Dusty Pages

Tides of May

2008-06-02T11:14:57Z

The wine of life keeps oozing, drop by drop,
The leaves of life keep falling, one by one.
- Edward Fitzgerald

18^th May

1:47am

The Undercity

Canberra

She stands over the broken form of the animal that had been Jimmy, blood pounding in her ears, chest heaving, muscles flexing, hands twitching with exhilaration.

Pain.

Fear.

Possibility.

19^th May

9:30pm

The Comfort Inn

Exeter

Fever.

Tossing.

Dark dreams.

Ash’s hand cool on her face, her voice gentle, soothing, but miles away.

“It’s going to be alright, Luci.”

20^th May

8pm

QVB Underground Carpark

Sydney

The burqua itches on her skin, rubs at her wounds, making her hiss air through her teeth.

“Nothing that bad happened. No-one died. Sometimes things just happen, that’s all.”

21^st May

7:30pm

The Kishiro Retreat

Katoomba

Britannia’s eyes, dark with concern.

“What happened to you?”

“Drink your tea.”

22^nd May

10pm

The Kishiro Retreat

Katoomba

Cold mountain water splashes over her skin, bracing.

A gasp.

Pain.

Peace.

27^th May

2am

The Mansion

Sydney

She hits the ground with a gasp, coughs up a lump of flesh.

Vision red.

“Get up.”

The Ancient’s eyes are hard and unforgiving, features carved in ice. Golden in the moonlight, bare to the waist. Muscles sculpted from bronze, slick with the bloodsweat of their exertions.

Godlike.

Awe.

A foot in her ribs, hard.

She bounces, once.

A gasp.

Pain.

“Get up. I thought I saw something rare in you. Don’t prove me wrong. “

He hates to be wrong.

“Get up.”

29^th May

8:30pm

The Mansion

Sydney

She hits the ground hard on her hands and knees and side.

Jarring impact.

Pain runs jagged through her body and mind.

It only hurts.

She gets up.

31^st May

11:57pm

The Mansion

Sydney

He hits the ground, twitching.

Arches his back.

Gasps.

“Damnable childe, what did you do to me?”

She smiles.

Flexes her fingers.

Power.

1^st June

7pm

The Marriot on Hyde Park

Sydney

She kneels.

Naked in the dark.

The marks Jimmy left on her are finally beginning to heal.

But only in the meat.

Body of flame, heart of ice.

Time to be invisible.

Red locks hit the floor.

“We are such things as nightmares are made of.”

With the battle-lines drawn, which way will you turn?

2008-03-10T03:48:40Z

I tried to give you warning,
But everyone ignores me -
I told you everything, loud and clear,
But nobody's listening.
I call to you so clearly,
But you don't want to hear me -
I told you everything, loud and clear,
But nobody's listening.
- Linkin Park, Nobody's Listening

The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Canberra
9th of March, 2008

Alone in her hotel room, Lucinde shook with fear. The opulent surroundings of her penthouse suite offered her no comfort, and she wished only to feel arms around her, or a voice that would understand.

She heard again Aaron speak the words, I have nurtured an adder at my breast, saw again the look of shock and pain on Victor’s face as the bolt transfixed him, bursting through his chest, little pieces of him still thredded on the sharp, bloodied tip of it.

Thought of her own words to It, thin and hollow; Some of us can never go home.

Remembered, once more, Richard’s voice echoing, You must stand with me as his eyes burned into her own, his look challenging, almost accusatory, as the others turned and followed his gaze. Felt the words she’d been desperate to say, to make him understand, choke and lodge in her throat. Heard herself say nothing at all.

She’d left Ash asleep in her bed in Sydney, stroked her soft, grey fur gently as she’d hurried away, leapt from the window to avoid risking her departure being noticed by Ultionis or any of the others. Felt the bones crunch beneath her on landing, felt the sharp, stabbing pain climb blood-red up into her mind and, reluctantly, she’d spent the blood to heal herself, gotten to her feet and ran.

Ash had too many other things to worry about.

She’d gone looking for Jimmy, and she’d even found him, but he was concerned only with enjoying the company of his lady-friend, that dark-haired beauty who’d looked at her with narrowed eyes, and of dancing his own pain and fears away.

To whom, then, could she speak?

For the first time since she had relocated to Sydney, Lucinde felt truly and painfully alone. Acutely aware of the volatile nature of the fears she carried, she hugged herself and sobbed.

