Fate's Cruel Games [Amethyst/Closed]

Could an unbeating heart still flutter? It was certainly an odd thought, but one that Amethyst Boivin entertained everytime she looked towards the night sky. Seeing the unmarred image of the moon amidst a sea of clouds had always made the nominally simple vampire think, often more deeply that she preferred. Tonight was no exception, causing the ever-young girl to sigh at the mirror that separated her from the outside world. She never found her answer, but watching the graffiti on the walls fly by, there was one thing she became certain of: taking this assignment was a terrible idea. Taking the subway was starting to seem like a terrible idea as well; the damned seats always seemed to be uncomfortably warm. With a sigh, she muttered to her blurred reflection as the train vanished underground once more. "Those old bastards should get over it already."

Shifting her weight in her seat, for the fourth time in the last five minutes, she recalled the message from her sire that sent her on this trip and, as far as she was concerned, was wasting her time. Amethyst had nothing but respect for her sire and the other elders of the clan, but as far as she was concerned they had sent her on a fools errand. There was no way any of the finger-waving cowards from the Thule Society were still alive, likely all killed by the the very daemons they ushered into the world. It was a poetic end, all things considered, and was certainly better than they deserved. However, there were some who believed otherwise, and they had enough influence to force her to investigate rumors of one hiding in Lakecrest. It would be another twenty minutes before she would disembark. Needless to say, her limited patience was already being tested, soon she started to play with the hem of her long scarlet dress.

Fortunately, the directions she had been given were surprisingly accurate, having provided the exact number of the where the suspect was apparently hiding. Amethyst even began to wonder how they came across this information, as Clan Godwyn would not stalk kindred like this - even a hated enemy did not deserve to be treated like an animal. An whoever lived here was certainly a vampire, the windows were stained with a familiar black to ward away the sunlight. It could have been another wannabe; if so they would soon learn to regret their lifestyle. The neonate allowed a wry smile to creep across her lips, in the pitiful hope that she her worries were unfounded; that there was something interesting behind the door. One thing bothered her though: her instincts told her to expect an ambush. That was normal, the wary hunter always expected such things. That was a familiar and even welcome thought, but the cloud of nostalgia that glut her mind with useless memories was not. Her dead heart began to ache, recalling a fire that once consumed a home. Eager to chase away the odd sensation along with such unwanted thoughts, Amethyst growled under her breath. Only decades of experience taming the frustration in her voice, muting her own further complaints.

With a silent command, her own unliving blood began to seep though her skin, swiftly taking the familiar shape of a spear within her now clenched fists. Driving the sharp implement between the door and its frame, she quietly disabled the locks that denied her entry. Her eyes widened at what she saw next. "G-God's blood! Seriously?" She exclaimed, merely - or rather utterly - disappointed by the sight of five bloodied skeletons guarding the room beyond. It was pathetic and in a way, it was even worse than finding nothing. A fruitless search may have been slightly more boring, but this would likely fuel more searches. Unable to contain her sorrow, she continued, beginning to lecture whoever put up such halfhearted defense. Blind to the presence, and identity of the culprit. "You could have at least gotten a mutt, or something. This. This!" She cried out, with her voice trembling with indignation while gesturing to the insult with her free hand. "This is an insult! They don't even bleed like proper mooks! Hell, they don't even burn. Now, get your lazy ass out here and conjure up something better, o-or I'm leaving!"

"I-Intruder?" Her irrational tirade had left Amethyst gasping for breath. While the undead no longer needed to breath, the neonate found that the practive was equally calming as it had been in life. It was her sire that encouraged her to take up the practive, hoping that it would control the worst of her aggressive impulses. For the most part, it proved to be rather effective, and tonight was no exception. Rather than a manic grin framed between trembling fingers, Amethyst instead wore a relatively calm frown as her unwilling host rambled on. She had a point, after all, though there was something in the voice that forced old memories to the surface of her mind - and it clawed away at her focus.

"Ah, that was my mistake. I-I got a little excited." She laughed, admitting her mistakes. It was proper after all, though she soon recalled that both parties were at fault. Duels were rather complex ceremonies within her clan, and was an honor they extended to all kindred. Typically they would start with introductions, which was perhaps the biggest source of her indignation at the mindless welcome. Of course, breaking through the door was typically frowned upon. "I suppose I should apologize, shall we start over? My name is... is... is."

Soror percara.

"N-No." She froze, recoiling from the voice that had her unbeating heart in an icy grip. Her vision blurred, but the sight of silver hair atop the stranger's head forced her back to the door - the wooden board taking its revenge. The voice would have stopped her heard, had the embrace not done so decades ago. It was impossible, she was dead. Her sister was dead. Ruby was dead. "No. No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO. NO." Amethyst cried out, her voice rife with panic. Memories were one thing, but she had thought that the hallucinations were done. "No! I-It's impossible."

