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The Great Room
Topic Started: Jun 21 2012, 08:10 PM (671 Views)
Dominic

Still stunned, his green eyes wide as he watched the Baroness stride from the room, it took him a long moment to turn his gaze toward Jimsonweed. This shock was almost as harsh as the first, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he regarded the outstretched hand. "What the hell," he thought with resignation, taking the offer and allowing himself to be helped upright with what was truly almost embarrassing ease. Yet he didn't detect any thread of malice in it, and he ventured to speak his mind. He was smart enough to let a thread of humor drift into his tone.

"Would have been nice to have some warning about that fact. And this is after... how many years have you lived with her?"
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Jimson

"Here's a warning for the future, if you plan on insulting someone don't bring other people into it especially when they're in the room" He stared Dominic in the eyes for shot time; he was obviously contemplating answering the question. A slightly unhappy look crossed his face.

"I've lived with her off and on for longer than you've been alive kid."

Jimsonweed began to walk for a chair and raised his arm up giving a kind of wave dismissing gesture.

"And don't think this makes us friends." His voice was tired and irritable. He sat down and began to look over the notes provided by the Dark Dreamer seeing if there was anything he might be able to pick up.

"If you fuck up around me I'll put an ounce of silver through each of your lungs and laugh as you lay there twitching trying to heal it." It wasn't a joke.

Edited by Jimson, Jul 12 2012, 07:22 PM.
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Telsa
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Telsa's steps were quiet when she returned to the room, the wolf at her side. She carefully laid her coat across the back of the small velvet settee before the bar, balancing her hat atop, then moved behind the bar. Her eyes were sharp as she let her gaze move between the two men in the room, deep blue and filled with all the centuries of her age.

"I suppose I'm happy to see you both still standing," she stated quietly as she lay her arms on the bar in front of her. Her eyes fell again on Jimsonweed and she let her memories flood through her for the briefest instant. Reminding herself that she had already grieved, and tucked the pain far away in the farthest corner of her heart, she managed a small smile. Reaching beneath the bar she brought forth a tall decanter of green crystal and a single tall fluted glass.


Dominic took his time moving back towards the end of the room. The entrance of the wolf did little for his nerves, but he moved on anyway and stood beside a seat not far from the massive fire that roared merrily in the hearth.

When he spoke his voice was soft and respectful, a tone he'd learned to perfection as a child at court. "My apologies, Baroness. The remark was uncalled for." He stood straight, his gaze direct, not taking a seat without her leave.


The liquid smoked lightly, a soft slightly sweet scent that floated up to tease her senses. In the slender glass the colors whirled together; a symphony of reds, blues, golds and a deep black. She drank deeply of the elixer before she turned to where Dominic still stood practically at attention.

"For pity's sake, Dominic, sit down. What will you have to drink, another Scotch? Jimson, love, what for you?"

Dominic didn't sit, but he did relax, clasping his hands behind his back. He glanced once at Jimsonweed, catching his eyes for a brief instant. He looked away, keeping the glance casual. "Actually, Baroness, if I might have a glass of that excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tuscan. That was superb."

Dominic and Telsa
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Jimson

"Water," a short pause and then. "or Milk if there is any available." Alchohol still gave him problems the strong flavors made it hard to stomach without concentration and that was the last thing he really wanted to do. Flipping through the papers again he grimaced. "Seems this guy is good at getting away, he gets spotted someplace and before anything can be organized he's gone someplace else."

Inside he cursed himself. He questioned why things kept getting more and more complicated the longer he lived. He wondered why he was the one always drawn here. He would never do anything to bring harm to this place or to hurt Telsa but he was no hero either.

He set the papers down beside him and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as if he was staring deeply into the fire. He seemed to fade out a bit, almost becoming transluscent. Then he seemed to dissappear starting at the top moving down blurring and then being carried a few feet like fog in a strong wind. All this happened in a matter of two to three seconds but it seemed to take forever.

