Memory Lane (Sephora)

[sephora]

Though her heart clenched when John said to forget Joar, she knew that he was right. It had been what she was telling herself for a time now, that he should be forgotten else she could never move on. Joar is gone, and he's never coming back. She told herself sternly.

"So then girl, learn to use your legs, learn to use your speed. Kickboxing is what you should learn. Luckily it is a style I learned while I was still mortal. Although, if I were you, I wouldn't go toe to toe with an opponent, I'd keep my distance and wait for them to stop moving. If you can slow them down, you can use your vines more efficiently. If an opponent charges you from a distance, make a vine halfway between you and your opponent, make sure it hides it's length by laying flat until your opponent gets to it, then trip him. Surround him with vines and thorns and ivy, and move in to kick him in the head." Sephora nodded. His advice seemed sound and as he said it, she felt almost as if it should have been common sense for her. She was glad that she had come tonight, this was far better than trying to teach herself Tai Chi. Sending a mental charge of reassurance to the lynx, just in case it was still Riley, she nodded at what John was saying.

Glancing at a plot of ground, a vine shot up. She was trying to see how fast she could get one up. Surprised at her own speed, she smiled and suddenly a patch of brambles shot up. She had never seen their like, but they had inch long thorns. It seemed that she could call up plants she had never seen before by just imagining their like. Sephora had been thinking of a deadly bush and here this one had sprouted.

As for kickboxing, she had never considered it. During her childhood, her father had hired all sort of fighters for amusement, and the kickboxers had always brought a smile to her face. It was a good idea, she knew, and it would be advantageous for her size.

"Sounds good," She said, her accent flowing, "I had never thought of kickboxing, but I will be a willing and open student."

[Marquise]

"I believe we are done teaching tonight, however." Marquise spoke as he knew that he would be needing nourishment soon. He hadn't fed this evening but he had been burning the energy. "So then, are you ready girl? I will attack you mentally and physically, and you must defend yourself, do so and defeat me, do so without mercy. Then if you succeed I will tell you my name. My..... true name."

Marquise stepped further away and thought how he could really test her mentally. He wasn't sure if he had any more tests, except one..... of course it was a long shot, and a really big amount of guess work on the voice. But if he could pull it off, it would work.

"Prepare yourself girl," Marquise changed, he knew the boys form, he knew it well, he knew the clothes to some extent, he cleaned them up a bit taking away the burns, he guessed the color green for eyes, but decided to keep his eyes a little darkened and he guessed the boys voice, he went with a smooth caring voice, a voice much like his old human one. The attitude he wasn't sure about, but he knew he would have to do something.

"Sephora...... is it really you?" Marquise said in the form of Joar, the best Joar he could do considering he hadn't met the real one, "Why? Why did you let him kill me? Why did you LET ME DIE SEPHORA?"

The form walked closer to sephora, slowly and slowly he walked towards her, "All I ever wanted was to love you, and for you to love me..... why did I have to die?"

Part of her will always know it's me, but part of her might fall for the trick after seeing his face again.... hopefully I guessed him correctly..... let's see if she can see through the disguise in time....... better hurry little red riding hood.... the big bad wolf is hungry, and out for blood.

[sephora]

"I believe we are done teaching tonight, however." Sephora nodded. She was still healing and hadn't really wanted to exert herself. She had to admit, this training session had been extremely useful, both in knowledge attained and skills discovered. "So then, are you ready girl? I will attack you mentally and physically, and you must defend yourself, do so and defeat me, do so without mercy. Then if you succeed I will tell you my name. My..... true name."

Sephora had known he wasn't going to be letting her off easy, but she hadn't expected an attack. Taking a step back, the girl strengthened her mental connection to the trees and to the nature around her. She didn't know how far John would go, but he was a vampire, and she didn't trust him.

"Sephora...... is it really you? Why? Why did you let him kill me? Why did you LET ME DIE SEPHORA?" Joar walked towards her and the girl's heart stopped. It was cruel, the attack in this form, but what else had she expected? What else would unnerve her? "All I ever wanted was to love you, and for you to love me..... why did I have to die?"

Keeping a passive look on her face, the girl reminded herself that he wasn't really Joar. Joar was dead, and this was a vampire whose name she really didn't even know. Vines shot out of the ground, laced with ivy. They crawled up his legs and the roots dug into his skin.

Taking a step back, Sephora tried to fight back the tears as the would-be Joar walked towards her. Suddenly rage replaced her fear. This was so cruel of him, so harsh. John had been there when Joar was attacking, he was choosing the one boy she had almost loved to try and exploit her weakness.

