Topic: Hard choices to make

Amelia Fairlane

Date: 2017-06-04 17:44 EST
Chryrie stared at the blonde haired woman before her. By all outward appearances, she seemed timid and hardly a threat. However, Chryrie knew what true power the young woman contained and what dark thoughts floated in the deepest recesses of her mind. Amelia risked a look to the goddess before her and then dropped her eyes back to the floor. Her fingers knotted together behind her nervously. She had been summoned to appear before Chryrie. She had a feeling this had something to do with her newly forming relationship with her son, Carlen. Chryrie smiled at her acolyte as their surroundings changed. They had been in the temple, but now they appeared to be in some sort of library. Amelia blinked and looked around when she realized she was suddenly no longer where she had been before. She had only blinked! She didn't recognize where the goddess had taken her. The bookshelves that lined the walls were filled with books, but many of the titles were in languages she didn't recognize. She looked to the nearest window and could see glimpses of a broad expansive garden between the gauzy curtains as they gently billowed out from the breeze. The goddess lowered herself into a Victorian style chair next to a small table. She motioned for Amelia to do the same before she started to pour herself some tea from a porcelain teapot, "Tea, dear?" "Uhm....that would be lovely, thank you." Amelia slowly lowered herself into the matching chair. Her hands moved to her lap and resumed their nervous fidgeting together as she waited to hear why she had been summoned. Chryrie quietly poured a second cup and then set it along with its matching saucer before the young woman, "You know, many would say for a human to attempt a relationship with the vampiric son of a goddess to be foolish endeavor." Amelia lifted her gaze to the goddess and swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat, "I....I suppose so." "And yet, here we sit." Chryrie lifted her cup and carefully watched Amelia's reactions over the delicate porcelain rim. She knew her thoughts before she even voiced them, but she wanted to hear what would come out and what would stay hidden. The blonde reached for the teacup with shaking hands, but did not lift it to drink. She feared the goddess was going to put an end to her seeing Carlen. But then why did she do things to make her time with him easier" Confusion filled her mind as she tried to make sense of it all. She granted more magical power to the young woman to better assist him. She blessed her with a healing factor that was so specifically tailored to his feedings, she doubted it would help her in any other way. Maybe she had done something wrong" The goddess told her to let Carlen see her darkest side, and she had done so. Maybe it was too dark for the goddess to deem acceptable" Maybe it wasn't dark enough' Amelia was at a loss as to what direction this conversation could possibly be going. So she finally looked back to Chryrie and nodded, "Yes, my goddess. Does this mean you consider me foolish?" "No, dear. Not foolish. More like overwhelmed." Chryrie set her teacup down and rested one elbow on the table. She didn't know exactly what drew her son to this seemingly fragile flower of a girl before her, but free will was something she could not interfere with. She could encourage or discourage as much as she liked, but sentient creatures ultimately were responsible for their own desires and the choices they made surrounding those desires. "Do you wish to continue spending time with my son?" She knew the answer, but she had to ask. Amelia nodded and timidly looked up at those kaleidoscope eyes that seemed to know their way into her very soul, "Yes, my goddess. If you will allow it." The goddess gave her a serene smile before she reached over to gently grasp one of Amelia's hands. She could feel how she was gripping that cup of porcelain in an attempt to control her shaking, "I don't think I could stop it, even if I wanted to." "No, my child. I have no desire to end your time with my son. I knew the day I took all of you girls in that the day would come where you would fly away, leaving my nest." "But I don't wish to leave you!" Amelia suddenly looked to Chryrie, her eyes widening. Her hand released the cup and gripped the hand that was atop of hers with desperate fervor, "I am still devoted to you. I don't wish to leave you or the temple. Ever." Chryrie tilted her head as she watched Amelia react with such energy, "Amelia, I have never once questioned your devotion. Not once. If anything, I believe it to be even stronger. You have given yourself over completely to serve me and that which I uphold. Your fondness for my son doesn't even give me pause to think your devotions may shift. Even if you to allow him to Embrace you, as he has made it perfectly clear he would like to do eventually." Amelia kept her eyes glued to the goddess, even as the deity continued on, "My son is very devoted to that which I stand for. I believe if he were to see a woman being harmed, he would step in to defend her. Even without my asking him to. Do you honestly think he would ask you to do otherwise, even if he had complete thrall over you?" Chryrie watched Amelia as the young woman sat back in her chair, slowly releasing her grip on the hand of the goddess. The blonde's mind was racing with what she knew of Carlen along with what she believed Carlen knew of her. Eventually she shook her head, "No, my goddess. Are you saying you want me to allow him to Embrace me?" That thought had never occurred to her. Chryrie quickly shook her head, "No, dear. Definitely not. What I am saying is your decision should be based on what you want, and only that. Do not base your life's decisions on what you believe me to want for you. Your life is yours to live." Amelia's brows pinched together as she listened to the goddess. Chryrie's pause was only momentary before she continued on, "But....I am concerned about what may happen if you do decide to allow it. Embracing often brings out one's darker side to the point it takes them over completely. While Carlen would surely enjoy such a thing, you must ask yourself if that's a risk you are willing to take.? Those words from the goddess made Amelia tilt her head as she fell into deep thought. She really wasn't sure.