"Dearest, " came his quiet whisper from beside Telsa. He was standing there his hand lightly on her arm near the shoulder. "I'm Glad to see you. Despite what I may have said a year ago." He smiled at her and his voice was soft almost sad.
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Telsa
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Telsa sent out the call, thinking how convenient it was, this command with a thought. Too bad it didn't work for the really important things. She retrieved another bottle as Jimson studied the papers, filling a wine glass and holding it out for Dominic. Her eyes rested on Jimson, and narrowed slightly. At first she wasn't sure what she was seeing, and then as his form drifted away to nothingness her eyes grew wide. His quiet whisper took her by surprise, and it was age old restraint that kept her from jumping when she felt his hand on her arm. She turned to look into his eyes, and his softly spoken words brought her own sad smile as she nodded.

"So what is this you've learned? I've many a trick up my own sleeve, but this..." She laughed softly, "this is something I've never before seen."

A small lady had entered from the front of the room, a polished wooden tray bearing a tall frosted glass pitcher and three glasses. The science of the staff was not exact, and through the ages it had become practice to take the "too much is better than not enough" approach. Depositing the tray on a table near the trio, the well-trained woman almost managed to not gawk at the sight, but still she stumbled a bit as she made her way wordlessly out of the room.

"I believe your milk has arrived, love."

Dominic managed not to spill the fine wine down the front of his shirt, but he couldn't keep from coughing lightly as he nearly choked. His eyes narrowed, but he kept his mouth shut. It was unnatural, what these creatures could do. Moving carefully to the nearest chair, Dominic sat down and let his elbows rest on his knees. The wine glass dangled between his legs, and he stiffened only slightly when the large wolf rose up and moved closer to the fire.

Telsa and Dominic
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Jimson

I've started calling it ghosting " Jimsonweed laughed "Once you understand the full capabilities of your own senses understanding another persons becomes that much easier. Some of our kind find it easy to create an illusion or play with others minds, But sometimes it's easier to distract"

He moved to pour himself a glass of the milk. "It's one of the odd things I learned how to do while waiting in a corporate boardroom. The downside is it's become a bit of a habit, I do it without thinking when I get up to the needed speeds."

Sipping at the milk he smiled at her. "So dearest, what's new in your world? "
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Telsa
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The image of Jimsonweed "ghosting" in a corporate office was too funny, and Telsa laughed heartily. Moving to a small black velvet settee before the bar, she sank down and stretched her long legs out before her. Taking a long drink, she pondered his question and then nodded in Dominic's direction.

"Well, this one's return for the main thing. Is it coincidence, or connected with what's to come?" With sharp gaze, she turned to Dominic. " You're going to have to tell me all of it, you know."

Turning her gaze back to Jimsonweed, the sharpness settling into something more shrewd. "Basically, he was led back. He tells me a dream told him where to go, and the place he chose brought him back through the streams that run under and about the castle."


Dominic barely breathed when she looked at him, and when she turned that steely gaze back to Jimsonweed he silently rose. A few steps took him to stand before the roaring blaze of the fire, staring deep within as if the answers to all his questions might be somehow found in the amber and gold flames.

Tell all of it. That was so much easier said than done. He stared into the flames, seeing a sweet young face in the dancing light and shadows, hearing a golden laugh in the crackle of the wood. A deep sigh pushed his shoulders up then dropped them again, and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. Clenching them tightly shut, he willed himself to calm. Only when he was sure he had himself in control did he turn back around, lifting his glass and emptying it in one swift drink.


Telsa watched Dominic as he rose, concern breaking once across her face before she lifted her finely arched eyebrows and continued. "It's never happened before, that someone has returned. Of course," she chuckled, "I've never sent anyone away for being a total ass before, either."

Looking at Jimsonweed now, she spoke on, almost as if Dominic wasn't there. "We know he has some part to play, or he would not have been here in the first place. Was it simply my error in sending him away being corrected, or was he brought back now because now is when his part, whatever it is, is going to happen."

The laugh that broke through this time was rougher than before, and she echoed Dominic's gesture just after he turned and emptied his drink. Twirling the empty glass before her, she stood swiftly and moved back to the bar. "Dominic's return, your return." She swiftly refilled her glass, talking just as rapidly as she poured. "This information from the Dark Dreamer, even that woman with you in the park." She stopped and took a deep drink, then a deep breath.

