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Post by mai on May 19, 2012 1:25:15 GMT -5
HER DESERT TRIPS OFTEN GAVE HER GREAT things to trade with the folks of the city. The biggest item on her trade list was the abundance of relatively clean water she came back with. The desert people needed cleaner water moreso than these folks, so they came up with an evaporation system that took out almost everything except the water. Their systems always gave them an extra amount of water for trade, but to acquire the pure water, it took either something really good, something really valuable, or a lot of little somethings.
However, in Jessica's case, she traded sermon for the water. Jessica would mention that they just handed her the water. She never gave sermon for anything, but she knew the world was harsh and always accepted gifts as either she or someone else might need them in the future.
Evaporated water. One bottle would be able to purchase everything she needed until she went out into the desert again in a week, week and a half. She tried to go often in order to keep sermon, but every time, she went to a different town. There were several small settlements out in the harsh wastes and she couldn't visit them all in the same trip. She took it in thirds, visiting them by sectors that she'd drawn out on a map in her head. It was this way that made sure everyone could get at least one sermon a month and how she continued to associate with the populace without showing favor to anyone. Favor in the wastes seemed to start something, though they seemed to be a bit more docile since they happened upon the zombie nun.
"It all looks so wonderful!" she exclaimed to the owner of the stand in front of her. Jessica smiled and pointed to some new-age fruits, indicating that she wanted a pound of them raw and a pound dried for snacking. In exchange, she gave two relatively decent bottles of evap water to the owner and put the fruits in her travel pack. At another vendor, she got grains for one bottle. That left her with three bottles, which she might need for thirst or to help someone out in the desert, so she kept them and stuck with trading small items for other things she needed.
The city was a lot different than the desert. There was life here. People didn't seem to care that the apocalypse happened or that money didn't exist anymore. It seemed odd to Jessica. She kept her parents' bible as a reminder and never forgot what happened on the self-announced Z-Day. It was awful. At first, it'd just been the zombies. Supposedly, they were bad enough. After them, the earth fell apart and the fiends came. The world was nothing like it used to be once upon a time. It'd been since before Z-Day that Jessica had seen snow.. she wondered if it even existed anymore. She seemed to be the only one concerned about such matters, though. Perhaps it was because she was a nun and she still believed in God and the cross and that not all was forsaken. Maybe it's because the nineteen going on twenty year old still had some hope that the world could go back, somewhere in the back of her mind.
Jessica maneuvered to a beaten bench on the outskirts of the trading district and pulled out some dried fruit, munching on it slowly and thinking about the taste as it danced along her tongue. Food was quite different now, at least taste wise. There were a lot more impurities now than there had been, surprisingly. However, most people's bodies had adapted to the food, from the new chemicals to the slight radiation to the genetic mutations that they'd all taken on. Immune systems had to become resilient or die out.
She couldn't help but wonder what lesson God was trying to teach them about this, how they suffered, how the world fell apart. Oh, she believed he was there. She had to, so one day she could ask why it was so appropriate to kill her parents.
word count: 686
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Post by soren on May 19, 2012 3:06:22 GMT -5
The day carried on like any other day. The sun scorched the surface of the planet and the hot wind cut through the city with out relent or any sign of mercy. The streets where peppered from what remained of the humans. They felt safer in the light of the sun, for most things that go "bump" only do so at night. The look of fear still illuminated their faces, though it was harder to see. Almost like a water-mark on a formal document. Still visible, but only after focusing can it be seen. The wind was blowing at a steady 7 to 10 miles per hour. The day would have been much hotter if not for the towering buildings that was casting shadows on the streets below.
Soren had been up for a while now. His pale skin was illuminated by the sun's rays, casting light on his fey origin. His hair was well kept being washed, conditioned, and brushed; His odds of attracting attention were certain. This was not unfavorable though, for Soren had dressed for a specific purpose...to feed. He found himself in the Quarter where demons, fallen angels, and all other manner of creatures had rumored to roam. His lips hungered for the taste of the blood of an angel, and that is what he was going to get. Soren knew angels were easy to spot. He had stalked them as prey many times before. This time it would be all too easy, for they were not expecting any vampires to be out during the day, much less the king of vampires.
