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Post by Arai on Jan 27, 2008 22:35:47 GMT -5
He came one step closer, but Arai was caught in his eyes, unable to move, frozen in that intense emerald gaze. One part of her mind spun into a crazy spiral, wondering what he would do. His body, his face, his presence so near was overwhelming. As much as she hated to admit it, he wanted to kiss her. Wanted to be with her. And that scared her. Scared her to death even more than him being a vampire. But thankfully he stopped, a longing in his eyes, thankfully not leaning closer, not forcing her to kiss him. The emotions in her whirled around dizzingly, confusing her. It was strange, these feelings, and she wondered what they meant. It could not be love, could not be any feelings for him. Shaking her head once he was gone, she dispelled the feelings. They were nothing. She sorted through the clothes, looking for anything appealing, anything that would fit her.
Walking down the stairs, she was far from stealthy. The old wood creaked and shrieked at her weight, announcing her entrance to the downstairs. She descended, looking around for Jasper and the doctor. Her shirt, a pale emerald, complimented her reddish hair. It hung loosely on her slender frame, leading down to a slightly long pair of dark blue jeans. They were the smallest she could find, but they were still a few sizes too big. She held them up with a slender black belt, though it was concealed by the edge of the shirt. He had said work called him. She didn't want to disturb that. Her sensitive hearing picked up slight tinkering noises from a side room. They were probably in there. Sitting in the chair that Jasper had rested in the night before, she held his shirt loosely, gazing at the shining metal of the cage she had awoken in. What had happened last night? Putting Jasper's shirt over the back of the chair, she just sat there, the weariness suddenly overwhelming. A drugged sleep did not mean a restful night. Slowly, the small sounds of life in the background, she drifted into a light uneasy sleep.
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Post by Jasper on Jan 27, 2008 23:04:05 GMT -5
Jasper and the doc busied themselves, bickering over the formula and muttering to themselves. Jasper sat on his stool and pressed a thumb and a forefinger to the upper bridge of his nose deep in thought. They were trying to come up with a formula that if taken by a vampire would cure most of the unwanted effects of vampirism. It would revolutionize how vampires were thought of, they would lose their sensitivity to sunlight and allergies to garlic and repulse to crosses. However this formula wouldn't cure the bloodsucking tendencies it would help satiate the blood lust. The doctor finally slapped his hands down on the cold metal table top as the chemicals bubbles in their flasks. "Okay, I'm stopping for the day lad. I need some sleep. Lets pick up on this tomorrow." Jasper nodded, understanding, and slowly opened his eyes and relaxed. He clapped a hand to his back and shuffled off down the stairs to his bedroom. "Night," Jasper called after him. He ran a hand through his thick dark locks and sighed. His brain was fried and his eyes ached from stress and prying thought. The thought popped into his head- Arai.. He'd forgotten all about her. "Sh*t," he mumbled.
"Arai?" He called softly, knowing her sensitive hearing would pick it up if she was close by. Jasper padded out of the room in his bare feet, still shirtless and muscles rippling with every movement. His forest green eyes roved over the empty hall and across into the kitchen. Soft steady breathing reached his ears. Jasper went into the exam room where Arai had been kept the night before, creeping in as not to wake her. The vampire stood before her, seeing her angelic sleeping face he smiled down on her. Gently he reached over and brushed a tuft of auburn hair from her face and traced her jaw with his thumb. His stance was solid and protective, but his hands gentle like handing fine china. A rolling doctor's stool lazed close by, Jasper sat down on it slowly and pulled it over close to her chair as her chest steadily rose and fell in the stupor of sleep. He put his elbows on his knees and propped his head on his balled fists gazing over her with a watchdog's careful eye. Whoever unwelcome who so entered this room would feel the wrath of Jasper for threatening to disturb the beauty that slumbered softly by his hand.
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Post by Arai on Jan 27, 2008 23:21:26 GMT -5
Unaware of the presence of the vampire, Arai slept on. Curled up in a slight fetal position, her hands were tightly held against her chest, protectively holding herself. Her brow was slightly furrowed as she dreampt, eyes shut tightly. Inside her head thoughts swirled like butterflies in a hurricane, passing too quickly for her to dwell upon them.
