Sealiah

The air was holding its breath. That's what it felt like. It felt like some great set of eyes was sweeping around, and nothing wanted to draw attention to itself. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her body as she hurried towards her house. How did I let her convince me to stay out so late? It's so dark. She stopped, turning to look behind her. The darkness was thick with menace, a warm breath of hate seemed to flow from it.
She dropped all signs of ignorance and ran.

A set of red eyes blinked, and then disappeared. He walked into the light from a streetlamp, the darkness fading behind him. So the little witch isn't as stupid as she tried to act. I wonder why she even tried?
He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. There was so much to this world that had changed. Perhaps he would remember not to sleep so long, when he again decided to rest. Humanity had grown. and its belief in the creatures of both light and dark had diminished to almost nothing. It was perfect.
He wandered down a busy street, noting how the humans barely glanced around themselves. Gone was the wariness all humans moving about at night had once had. Gone were the superstitions and whispers of an evil in the dark; of the angels that came with divine fire to protect them.
It was refreshing, to move about in such a sea of warm humanity and not be noticed. To blend in so perfectly, to watch his prey from a mere foot away and not worry about someone noticing.
Well. almost no one. He flicked his eyes to the left, watching one of those witches flick eyes at him. She was young, wouldn't even notice if he stared at her from shadows. Not like the sweet innocent one from before. He grinned. Here where he was in the light, no one of witch blood would consider him normal. The weakest might consider him human, but an odd one. Perhaps a practitioner of strange powers, but still human.
This one knew better. Here he was in the light, and he was not trying to hide. He wasn't trying to blend in, he was simply walking in the open. But she was no threat. She did not have the aura of a Hunter. She did not seem to want anything to do with him, now that she had spotted him. He shrugged. If all of them would be like that, it would have been so much easier before.
But he had survived. Unlike so many of his Kindred, he had survived their wars and Hunts. He had slept beneath the earth for over three hundred years. And in a mere three hundred years, humanity had forgotten everything about him save myth and fantastical stories. They still believed in that old garlic nonsense, still thought that any idiot waving a cross could drive him back.
He smiled, thinking of a priest that had been nearby when he awoke. No, not even the so-called priest had been able to drive him back. Not even a flicker of fear. Faith was as rare as truth, it seemed. That suited him just fine - made getting rid of bodies that much easier.


She ran through her front door, turning and locking it with an audible sigh of relief. The pentacle inlaid in the door glowed a soft blue as the locks turned, reassuring her with its warm energy. She had created these spells herself, guided by the hands of Isis and Osiris themselves. Nothing of evil intent would ever be able to get through this door unless she invited it. With that thought, she snorted. That was as likely to happen as the sun rising in the west.

She pulled her dark sweater up over her head, folding it and laying it on the back of the chair. She reached behind her head, pulling her hair-tie out while walking into the house's center room, her inner sanctum. She went to the altar, lighting a stick of incense. The scent of jasmine filled the air as she lowered her head, hands clenched and placed together in front of her chest.

"Lady Isis, Mother of All, thank you for your protection this evening. Lord Osiris, Father of All, thank you for your protection this evening." She smiled, feeling their warm and caring energies descend upon her. They loved her, cared for her. She was a priestess of theirs, after all, from a line of such that extended back thousands of years.

She shuddered as she remembered the darkness outside. She had never been afraid of the dark... only of the menace that emanated from it occasionally. She wasn't sure what caused it, but tonight was the worst it had ever been. And she had known, as surely as if the Goddess herself had whispered in her ear, that she would not long survive against whatever it was.

Dante smiled, watching the girl move about her house. His stomach was full, his hunger for blood satiated. Now his curiousity needed to be sated. This girl was no weakling. The spells surrounding her house proved that. And the fact that two major gods were putting a direct hand into those spells was interesting. It was both a boon and a bane to her. She was no weakling, but she was certainly naive.

To have such strong deities place her under their protection would attract the attention of certain dark deities, just as powerful. And ancient enemies. Not that it mattered much to him. He served no deity. And he had the feeling most preferred it that way.

He slipped out of the tree, knowing he would have to move about in the day to get into her house. She would have to invite him. The spell on the house itself was too strong for him to break. It had surprised him, really. He hadn't met a witch that could cast such a complex spell without having had run-ins with his kind before. And the spell was perfectly laid, no loopholes. Perhaps this was her gods' hands in the pot... but he doubted it. They might have guided her, but there was no divine energy in the spell. It was all her.

At last, there was a challenge to his own power, a light to his dark, and it would only do for him to investigate such a creature. If she was bright enough... he just might take on a new student. Nothing would please him better.

And so he moved down the street - a dark figure with darker hair. And a darker purpose.

It was a place of warm, golden light. The trees whispered in the breeze as the girl sat between an oak's roots, reading a tattered book. She looked so innocent, so sweet. Dante almost felt sorry for coming into her life. Almost.
He studied her carefully, from a distance. He had been sure to cloak his presence this time, knowing she would recognize him if he didn't. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back, reflecting highlights of blue. Almost as if she had a head of raven feathers. Her skin was pale, but it didn't seem odd. It made her seem. doll-like. And her eyes, he could see them even from here. They were a lovely golden-brown, deep and swimming with hidden emotions and thoughts. She was a lovely creature, to that there was no doubt.
He shrugged, his hands in his pockets as he walked towards her, a smile curving his lips. It seemed shy, though warm. First to gain her trust. he had to be invited after all. And no witch in her right mind would invite someone rude into the home they lived in. "Hi. My name's Dante. what are you doing all by yourself?"

