Merchandice (Open)

[Erebos]

(Thread start)
Word Min.: 200+
Rating: PG 13
Participants: Open to All
Season: Summer
Start Time: 9 PM

A large booted foot fell upon the damp curb which was speckled by old black gum. The boot was steel shod, tip and heel, above thick rubberized soles. The leather of the boot showed two steel buckled belts before disappearing under loose soft leather pants which hid the thickly muscled calf and thigh underneath.

The car matched the black sheathed leg that had exited the rear door. Sleek and black with a backdrop of yellow cabs, this car stood out as owned by someone of importance. The driver of the car wasn't alive. Nor was she dead for that matter. Her small frame and ghostly white skin told nothing of the power held within her. The Animated corpse turned her head toward the rear seat and cocked her head, so that she could hear her Master's voice through the thick curtain of coppery curls. " Go acquire parking and wait until I call."

The man's voice was a deep baritone with a somewhat melodic accent. Erebos's leather coated arm snaked from the dark interior of the car, grasping the frame to assist his egress. His eyes and hair were both a shining raven black. His features looked chiseled of alabaster to match his warrior's build. Under the faded and scratched leather duster, Erebos wore a deep burgundy polyester shirt. His shirt was stretched tight over his well muscled torso. It showed every contour of his chest and abs where the open duster flared in an hourglass shape down his entire front.

The Immortal Undead Erebos had come to Times Square for a reason. He wished to see how his latest capture was faring in the cages of the Human Trade. She was a feisty one. He had neither the time nor the patience at the time to fully train her, but he was sure that what little that he had ground into her would stick. He tried to make regular weekly visits to the slave cages, but he had missed his last two scheduled times. He didn't know whether or not he hoped that the girl was still here. He also wanted to see how the other Slavers were doing with their trade, if they were keeping up with the quality and quantity that he brought in.

As soon as Erebos's rear foot touched the pavement, the car started to rapidly depart. He trailed back a hand and lightly tapped the moving door so it would latch shut as the car sped away. His purposful stride and confident demenor told anyone who looked at him that he was met to be her, and that he was on the correct side of the iron bars. He made his way along the strip quickly because of his long stride, and it took only moments before he was before the first cage.

The man within the cage could have doubled for one of his hastily conjured Animated. He was rail thin, and wore ripped and bedraggled clothing. His face was scratched and dirty, and Erebos knew that he wouldn't be sold for anyhting but hard labor. The wretched thing would die sooner rather than later if he was put to work, unless the Master was very careful and spent more on food and medical attention than it would be worth to have a thing such as this working at his home. The Slave was a broken one, for sure. His head was down, and he was just slumped in the far corner of the cage. When Erebos squatted down to look at the man's face, his eyes were dull, and near lifeless. This one would be a waste of time. Both to collar, and to own.

After that initial cage, he passed by four more that held mostly the same. two young and two old, the two younger ones were female, a few years in their teens. They would not be worth owning either though because they were in the same condition as the first. Only at the fifth cage did Erebos stop to take a close look at the girl's collar. He circled the cage so he could grip the collar and forced her to her feet so he could see the insignia that was stamped into the front. It was of a weasel head. He couldn't remember who owned that particular insignia, but they were not that good at their job. He let go the girl then moved on once again.

There she was, in the sixth cage from the front. Sister to his new Animated servant, This woman still had fire in her eyes. She was watching him closely and stayed far away from him when he circled the cage. She had been here three weeks, and due to his orders she was fed well. She would be here for a while yet, until someone who had time for the challenge to break her came to buy her. She would fetch a good price for him too, as she was sixteen and untouched. She was a beauty, with only small minor flaws.

