peace of mind [chey]

[ALEC AMRIC VOLTURI]

Humanity wasn't something Alec missed. He didn't miss the soft skin, easily bruised and blistered and broken by what many called hard work and circumstance. He didn't miss the delicate tenderness, the need to stop in order to regain strength that drained too quickly and rest limbs that tired faster than they needed to. He also didn't miss the way the skin easily blackened, marred by one thing or another as the traitorous blood in his veins had quickened as a result of an erratically beating heart.

Ah, a heartbeat. Another thing Alec didn't have anymore, and that he wasn't particularly concerned about getting back.

He knew there were some of his kind that missed the feeling of a cold wind in the morning or a warm summer's evening, but to Alec, those things were inconsequential. His interest in the world around him, in whatever beauty nature had used to hold centuries ago, had waned in the wake of Volturi ambition, and in the pursuit of his own goals and powers, as well as his unwavering loyalty to Aro and Jane, and them alone. Perhaps once, long ago, he had run laughing through wooded areas of Britain that no longer existed in their natural form; perhaps once he had crouched around the fire pit built into the floor of their mud and straw hut, watching with wide eyes as his mother cooked before his father would drag him outside, away from Jane, who would have had to remain behind and do "women's work." It was the only time they were ever apart, as the two would often go off together. They were inseparable, and after awhile people stopped trying to pull them apart, afraid of the bad things that happened when the two twins were displeased.

It did not help that twins were often viewed as a bad omen, and therefore unnatural. There had been a point where their mother had been accused of sorcery as well, but in the end she had sold out her children to save her own hide, even as she clutched their father's shoulders and sobbed as he looked on, his normally hard face ashen as his children were dragged away, and he did nothing to stop it. On the official documents, Alec had adapted his father's name for his own middle name, a homage to spinelessness and a mockery that his father should be dead now, slaughtered by the very man that had saved him and his sister, while Alec and Jane remained, stronger and more powerful than ever before. It was a fitting end, and Alec smirked up at the sky, as if he could imagine the pathetic man watching him from his precious afterlife in fear.

Let him watch, then. Alec would show him that he was one to be feared and respected, commanding respect and terror wherever he went. No one dared speak against him, and when people saw him coming they turned tail and fled, their mouths quivering in fear, which reflected in every movement they made. It was a burst of cold air for him, that refreshing breeze so many of his kind longed for after their turning.

He looked at the other vampire, the amused look still presence on his face, though a bit of seriousness had flickered in at some point. He, of course, had been alive during the multiple waves of plague that had swept through Europe, leaving over a third of the world's population as corpses before it had run its course. The plague was something to be feared then, with the royal courts packing up and fleeing whenever even a whisper of it was brought to them on the wind. For other illnesses such as the Sweating Sickness, it was much the same. Alec had been in the courts before, surrounded by fields of cloth of gold and bedazzling finery as ladies in jewell-encrusted dresses swirled by, led by men in the black facades of a masquerade.

"And does your brother keeping trying to make his bird sing?" Alec replied, knowing that the answer was already a yes. "Hmm, but what kind of song? A sickeningly sweet melody, or something a little more destructive? Perhaps the bird is of use to your brother." Back in the ages of castles, Alec had partaken in the "noble" pastime of falconry, and he had reigned a beautiful peregrine falcon by the name of Gwaine, as befitting the rank he had held as an "Earl". He would often perch on Alec's arm, which he would leave bare (it wasn't as if the bird's talons could hurt him like they could a mere human, after all), and when Alec had began training the falcon had always worn a hood. Of course, he was long dead, but Alec retained his knowledge of captive birds.

"Or maybe he's just keeping you hooded so he can release you on the prey of his choice? Not a songbird, but a bird of prey." He hummed once, a low, menacing note. "Those are far more interesting, I find." It was a long shot, throwing that out there. Alec wasn't even sure she had a gift, even though it would make sense.

