Fatal Addiction

[Keira Kelly]

Kora perked up at that. "Your family knew about those like us? They actually knew about ghouls? Did they say anything else?" It was hard enough to find others who'd been enslaved but to find ones who'd talk about what it meant and anything else was even harder. She had heard what Selena said. "Your mistress was nice.. so was Khay but that didn't mean they had to do this to us..." she said, this time the bitterness was mixed with a hint of sadness. The grief she still felt over that is what fuelled her anger.

Kora averted her eyes as the other woman got changed quickly. She had always respected the privacy of others; on the street too you kind of had to or you could easily end up with a gun to your head. "Yeah, yeah the withdrawal can get much worse than that. Like I said, I didn't exactly get blackouts but.. when I found I couldn't get anything from normal blood," she paused, shaking her head and chewing on her lip for a moment. "Let's just say I found myself going after other things without any kind of control... It wasn't good." she said. "You were just lucky you came here and now before it got worse. All that blood on you is only from the blood bank." she added cryptically, not wanting to go too much into her own memories.

Kora checked her watch. She did need to get something to eat before heading home. Usually she just grabbed some fast food or something but this Selena did owe her at least for that Blood. Damn expensive stuff... "Yeah, my shift's over. Something to eat would be good. I want to know everything you know about what we are. Why we are...." she sighed angrily. "The strength.. and other stuff is great but this is an addiction; a dangerous one... It's hard to learn about the world the rest of humanity knows nothing about. Whatever tidbits I can get though help paint the big picture." She started for the door out of the locker room. "Coming?"

[Aynn Marks]

Selena's head moved side to side, her eyes looking up as she thought about the question posed to her. "Well, yes and.....no. They certainly knew...about...what we are...now, but probably not.....in...the way.....you're assuming. I kind of...learned...two sides of.....the...story, my old mistress filling in the......blanks with the information....I needed along the.....way." It was true; she learned of the masquerade, vampire society, and all things in between. It had been a rough couple weeks while Helena was teaching her, but she was much wiser beyond her words. There had been a lot that she promised Selena that she would learn one day, but that would come with time, and experience. She went silent, allowing Kora to talk about Khay in her own way, immediately picking up on the tones that betrayed her true emotion. She walked over, lightly touching her fingertips to Kora's arm and smiling weakly. "We all have.....our...reasons you...know. I wanted...to be like this....to share my Mistress' ailment.....she had....plans to make me.....hers forever....to embrace.....but......my family killed her before.....we could be together...." Her voice, already sound and morose sounding when beside Kora's stronger, more excited attitude was a strange comparison. They certainly were two sides of some strange coin.

She backed off when Kora continued, nodding, silently as the woman explained the malady that she now would be experiencing for the rest of her life. It was a disease that Helena never really explained fully; she would become a wreck if she didn't have the vitae that bound her to the supernal world. and now that she was a Ghoul, life would never, ever be the same. When she snapped from her daze, Kora was looking at her watch, mentioning that it was getting late. "Yes....lets go...you're choice....I don't know...the area too well you...know...." She blushed a little, looking at the ground as she grabbed her small cash wallet from her old top. Selena never really carried a purse, rather just the essential information she needed at any given time. She traveled light in the event something happened to her, or she had one of her dazes again.

They walked from the hospital, Selena waiting until they were outside before she spoke quietly, "I have....no qualms with telling you what.....I know...but...we just need....to be careful..." She turned to Kora and smiled, her eyes closing as she showed the most emotion at once, grinning wide, "Never know...who's listening you..know!" She laughed quietly; that soft voice echoing to nothing in particular, barely audible, but to Selena, it was fun having someone to talk to; she looked forward to spilling her guts. "So where would you like.....to...go? I'd prefer.....somewhere maybe....noisier.....or private?"

[Keira Kelly]

Kora listened with great interest to what Selena spoke of. "Even if you were told some things, that's more than what I was told..." She could feel the anger at Khay rising again. How was it that others were told about the mysterious secret world that seemed to exist and she hadn't? She felt more justified in her anger towards him now.

"Your.. mistress.. was going to make you like her?" she asked surprised but keeping her voice low. Khay had never implied he would do anything like that for her, she had been a toy, a diversion to him. And she hadn't cared; the blood she had drank from him had made her happy to be the object of his attention no matter what the root of that attention had been. She felt the anger start to rise again thinking about that but she quashed it down, closing her eyes for a moment and focusing on breathing slowly to keep calm.

