Grief in Complications

"Wow... There we go, all signed and sealed!" Carolina said, tucking the signed paperwork into a neat pile and setting it aside, "Well, I must say, Charlie, I've never seen anyone read or write as quickly as You." Carolina professed, her Brown orbs considering You favourably

"That's My Charlie!?" Rose said, overly enthusiastically indeed "He's one of the Best in the Academy!" She added, this made Carolina raise an intrigued eyebrow, her eyes warmly, although vigilantly watching You

"Oh yes, I suppose that You attend East-Wallace, a Handsome Young man like You must know My daughter, Isabella?" As She spoke, Your eyes thinned slightly, it took a little effort to ensure that Your eyes did not flash crimson with passion, for You knew now why Miss Salvador looked familiar, She was the spitting image of Isabella Salvador... this, of course, made You involuntarily frown

"Yes." You said, voice firm, eyes cold "I know Your daughter." You professed, the Venom in Your tone not evading Carolina. She frowned even deeper than You were, it appeared that the two of You had come to some kind of unspoken agreement, She knew what Isabella was like at school, and You definitely knew, but that was not a conversation to have at this time

"She is... Beautiful, just like Her Mother, if You don't mind me saying." You said, surprised at Your own ability to pull Your charm back on so quickly, Carolina chuckled as she waved You off

"Such a flatterer, honestly." Carolina said, her eyes tracing over You again momentarily before taking the stack of papers in her hand and tapping them twice on the table before tucking them away safely in her bag "Well, I am sure that You would Like to discuss what we went over in private, so I shall leave You, Although... Mr Drake, I would be very happy to hear from You again, and not in an altogether..." Carolina's eyes flickered to Rose for a second before looking back at You "...Professional, capacity, Here is My card, Just a thought. Alright then, I'll just be off then, Nice to see You as always Diana, and it was lovely to meet You Rose, Ciao."

And with that, just as quickly as You had come in to see her, Miss Salvador, in her White blouse and Dark trousers, Her Dark hair tied up behind Her head, had left.

"She totally just asked You out... In front of Your Girlfriend, Jesus christ how the Hell do You do that?" Diana asked, turning to You, but Your smiled had faded "So that is what an untouchable's Parent looks like, I wonder if she is as much of a horrible cunt as Her daughter." You thought, eyes flooding with red after having been holding it back for so long, although.... something else was bothering You

"What the Hell that act, Rosalie Tepes?" You asked, Rose shrugged, Her eyes cold and face blank as usual

"Human Personas when interacting with the Living is sometimes important for My inquisitorial Duties." She said very blankly, You took her by both shoulders as Diana shifted around to sit on the comfortable part of the Booth

"Dew it." You said, Your voice hoarse and eyes intent

"Do what?" Rose asked, clearly very confused, But you continued to stare darkly, a short smile forming on Your face

"The Accent, Dewit." You commanded, Rolling her eyes, Rose put on a warm smile, Her eyes becoming ocean blue again, her face flushing with colour

"D-Do You like it, Babe, D-Do I look Human enough, I hope that I don't have to do this for much longer because it makes me very u-uncomfortable." She said in a perfect imitation of a shy American young woman, You grinned, but Diana scoffed

"That is really weird." Your sister said as You watched the colour drain from Rose's face, returning to its normal undead grace, Beaming at Rose You lent in, whispering furtively

"I never took You for an Actor." You whispered, Rose smiled, even as You pecked her lips lightly

"Don't expect Me to do it too often, acting as a Human feels... very unnatural." She professed You nodded lightly, it was a little strange seeing Rose pretend to Be mortal. Very suddenly, two walked into the private booth area of the Cafe, the woman, just as the Blonde before, was in a neat uniform, with another waitress, hence why You did not bother to pay either any attention, You simply continued to look into Rose's eyes, her beautiful blue eyes staring back the two of Your in mesmerisation of each other as Diana spoke to the Waitress, doubtlessly making her order.

"Black Americano, got it, Can I get You anything Sir, anything for You miss?" You paused. You knew that voice, You definitely knew that voice, and as You heard it... Your heart sank, looking up to the waitress, eyes involuntarily burning crimson as You saw Her face.