Without a word, he moved on. He had seen what he had come to see mostly. He would still look at each of the cages along his walk, but he wouldn't inspect each as he had been. His pace slackened from the determined stride to more of a confident languorous stroll. He was nearly at the center of the plaza when he stopped at a coffee stand. If there was anything he liked in the modern world, it was their coffee. He didn't know how he spent a thousand or more years without it. He ordered triple Espresso Con Panna . With his drink in hand, he made his way over to a bench and sipped it lightly, looking appreciating one filled cage after another. Three others had the Chaos Insignia that meant Captured Chaos had collared and brought them in. He was quite content this night, for a change.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine was sitting in one of the cages with her chained hands clapsed together in her lap. She looked around at the cages on either side of her. One held her brother Angelo who looked just like her brother Dorian. The two of them were twins so naturally they looked alike. Dorian was lucky not to be captured but who was to say there wasn't another vampire out there looking for him and Gianna, the little sister of the slave on her left. On her left side was Bianca Callowhill, her best friend. She met her during her short time at school before she was captured and everything she held dear was taken from her. Her parents had been killed in riots before the human trade was legalized and her aunt Adrianna was killed by the vampire who brought her and the other two to the Nyctha clan. "Wherever you are, brother. I hope you're all right."she thought to herself as she looked back at the cage on her right where Angelo sat in the same position as she and Bianca.

She imagined she was looking into Angelo's eyes which were the same as Dorian's. She couldn't see anything out of the cage except for what was in front of her and Jasmine didn't like the sight. In front of her was the man responsible for all this. He was one of them. She hated the world right now and wanted to rip the man sitting on the bench in front of her to shreds. She may be a lowly human but she could hold a grudge for life if someone hurt her badly enough.Right now she was beyond hurt; she was in so much pain that it wasn't even funny. She had no one now except for Angelo, Bianca, and the other slaves for company. She lay awake at night wondering if Dorian and Gianna were safe wherever they are. She hoped some soul out there took pity on them and took them in. It would kill her if she saw one or both of them brought in after eluding capture for so long, at least five years. 2032 was the year she turned sixteen and it was the same year her aunt was killed.

Her parents had been murdered in 2027 by the same vampires who killed her aunt. Jasmine bit down on her lip and tried to fight through the tears that wanted to come. She and Bianca had promised each other that they would come out the other side of this stronger. They would never admit defeat, no matter how much they felt like they'd lost and the will to live was forever gone from them. No, she had to be strong for both Dorian and Angelo, even if they were the oldest. They were eighteen but Angelo had already admitted defeat. She couldn't hear his voice from his cage, so he was probably lamenting their situation too or worrying about his twin. Bianca also had to be strong for Gianna, although they both knew she was safe with Dorian. He would never let anything happen to his sister's best friend's sister. Gianna had become like a little sister to them over the years.

[Erebos]

As Erebos took another sip of his coffee, he slowly looked around. There was someone watching him. He could feel a murderous intent behind that gaze as well. He had so many enemies, both human and vampire alike, that he couldn't count them had he had a hundred hands. He saw no sign of people lurking in the shadows, nor in any windows. His gaze swept from right to left, then right again, skipping over the cages before him. He was more worried about someone of consequence rather than a captured slave.

He looked to the side once more, and it was when his soulless black eyes were sweeping back that he actually saw the girl with fire in her eyes. She was in the cage directly in front of him and she was staring at him. He tilted his head in bemusement and bit his lower lip so that his elongated left fang shone in the moonlight. Ah, curiosity. It gets the best of him from time to time, and this was one of those bad times. He could not remember ever seeing this girl, but he was curious as to why her gaze shot daggers of blame at him with every second.

Slowly he stood, and strolled over to the cage. He knew that if he moved at full speed, she was likely to not even see him as he moved. As he walked, he transfered his coffee from his left hand to his right. When he reached the cage, he leaned forward, grasping a bar with his dominant left hand so that he could get a good look at the girl. She was dirty and disheveled, but she could pass for a beauty, no matter who you asked. He spoke then, in a deep and accented voice " Girl, why do you look at me so? Like all the world's problems are my fault?" The accent that flavored his deep baritone voice made it sound as if he were a professional singer, even though he was not singing. His presence was confident and commanding, as if he were used to every question he ever asked to be answered promptly and without a hint of a lie.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine played with a thread on her dirty clothes to give herself something to do. She was tired and a little hungry. When she noticed the coffee in the vampire's hand she eyed it rapturously. She stayed up half the night worrying about what was left of her family and whenever she did manage to get to sleep she had nightmares about what had happened to her these past five or so years.