When she knew the anger wouldn't take control, she continued. "This.. ailment..." She shook her head. "This sounds crazy to say out loud but.. were they.. vampires?" she asked in a whisper, making sure nobody else was within earshot. It had been the only explanation she could think of what with all the blood drinking going both ways. Khay had had a serpent-like tongue at times though so she wasn't sure and no word or mention of what he was had been spoken.

"I... I am sorry for what you went through." Kora said with some difficulty. She could see the other woman was in pain and felt she had to say something. "Come on, let's get going then." she said, leading the way to the exit.

As they began to walk down the street, Selena warned Kora. She nodded slowly. There must be more of these creatures around. She'd only personally seen one or two since Khay including the one she helped Luc capture the one time. Hell, if they found out she had been a party to that and what she was, yeah, best to avoid drawing attention.

"It might be best to grab something quick, some take out or something and talk while we are eating back at the apartment." Kora answered after thinking about it. "No chance of anyone overhearing there." A thought passed through her mind as she directed the other towards a nearby 24 hour fast food joint. What this Selena telling the truth? Was she really on her own or was it some ploy to try to get to Luc, find out who was taking down these freaks for their Blood. Kora was sure it wouldn't go unnoticed forever. Right now though, what she might learn from Selena was more important than the risk that there was something else going on.

It wasn't too long before they were at the restaurant. They put in their orders, grabbed their food to go and walked the last few blocks to Kora's apartment. It was a rough neighbourhood but Kora kept her eyes open and stayed on guard. The two of them this night made a less tempting target than a lone female thankfully but she kept watched out of the corner of her eyes anyways as she slipped the key into the door and went in her room. Motioning Selena inside, she quickly locked the door with multiple locks, chains and deadbolts.

Going over into the little attached kitchen area, Kora pointed over to the small couch with a small coffee table and an older TV in front of it. "Make yourself comfortable. It's not much but..." she shrugged.

[Aynn Marks]

Selena smiled and nodded at Kora as she spoke, responding quickly before they began to walk to the exit, "In a way....yes? I think....what we know about.....them, and....what they...actually are.....are two different....conversations in....the same vein. She....we.....loved each other....dearly.....and my family split us up." That sad, morose tone returned as she continued, "now...I....have....neither...and.....life is difficult...."

She allowed Kora to lead the way, thinking over what she had to say, and believing that maybe it would be best to talk at length when they got back to the apartment. She seemed so innocent in her own way, Kora was, and that was fascinating to Selena. How could one in such a situation have no idea on what exactly was happening? Helena was so transparent; she had let Selena know what was going on every step of the way, and though their relationship was still new, it still had felt so strong due to that connection.

As they walked, she let out a long sigh as her thoughts drifted back to those nights; up late playing chess as they talked about the society behind the mask, and what it meant to be a Vampire of the night. Her clan, she only knew a little of what it meant, but they were important; special individuals that had a dire thirst for knowledge. She put in her food order after Kora, and helped carry it back to the apartment. It wasn't a far walk, and she certainly enjoyed getting some fresh air after the scene at the hospital.

The locks shut behind them, making Selena jump for a moment. She was a little worried, What is it she needs to keep out....or....is.....she keeping me in? I need to be careful...... She had been far too trusting of Kora; the pleasantries might have been exactly that, and who knew what would happen if a Ghoul attempted to feed off of another Ghoul. Maybe nothing, or maybe Kora herself would begin seeing things. They took the take out boxes out of the bags and sat down on the couch, eating away and making small talk before the real heavy stuff went down.

"So.....let....me tell you about me. My name is Selena Pierro; I grew up on the Ontario Indian Reservation an hour or two away from here.....My.....family.....that I keep referring to. The....group.....that abandoned me because....of my ties.....are werewolves. I'm......kinfolk myself." She let that sink in; just the fact that there were more things that went bump in the night was enough to make anyone go crazy; Selena was lucky in that she had been dealing with it her entire life. The fact that she was kinfolk never really changed anything when she was at home on the reservation, and she was sure this was something she needed to keep secret if she ever ran into the vampires of this city, but to someone like Kora, it may just make her more interesting. "That's....why....they killed her.....my Mistress.....my Helena....." She smirked, laughing softly to herself. "I always....thought it was silly......our names were so similar......her friends always joked about that in the short times that we crossed paths." Her speech impediment seemed to go away as she slipped into her quiet trance, talking about Helena, and a little of what she learned about the society at large. "I had always...been....interested in vampires, no matter....how much....my family....tried to stop me from learning about them. I didn't.....even know....I had werewolf blood until a year....or two....or three ago. When they found out about Helena, they disowned me, and left me a dire message never to....return...to the....reservation....."

