accidental video; un: JustD

[distant_one]

CW: Suicide, murder, gore, body horror, parasites

[The video starts with D sliding his sword into the stomach of a man with skin as perfectly pale as D's, but with red eyes and lips and a pair of obvious fangs.

The vampire sinks to his knees as D releases his grip on the sword, and a young woman rushes to the vampire's side.

"Please, try not to shake me so much." The vampire says, pain obvious in his voice and a wry smile on his face.

"You did well to dodge that strike," D says as he closes the short distance between them.

"Why did you miss?" The vampire asks.

But there's no response from D as he bends over to cut a long lock of hair from the young woman and then to pull his sword from the vampire's stomach and sheath it. "So long as I have some of her hair, the sheriff's office will be able to confirm her identity. Baron Mayerling and his human love are dead. Never show yourselves before mankind again."

D has a few more words for the other young woman in the room, a lady with dark hair and eyes and dressed for a fight. "There's the ten million right there. Easy money."

A silver arrow shoots down to pierce the vampire's heart, and D immediately retaliates by hurling a nearly foot-long sliver of needle at the attacker on the ceiling. The new foe defies gravity, standing upside down and dodging. The attacking figure is clearly not alive, half his face is missing all its flesh and a massive hole in his stomach shows bits of bone and remnants of internal organs.

The battle is brief before the undead attacker is on the floor, and something tries to crawl out of the corpse only for D to grab it in his left hand. His left hand, which is audibly chewing and eating whatever the grotesque worm-like thing is as it gives out a brief scream over the sound of flesh and bone being chewed up.

D turns back towards the two women, where the young woman in love with a vampire lay still beside her lover. She had taken his hand and pierced her own chest with one of his claws, but there's an amazingly serene and almost happy look on her lifeless face.

"Love's so great... so why does it have to go so wrong?" The young woman kneeling over the girl to check her pulse asked. "She said thank you."

D takes the lock of hair out of his pocket, and lays it on the lifeless young woman's shoulder. As the pair of hunters leave, D gives a very generous amount of gold to a shabbily dressed drifter in exchange for the man burying the pair. The sounds of the derelict spaceport cut off abruptly, but the image is slower to fade.]

You too?

[The video fades to D, wearing the cloak he was given when he arrived and looking up from a less than neat patch job in his dark, worn coat. The building he's in is run down, the only thing other than D in the room is a small pile of cloth and a saddle with saddlebags. He's already reaching for the omni sitting beside him when the next video starts.]

[The second video starts with D and a young woman with dark hair and dark eyes standing in the snow, next to a small shack, a very sturdy bench, and a wooden wagon pulled by mutant six-legged equines. The pair of them both look like they're in their late teens.

The serious expression falters, and the young woman suddenly blushes. "I hid behind you, remember?" Her voice is almost as heated as her face as become. "The first time I saw you I was really scared, but as soon as I heard what you said I shook it right off. 'While it's impossible to halt the progress of time, you would do well to show some respect for that's been lost' - when you said that, you seemed so sad.

D looks away from her, down the snow covered road, and his voice is emotionless when he speaks. "You've got good ears and an excellent memory. The sun will be down in a little while, so we'd best be on our way. It's about time for the fiend to make another move on the woman from this morning."

The young woman speaks up again as they return to the wagon, her tone suggestive as she elbows D in the side playfully. "Hey, could you get your work done in the next five days and leave the village with me? I've got an awful bright future ahead of me."

D still doesn't look at her, and answers only with a maybe as they climb into the wagon. The young woman watches him from the passenger seat with a mischievous grin on her face. "You really don't want to lose that scowl, do you, you big worrywart? I'm going to make a prediction for you."

"A prediction?" D asks, a slight glint in his eyes even though he still doesn't look at her.

"That's right. See, mine are almost always right on the money. Let's see... okay, I got it." She says as she looks at him as if hypnotized. "You'll definitely be wearing a smile when you leave this place." Both the sound and sight fade at once this time.]

[D is less than pleased, and having a staring contest with his omen, which means he's staring directly forward with a disapproving look in his cold eyes as the video cuts back to the present. A small voice that's neither D nor the omen speaks up. "Heh, looks like your omen doesn't have as much self control as you do."]

Enough.

[The word is said by both D and his omen, who have the same low, smooth voice right before the video cuts off.]

((ooc: and so D becomes disappointed in his omen due to it failing to avoid becoming part of the memshare plot))

Comments

[distant_one]

The reality is probably just as horrible as the stories, or worse.

[D remains still as she steps closer to examine him, the closer one looks at him the more his humanity seems like an illusion, skin too perfect and his face with far too much symmetry.]

The sun does burn vampires, and they do need blood. Starving them of blood won't kill them, but usually drives them mad. Vampires are rarely anything other than stunningly beautiful, but none shimmer in the sun.

