aterat | [ audio ]

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[ If Ivy sounds a tiny bit tired, that's because she is. For a number of reasons that she's really inclined to just not think about. Luckily it seems like the place is getting weird again and that means there's a distraction that she can turn her full focus to. ]

I think there's something we all need to talk about regarding this place. [ Well, there's probably a lot of somethings. ] Has anyone overheard what the locals are talking about now? Evidently Aterat was known for it's Magic Academy. News to me. [ Her tone is dry. It shouldn't be news to her, she's got entire files on the information she's collected about this place. ] Nothing I've compiled from locals previously has ever mentioned that, until now.

But that's not abnormal is it? Seems like every time something new shows up here they act like it's always been here. One man I spoke to was actually annoyed that I wasn't concerned about it. Evidently, if I was really interested in helping Aterat I should be concerned about what's happened there. Not that I'd given any indication I was interested in helping. I guess he took my curiosity on the subject to mean I wanted to help figure out what's going on.

[ She pauses for a second. ] I would like to know what's going on though. Why does this keep happening and what does it mean when it happens? Are we going to see an Academy appear soon? [ And if so, what sort of trouble would that inevitably bring? ] How many instances of this can we list at this point? [ The sound of paper can be heard shuffling around quickly. ] There was the Lighthouse... the chocolatier and noble district...and [ she seems reluctant to actually speak about this one for some reason ] the recent carnival. They always seem to act like they've always known about these places. Maybe it's time we try to figure out why that is.

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[ He'd have to wait longer than he'd expected, a good twenty minutes longer. If he happened to actually stay though he'd be greeted by Ivy strolling up with her long black hair tied back in a high ponytail. She wore a black blouse, black pants, thick heeled boots, and a white scarf pulled tightly around her neck. It was something she only wore when she was trying to hide something and it served it's purpose well. The cross necklace that was usually visibly out was missing from her attire today. Or at least it wasn't visible. ]

Good evening.

[ Llewellyn would at least have waited the extra twenty minutes without going too far. Much longer, though, and he probably would have gone looking. He glanced up as he heard her approaching from the table he’d secured, offering a small smile in greeting. His hat was already set on the side of the table, and he was snacking on fries with ketchup while he waited. He at least hadn’t gotten a drink yet, but the man was always snackish. ]

Good evening, Ivy. It’s good to see you. [ Because he had a very strong feeling she wasn’t keen on having a conversation about whatever it was she was being vague about. ] Have a seat and we’ll mm… get a drink and have that talk.

[ He raised a hand to gesture to the tavern keeper that they’d be ready in a moment. ]

I hope the uh- rest of your afternoon went well?

[ She rolled her shoulders in a shrug and took a seat. Maybe she shouldn't have come after all. Knowing him though he'd have come to her. He had in fact proven that he would just show up outside her door. There was no stopping a detective she supposed. ]

Well enough. Not much different than most afternoons here. [ Which was to say a bit boring...until they weren't. As someone that liked to plan out her entire day, she hated that aspect of this place. ] Hard to plan for things when they change randomly.

I suppose that’s uh- true enough. Though sometimes the challenge is worth it if you do successfully plan something that goes forward without issue.

[ He felt rather in the positive there, lately. Things had been going well, or at least going according to the plans he and Rhy had made. But that wasn’t why they were here, so he settled his arms on the table in front of him and tilted his head slightly to talk while they waited. ]

Now- uh… What was all that about the carnival?

Some people would tell you that I don't take my plans going badly well enough for that. [ Some people mostly being Rachel. It wasn't untrue either. It was better for her to just not try to plan than to plan things and risk issues coming up. Her mood dipped the second her carefully crafted plans went down the drain.

She ran a hand through her pony tail and sighed. ]

Did you go? There was something happening to some of the people who went.

I suppose the disappointment of a plan going wrong is hard to handle after a while… But when they go right, it’s worth it.

[ Llewellyn leaned forward slightly, considering the carnival. ]

Mm… I confess, I only got to slip in once or twice while it was here? Mostly just to try some of the foods. Rhy and I got rather caught up in preparing for the move, so our free time was a bit limited. I did hear that there were some odd… side-effects to a few things and some less than pleasant entertainment? Which uh… sounds about right for this world. I presume something happened in particular though that you didn’t want to address on the network?