Sheyenne looked up, studying the boy in front of her. He was gorgeous, but that didn't mean anything. His jaw was clean and strong, his skin a honeyed color. His eyes were a deep green, and his hair was as dark as her own. Maybe he was Italian, or Greek.
"I'm studying." She watched him for a moment, closing the book. "Can I help you?" She pushed her hair away from her face, locking eyes with him.
"I'm new in town. just thought I should get to know the girl that lives down the street. You seemed more. open to outsiders." Dante smiled unsurely. He was inwardly crowing. This girl was a priestess, she would feel it was her duty to make sure the neighborhood treated him well.
Sheyenne frowned for a moment. "They haven't been welcoming?"
"Not really. oh, nothing horrible. I think it's just the fact that I'm new and no one knows me. You know, mysterious stranger and all that." Dante smiled, seating himself a proper distance from her. "You are the Priestess in this neighborhood, yes? Aren't you a little young?"
Sheyenne laughed. "I get that a lot. I'm older than I look. I'm 21. Besides, someone had to take over after my Mother passed. The neighborhood seems to like the arrangement. At least you aren't one of the naïve ones that moves in and assumes we're all crackpots." She placed the book on the ground and leaned back. "Yes, I'm the Priestess."
Dante smiled. "Of which gods?"
"Isis and Osiris, for the most part. Though I work with anyone's if they need a little help here and there. Why are you so curious?"
"Well, a man has to study too you know. It's a lovely day, and you picked the best spot to sit for a good read. Anything interesting to study around here?"

Sealiah

Sheyenne returned home with a smile that evening. She shook her head and entered her sanctuary, immediately getting attacked by the little gray horror that she called Fury. "Fury! Are you hungry baby?" She scooped the little charcoal kitten up, cooing at it. "I met the new guy down the street. He's really smart, Fury. I think you might like him."
She frowned as the kitten laid its ears back, pawing at her face. "No? Well, you haven't even met him yet. You can't judge before you meet a person." She chuckled, cuddling the kitten to her as she walked towards the kitchen.

Again he was sitting in this tree, and again he was watching her. Oh yes. this one would make a fine student indeed. Breaking such a creature would be one of his greatest accomplishments. And Isis could be damned, she hadn't done anything for him lately.
Dante chuckled, watching the girl move about her kitchen. The cat would take special attention. a guardian sent by Bast herself. Amusing. Things were definitely looking up in this day and age. He leapt down from the tree limb, not a leaf stirring. A cold wind ran up the front steps of the door as he looked at it, and he felt the stirring of protective magics.

"I'll be back. don't you worry. And I'll be invited. Oh how you will squirm, little spirits." Dante's evil snicker whispered through the night. A swirl of leaves raced after his feet, but he was already gone.


They laughed as she pointed out the flaws in his design. "If you leave it open like this, then what you are attempting is pointless. Anything can get in with a loop like that." Sheyenne chuckled at the look on his face. "Oh don't worry, no one gets it perfect on their first try. Stop looking so surprised that I saw it."

Dante closed his mouth, not mentioning that he was surprised she saw it. No other witch had ever caught the loop before. odd. He frowned, quietly redrawing the design for a maze of protection. "How's this?" He sounded pensive, but he knew it was perfect. He'd had years to perfect the arts, and he knew no matter how gifted she was, she would find no flaw in this one. Even gods could not wriggle their way through a non-existant crack.

Sheyenne looked at the drawing quietly, amazed at how quickly he caught on. She had never seen a new student attempt such complex matters as mazes, but here this man was. and he seemed to be a natural for it. Instantly grasping concepts of magic that had taken other students years. It was as if he was her male counterpart, which part of her found disturbing. She pushed the thought away, smiling at him through the rays of bright sunshine. "It's perfect. What made you do it this way?"

"It just seemed like it should be like that." Dante scratched his head and smiled sheepishly before shrugging. "I work on instinct a lot." :You have no idea how much.: He chuckled inwardly, watching as she came to terms with having such a student. "What is your favorite study, M'lady?"

Sheyenne blinked, a bit surprised by the way Dante could turn conversations around, learning small bits about a person at a time. She had the strangest feeling he did it on purpose, able to put the pieces together and know more about a person than the person would be comfortable with. Well, she had nothing to hide. "Oh, I like to study everything. But at the moment, I'm studying energy flow." She smiled, thinking of her garden. "I'm working on rerouting the energies in my backyard for a balanced garden. It's more challenging than I thought it would be."

"Do you want any help? Maybe we can learn from each other?" Dante smiled up at her hopefully. "I'll even make dinner, if you want. Scout's honor." He ducked his head, looking for all the world like a cute little boy. Sheyenne laughed, patting his head before she could think about it.

"I'd love the company. And my cat will want to meet you anyways. He's jealous, you taking up all my time lately."

:I bet: Dante smiled, standing up and handing her his paper. "Here, you keep this. It's in my head, I don't need it." He grinned as she quietly took the paper, her eyes lighting up. "When would you like me over?"

"Tonight? About 8 o'clock?" She smiled at him, glancing at her watch. "Oh, I'm running late. I need to run.. see you then?" "Of course." Dante waved to her as she ran off, his mouth practically watering. :And so it begins. at 8 o'clock:

Altree94

And you call this a "rough" work???? Doesn't need too much touching up that I can see! Love it, it's got me wanting more, more, more!