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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 1:03:45 GMT -5
"The natives have always known where we are, that's what we have the wards for," she said, unimpressed. "Relax, if he could get in, he would have. I'd like to talk to Nikolai before we go, see if he knows anything about that coven or at least the area they're in."
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 1:09:27 GMT -5
He nods. “We’ll visit him tomorrow, it’s too close to dawn now, unless you wish to question him yourself.”
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 1:13:22 GMT -5
"Nah, he'll be asleep most of the day too. Besides, I'd never leave you out of the fun." She yawned, moving to make sure the blinds and drapes were all closed before climbing back into bed.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 1:31:16 GMT -5
“We don’t sleep,” he reminded her. But the day was indeed a time of resting for vampires. He followed her to the bedroom, allowing her to snuggle up to him as he stretched out on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. He stayed that way for the hours she slept, watching the breath rise and fall in her chest, feeling the warmness of it prickle against his cold skin.
Her presence in his life was a precious thing, and he treasured these moments, when she was at peace. He’d be damned if Tlaz’s zealots would lay so much as a finger on her.
It was well into the day when Kae awoke. He smiled at her as she stirred.
“Good morning…”
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 1:42:41 GMT -5
"Or afternoon...." She glanced at the time and grinned, leaning up to kiss him lightly. "It's always nice to wake up with you next to me..." she murmured it almost shyly. Sentiment wasn't something she was good at.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 2:04:12 GMT -5
Amon lingered in her kiss, his hand coming up to the back of her head, his fingers twining into her ruffled hair. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He shifted to allow her to slip off of the mattress and dress. He sat back and watched her move with a smile on his face, his eyes roaming over her body.
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 2:07:32 GMT -5
She glanced over at him and chuckled. "Don't need to be a mind reader to know what you're thinking."
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 2:12:36 GMT -5
He laughed lightly. “Is it that obvious?” He stood and walked over to as she tugged on her pants and kissed her, holding her in his arms, a grin on her face as he dipped her as if in a dance. “I can’t help myself…” He kissed her again. “You drive me wild.”
Amon reluctantly let her go as they had business to see to. There were arrangements to be made for travel, and Nikolai had to be contacted to expect them as soon as the sun had set.
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 2:21:42 GMT -5
She kissed him back and let him go with visible reluctance when he stepped back. He had a talent for distracting her, did Amon. She went to take care of the travel arrangements, letting him call Nikolai. She hated using the phone, wasn't even sure where Amon had left the cell in the house at the moment. But neither Nik or Ambra had much care for computers, she wasn't even sure if they had one, which was mind boggling for her.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 3:50:11 GMT -5
By the time they had the tickets to Italy arranged and plans settled, the night was well at hand. It was not long before Amon and Kae took to the streets, though wary. They headed to Nikolai’s flat, well in the heart of the city, for Nikolai enjoyed beautiful things and would not do well living in their own conditions. Nikolai was an artist, after all, and made a good amount of money selling his paintings to local galleries.
Nikolai was expecting them and opened the door, a genuine smile on his face, for he had not seen his friends for some time. He was lonely, with Jaz’s absence. He welcomed them, motioning them inside, and offered them something to drink, always having fine wines on hand, for he was cultured.
Having poured the wine, he picked his own glass and toasted to their health, then drank deeply. Nikolai set his wine glass down and sat back, folding his hands. “You wished to speak with me?”
“Yes, Nikolai,” Amon began, placing his own glass on the side table. “It concerns your homeland, Italy.”
Amon told him, in length, the events that had led up to this way, to detail.
“We have suspected your maker in this affair,” Amon said finally, soberly. “Might you tell us of him?”
“He was a foreigner to Italy, of Spanish origin. He could very well have been from that country. A trader, in fact, now that I think of it. He did not speak of Tlazolteotl directly, however. If he had been associated with her, he did not allude to it.”
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 4:10:19 GMT -5
Ambra, who had been out, returned home not long after they arrived. She nodded to them and sat down on a chair next to Nik, listening silently. Kae reflected she was, and probably always would be, one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. She was pale skinned with dark eyes and hair so black it had a blue sheen to it. At first glance, she seemed as delicate as a porcelain doll but they all knew that wasn't the case. She'd survived centuries of being a demon's slave, no one delicate could have survived all that.
Tlaz had already been dead when they rescued Ambra and brought her back, so she had never met the 'goddess', but she'd heard plenty and had seen what her remaining followers were like. Her brow furrowed slightly at the mention of Nik's maker but remained quiet, her lips pressed together in a line.
"Tlaz was Aztec though, wasn't she?" Kae piped up, scratching her head. "If he was a Spaniard, he was part of the people that destroyed hers, why would she trust him with anything? Unless she had him enslaved somehow?"
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 4:23:19 GMT -5
Nikolai shook his head slowly. “Of that, I have no knowledge. I wish I could help you further, but I know barely a thing about this man. He left me for dead, if you remember, once he had… his way with me,” Nikolai winced at the memory.
Amon brushed a hand over his jaw thoughtfully. “For all we know, Tlazolteotl welcomed the slaughter of her people. She could have embraced the Spaniard conquistadors as a new chapter in her quest for domination. Perhaps your maker was among these men…”
Nikolai shrugged helplessly. “It is all speculation, I’m afraid. Though, when he came to Italy he may have very well kindled a following.”
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 4:34:11 GMT -5
Ambra reached over and curled her hand around Nikolai's, her eyes flashing at the reminder. His maker was not one of her favorite people by a long shot, no indeed.
"I'm still voting for enslavement of some kind. She honestly didn't seem the type to invite the destruction of her people...maybe that's what drove her mad..." She nodded in agreement with Nik that it was all speculation. She pulled out a map they'd marked and asked him if he knew anything about the area. Ambra's brows furrowed as she leaned forward to look at it.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 9, 2014 4:46:47 GMT -5
Nikolai squeezed her hand, smiling at her, reassured by her presence. The memories pained him indeed, but he was willing to live through them if it meant his friends’ safety and to help them in their quest to put an end to the nightmare. Nikolai bent over the map as well as Kae placed it on the table, between the wine glasses. He noted the place that she had pointed too.
“Yes, I know the place. I apprenticed in that very city… that is where I first set eyes on…” he trailed off, turning pale.
Amon studied Nikolai’s face. There had to be a connection.
“Where you first saw your maker,” he continued.
Nikolai met Amon’s eyes and nodded.
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Post by KD on Aug 9, 2014 4:57:32 GMT -5
"It's a place that's a nexus of different magics," Ambra said in a flat voice. "It's the same place he threw me into the hells."
"Offhand I'd say our calculations are probably correct, Am," Kae said.
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