Amethyst was practically hunched over in shock, attempting to defend herself from what could only have been an illusion by weakly pointing her spear at the apparition. "N-Not this. I didn't ask for this! C-can you do something else? I-I'll leave. J-Just get out of my head!" The red orbs of her eyes would dart to and from the stranger, her pupils clearly dilated. Damning the door with an illegible growl, she cried out once more. "Let me out, damn you. G-get out of my head! P-Please. You're already dead." Her senses were being overwhelmed by the smell of burning timber and the crimson tint on the puppets that had been her biggest concern moments ago began to stain her vision. An all too familiar madness. Her panicked expression slowly began to warp into a manic grin, as she became aware that she was on the cusp of frenzy - and she was quite willing to embrace this one. "You. Father. Mother. You're already dead. You're dead."

For a moment, there was a silence in the dark aparment as the intruder and the host collected her thoughts. With only the sound of her own ragged breaths to focus on, Amethyst could not calm her mind and was slowly sinking deeper into the madness that came so readily to her kind. However, when the stranger began to speak, her mind was entranced by pale lips that con. It was right. Logically speaking, it made sense the nightmares that haunted her with the image of her sister as she was, but the image that was slowly closing in was different. Her eyes were a vampiric scarlet and she had certainly grown to a degree, but a part of her was certain that this was no mere image. If she was turned, then was it not possible that her sister was, as well. Hesitantly, she replied with the forgotten temerity of her youth. "R-Ruby? Is it really you?"

Her mind was spinning, as it struggled against her heart which still desperately denied what the stranger was saying. It knew that it could not bare the dissappointment, thus the threat of succuming to frenzy was blunted. However, tasting foreign blood on her lance, her body visibly recoiled once again. "S-Sister!" She cried out, letting the offending weapon fall to the ground - promptly becoming nothing more than a stain on the floor - and stumbled forward, right into the embrace that awaited her.

"E-Eh." Amethyst could not help but shriek at the surprise, her fingers threatening to pierce the arms that locked her in place. Tears began to pool around her eyes, despite the token resistance she offered. "L-Let go." She mewled, pushing weakly against her sister, in a rather pathetic display that would have made a struggling kitten look strong. "Let me go. D-Damn it, Ruby, let go. Sister... let go." She could not deny it anymore; she could not bare to deny it anymore. If this was a nightmare, she was willing to suffer it for an eternity, but she couldn't quite handle the reality just yet.

She needed some space, but her body was unwilling to claim it. All that Amethyst Boivin - the girl that was once the terror of the Western Front, the girl that stared down a raging lion with nothing but a smile, the girl that watched her home burn with a dead expression - could do was beg her sister to allow her that space. "P-Please, sister. I need you to let go."

It was only natural that those who faced a reunion they thought to be impossible be filled with questions. Amethyst had been parted from her sister for almost a century, and certainly thought that they would never meet again. However, the younger of the siblings very few questions for her elder, a testament to how desperately she tried to avoid thinking of the time before her Embrace. Even her sire learned to stay clear of the topic, as this wasn't the first occasation that she almost succumbed to the beast within - nor was it the worst. That threat had passed, but the scion of the House Sanguineus was still far from lucid and feel to her knees the second she was free from her sister's embrace.

For a time, she would stay unresponsive, with only her still dilated pupils tracking her sister across the room. Suddenly a weak smile would creak her uncertain expression, marking the point when she finished processing the recent events. This was her sister, there was no denying that. Who else would have coddled a vampire that crashed through their door with no second thoughts? It was almost suffocating. Amethyst was almost a century old, yet her sister still saw her as a fragile mannequin that would break the second she let go. Perhaps that isn't too far from the truth. Silently mused the last-born blonde, the thought serving to fuel her growing smile - unware of the secret conversation about her loyalties. Though she wouldn't have cared.

"Geez, sister. I am old enough to take care of myself now." She teasingly lectured her older sister, finally recovering from her stupor. As she stood up, one of her hands landed amidst the drying remains of her lance. Under normal circumstances, she would balk at reabsorbing blood that had been exposed to the environment, but it would not do to stain her dress in front of her beloved sister. Before long most of the crimson liquid had passed through her skin once more, with a frown she noted few stubborn drops refused her command, having to resort to licking away the offending stain. With satisfied grin, Amethyst rose and dusted her dress before moving to occupy the seat closest to her sister.

