Another Chapter

The sky was obscured by heavy clouds, pregnant with snow. There was nothing at all visible outside of his office's window - just utter, thick, unsettling darkness. He pulled the burgundy velvet curtains to hide it from view.

Vampire Richard Wallace had finished moving in to the Lillegard Castle. With some of the possessions he brought here he had to face a difficult decision. He knew he wouldn't be spending much time in his private quarters. An hour at most to groom himself - dust himself off, more like - do his hair, get dressed, then make a return to his post here in the office. He wouldn't even spend the day in his room; too risky. Therefore, the most favorite of his prized paraphernalia he had to set up in the office.
He turned away from the window and smiled at the cozy, familiar sights. He started pacing around, his gaze sliding over his beloved treasures as he passed them by.

An enormous, rampaging, stuffed bear - the Menace of Abington - that Richard hunted without horse, hound or weapon not long after being turned. It bared its impressive teeth at the unsuspecting visitors from the corner it occupied.

Oliver Cromwell's chest of drawers, a simple, practical and sensible piece, befitting a military man. On top of it was a stand with Richard's own flintlock musket from the Civil War. He never fired it.

A framed handkerchief hung upon the wall; it belonged to Marie Antoinette, given to him after she graced him with a dance. When he held the frame close to his face, he imagined he could still smell her perfume; however, he knew all traces of it vanished long ago.

On the opposite wall there was a rapier. A half of a rapier, as it were - broken against the mail hauberk of Seamus Mac Sheeran, shortly before his neck followed suit of the blade. No historian would be able to tell you who he was, in no small part due to the vampire's influence.

Another weapon decorated the wall next to it - Richard's service revolver from World War Two.

Standing next to the still mostly unfilled bookshelf, native to the castle, there was a jukebox from the bar he ran in the sixties in New York. Just the memory of those times made him feel exhausted; they were frantic and busy.

All those things carried memories of past victories and failures alike. Both brought a smile to his face - they were but a shadow with no bearing on the present day. One thing, though, still made a shiver run down his spine. On the handsome oaken desk stood a Rococo style lamp from the time of Victoria Regina. A gunshot hole pierced its base - left there by a silver bullet. It served as a reminder for Richard to never get too comfortable.

A thick carpet muffled his footsteps as he returned to the desk. He got himself seated in the oaken chair upholstered with a fabric that matched the curtains. An identical chair was placed on the other side for a guest to occupy. He folded his hands, leaned on the desk's polished surface, then began staring at the door with a still patience that only age could bring.



((Can you tell I'm having a ball with this guy? xD Anybody is free to come pester him seek guidance~ One at a time, though, please! Or not. *cough* He won't be pleased if you do that, though.))

Jami knew that the vampire from the ball had stayed. Maybe she could... chat with him. Of course Jami wasn't exactly stupid so she waited up during the night before she went. She was sure he would be 'sleeping' during the day. She had thought about what she should talk about but, there was really so much. Seeing as he was new here. She was sure people were rushing to meet with him. It would be a shame if he was over whelmed.

Maybe Jami would only talk about recent events? Wait for a later time when she could truly come close to trusting him, and when they could be more friendly, to share her past. Unless he brought it up of course. He was a counselor. It was his job to help. Her trust issues were another matter to look at.

As she neared the room she believed to be his office she got nervous and was getting closer. She knocked on the door upon reaching it and took a deep breath.

Ah. Somebody was coming. How splendid - his unmoving wait was beginning to bore him, and he started occasionally glancing towards the bookshelf, tempted to indulge in some reading instead. The footsteps sounded firm this time, his office was their source's destination. By the footsteps' lightness and pattern he made an educated guess about the incoming visitor being female.

Richard waited for the knock. "Please," he said. "Come on in."
In the meantime, he opened one of the spacious drawers in the desk and took out a platter of assorted biscuits and chocolates. Perhaps she will appreciate that. He set it on the desk and pushed it towards the guest's side.