When she looked again to Jimsonweed her eyes were steely blue, cold and calculating. How many times had she been through this before? It wasn't something she tried to count, she just knew it laid heavy on her soul. "As always, my love, it begins again." She lifted her glass in a toast, drinking it all down at once, and placing it carefully on the bar. She turned her cold gaze on Dominic once again.

He spoke softly. "As I said before, Baroness, Thorison is most devious." He let his eyes drift briefly to Jimson then back to her. "It would be like him to try to use those who are closest to you. You must take care of those around you. And we must keep you safe."

"Don't be ridiculous,", Telsa snapped, turning away from him and stalking back to the bar. "You know perfectly well, Dominic, that if there were anyone here I should be suspicious of, that person is you. I know the details of your actions, yes, or should I say lack of them?" She paused, eyes dagger sharp and jet black when she faced him. Her voice dropped, the irritation falling away and leaving a vaguely amused tone. "Of course, your motivation, that is strictly your own. How do I know you whose side you were really on?" One delicately arched eyebrow lifted, and her full red lips twisted into a smile full of wicked amusement.


Dominic and Telsa
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Jimson

Jimsonweed began to wonder about the strange letter he had stashed in his pocket. Wonder if that had been what set things in motion. If he had ignored it and went on as he had with so many other things if he would still be sitting here this evening. When Dominic made his poorly veiled accusation Jimsonweeds head turned and his eyes narrowed to focus on the man. He was about to say something when Telsa broke in to berate him herself. He was obviously a little aggitated but seemed rather calmed by listening to Telsa's words.

"Oh," He began as if realization was dawning. "See I've never heard the full story of why you are what you are Dominic." The smile on his face was malicious and he was obviously goading Dom.

"This little bit puts the few things I know in light."

His head turned to look at Telsa. "So Love.... Are you implying his passive act of cowardness might have been an active attempt at being a traitor?"
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Telsa
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"Well, it's certainly possible. After all, if he gave any serious thought to the outcome of his action, or lack thereof, he must have been aware of the consequences. Consequences which, of course, did give him the perfect excuse to seek Sanctuary."

Telsa voice had softened, becoming more lyrical and with a hint of teasing. Yet underneath it was steel. She'd become somewhat of an expert over the years at making calls of judgment on those who landed at the Bastion. Not that she was perfect, there were horror stories enough concerning her bad choices in the past. Experience has its own rewards, however, and she felt confident that her judgment of Dominic was correct.

Fairly confident. She would, however, give her fang teeth to know what Dominic's letter said.


"Then I would have come straight away, would I not?" Dominic's voice was soft and steady when he began. "But instead I spent years being hunted and abused, years of..." His voice grew more strangled and he cut himself off, finally dropping the gaze that had been glued to the Baroness. When he raised his eyes again, moving from one to another of them before speaking, the fanatical light still shown brightly.

"I will make no more excuses for my lapse, Baroness. Enough time has been wasted as it is. This time I will do as honor demands, and I will see that you are kept safe, my Lady, or die in the process." His gaze lingered briefly on Jimsonweed, eyes narrowing slightly before he turned away and moved next to Telsa at the bar. He smiled at her, reaching for the decanter and refilling her glass.


Telsa and Dominic
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Jimson

Slowly Jimsonweed lifted his cup to his lips and sipped. Things were never Dull here at least that was assured. Dominics behavior was amusing, once he was able to look past how annoying it was. The whiny brat was preferable, at least then it gave him a reason to shoot the man.

"So Dom.... at what point between did you hit your head did you actually get a little brain swelling from the toss you received out side."

The skin around his eyes creased with the smile he shot at Dom. "This doesn't suit you at all Dom. The strange mix of servility and pride in you is unbecoming."
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Telsa
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"How the hell would you know what suits me, vampire?"

Dominic's words dripped venom, and he conveniently excused the fact that the woman he had just sworn to give his life for was a vampire herself. He carefully returned the decanter back to the bar, as if he feared he might smash the delicate crystal. "I lived as one of honor for years; it was one mistake, one error in judgment, which left me with this accursed form." His green eyes glowed like jewels, the light ring of gold that rimmed the iris spinning with dizzying speed. Deliberate steps took him around the bar, where he stopped between Telsa and Jimsonweed.