She was back in the base....the men were beating her again, drawing blood fast and hard. Her hands, as she lifted them to cover her face, were drenched in slippery blood - her blood. Whimpering, trying to get away, she couldn't do anything. Shapeless figures beat at her, grabbed at her, hurt her. Then one face broke through, emerging from the darkness, grinning down at her malevolently. 'Hello Arai,' the gruesome figure of the man said, 'time for you to finish what you started.'
In real life she just curled tigher, whimpering slightly as the bad dreams rolled over her as they did every night. A single silver tear dropped down her face, pooling on her curled hand. The dreams meant she could never forget, could never be safe again.
They were looking for her. She ran, trying to hide. But there was no shelter here. Wolves chased her, fangs dripping with fresh blood. Bodies lay around her: Pete, Namir, Jason. They were gruesomely ripped apart, bone showing white through the crimson, faced staring horrified at the gray skies.
As these dreams continued she became more restless, shifting around in the chair, brow furrowed and eyes moving rapidly behind tightly shut lids. She did not know she was safe, for the world deep in her mind did not recognize safety. Her greatest fear was her mind, her memories that slowly dragged her down to a horrible fate. This was what made life the most difficult. Arai would never forget.
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Post by Jasper on Jan 28, 2008 18:36:17 GMT -5
Jasper's face hardened in concern. Her dreams seemed so troubling, he could tell from the way she wrinkled up her face. He reached out a hand and gently stroked her face, trying to calm her. Nothing worked as her dreams seemed to grow more intense. "Arai, love, wake up. Its okay..." he murmured in soothing tones. Jasper's deep voice hummed and purred trying to lull her away from whatever bothered her. For a while he tried, keeping at arms length and only occasionally touching her. It was impossible to penetrate her painful dreams, it seemed. Jasper wanted to be closer to her, and to see her in Bella's clothes only urged those feelings back into the light. Arai struggled and Jasper began to run out of things to do and grew frustrated with feeling helpless. Even though he was reluctant, he slid off of his stool and slipped his hands under Arai and gently lifted her from the soft leather of the easy chair. Her head flopped against his shoulder as he lowered into the seat and pulled her on top of him. He held her with the caring nature that you would a child, cradling her in his uncovered well muscled arms. The vampire had yet to put his shirt back on, but now wouldn't move to do so; what he held in his arms was far too important at the moment. Arai's face twitched and scrunched and his forest green eyes scanned her soft features. Jasper grew worried and stroked her hair with his long calloused fingers. He brushed his lips on top of her head planting a light kiss and hoping that she'd be okay. Jasper brought his other arm around her securely and closed his eyes to rest.
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Post by Arai on Jan 29, 2008 15:19:38 GMT -5
Unaware of the hands that attempted to sooth her troubled mind, Arai twitched and muttered a bit, disturbed by the thoughts and images that haunted her every day and night. She would never escape them, it seemed, and no relief was forthcoming. She was no longer in the safe house, no longer with Jasper and the doctor. She was trapped in a world of darkness and death, doomed to suffer more with every night. Even before her shift to lycanism Arai was occasionally troubled with nightmares. Being a generally kind hearted person, she felt deeply, and as such sometimes let the troubles of others become her own. An unhealthy habit, but one she could not help. Slowly she overcame the suffocating feelings, but then they all resurfaced tenfold that fateful camping trip. Waking up, Jason dead, stomach lacerated, she had fallen into a deep depression. That wasn't helped at all upon the coming of the full moon. Forced from her home, Arai suffered more deeply every time her eyes closed, unable to vanquish the growing violence in her nature and the brutality of the underworld. Vaguely she realized she was being picked up, and awoke just barely. Eyes fluttering open, she stirred, turning in his arms, and then settled again, nestled against him. "Jason?" she murmured lightly, still lost in her strange world of thought. Exhausted, she soon fell back into a deep slumber, though this one was sightly more peaceful. Arai had the strange sensation of calm as her cheek rested against his chest. His cool skin quelled her nightmares, vanquishing them as, for the first time in months, Arai began to sleep peacefully, her features relaxing until her forehead smoothed and her breathing came soft and steady. And then Arai did something she hadn't done in ages. Tucking her arms against her chest, she snuggled into his arms, a slight smile forming on her face, just resting curled against his strong chest. For once Arai was at peace.