Vicky Kaz, looked down at You for a moment, frozen by Your glowing eyes, Her face twitching a little as another expression overcame her, one of pure recognition, Victoria mouthed wordlessly, unmoving and terrified as Your gaze pierced her. Vicky, Your Bully ever since You started at East-Wallace, Skinner than before, Her usually perfect face, gaunt, Her Brown eyes bloodshot with dark rings around them, Her usually crisp, silky black hair was Unkempt, tried loosely behind her head.

Taking in three, rapid and shallow breaths, Vicky's eyes rolled into the back of her head, her trembling stopping as her legs suddenly gave out.

Wiping around with masterful grace and speed, You caught Victoria in Your arms, just before her face smacked on the ground. Diana immediately got to her feet, rushing over to check the **** Victoria, who You still clutched in You arms, a cold look on Your face

"Jesus Charlie, what the Hell did You do!?" Diana questioned, but You did not answer, just looked at Victoria's face, which was still creased with shock

"Nothing." You said darkly, you finally broke Your gaze, looking up at Diana with Your glowing eyes "Go and get someone, to help her." You said, frowning at the words that instinctively left Your mouth

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?

"Be quiet."

WHY HELP HER, THIS PATHETIC LITTLE HUMAN DOESN'T DESERVE OUR HELP

"I Said, be quiet."

Diana rushed off immediately, Her phone pressed against Her ear after having called 911 without a moment's notice, You held Vicky in Your arms, a cloud of Spite storming around You as You looked at Her

"You need to calm Yourself." You heard Rose whisper from behind You "being in such a compact space with Humans running on adrenaline will not be good for You, We should not linger, come, Diana will catch up." She added, her cold hand resting on Your shoulder. Standing with Vicky still in Your arms, You moved over to the pillowy part of the connect Booth chairs, carefully placing the **** Victoria on them, before feeling Rose gently take You by Your arm and pull You away.

A couple of Workers in uniform, including the Blonde woman from before, burst inside, rushing over to Vicky's **** body as You and Rose vanished without a second thought, only Diana caught the two of You going for the door

"Where are You going?" She asked confused, holding back the phone and whispering so that the operator on the other side could not hear

"Meet us back home, Didi, I'll explain there." You quickly put before Rose dragged you away, Diana shot You a look of understanding, before You and the Upir Princess, left through the front door of the Patisserie, leaving the growing crowd behind.

You and Rose, weaved easily through the bustling city crowds, Your agitation only growing, as the river of collective blood flowed and hearts thumped like a drumbeat for life "An old friend of Yours?" Rose eventually questioned, as the two of Your made Your way through the much quieter suburbs, You shook Your head adamantly

"No, not even remotely." You said darkly, continuing on for a while through the silence.

It was strange to think, that hatred like that still existed within You, after all, Vicky was nothing but a mere mortal to You now, weak and defenceless, she had no power compared to the Might of a Superior, but... You could not help but notice the subtle vulnerability that being exposed to Your old life brought, all of that combined with the unnatural shimmering fear in Your chest; a fear that the Sun could come at any moment, reminded You that no matter what power You were exposed to, no matter how bad things got or How monstrous You could be, that deep down, Your were still that Bullied boy with the glasses, that You were still at least partly Human.

"Stop."

............Something was wrong. That was not Your voice, not the one that inhabited Your mind. It was not the Beast, because the Beast was right there beside You, His tall and powerful shadowy form stood just next to You, as You stared out at the Red sea.

This was wrong... You didn't bring Yourself here, no... You were walking with Rose back to the Cave

W-WHAT'S GOING ON!?

The Beast asked, looking around in confusion, but You had no Idea Yourself, You just stood there quietly, trying to figure out what was going on

"You, must be, very, very confused?" You and the Beast staggered on the seabed, as everything around You shook, the Voice that spoke was the same that You had heard a moment ago, only now it sounded as if it were being spoken by a Mountain, it's tone so deep that it quaked everything around You, that was when rising from the Scarlet horizon, was a terror beyond all normal comprehension.