I like to stick to schedules. [ It's not so much the disappointment, but the irritation of not having control over something.

She folds one leg over the other and taps her foot restlessly. Would she ever actually be good at talking to people? ] I'm not sure what happened exactly. Where I'm from if people tap into certain kinds of magic it goes to their head. I saw it almost happen with Rachel. [ And maybe it would again considering Rachel was now willing to ask demons for help. ] It was like something like that happened to him.

[ Llewellyn listened carefully, snagging a fry or two to munch on while she spoke. It was hard not to pause, though, as she specifically said ‘Him.’ Did she mean Harry? Or was he just too fixated on the topic of the two of them? Nudging the plate towards her thoughtfully, he found himself having to ask for some confirmation. ]

Mm… So it was as I heard that some people were… different thanks to the carnival? [ Fussing with a napkin lightly, he glanced over at her carefully. ] And you say something of that nature happened to ‘him?’ Would I, uh… be correct in assuming the ‘him’ would be Harry? Or are we speaking of a different ‘him?’

[ She looked down awkwardly and chewed on her lip, letting one of her sharp catlike teeth show for a moment. ] Good detective work. [ She sighed. ] I was...it was a good place to hunt. [ Should she have been admitting that? Probably not and she seemed intensely embarrassed by it. She'd tried to go without anything off and on here but things got complicated and stressful. Confusing. She'd never known how awful it'd be to be somewhere completely alone like this. At least back home she'd always had Kisten or someone to fall back on. ] So...I was already in a mood. [ She kept looking down, almost like a kid that'd gotten caught stealing a candy bar by a parent. ]

I didn't expect to run into anyone I knew so late. He was so different. Like....[ she threaded a strand of her hair around a finger, suddenly wishing she could pull her cross out for some sort of comfort. ] he knew he had power and could use it to do anything he wanted. It reminded me of Piscary.

More of a guess, really. [ Llewellyn responded with a wry smile, seeing the awkward shift in her demeanor. It wasn’t as though he was going to judge her for doing what she needed to do based on what she was. It wasn’t like she was out to murder or wreak havoc, after all. So he patiently let her explain in as little or as much detail as she preferred. ] Mm… So you were already caught up in what you were doing when you happened upon each other.

[ The detective hadn’t forgotten what she mentioned about how things got when she hunted… So a different Harry? Probably a bad mix. Then there was the way she described him… A troubled expression crossed his face. ] So not a good sort of confidence in his abilities, then. I take it that what followed didn’t go well?

[ He had to ask, concerned for both his friends after all. It seemed like every time the two ran across each other’s paths, instead of progress something bad happened. ]

Yeah, caught up. [ It worked as a way to describe what she'd been doing. She'd definitely been caught up in finding someone that was an acceptable target. That was always what she looked for: someone that was looking for something she could provide. In order to make things as uncomplicated as possible she also always tried to look for someone new. The last thing she wanted was someone getting to want it too much.

She let out a sigh and rubbed her temples. ] No. It didn't go well. I knew there was something off. [ And she sounded frustrated with herself for that. ] But I couldn't just walk away. He was too...[ appealing. ] like you smelling your favorite food. The best pretzel you could ever smell. [ What a stupid sounding comparison, Ivy. ]

[ Llewellyn’s brow wrinkled comically as he tried to think about what that comparison meant. It didn’t take long, but there was a moment where he questioned it before he finally nodded. So… Harry smelled like her ‘favourite food,’ and resisting such a thing was near impossible. Even he could say that with ease, knowing how oftentimes he couldn’t even pass the cart that sold pretzels in the market without grabbing a couple. ]

I think I understand, then… So, since you were already mm… on the trail… You couldn’t really help yourself, even if caution would have been better in this case. No wonder you didn’t want to talk about it. [ He added awkwardly, before belatedly his brows rose up. He had asked her to talk to Harry about the whole locals situation. ] In hindsight… I realize I may have put you in a rather awkward position, suggesting you talk to him today. For that, I uh- apologize? Is he back to normal like everyone else?