"I've spent years as an outcast, threatened and hunted at every turn." The steel in his voice slipped a bit. "Even here, in Sanctuary, there was no true peace." A rough laugh slipped past his dry lips, and he drank deeply from his glass before he continued. "Friends, family, my home, my very life; what would you know about it, gunslinger? What would you know about losing everything you hold dear? And how can you judge what lengths I should take to get it back? How could you ever understand?"

As they spoke, Telsa stood back quietly and contemplated events; choosing not to acknowledge Dominic's rather passionate declaration. She was quite aware that Dominic's story; the story of what had happened in Sanctuary, not before; still needed to be told. Lifting her glass, she appeared to be caught in the swirling colors of the liquid, but she was in fact reaching for all the tiny threads that would start the tapestry of events that were unfolding. Her mind moved lightning quick, sorting and discarding through various facts and suppositions, what she had known before and what the Wolf Prince had revealed. Dominic's words sorted into the equations, filtered through a dispassionate sense that saw everything yet felt little. When his strangled voice broke off, she stepped around the bar, putting both of them in her line of sight.

The smooth porcelain perfection of her face was empty of emotion, her eyes glowed with intense concentration; but gave nothing away of what might be flowing through her heart and mind. She shifted her weight, waiting without a sound for Jimsonweed's reply.


Dominic and Telsa
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Jimson

Jimsonweed's fist clenched at his side and it was visibly shaking as Dominic spoke. He set the cup he was holding down with a little too much force and his eyes glinted malevolently with rage. As Dominic had said his last few words his face had contorted to a snarl, creases forming in the bridge of his nose and his eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. His breath came out as a slow hiss and it was obvious that Dom had said the one thing that would have made the situation worse.

"What would a Vampire know?." He hissed. He glared at Dom now his hair hanging over his face yet barely blocking his eyes.

"Lets get this straight ... CHILD." The last word was more of a growl. Sniveling and whining about your sorry situation is not going to garner sympathy.."

"How could I ever understand you ask?" His head tilted to the side as he gave Dom a very predatory look.

"Let me Tell you a Story." His words were like ice rapidly freezing over a lake. Cold and unyielding brooking no argument.

"The year is 1840. A 15 year old boy by the name of Joey straps on his guns and goes into town thinking he's hot shit. His younger brother Billy goes with him even though their momma forbids it. But of course Joey's a Man now.... He can make decisions too and he tells Billy that he can go." Both fists clench and unclench at his side now.

"In town a cowboy laughs at Joey in the Bar... making Jokes about the Brat and his younger brother being where they shouldn't be. Joey starts a fight.... which comes down to a duel out in the street."

He takes a step towards Dom still shaking with anger.

"Joey lets his brother stand beside him in the Duel.... cause of course Joey's hot shit....... the cowboy won't win. He won't even have time to draw. Turns out he was half right.. Cowboy died. Seems he couldn't shoot worth a damn. Missed Joey by a mile, caught Billy in the Gut though." His breathing was heavy but steady and his gaze didn't falter from Doms face.

"1840 there wasn't a thing you could do for a shot to the Gut... Joey had to carry Billy's body back to the Farm. Momma, she blamed Joey for that and rightly so." He was barely holding back from flying towards Dom and it was obvious. There was a tear at the corner of his eye.

"Momma, she kicked me out of the house. Disowned me as did the rest of the family for getting Billy killed in town." His voice was still cold but laced with emotion and the twang of his country birth.

" I lost my brother, My family, and while it woulda been hard I lost a life I could have enjoyed to foolish Pride. Twice your age I've lived boy, and I never had a second chance. No hope of redeeming myself in my families eyes. " It was like lightening had struck. No sound save a faint rustle of cloth as his form faded, one moment there was nothing the next the old revolver was pointed squarely at Doms head from the side.

"You say I wouldn't understand. Couldn't Hu... can't comment on the lengths one would go to to seek salvation." His finger wasn't on the trigger, it was resting on the trigger guard itself which said much for his self control, were anyone to notice.

"I tell you this boy, I'm not the fastest draw because I think it's cool, or because I always want to win."