Its head was easily the size of four houses, it's gigantic black body, easily 100 meters tall, cast a shadow, which was strange considering that the entities body was a pitch Black shadow that filled the Red Sky. It's gargantuan Eyes, that burned Red like dying stars, gazed down at You, it's voice making the scarlet water's vibrate "Are You afraid, apologies, I thought that You would be most comfortable in Your own mind." It said, The Beast shuffled behind You, audibly gulping as You stammered out Your words to the giant Shadowy colossus

"I-I um... I would really like to Know, Who You are, and just how in the fuck You dragged me here?" You said, trying to sound authoritative, But You also started as the Colossus lowered its head peering at You

"You must be propositioned a lot, this is not the first time that someone has invaded Your Mental state, is it... How very fascinating indeed. So much power stored in this mind of Yours, yet I find Your knowledge lacking, You should work on that Charlie Drake." The Colossus called, You said nothing, unsure of quite what to say to that, but it continued "Oh but I have many names, Descendant, more than the winds could whisper, more than the stars that peer in the night, My names outnumber that of the years I've lived." It professed it's massive eyes thinning expectantly.

With the Giant's eyes watching, and the Beast's uneasy form behind You, You stepped forward, whatever this thing was, it was beyond power, beyond our petty understanding of might, whatever it was, You knew better than to be anything less than Humble and Patient. pulling every shred of courage that You could muster, spoke up to the massive Black mass "Okay then, Giant with Many Names... do You have a Name that I would know?" You asked The Colossus with many Names' eyes slid down its vicious black face, the two fusing and forming into a smile that Shone like an unholy sun, You could practically feel the Beast harden with annoyance

That is My thing!

The Beast whispered from behind You, but You reached behind, literally waving him off, his smokey black form dispersing slightly like agitated mist, panicking at his exposure, the Beast compressed himself instantly, turning his tall muscular form into a tiny black ball which hid behind Your head, trying to use Your curly black hair as camouflage. The Colossus continued to smile at You, it's head nodding almost appreciatively "If You and the scaredy-cat that You call Beast, would cast Your collective memory back, You would recall the catalyst that serves as a foundation for You knowledge, the Mapmaker that sparked Your understanding in that dark Gerix library, a recurring name, hidden amongst the pages, belonging to a bulwark from darkness; a Midnight Star. Could You, perhaps, with Your collective minds, tell me what One of my names are?"

At first, You were unnerved, and little amused, but after some thought on the words of this being, You just kinda stared up at the Colossus, what was He a teacher or something, spouting riddles instead of telling You outright... this was a little like one of Your lessons a the Academy when You really thought about it, question is that what was the take back from this, a simple Name?

"The Catalyst of My knowledge?" You said, rubbing Your chin thoughtfully

MAPMAKER... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT... BUT I HAVE A COUPLE OF IDEAS FOR WHAT HIS NAME COULD BE?

"From the Gerix Library, recurring, we've heard or seen the name more than once..."

THE BULWARK OF DARKNESS, HIDDEN AMONGST THE PAGES OF THE MIDNIGHT STAR, THAT HAS TO BE ROMAN RIGHT?

"Yeah that's it, So the Catalyst of our knowledge, that must be the books, Mapmaker... maybe... that's the author, and it's in dad's journal so that... would make You..."

You stared up at Colossus, it's form, completely still and smiling down at You, Stepping forth with a smile so bright that it matched the Colossus', and with the Beast bursting and enlarging himself so that His shadowy body could stand beside You, the both of You simultaneously exclaiming with Pride

"Kvasir!"

You both said. The Colossus, shifted, it's massive body beginning to compact, like a swirling maelstrom, collapsing and folding until with one insidious crack like the whip of a lightning bolt, The Colossus snapped from a gargantuan being, into a small wisp of shadow, the tiny black ball rocketing towards You, it's cannonball speed catching You off guard as it drew closer than You could fathom, The beast cried out in panic

AHHHH, DO NOT WAAAAANT!

You opened Your eyes, You were awake again, standing on the sidewalk of a quiet part of the suburbs, Rose by Your side... and a Person, their hand on Your shoulder.