Another smirk bloomed across his face as the girl's voice rose in pitch, vehemently declaring that she was not a piece of property for her brother--or rather her keeper, Alec drawled mentally--and he knew then that he had found the nerve he had been searching for, and therefore the ticket to the answers he now wanted.

"So why don't you?" he asked simply, the smirk on his face slightly more menacing, sensing the conflict in her, all as a result of this mysterious brother. Alec was an inherently cruel person, it seemed, these days--he had no real qualms breaking up a family. It made sense, though, as he certainly didn't have trouble killing them, so why bother with false mercy? That was one thing he never understood about Aro.

"Attend," Alec stated. "And then you can see where you want to go from there. Join a new coven, if you want." He turned his head slightly to the side. "I'm certain there will be many in attendance."

[Asela Ilar Kolm]

[/color][/i] She would be forced to remember every single memory that she had to claw through in order to bury one that involved the three of them as a normal family that would naturally pass through. It made her sick to her unused stomach when an innocent human would remember them for no reason but for the sole reason that they forced her to just change a few things so they seem to be normal people, especially with the help of Cecilia. She wanted to be free, even if it meant that she'd have to escape while her two keepers were out doing random things that they could do, meanwhile she couldn't do anything.

Asela placed the invite into a safe place as she crossed her arms and looked up into the sky, opening her eyes. "I suppose you could say that." Her voice was almost like a murmuring whisper, she didn't care anymore if this man found out what she could do, there was always the chance of her gripping him by his sharp jaw staring into his eyes as she clawed away those memories; in three days time he'd remember but she would already be far, far away from Italy.

Groaning she ran her fingers through her brown hair, playing with a strand sadly. "He may have his mate, but I am the sole family left; unless he finds a descended of our cold blood then we are the end of our family." Her red eyes looked towards the male, she was not staring directly at him, still showing the due respect that he should be give. Asela was unaware of if he understood what it meant to have blood family with him, she did not know much about him other than he was part of the Volturi guard and that he should not be crossed at any sort.

She felt the place where the parchment was placed and thought of the ball. Who would want to take her in? Especially if she would not be able to tell them the entire truth behind her history especially if she was in the home of the Volturi. Asela would be more than aware there'd be guards just mingling about that would listen in on any conversation that were being spoken of, thus she would not about to be blunt about her gift knowing that they'd find out. Then again, who's to say that this man did not already figure out that she had something special; especially with that last comment that she made. Asela was screwed.

Royally.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/font][/ul]

[/b] num
TAG; chey
NOTES; :3 wee.~
CREDITS; credit to callie![/ul][/size][/font]

[ALEC AMRIC VOLTURI]

Alec watched the girl carefully as she closed her eyes, more likely than not fighting off something unpleasant that had occurred in her mind. The disgust was evident, at any rate, not in the sense that her face had scrunched up like one of those ugly human dogs but just rather in the faint flickers that Alec caught racing across her face. He could see it in her body language as well--even the act of closing her eyes had practically spelled it out to him in flourishing red script. A myriad of possible causes raced through Alec's mind, but in the end he found he didn't care enough to pursue any of them, so instead of inquiring, "Oh, did I say the wrong thing?" he remained silent until she spoke again, the ever-present smirk continuing to pull at the one corner of his mouth.

He continued to watch as she placed the simple invite somewhere he was sure he considered safe before her arms crossed, and that, more than anything, he recognised as a defensive gesture, at least in this case. That wasn't saying he was exempt from the same action--one could often find Alec leaning against part of the Volterra castle with his arms crossed and mocking amusement written across his face when the lesser guards squabbled amongst themselves--but his was born more out of nonchalance and a distinct lack of caring for the feelings of others. Her eyes opened, and when she spoke her voice was so quiet that Alec almost let his smirk widen in victory.

And she still doesn't seem to know. How fun.

