dusk descends...

[rel]

Checking the monitors, rel sighs out in relief. It had been a few nights without the scratching or moaning occurring outside her window and she convinced herself that whatever creatures had been loitering on her property had finally given up and moved on. She knew the threat of them returning was a distinct possibility, but this reprieve was welcomed. She had been continually chastising herself for her fear. She was a vampire, after all! She could take out a bunch of pseudo zombies!

She'd already created a make-shift flame thrower, which was basically some Aqua-Net hairspray and a lighter, but in a pinch it would suffice. Screw them. Frickin zombies.

The timer on her coffee had sounded, and before Amador could ruin everything, she called out, "I GOT IT" and fixed herself a cup with extra soy. She loved how it seemingly frothed on it's own as it was hit by the scalding hot Kenya she'd brewed. He always put the soy in last, the cretin...besides he was still on punishment for taking away all of her weapons.

Blowing on the top by sheer habit, she takes a small sip and smiles. "Mmmmmm," she sighs crawling upon her couch and setting it down. She scans the room trying to remember where her laptop is and scowls.

"AMADOR!"

"Yes?"

"Where's my laptop..."

"Where did you leave it?"

Glancing in his direction one eyebrow raises slightly, "Did you just ask me where I ... you know parents ask those sort of questions, right? If I KNEW were I left it, why the hell would I need you to tell me where it is?"

"Well, as I'm not a mind reader...where was the last place you saw it?"

Narrowing her eyes she speaks slowly, "You're doing this because I hung you up, aren't you... You KNOW you deserved it! You took my shotgun, bastard, AND my flame thrower. I dunno how you think I can protect the homestead without my weapons!"

Stifling a laugh, "I'll look around..."

Calling out after him she bellows, "DON'T THINK I DIDN'T SEE THAT SMIRK JACKASS!"

Crossing her arms defiantly, she scans the room. How would she read the bite? How would she know if a zombie was coming? "DAMIT!"

[rel]

Scooching out from under the bed she blows a strand of bang back and scowls. “Did you find it?”

“Not yet…”

“Did you look?”

“No, I decided to just sit here and wait till you asked me and then watch you freak out when I said no.”

Blinking she crawls to the doorway and peers out, “What?”

“Nothing, mistress…I haven’t found your notebook.”

“DAMIT!” Pulling herself up on the door frame she bites her lip thinking where the hell the last place she had it was. She had checked around the tub, as there was nothing like a good soak while reading up on gossip but only found a half drunk bottle of red wine. Grabbing it she’d taken a sip before returning to the bedroom. Knowing there would be no reason for it to be under the bed, she still found herself moving beneath. You could never tell who was screwing up her night.

“Check white’s office, maybe I left it in there…”

“No.”

“No?”

“No, I won’t go in there…”

“What? Why not? He’s not even home yet, he’ll never know…”

“No. He always knows and then he tries to kill me.”

Letting out a chuckle, she rounds the corner into the adjacent room finding Amador casually drinking coffee. “You really weren’t looking!”

“I told you I wasn’t. It’s not my fault you don’t believe me…”

“OH FOR THE LOVE….now you listen to me, worm…go down into White’s office and see if my notebook is there! I’m gonna start pickin' locks. I’m finding it come hell or highwater!”

“Fine…but if he starts trying to clone me again, I quit.”

“HAHAHAHA he hasn’t done that in years…they all freaked me out. Imagine, trying to convince me you were you when I clearly could tell you weren’t you, I mean honestly!” She waves her hand randomly in acquiesces, “Fine, I’ll go…you check the library and the bar…and I’ll…”

The bong of the bell caused her to jump and she glances over to Amador, “You expecting someone?”

Narrowing his gaze, “Oh yes…the rave I’m throwing later.”

“Shaddup and get the door…" She pats on his arm, "come oooooooooon…please?”

“Whatever you say, mistress…” He moves down the hallway, rounding the banister down the stairs when he hears her shriek, “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!”

