through the glass was amazing in itself.

"Thank you, Armand." She said again once he'd stopped. "Maybe -- You could show me what you look like sometime." Toph didn't want to take advantage of the gift he offered, but it couldn't hurt to ask for this last thing.

"I was told there was a man from a totally different planet from the others. Um, a Doctor of some kind. There is a huge library too, I'm sure you could learn about all kinds of places there." The teen suggested. The library hadn't done her any good, but he'd probably appreciate it.

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vagabond_child
2008-09-12 12:28 am UTC (link)

"You're more than welcome..."

Her thoughts were strong. The emotions attached to them had to be equally strong. He had no trouble reading them. It really did seem that the more time he spent around a specific mortal, the easier it was for him to read them. It had been so long since he'd been around one specific mortal that he'd forgotten. He really did tend to seek out his own kind. Clearly, he'd been missing out.

As he slipped into her mind once more, he laughed and spoke softly, the words echoing inside her head again. But there was no compulsion this time. It was simply a more direct way to communicate. A way with less misunderstanding. Would you see me as I am now, or as I was? I'm burned right now. He glanced down at his hand, surprised to note that it was merely dark brown, not the black it had been before. Although not as badly as I was before.

He'd always been a little vain, as a result of everyone telling him how beautiful he was. Idly, he wondered what he even looked like right now. Normally, he could see through her eyes, but she couldn't see... he looked around for a window and found one. Too quickly for mortals to see, he went to it, glanced at himself, and was back again. With her vibration sense, he had no idea what she had made of that. But he had his answer. He looked as he always did, but dark, as if he had some exotic blood in him. Not bad at all.

Or perhaps, my Earth Angel, I should show you both.

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rocksolid
2008-09-14 11:51 pm UTC (link)

Honestly, it didn't matter to her which form he showed her. She'd be pleased either way, though she supposed a burnt body would be less appealing then however he normally looked. Burns, even if they weren't her own, were still unpleasant to think about. Her mind turning briefly to the time her feet had been burned, how it had made her truly blind for a short time.

Her shoulders rose slightly in what might have been simply a shrug before he decided to go look at his reflection. Instead her hands rose suddenly, defensively, as she jumped back a step. She wasn't sure what to make of the feeling. He had moved impossibly fast, and it all just registered at once. Moving towards her so quickly had startled her, thinking for an instant that he'd for whatever reason decided to attack her.

Not that any such attack came, just his voice again in the back of her mind suggesting he show her how he looked both before and after the burns. Toph let her hands fall to her sides again slowly, not bothering to explain her self or ask for one from him. She was sure it had been movement, he'd just gone much much faster then the average person could. It's not the weirdest thing Armand was capable of, it just caught her off guard is all. "Both sounds good." The earth bender stated simply.

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vagabond_child
2008-09-15 09:59 am UTC (link)

He nodded, knowing that his current form wasn't as bad as all that. Even at his most burned, when he was literally black, he'd still kept his form and features. He had them now, underneath skin that was dark brown. His vanity was pleased that he still looked as beautiful as ever, just in a different way. He had no shame about showing this form to her, and certainly not his old one.

As I am now...

He projected the image into her head, large, innocent eyes, auburn hair, sun-darkened skin, and opened his mouth to let her see his fangs. An important part of who he was, in his opinion. Slowly, he let the image fade.

And how I was...

Pale, faintly luminscent, he almost glowed. Same hair, same eyes, the only major difference being the color of his skin. Same teeth when he opened his mouth. Beautiful in either form, but different. This image, he held for longer, and then let it fade as well. When he spoke again, it was out loud.

"I like to show you things. Odd, really. I have no time for mortals, usually. I don't know why. Do you have some sort of gift that makes people want to do things for you?"

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rocksolid
2008-09-18 12:21 pm UTC (link)

Beautiful really didn't seem to be the right word to describe a guy, but it seemed to suit Armand perfectly. He didn't even looked burned to her, she liked the darkened flesh as opposed to the colorless way he normally was. The teeth didn't really capture her attention either. Sure they were sharper from her own, but that was the only basis she had for comparison so it she couldn't exactly say for sure that it was unusual.

"Nope. No gift. I'm just not like most mortals, I guess." She said with a small grin. People often felt they had to do things for her because she was blind, like she wasn't capable of doing it herself. Toph knew, however, that this was not what Armand meant. He had actually don't a lot for her, but she'd never really gotten the impression that it was out of pity or anything.

Toph kinda wished there was something she could do to repay him for what he'd shown her, but she'd already offered -- and they were both stuck here so she figured he could find her later if he needed or wanted. "My room is E103 if you want to talk again sometime. I'm going to get back though." She would like to keep talking to him, but she was kind of tired.

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vagabond_child
2008-09-18 01:00 pm UTC (link)

She had given him her room number, implied that she'd like to see him again. He laughed softly, and shook his head. This one was something else.

"You are full of surprises, beautiful Toph. You know what I am and yet you would invite me to see you again."

His delight was clear in his voice. He just wasn't used to having this from mortals. Those who knew what he was, died. But then, that was going to have to change, wasn't it? He couldn't kill anymore.

"Yes, go, and don't be surprised if we meet again. I like you." He smiled, withdrew fully from her mind. "I have exploring to do, and a room to find. Goodnight."

Then, because he wasn't all that great with goodbye's, he moved so quickly out of the room that, again, he would seem to have disappeared. He had a lot to think about, how this would change everything, these new rules. And he did have to find his room, as well.

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