Rolling his shoulders once in a parody of a shrug, Alec used his grip on the crumbling stone of the colosseum to pull himself up onto the crumble edge, his footsteps quiet and assured, as if he weren't balanced on the edge of a deteriorating relic of a thousand years past. It could have been a metaphor, a young man, poised on the edge, momentarily on top of the world, with the eternal question of would it last?, but Alec was no young man (in fact, he had never actually had the chance to experience that part of human life), and so instead he just looked every inch the predator he was, from the custom-tailored dark fabric of his jacket to the satisfied gleam in his eyes. He took a few steps away from the girl, every movement precise and dictated by his mind, before he turned back around to face her, still on the edge.

He was in time to see her run a hand through her hair, the groan speaking more than her following words could, and Alec tsked internally.

"Then I guess there's one small thing you and I have in common," Alec said simply. He knew that, besides Jane, his beloved sister, he had no family left, as they had all been slaughtered by Aro as his and Jane's world had burned around them. His weak-minded mother, his cowardly father, and any other relatives he might have had, from grandparents to aunts and uncles and cousins; they were all dead, even the other children, who had paid dearly for the mistake their parents had made. "But in my time, one must always pay for the sins of thy fathers. I don't mourn them." The Bible verse felt like sawdust on his tongue, light and empty, and Alec spent a moment to reflect on his irritation for that little black book, though it had delivered many suspicious priests into his midst, where he had used their blood to further sustain himself.

"But you see," he continued, his voice a low drawl, "I don't fight with my remaining family member. You could say we keep each other sane." There was something disconcerting in his expression, something sharp and something dark, and yet, for a moment, there was a brief softening of Alec's soft, beautiful features, so similar to Jane's, at the thought of his twin, his only real motivation, and the true holder of his loyalty, even before Aro. "In fact, my family and I, we are of much the same mind." He used the term family deliberately, putting his cards down on the vagueness the term presented. She would not know if he referred to his actual dear sister, or if he meant his coven, as many vampires called their covens family where there were no blood relations.

And then, in one final gamble, Alec laid bare the rest of his cards, looking at her in such a way that she would have to meet his eyes fully, getting rid of the respectful downcast she had presented thus far, which was appreciated, but no longer needed.

"So what is it that your brother wants to keep from us, exactly?" he asked rather succinctly. "What can you do, Asela?" He used the name she had given him earlier, putting emphasis on it, a reminder that he had her where she did not have him. To her, he was still nameless, and Alec knew it. "And I would advise you do not demonstrate on me, if that is your wish. My appearance truly is no match for what I am actually capable of, or what the Volturi would do if you attacked one of my rank and standing." He smiled rather disarmingly then, but the malice was still there. "What do you have that is so important he will not let you go? It seems he's built quite a nice gilded cage to keep his little bird in, wouldn't you say? All that effort, all those resources... You must be very special indeed, beyond the bonds of family."

[Asela Ilar Kolm]

[/color]" Even if it included the sadness and guilt, then it should stay there that way there would be nothing clouding the vision of the future. The past was never the key to the future.

Hearing the sane part about the male's family keeping each other balanced, she couldn't help but be curious who his remaining family was, perhaps his coven? As she had stated before to the male, her brother kept her out of the immortal public's view. Even if so, the only thing that Asela could probably compare the facial features to a possible coven mate who may be related to the Volturi male.. yet she was not exactly sure if that would turn out well. Keeping her thoughts about who may be related to who would probably end up favoring her in the end if she kept her usual silent voice quiet and hidden in the far backspaces of background music, that's what the mortals called it right? Music no one cared about, it was merely sounds for comfort.

The very sound of her name, she felt like he was yelling at her once more of going out and doing something surely stupid. Asela remembered the times he'd raised his voice to her when she had been out with a human friend if they could stand being around some, just for keeping up with education. Or perhaps the time she was out with Urhi.. The Volturi could possibly give her more freedom! Oh, that's what she so much desired was freedom. They had a stable home, in Volterra. They had stability where she had nothing but just simple empty roads that she couldn't travel with anyone else but two whom were mated and in deep love with each other, she was alone without someone to keep her boring immortal life enjoyable. She didn't even smell any male singer on her adventures.. very sad.