His eyes burned now like dark embers behind his hair.

"I'm the fastest out of Guilt."
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Telsa
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Dominic's arrogant insolence slipped when he finally focused outward again, instead of on himself. Jimsonweed's eyes caught his and held him tight, and all of the rage and pain that strained through the words wrapped around him with their own heavy weight. The draw of the gun made him catch his breath, and he dared not breath as those last words were wrenched out with a menace that sent a cold razor straight through to his spine.

The length of a heartbeat passed, and then another, before Dom slowly exhaled. His eyes were still held by those burning orbs that told him plainly his life was in the balance here. Licking his lips, he began speaking softly.

"Again, I find myself begging pardon. You shame me, sir, and remind me..." His eyes dropped as he spoke, and he focused at last on the gun itself. As he sighted the finger lying along the guard, he breathed a little easier, but continued just as carefully. "You remind me that I am not the center of the world, and that I am not, in any sense, unique." He looked up at Jimsonweed, and caught motion out of the corner of his eye.



Telsa heard the tale, the pain and guilt filtered through that dispassionate sense. She listened to the words, put together bits and pieces of the puzzle that were the man who had once been her lover and would always be a child of her blood. The emotions that tumbled through the words, the clicks of the muscles in his chiseled face, all were details noted and compared and placed as the pieces fell.

Until the gun was drawn.

The sight took her breath, and the dispassionate analysis she had been caught up in was suddenly thrust aside. His words, his pain, and the danger that hung in the air all moved around her with the sudden intensity of a summer squall. Her very blood, mingled with his, cried out at the sudden sharp pain that flowed in the tale. It was only the sudden strike of emotions, the dizzying spin of her heart, that gave her to pause and look twice.

The sight of his trigger finger was reassuring, but not in the least bit a definite end to things. Dominic's words came soft, and she realized she wasn't sure at all she should let him keep speaking. Quietly she stepped forward, not coming between the two men but putting herself in Jimsonweed's more direct line of sight. She hoped his control would last, that Dominic would just shut up before he made things worse.

For the fact was, while Dominic might be pushing his limits, but he was not threatening Sanctuary. Jimsonweed could harm him and no foul. Killing him was another matter, something she couldn't allow. A cold chill ran down flesh, and she could only wait and see.
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Jimson

"Know this boy," His finger slipped into the guard just long enough to flip the pistol around in his hand so he was now holding more onto the barrel like the haft of club at his side.

"Apologies are useless, and I don't want to hear them." Now he moved as fast as he could, purposely tapping into the vampiric powers he had cultivated. His hand swung out and he brought the handle of the pistol speeding towards Doms temple. The wind stirred the air about them but Jimsonweed stopped a fraction of an inch from actually pistol whipping Dom.

"and If I hear you whine about your state again, like you have it bad, I will shoot you in the gut. And the time after that... I'll do it again... only a little closer to your spine. Until finally you either learn to shut up.... or you don't walk anymore." The smile he gave Dom was forced and was anything but calming.

"Do I make myself clear?...... Yes." He tapped Dom on the temple angrily with the handle before spinning the pistol and returning it to it's holster.
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Telsa
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When the pistol spun smoothly around in his hand, Telsa felt the almost unbearable tension slip away. Tiny muscles, unconsciously poised for action, loosened with a twitch, and as she took a deep breath she felt the deep need to stretch. Her eyes narrowed slightly as the pistol bore down, but she kept from flinching, and only when the gun was again holstered did she move forward.

"Enough for now, please." Her voice was soft but strong, regal with the centuries of power. She lay her hand gently on Jimsonweed's arm, the pain that had filled the room still tumbling like hard rain in her eyes. She turned back to look over her shoulder briefly at Dominic, and the wash of tears that threatened gave a brilliant shine to the black jewels of her eyes. "Find something to do, Dominic." The words were hard and cold. "I have yet to feed, and the scent of your blood would be enticing."

When Telsa turned back to Jimsonweed, she let her eyes linger on his face, but spoke nothing of his tale, waiting for Dominic to leave.