[ Not the point, Llewellyn, it was probably still damn awkward. ]

[ She shifts in her seat, betraying her awkwardness for just a second before she's able to adjust her expression to something as neutral as she could manage. ] I should be able to resist better. Most living vampires can go without blood. [ It was embarrassing to even think about let alone speak about, and h was the first person she'd really discussed the issue with. For the most part she even avoided talking to Rachel about it much. ] Tamwoods are special to Piscary, always have been. My mother was his Scion before she became undead and her mother before her. [ She pauses to let the implied 'and so on' linger in the air for a moment. ]

As a little girl he took a special interest in me. [ Everything about her mannerisms makes it clear that's not a good thing. ] He made me take blood from...as young as he could. When he decided he wanted me to work for the IS he put me straight to detective so I wouldn't go through the training that a Runner would. Training that would have exposed me to situations where there was blood and adrenaline. Wasn't until Rachel that I ever went on one and realized exactly what that meant. [ She didn't look over at him when she said that and she wondered if he'd even be able to get it. It'd taken her so long to realize he hadn't allowed her to do that because if she'd been exposed to that she'd have been forced to learn how to control her more base instincts: the ones that triggered when strong pheromones associated with different emotions triggered. ]

When it comes down to it we hunt just like any basic predator and you know what they say about making sure a predator can't smell your fear? [ It applied to any strong emotion someone released. So yeah, she couldn't help herself. She looked over at him and gave a small self-deprecating smile. ] Not your fault that I don't explain much. [ Wasn't like he knew anything deep about what she was. Nobody did. ]

He seems to be back to normal. But...awkward.

[ Llewellyn didn’t need too many cues to work out that they were broaching territory that was less comfortable for Ivy to explain… So instead of interjecting or interrupting, he settled in his seat and listened carefully. It was complicated… Damn complicated. From what little he’d already learned from her about the kind of vampire she was, he had gathered that there were some things that were difficult for her, but this sounded… More worrying that before. He’d realized Piscary wasn’t a good person in her life from the way she’d spoken of them in the past…

But the more he heard? The worse it sounded. What was he thinking? Clearly most, if not all, the decisions the man had made simply made things harder for Ivy... He grimaced as she paused, watching as she very pointedly did not look at him while discussing that she’d be skipped right to Detective and missed out on training that would have helped her deal with things like this. ]

Then you can hardly blame yourself for not being able to resist, can you? It… seems to me that your opportunities to learn and adjust were taken from you because of a decision made by someone else. [ Honestly… Even if he couldn’t fully understand or imagine it? Some things made more sense than they had before. ]

Mm… It’s not hard to see why you don’t explain everything. Things like that aren’t easy to share.

[ Llewellyn offered a slight wince at her description. ]

I think given what you’ve both handled, awkward sounds about right?

Everything was taken from me because of decisions by other people. [ Bitterness laced not just her tone but her very body language. ] I moved to the church to try to get away from it but he...I had to protect Rachel from him. [ The statement was made firmly and with no indication that she'd elaborate there. Yet at the same time her body language indicated a withdrawal with the topic, as if she wanted to find a way to escape the very thought of what 'protecting Rachel' had entailed from her. ]

It's still my fault though. I shouldn't be hunting here knowing I could run into people I know. [ Convincing her that everything wasn't her fault would be a task fit for only the most dedicated. After a second she glanced over at him cautiously before quickly looking back down. ] I don't kill them or leave them with any damage, don't worry. Regular people, humans, they enjoy it. [ A pause. ] That's how I knew the people here had changed to be more...whole. [ And that was even more awkward to confess to him. ]

You're right, they're not. I had to with Rachel because we lived together and that's...hard with someone like her. [ And Harry was so very similar. She gave the weakest self-deprecating smile ever. ] There are self-help books written to help people who live with living vampires. [ Weird world she came from. ]

I don't know what to do now.

[ It truly turned his stomach to think that his friend had so much taken from her by others. So many things seemed to make more sense now, in the worst ways possible… And an anger flared up at the realization that there would probably be little that could be done about it, that this Piscary had gotten away with so much, and by the sounds of his status? Probably would get away with more…

Llewellyn’s attention shifts as she blamed herself for the awkward interaction with Harry. Blowing air out of his cheeks in a sigh, he shook his head. ]

And if not here, then where, Ivy? It’s not as though you can just, um… pop over to another world or city to get what you need. [ Llewellyn couldn’t really imagine a way around it, at least not as the world was now. Leaning on his arm, he considered the caution on Ivy’s face as she proceeded to explain, or seem to be trying to put concerns he might have to rest. ] I trust that you know what you’re doing, you know. You’ve never proven to be thoughtless or that you don’t value the lives of people.