"I would do no such thing, I would fear for what I'd find." Her drawl sounded nearly English, like the old English accent. She was hiding it so very hard when she'd travel. Like a Scottish man trying to blend into the new American culture back when they'd migrate to the new States, where the American Dream would be awaiting them. The last part made her just feel hollow on the inside, was Atticus truly keeping her around for family meanings? Or was it simply because she had something he could use? Against Humans, Children of the Moon, Vampires? "In three days times," Two of her fingers were brought down to curl into her hand, allowing three digits to appear in the air attached to her hand. "all shall remember what I could have taken, what I may have changed." Her two curled fingers uncurled for her fingers to read five. "However, five days time shall they forget all memories that I have found, that I have touched. I can change, erase - manipulate - any and all memories that a mortal or immortal has had in the course of their life." Asela's old English drawl seemed almost heavy, as if she was truly older than six hundred years, that she's seen and felt more things than anyone else has. Indeed this was the case, she touched who many memories that have added more than six hundred or even a thousand.

Her eyes seemed darker almost, her wisdom was shining through as she replayed any if not only a small fragment of the memories that she's twisted, taken in and had them forget. From the old woman who saw Atticus as her young lover and had him have the sole will of everything in the house. Or for her own sake, as she remembered a young man whom fancied her shortly after her turning in her newborn years that she made him forget her just so he could live past their meeting and find someone else whom he'd fancy. "I suppose I am a tool to him." The light was finally shown.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/font][/ul]

[/b] num
TAG; chey
NOTES; :3 wee.~
CREDITS; credit to callie![/ul][/size][/font]

[ALEC AMRIC VOLTURI]

"Oh, I never said that." The words that tumbled out of Alec's mouth were spoken in a mock-chiding tone, though for all the condescension he made sure he was speaking to her as an adult. Alec may have been the abrasive sort, but he knew the folly in speaking to someone as if they were a child. He and Jane had gotten that from some, the fools who had come across them and marvelled at their angelic appearances, before Jane had showed them exactly why they should be treated with respect. Alec remembered watching the one vampire as she writhed on the ground, screaming, her frantic mate at her side trying to alleviate her pain through futile gestures and soft words. Of course, that was before Alec had stepped forward and calmly wrenched the head off of the grieving male, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction before tossing it into the fire the lesser guards flanking them had constructed. He had left the woman to Jane, turning to her with a purposeful, graceful incline of his head, a small smile playing on his lips as he had watched her walk forward and do what she did best.

That same smile appeared on his face at the memory, and he shook his head once. "People need to learn from the past," he told the girl. "Without it, idiots make the same mistakes, and my body count gets regrettably higher. Not that I mind, of course, but it lowers the amount of people who fear me, and I find that fear far more satisfying than a pile of headless, charred corpses." He shrugged again, and though the gesture was human enough it was done in a way that looked positively ethereal.

The sound of an old English accent made him turn his head, and his eyes narrowed on reflex. The old dialect, and the vocal tones of the people who used them, was something he had not heard in a long time, and it was something he hadn't thought he'd ever have to hear again. It was dangerously close to the sounds of the peasants who had lived in his own village, their lower class accent marking them for the serfs who had worked the lands, living impoverished in small villages. Later, it had become the sounds of the poor who had infected the streets of London, living in cramped, squalid spaces while they all slowly died of various diseases, or were quickly wiped out by plague and foul play. The Thames, Alec knew, hid far more than just muddy banks and murky, tainted waters.

With more consideration than had been previously shown, Alec listened to the girl as she spoke, and he saw the exact moment his words reached home, as the girl considered what she actually was to whoever her coven mates were, whether or not they were actually what she said they were or not. It made Alec want to smirk again, but the desire was erased when she continued on, and his eyes snapped reflexively to her fingers as they curled into her palm. Were he human, he would have exhaled slowly in something close to awe, but he wasn't, so he settled for letting a slow, unsettling smile creep across his face as he listened. She displayed three fingers now, and though her speech patterns sounded older now, archaic, Alec had no issue following what she was saying.