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Post by Jasper on Jan 29, 2008 21:14:15 GMT -5
Jasper tucked her head under his chin and sighed pulling her close as she snuggled against him. All this running had worn him out. Not just running from the night, but running for the past ninety years. His mind was flustered with all of the memories and the sudden events. Holding a woman like this felt so nice.. The warmth of her body pressed against his and he wished that he could offer the same comfort back with at least the rhythmic pumping of a heartbeat. Like many other things he couldn't offer her that. He pulled her close just as she murmured someone's name. Jason.. Jason? He cracked a pale eyelid open and peered down at her soft auburn hair. Who was Jason? Maybe he, like Diorah, had been a spouse of the past or someone special to her. He must be if he was being mistaken for him. In reply he kissed the top of her head and replied, "I'll always be here for you, Arai," as softly as he could. There was still much to discover about this mysterious woman that lay in his arms and maybe one day he would be able to unlock all that she kept guarded. With Arai he knew, this would be a long time if it happened at all. Jasper took a deep breath in to soothe himself and closed his eyes again. At least now he could see her like this and not be afraid of dismemberment, had she been lucid it could potentially be a different story. The house was still and silent, nothing stirred except for the human's gentle, sleepy breathing. Jasper smiled, not remembering the last time that things had been like this. His mind stilled in response to the silence and for a few seconds if only for a few seconds he wished he could sleep and recharge this century old mind and be able to give a woman what she wanted, a seemingly human husband.
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Post by Arai on Jan 31, 2008 16:09:54 GMT -5
Slumbering peacefully, the two slept the late morning and afternoon away. Being creatures of the night was tiring. Arai still slept peacefully, eyes shut, sleeping past the dreams. She had fallen into that state of sleep where no dreams reached her, only a deep contentment as she finally allowed her body to rejuvanate again. It had been long since she had felt fully rested. Unaware of who held her, all she knew was that she liked it. Her mind, had she been awake, would have cut off these thoughts long before she realized them. Arai was not anxious to be hurt again, and attatching her heart to someone would only assure the likelihood of that happening. Around four in the afternoon Arai awoke somewhat out of the heavy sleep, entering a state where she could awaken at any time. But she was not so willing to do so, not comfortable and safe like this, and so she dozed on, semiconscious, not awake enough to realize who held her or where she was. Peacefully she cuddled closer, her cheek brushing against his bare chest, her breathing slow and gentle. Were any to enter it would appear as if the two were lovers. The tall and lean Jasper, hair dark as ebony and skin white as ivory, holding the petite Arai, her flame colored hair contrasting sharply with his pallor, tucked close to his heart though it did not beat.
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Post by Jasper on Feb 4, 2008 18:17:42 GMT -5
Jasper sat there thinking, mulling over all of the twists and turns in his life. He hadn't slept in over 80 years. He hadn't taken a wound that was so intense that it would've killed a human instantly since then. Jasper had hung back in the shadows, keeping a low profile lifestyle so that he may never make himself known again to the hunters. His memories pulled him back, they lidded his eyes into a peaceful trance and he once again lived in the occurrences of yesteryear...
The year was 1920 and the club was in full swing as the night approached the midnight hour. Trumpets and saxophones wuzzed and chimed along in chorus with the others as Jasper sat in the corner keeping up the quick, steady beat with the cello. He plucked the strings, tapping his foot while the couples on the floor did a swing. The men picked their dates up and swung them through their legs and across their hips and picked up with the happy, busy rhythm of the brass band. Jasper got into the music as the couples crowded even thicker onto the floor and laughter echoed through the air coupled with the clank of champagne glasses. The smell of all the humans so close made him thrive to be one of them again, and he was caught up in the movement of the crowd. He glanced up from his cello and caught a slender red haired woman being twirled steadily on her feet. All he could see was a whoosh of red and the white folds of her satin dress as she was taken around the floor. He gazed for hours, it felt like, memorizing every bit of her that he could catch in a glance. The light seemed to be independently following around her, illuminating her and only her and pushing the rest of the crowd into the darkness for their beauty didn't match hers. He stared a moment too long because her date stopped her twirl and twisted into her date's chest and she noticed Jasper's stare. The pale golden eyes looked up and found his through the crowd of people, and gave the sweetest most beautiful smile that ever graced an angel. With that smile Jasper's fingers fumbled on the wire strings of the cello and his heart became hers...