Strolling along in his black leather jacket, pants, black t-shirt, and armored get up; Soren caught the scent of a fallen. Looking around, he spotted one lurking near a beaten bench on the outskirts of the trading district. Soren saw a woman just sitting their. He could tell she was human by her smell. Odd that she would be in a place so dangerous. Seeing a gleam of blood lust in the fallen's eyes; Soren suddenly appeared in between the young woman and the fallen. Soren's lawless yellow eyes glowed and his fangs protruded from underneath his smile. The fallen's eyes widened and he quickly unsheathed a knife and stabbed Soren in the heart. Soren stumbled back a moment and looked up. Faking to be hurt he fell to his knees and bowed his head slightly. His hair covered up his smile, but soon the fallen realized that Soren was just messing with him. Soren looked up with his smile still intact and said, "So was that it? Is that all of a fight I can expect from one of God's fallen servants? How pitiful!" Soren stood back to his feet and pulled the knife from his chest. The wound healed as soon as the dagger was removed. So quick in fact that it appeared nothing had happened. Soren chuckled and held the knife up in front of the fallen's face. Taunting him Soren said, "I believe this belongs to you. Next time, I suggest something a little less predictable." Soren then grabbed the fallen by the throat and sank his large incisors into the angel's neck.
Blood fell to the ground and painted the wall of the old store behind the angel. Soren drained the blood from the angel's body quickly, and with it... the soul of the fallen. Soren then pulled out a cloth and whipped his chin and cleaned himself from the blood. Throwing the cloth on the dead body, Soren turned his attention to the woman that was still sitting on the bench. Soren walked over to her and bowed slightly and said, "Hello miss. I am Soren, but I can't help but wonder why a woman is here alone in such a dangerous area?" Soren then awaited her response. He knew it would more than likely be a frightened one but that was expected.
Word count: 658
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Post by mai on May 19, 2012 14:07:54 GMT -5
SHE REMAINED RELATIVELY CALM despite the little scene that just played out. Much worse had played out in her travels and often the squabbles of demons and monsters left her alone. She'd been in scrapes, but that was what she had her spear for. She did, however, remain on guard and ready to defend herself if she felt it was necessary. This battle was a particularly interesting one. A mudblood and a fallen angel. She'd noticed the fallen after she got out of the main crowd of the markets, but it didn't do anything much. All it did was stand there, thinking it was hidden, lingering after it. The fallen did that a lot. Those who had just fallen or were ashamed of being fallen often hated her without knowing her. Jessica was a believer in God. She believed in His love and His grace, even in this damned world. They hated her for it. A lot of people hated her for it.
She finished the piece of dried fruit she'd been working on and looked at the winner. He was a tall, intimidating man and a part of her spine had chills. His blood was at least part vampire and he seemed to be a weathered one, though he didn't seem in a position to attack her anytime soon. The spear stayed in its place as she pulled another piece of dried fruit out to munch on. Perhaps the oddest thing was that he addressed her with the utmost politeness and inquisition. That was what got her to perk her eyebrow, and she re-examined the man with her jaden eyes, her blonde curls tossed about as she turned her head to give a more proper look-over.
"I had my eye on him," she said, giving a smile to hint that she probably would've been okay with or without his intervention. "They were just standing idle over there for the most part. It happens with a lot of the desperate or newborns of their race. I'm a nun and I spread the word of the lord God in this town, as well as out in the desert." Jessica finished off her fruit, readjusted her pack and stood up, dusting the back of the deep ocean-depth blue dress as she did so while she approached the man and extended a hand.
"Though, I suppose I should say thank you for the favor. I don't think you had to go and kill them though.. I've gotten out of many bad situations without ever killing someone. But thank you. My name is Jessica. Jessica Shepard."
It was true. Whenever there was a threat about, she typically fought long enough to buy her time to run away. Killing someone just didn't seem like something a good Catholic would do, regardless of the history behind her religion. If she was the only one left, she was going to set a damn fine example of what a Catholic should be. The spear was just a matter of protection. All those who wanted her dead either lived, or were killed by other beings not herself. It helped that she was a pretty okay runner and good at running away. Battle was simply not her thing, not something that she was either good at or willing for. It seemed like it should be the last thing on the mind of the world, killing each other simply for the sake of doing so. The world was only going to get better, they were only going to live together if they learned to rebuild together. No one seemed interested in rebuilding, though. The idea was about as popular as her sermons were.