Looking up slowly he can see rel pummeling toward him quickly, “It could be a trap, don’t let anyone in unless you know them…”

“Mistress…there are no zombies in Ravenblack. There hasn’t been a single zombie breaking the perimeter and all you’ve accomplished is putting two very LARGE holes in the wall of aislin’s outer room, plus burning the hell out of the curtains. May I PLEASE get the door without incident? No attacking? No hurling knives at the stranger?”

Her cheeks feel hot as she flushes profusely, “I’m the one in charge ya know…stupid…I have fangs and can kill you n stu…OH FINE! Just go…”

[rel]

She scurried across the room and unsheathed her matching keeshe. The hilt feeling at home within her small palm, she ran her fingertip along the Drowish symbols etched within. Ami or not, if a zombie had learned how to ring a doorbell, it was on. Old school. She crouched around the corner, and took out a compact mirror to see from her safer vantage point. If Jack Bauer could do it, she sure as well could.

Amador could hear the movement upon the landing but so far had not seen his even the hint of his mistress’s red pixie mop. This could only be bad news for him, he surmised, and sighed as he called, “Ready? I’m opening the door…”

She closed her eyes tightly and pushed the thought, “…for all that is unholy, be careful…”

His hand shot up to his forehead as he grimaced, “OW! I AM NOT VAMPIRE!”

She giggles despite her current mission and quickly peeks her head out, “Oops…sorry…carry on…WAIT…okay, now I’m ready…”

He looks up letting out an audible sigh, and opens the door. A semi-scantily clad servant is holding a package. “Can I help you?”

“This is for your mistress, I need a signature…”

“I’ll sign.”

“I need a signature from your mistress…”

“She’s not in at the moment, so you have a choice…either I sign and you go away, or you just go away…”

Wibbling her lip she attempts to gain sympathy, “But…my mistress said I had to deliver it to her personally…”

Rolling his eyes he recalls having gone through this dance just a few days earlier with another servant, “Tell you what…you tell your mistress that rel got the package and…what the hell is that?”

The fur thing that scurried past Amador began bounding up the stairs. Rel eyes began to widen as the red ball with the glowing eyes became larger within her mirror and she shrieked hurling each dagger with precision. “It’s too fast! HOW DID THEY GET SO FAST!?!”

Flying down the hall she slides upon the wood, rounding the corning to the servant’s closet and pulls out the first thing her fingers grab hold of. A broom. A good old fashioned wooden handled broom. “AAAAAAAHA!”

She sets herself at the end of hallway and as the cat thing prances forward she lays down the broom with a large thud. “SCAT! Get the hell outta my… AMADOOOOOOOOOR! It’s...it's... smiling at me!”

…and it was, smiling, as far as rel could tell. It seemed to thoroughly be enjoying being chased around the upper landing, taking the entire thing almost as a game. This had to be that cat Lass sent over! “GO HOME! SCOOT!”

Sweeping it down the stairs, she screams, “CLEAR THE DOORWAY”

[deaths embrace]

"Oh my god, woman, could you be any more noisy?" DE stated as she came around the corner of the Hall and heard rel telling poor Ami to clear a path.

"Here we have servants that make good bait, pets that are chewing your shoes to entertain themselves, and you are chasing a cat thing with a broom while shouting at poor Ami." DE shook her head, and sat on the floor with her hands wrapped around her knees to watch her Sister try to get fluffy things out of their home.

DE grumbled under her breath, "At least you did not grab the machete this time."

[aislinblue]

Aislin looked up from her book when she heard Rel's yelling echoing down the hall. She shook her head wondering when Rel would get over her zombie obsession. Already Rel had managed to shoot two holes in her wall while "protecting" the manor from the undead menaces. Aislin was still waiting for the servants to repair the holes.

Aislin peeked her head out of her room and saw DE attempting to get through to Rel. Figuring this could be amusing, Aislin moved out into the hall and joined DE watching rel battle a..

Aislin blinked.

"Is that a furby? And why is rel trying to kill it with a broom? Has Ami finally taken away all of her other weapons?"

[rel]

She notices the tuft of red scurry by and hauls ass pulling her arms back and swinging hard. The broom scoops the beast, hurling it outside past Amador and the servant, in which rel distinctly hears what could be considered an extended meow and smiles. “…AND STAY OUT!”