And, oh, Aro would be so very pleased with this one.

Alec let the satisfaction show on his face, even as the girl finished explaining her gift, and he chuckled lowly as he imagined the panic her keeper must have gone through in an effort to prevent her from revealing exactly what she just had to someone like him--a ranked member of the Volturi, close to Aro, the vampire who would do just about anything to gain vampires with gifts like hers. The girl's keeper would have kept them moving for years in an effort to keep Aro's eyes away, or to keep word of the girl's abilities from reaching him, and Alec basked in the flood of understanding that filled him. This was why the girl knew little of what went on around her; this was why she had not recognised him, and why word of the Volturi ball had not reached her, when vampires from everywhere else had already begun making their way to the Volturi's illustrious home.

This girl's brother had kept her out of the public eye for centuries upon centuries, and now the long game of concealment was over. Alec didn't even bother keeping the pleased glint from his eyes, because here was the game he had been playing all along, the goal shrouded and hazy until now, with victory curled in the palms of his hands.

"Then perhaps I can help you," Alec said. He was still standing on the edge of the stone, one hand resting with deceptive gentleness on the ancient ruin. Using the word help had almost made him wince, but he consoled himself with the fact that the use of that word, so ill spoken, would benefit him and his coven in the long run. "You have no reason to stay with your keeper now. You know you're a tool. Why else would he hide you, hmm? Not even telling you why? You can hardly trust someone who lied to you for centuries, now can you? No." He smiled in mock-kindness. "The Volturi would like to meet you, I wager. Follow our simple laws, and you could have freedom there. Your brother and his mate wouldn't be able to lie to you then. He wouldn't dare." A smirk. "Keep that invitation close, Asela, and think hard about it." He slid off the stones then, landing down below, in the centre area, where the gladiators had once fought and spilled blood. He glanced up at her, arms crossed lazily, a knowing smirk on his face. "We expect to see you there. Do not disappoint us."

ooc: God, I'm sorry this post sucks. Do you want to end the thread here, or...? ;3

[Asela Ilar Kolm]

[/i] him, it was rather amazing for someone of his stature. She wondered if he'd be held in high regard even if he was not in the Volturi.

A strange chill ran up her spine. She didn't show it in her mind or physically on her flawless features but there was just something that was numbing her mind for just a quick second. Asela was seeing the happy look that was across the unknown male's face, and the look in his eyes, he reminded Asela of a little boy staring at a toy that was on the other side of the show glass, but unlike that small children, he had the force, power, ranking to drag Asela by her ankles kicking and screaming if she wasn't as willing that she is now. Yes, Asela Ilar Kolm was thinking on joining the notorious Volturi coven.

Help. It was a word that was forigen in her rather large vocabulary. There had been few moments where there was someone who wanted to help her in case she appeared like someone stepped on and kicked her puppy. Then there were those almost memorable warm fuzzy feelings inside of her. "I don't mean to disrespect.. but you truly do believe your Coven would have me?" There had been no true acceptance in Asela's life, and just at this moment, she realized that there was something unlikely and the possibility of her just being left to wander the world all alone. She felt small, unimportant.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/font][/ul]

[/b] num
TAG; chey
NOTES; o! the post was amazing dear<3 sorry that mine sucked ;.;
CREDITS; credit to callie![/ul][/size][/font]

[ALEC AMRIC VOLTURI]

He wasn't fully prepared for the girl to call him back. The dismissal in his voice had been rather clear, his intent to turn to his own coven made obvious by his departure from her immediate presence, and yet he found himself turning back anyway, but the question meant that he had achieved victory on levels far higher than he had even aimed for. The girl, with just that one question, had allowed him to glimpse far more than just the intrigue she must have felt at his offer. Far more dangerous, it allowed him a brief glimpse at something close to desperation, at least in Alec's mind. It was far more clear, now, that the girl wanted to leave whatever coven members had kept her and her gift away from Aro's prying eyes--and they would pay for that later, they would, if Aro accepted this girl and learned he could have made her his oh so many years ago--and how much of that was due to Alec's coaxing or her own previous thoughts mattered not to him. The point of the matter was that she was doing more than just considering that now. Whether she knew it or not, she was showing him her cards, and it was a poor hand indeed, on her own.