"I've never met someone who had any vampire coding in them who was nice, at least to me. Again, I must thank you, but this time for reminding me that not all of us lay prisoner to dark processes in this broken world." She smiled, again, though it was a different smile. A comforting smile with no intention behind it than to be peaceful.
word count: 674
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Post by `` Ashe on May 20, 2012 19:50:21 GMT -5
THE SUN WAS NEAR BLINDING, and though he had never truly forgotten how hot the air could be on earth, he groaned in discomfort. Leaving the broken subway car he claimed as their new home the first day they came to Chicago, Jediah lifted an arm up to his face, holding his fingers above his eyes as they tried to adjust to the bright light. The light inside the car was produced by candlelight, needless to say it didn't quite compare to the bright light the sun offered during the day. The fallen sighed in annoyance, regardless of where he went he wouldn't be comfortable. In the car he had to listen to Destiny bicker with Sebastian over the smallest of issues. Outside it was hotter then sin and brighter then he preferred. Maybe investing in sunglasses would be a decent idea.
Shrugging off his discomfort he moved fluidly through the crowded street, tuning out the noise as best he could as he decided on searching the city for Makyah. She may not remember him at all, but she was decent company to keep. And she seemed to be warming up to him. Trying to sift through the conversations around him, Jediah focused on different voices and pitches, hoping Makyah's would pop up somewhere above them all and lead him out of this fog he seemed to be walking around in.
In his human years, Jediah had preferred the snow his land provided year round, the sun and heat wasn't something he like or dealt with very often. As a slave of warring countries he had learned to deal with working in the hot sun, sweating, panting, hating every moment of it. When he'd managed to be his own man once again he lived in a large home, kept cool regardless of the time of year, and plush for his comfort. Even as an angel he was never hot, or cold, always the perfect temperature. But now, as a fallen, he couldn't do much to manage his own body temperature. And he absolutely hated it.
Jediah's feet made their way through the streets without him thinking much of it. His eyes were glued straight ahead, but glossed over in thought. He trusted his body enough to get him safely to his destination, and contemplated what the rest of his life would be like. Had he lost his immortality when he fell from heaven? Only God could answer the questions he had, but He had disappeared without so much as a leaving a note behind to let everyone know what was going on. God had abandoned the world, and now Jediah was dealing with it's after effects.
The copper stench of blood reached his nostrils before the sight of the body reached his eyes. Disgust raced across Jediah's face as he stared at the body of one of his brothers. Not a blood relative mind you, but in heaven there was no such thing are blood-ties. You were connected to everyone, all the time, no matter what. You had to trust the ones you were fighting and living amongst, and as such became friends and family to each one. Sadly, Jediah didn't recognize the one who laid in a heap in the dirt. Though the puncture wounds on the neck gave the criminal away without even a second thought.
A growl escaped his lips, but Jediah didn't move from his spot. Instead he watched. The vampire was still in the area, only a few feet away it seemed, conversing with a young woman. His next target perhaps? He didn't quite know, he knew that fighting and killing within the walls of Chicago was grounds for expulsion from the city, as well as the probability of death. So Jediah didn't feel the urgent need to stake the vampire, but he wouldn't let his brother's death go without revenge.
Silently, Jediah backed into the shadows, leaning against the wall near the bench where the two conversed, and simply waited. All the while his ears searching for Makyah's sweet voice.
WORD COUNT: 686 <3
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Post by soren on May 21, 2012 1:04:38 GMT -5
The sweet sound of the young catholic girls' voice resounded in Soren's ears. She seemed sweet, but had a fighter's spirit. This was something that really intrigued Soren. He had great respect for humans who were brave enough to stand against the supernatural forces that would do them harm. It was clear to him that this woman was someone he could not harm, but would instead protect. If not for chivalry, then out of sheer respect. Her being beautiful did help in his quick decision to protect her.
Soren looked at her for a brief second before responding to her statements. She had informed him that she was watching him, and could take care of herself. He smiled at the notion of such a frail looking woman being tough enough to defend herself. Though this was a different time that what he had known to be common. He knew that women had always possessed a strength of cunning that few men did. Though curious a Catholic would carry around a spear, it wasn't so suspicious due to the setting of their present engagement. After all times were tough and only the strong would survive these troubling times.
The woman continued to illustrate her current situation and why she was in the area. She claimed to 'spread' the word of God; or as Soren knew him as Yaweh, both in the city and in the desert. It was dangerous enough within the city to go about without protection, but in the desert was even greater. "Truly this woman is either insane, or the bravest woman I have ever met," Soren thought to himself. The woman quickly followed up her explanation with a thank you for his act, but expressed her distaste for the death of the fallen. Soren knew, that as a Nun, she would be opposed to the killing of creatures; but Soren cared not for the lives of any creatures other than humans.
