tampered | Log: Complete

Current Mood: predatory

Log: Complete

When: July 4, evening
Rating: Teen for vampire content
Characters: Rue [

sinfulpride]
Summary:
Log:

He had seen her on the network, but it was not until he chose to attend the ballet that she truly captured his notice. The girl was exquisite, skilled in her art and as beautiful as anything he had ever drawn to the night--red eyes, dark hair, pale skin. She was also well-loved, and that excited him. It was a special challenge to take a woman from the happiness of lovers, friends and marriage, to show her how much more he could offer.

More than that, Dracula sensed another side to the girl, one that was capable of the cruelty he required of his servants and his brides. He wanted to awaken that darkness and enjoy it for himself. He watched her, he planned for her, and when he was ready, he went to her with ravens in his wake.

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Why did she have to move utility to the cellar? She was the Princess and prima donna, not some first year beginner. But, Rue understood Professor Cat trusted in her sense of order to find a proper shelf for the remains of The Tempest production in a brown box heavy enough to be carried with her two hands.

She turned on the lights from the staircase and descended carefully. Eletrical power was still a novelty, no matter how much time she lived in the City, the oil lamps was her idea of modern light source. The atmosphere down the Opera House was darker, the air felt heavier and the shadows cast some bad jokes in the residents' eyes.

Rue was used to live in darkness, she was raised by it, nurtured by the very root in her world, but she had chosen the light no matter how unafraid she was of moving among the shadows.

Ah, there she was. Dracula smiled to himself as Rue moved deeper into the cellar. It was dark enough for his purposes in the corner where he waited, and he knew that her attention would fall on him before too long. The beasts he had summoned to accompany him would be certain of that. One was perched on a shelf just at the edge of the shadows. It raised its wings and ruffled its feathers at Rue's approach before it hunkered back down on its perch. The cellar was not a natural place for the birds to be, but they were well within his control now and would do precisely as he directed. Though he could take her without their help, it amused him to have the ravens at hand. He wanted to draw her too him rather than launch an indelicate assault.

Shadows cast funny visions to the people who venture in the basement of an old building like the Opera House. The noises coming from the ancient furniture fooled the minds into thinking them real. That was what Rue firmly believed as she continued her journey to look for a suitable room where to put the box in the seemly endless maze of what were more Mister Erik's domains.

The shadow of unfolded wings ruffling cast in the wall, just in front of her eyes made her heart stop and her breath contained.

"What?!"

Impossible! Slowly, Rue looked at the direction where the shadow was cast from. Perched inside a room was a black bird, unmistakeably a raven. She dropped the box to her feet, paralyzed in fear, her legs trembled. A raven in the cellar! Why?! Did it belong to her world or was just some common, no magical bird without connection to darkness? She reminded herself of Matthew. He was a reasonable good fellow for a raven.

Her chest felt heavier, but Rue did not let that dread invade her. Narrowing her red eyes, she ventured inside the room, ready to shoo the bird.

The door closed abruptly behind her. It startled the bird into letting forth a cry and cutting in front of Rue to find another perch further from the source of the noise. Dracula's anticipation built as he slipped through the shadows to stand behind her, between his victim and the exit.

It was so simple to play on people's fears. He would have found the exercise boring after so many years, save for the fact that no one person experienced fear in the same way. He saw now that he had been right in choosing the ravens to accompany him. He had only to wait for the girl to seek escape, and then the true game would begin.

She heard the door shut behind her and then had the raven crawing and flying at her face. Dread overtook her mind, in a way only carefully played fear displayed in her. She protected her face and tried to walk backwards.

"Get out! Get out!" she screamed at the raven until he found a new perch to stay. After that, she removed her hands from her face and saw shadows all around her. Her breathing became shallow, almost panting for air. Slowly turning around, she decided it was a good point to leave immediately.

"Are you having difficulties, my dear?" Dracula asked smoothly. "The bird won't harm you. Neither will its companions." A lantern came to life in his hand, and he set the small box of pin-holed metal on a nearby shelf. The feeble, wavering light brought warmth to his visage that was not in truth there. True to habit, he had come to Rue dressed in a gentleman's attire, and adopted the gentleman's mien to match.

