More than Pain (Miranda)

[Valirion Thorn]

:: I had awoken a few hours ago. Telling Miranda to meet me at the gates after sometime. I leaned against the bars of the gates, vines intertwining and pure white orchirds blooming here and there underneath the eternal moon of Roon.

I was in my usual blood red silks, a silver necklace hanging from my neck, a cross with a claw holding a heart at the center. My black hair hung past my ears, with one white hand I brushed strands out of my marble face. My eyebrows furrowed as I thought quietly to the sound of the wind against the nearby cliffs of Shrine.

My symbiotes stirred beneath my skin, the sword yawning and stretching within my spine and the armor shifting inside my head, trying to help me comprehend my situation.

My situation... Miranda Dunleavy. Love being the ultimate pain... how was I supposed to confront it? How did I face this level of transcendence? Damn it. Complex beings such as Miranda... females in general. My fist clenched and I could feel my eyes change from violet to yellow and back again. Winning this would probably one of the hardest things I'd faced but I wanted this badly, I craved for this next pain as I did all others but this one... different.

I turned my gaze to one of the orchids. My hand reached out to it, the silver ring on my finger glistening in the moon light as my hand barely touched the petal. Instantly the orchids became black, dying in moments by my touch and then the vine began to decay, in moments it was dust and the gate bars were bare. With that, the armor warned me not to have the same thing happen to Miranda. I sneered and slashed at it mentally as the sword joined in. Both went quiet with the noise of footsteps.::

[Miranda Dunleavy]

Tonight was the night. The hunt with Valirion. Miranda was actually nervous, something only known to herself, about this outing. As the Lord of Pain already knew, Soth was the only other being to ever witness her nocturnal feeding habits. It was an intimacy that had never been broken.

Until perhaps tonight.

She wasn't quite sure what to expect so she decided upon something simple to wear. Miranda chose knee high black boots, laced all the way up to where the fabric folded over. Dark blue, almost black, skin tight pants that bore the same color as the loose fitting blouse. The cloak she had worn with Valirion the night prior had received no damage so the Vampyre had opted to wear that again this night. A reminder of the night they had shared and the tests that lay ahead for the Vampyre Lord. It also help to hide the silver sword that was sheathed upon her back instead of at her hip. Her sabre was there instead. One could never be too cautious. Another by product of her unlife.

Slowly the Asssasin made her way to the front gates, frowning immediately, but not at Valirion. Her eyes were no focusing on him at all but at the barren gates.

"What happened to the roses?" The disappointment in her voice was quite audible.

[Valirion Thorn]

:: Like a droplet hitting a smooth surface of water, my entire body seemed to ripple back at her words. I didn't smile, my eyes slightly widening, what had the armor just said? Don't let it happen to her...::

They died, such as all mortal things will and do.

:: The armor convuled inside my head and laughed at me. It laughed because I had no better reason, whatever I touched, I wrought pain and brought eventual death to anything mortal that I would not bother to sustain with my necromantic powers.

But my eyes, with the armor watching silently behind them, looked over Miranda quickly before my hand reached to the gates and slowly slid them open. The sword struggled within my spine at the sight, it also looking through my violet irises. My next level... Miranda Dunleavy... but I had to think of her something more than that now, she was a vampyre, a source of power that had asked if I could win her heart. She might as well had asked me to become mortal again at that, I knew nothing of love of the sort or women to top that off.

I thought possibly through hunting we might be able to come to better grounds of understanding, helping me more than her I would think in winning her heart. But didn't she realize I was true darkness born, such a task was nearly impossible. I shrugged aside emotions when it came to using the force or to anything, emotional weaknesses could not be found in me, I had none. But she seemed to be creating some now... my armor could only laugh at me more.::

But come m'lady, I will show you things far better by the time we return.

[Miranda Dunleavy]

Even with Valirion's explanation, Miranda knew it was his own hand that killed the roses. What was bothering her was why he hid that from her. There was also something deeper that the Lord kept. It did concern her, Miranda could decipher as much. It also caused him fear. Whether that was Valirion, the symbiotes or both was too difficult to ascertain. They all worked in unison and at times she could purposefully tell who was in charge. Valirion was, most definitely, yet they were wary. The Assassin drank up the want and confusion by her mere presence. All three of them needed her desperately and were going to tread carefully to win her over. Hence, the subterfuge.

She strode forward through the gates and pursed her lips, knowingly as her emerald eyes watched the inner turmoil within Valirion. "Yes. We have ... much to do tonight." Her red lips curled to one side. "Don't we?"

[Valirion Thorn]

:: I gave a half bow with a smile, following her out the gates and down the twisted steps of the Shrine and into the darkened forest.::

Of course Mistress. There is always much to do in one night on Roon.

:: We walked slowly through the forest, we would soon come upon one of the many nearby villages. As for hunting, I usually played with my food, weeks, days, never a short mortal span of time. I enjoyed watching them fall apart, I enjoyed breaking each and every single one of their souls in my grasp. The armor shifted in my skin, my night black hair shifting with the slight breeze.

I was unsure of what to say, I had always made any kind of small talk a mockery, something I would do only to find some way to lead into a confrontation. But not this time... even my noble taught tongue was held at a standstill.::

[Miranda Dunleavy]

The scent of pine and feral flowers graced her senses as they entered the forest together. She was rather surprised that Valirion did not want to use their inherent speed to expedite their travels to the small village nearest the castle. With a moments thought, it dawned upon Miranda that this was a way for them to talk. For Valirion to understand her and she in turn learn about him. It was most intriguing that the Lord of Pain held his tongue, unsure of himself or the situation that he asked for.

She let her eyes be lost in the shadowed beauty of the tree tops as the branches tried to hide the moon away from view. "Come now, dear Valirion. Why still your voice this night when last night there was much to converse about?'

[Valirion Thorn]

:: Last night? There had been much to talk of last night hadn't there? I had to find some kind of common ground between us. I couldn't find much. My armor laughed inside of my head at that. A grin crossed my thin lips as my violet eyes turned to her face. Maybe confrontation was something we would both enjoy if my small talk led to such a thing.::

But last night we had only just met, M'lady. This eve, I know who you are and knowing you more is the trick, it seems.

How would you hunt this night? Any preferences? Male, female, children? The sickly and poor or the more wealthy? What is it you're looking for in the mortal that you take the life in? Or do you consider them all cattle and take what comes to you?

:: I just needed something to open more conversation up. My armor laughed at me that I actually needed something. My retort, if I could, which my armor could sense, would be to point to Miranda and tell the armor, "And you don't need her?!" Of course I didn't but my armor stopped and got very quiet anyway.::

[Miranda Dunleavy]

"I hunt whatever catches my fancy. I've never really had a ... preferance, Valirion." Which was quite true. Miranda's only desire was to feed and whoever came upon her path was the victim, no matter what the sex, age or being it was. Never did it cross her mind to hunt for sport. "I suppose that means I look at them as cattle, using your own words of course. They are merely a means for my existance and a source of amusement and information at times. So, they do have a purpose."

Comtemplative eyes turned curious towards her companion. "What say you? How is it that you hunt?" She already had formed an answer in her mind about Valirion's ways but perhaps he would surprise her.