[fogsong]

I think you'd be surprised at the stories they tell where I'm from. Vampires have become kind of... romanticized. [ She says it with a tiny grimace. They weren't the kinds of stories that would strike fear into any heart except, maybe, parents who had to buy them for their teenage daughters.

This close, she can see now that his beauty was alien in its perfection, well beyond anything human, like something born from the dream of an artist. It's almost uncomfortable and Sharon finds herself suddenly aware of her own imperfections, of the blemishes on her skin, and how one of her eyes is a little smaller than the other. She looks away a little too quickly. ]

I guess being beautiful would make them better predators to humans. [ Humans did have a tendency of desiring the beautiful regardless of the danger to themselves. ] What kills them if starving them doesn't? Stake to the heart?

[distant_one]

That happens with the real thing, too. There's an appeal in beauty and immortality, and a rush in being so desired no matter how terrible the price of pleasure.

[D glances over at the wooden needles he's working on. Each is about a foot long and very sharp.] Yeah. Wooden stakes work best. Sometimes you have to hold them in for a while. Decapitation and keep the head away from the body. Sunlight.

[fogsong]

[ She considers his words and frowns lightly. ] I guess I can see how that might attract certain types of people. Immortality doesn't seem like such a grand thing to me. [ She could see the appeal in beauty but both immortality and being desired were things that have haunted her throughout her life and held much less interest for her, though she could understand to a degree how it might draw in others.

She turns her attention back to the wooden needles, realization dawning on her. ] Oh! I see why you like to have so many, then.

[distant_one]

It helps that they're free and easy to make.

[There are other reasons too, such as the fact that D can throw them faster than most bullets can travel if he needs to.]

They usually teach girls how to use a spear or crossbow for that reason too, in addition to 'stay away from abandoned buildings'.

[fogsong]

I guess girls everywhere have to learn the same bullshit. [ there’s a touch of bitterness in her voice. ] There’s always someone or something out there that wants to hurt us or use us.

[ she’s aware it’s not just girls but girls are often targeted for their perceived weaknesses. ] “Don’t go into abandoned buildings. Don’t tell anyone your name. Pay attention to the people around you. Don’t go home if someone is following you. You’re safer around groups of people than alone.” [ she mimics her father’s gentle but serious voice with ease, somewhat exasperated, as she pulls out the second jar of dirt she’d gathered, setting it upon the sill. ]

[distant_one]

When you have to deal with everything from vampires to lesser dragons and blood thirsty sprites, they're not bad lessons to teach.

The boys have to learn too, but they're taught to go into danger while they're young enough to think nothing bad could happen to them. They're deluded enough to think they're in less danger because they're men, when really their towns just view them as the most expendable.

[D is sometimes very cynical about humanity's shortcomings.]

The only predator that cares about a little more muscle or a few inches of extra reach is another human, but even then it rarely matters.

[He pulls his hand back from the jar when it's finished with the soil from the first one. "Excellent, very little of that lingering blood flavor. Let's see what's behind door number two."]

You're not even working that hard these days.

[But D still opens the second jar so the face in his left hand can chew noisily. The soft sound of disapproval indicates it's apparently not as good as the other one was, but the noisy chewing clearly says it's good enough to keep eating.]

[fogsong]

See, those aren’t things people had to worry about where I’m from. We didn’t really have monsters, even though we had plenty of myths. No vampires, no dragons, no zombies or bloodthirsty sprites. [ That wasn’t the entire truth. There were monsters but they didn’t exist on the same plane as most of humanity did and she was only aware of one creature that could cross between the two and it had just been after her. ] Just other humans.

[ The sound of disapproval doesn’t bother Sharon in the slightest but it does cause her to make a mental note to bring the first kind of dirt with her when she knows she’ll see D. ] I guess humans are their own brand of monster, though.

[ She didn’t have the most positive view of humanity herself. ]

[distant_one]

According to ancient history, Vampires allowed themselves to be thought of as myth. Werewolves and dragons didn't return until Vampires came to rule the planet.

[It's weird to call them 'vampires' and not 'the nobility', but no one will know what he means if he does.]

Only some of them. The rest are simply... human.

But with the kind of monster I can be, don't offer me blood unless I ask.

[fogsong]

[ the idea that vampires might have hidden themselves in her own world, playing the part of myth, discomforts her. it’s a possibility but it’s not one she’ll likely ever come to see. but if monsters can exist in the otherworld and if she can exist in the normal one, whose to say vampires don’t? ]

Got it. I won’t offer again.

But… does blood trigger something in you? I mean, does it change you? [ her impression of him is of a man in complete control of himself ]

[distant_one]

It brings out my other side, and it's a temptation I don't enjoy.

[D almost but not quite smiles.]

But drinking it also makes me stronger.