Turning slowly, Alec allowed his eyes to catch hers again, and he remained silent for a few moments, letting her words seep in between them, until the silence became more than a little strained; unsure. After all, he could easily walk away from her now, and leave her squirming with her doubts, making her ponder whether Aro really would accept her into his midst, but Alec was fairly confident he would. After all, Aro was no fool, and this girl's gift could prove invaluable to him, if used correctly. It could open whole new doors for the Volturi, and though Alec doubted it could penetrate the Cullen girl's shield, it would have various other uses.

Of course, he wouldn't tell the girl all that. Best to let her stew over it, to think, so that when she prostrated herself at Aro's feet it would be because she had made that decision. Naturally, they would have Chelsea further bind her to the Volturi, but starting loyalty was always something appreciated by the higher ups, or at least that was the impression Alec got. Aro approved of loyalty, valued it, and if this girl came to them on her own with such a powerful gift, he would appreciate that, at the very least.

Making his decision, Alec leapt back up onto the level where the female vampire stood, brushing past her before he sat on one of the old, crumbling stones, where cheering crowds had once determined the fate of their fellow men with as small a gesture as a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

"It is not truly my place to decide who joins and who does not," he said simply. "That honour belongs, of course, to masters Caius, Aro and Marcus, although," he smiled languidly, "it's mostly Aro's decision. But yes, Asela Kolm, I could see you amongst our ranks. Doubtless your bother told you your gift was unique, and he would not have been lying." Alec crossed his arms then, his head tilting slightly to his left, one eyebrow raising. "I would ask for a demonstration, but of course, the only subject here is me, and I would have to kill you if you tried. Silly little detail, that, but those are my cards." He slowly lowered one of his hands, keeping the other crossed, clutching at his arm. His fingers slowly uncurled, and he glanced up at her with one final smirk.

"I promise you, if you do not move, this will not hurt." His voice was almost a whisper, the words so soft that they could have easily been missed were she not paying attention. It was then that he let the mist collect, the black cloud-like substance spilling from his palm onto the ground, the shadowy tendrils racing for Asela's prone form, though Alec did not let them touch her. Instead, he merely let them play around her, close but never close enough to touch, to infect, to take away all her senses and make her wish she was truly dead. Of course, contrary to his earlier words, it was impossible for his gift to physically harm. Pain was not his forte; indeed, when he killed, it was often quick and painless. It made the words spoken all the more mocking and ironic for those who knew, but as she had no idea who he was doubtless she would not make the connection.

Within moments, he was recalling the mist to him, watching as the shadowy substance disappeared, as if being physically sucked back into the palm of his hand. When there was no trace of it left, he curled his fingers inward, glancing back up at her.

"My gift," he explained simply. "Had I let it touch you, you would have been in a state where I could have killed you, and you would not have even known. A trade, of sorts, for you being so open with me, Asela Kolm. A wise decision on your part. The Volturi always honours their agreements, after all, and we always repay those who trust and respect us, or those who aid us." He rose to his feet. "And since I had nothing of value to give you, I figured a trade of information would suffice. Your gift for mine, as a show of good faith. I assure you, others who witness it are not so fortunate."

He could read her call for help like it was a physical thing, and it momentarily dulled the sharp edge in his smile; the inherent cruelty that lay within. In the light of night, the softening of his expression made him look both more approachable and more ethereal, a paradox in and of itself.

"Remember that the Volturi always pays its dues. Everyone gets what they deserve--no more and no less. You would get your freedom. You would be respected and feared wherever you went, simply because of this." With that, he pulled out the silver Volturi pendant, letting it shine briefly. "You wouldn't be nameless anymore."