Who would listen, and not judge her?

Who would keep her secrets safe?

Reluctantly, she picked up a pen, and began to write.

With regard, to Brother Simon, Priest of the Sanctuary of the Spear, called the Wicked;

If what I have heard is true, then the seal of the confessional is upon you, and you may repeat no confidence that you hear.

There are a great many dark thoughts that weigh on my mind, crying out for release.

I wish to confess.

Will you meet with me?

I am,

Lucinde De Béthune

Childe of Jean-Baptiste Charles de Béthune

Childe of Maxwell Van Dycke

Childe of Francisca de Graaf

Childe of Victor Andersén de Sénancourt

She laid aside her pen, wiped the inkstains from her fingers, and melted the wax onto the seal of the letter, trying to ignore the cold fear that settled in her breast, and the voice that whispered in the back of her mind, telling her she’d just offered the Devil her soul.

Wilful Poetry

2008-01-31T22:41:49Z

Under the sun and beneath the trees
You gave me a kiss, as light as a breeze
That moment was golden, we two bathed in light
And then the years stole over us both.

But my supine heart was fast deceived
Taken by the demon Hope, and now his brother Dismay
For those tresses I'd entwined with briar-rose leaves
That brow I'd have crowned with gold laurel wreathes
Those sweet lips that laughed, whispered, kissed, spoke and breathed
Now seem so very far away.

Under the sun and beneath the trees
There's a mound in the ground, little more than a crease
The sunlight there's golden, where the wild kits fight
Unchecked, the briar-rose grows.

[OOC] Cross Posted To miss_madb: Triumphantly, I return!

2008-01-15T00:05:51Z

Well, it's been nine months (since playing, not since posting) of radio silence, give or take.
On Saturday night, I started playing my little, shy, neglected Lucinde again (page is http://www.cam-wiki.org/Lucinde_De_B%C3%A8thune ) and so far, it seems to be better. I am learning that I must adjust my idea of 'a good game' in order to play her, as a good game used to be one where I wheeled and dealed, and clambered roughshod over the top of people to get a rung further up the ladder, possibly kicking the person below me discreetly off as I climbed. But this character is bound, both by concept, nature, and IC sanctions, not to get involved in political intrigue, ever. Which means that now a good game for me is one where I get to talk to lots of people, and learn academically interesting stuff. It's pure RP, now; no power-gaming for me.
It's taking a little adjustment, but so far I'm managing alright, although it is interesting to run with a completely different crowd, and actually be approachable and nice.
Yes, nice. Friendly, personable, sweetly spoken, winsome, with no apparent agenda.
Notice I don't say good.
Vampires can be nice, but they should never be good.
Very important distinction, there.

I am also really playing up Status, with this character. She's very Tradition-minded, and is in awe of more powerful or older Kindred, which I do reflect in my play. She also responds visibly - in my opinion, more people need to play this because currently these powers mean nothing - to the use of social Disciplines on her. If you use Awe on her, she's going to flush, quicken her breathing (ah, habits of the high Humanity character ^_-), nibble her lip, stare in your eyes and be near-desperate to please you. If you apply any Nightmare power in interactions with her, she is going to tremble, avert her eyes, draw in on herself and attempt to get away from you as quickly as possible. None of this makes her a wimp, however; she's a proud Ventrue (oh, what the Hell, she's actually a Ventrue supremicist, there, I said it) and she has the same stiff upper lip and healthy dose of spine that the Clan is known for - she can't simply be used or abused, not unless you're very clever about how you do it, and the fact that she visibly reacts to Discipline use doesn't take away her free will or her ability to say no, or leave a conversation, either. It just makes it a little more of an effort of will for her to do so.
I believe the term to apply would be vulnerable but not stupid.

I suspect she's going to be an enormous challenge for me, but I'm going to try to see it through this time. Thanks in advance to all the people, with characters of all different power levels, who are going to be awesome enough to interact with her, use her abilities, give her assignments, befriend her, try to screw her over and otherwise make my game better.

I love you all and there's nothing you can do about it. ^_^

Cryptic Headspace Post

2007-06-08T04:42:00Z

Women, I say are beautiful in change
Remote, immortal, like the moon they range
Or call my pain a skirmish in the whole
Tremendous conflict between body and soul

Meaning must lie, some beauty surely dwell
In the fierce depths and the uttermost pits of Hell
Yet still I seek, month after month, in vain
Meaning and beauty in recurrent pain