Jasmine watched as the man walked towards the cage. Normally when she was scared she would look to her older brothers for protection. One of her brothers was currently chained up in the cage beside her and her other brother was god only knows where. She tried not to show fear as he grasped the bars of her cage. She didn't stop glaring daggers at him the whole time and wasn't fazed by his beautiful accent. "Oh, I don't know."she spat sarcastically ignoring the warning looks Angelo was giving her.

She couldn't see him but she knew that right about now he would be warning her about her tone of voice but she didn't care. "Maybe because the world's problems are your fault. Your fellow vampires killed my parents during the April riots then another vampire killed my aunt and brought me, my brother, and my friend here. So, excuse me if I glare. I feel like I'm entitled to because YOU and everyone else in your whole clan took away everything that mattered; my family and my freedom."

[Erebos]

The upper portion of the bar that Erebos grasped started to become obscured in dark flames that were tinged with the slightest blue during her tirade. There was absolutely no damage to the bars where the flames touched. No scorch marks where the flames licked, and no heat was given off by the small globe of fire. " My kind? My clan? I have no Kind. You must have me mistaken, Pet. There are no others like me on this fine globe. I am part of no clan. Though I do work for one." He said while burning with a soft rage.

He didn't know why he was explaining himself to this pathetic human, this child. He didn't know why, but since he started he may as well finish. "I didn't start this war, but I don't mind mopping up what's left. I am Erebos. A name to remember. If it had been me that had captured you, I am quite sure you would be more like those two spiritless ones to your sides." Even while he said this, he wondered if this one would notice the flames and be cowed. He wondered if she would keep her spirit and spit back a retort instead of going back to cowering in the corner.

He said nothing after that, just dimmed the flames, took a sip from his coffee, and started to stroll around the cage, trailing his fingers first down the bar he had been holding, then clinkety-clank across the bars, well within reach if she lunged for him. When he reached the left side of the cage, he shot out a malicious kick to the cage next to hers to create a resounding rattle of the bars, then continued until he was at the back side of her cage. He was watching her of course, ready for any move she made, and actually hoped she would.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine sighed as she listened to him correct her. She felt like he had no right to correct her. She knew he worked for the nyctha clan but she didn't care. He didn't get to correct her about anything after the people he worked for had ruined her life. "Whatever. You know what I meant. I don't care if you work for them or not. You people are all the same to me."

Jasmine could feel a rage burning within her equal to the vampire's. She felt like smashing or throwing something. She had noticed the flames but she was too angry to comment. So he had magnificient powers, that didn't excuse him for his crimes against humanity. She looked over at the two cages on either side of her wondering who he was talking about. Surely he didn't mean Angelo and Bianca. They had promised each other they would emerge from this stronger than the enemy. Bianca was always optimistic about just about everything...even in this nightmare. The fact that Gianna was hopefully safe eased her worries at night. Jasmine attempted to lunge for him but was yanked back onto the floor of the cage by her shackles. She watched him kick the cage beside her where Angelo was. The sound startled her and everyone beside him. Did he do that just to get a rise out of her?

[Erebos]

The fire that he had seen earlier was what had originally attracted him, even the outburst that she had given when he approached. This though wasn't what he was expecting. No matter, he would find something to rile her again. Having long experience with humans, he was sure of what to say. " I wonder if you know anyone that is on the run. Sometimes the best information is gathered by those who were captured. I wonder if I should buy you. I am sure there are many secrets you could scream into my ear one night or another." His voice was liquid black velvet. It suggested more than he had actually said of course.

She may be a bit young to become his pet, but if she let on she had some tidbits to tell him, someone he could actually go hunt instead of buy caged, it would be well worth it. While the training, breaking and use of a pet was all well and good, He loved hunting the dark places of the city for those who were hiding away from those she called his people. He loved the thrill of smelling a human out in the wilderness, cowering in cabins, or hiding in caves.