Amelia Fairlane

Date: 2017-06-18 20:47 EST
"I don't know. I mean, it's not like I can test run it, and then change my mind and go back to normal if I don't like it."

"Hmm...Perhaps you could...My mother might know of a way if that is possible."

"Really?"

"It is possible.."

Amelia frowned in concentration as she tended to the plants around the temple. Each one was carefully watered and checked over. This was a task she tended to every week. Normally she performed it with utmost care and attention. This time her mind was somewhere else. That brief conversation with Carlen replayed in her mind over and over. She knew that any normal person wouldn't even consider being Embraced, should they have the choice. But she wasn't a normal person. She was a clone. Cloning genetics were notoriously unreliable the older the clone got. It became worse the more clones were made. And she was the last one of nine. She had no idea how long she had before she would begin to fall apart. She knew the goddess would intervene on the behalf of her and all her sisters when they began to deteriorate, should they want it. But there was so much more to consider as well. Carlen was immortal. She was definitely not. She had no idea how long she would live, even with Chryrie's intervention. Not to mention the whole aging process itself. She loved Carlen, and she knew it would hurt him to watch her grow old while he remained forever the same. The idea of possibly being able to dip a toe into the vampire pool was tempting. Too tempting for her to resist. The hard part...How to approach the goddess with such a question' Just thinking about asking Chryrie about such things made a knot grow in her stomach. But there was no other way. Amelia let out a long sigh as she put away her watering can. She had to do it. The knot in her stomach grew and grew. It felt like lead that weighed her down until her legs were almost shaking. The shed closed door was quietly closed and locked before she turned, and then immediately jumped and let out a small yelp. "Hello, dear." Chryrie smiled at her acolyte. How long had she been standing there" There was no telling. "Oh! Uh, good evening, my goddess." Amelia attempted to recover her composure with a few deep breaths. Didn't seem to matter how many times Chryrie just randomly appeared next to her, each time left her flustered. She cleared her throat after a moment, "And to what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with your divine presence?" "Hmm, I think you know, m'dear." Chryrie smiled and turned, beckoning for the girl to walk along side her as she strolled away from the temple itself and along the winding path through the trees. Amelia immediately fell into step next to the goddess. They appeared to be heading toward the housing was for the recovering victims. Once they were far enough from the temple that prying ears wouldn't overhear, Chryrie gave Amelia a sidelong look, "You forget I know what thoughts are in your mind even before you speak them. I know you have questions for me. I even know what they are. But I'd rather hear you say them. So, tell me what?s on your mind." "I..." Amelia faltered slightly as she tried to think of the best way to word what she wanted to know, "I was wondering if there was a reversible way to know what it would be like if Carlen....you know." "Embraced you?" Chryrie chuckled softly, "In a matter of speaking." Amelia's eyebrows lifted with curiosity, but she didn't speak. She knew the goddess would tell her more if she wished to do so. Fortunately for her, Chryrie was in a sharing mood, "You see, normally for his kind to fully Embrace someone, he would need to completely drain you of blood, killing you. Then he would need to give you some of his own blood, directly from his own veins. That sets everything in motion. However....if you were to drink of his blood without dying first, you would be doing something called a blood bond. This would effectively show you what it's like to a degree, but you wouldn't need to consume blood from mortals to survive. You'd only need to drink from him on occasion to maintain the effects." Chryrie then came to a slow stop and turned toward Amelia. The younger woman stopped as well and tilted her head with curiosity. Chryrie's expression became extremely pensive as she reached to take Amelia's hands in her own, "But I need to warn you, Amelia. A full bond would put you completely under his thrall. He would have complete control over you. And that bond is not easy to break. Should it be decided to end it, you would need to be kept away from him for at least a month's time." Amelia didn't speak at first. She was attempting to digest all the information that Chryrie had shared with her. Her eyes lowered to their joined hands as she considered it carefully. Eventually, she decided she might as well know the rest, "If....If we decide to try this....I just drink his blood once?" "Once would suffice in learning how well you would handle some of it. To complete a full bond and get the full effects, you would need to do it three times within a relatively short period of time. Less than a month's time, as I recall. I would not recommend that." Chryrie shook her head gently, "That level of bond would be beyond even that which is between a sire and his fledgling." "I see..." Amelia slowly nodded and then fell silent again as she released the hands of the goddess. She had much to discuss with Carlen.