Reflections {Aurora}

[Vince Malaeko]

Vince paced through the Gardens of Augustus. He enjoyed spending time here. It was a beautiful setting and he came here often to reflect or express himself. Being a very cultured man, he loved to write, read, photgraph, draw, etc. The garden provided so much inspiration and muse. Today he brought his old camera. It dated back to the 1970's and developed beautiful black and white images. He began to capture images of the flowers, the life scrawlign on teh ground, and the small oddities of the roots and plants surrounding. He enjoyed the scenery and welcomed it in.

He often thought of his wife and child here. They had had a small garden on the back terrace where they would sit and sip ice cold lemonade or he would simply watch his little girl in his wifes arms on the small little swing. He had loved them both dearly and had never told anyone of them in hopes that no one could use that to take advantage of him. It was his number one weakness.

He sat in the gardens thinking of all the chaos that surrounded his clan and the Samaris. It was nice to know there was at least one place one could go to to escape it all.

[Aurora Skye]

Ah, what a beautiful day it was in Capri. Although most days were beautiful here, today seemed extra sunny. It was easy to hide being a vampire on the Isle of Capri. See no one would even think twice of someone being a vampire as her kind could go out in daylight.

Leaving the manor she walked to wards the gardens. It was a nice place to come and think at. It was quiet, and solitary. Not to mention it smelled amazing because all of the flowers. Some where almost a mile away she smelled a hint of blood. Probably a human getting a paper cut or something foolish like that. Shaking off the thought of blood she continued to walk. Tonight she would more then likely go hunting and try to find a lonely Samari. Though she'd have to return to the manor briefly to get some gear.

Upon entering the gardens she seen Vince, her leader. Though that wasn't all that he was to her. In fact he was much, much more. Aurora wasn't exactly sure if she loved him or not but she did know that he loved her. See, Aurora had commitment and trust issues and therefore never pursued relationships. Though, secretly, she did want to be with him.

"Vince.." She simply said, nodding to wards him in acknowledgment.

"Did I disturb you?" The vampiress then added, hoping she wasn't bothering him. As she stood there the light breeze played with her lock, brown locks.

[Vince Malaeko]

He looked up at the sound of a voice. Although he had sensed her. The air always got warmer oddly when she was around, or pehaps it was just the way she made him feel. He looked up and there stood the beautiful creature...Aurora. SHe was a stunning woman who would have had immense beauty even before being turned. She had slowly won Vince over. Her bravery and loyalty to the clan was what set him over. She was beautiful, smart, caring, and loyal. Everything he looked for in someone and everything he was himself really. But he wasn't sure if he would allow his heart to love again. Twice it had ended in tragedy and a third time might prove detrimental. Nevertheless he did not see the harm in being great friends with the woman. The occasional peck on teh cheek was thought of as nothing. After all, he was her leader and caretaker.

He smirked and lifted his camera up to snap a shot of her near the flowers. (ooc: not sure if were doing the the type of vampires who don't have a reflection or not?) "No not at all" he said "Was just taking somequality with the land. It's a beautiful isn't it?" he said. "How are you today?" he asked. He was alway sconcerned for her. Being away for so long and living undercover could potentially damage her psyche.

[Aurora Skye]

She smiled and laughed as he took a snapshot of her by the flowers. It seemed he was always doing something. Either writing, taking pictures, or even training. Aurora herself didn't know how someone could lead like he did. With the Samari like they've been lately, what with turning humans so often, it was scary to think that the Lamayan coven might be coming to an end. Aurora would rather die fighting then give up, and her clan knew this about her. Even if they couldn't turn humans into members of their coven such as the Samari she would find another way to defeat then. She had to, she had no where else to go. She had always been with the Lamayan's, it was her family now.

"Yes, this Island is the most beautiful i've ever seen." She said smiling, her pearly whites reflecting against the sunlight. The vampire was currently dressed in a white sundress. It seemed sort of odd that a vampire would dress in all white, but then again, she had to seem at least a bit human like. The sunlight looked beautiful against her bare shoulders, and her eyes mixed with the sunlight formed a lighter brown.