A red thorn cactus shot up suddenly, the many inch long thorns the color of her emotional rage. Another vine sprouted from the ground, though this one just over his toe, as a thick mound of moss grew under his right heel.

Sephora's eyes darkened as she tried to imagine that the boy she had just tripped into a deadly cactus wasn't Joar. Her thought process and calling of plants came in a span of three seconds, and she braced herself.

[Marquise]

Marquise slipped back into the cactus, "AHHHHH!" He screamed in pain as hot tears streamed down his cheeks, he made his mouth fill with blood and kept the form.

"I should have never..... never messed with that demon..... I shouldn't have..... but it was to protect you.... I had.... had to protect you....." The form was still perfect, and Marquise was in a lot of pain, the needles inside of him, "I shouldn't deserve to die..... I shouldn't deserve to be in hell.... I was doing the right thing..... for you, for us."

"I love you sephora......." He spoke as the tears streamed down into the blood slowly pouring from his mouth, the t-shirt slowly staining with red as the blood soaked throughout it..... he was crying and unable to stop.

"Did you ever once.... love me?"

[sephora]

Sephora let the tears fall. Trying to stop them or wiping at them would only stuff up her nose and make her blubbery. It would also clout her vision, causing her to lose sight of her opponent. Of Joar.

"I should have never..... never messed with that demon..... I shouldn't have..... but it was to protect you.... I had.... had to protect you.....I shouldn't deserve to die..... I shouldn't deserve to be in hell.... I was doing the right thing..... for you, for us." Sephora's stomach clenched. John knew too much, she wished she had never told him Joar's name, that she had never told him of her emotions for him. He was a monster, a heartless. . . . vampire.

"I love you sephora....... did you ever once.... love me?" It was then that Sephora nearly broke. She wanted to kill the plants that were sapping at him, to run to his side and take him into her arms. Her foot moved, but she stopped herself. This wasn't Joar. This was a monster pretending to be Joar, trying to break her.

The girl's delicate brows lowered and the rage once more took control. It was cold, not hot fiery anger like she had felt previously. The trees were moaning, though this time only in her mind. Her foot was still in the ground, so she called on something she knew was more draining than even the ivy. Fungus popped out of the earth, soaking in the blood that poured out of the false Joar's mouth.

The fungus grew onto his hand, then up his arms and took deep root in his skin. The fungus was poisonous, sapping the energy from his muscles and growing farther up, spreading like a raised dark rash. Though her jaw quivered, her feet were firm.

[Marquise]

"I deserve this.... for leaving you all alone. I'm so sorry Sephora, I shouldn't have... I deserve hell for my mistakes. Shouldn't have ever gotten involved with demons..... "

I dont know how much longer I can stand to hold this form... not because of my Qi, but because of how much it disgusts me... it's a damn good thing I wasn't so self pitying when I was human. I was at least some what tolerable. Although, I much prefer this.... What I lack in nourishment I am definitely making up for with enjoyment and torment..... of course, the two are on and the same.[/color]

"You..... you can't....... you can't kill me sephora..... I'm already dead......." He spoke and smiled, "But it's good to know... it's good to know that you can fight the evil off... I was too weak, I let the evil take over my body. Maybe you don't need somebody to watch after you....... so just let it go..... let it all go.... let me go Sephora.... let me rest in peace.... bury me....."

It's a damn good thing I'm already dead girl. The poison isn't travelling fast when the blood doesn't flow. Might as well be trying to choke me to death..... you're Qi is becoming a real thorn in my side..... quite literally.[/color]

"Bury me deep down where nobody can reach me, where nobody can use me against you ever again.... not the demon.... not the evil.... " Marquise was just egging her own knowing eventually she would break, she had used a lot of her power and he knew that sooner or later she would grow weak and not be able to grow anything.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, yes girl..... tonight has definitely been interesting. You've entertained me, and you've given me the best ass kicking I've had since I was a filthy mortal.....[/color]

[sephora]

"I deserve this.... for leaving you all alone. I'm so sorry Sephora, I shouldn't have... I deserve hell for my mistakes. Shouldn't have ever gotten involved with demons..... " This isn't Joar, this isn't Joar, this isn't Joar. Sephora repeated this over and over in her head, reminding herself that letting the plants die would be failure. She honestly didn't know how her teacher would respond to failure, would he let her go unharmed to go back to campus? She doubted it, now that she knew what he was.