He had made near about one hundred posted, specific captures over the last few years, and adding a few more would be most sublime. Especially if it came from a pet someone else had captured and hadn't interrogated properly. He crouched down, face very near the bars so she could hear him speak. "How would you like to be free of this cage, to eat a proper meal? To bathe and put on fresh.. well we can call them clothes I guess. How would you like to know this may well be your last chance at leaving that cage? How would you feel to know I would do this, on the off chance that I might pull a bit of information of someone you know that is out there still hiding from that horrid Nychta clan?" This was all said in that black velvet voice, this time pitched to a whisper so that not even the property in the nearest cage could hear him. So that only she could hear.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine glared at Erebos as she thought about what he said. She hadn't seen Dorian since she'd been captured from her home and she couldn't even remember the last time she saw Gianna. It was either at school or the last time she went to visit Bianca at her house. That means the only logical place they could be was hiding but she wouldn't rest until she had a sign they were safe from harm. "Never. I wouldn't tell you even if I did know someone who's on the run. You'll never get me to break."she said. She thought of Dorian and Gianna when he asked her if she knew anyone on the run. She looked at Angelo's cage. They were twins so surely he must know where his twin brother was.

Jasmine watched as he crouched down with his face close to the bars. She mulled over his words even as he continued speaking. She bit down on her lower lip. "Damn you for backing me into a corner."she thought to herself. "I have to admit your offer is tempting."she said to the vampire, the anger lines on her face softening a little bit but then they quickly returned. "Suppose if I did know someone who was hiding, I wouldn't tell you for their own protection. I don't want anyone else dragged into this mess."she said thinking about what would happen if she told him Dorian and Gianna's whereabouts, which she currently didn't know. This was not how she wanted Angelo to be reunited with his twin, nor how she wanted Bianca to be reunited with her sister who was only thirteen. She was too young for all this. It would break her heart if she failed in protecting them as much as she could when she was separated from them. Gianna was like the little sister she always wanted and she would always take care of her if some reason Bianca couldn't. As for Dorian, he was the best older brother any sister could ask for. He and Angelo had always protected her when she was younger and now it was time she returned the favor. The bottom line was she loved her family and friends more than anything so she couldn't betray them to the enemy. A small tear stung her eyes as she thought of them but tried to mask the emotion by attempting to cover her face.

[Erebos]

Erebos smiled wide enough so that the twin needle peaks of his fangs showed between his lips. He had never gotten into the habit of hiding his fangs. It wasn't an issue until three hundred or so years ago. He would just kill or enslave anyone who actually saw them. Now it wasn't an issue for obvious reasons. Their formerly dirty little secret was known to the world. In his opinion it should have been known for much longer. Since just after the black plague maybe, when a third of the human population was wiped out by virus and famine. It would have been much easier to take over then than now with a couple billion extra blood sources around than there was then.

His attention was now back on the girl in the cage. His smile faded slightly, but only enough so that just the very tips of his canines were visible. Once she said that the offer was tempting, he seemed to completely ignore the rest of her words. " That is fine. If you think you can't be broken, then agree to be bought by me. It greatly reduces the price of a pet when they are wanting to go with someone in particular. After you get your promised collar, meal, bath, and fresh clothing, I will try to siphon that information out of you any way I can. We can negotiate other terms for your sale after you start to settle into being your Master's pet." He said in his black velvet voice. He said it as if the deal was already done though, in his not quite arrogant way.

He thought his deal was more than generous, and he decided to make a single amendment already " One more thing. Before negotiations, I want the details on your capture and trip to this cage. If you do not agree, I will just buy you and leave you here to starve to death, other than that, most aspects of your status might be flexible when you get to my domicile." Of course he had a particular reason for this, but just that info alone would not result in a capture of those she was trying to keep secret. To him, it was quite apparent that she was lying. It was a whole heartbeat and breathing thing that helped him tell, also a slight shift in smell when someone was trying to be deceitful.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine continued to seethe inwardly as he kept on speaking. Her tears came to a stop and she thought about what she was going to say next. She glanced again at the cage where Angelo was sitting. She wished she could tell him how sorry she was for all of this. She laughed at his words. "You're not getting any information out of me, bub, no matter how many luxuries you offer me."she said chuckling once more at her choice of words. She hated to turn down a bath and the prospect of proper nourishment.