"However, if you are afraid, perhaps I can help you ... "

Startled, Rue spotted the man, going paler than her usual fair complexion. Who was this man and what was he doing inside the Opera House? Her pulse rate increased. Another of Earl Cain's psychopath's enemies? Her expression became stern and guarded.

"It would be great help if you remove yourself from my exit!" she said, watching him closely, in case he approached. She wasn't some damsel, she could defend herself. "Why are you here? Did you bring those ravens with you? Why?!"

Dracula chuckled softly as he brushed his gloves clean of loose dust from the lantern. This was delightful. He was tempted to prolong the game over a series of days, but with the loss of Katou, he desired another to do his bidding. Renfield was out of the question since Mrs. Harker had taken him in, as was Ms. Westenra ... at least for now. No, it would be far better to take the girl tonight. "Forgive my rudeness. I am Dracula, and the ravens are here because I summoned them. They're lovely creatures. Wouldn't you agree?"

Rue tilted her head, scrutinizing him with her piercing eyes. She could see in darkness without the lantern, just like the eyes of a raven could or maybe a black swan in her case.

"We have spoken once or twice. I have also spoken to another of you, the one who lamented about being hollow. Completely untrue," she muttered, agitated. "No, I don't think so. I hate those beasts and I want them remove from my sight. You haven't answered why are you here." She stopped looking at him to glance the exit behind him. She could, by all means, vanish away with aid of magic but also, as a Princess, she had to ensure the safety of the residents above and would confront the intruder herself.

"Vladislaus is rather infatuated with the dramatic." There was a note of fondness in Dracula's voice as he said this, hardly detectable, but there all the same. He considered it a shame that the others were not as amiable as his next oldest counterpart.

"As for our acquaintance, I remember your arguments against my perspective. In a way, they were endearing, though not as enchanting as your performance last week. You are truly gifted." He ignored her protests regarding the ravens, instead pushing the birds into a panic. They immediately left their perches, seeking to fly past Rue to the exit.

"He doesn't know what is to be truly heartless," Rue agreed with that statement. He did seem over the top about his hollowness for being so emotional in his entries.

One of her brows lifted elegantly. "If you wanted to compliment me about my role as Miranda, you shouldn't have conered me in a-" The raven's panic set her to a similar state, seeing the raven's flying towards her with sharp talons. In a righ frame of mind, Rue would have fought against them, but her anxiety and old memories set in the impulse to flee.

"I'm sorry, father! I'll be good, I promise!" Her own younger self's voice rang in her ears, the scene of being chased by her Father's minions and running away in terror played in her mind, losing a sense of time and space. "Don't eat my heart!"

Perfect. Dracula caught her as she fled, wrapping his arms around her protectively as the birds frantically circled the room. He brought his hand up to smooth her hair in a comforting gesture. "Hush now. Did I not say you needn't fear them?"

Gradually, the birds calmed, and Dracula called one to him. It alighted on his offered hand. With one arm wrapped firmly around Rue, he let the bird step up onto her shoulder as he reveled in the sense of that darker part of her stirring.

"I-I..." It was pathetic. Why was she trembling? Her voice and body were shaking. She should move, move away. Now. But she could barelly breathe and make sense of what happened outside the young shell of her body.

She was aware of the bird moving, perched in her shoulder. Black feathers and red eyes staring at her.

Stop looking at me this way! Stop! Stop!

"Why turn away from something just as beautiful as you are? Hmm? You have the same eyes. So much of you is like them." He brought his fingers under her chin to encourage her to meet his gaze. Now his eyes were burning red, his power searching for her darkness. He wanted it to show itself. "You haven't properly introduced yourself to me," he observed. "Tell me your name." The command was directed not to Rue, but at what he sensed beneath the trembling fright she showed him now.

With a muffled cry, Rue tried to swat away the raven from her shoulder, to move it away but she felt the strength leaving her body as Dracula stared at her eyes. His own becoming as red as hers. As the raven's. Rue was loss of words, her expression blank and the pain in her chest increasing. That was what she feared, not them or him but herself. It was pure despair, pure selfish desire and darkness, the egocentric need for being exclusively loved and to own. That was running in her veins, sharpening her grimacing features.

"R-Ru--" the girl uttered through listless lips, closing her blank eyes and whispering. "Krähe. Kraehe." Crow in German.