At this point, she had mostly recovered her mental faculties, but her attention had been far too shattered to recall all of what Ruby had just explained. Unlike what her sister expected, Amethyst did not feel any anger. That was one thing that was certain, despite decades of avoiding the past - she remembered lonliness, she remembered despair, but never anger. In truth, she would have been content to chat about their unlives, but she saw the expectant look on her the face of her elder sister and swallowed hard. There was one question that she could never push away - one that had been answered, but not directly. A trembling voice broke this young silence. "Sister, I-I do have one question. Tell me." She did not want to hear the answer, but she had to. "What of mama? What of papa? They.. they aren't like us, are they?"

"I see."

Having allowed herself to hope for something more, Amethyst only managed that curt response. It was nothing more than a fantasy - for her family to have been reunited by undeath - she had accepted that even before asking. Even simply meeting her sister was a nothing short of a miracle. However, to dwell on the topic any further would have tempted the barely sated beast within to rouse from its slumber once more. As such, the girl locked the memory of that fateful night away once more. The mysteries had been solved, and the story reached a long awaited closure. With a pathetic smile, she turned the invisible key and threw it away. Much like she did eighty-five years ago. "At least, we have each other. Isn't that right, sister?"

Unlike the elder sister, Amethyst did not feel the need for revenge; rather, she no longer felt the need for vengence. In her mind, she had been hunting down the culprits of every tragedy for decades. A sign, perhaps, that she did not quite achieve the closure she anticipated. That being said, she knew that should the hands responsible for her parent's murder were ever revealed, they would only stay alive long enough to suffer for they did. What comes after that, was one mystery where the deepest parts of her mind refused to linger. After all, a hero didn't look for revenge. Amethyst did not even want know what would be left of her once she lost that twisted sense of justice that she had clung to for so long.

Shaking her head as a physical gesture of switching gears, she managed to focus once more just before Ruby continued her story. "A weak child you say?" Amethyst would remark amidst the tale, her words rife with satire. None would have describe her elder sister as a weak child, even their distant relations always praised the silver-haired girl for her talents. The younger sister was never jealous however, having though the world of her elder - as she did now. Even hearing about the legacy of Strigoi in her blood, she made no comments despite thinking less of the less upfront Houses, particularly those who were so closely responsible for the current indignation of her clan.

Raising her brows when her sister questioned her in turn, never before having given serious thought to her condition. With a wry laugh, she responded. "I would imagine my own story to be nowhere near as dramatic as yours, sister." Leaning forward and resting her chin on cupped hands, she started her own story in earnest. "Unlike you, I didn't plan on turning. You could imagine that I was far too busy trying to keep the books balanced." Another sardonic burst of laughter. It just a fact of her past, the thought of blaming anyone - particularly her sister - did not even cross her mind. "It wasn't until the old man - or rather, Lord Creed - happened upon the apartment. Oh, I moved into the apartment in the capital after the - " She paused here, continuing shortly after with little acknowledgement that she had part of the story. "He introduced himself as my new guardian and of course, I was skeptical at first, but he quickly became an important part of the household. He would tell me all these wonderful stories about his adventures in Africa. They were the stuff of fairy tales, sister, though there was rarely a princess involved." Another, if albeit more thoughtful, pause. "Thinking about it now, those stories were what kept me going. They were so wonderful, that I almost didn't believe him when he said they were more than just stories. I asked him to prove it, and well, that's my story." Amethyst was fully smiling now, amused by her own telling, and not at all aware of the almost eighty year gap between then and now. With a nostalgic sigh, attempting to take her sister's hand between her own as she continued. "Oh, I wish he were here now, I think you'd like him."

Morality was certainly an odd topic in a conversation between kindred, specially ones who had been turned so far back. Even if those in question were sisters. While Amethyst certainly subscribed to her own sense of justice, she was careful never to look at her actions through the lens of human morality. Such a ideal was a luxury that the undead could not afford for long, as her sire would often say. Lord Major Creed, as he was known by their mortal liaisons, was officially the highest ranked officer in the clan. She herself wore captain's crosses by the time their unit disbanded. The knowledge her sister surprised her, despite some errors - as her sire did not take leadership of the clan until much later. It was a mistake that the younger child wanted to correct, having felt no reason to share every secret with her elder.

"Hmm. I did not think we left enough survivors to spread such detailed rumors." She mused aloud, speaking to herself as her sister explained her allegiance in the war. Clan Godwyn was capable of subtlety when the need arose, they generally did not concerned themselves with secrecy during the war, however they were always thorough during their operations - not because of malice, but for the simple fact that such was was an exhausting effort and a coterie of vampires on the warpath needed to a lot blood. Ruby soon revealed the reason for her uncanny knowledge: Ruby had joined the axis, if albeit reluctantly. Though she quickly breathed a sigh of relief to heat that she had cut ties before the final gambit that decimated her clan. Things may have become complicated otherwise, not that she would have sided with her clan before her own blood. It would have been difficult, to say the least.