"To be honest..I'm worried. The Samari have been turning humans in order to build a bigger army. We do not feed on humans, how will we keep up?" She blurted out, concern in her voice. Now she'd certainly ruined the mood and for this she regretted saying what she'd said. Taking a few steps towards Vince she moved closer to him, only about a foot away now so she could speak to him more intimately.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean spring this on you, I've just been stressed out lately." Aurora explained, her voice soft and tranquil. As she awaited his response a lock of her hair blew across her face, covering one of her eyes.

[Vince Malaeko]

He gazed into her beautiful eyes. The sun seemed to hit her perfectly and she sparkled in the sunlight. The breeze blew her beautiful hair and dress at such a perfect angle it almost seemed stage. He saw her as such a radiant being. Despite what he thought, many believed him to be a radiant creature as well. Being turned at the age of 30 he only actually looked about mid to late 20's. He had a defined, chisseled jawline and beautiful features, a killer body, and chocolate brown eyes that would turn amber on occasion. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white button up tshirt. He always seemed well dressed and sharp.

He heard her bring up the Samari and watched her face turn rgrettful. He smirked and stepped closer tucking a loose strand of hair gently behind her ear. "Easy my dear...I understand your frsuteration. But the moment we consider turning humans for our advantage is the moment they have truly one. We are stronger mentally and physically...I do not doubt this" he sa

He lifted her chin gently up to face him. "We will defeat them. I know it." he said. "By hunting animal or vampire as we have often now...we have heightened our speed and senses immensly. It's easy to catch a human...they don't move very fast. Nothing like a cheetah or another vampire." he said. "We already have that one up on them. We are also smarter...we've taken the time to undertand humans and learned to protect them rather than make them our enemy. The Samari will soon understand that mankind outnumbers them and us combined." he said.

He spoked so eloquently and convincingly. His voice was melodic and he could put anyone to ease. "You have grown Aurora...ever since you chose to act as our spy and now returned I have seen this quality in you. A loyalty far beyond anyone elses...I admire you for it. It will be your strength in the time to come." he said.

He looked at the camera "you mind being my muse for a few shots?" he asked politely.

[Aurora Skye]

As their eyes locked, Aurora felt as if she'd been shocked. Her skin grew warmer as she looked at him. Though her kinds skin was usually quite cold, almost as if made of marble, hers seemed to radiant heat when around him. The deep feelings she'd been having for him had been scaring her. The vampiress knew that she would more then likely never admit them, but simply having them at all scared the living hell out of her. Knowing that he returned them, scared her even more.

"I would never consider feeding on a human. When I was first turned...I was terrible. I was a monster. I fed on them, and I even made a game out of them. Hearing them scream in pain and feeling the warmth of their blood was irresistable. I will never return to that place of darkness again." The vampire said, cringing at the thoughts of her past. She would die before she returned to those ways.

Not knowing what to say, she simply nodded as he spoke of them being smarter and stronger. Aurora herself was quite the opponent. Her strength was barely above average for a vampire, but her speed was impecible. Not only that but she had mastered hand-to-hand combat. Along with physical attributes, she had her loyalty and her bravery to consider. When needed, she could take charge and defeat whom needed to be defeated. The feel of his hand on her chin was amazing, almost electrifying. Wanting to move closer to him she resisted, knowing it was improper. Besides she knew she wasn't the type of person who formed relationships other then friendships; she simply wasn't made for it.

"I was forced to kill humans while acting as a Samari member. I'll never forgive myself, loyalty to the Lamayan or not." She then said, her eyes having a speck of sadness within them. The female vampire longed to be with him, if only for a moment. For him to hold her and say he loved her. This was only a daydream however and she knew it was far from reality. In fact, she was ashamed to even be thinking this. Aurora was known to be a great warrior and nothing else. This simply did not fit the image her coven had of her. Besides, it would surely never happen. Feeling a bit awkward now, she stepped back one step away from him.

"Sure, I guess.." She then agreed, hoping no one but the two would see these pictures. She knew she was attractive, but she'd never seen herself as anything special.

"Where do you want me?" Aurora asked him, then regretted the words she'd used.

[Vince Malaeko]

He smiled at her seeing her sadness. He knew that feeling and was glad there were people out there like him. He looked at her "I know your pain...I was in a very dark place in my life. I was nearly killed for it too. But the one who saved me tuaght me the methods I ahve taught you and the clan. Most of you came willing to learn." he said. He looked at her with a smile and kissed her cheek gently "Faith my dear...faith in that all will work out to be good is what we all need these days" he said. "As for the killings serving under teh Samari...you did what you had to do to stay hidden, therefore you showed loyalty to your people." he said.