"Don't Panic." That is the first thing that Kvasir said, the second was "Don't worry about the Royal, She is unharmed." Looking sideways to Rose, You could tell that she was just like everything else. Frozen, unmoving, the air was dry, everything was silent, like everything was stuck, accept, for You and the woman in front of You.

She wasn't particularly tall, maybe 5 ft 4, pretty short actually, Her hair was short and unkempt, but impossibly black, so black that it seemed to absorb all the light, Your eyes got lost in it for a moment until You looked into Her actual eyes. Like two shining Golden orbs, Her iris stared at You, pupilless and bright, they seemed so soft that You got lost in them for a while... the rest was relatively normal, she was pretty cute, Her button nose was placed above a pair of dark lips, covered in glossy Black lipstick that shone in the light, strangely, that seemed to be the only make up she was wearing, making her face look a little mismatched, otherwise she was lightly freckled and Her cheeks were warm and Rosey as she smiled lightly at You. You raised an eyebrow

"H-Hello, Kvasir?" You said, looking her over, She was wearing very loose casual clothing, She nodded gently

"If You Like." She said, surveying You with Her strange Golden eyes.

"Um... can we talk, about this whole... mind invasion thing, and... how is it that You froze My Girlfriend and everything... and... How do You know about us?" You asked, letting slip Your perplexity at this situation, She shrugged,

"I mean I could, but that sounds awfully boring, NO!" She suddenly cried, making Your jolt, "No Boring, I've had enough of Boring, everything is Boring-A-Accept for You of course... and other things, I'm not talking about them, NO!" You jolted again as she shouted, You curled Your lips "Why do all the weirdos keep gravitating towards me, lately?" You thought.

"I'm not a weirdo." Kvasir said, Your eyes widened, caution flooded into You as You stepped back, this could mean trouble, She tilted her head, turning bright red and waving her hands "Oh, Oh I'm so sorry, You just think really loud, like really really loud, I apologise, honestly Ummm, Here, a peace offering, look, maybe this will make You feel better?" Kvasir clicked her fingers and You felt Rose stir slightly

"what?" Rose said, blinking suddenly as she looked around, "Charlie, what is going on-" Rose stopped, the second Her eyes fell on Kvasir, she didn't move, she didn't speak, she just stared

"Hello, Rosaria, Long time," Kvasir said, greeting her like an old friend, Rose blinked, before suddenly falling to her knees,

"I... I'm so sorry, I didn't know You were coming, I would have prepared, I h-have nothing to offer, please forgive me!?" Rose stumbled, You flailed Your arms in frustration

"Will someone tell me what is going on please!?" You yelled Kvasir's eyes narrowed

"NO, THAT'S BORING, YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT!" She yelled back, You growled viciously

"I swear to god, You people and Your damned mind games, just give me some Straight answers You annoying little weirdo!" You snarled

"I am not annoying, I'm bored and I hate being bored!" Kvasir retorted, Rose nudged You hard in the rib, speaking through clenched teeth

"Don't insult her." She growled You threw Your arms up

"Fine, Fine I won't, I'll be polite, mind invasion and vagueness aside, by all means, Miss Kvasir, please enlighten me." You said cartoonishly, holding Your arms out in an Oliver twist'esk pleading motion.

Kvasir looked at You, arms folded, looking You up and down again "Alright... I'll tell You something, but I want You to know that it's boring and I don't like it!" She said, a little like a petulant child, she huffed then smiled

"Ah, here something You might find interesting. Rosaria here hasn't seen me in 547 years, Her and the Other Upir forget me after a meeting, then when they see me, they remember again, Cool right?" She said, tapping Rose on the shoulder, Rose flinched slightly, but You raised an eyebrow

"Will I... forget You after You leave?" You asked

Kvasir shook her head "Well of course not, You're my descendant, You are exempt from a lot of my rules." She said, wagging a finger at You like a father trying to tell his best dad joke, Your mouth opened slightly, You stepped forward towards her, making Kvasir freeze, even more so when You touched her arms lightly