She leaned back, putting her food back down on the table while she wiped the debris from her dinner from her face. Closing her eyes briefly, she held back any sadness that might have been brought on, but continued. "When...Helena found out that....I was banished from the....reservation, she made arrangements to.....turn me into one of them.....a vampire, in secret.......she made me this....Ghoul, as you said, and told me.....that in time I would learn what it meant to.....be a vampire that walks the....streets......enjoys the sun.......then when I knew what I would lose, she would do it....." A single tear ran down her face as she continued, quietly, "The night we.....were....going...to....talk....about...it....was the night.....I found her....dead......ashen body......the note.....from my father.....stating that I was not welcome, and even being daughter of werewolves without the abilities they share did not mean I was.....their....daughter......."

Selena picked up and began to play with her food, talking about this was harder then she had thought.

[Keira Kelly]

Kora almost jumped up off the couch, eyes wide, forgetting her meal for a moment. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Werewolves? Seriously!? You gotta be kidding..." She shook her head quickly, short orange hair flying in disarray. "What the hell? Who would have thought, vampires and werewolves..." she said with a laugh as she smoothed the hair back down. "Sounds like a movie or something..." She quieted down though as Selena spoke again of the death of her mistress. "So... I take it these.. vampires and werewolves don't get along too well?" she asked.

Kora waited and listened until Selena seemed to have finished. "I'm sorry about all you had to go through..." she said, genuinely sympathetic. She was startled suddenly though by a loud bang from outside, down the hall. A gunshot. She sighed. "There is a reason for all those locks on the door..." she stated, trying to make sure the other woman would not be terrified by something that happened every so often in this area of the city. The cops would be in the building soon enough, nothing to worry about.

"So.. your family are all werewolves? Did you all get like bit or something?" she asked. "Oh, my last name is Wilde by the way. Kora Wilde. I've been told the name fits me rather well..." she said dryly. "I'm just a normal human though, as far as I know anyways. If you care to hear my story... I was going to school to become a doctor, was doing pretty well too. Always had something of a knack for medicine." she said with a shrug. "I was working as a porter in the hospital as a side job to help me through school. One night I was out with a bunch of people at a bar, having a good time, maybe drinking a little too much but that wasn't out of the ordinary. This was about six months ago I guess. I met this guy, I guessed he was Middle Eastern or something though he was on the pale side with an exotic accent and such dark, deep eyes." she almost felt a shiver run through her thinking of his eyes again. "His gaze was almost otherwordly.. I guess in a way, it was. He said his name was Khay, no last name..."

Mixed emotions passed on Kora's face in quick succession. "I guess he slipped something into my drink or something. I don't know.. We were talking and next thing I remember is waking up in a bed somewhere. I was tied up and gagged..." she continued, the fear she had felt at the time clearly remembered. "My first thought is that nobody would ever see my alive again after he was done with me. Who knows, if he had survived, could have ended up that way... In any case, I couldn't get free. There was a clock in the room and I guess I had been out the rest of the night and most of the next day. When it got late enough that I figured the sun must have gone down, he came into the room, apologizing for kidnapping me and tying me up." she said with a shake of her head. "Can you believe asking forgiveness for that?"

Kora closed her eyes as she spoke, almost reliving the experience, brow furrowed at the remembered fear. "I tried to speak but couldn't through the gag. He crawled onto the bed until he was right over me. I tried to scream... He had a tongue like a snake though it must have been a foot and a half long. It was sharp and cut me, on the neck, on the chest, on my face even. It hurt but at the same time... it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Khay removed the gag and drank from the wounds... I would have tried to scream again but.. I couldn't.. it felt too good.." she said, opening her eyes and shaking her head. "I should have screamed anyways.."

"Khay cut himself with his teeth, I saw then that he had sharp teeth like a vampire or something. He forced me to drink from him. I didn't want to but I didn't really feel in control of myself, and tied up there was not much I could do against his strength anyways.... The Blood though.. that damn first drink started all of this..." she said, anger returning. "He did that for the next two nights as well, leaving me tied up like that until the third night when he let me go. He told me to go home but I didn't want to. It felt like I was under a spell. I couldn't imagine not being with Khay. He was the only thing important. He told me I had to go though and that he would visit me soon so I left reluctantly."