Once she pulled away he knew he had to snap back into reality. He grabbed the camera and laughed a little at her wording "See the bench over there...sit down and lean over behind it and hold that flower in the tree gently in your hand" he said. He set up the angle he desired to take the shot.

[Aurora Skye]

Kissing her cheek was something that happened every now and then, mostly as a sign of kinship within the clan. Though she had a small feeling inside of her that suspected she thought of it as more, when it was from Vince. Shrugging there thoughts away she nodded and moved over to the bench he'd spoken off. A little self-conscious, she sat and went into the position he'd suggested. Not knowing quite what to do with her face, she decided not to smile. It would look pretty cheesy if she had. Holding the flower delicately in her hand, she relaxed her muscles and sat casually. Looking soft and warm, she waited for him to take the picture.

It seemed so weird for her to be in this position, posing for pictures that is. The whole situation just seemed so intimate. Hoping that she wasn't making herself look foolish, she shifted uncomfortably after he'd snapped the shot. Not knowing what to do next she simply sat there, watching him.

[Vince Malaeko]

He looked through the lens and captured the beauty. "Beautiful...now why don't we try one over here. The wind is picking up so it can catch your hair" he said to her. He took several shots of her and once he was out of film he placed the camera back in it's case. "Thanks...would you like a copy of those once I develop them?" he asked. He knew it was smarter to just get a digital so he could pritn things out. But he liked going back to simpler times, plus these cameras seemed to have a more interesting quality to their photos.

He to walk down the path with her. "So, I never got to ask really how you are recovering from being undercover. It was a big task...and I was glad you were willing to help the clan in a way I couldn't" he said. "You earned that elite position I gave you" he said with a smirk. "But I know something like that can effect someone...you were gone a long while...are you okay?" he asked seriously concerned.

[Aurora Skye]

Aurora did as he suggested and move from position to position, trying to remain relaxed and free-spirited. Hoping that she'd done a sufficient job, she was glad when they were done. It wasn't like she minded posing, it was more or less that she was always worrying whether or not she was doing a good job and if he was satisfied. As he was her leader, she hoped she would do a good enough job and keep him happy. After they were done they began walking down the path through the gardens.

It would be getting dark soon, and she knew what that meant. Time to hunt. Since she'd returned from the Samari coven she'd been quite different. She had been hunting every night, always looking for a fight. It was reckless even though she always won, and she knew it. Dangerous as it was she couldn't help it. The vampire had always called it patrolling before. Patrolling at night making sure the humans were safe, killing the occasional Samari member. However now she knew it was much different. It was hunting, and she was the hunter. No matter if the Samari member was harming a human or not, if she found them they were more then likely dead. In a way, she was returning to her monster ways.

As he asked if she was alright, she thought for a moment before responding. Wanting to spill her guts to him and tell him how she changed, she instead refrained. "I'm fine, just glad to be back." She said generically, hoping he wouldn't see through her amateur attempt to hide her true feelings. Though if he could see through this, surely he could see that she had feelings for him. Honestly she hoped he couldn't see either.

[Vince Malaeko]

Vince had been aroudn a long time. He knew how to spot when someone was lying or not. He saw through her generic statement and smiled softly. "Common Aurora...you expect me to believe that. I know it was hard...I've been there" he said. "It's okay..." he said. He knew about her late night hunts. He had gotten a tip from some of the humans he was acquainted with in town. The few who he knew would keep the secret of what they were. He knew that part of it was from the long time undercover. He touched her arm gently. "I know about the hunts...the ones late at night, the ones where you go about and kill the Samari without justification." he said. "I know we want them destroyed...but we cannot go out and kill them for the sake of it...it looks bad on our part." he said.

"In the coming months...there will be plenty of time for hand to hand combat...a strong suit fo yours...I have allowed you to patrol the streets...but by no means become a bounty hunter...it's just not right." he said. "Do you understand?" he said softly.

[Aurora Skye]

d**n. So maybe she hadn't been too convincing when saying she was fine. Or maybe he was just too good at reading people to believe it. Either way, he obviously knew she wasn't exactly "fine". This in no way meant that she would spill her feelings, not at all. But then something even worse happened; he mentioned her latest hunting traditions. Going out late at night, seeking out her enemies with pure ruthlessness. How did he always know so much? Sometimes it baffled her just how much he knew about what was going on with people.