"You..... you can't....... you can't kill me sephora..... I'm already dead....... but it's good to know... it's good to know that you can fight the evil off... I was too weak, I let the evil take over my body. Maybe you don't need somebody to watch after you....... so just let it go..... let it all go.... let me go Sephora.... let me rest in peace.... bury me....." She stared at him. There was no way Sephora was going to take one step closer to him than she had to. At the moment Joar was . . . no, John was down. She didn't have much strength left, especially in her already healing condition, and she wasn't going to use it up running to his side, letting the plants die, or even growing something else. The fungus was spreading just fine on its own, for many fungi could grow on a human unattended. Besides, Sephora remembered something her father had always told her, Don't use your strength up on one enemy when another is waiting behind you. Well, he hadn't said it to her specifically, but she had always sat it on the training of her new bodyguards and it was something always repeated.

"Bury me deep down where nobody can reach me, where nobody can use me against you ever again.... not the demon.... not the evil.... " Still, Sephora stood and stared. She did not bring anything else, knowing that what she had done already would have done enough harm already to kill a normal human, even without the fungus. Mental prodding took little to no strength, so the girl began feeling around the forest for a certain animal, just in case this situation went downhill. She honestly didn't know if he would give up or push and make her use the last of her strength, until she collapsed.

"Bury yourself," She said softly, in Armenian, followed by "I won't give in." though the latter wasn't in Armenian, but Slavik. She felt that the language was rougher and more suited the situation than Armenian.

Unable to find the animal, she found something even better. A half mile off there was a bear rummaging around. If Joar. . . if John decided to attack her and she found herself to be weaker than imagined, she would call on it for aid.

[Marquise]

This doesn't look well..... she's obviously more angry with me then sad for Joar. Perhaps this form is not working as much anymore.... perhaps I screwed up a line..... I guess I'm just in over my head with this plan. This mortals become stronger already. She doesn't even realize that I'm helping her.....[/color]

"ENOUGH!" He screamed, not completely normal, more like the vampire version of Joar, red eyes, jet black hair, but still in Joars form and clothing, "Withdraw that creature, girl. Or, rather, Sephora."

Marquise grew his nails, and began shredding and tearing the plant life, ripping off the fungus and vines with all his strength. He was still stuck on the cactus and didn't manage to get himself off at first, he took the form of a much larger student, long enough to lift himself off of the cactus using leverage, then fell face forward and returned to his form. His eyes red and dark, his fangs and nails long and sharp. "You pass girl, but attack me again and I will be forced to end you......"

There were no congratulations, there were no 'you've passed' statements. She didn't need that, she had learned, and that was his intentions. To bring out her darker side, to bring out the merciless nature of a woman scorned.

"I will tell you this, girl. Come, help me up, and before I pass out from hunger, I will tell you my true name." Marquise didn't tell people the name Marquise. For the past 30 years he had slowly become a vampire legend, a newer one. It was known only among vampires however, should she meet one she could use his name. Scare them off, bribe them, anything. At least, if the vampire knew of Marquise, and feared him. Otherwise, it meant nothing. Still, it was the highest honor he could give someone, even if they didn't realize it.

[sephora]

"ENOUGH! Withdraw that creature, girl. Or, rather, Sephora." The girl smiled inwardly. She at least had the satisfaction of hearing him use her name. It was bittersweet, but at least it was something. Her blue eyes watched as he changed back slightly to a vampire and then to a large unidentified boy and pulled himself off the cactus. About to kill them, Sephora stopped herself and left the plants. They were now a testament of her backbone and she would make sure that they flourished.

"You pass girl, but attack me again and I will be forced to end you......" She stared at him for a moment, surprised. Why would she attack him? She had thought it was quite apparent that she didn't attack unless provoked. She did allow herself and small smile, though, that she had passed. Raising a hand, Sephora wiped the tears off of her face. "I will tell you this, girl. Come, help me up, and before I pass out from hunger, I will tell you my true name."

Pass out from hunger? Help him up? Sephora didn't like those phrases in the same sentence, but she supposed he wouldn't kill her since he had just spent so much effort teaching her how to defend herself. But then, what did she know about the way a vampire thought? Moving toward him cautiously, Sephora knelt down. Grabbing his arm, the girl lifted as best she could.

[Marquise]

He wasn't necessarily bleeding, it was more like losing your lunch to him. Luckily he had taken all the nourishment from most of the blood that leaked his body. Sephora came over and helped him up, he struggled to stop from drinking her dry, but he needed her, and even if he didn't, they had an agreement. Not to mention, he had Dani for all of his blood needs. Although, he doubted if he could get a hold of her this evening, which may prove to be harmful.

He moved his lips to her ear, opening his mouth his fangs were bared, he hissed at first, fighting the urge to devour her right then and there.

I am not a lowly beast.[/color]

"Marquise."