Dominic wasn't so successful; his flinch went deeper and was much more apparent as the gun was suddenly at his head. The swing was hardly seen, and that only made the point that much stronger. It didn't take effort to hold his tongue, and he had the good grace to blush a strong crimson as Jimsonweed dressed him down. When the gun was holstered, and his head rang with the rushing blood as much as the tap, he was grateful to see the Baroness come between them. The look in her eyes was all the excuse he needed, and he didn't bother to mumble his excuses as he quickly left the room.


Telsa saw from the corner of her vision as Dominic stumbled up the stairs. When he was gone, her lips parted with a tremble and she stared deep into Jimsonweed's cold blue eyes. A muscle twitched in his cheek, his anger and pain still held in check only by his extreme will. She lifted her hand, laying it gently alongside his face, and forced back her questions. All these years, and never a word, there was no reason it had to be now. The pain filled her eyes, and trembled along her arm and in the fine bow of her full red lips, but she pressed it inside with a near visible effort. What she felt were the echoes of Jimsonweed's emotions, and echoes only. If it was near to overwhelming in her heart, she ached all the more to know what it must be in his.

"You should rest, my love," she managed to whisper, brushing a dark lock of hair back from his face. Her voice was husky and lyrical; her eyes still brimmed with tears. "There is no urgent matter just yet, and we must be prepared for a time when there will be." Her hand dropped to his chest, as did her gaze. "We have much to talk about," she managed in a more normal tone, though the many matters came near to making her head spin in her current state. "But I did not lie to Dominic, I have not fed. Perhaps I should do so while you rest, or would you prefer to join me?"

Dominic and Telsa

Dominic cont. in Rear Aerie
Edited by Telsa, Jul 13 2012, 03:14 PM.
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Jimson

"I think, That I would prefer to rest." He reached up and held her hand to his chest. The anger and sadness rolled over him and it was all he could do from directing it at her even though he knew it wasn't her fault. He looked up at her his gaze unflinching.

"As for my reason for coming back?."

He reached into his pocket pulling out a crumpled up letter.

"I show up at the estate after a few months away and my butler tells me that this was delivered for me a few days before." His voice though melodic would cut steel.

"Just says, "Hey Joey, I'm Looking for you." wouldn't be so Bad really. If it wasn't for the Fact No one's Called me Joey since I was 15."

Though crumpled from it's time in his pocket the front of the letter could still have it's front read easily. The only thing it seemed to have on the front was the phrase. "To Joey" scrawled on the front in childlike fashion.

"Honestly the leap from Joseph to Joey isn't too big, could be a mistake, but I've been disinclined to believe in benign coincidence for a while now."
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Telsa
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Telsa stood quietly as she stared at the envelope, a slicing stab of cold moving down her spine. Finally she sighed, her eyes sad when she looked back up at him. "It is like a fond dream, isn't it, benign coincidence?" Her voice was soft, but a deep bitterness ran under the words. It was near five hundred years now since Sanctuary had taken over her life. With an almost visible effort she pushed those thoughts away. Bad enough that they ate at her over all the years spent alone. She couldn't afford them now, not if even half of what Skallagrimsson believed was true.

Glancing back down at the envelope she shook her head, dark curls tumbling soft about her shoulders and falling to shadow her deep blue eyes. "As to this," she paused and shook her head again. "I don't know, love. I don't believe in ghosts, and I don't like that it comes at this time." She raised her eyes to his. "I've no doubt that something would have brought you back here, your tie to me and this place would have assured that as it has before. But this... this isn't the work of Sanctuary, this is something, someone, else."
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Jimson

With a sigh he dropped the letter back into his pocket. "I would really like to know the who and the why behind this."

Still holding her hand to his chest he looked her in he eyes trying to read their depths. "You may not know what to do about my problem yet, but I have a feeling you already have a plan forming to deal with this situation." The confidence in his voice was apparent. "After you feed, what is the next course of action?"

The emotions seemed to drain from him as his mind shifted naturally to the role of protector and enforcer. 'What will you need me to do?"
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Telsa
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"I've had the information on Thorison sent to our people in New York. They know not to approach him, only send word if he is spotted. I'm going to make contact with a few key persons, see if I can find anything further, see if there's anything happening that might indicate his involvement." Telsa smiled up at him. "Rest for now, love. I may need you to follow up, depending on what I find." She stepped back, holding tightly to his hand for a brief instant before moving away.