"So it's You... You're Casey, Casey Kvasir, the One dad said that we should avoid?" You said, Kvasir contemplated Your mesmerised physical contact, Rose looked about ready to shit Herself, but Kvasir smiled, biting her lip slightly

"Oh my, so bold. Well... um yes, Your father wasn't all that fond of me, or Artorias for that point, very intense gentlemen You see, didn't quite like My hands-off approach to things but that's neither hither or thither, but Yes, I'm Kvasir, Lovely to finally meet You Charlie and Your little Beasty in there." She said, extending a hand to You, You took it, seeing that Your closeness made Her a little flustered, You shook it and took a respectable step back

"N-Nice to meet You too?" You said, "Did You just come for introductions then?" You asked Kvasir cringed but nodded

"Why Yes, a bit of a chaotic introduction I know, very sorry about that, I just wanted test You, Just as I did Your sister!" She said, a very happy smile on her face, You tilted Your head

"You, entered My sister's mind, spoke to her instinct, already?" You inquired, Kvasir jumped at this

"Oh, no, no, no, not yet, or maybe... it's hard to explain, I Have done it... or will do it, I can't really tell You, You're perception of time is very different than Mine. Oh well, Point is, You know me now, so don't be so surprised if I pop up again, I'm looking forward to seeing Your progress. Oh and here, another little parting gift, I would hate having to walk everywhere, I'll just send you back home, ta ta for now!" And with a Click of Her fingers, She vanished.

You weren't in the suburbs anymore, You were in Your driveway, You'd know that hideous scar where the lightning struck anywhere, that and Your heavily scaffolded Manor... accept, people were about, builders by the look of them, men in high-vis jackets and helmets, the loud crackling sounds of engines, large cranes, dumpers and diggers everywhere.

"What in the-" You heard a voice say, He was a man, his Faded green eyes looked at You, his worn face looking at You like he'd seen a ghost, "Who are You, where did You come from, can't You see this is a building site?" He said, looking You over, looking around, perplexed as to just how Kvasir had gotten You here

"I'm... Charlie." You said absently, the Worker pulled off his hard hat, his expression softening slightly

"Oh... Mr Drake?" He asked

You nodded, looking to Rose who stood by Your side, seemingly unbothered by what just occurred. The stocky man pulled off one of his thick gloves and extended a hand "Dylan White, My company have been handling the reconstruction of Your manor, lovely place I have to say." He said, his thick Bostonian accent catching on Your ears

"Yeah, well it was before it fell into ruin." You said bluntly, Mr White nodded, cringing at Your eyes tracing sadly over the construction site

"Well, I promise You, Mr Drake, the place will be fixed right up, better than new. I wanted to speak to You actually, Miss Drake said that You may want to look over the plans, things are a blank slate at the minute, plenty we can do with it, alterations and all that." He said You looked to Rose who fiddled with Her hands impatiently

"I'll meet You inside," Rose said, You went to call after her, but she had already walked off

"Lovely gal You got there." Mr White said, chasing after Rose with his eyes, though You quickly regained His attention with a click of Your finger "Oh, sorry bud, anyway. it would be good to go over the proceedings, Miss Drake said that You'd want to would want to handle these things personally."

"Well, yeah, that would be great, but I have something I need to sort out tonight, how about I leave You My number and we can reconvene tomorrow?" You instantly regretted saying that, the picture of being out during the day again was nothing less than haunting

"Sounds good to me, I'll be here pretty much all morning, so I'll just nab Your number and we can talk tomorrow?" He asked, quite enthusiastically, with a grim look on Your face, You gave the Man Your number and bid him adieu, trudging over to the Cave's double doors and letting Yourself in, still unable to wipe the annoyed look on Your face.

Why did all the weird shit have to come at once, why couldn't it just be nicely spaced out so that You weren't overwhelmed by a thunderous cloud of thoughts? You finally met Her, Kvasir, the one You're descended from, but You had more than one question bubbling in Your mind, she wasn't a vampire, that was for sure, You touched her just to check, she was warm, she breathed, but she certainly wasn't human that was for sure, god You wished You had something easy, something that made sense, something Fun!