At the sound of the masculine voice Jami entered. Upon walking in her eyes opened wide at all the old artifacts Richard had collected over his life. She admired the bear and the rapier. She was fascinated by all of it. Sitting down she focused herself on the man in front of her. Jami smelt something, inviting and looked down to see the treats. She resisted though and smiled at the man, holding out her hand. "Hallo, I am Jami Futter. We briefly met at the Ball."

She let her eyes wander around again, and she noticed the lamp that seemed...broken? She was sure there was a reason it was there. As she returned to looking at the man she eagerly awaited his guidance.

Her reaction to the decorations was met with a smile. Briefly, Richard considered whether placing them all here was a good idea, seeing as they might become a distraction. He wouldn't want to do without them, though.
He rose from his seat slightly to give her hand a gentle shake. "Yes, Jami. How could I forget?"
Sitting down again he gestured to the snacks. "Please, help yourself."

Richard leaned back in his chair and looked to her warmly.
"Now, Jami... How have you been? I trust there is a reason you're here." He grinned. "Although if you're here just to chat, I shall relish your gracious company."

Jami Listened carefully as he spoke, and decided not not eat the treats layed out still. Mid night snack were un healthy for her meal plan. If she ate now, she'd be waking up every night hungry. She felt pleased though that he had remembered her. "I've been...Confused. I will admit it. I don't mind chatting. I came here to let us get to know each other better, i guess. So what ever you want to talk about would be fine." It was official, she thought he was cool.

Looking around once more, she deemed he must have lived a very interesting life. or not lived... "Your collection is brilliant!"

"Confused, is that so?" he raised his eyebrows. He seemed slightly disappointed that she didn't want a biscuit. "Perhaps you'd fancy some tea? Ah, right... I don't actually have a way of boiling water here. How unfortunate."
Getting by without electricity will probably take more time to get used to than he expected.
The fact that there was no radiators was a special kind of a nuisance - the fireplace had to be lit. Richard realized he was spoiled by technology; he forgot how disturbing sitting casually by an open flame was.

"Thank you very much. Speaks well of your taste - it sure is worth a pretty penny." He smiled jokingly.

Jami nodded. She was quite confused. She seemed more stable in the depressed department. But little things inched there way to the surface. Jami needed to figure out what was going on with herself. She hadn't know a Fairy in her village that hadn't been married before now. With human idea's in her head, it helped push the thought of marriage away. She didn't need to get married. The issue was her instability. "Hm, to bad. I love tea." Jami finally picked up a biscuit. To yummy to not eat them.

After the quick bite she summoned a little flame and kept it hovering close to her. It was a cold winter night. Jami smiled at his comment on his collectibles. "So I want to talk to you to figure things out, but I don't know where to start." Jami tucked her hair behind her ears, as was her usual habit to do so.

He had to stop himself from nodding enthusiastically at her finally taking one of the sweets. The sacrifice of the elderly baker that Richard woke up in the middle of the night to buy them would be all for naught, if his visitors refused to enjoy the damn things. They smelled delicious, but he'd rather not eat them himself.

Jami's magic trick was met with a frown, but he hoped she would interpret it as surprise rather than disapproval.
"Well, that must sure come in handy while in the wilderness." He chuckled. "Had I predicted a guest like yourself, I would have prepared a kettle to boil over your personal campfire."
Richard smiled lightly then folded his hands.
"Well," he said. "the beginning is usually a good place for that." It was a clichéd statement, but not any less true. "What is the biggest source of your confusion?"

As Richard mentioned her fire she smirked a bit. ""It did." to be honest Jami didn't want to talk about her lonely time in the woods. It wasn't her favorite memory. Se kept the flame close to her still. He didn't seem very happy with it, but she was cold.

The beginning...what beginning? There were so many. "Beginning like...I was born?" Maybe sh didn't really get this I need help thing as much as she thought she did. She was fine until her father left...false. She was born wrong. Messed up. Duel Minded. Petunia. Petunia was what was wrong. From the very start. Maybe even further back. All the way to where ever Petunia came from.

"Hmm... I'm happy for you," he glowered a bit. "but my collection is, unfortunately, of the flammable variety. So if you don't mind, I'd really prefer if you turned that off."
That was true as well, wasn't it?
Richard smiled apologetically. "If you're feeling chilly, I could add some fuel to the fireplace."