Jasper flinched at the memory and his heart ached with sorrow. The small form in his arms scrunched closer to him and pressed against his chest. In response his arms tightened around her and his eyes opened. It was as if Diorah was laying in his arms again, her radiance was a match for the angel that he first laid eyes on on the dance floor at the jazz club, but some small voice in the back of his head told him that this wasn't Diorah. This was Arai, and they were two different people. Jasper scolded himself for being so foolish as to think she would love him as Diorah had all those years ago. But why did his heart burn with the same passion that it had when he'd seen her? His mind argued back and forth and the vampire glanced around. It was twighlight, the safest time for vampires. He stroked the auburn hair out of Arai's delicate face, brushing the hair back from the scar with his cool fingers. Softly he traced her cheek and gazed into her face. Even if it wasn't the face of his late wife, it was still the face of an angel..
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Post by Arai on Feb 5, 2008 23:28:40 GMT -5
The touch on her cheek brought back pleasant memories, and it was as if she had been transported back to the time before all this madness had started. Like Jasper she too had one she cared about. Jason....how she missed him. Even now her face took on an almost imperceptible change, the lines on her face somehow becoming more solemn, more thoughtful. She slipped into a dream, or more like a memory, of what was and could never be again.
It was the end of spring, the week before school would truly let out. Arai and her group of friends had plans, many plans, for what they would do this year. They were juniors, the group of them, and this was their last true summer of freedom. With the senior year would come college applications and jobs to help pay for college. Though her parents had money enough to send her, Arai was still going to get a job. Her dad insisted upon it, said that everyone must learn to work for their money. She complied happily. Arai adored her father, and if he said it then it must be true. As she walked to her locker, a laugh on her lips, she caught sight of someone through the crowd. Small in stature, the dark haired boy walked silently along, no friends calling to him. He was in her math class, she remembered, as well as in english. Jason was his name. Arai smiled at him as he went to the locker two doors down. He was not really anyone in the social status; not popular like her, yet not among the teased. He was one who slipped in between. They talked sometimes, during English, for they sat next to each other and as such were often paired in group activities. He was nice. Arai smiled at him softly as he looked up, their eyes meeting. His blue eyes, such a strange blueberry color, met her pale amber ones. The smile seemed to embolden him, for he came over and tenatively asked her to the prom. Arai had other offers, to be sure, yet for some reason she had denied the captain of the football team and the prep boys and all the others. Yet between these two, between Jason and Arai, something clicked. She accepted. The rest was history.
Their happiness had not lasted. He was gone now, and in a way she was too. The girl Jason had known was gone, lost somewhere in the strange human/wolf body. She hated this new self, this alien that took over her gentle nature, that made her hated by those who did not know her. Arai had always been the popular one; making friends came easily to her. But there were few friends now. Only other lycans. And maybe one vampire. A cool soothing touch traced her face, and her eyelashes fluttered, her face confused. Waking up in someone's arms was a strange experience, and in her state of befuddled doziness she did not protest. Her golden eyes merely met his emerald green ones, gazing passively up at him.
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Post by Jasper on Feb 9, 2008 10:51:30 GMT -5
The sleeping Arai in his arms had obviously not fully taken on the effect of the situation. Jasper was practically waiting for a shocked, disgusted look to dawn on her face and for her to start screeching. He suddenly felt slightly embarrassed at being caught, and if a vampire could blush he probably would have slightly flushed. "I'm sorry..." he said in a low tone, "You started to worry me. You're a very restless sleeper." Even though he felt exposed he didn't remove his protective hold on Arai's slight frame, but kept still as he gazed down into her half sleepy eyes. His cool fingers traced her warm soft feminine flesh so barely that it was almost a tickle. In the back of his mind he wondered what now. He obviously wanted to protect Arai and stand by her at any cost what so ever; but something seemed to be holding her back. Something seemed to be as if they shouldn't be together, but at the same time they should. Whatever that means, he thought. Now, to only enjoy what time they had, that was what mattered.
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Post by Arai on Feb 9, 2008 10:57:46 GMT -5
"I don't sleep well," Arai found herself saying, "nightmares." Strangely she did not do anything at the present to escape from the arms. Maybe it was because she didn't feel caught. Somehow she was perfectly content to just sit here being held. It didn't ever happen in the life she led now, this pleasant sort of dozy laziness. Blinking a bit owlishly, she just looked at him, at those caring green eyes staring down at her. It was strange that he hadn't left her long ago, back when she tried to kill him. "Why are you still here?" she asked, her pale amber eyes filled with curiousity. Most would have left long ago. This Jasper was a strange vampire; nothing like the stories that Pete and Namir told of bloodthirsty killers who lived to hurt others and inflict pain. Maybe, like lycans, there was more to the race. But still they were supposed to be mortal enemies. Yet Arai didn't feel like an enemy to Jasper at all. She felt more like a strange sort of friend.