Wiping her hands, she lobs the broom to Ami and turns, “There is NOTHING wrong with my machete wielding I’ll have you know! If this asshat would actually give them back…” She momentarily ignores the servant waiting at the door and crouches to the ground moving towards her sister, “…I’d hang him back up there, but I’ve lost my notebook…see?”
She opens and closes each hand as if she’s one-hand clapping and pouts, “…I had it…yesterday…and now it’s… Oh hi aislin!” She spins upon the wood floor and immediately remembers that she hasn’t seen her since the incident with the shot gun.

“Oh…um…yes, and about your wall? See there was this spider chick that was.. okay so here’s what happened, ok? I was in the hallway, and saw this zombified ick on the landing. That window in the hallway? I know, I know I’ve boarded it up, but last week, remember? Anyway, I knew she was coming…there was a notice in the bite that she was on the loose, and you know how I feel about zombies! So, I planted myself there, shotgun in hand and waited for her to tap upon my window. Um…hey, did you know that a shot gun has quite a kick?” She nods for emphasis, “QUITE a kick, and…well, she was so friggin scary that I shut my eyes and um…boom? I mean it wasn’t like other zombies I’ve fought! IT CLIMBED aislin!”

She grabs her knees and purses her lips, ‘Why do they gotta climb now?”

[deaths embrace]

DE laughed and put her head on her knees and looked all cute and innocent on the floor.

"Nah, I think it’s a tribble. It probably has all sorts of little tribble kin running around just to harass rel in her time of zombie awareness"

She placed her hands behind her an stretched out. “Mhmm, notebooks. And a regular pen and paper would not do? You had to go and shoot up the Hall, put lasers in the front yard, AND make poor Ami hide the flame thrower.”

She turned her head to Ami, “Good work, by the way.”

She turned her attention back to rel and Ais, “Ais, you have known her longer than I, has rel always had this “Xena of the undead” thing going on, or is this a new occurrence? I would really like to be able to go out of the Hall without getting my boots singed when I go out for a snack. The tunnel entrance has nothing in the way of humans.”

[aislinblue]

Aislin laughed at rel's explanation.. "Zombie's climb now huh? Rel, hun... I think you've been watching Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days and 28 Weeks Later a few too many times. Zombies are not real... they're purely a figment of your imagination. "

Aislin looks over at DE " She was always... different.. but this is new..even for Rel.. I think the whole living forever thing is starting to get to her. Either that, or she's been drinking way too many energy drinks... "

[deaths embrace]

"Cafffffeeeeine, right!!" DE looked at rel in a whole new light, "That has got to be it. Between this new "zombie" " DE quoted the air, "...threat, and her new found addiction to Waffle syrup, I had not even thought about the possibility of energy drinks."

[aislinblue]

Aislin smirked and leaned in closer to DE and stage whispered "Ya know, when she gets like this she kinda reminds me of Hammy the hyperactive sugar and caffeine addicted squirrel from the Over the Hedge comics.. Do you know which one I'm talking about?"

[rel]

Her eyes widen as she glances back and forth to the cretins she used to see as friends mocking her mercilessly. "Did you just quote unquote me?" She throws a laugh towards Amador and mutters, "...not real, she says. Not real? Who is this at the door?"

She spins back pointing at DE, "YOU TELL HER! You know they're out there damit! Energy drinks? I thought...for sure you'd...but here you...tis a sad day in the hall..."

Rising, she walks stoically towards the door. It was fine. They could smirk and call her crazy. She'd remember this eve and throw it back in their faces when the war came. She'd serve up a big meal of "I TOLD YOU SO" and slap each of them just for good measure when they shrieked in fright at the spider chick upon their window ledge.

Joining Amador at the entryway she looks at wearily at the servant who has stood with a package this entire time. "Aren't you chilly?"

"I'm supposed to deliver this to rel, is she available?"

Glancing upwards towards Ami, rel began again, "ooookay, um...you realize it's...I mean I certainly don't care...the weather doesn't bother...aren't you human?"

"I'm supposed to deliver this to rel, is she available?"