[ A brow rose, though, to hear that humans apparently enjoyed it. It was odd to think… But it also solidified the fact that he didn’t see reason to worry. Clearly, they didn’t need to worry about bodies turning up. They’d been here long enough, and Llewellyn had never seen anything to indicate otherwise. ] So you noticed the change in them because of how they responded to you… That’s a good clue, even if it’s a bit er… awkward for you, I imagine.

[ Llewellyn hummed a little. ] Do the books… help?

[ Hey, maybe it would be good for people to have a better understanding if they were actually well written and helpful. ]

Even I have to admit, the next steps seem a bit… difficult now. I know most people say time helps, but that’s always been a frustrating concept for me. Might help if you both… talked about what happened? Clear the air and perhaps the lingering awkwardness to be on the same page.

[ She started to nervously finger strands of her hair and then let out a sigh of her own. When she spoke she had a low voice. ]

I shouldn't need it. [ But for her own sanity she did, which she found pretty embarrassing to admit. Vampires in her world didn't just take blood when they fed from someone, they also took a bit of someone's soul which lead to them feeling more alive and more whole. For undead vampires that was important considering they'd fully lost their soul. Being alive meant she still had her soul, but with how much Piscary had warped her and taken from her, well, she needed blood more than the average living vampire. ] You trust me too much.

[ She dipped her head down quickly. ] No, I noticed the change because of how they tasted and what they gave me. Vampires take a bit of a person's aura when they feed. They have more of one now.

[ She chuckled awkwardly. ] If Rachel stuck with their suggestions, they would. [ But she didn't. ]

How do you even bring that up?

But you do, and you can’t help that. [ Llewellyn’s tone was firm on that, he wasn’t about to judge her or let her continue going down that line of thought without at least reminding her that it wasn’t something she could just ignore without putting herself through more than she already did. The tone of his voice shifted to some amusement. ] Or I trust you as much as I should, based on your behavior and our friendship thus far.

[ That’s saying something, really, but it also indicated that he wasn’t trusting her with the blind assumption that it would never change. People were like that, things happened. Maybe one day things between them would change, but until given a reason to not trust her? He would continue to. ]

I take it she skims and mm… adapts the material to suit her in the moment?

[ The detective made an awkward face. That was the problem… Starting conversations. Then again, Llewellyn just tended to bring things up when he felt they needed to be. ]

I uh- suppose leading with ‘We need to talk about what happened at the carnival’ is a bit blunt compared to what you’d want to start with.

I should be able to. [ That was all she could repeat, but her voice was much less confident. She shook her head and sighed. He always said that and they seemed to end up in this circle far too often. At least at this point she knew to just accept it. ]

Mostly she just ignores it. A lot of it is my own fault. I...she doesn't like me the way I like her. [ Holy shit, Ivy, that sounded like they were both in high school still. She rubbed her temples and let out a sigh. ] She's said the confusion is from my pheromones and her own thrill-seeking side wanting my bite. [ Which is where a lot of her issues with Harry were coming from now. Rachel wanted the bite and the pleasure that gave and her own tendency to rush into everything always pulled Ivy in. The problem was when Rachel immediately backed out due to those reasons.

She raised an eyebrow. ] Is that how you'd approach it?

But the fact that you can’t is due to something outside your control, Ivy. [ Accepting that he would continue circling on the subject if she kept disagreeing was probably the easiest way to move forward. Llewellyn didn’t think she should carry all the responsibility for something that was caused by someone else… Which was more than a little hypocritical of him, really. ]

Oh… [ He murmured awkwardly, knowing by now that the term ‘like’ often meant something more than just a friendly liking someone. ] So because of the effects of your uh- bite, and her personality, she doesn’t believe she has feelings that run deeper than that. [ Llewellyn still was of the mind that Harry was at least somewhat different. At least based on the varied interactions she’d spoken of, this new awkward one aside.