Scratching the back of her head, Amethyst began to reply in earnest. "Come on, sister. I've already apologized for that." The childer of Sanguineus said, sparing the broken lock an almost guilty glance. "In truth, I did not intend to break into your home, nor anywhere else. Please take the fact that I arrived armed only with my legacy as proof. My intent - no, that is not quite right, as I had no intentions beyond satisfying an unreasonable request from my sire. I suppose it would be easiest to say that the council had heard that a once key member of the Thule had taken up residence at this address. Unfortunately for myself - though in hindsight I suppose it was actually quite fortunate, else we may not have met. Well, as I was saying, I happened to be in the city and thus my sire suggested that I take the responsibility." Briefly, she met her sisters eyes with her own, as if to reassure her elder. "As for the reason behind that, you can imagine that there are many who still carry a grudge from, even after all these years. From what I understand, however, they must have expected your sire and he is dead." Here, her smile faltered slightly, a little worried now that it had come to this. However, she hoped that briefly circumventing the topic would give her sister time to decipher for what she had to say. "Based on what you said, you had nothing to do with the outbreak as well and I believe you - however I do need to make my report, lest things become... complicated."

Amethyst expected some concern from her elder regarding her plans. After all, while membership with the Magician's Guild offered a degree of protection. but hers was a clan of obsessive hunters - few of their quarry could hope to evade them forever. Still, she hoped that Ruby would understand that it wasn't easy to drop all contact with the clan that had cared for her for decades; if a choice had to be made, she would protect her true family first and foremost, before that she would fulfill her obligations to the best of her abilities. Hesitantly, she continued, asking for permission, hoping that she would not need to make that decision this early. "I-Is that okay with you, sister?"

Recklessness and regret come hand in hand. Having cultivated an impulsive attitude to chase away idle thoughts, Amethyst was no stranger to either. However, it was mistake to assume that this meant that the younger of the siblings was without cunning; a mistake that many have found to be fatal. A hunter does not survive on strength and instinct alone - much less thrive. With the blonde, she merely chose to reserve such plans for when they truly mattered. Breaking into the house of a magician hardly qualified for such a matter. With a frown, she responded to her sister's admonitions. "Sister, you are starting to sound like the old man - and not in the fun way either. Could we please drop the topic of doors for now? I've already told you, it was a spur of the moment, and I might get upset if you bring it up again." Her tone was far more playful than threatening, but that did not make it any less true.

Hearing her sister respond favorably to her request quickly brought her smile back. In fact, rather than doubt or suspicion, Ruby was being rather cooperative and unexpectedly thoughtful - both notions were greatly appreciated, but were not more less unnecessarily. I suppose some things will never change. She mused with a smile before shaking her head. Shortly after, Amethyst produced a clam-shell cellphone from her pocket. "Thanks for the offer, sister. I'd prefer to use my own phone, and it'll likely be simpler this way." With almost practiced ease, the blonde-haired vampire flipped open the garishly pink item. Fiddling with the keys in a manner reminiscent of a girl about seventy years younger, she continued as an afterthought. "Oh! Whether or not you leave the room is up to you. I do not intend to report anything that I have not already confessed. And besides." With an amused grin, she turned her crimson gaze back toward her sister for a moment. "If they had wanted me to be subtle about this, the old man would have had a lecture prepared before sending me the message. Or better, yet, have sent another in my place."

She laughed, as she trapped her phone between her ear and her shoulder. Amethyst didn't bother to mention the reason why the call could not have been made from any other phone: security. The House of Sanguineus had started to adopt the same level of secrecy as the other bloodlines at the behest of their new ever more powerful new patriarch. Admittedly, much of her clan was amused at the start - it was not something she particularly enjoyed. That being said, her expression was clearly brighter when the connection was established. "Excuse me, sister." Covering the mouthpiece of the device, she excused herself from her older sister. Whether or not her sister would leave the room, Amethyst would turn around, before speaking in a tone that was markedly more chipper than was to be expected of a clandestine conversation. "Ah, Lord Major, I'm reporting in as you asked."

The scion of House Sanguineus began to report everything as she said she would, being surprisingly descriptive of some events but she did play some things close to heart. Particularly leaving out any emotional details, including the destruction of the lock, and seemed careful to paint her sister innocent of her sire's crimes. Several minutes through the conversation, her tone became slightly less cheerful. This was marked by her sudden approach of the door, and she would call out loud enough for Ruby to hear. "Ah, sister, it looks like I have some other business to take care off." The younger sister was frowning as she would linger just before the sloppily painted plastic curtain. "Do you mind if I return after dark?"