Jasmine listened to what he had to say next and her eyes grew wide with a hint of fear. She didn't want to starve to death but she absolutely couldn't drag Dorian and Gianna into this mess. However, if they were in hiding she knew their protectors wouldn't let them go without a fight. "Fine."she said hoping that she could lie as best she could while still telling most of the truth. "My parents had been killed in the April riots in 2027 and then a female vampire from the nyctha clan came for me, Angelo, and Bianca and brought us here. The vampire's name is Sorano Rei and she made Angelo her pet but apparently she is unsure if she wants to purchase him everytime I've seen her come by. Oh, and my aunt Adrianna had been with us after my parents left to participate in the riots and Sorano killed her before taking us and that's ALL the information you're getting."she said as tempting as it was to get new clothing, a bath and the other human luxuries he mentioned, her family came first and foremost. She hoped he didn't notice she completely omitted the whereabouts of Dorian and Gianna from her story. She really didn't know where they were since the last place she saw them was her house.

[Erebos]

Erebos sighed and shook his head slowly. He bit his lower lip as he thought for a few moments. When he had gathered his thoughts he spoke in his black velvet baritone. "He killed your aunt? That's sad. He must have not been a proficient hunter. There's always a way to capture but not kill. Would you like her name to be entered on the Human Memorial? The will be erecting one here when all the fighting is over and the names are tallied." His voice was as smooth and as calm as could be. Complete honesty was practically dripping from his words as they went from his lips to her ear.

He thought about her situation once again, this time tapping his chin. He then stopped tapping his chin, face lit up with a fanged smile, and he held the previously tapping finger into the air as if he just had a wonderful idea." How is this. I will ask you the questions I wish answered only once, at the end of each week. In return for that, on that day there will be no persuasion tactics used on you. On answering or not answering, you will already know the situation that your next week will hold for you." This was the best offer he could really give to her. "Either way, you may give your aunt's name to me. This is your only chance for it to be known to everyone who enters this square that she died to defend your people from... Mine."

Even if she couldn't tell, he made a promise to himself. To remember the few humans that he HAD killed in the last few years while he was scraping the rust off of his combat skills, and erect a memorial to them, even if it was a small list. And her aunt would be at the top of the list, if the girl gave him her aunt's name.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine thought about what he was saying. She was a bit wary of trusting him but it would be nice to have her aunt's memory honored even if it was by the enemy. She didn't even know there was a Human Memorial. She assumed he didn't care one bit about humans considering how they were treated by him and the other vampires. "Her name was Adrianna Cavallari."she replied.

Jasmine thought about the ultimatum he just gave her. Being stubborn as she was, Jasmine hated being given ultimatums but she enjoyed being the one giving them. In an argument she always liked to win for some reason. She didn't know why she enjoyed being right. Speaking of arguments, Jasmine remained quiet as she remembered what had happened between her and Dorian before she was captured. It was the last time she saw him. They had been fighting about something stupid and in her anger she said she wished he was dead. What if he had been hunted after she was captured and really was dead? It pained her how she didn't have a chance to apologize to him. "Fine. If you want to buy me, you can but I want someone to tell me how they're doing after I leave here."she said gesturing as best she could to Angelo and Bianca's cages. If he was absolutely sure he wanted to make her his pet, she would be sad to leave her best friend and brother behind. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Angelo looked so spiritless. She always knew him and Dorian had some freaky twin telepathy going on. He was probably feeling his brother's pain and knew if he was safe or in danger.

She had to admit his ultimatum was reasonable. However, she dreaded the questions he would ask her at the end of every week because he seemed determined to know who she was protecting. She knew sooner or later he would keep asking her about the humans she knew on the run until she gave a satisfactory answer and she would try like hell to deceive him as long as she could but still telling as much of the truth she could without compromising their safety.

[Erebos]

Pearly white flashed with Erebos's wide smile. She had given him a name of a deceased relative. The entire situation had changed with the utterance of that name. Ahh, the perks of being a unique vampire. With a name of someone who is dead, he could summon their spirit and glean all the information of their life if he so chose to. Those spirits, bound to relatives and any who were on the scene of their deaths, could be used as supernatural bloodhounds. With the two words she had uttered, she was no longer truly useful to Erebos.