"I'll stop, I'm sorry. I was just trying to hone my instincts more, get to know my power a little better. I'll quit hunting like that from now on." She explained, her eyes showing her true remorse for how she'd been acting lately. Though she didn't want to, she knew she had to cease this reckless behavior. It could get her killed one of these nights. Or worse, get here exiled from the coven. Aurora didn't know what she would do without them, they were her family.

"I do." She simply said, her eyes portraying her defeat. It would be hard to resist going out and hunting the Samari. To be able to sit inside, knowing that they're out there and she can't do anything about it. But she also knew that she had no choice, and therefore she have no choice but to stop. He touched her again as he spoke, and this time she didn't move away. Instead she continued to stand there, as if frozen in time.

[Vince Malaeko]

He saw her sadness and put his arm around her. "How bout I make it up to you..." he said. "I had a leopard recently shipped to me. Apparently it had killed 4 onlookers at a zoo in London. They were going to put it down but I tracked it and requested to have it myself, promising to rid of it. It's here back at basement at the house." He said. "How bout we release it from it's cage and have some fun? I'll even let you make the kill." he said with a smirk. "Does that sound promising?" he asked hoping it would suffice.

He knew how hard it was for some of his people. Hell it was still ahrd from him. Ocassionally, he would even kill a human. He was good friends with a doctor in the hospital who knew about his secret. On;y four people in town knew an all had pledged their allegience and kept quiet for a long time. The doctor had asked if he could put people out of their misery either by turning or feeding off what was left of them. He usually drank them dry but he would often ask them if they were consiou or if he sensed a strength in them. Usually he'd keep them locked in a secret corridor in the manor that only he had acess too and once they were well trained he'd pretend that he'd found them while on his travels or out in the town.

As for those he killed or changed. It only happen once or twice ever few years so it was never noticeable on his part. He only had two still acclamating to the change. He ha them locked and chained and fed them animal carcusses every day 6 times a day and slwoly reduced it to four than two than one than only when they felt hungry. It seemed cruel but he knew it was an effective way to ensure the safety of the humans.

He looked at Aurora and rested his head gently against hers. "It's going to be alright...I promise" he said.

[Aurora Skye]

A leopard? Probably wouldn't be too much fun as easy kills usually were. Although it was nice to think of spending more time with Vince. Or was it? God, she knew she needed to stop thinking like this. It was preposterous to think of them having more then a friendship. Hell it was foolish to think of them even admitting their feelings. What would the coven say? What would they think? Nothing, because they would never know. Not that there was anything to know anyways.

"Let me take the kill? Hmph, sounds kind of like a challenge." She said playfully, her coy smile returning to her face. At the thought of a hunt her eyes abandoned the sadness and instead lighted up with excitement. Turning from almost black to an amber color, she hoped it would prove to be entertaining.

Walking at a normal pace, she suddenly felt his arm around her. Flinching a bit she tried to pretend that she hadn't noticed. What was he doing? He was actually acting as if he had feelings for her for once, instead of treating her like the rest of the coven. It was then that he laid his head against her own and promised her it would be alright. Surprisingly, she found comfort in his presence and his promise. She believed that it would be, that he would make it alright. Still walking she nudged herself a little closer to him, snuggling in as if she was cold, when however she was quite warm. The heat radiated off her skin onto his own as if she were a flame.

[Vince Malaeko]

He knew his touch might seem inappropriate to her but he would wait for her reaction. When she snuggled deeper he smiled at it. He had had feelings for her and he sensed he same in return. But neither seemed like they wanted a relationship in theory...truly though, they wanted each other. He wouldn't mind being with her, in fact he wanted that. But being the leader he felt like she didn't want that. He felt that he needed to lead his clan, each receiving equal treatment. Of course this would happen but some might not agree. They would respect his decision but maybe not respect Aurora necessarily. He would not put her through that. Sure he had slept with women and even some of the men in the coven on rare occasions. Usually implicated by them to satisfy that need. But he'd never done so with Aurora...for some reason she was different, special...if they were to have something it would be more than that...but of course there was the fear of her being used against him with the Samari too and he would not put her in more danger.

The two of them walked along together and he smiled at her. "It might be a challenge my dear...an easy challenge for me of course" he said teasingly.