[fogsong]

Your “other side”? [ she has some experience with other sides of people. she assumes it makes him more vampiric but she’s learned that her assumptions aren’t always accurate. ]

You don’t lose yourself, do you? [ aka: is that something she needs to be concerned about should things get dicey one day and there’s blood spilled? ]

[distant_one]

The vampire side of me. Red eyes, long fangs, feeling of death in the air. You'll know it when you see it.

I've never lost myself, but it's a risk.

[fogsong]

Oh, so more intimidating then. Got it. [ yes, that means she thinks he’s intimidating as is. ]

But it’s good to know you’ve never lost yourself. [ she knows that doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility, especially here, but it gives a certain confidence in him ]

[distant_one]

You have good instincts. Many people get too caught up in my appearance to listen to that gut instinct that says I'm dangerous.

[D tries to lean into the intimidating part because otherwise all he's left with is hypnotizingly beautiful. He's never going to admit that.]

Even if I do lose control you won't be in much danger. Coldblood has no appeal, I'd run right past you to go for someone else. Try to burn me in the face if I do. It's very unpleasant and disorienting and should give Left Hand a chance to snap me out of it.

[fogsong]

I didn’t listen to my instincts once and it got me into some trouble. [ she had trusted the wrong person even though everything in her, along with all the lessons her father had taught her, and urged caution.

she trusts D, though. if she hadn’t, she never would have come into this building. but she does recognize that he’s dangerous. ]

I can do that. [ she doesn’t like the idea even if she was willing. ] I’m kind of surprised that Leftie might be able to snap you out of anything like that, though.

[distant_one]

I'm glad you survived that.

[Most people don't get to learn that lesson and live.]

He's useful for more than just eating fire and making bad jokes.

[fogsong]

He's a good balance to your personality. [ not that she doesn't enjoy D's calm and severe demeanor but Left Hand can certainly brighten it even if he does make bad jokes and eats very odd things. ]

[distant_one]

If you keep talking like that he's going to suggest marriage.

[Left Hand is always trying to get D to settle down and find a girl. And unfortunately that's about the time he finishes up with the second jar with a little bit of noisy chewing.

"Hey, even if cooking up fireballs was her only talent you could do a lot worse. But speaking of fireballs, Sharon, it's time for some of the chef's special. Hot and fresh."

If Left Hand wasn't so very useful D would have worked harder to be rid of him.]

[fogsong]

I think marriage is a bunch of bullshit, FYI. [ But she gets to work the moment he speaks up.

The fire she conjures is different this time around, not born from her blood magic. This time there's something dark and wild to the flames between her hands and they grow as if they have a mind of their own, reaching out to lick at her fingers and wrap around them. As this happens, the darkness of her pupils devours her irises and the black bleeds out into the whites of her eyes. In the flickering light of the flames, her hair appears black and her skin the color of ash.

When she thinks the fire is sufficiently large enough, roughly the size of an angry, misshapen soccer ball, she holds it out, palms up. ]

[distant_one]

[D watches the changes overcoming Sharon with his usual lack of expression, but it's clear now that there's more than just ordinary human with coldlbood fire abilities or even pyrokinetics. She almost looks undead or possessed, but there's none of the other signs to go with it.

His Left Hand, at least, is happy enough to swallow up the fireball with a vortex of wind that stirs up the room and whips their hair around and rattles the windows and door with its intensity.]

I'm not getting married, but he has his heart set on it.

[fogsong]

It's a weird thing for him to want for you. [ The moment the fire is sucked up, her skin, eyes, and hair revert back to normal as if they'd never changed in the first place. She doesn't acknowledge the changes, either, and simply runs a hand through her hair to smooth it back down. ] Unless it's Leftie that wants to get married. I mean, you two are kind of sharing a body.

[distant_one]

[Sharon doesn't speak of the changes, and so D doesn't comment on them either. D clenches his fist to keep the face in his hand from speaking after it eats, anticipating what it's going to say.]

He thinks it would be good for me to settle down. You've never had anyone close to you who thinks they can meddle in your life to make you happier?

[Whatever he might be, D is certainly not a happy person. He keeps his emotions to himself but comes across as sad more often than anything else.]

[fogsong]

[ Sharon's expression falters. ]

Not... not really. I mean, my dad cared about my happiness but it was always secondary to my safety. Everything kind of was. [ She understood why but it didn't stop it from hurting. Every argument. Every time he'd insist that this time was different. Or that it'd be over soon. ]

It's sweet that he cares so much about you. Everyone deserves to have that, I think.

[distant_one]

It's strange how often safety and happiness are at odds.

[It's a very human thing in his mind, as Vampires as usually quite pleased to bury themselves within layers of protection.]

Your dad cared more about your safety than happiness. I have goals I care about more than my safety or my happiness.

[Happiness is some distant unattainable thing to someone as mired in sadness as he is. It's there for only brief moments, and D knows he would be miserable if he chased happiness instead of his goals.]