He slowly stood to his full height, and took a single step away from the bars. " You, my dear, have just lost your best bargaining chip. I do not think I need to buy you to rend information from you any longer. Now, you will really need to beg to be bought. Maybe to keep me from actively searching for whoever it is you are trying to protect." His voice was liquid satin now, this time oozing with accomplishment. He hadn't even had to buy her to get the bit of information that would lead him to those he wished to find. Her dead aunt could lead her to anyone who was present during the capture, any of the aunt's relatives, and even her killer, the one who captured these three pets.

As he was speaking, he circled back around to the front, walking backwards and keeping his eyes locked upon the girls. He was nearly three steps back from, and directly in front of the cage now, smile still in place. Even while concentrating his entire being he kept his eyes fixed on the girl, not wanting to miss her reaction when he preformed his little trick. His left hand slowly raised, fingers slightly curled, and palm relaxed. As it raised, a blue tinged darkness started to form, filling his palm, then dribbling both up and down from his hand.

The flames that poured down from his hand started to writhe, moving along the pavement with a purpose, making a circular design upon the gum infested sidewalk in front of the girls cage. The design was intricate, and parts of the blackness slowly recolored themselves as he willed it into the familiar spell he had been taught and had cast for over two thousand years. It made the Symbol of Chaos, though it was the most intricate one he had ever seen, it was completely covered with something like Celtic styling and encircled by distorted Greek runes. In his mind he prayed to the goddess Nyx. He prayed to her for a servant. A servant of a murdered soul. The soul of Adrianna Cavallari. Upon thinking the name, the soulfire sunk into the ground, presumably going to get the goddess of darkness's attention. The spell left behind the distinct scorched pattern that it had taken before it sank, no more than five seconds later, it seeped up from the center of
the pattern.

The fire then took on the distinct, though transparent, shape of a woman that the caged girl should recognize. His smile widened just a fraction, and he ordered the spirit. " Go find the location of all the other humans that were with you around the time of your death, as well as any blood relitive not wearing a collar. Report back to me an hour before dawn, Adrianna." As soon as his crushed velvet order had left his lips the visage looked briefly at the three in the side by side cages, then the visage of the woman blew apart into mist and was gone.

[jasmine isabella fowler]

Jasmine stared in shock as the spirit of her aunt appeared before her when he was finished performing the ritual. The woman looked just as she did when she was alive; red hair and all. Jasmine slowly realized she had made a terrible mistake when she heard what Erebos had ordered of her aunt. She wished she had never told him her name. She had no idea he could summon the spirits of the dead until it had already happened. She couldn't believe she had just unknowingly placed Dorian and Gianna in great danger. "I-I'm sorry."she murmured as she watched the ghostly likeness of her aunt look at the three cages as if she recognized the people in them. The words she had uttered previously were more to Angelo than Erebos himself.

[angelo]

Angelo had been sitting in his cage. His hands over his mouth, whispering words. He just couldn't stay quiet, he had to talk, even to himself. Right now that was what he had been doing, before he had been trying to talk with his brother, being very careful not to get caught. He continued to talk but thought in his mind, be careful brother, a ghost like our aunt is coming for you, stay hidden. This time he couldn't keep his words low. "You monster, haven't you done enough damage already? Leave the humans alone." He was to scared to stand up and face the vampire face to face. He had hope that his brother and friend might make it, but for himself he had none. He wasn't going to tell the vampire where his brother and friend were at ever.

His took in a deep breath, "No, I am sorry sister." He answered back, looking at her then back at the ground. It was his fault they were all here. He had contacted the babysitter, had trusted her. And now they are all here, trapped in these cages and his brother and friend are on the run for their lives. He whispered under his breath again, talking to himself once again. He tried to ignore the vampire that was still right there. There was a voice in his head and he covered his face trying to hide the smile on his face. His brother was still alive yes and so was Gianna. They were being taken care of, he hadn't really believed it till now that his twin was still alive. He looked at the wall, trying to act like nothing had just happened.