She would finally introduce herself as Jessica Shepherd. Soren smiled, bowed slightly in a dignified manner, and said: "Please to make your acquaintance Ms. Shepherd. It is an honor to meet such a strong woman. I admire you courage, but you should really be more careful. You might be in the city but the dangers are not gone." Soren knew about such things as he himself as been the object of such fear for thousands of centuries. He saw some caution in her eyes at first. Soren expected as much. She would be a fool not to be cautious around a vampire. Especially one that could waltz around in the day time like it was nothing. Then suddenly; her attitude changed. Instead of cautious, she was comfortable around him. Jessica then thanked him again, but for a different reason this time. She was thanking him for showing her not all creatures of the dark are evil. Soren scoffed to himself. If she only had a clue about his past. About how many people he had killed. How many souls he had devoured. He knew if she was enlightened, she would not be thanking him.
Soren then said to her, "It is my pleasure Ms. Jessica. I am glad you don't fear me as most others do, though if you only knew of my past, you might would retract your statement of gratitude. I am not exactly... a saint. Nor am I just a mere vampire. If you would like, I could educate you on not just my past, but the past of all vampires. Would that interest you?" As Soren was talking to Jessica, he noticed a man walk up to the body of the dead fallen. Soren smiled as he could smell that the new man was a fallen as well. Soren kept an eye on the man, and saw him duck into the shadows, but stay to observe. Soren knew that this could turn ugly. He was aware of the bond that all angels shared. After feasting on the blood of thousands of Angels and absorbing their memories, he knew how close they were to each other. Soren didn't react to the new comer, but he was ready to kill the fallen if he tried anything.
Word Count: 707
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Post by mai on May 21, 2012 3:58:24 GMT -5
TO SAY THAT SHE WAS AN ODD KIND of Catholic would be an understatement. As a nun, she wasn't like a nun in the previous living world. She wasn't celibate, or at least wouldn't be with the right person, she never opened a bible because of the memories her bible brought to her, and she never was one to make a quick judgement. All she offered the vampire mudblood was another smile and a swig of pure water as a gesture of kindness, something she was exceedingly good at doing.
"Our past is our past. I've made mistakes in mine. God doesn't see people for their mistakes, but for their hearts. I try my best to do the same as He would," she giggled. "And do not worry too much about me. I wouldn't be still alive if I were unaware of the dangers this world carried." The young woman pulled a bit of dried fruit to munch on as her ears perked back like a rabbit's behind her golden curls. There, next to the dead body was another who was like the one not breathing. She felt sorry for the one who was mourning. Death, though natural, was a painful process, especially for a species who had a bond that others could not understand. It was an unfortunate end, and though Soren and her differed on how necessary it was, it happened. There was no way to take it back, but they could move forward.
"Stay here," she said to her new friend with a voice that had the command of a general. There was recognition in how she held herself. If she could, she would like to avoid another death. There was simply too much of it in this world and although she was only one nun, sometimes the roaming creatures would at least listen to what she had to say. Sometimes, even, listening was all that was needed to change the mind of someone, though that instance was much too rare for her liking. Nevertheless, she stepped past the vampire and moved to an acceptable distance from the fallen creature.
The look of rage was evident, though he seemed to not want to make it too obvious. The bond, she thought to herself. It was then she wondered if the two had known each other. It would make matters worse if they did. Not too much worse. She was very much expectant to have to flee the situation, but regardless of having to put herself on the line, she knew she needed to at least try. Someone needed to bring kindness into the world, needed to hold it up and glorify it even it no one was listening. "Hey there," she said calmly in the direction of the fallen creature. "My name's Jessica. I'm terribly sorry about your friend there. The situation was something that could have been controlled and I failed to act. Please accept my apology. If you would be willing to help me, I would like to give your friend a proper burial. It's the least I can do to show my regret."
Burials were pretty rare nowadays. The desert folk did them for all their dead, but it wasn't uncommon to see piles of them in the alley ways here. They were cleaned up, of course, but they were nothing but body dumpsters. The city had its etiquette about how to treat one another. Jessica was perhaps the only one who wanted to uphold that. Was killing another person, whether they be human or not, the only solution to solving a problem these days? After she adjusted to this new world, she noticed something. Humans didn't really have a problem. They wanted to live. That was the only thing their blood was screaming, but it was different for the other races. They seemed to be fueled by this lust of attack and perish. What happened to their peoples that this was their solution?
"Do you have a name you'd like me to call you?" she continued to the fallen, trying to strike up an air of kindness. The air between him and Soren was definitely uncomforting, though mild. All she wanted was to not pull out her spear. There had to be some amount of hope left in the world. Please, God, I ask that you allow me the strength to bring peace amongst these two great beings. In your name..
"Amen." Though it was said in a whisper that only she could recognize.
word count: 747
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