Picking up her coat and hat, she glanced back at him. "I shouldn't be gone long." She paused briefly. "Have someone take those papers to Dominic, he hasn't looked them over yet. And he had a letter from the Dark Dreamer as well. Whatever has brought about this rather annoying change of attitude is tied to that." She smiled as she continued. "I think he'll be smart enough to avoid you for now, but if not, try not to hurt him too badly. We may have need of him before this is over."
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Jimson

"If he's dumb enough to try anything with me while you're gone I'll just knock him unconscious and then leave the room." he replied as she left.

With a sigh picked up the glass of milk and moved to a chair near the fire. Settling in he watched the flames dance in the hearth and thought about the prairie.
It wasn't too long before the sound of a polite cough informed him of another man in the room. A Turn of his head showed him a tall thin young man with short brown hair standing at attention wearing black slacks and a black turtleneck. His grey eyes watched Jimsonweed attentively. "The Baroness requested that the Master Dominic be given a copy of the reports, would you like for me to see to that sir?" His voice was soft and soothing, despite the formality.

Jimsonweed nodded barely paying attention. "Please do, the less I have to deal with him the better."

The man gave a quick bow before retrieving the papers. "Right away sir."

Leaving Jimsonweed to his thoughts the young man made his way out the door to find Dominic. Once out of sight his shape began to shift. Harder more masculine features smoothed while the soft swell of breasts began to press against cloth that shifted shape and color. By the time the person had reached the third floor a young woman with long flowing brown hair and hazel eyes was carrying the papers in search of Dominic. The flowing blue skirt seemed to swirl around her as she walked and the conservative white shirt she wore with a black sweater vest was unbuttoned just to the point of being scandalous.
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Telsa
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Cont from Grounds

Steps silent on the mosaic tiles of the floor, Telsa glanced up at the stained glass windows that lined the entry hall. The colors seemed darker somehow, but she could discern no other change so simply filed the fact away. Flickering candlelight brought shadows to play along the floor, and as she moved on down the three wide steps leading into the Great Room she caught sight of Jimsonweed. Some tightness in her, not even acknowledged, relaxed and she nodded towards the large mahogany table near the front end of the room.

"We'll work there, get started on that report. Jimson and I will join you shortly." With quick strides she moved on towards the other end of the immense room, dropping her coat and hat on a chair along the way. Rising up from his place before the roaring warmth of the fire, Schezda trotted across the floor to greet her before moving towards the table.
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Jimson

With a quiet giggle Charlotte moved over to the large table and took a seat. She waved Dominic over patting the seat next to her. "We should probably get to reading then."

Jimsonweed had been drifting off to sleep sitting in the chair near the fire. In his dreams he stood in a black void with an unknown light source, before him he could see a door unadorned and slate grey. He reached out slowly and pulled the door open by the bright brass knob on the right. Silently it opened and there framed in the doorway was an Island. It was small and relatively flat seemingly covered in black and green growth. "This is the essence of the future. Conflict and Cataclysm. The Beginning and end of all things." The Voice was Echoing and coming from the same indeterminable source as the light.

Slowly the noise of people entering the great hall pulled him back to wakefulness. His eyes opened and he extended his senses out to the group around him. With the realization that Telsa had returned he pushed himself to his feet tiredly. He smiled at Telsa and spoke softly knowing she would most likely hear him. "Hello dearest, you're back soon."
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Telsa
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Dominic watched the gentle sway of her hips as she moved to the table, then smiled broadly as he moved to take the seat next to her. "The Wolf Prince sent word to the Baroness that Thorisson is trying to gain access to Sanctuary," he explained. Opening the folder he spread the first pages out before them. "He has charged me to keep her safe." Green eyes cut to the far end of the room, narrowing slightly. "Thorisson is known to be quite devious, one shouldn't trust that things are as simple as they appear."