He shrugged. "Well, whatever you feel comfortable with is dandy with me." Jami clearly didn't know what she was comfortable with. However, if sitting there and thinking it over would help her, Richard was just fine with keeping her company in silence.
"I have plenty of time to listen."

ah, that's why. She should have know some things in here wouldn't like the flames touch. The green and black magical flames disappeared and the room got darker, at least back to the brightness before. The cold kissed Jami's skin again.

Jami didn't know how to start. Should so say she gets possessed, or that she was abused? "Well I use to live in a village in England. IT was a Fairy village. Hidden to the human eye. My father was Greer and my mother is Ostentina. I am an only child. How is that for a start?" She looked at the man with worried look.

"Thank you, Jami. That's very kind of you." He smiled. "Have another cookie, please."

She was adorable in her hesitation about whether what she said was okay or not. Even if she decided to talk about her deceased puppy for an hour, it would be okay. Talking about her past clearly wasn't something that she did often; perhaps fairies don't like to share their stories.
"That is a very fine start." he nodded in a serious manner. "Please, go on. What was it like, growing up in a fairy village?"

At his suggesting Jami took another cookie. As he confirmed she started nicely she felt a little more confident. So, the village. Well she was sure it looked different now than it did when she was growing up. But life couldn't have changed to much could it? Did she ruin life for everyone there?

"It was, simple. Wake up. Get ready. Got to school. Come home. Do School work. Go to work. Meet up with friends, ten go home again. It was a normal schedule really. I was a nurse. Bet you didn't expect that!" She smiled a bit. Her fire magic might have thrown him off the coarse of her healing powers.

"Oh! I have some things to tell you that might... make you understand me better. It's a bit strange, but im sure a man like yourself could follow."

He hated to admit he was a bit disappointed; at the mention of a fairy village he expected some more dancing in the moonlight, mushroom houses and whatnot... and this sounded rather normal. Ah well.

"No, somehow that doesn't surprise me." He nodded approvingly. "You seem like a caring person - I'm sure you make an excellent nurse."

At her words, Richard raised his eyebrows a bit. Maybe this will be more unusual than what Jami had told him so far. It wasn't that it bored him, not in the least - it was just that so far she sounded not much different from a human teenager.
"I promise I will do my best."

Jami smiled at his statement of not being surprised. She appreciated the comment he added as well. She liked to think she was at what she did.

Gosh how would she explain this...

"Well, my species a while back was going extinct. Because of this, we evolved so we would increase the population. That meant, the females emotions for some reason became more unstable, and uh, the only way they go away to normal emotions is to settle down. Same and other sub species in our area. Sorry if it doesn't make sense, I should have payed more attention in history when I was younger haha." She finished off her cookie and gave him some time to get what she was saying.

"When I was 13, I was exiled. I tried learning human ways of life. So I don't want my emotions to control me like before, but they still do, because what I am. I was fine with how I was when I had a fiancee and when I was accepted, but now I just want to forget all of that crap."


Jami wasn't really sure if she was making sense. She was talking about stuff she hadn't informed Richard of, hopefully he would get an idea. She did seem a bit upset now as well, no different form the rare other time she revealed stuff on her past.

(sorry, she likes to talk...)

Richard looked at her while listening, but tried not to stare too intently. He didn't want her to feel pressured in any way.

A drive to be paired sounded really inconvenient, to say the least. It reminded him of some animals. A more civilized version, perhaps. 'Unstable emotions' was a very vague way of putting it, though, and he was curious just what exactly was it like. He held back his curiosity, seeing it was clearly a tough subject for Jami, as it would be for anybody.

"Mhm. So, what you are right now is in conflict with what you are by birth, so to speak." He shook his head. "Forgive me if what I'm about to say sounds blunt, but I need to make sure I understand this right. The females of your species need to have a partner to retain mental stability. But you don't have one, and naturally it is bugging you."
Richard leaned forward slightly.
"Am I right?"

((pft it's what he signed up for xD))

Jami nodded. He some how had understood. "But I don't want to need a partner." she added to make it clear again that she didn't want to be that way. Maybe now it was understood, some of her issues might be easier for him to get. Something had caught her ear though when he had spoken.