"I was somewhat surprised that he was true to his word and he did show up here not long after. I didn't even wonder how he knew where I lived. I was only happy that he did. He used me when he had the need I guess, fed from me too. All I know is how happy I was in his presence." she said now blank of emotion. "He showed me where his place was after a time. It was only a matter of a few months. He fed me his Blood a few times but never told me anything about what he was or the world he came from. One day, I went to his place as he had asked me to and.. I guess like you, found him dead. I don't know how but the body..." she said with some distress, "It looked like a body that had been dead for a hundred years.. but somehow I knew it was him. I guess it was a rival or enemy or something, I don't know... but yeah.. Khay left me alone, with no knowledge of what I am now, and no means of getting the Blood... Maybe you can see why I am angry at it all..."

Kora had lost her appetite and pushed what remained of her dinner away, trying to keep calm.

[Aynn Marks]

Selena sat back, staring down at her food and zoning out, listening to Kora talk about her becoming and of Khay. It seemed like such a contrast in the way that they became servants of the night; Kora's was so....brutal, like watching the BDSM clips of a harsh snuff movie, while Selena's slow descent was almost a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, both only ending in sadness. She looked over to Kora and put a hand on hers, giving the same glowing smile, forcing her eyes to a squint as she stayed that way for a moment. It was her way of comforting; a smile couldn't pause and trip over words like her speech.

"I.....Know what you mean.....thank you for sharing....what happened....It means a lot...to know...where you come from as well...." Selena withdrew her hand and finished her dinner.
"What do you have going on the next day or so? I could bring you over to my place and show you the notes that Helena had left me..." Selena wasn't too too sure what else they might be able to accomplish, but it seemed like Kora at least liked the company, and there might be more that Selena hasn't noticed from the notes that she would be able to help out with.

"So.....how........have you been getting......your fix?" The million dollar question, she put the empty styrofoam food box on the table, turning and sitting on her legs to face Kora as they spoke more intimately about the subject of their lifeline.

[Keira Kelly]

Kora couldn't help but feel the slightest bit envious of the Selena's story. Her mistress had cared for her; Khay hadn't cared about Kora. She had believed at one time that he had. She knew it had something to do with the Blood but she had believed with all her heart that he had cared for her. In the months since his death though, she had questioned everything she had felt and believed during the time he was in her life and she had run into enough dead ends in her reasoning that she could only believe that the Blood had played more with her mind than just given her this damn addiction. That she couldn't forgive Khay for.

She gave the other woman an appreciative nod at the attempt at comfort even as part of her mind was still back there, submerged in the memories, both bad and good. "Thanks as well..." she replied. "It does help to know there are others out there who understand at least some of it..." She ran a hand again through her orange hair, thinking this was was beginning to sound like some kind of really odd support group. In a way, she guessed, that's exactly what it was.

"Tomorrow afternoon and night I am on shift at the hospital again." Kora answered, "but the next couple of days after that I'm off. I would really appreciate seeing anything that can help me understand... understand any of this!" she exclaimed with a sigh. She paused for a moment, looking at Selena closely. "When I mentioned about Khay's tongue, being like a snake I mean.. you seemed surprised. I get the impression that was different than your mistress's?"

It was then that the other woman asked the big question. The one question Kora had been hoping to avoid, at least for now. It was dangerous ground if this woman was lying and was did still in fact have a master of some kind. Could she trust her after such a short time? More importantly, would she be willing to put not only her life but Luc's in this other woman's hands? No, it would probably be best to play it safe for now, if not for herself, then at least for Luc. "I know a guy who knows where to get what is needed..." she replied with some hesitation. At least with that answer, she thought, Selena could possibly interpret that as there being a willing donor somewhere along the line.

[Aynn Marks]

Selena nodded to Kora, smiling as she seemed to get at least a little more visibly relaxed. She leaned back as Kora did the opposite; coming forward to speak about her previous mistress' appearance. It wasn't a strange question, the part about the tongue did in fact startle her, because it was just so.....alien. "Well....I'm.....not going to lie......it is strange hearing....how different.....Khay? Was compared....to Helena....." She thought it over, wondering how exactly to explain how her old Mistress really was. "Helena was.....cold. Not so much...in....the....sense that she was freezing, but.....that.....she lacked.....certain social....skills....She had...been working....with the.....werewolves in the...area attempting to get....more information.....on some events that....had been going on around....here...." Selena looked around the room and realized that she still had her phone on her.