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Post by Jasper on Feb 9, 2008 16:32:19 GMT -5
Well wasn't that a loaded question. Jasper had a hard time finding which answer to pick while Arai's inquisitive gaze fell upon him. "Well.." Most women liked honesty right? He had no reason to lie to her, it was just that he didn't want to scare her off. "You remind me of someone. And I don't easily give up on people, I can be rather stubborn." She got the truth, and she should take it as she wished and asked questions if she may. Hopefully that didn't cross over any boundaries, women were always having unseen boundaries. "Why haven't you taken off yet?" Truthfully it was surprising that she hadn't told him to hit the road or ran off in a desperate attempt to escape the clutches of the scary vampire. Well, she had dropped hints that she didn't exactly need his company, but like he'd said, he was stubborn.
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Post by Arai on Feb 9, 2008 18:26:16 GMT -5
Arai cocked her head at that. She wondered who she reminded him of. Must have been someone important, the way he looked at her. In a way it made her uncomfortable; his eyes looked at her with somehting akin to hunger. But Arai trusted that Jasper wouldn't eat her, for he had just saved her life twice before. But why hadn't she left? Honestly she didn't quite know. "Well," Arai said with a small laugh, "you had food here. I don't get steady meals, so I eat whenever I get the chance." So those were the logical reasons, anyway. She wasn't sure of the personal reasons, though. She realized as she shook off the last traces of sleepiness that she was still in his arms. Why was she still here in this moment? He wasn't threatening to her, and somehow she felt as if she didn't want to leave. So she didn't. Not yet.
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Post by Jasper on Feb 11, 2008 7:53:58 GMT -5
So he was being used. That was the only logical explanation for Arai to have stayed is because she wasn't financially taken care of. "Where do you go?" Jasper pictured her sleeping under a bridge somewhere in a cardboard box. He couldn't stay here and leave her to the cold, but somehow he wondered if he would only ever be with him because of what he could offer her. If the only way that he could get her love was to bribe her. While part of him groaned at the thought and cursed it, the other considered it. Would he let her go when the time came? "I mean... Do you have anywhere to go? I don't want you wandering around out there and something happen." Jasper continued, "Everyone deserves a roof over their head and a warm bed to sleep in." His gaze was steady on her as his thoughts swirled and blended together in the recesses of his mind. "I mean, we have extra room here..." Oh god. Did that just slip out... Dread filled his belly, she would certainly hit him now. He didn't want to smother her, or try to convince her she was incapable but now she would probably take that the wrong way or thing they're moving at a different pace. Jasper smiled down at her lovingly, letting his dark curly locks frame his face. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea, just only get a hint of what he felt.
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Post by Arai on Feb 11, 2008 9:42:12 GMT -5
Great. Now she had gotten him into protective mode. Maybe she should have put that more diplomatically. But now she had a choice. She really couldn't lie to him and say that she was all alone in the big bad world. Arai did have the Den, but that was back in America. She had come here on some pretense of trying to find other lycans. In reality she just had to get away to think. It was sheerly bad luck that she had not been able to get a flight back before the full moon. The other den members hadn't been that worried; maybe if she bit someone there would be new lycans to train. But she had never let on to them how uncontrollable she was. It embarassed her a bit, to be older than most of them lycan-wise yet not have control. Look at Pete, who could already change into a wolf when he wanted. So could Namir, and yet she was stuck just living the month out, waiting until she was a monster again. It was probably time to tell them. Maybe they could help her regain control. But now the concern was on the matter at hand. His smile meant that he meant the words in the best way possible. Still, she was no stranger to the fact that Jasper liked her, for some reason, and not just as a friend either. "I have a place," Arai said a bit defensively. She just failed to mention that it was in the Americas. "Besides, I have gathered that a lot of vampires come here. It would not be best for my kind to stay here." That statement brought her to the realization that she was lying in the arms of someone who was supposed to be enemy #1. So she struggled out, rolling over until her feet hit the floor, her cheeks a bit flushed. The other lycans would die if they knew she had been here with Jasper.
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