The sudden change in her introduction brought a smile to his face. This was what laid underneath. "Then that is what I will call you," he said as he brushed her cheek with his fingers. "There is more, isn't there? Wake up, my dear. I want to meet you." As he spoke, the two remaining birds came to rest near their companion, one on Dracula's shoulder, one looming over the small group at the edge of a shelf, its shadow blocking out much of the light from the still-burning lantern.

Her eyes were less blank, acquiring a darker glow, an eerie glance. She didn't move, not yet, she was still half awoke, Rue was struggling, trying to take domain against the blood.

"Why? No one loves ravens. We are too evil and despictable to be liked."

Dracula tucked her hair behind her ear. "You are clever, resourceful, persistent. All of these are admirable qualities. Why should I not wish to know you?" Rue would have been a prize on her own, but Kraehe promised even more. Dracula's insistence grew stronger in spite of his gentle, coaxing tone.

Red eyes, dark hair, skin as pale as her. It almost was if her Father, the one she, no, Rue, helped to destroy had return in human form. The gentle voice, sinister he used to employ when he was pleased with her.

She leaned herself off the embrace, as if she was made of shadows, taking the ravens with her. The animals returned before her appearance, twirling in a storm of black feathers with her outfit and hairstyle very changed; eyes narrowed and lips twisted in a wicked smirk. Her outfit resembled to Odile, the Black Swan of the Swan Lake. The ravens circled above her, no longer neutral birds but hungry creature of darkness with glowing eyes.

"I am Princess Kraehe."

Her title mattered little to him. What he desired was her nature and her devotion. He saw the pride in her, and knew that he would need to proceed carefully. "Much better," he said, approval evident in his tone. "Do you recognize me? Or must I reintroduce myself?"

"Y-You are..." Kraehe said, majestically balancing to his side, grabbing his arm. "You are my beloved Father." Her voice dropped like her gaze, supporting her head on his shoulder, stroking his arm. "Was I a bad daughter to you?"

What could she say to be forgiven? She obviously didn't remember him as Dracula, those memories as Rue and the awaking of the blood, her identity and mind shattered. The remorse of killing the Raven then and her denial over her own sorrow. She never did mourn him properly.

Her father? If she was as obedient a child as she suddenly seemed, he thought that might be something he could use to his advantage. It would be best, he decided, to allow her to believe what she would of him. He allowed her to cling to him, though from another the gesture would have driven him to anger. Tolerance was necessary if he meant to carry through with the plan that was forming.

"Why do you fret, Kraehe?" he asked her.

"You died," Kraehe said in a low voice, without meeting his gaze. "But you are back." He was so cold, cold as a dead body. "And you have human form as I do." Was this her fault?

"Poor father, you must be so hungry." She bit her bottom lip.

Ah, yes ... precisely what he needed. "I am," he told her. His hand now rested over her own. "Will you bring me what I require? I must know that what I ask of you will be done."

Kraehe didn't have the courage last time. "I can't take it out by myself, but I could lure people to you. I don't want to watch." Was she too human?

Dracula nodded. "Do that. I will be pleased." As an added encouragement, he bestowed a kiss on the crown of her head. "Prove yourself to me ... but not now. I want you to sleep, child. Let the other one return to her life. We must keep this a secret between us. Do you understand?"

"She will kill you if she knew! She only loves the Prince and the Prince alone!" Kraehe exclaimed, smiling as her Father kissed her. It was puzzling that He showered her with something more than flattery. "Of course, father. You are like me, no one can understand our fate of darkness but ourselves. They are... with their pure, untainted hearts, prey."

"Tomorrow after sunset, you may demonstrate your devotion. Find me in the Underground. I will instruct you there." He pulled away from her, his gaze stern. "Sleep now. We are finished here."

"Yes, Father."

Kraehe bowed her head and vanished, the flock of ravens disappeared with her as if swallowed by the darkness. Outside the room, a very confused Rue awoke, next to the box she had dropped with a throbbing headache and no recollection of what happened.

Ravens? Did I faint? she thought, embarrassed. She pulled herself to her feet and picked up the box.

The cellar of the Opera House with its shadows and noises was known to torment her imagination far too often.

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Log: Complete

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