She reached into her front pocket, getting the phone out of the tight holster before bringing the screen to life and showing Kora the clock. "Helena....she......was great at....telling time.....when things might happen.....making it seem like......5 minutes were lasting hours......Almost like she could......control it....." Selena hung her head and looked out the window, "Some of that got passed onto me....but.......I'm not nearly as.....skilled as....she was........always with....werewolves; she....just....always strove to learn....more and more....about them. Anytime...they were......brought up she just.......hid herself away for days.......days....." Her voice trailed off as she thought about how long it was that she had hid herself away from Selena; researching these strange occurrences at the various Caerns across Canada, and how it might be affecting the Kindred society as well. While Selena hadn't been ken to the knowledge, Sabbat activity was on the uprising, even if it was a Camarilla nation, and that meant bad things for the Independents that kept themselves hid away, like Helena or the other elders.

Selena raised her eyebrows as Kora talked about her dealer, she couldn't help but look over to the door; the locks and chains keeping them in, and everything else out, before turning back to Kora to respond, she didn't mean to sound condescending, but it might have come out that way. "But....doesn't....that do something to us, when it.....comes.....from.....someone else? I don't know if I could do that....."

[Keira Kelly]

Kora had to listen hard to get past the odd, awkwardly spaced pauses in the other woman' speech. It wasn't bad but just that she had to get used to the different timing and rhythm. As she listened though, she knew she had made the right decision. She was learning more about what was really going on and this was important stuff to know if she wanted to survive. "Wait? Working with the werewolves? I thought you said they didn't like each other before..." Kora interrupted.

She listened as Selena pulled out the phone and spoke of controlling time. "Time control? Yeah, I'm pretty sure Khay couldn't do anything like that. He could change his eyes, I saw him hypnotize someone once... I guess that's what he did to me the first night too... And then the tongue thing. The guy was like a snake. Are there... different kinds of vampires or something then?" she asked. She was beginning to wonder about that. She had seen a few of the ones Luc had captured and they seemed to be different as well.

Kora began chewing on her nails, a bad habit, as she thought about everything that was being said. She also thought about Khay more now than she had in a long time. She still felt the the fear, the feeling of being used, the betrayal of his death but she still remembered the feeling of love she had for him. She didn't FEEL it anymore but she remembered it well. An artificial feeling, she thought. It had to be. It was then that Selena asked about the results of the Blood.

"You drank some tonight." she said. "You feel much different?" she asked, knowing the answer would probably be a negative. "Just have to be careful with how much you drink." she continued. "From what I did find out is it takes more than once to really.. bond yourself to one of them. My.. friend is good about that, knows to mix it up a bit. Won't give you it all from the same source..." she realized then that she had better not say much else in regards to Luc's sources. "Anyways, if you make sure you only take it when you really need it, about once a month or so if you don't use it up too quickly, know at least something about where it's coming from but it's probably best if you don't know WHO it's coming from..." she said with a slight grimace. "There is always risk but I'd rather that than the withdrawal again..." she added, shaking her head.

She glanced over to her fridge quickly. She had just a little bit left stored there. Kora knew she would need to take some herself soon and she both anticipated and dreaded it.

[Aynn Marks]

She couldn't help but shrug at the comment about interactions between vampires and werewolves, "I'm...not...sure on the....specifics.....she was more.....not quite liked...but....tolerable? She stayed independent of....the bigger groups....and because of that, was able to...stay..under...the.....radar a bit better then other bloodsuckers...." When it came time for Kora to talk about the powers that she might have adopted from her old domitor, she shivered to think about the qualities that the man must have had. She looked worried for a second, and quietly, under her breath, whispered, "Snakes.....I'm so terrified of snakes....."

Selena hung her head and looked to the side, back to the door where the sounds had come earlier. She truly was worried about what might have happened to the person the gunshots were likely aimed at, but couldn't help herself, and restrained the thought once more. Turning back to Kora, she caught the glance back to the fridge in the kitchen. The woman stood, grabbing the empty food container, and walking to the kitchen to throw it away, before standing in the middle of the room, stretching. "Well...I guess I...should go then......You're right in that....we all need to keep.....thirsty and not worry where it....comes from...." Selena turned a bit, looking at the door, then back to Kora again. She was playing with the hem of her shirt and thinking about what to do next, before she knew it, she had already asked. "So....what....comes next of....us? Am....I.....going to meet you....again...Kora?" She was being bashful, and knew it too. Since Helena's tragic passing, she didn't have anyone to confide in, and likely once she got back to her own house, whenever that may be, she would likely hole up and read more of Helena's diaries, there was so much to learn of the Vampire society, and so much to gain from it too.....