"There's a little more to how I was born. " She rubbed her hands on her face as if to wipe away an emotion. A habit of hers when she is stressed. This issue was much worse than an emotional attack. This one was more...life threatening.

"I have a demon living in my body, locked away in my mind. She controls me sometimes ad I have been figuring out what it is. I have a pretty good idea. I named it Petunia."


(blah blah blah)

"Right..." he said, folding his hands again. "Is there anything you can do to fight it, though?"
He suspected there wasn't. Nature is stronger than nurture.

This issue was far from trivial, but the second matter she spoke of made him frown in concern. Another possession... This kind of an occurrence might be more common than he thought.
"I'm sorry." What was he supposed to say in a situation like this? Richard didn't know. Not knowing things was, to him, either a source of amusement or displeasure; in this case it was the latter. He really wanted to help.
"What have you figured out so far?"

A shake of the head was meant to inform Richard Jami couldn't stop anything. She looked down and the hands and held them tightly. It was strange to talk about this stuff.

"Well, I think she is like a twin who is trapped inside of me some how. It's been in my family, but i couldn't find any one who was still alive. the closest one to me was my father. I want her to not be here sometimes. but she is a wild demon, she only recently learn to speak at the ball... And she just wants chaos."
Jami shook her head.

"I think that if she takes me over completely that it'll kill me. My father never came back after his demon took over."

He paused for a second, watching her with sympathy. Figuring he'd save whatever advice he could have for when she actually asks for it, he kept silent, and instead gave the cookie platter a small nudge.

Richard looked to the ceiling as he crossed his arms and rocked back in his chair, giving thought to her words.
"It has been going in your family for a while, right? So... people have been living like that." He quickly looked to her. "Please don't think I'm undermining the seriousness of the problem - I'm merely musing aloud."
He cleared his throat.
"What happened to your father?" he asked quietly.

No, not really. People haven't been living like that. As far as she could tell, as soon as the demon was strong enough it took them and then the demon had to be killed. "If they have, it wasn't long." Jami would cry at the thought of being lost to petunia. All her friends would be in danger.

"It's fine. I guess it doesn't seem as bad as I feel it is. It scares me to be honest. I'm always afraid that any second she will try again and again." She sounded as truly distressed as she felt on the topic. ,"My emotions obviously don't help, but that's a minor thing I'm learning to control..."

Jami bit her lip at his question abou t her father. ,"He went to war and when he was braught home he wasn't there. His demon was. I remember...officers were containing him and the fist thing he did was stare at me with his black eyes and smile with his sharp teeth. I'm not sure what set off his demon, but he escaped the village when it burned...."

"Oh." He paused to look at her with concern. That was hardly reassuring.

"No, no. You're right to be worried... but you must be brave. Don't let fear control you or your life." Richard nodded firmly. "Every problem has a solution."
He wasn't nearly as confident as he looked. But he guessed Jami could use the support.
He looked at her with sympathy as she spoke. Poor child. So young, and already with such a ghastly story to her name.
Wish every student was so easy to get to open up, though.

"So... Are you saying that your father is alive... or that the demon within him is?"

A chuckle escaped her lips, "I think I'm pretty brave." A solution? That was more than Jami could hope for, she could only think to ever just find a way to calm everything down and suppress it at the most.

Jami thought back on how she had ran for her life from the village and lived in the wild for a day or a few days. Then her journey around the world, all by herself. She had become a nomad as a young girl, and it was a bad life style. Lack of discipline could make things hard when it came to self control, and that keyed into everything, for sure.

"As far as I know he is dead, the demon in him might still be out there though."

"You are" he reassured. "Keep it up."
Remarkably so, even; many other people would have crumbled under so many unfortunate events piling up upon them. Jami seemed rational and well-adjusted, and for that, she had the vampire's respect. He had none for those who would rather run and hide with their tails tucked in between their legs, or start taking out their anger on weaker beings instead.

He hummed thoughtfully. "I see. So there's no help to be found from that source..."
Richard arched a brow, just now realizing what she said moments ago. "Your village burned?"