He offered a clumsy smile at her question, though. ] Probably, yes. Perhaps, uh- with slightly more words than that if I was nervous… Which I would caution against, making an already awkward conversation more confusing tends to be a hinderance.

[ So, you know. Don’t do that. Benefit from his prior awkwardness. ]

And I hate that. [ That was the root of so many of her issues, one that she rarely admitted to. She hated every single bit of control that she'd lost and she hated the idea of not being in perfect control of anything. Really, it made a lot of what she said about liking hard schedules and not liking change make sense. What Piscary had done to her had left her with an almost insane need to control everything she possibly could. ]

She's straight. But yeah, basically. [ And Rachel reiterated that constantly. But for some reason she kept letting things happen between them. It was a less than ideal situation for a vampire as instinctually driven as Ivy. ]

Avoiding him seems like the better choice.

[ He wished it could be different for his friend, wished he could offer her more help on that matter… But it wasn’t as though he could change anything, couldn’t go back and fix what had happened. He supposed all he could do was try to help her here and now, either by nudging her in the direction of better things or listening in these situations. ]

Ah… That on top of the uh- rest of it makes it terribly complicated, then. I’m sorry, Ivy. [ He mumbled with an apologetic tone. Lucky that he’d been around people from later time periods to have a better idea of how one referred to someone’s sexuality. He knew what it was like to have feelings that were less than platonic for a friend who wouldn’t ever really express that kind of interest. It was a difficult situation for her to be in. Especially where she was as close to Rachel as she was. ]

Because avoiding him has worked out well for you so far?

[ He asked with a raised brow, not meaning for it to come out the way it did… But it was hard to not point out that she ran into him, anyway. Avoiding someone only worked for so long in an environment as contained as theirs. ]

I know it’s awkward and less pleasant, but avoiding him and the topic won’t make it go away.

It's...fine. [ Said it that distinctive voice that actually says 'it's not fine at all, it kind of sucks.' ] She should have never let me bite her the first time. Just like I shouldn't have with Harry. [ Wait, why'd she say that aloud? Her face looked like it flushed for a second before she jerked her head down in hopes that he wouldn't notice. Now it was the time for her to be truly awkward. It was embarrassing enough to admit she had feelings for someone that didn't want a relationship but still kept coming too close or sending out the wrong signals. The worst part was the fact that she'd basically admitted that Rachel's personality and thrill seeking nature often made it where Ivy couldn't even control herself around her sometimes. ]

It could work better. [ Maybe it'd go away....]

[ Ah, yes… Because Llewellyn wasn’t observant both by nature or trade. He didn’t hear her make a particular comparison between Rachel and Harry, or the embarrassed, awkward expression on her face.

Nope. Totally didn’t see that at all.

Only he really did. Which meant that his expression shifted to something complicated as well, and… a little uncertain what to do with that. Taking a deep breath, he rested his chin on the palm of his hand and tried to figure out what to even do say. ]

You know, the more you say, the more I’m starting to see where a lot of the complications are coming from here- well, better than I had before, anyway. The different here, I think, would be the fact that Harry’s clearly expressed an interest still, even after the fact instead of deciding it’s all because of the uh- bite. [ Every day there was something new he never thought he’d say. ] And ‘Could’ doesn’t mean it will.

I know neither of you are going to like it, because of the… awkwardness. [ And he’s not going to point out that neither of them seems to be good at this stuff. He can’t really judge, he’s not much better. The amount of awkwardness and clumsy moments he’d had around Rhy were quite embarrassing to remember sometimes. ] But you both should try to talk at some point… I’d offer to sit in and… [ Mediate? Babysit? He waved a hand vaguely to indicate whatever it could be called. ] to help smooth things over… But I expect neither of you wants an audience, either.

[ Using the Power of Denial Ivy will convince herself that he somehow didn't notice. Too bad it's countered by his introduction of logic. Darn him. Which means that he's finally cornered her into offering up another bit of information she'd always conveniently left out: ] The problem is that I'll want it again and he might too. [ Which would just make her want it more. ] I don't want to do that to him, but I don't know how to separate loving someone and feeding from them.

[ She sighed and her eyes started to sting as she fought back the tears that were threatening to come out. Why was she nearly crying? This was pathetic. ] I shouldn't be telling you this. My crazy issues shouldn't be yours...

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