Telsa smiled at Jimson, her voice equally soft when she replied. "With more questions, I'm afraid, and very little in the way of solid information." When she was close enough she handed him the thick stack of folded newspapers. The headline of each paper mirrored the others, though some were quite sensational and others more sedate. The front page stories all told of two ritualistic murders that had occurred in different parts of the city. In both cases a young girl murdered in her own home, late at night while her parents slept just down the hall.

Before she could continue Esther entered from the east, coming from the library and pushing a wheeled cart before her. Telsa nodded at the table and the woman moved in that direction as she spoke. "I believe these are what you requested, M'Lady, if I've missed something do let me know." She began removing the stacks of books and placing them on the end of the table, then added three intricately carved wooden boxes.

"Thank you, Esther, I'm sure those will do fine. If you could bring us drinks, please, then that will be all for now." She turned her attention back to Jimsonweed as they walked together towards the table. "I spoke with several people, both our own and some other key contacts in law enforcement and on the streets, but there are no firm leads as yet. Indeed, there seems to be no progress being made at all."
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Jimson

Jimsonweed scowled as he looked over the news papers. "This is less than encouraging." He walked next to Telsa keeping pace but continuing to read the articles. "If this is related to Thorisson then the police may not find anything. The choice of victims may very well have been random and they could be looking for a connection." His shoulders tightened noticeably as he considered the implications. "Are you certain this is related?"

Charlotte merely nodded at Dominic as he spoke her eyes more on his face than the paperwork. With a sigh she leaned in closer and he could catch the faint scent of Vanilla and Lavender as she reached out to move one of the pieces of paper closer. "Things are rarely what they seem, but that just makes them more interesting." She looked back at him with a smile before placing a delicate finger on a picture of Thorisson. "So he's the dangerous one? Anyone else in here is just and accomplice or informant then?"
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"Certain.... no, I can't say I'm certain." At the table's edge she reached to take one of the papers and lay it on the table. "But this," she pointed at the rune on the front page before flipping back to where the story continued, "and this," she pointed to another rune further on in the story, "is very suggestive." She looked down the table at Dominic and an amused smile crossed her face.

Dominic glanced at Charlotte, unable to keep from smiling back at her. He quite enjoyed the sight and scent of her next to him, and he paused a beat before answering. "It seems that way, and yes, that is Thorisson, and he is very dangerous." Realizing that Telsa had spoke to him, he jerked his attention away and turned to her.

"Dominic," she waited with raised brow until he turned her direction. "What does Thorisson know about magic, do you know?"
"As far as I'm aware, Baroness, he doesn't practice magic. Of course, he's been known to consort with mages on many occasion."

Telsa reached to pull one of the large books off the stack, opening it wide and flipping through the pages. Leather bound, written in old Italian, she found what she was looking for and pulled the newspaper forward. "They got this one right, whoever is helping the police on that aspect. It's traditionally known to be associated with death." She pointed to the Rune on the front page. "But this one," she reached for another paper and flipped back a few pages, "they're saying it represents pain." She shook her head and reached for the smallest of the three carved wooden boxes.

"And they're wrong," she explained as she withdrew a delicate scroll. With exquisite care she unrolled the ancient papyrus, scanning until she found that same rune. "It's been most generally associated with dimensions." Carefully she replaced the scroll in the box then pulled out a chair. She propped her elbows on the table before her, brushing a thick jumble of raven curls back from her face as she spoke.

"The rituals as taught by my own sect were not, of course, the only ones to use these runes. They've been around for eons, literally, as the research quite clearly shows. Some I was taught to avoid, though I've come to understand through study since that time, well, perhaps our own view was narrow." She shrugged her delicate shoulders, leaned back in her chair. "In fact, if you look down from the front aerie, and pay careful attention, you'll see the pattern of that rune laid out in the gardens."

She sighed deeply, her eyes revealing the depths that this had disturbed her. "We need more information to know if this has anything to do with our situation, or if it's simply some lunatic or some elder mage attempting who knows what." Her gaze lifted to Charlotte.

"Charlotte, I need you to visit the Court, see if you can find any information, even just a hint of a rumor about Thorisson. He's been seen recently in the company of members of the Court of Beasts." Her gaze shifted to Dominic. "I can't very well send you to speak with the Wolfkin in the city, so I'll do that myself."
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