Blinking, her eyes narrow as she slowly turns back towards aislin and de, "You're seeing this right?" Rel snaps her fingers in front of the servants eyes and then rolls her own, "Charmed. Kinda. Cute though, eh? You want her?"

She speaks slowly, "I am rel...what is it?"

"A package from my mistress, she's looking for her cat."

"Her cat?"

"Yes, she said you'd know him..."

"THE ZOMBIE CAT?"

"The what?"

"Never mind... is your mistress, Lass St. John?"

"Yes, mistress, she is...she sent over this gift..."

"A gift eh...what is it?"

"I don't know ma'am, I didn't see..."

"Did you just call me ma'am?"

"Uh..." she looks up to Amador who slowly shakes his head and steps in front of rel, "There is no way she would know, mistress...."

"Ami...she just called me ma'am. Ma'am! Do I LOOK like a ma'am? BETTY WHITE looks like a ma'am, I AM NO MA'AM!"

Leaning towards the servant Amador whispers amidst the shouting behind him, "The package please, and leave now before I can't control this situation..."

"...MA'AM! I mean if there were a Ma'am here it would be aislin! She's waaaaaaaaaaaaay older than I am. I've only been a vampire five yea... FRIGGIN MA'AM! Do I LOOK like I'm trying to see laundry detergent? Or get you to spay your pet? HOW IN THE HELL...oh she's gone?"

"Yes, mistress I have the package for you if you'd like to see what Lass sent over as a gift..."

"You open it."

"No..."

"No?"

"No! I don't know this Lass, and I'm not getting blown up or infected with something! I'm human. No."

"Oh fine, pussy, gimmie!" She glares grabbing the package and shaking it hard. "Seems safe enough right? I mean if it were a bomb it woulda gone off long ago when I was chasing the zombie cat right? Back up Ami...I'm goin in..."

Placing the box on the front foyer table, she gingerly unwraps the gift, setting the wrappings to the side. She bites her lip as she flicks her gaze upwards then nods as if willing herself to open the box. She does so, yet makes no attempt to look downwards but takes in Ami's eyes narrowing in alarm. As he's about to speak, "Don't Mistr..." rel drops her gaze and peers at the horror in the box...

Feb 8, 2009 4:30:29 GMT -8 Lass said:

[deaths embrace]

DE peered over rel's shoulder careful not to touch her as rel looked into her box. She nipped rel's shoulder and turned to keep from laughing, "You were saying?' She pursed her lips together to stop her laughter.

"Such dangerous fabric, careful now, it might be one of nemesis' voodoo dolls, at least I KNOW those are real. My Sire gave of set of them to her long ago."

Her eyes twinkled as she met Aislin's gaze, "It's stuffed." DE grinned like a cheshire cat.

[aislinblue]

Aislin stifled a giggle at DE's statement. Moving closer so that she could see into the box, Aislin began laughing uncontrollably as she saw Lass St. John's gift. Holding on to DE for support, Aislin glanced over at Rel.

"Is this the evil zombie that you've been so worried about? See ooh the zombie doll is here to eat our brains!"

Aislin pokes the doll a few times. "See it can't harm us... there are no zombies afoot."

[deaths embrace]

"rel, I think you should go out there and find that necromancer that is raising all these mal-formed vamps who scare you and eat him."

[Ellis]

Ellis sighed, removed the pillow from over her head and sat up. It was no use. There was no sleeping whilst Rel was on a freaky high. Swinging her feet over the side, she unvelcro-ed and un-popstudded the heavy blackout curtains, that turned her four-poster bed from a bed into a mausoleum.

Bare-footed, dishevelled and sporting a rumpled pair of black satin pyjamas, Ellis padded to her door and opened it. Last night had been heavy, and she was still too bleary eyed to decide whether her dinner date had given her a hangover or not.

Glancing around, taking in the scene, she noticed DE and Rel studying the contents of a gift box. Tiptoeing over and craning her neck to look over their shoulders, she looked at its contents.
“That is gross! If someone is going to send you a present, they could at least send you one of quality, rather than some voodoo zombie doll. Is it supposed to be a present, or a warning, or a threat or something? ‘Cos it doesn’t look like a present.”

She looked up and caught Amador as he rolled his eyes.

“Wha?”