Marquise was about to pass out, and he knew it. He knew he'd need to get to his dorm room if he wanted to rest, the girls dorm room if he wanted to get to Dani, or to the infirmary if he wanted to steal some blood that way.

"There..... there is a girl named Dani..... take me to the girls dorms..... help me find her......" He stood on his own two feet, but he wouldn't be able to carry his own weight. So he used the last of his Qi to transform into a small boy he had consumed. The boy was about six years old or so, blonde, not an inch over 4'10". He didn't take the boys voice, or his eye color, instead his fangs stayed, his eyes were red, and his voice harsh. He was now small enough for Sephora to carry.

[sephora]

Sephora paused, hearing him hiss uncomfortably close to her ear. He then said his name was Marquise, and she smiled. It was a good name, is suited him. Also, the fact that he had spoken instead of sinking his fangs into her very close flesh was a good sign.

"There..... there is a girl named Dani..... take me to the girls dorms..... help me find her......" Watching as he changed into a small blonde boy, Sephora nodded. She knew he was weak, but she hadn't realized how weak. He seemed unsure on his own feet. Bending down, she lifted him so that his legs were around her waist and his arms around her shoulders. Sephora knew that it wasn't incredibly wise to let his face so close to her neck, but she this way he could cling to her. The girl wouldn't have been able to carry him far any other way. "I appreciate you doing me the honor of telling me your name. Though we are not the same, I understand what the power of a name can be." If anyone in Armenia heard her name, it would give the speaker many many benefits.

Moving swiftly, she spoke, "Now that I know your name, we can start a language lesson to keep your mind off of your hunger."

[Marquise]

I'll have Dani to devour any second now......... yes.... I think I'll tear her throat open this time, or perhaps I'll drain her dry from her torso......[/i]

Marquise began having sick and twisted thoughts about how he was going to kill Dani this time, about how her blood tasted so full of life, life he did not have, and life that nourished his very being. He knew this would definitely help the healing phase too, his back was incredibly injured and those fungus did a number on his arms, he didn't seem able to move them anymore. The poison was slow but it seemed to have slowly made its way to him.

"Sounds good... how about we start off with easy phrases for me to remember... perhaps blood for instance, or bleeding.... or bloody..... or devour.... or human.... or quite possibly words such as prey?" He knew this wasn't helping, but these were honestly the words he would want to learn first. Then after he got words of interest down he'd want to work on sentence structure, greetings, and all the important parts.

[sephora]

"Sounds good... how about we start off with easy phrases for me to remember... perhaps blood for instance, or bleeding.... or bloody..... or devour.... or human.... or quite possibly words such as prey?" Sephora laughed softly and picked up the pace. Due to his lack of blood, Marquise barely weighed anything and was easy to carry. The laugh was for his one-track mind. Many men would have been thinking of sex or food or sports. He, though, thought only of blood. She supposed that was food, though, since he was a vampire. So, Marquise was truly living up to his maleness.

"You have a one track mind, my friend." Sephora could see the edge of the forest approaching and was pleased that Marquise had not decided that he needed a little snack of her blood to tide him over. "I was going to start with the alphabet, but if this is easier for you, so be it." Speaking slowly and clearly, she spoke a phrase in Armenian that sounded harsh yet graceful. "Loosely, it means Feast of blood."

Reaching the edge of the forest, she walked towards the girl's dorm. Luckily Dani lived next door to her, so she wouldn't have to spend a lot of time trying to find the girl.

Saying the phrase again, she asked him to repeat it. "Make sure to put the emphasis in the right places, else it could mean something else." Reaching the girl's dorms, she paused and fumbled around for her MAC. She corrected his pronunciation then asked, "Shall I take you to her or bring her to you?"

[Marquise]

"I can take it from here, Sephora. We can continue these speech listens according to your schedule, since you respected the time I set for this....... lesson."

Marquise lifted himself off of her while transforming into his former self, his feet hit the ground just as he fell out of her hands, and he continued his smooth movements and changes, he opened the door of the dorms and walked towards the dorm that he knew was Dani's.

"Payment time.... Dani...... I'm here, and it's time for your death........."

[sephora]

"I can take it from here, Sephora. We can continue these speech listens according to your schedule, since you respected the time I set for this....... lesson." Sephora nodded, that sounded just fine. She let him go and Marquise slid out of her arms, changing from the boy to his normal form, or what she assumed was his normal form, in the process.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the edge of the forest."

Following him into the building, she heard him murmer something, opening the door to Dani's room. Sephora hoped her roomate wasn't there as she slipped into her own room, just to the left of Dani's. Once inside, she walked straight to the bathroom. She needed a shower before slipping into the warm, glorious sheets on her bed.