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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 9:43:28 GMT -5
It was past midnight and past hunting when Armand noticed it, the niggling sense of another in the tower. Another blooddrinker, and it could have been Vincent or Nicolas but for the way Armand had not noticed it until now. Neither Vincent nor Nicolas were that sneaky.
Armand was out of his chair in one of those rapid stop-action film sort of movements so particular to vampires, one moment sitting, the next standing, with a hand on the back of it and his eyes fixed on- Claudia.
And his unaffected, mild-mannered tone, "How did you get in here?" as though he were geniunely curious instead of geniunely annoyed. This was not helping encourage the idea that she was not a ghost. But he'd spoken to David about her, and so now he knew- another of Lestat's fledglings. Another mistake.
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 9:59:17 GMT -5
Claudia had been quietly waiting for him to notice her, smirking just slightly. She had decided to listen to what had been said to her earlier. Perhaps the best revenge on the world was just to keep living, to do what she wished and, as in this case, to make the very existence of those who had betrayed her a living hell.
Really, it had been childishly simple (appropriately enough) to get in here, once one knew the right way. She'd had plenty of time to learn the right way, too. Now, in response to his question, she smiled as sweetly as she could still manage, which was surprisingly convincing to mortals, at least. Still, she'd rather prefer not to be associated with Lestat at all. If she must be traced by bloodline, let it be Louis. Worse yet, a mistake? Of course not! There had to be a reason, even if they didn't see it!
"Oh, it's just a little something I picked up while hanging around metaphysically," she replied offhand.
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 10:21:13 GMT -5
(( I'd really prefer you not to have her read Armand's thoughts, unless he deliberately throws them out at her. He's extremely good at guarding them. ))
"And how long was that, Claudia?" But no, no ghost. Ghosts had never spoken to him before. Better to think she was like Nicolas, dead and then reinstated from the ashes; David had said that she'd died, and Claudia had said that Armand had killed her. Dead, and then returned- and then, perhaps, out of time like David.
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 10:32:33 GMT -5
((Sorry, that wasn't her thinking about his thoughts; it was just hypothetical.))
"Who should know better than you?" she answered with a small shrug, just to grind her heel in more. "All I need say is that it certainly felt like a long, long time, and I was able to react to it as if it was--what more do you need?" She sighed, and shook her head, fixing a somewhat baleful gaze on him.
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 10:39:34 GMT -5
(( Ah, my mistake, then. Just the way it was phrased made me think that. ))
"Don't be sullen. You must have had a reason to come here."
It was irritating, though. Armand wondered whether she meant to make a habit of this.
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 10:46:22 GMT -5
((Sorry.))
Claudia's response to that was to cross her arms and to pout, turning her nose up at him. At length, she deigned to speak with a sigh. "...Of course I do. You should know that I'm really not going to forgive you, nor anyone who associated with you...perhaps even does now. Whether or not you remember it, what goes around really does come around."
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 10:51:57 GMT -5
Armand's voice was calm and a little disdainful. "Little karma, what are you going to do? What are you... capable of doing? Will you rap on my coffin in the day- no, you would burn up. Will you hang about my shoulders like an incontent ghost- no, because I don't like unwelcome visitors, and I will kill you again. What will you do to punish me for a crime which I don't remember?" And throughout it all, the undercurrent of you are only a child, and you can't hurt me.
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 11:00:47 GMT -5
Listening, Claudia idly curled her hair around one finger, eyes narrowing and her expression incongruously venomous on such a young face.
"Oh, I have far subtler torments planned," Claudia answered--thinking hard to come up with some of them already, for she really wanted to make him pay. She had to! She had nothing else, really, to live for...Louis didn't even remember her. "And don't think I'll be taken unawares again," she spat, "you won't fool me twice. Mock...mock me if you want! You'll see what it reaps!" This was not going well. But it was only the beginning. She put a hand under her cloak.
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 11:10:56 GMT -5
Armand just watched her, still standing, still with one hand resting on the back of his chair- only mildly attentive, it seemed, as if he was in his calm mocking her for her loss of control. His brown eyes transferred to the hand beneath her cloak. It was almost as if she meant to draw a knife or a gun; but surely she realized what a ridiculous idea that was to try and hurt him in such a clumsy mortal way.
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 11:44:04 GMT -5
Though obviously unncecessary, Claudia took several deep breaths to try and calm down, before finally clearing her throat and seemingly gathering her composure, removing something from the folds of her cloak, small as it was. She enjoyed keeping him in suspense for a moment (he had to be, after all, though it was very difficult to tell) before producing...a rose. A single, red rose.
"You see, Monsieur, I didn't forget your little promise, either. How very sweet of you to try and 'help' me. And now I will make a promise of my own." Casually, she tossed the rose in his direction, very much hoping he'd keep it. Tied to the stem was a piece of paper, which read:
À moi la vengeance; moi je rendrai...
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 15:49:49 GMT -5
Armand could have plucked the rose from the air very easily, in another blur of movement too fast for a mortal to follow; it would have been nothing for him. He did not.
Instead his head tilted a little as he glanced down at the rose on the ground at his feet, then back at Claudia. How dramatic. She would have fit right in at the Theatre des Vampires.
"You are wasting your return to immortal life on this?" Armand asked, eyes fixed unblinkingly on hers. "Anyone else would have gone to find the one they loved."
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Claudia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Gentle Death, Sister Death%\1\%
Posts: 129
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Post by Claudia on Apr 4, 2009 16:00:06 GMT -5
Oh, that was typical. Just absolutely typical. Didn't even give that a chance. Could nothing go right for her in her entire existence? Claudia sighed, clearly irritated: it had seemed to her that poetic and dramatic means of death seemed to be the rule, and of course so had her plans going the way she wanted them been. Neither had been more cruelly shattered than the last time she'd seen him working. Well, that wasn't the last of her creativity, not by a long shot, and she had all the time in the world.
That statment, though, clearly angered her, and her own eyes actually flashed. "Not that it's any of your business," she said, managing to keep her tone more or less level, "but I most certainly did. He just...doesn't appear to remember me, as you don't either. Still...I don't know why I should be telling you this."
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Post by Armand on Apr 4, 2009 16:10:00 GMT -5
"If that's so, I don't see why you're here with me," Armand responded, lowering his eyes to the rose again, to the writing on the note. His voice was very soft, very polite, as though he were only pointing things out to her which should be obvious. "I do remember you a little more now, which is why I wonder about this one you also visited. Shouldn't he, too, at least vaguely remember who you are...? Perhaps hateful things are hard to love."
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