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Post by Rose North on Aug 19, 2011 17:47:12 GMT -5
Three weeks.
It'd been three weeks since his death. Since Rose watched the life leave him... Three, miserable weeks.
Rose admitted, there had been a few good things, like seeing her younger cousin, Alucard for the first time in nine years. But... Even that had turned sour. He kept going on and on about not being family to her, wallowing in his own self pity all because he found out she was alive. It was ridiculous. How he seemed to think he could have done something. And how he seemed to think it was an easy decision to even consider having the knowledge of her being alive erased.
He wasn't the first person she'd considered the thing. Ian had been the first. She'd been trying to protect him from all of her enemies, and as long as he knew she was alive, he'd keep stepping in the line of fire. It wasn't the same, but... She had both of their best interest at heart when she made the suggestions. Alucard's own Nightshade madness had barred it's fanged, literally, for gods sake! All because they told him Rose was alive!
Rose walked down the stairs to the lower levels of the school, her steps slow and deliberate. She held a bouquet of flowers in her arms, ignoring everyone she passed.
In the basement, there was a room off the main hall. A room of mourning, to show respect to all the X-men that had fallen in battle. It was completely empty of life, the young woman crossing the room to the most recent portraits. She stared at them, recognizing everyone that had died in the last nine years.. There were many... For every one, she left a flower on the base of the frame.
Finally, she reached Ian's. He was in his mid twenties, with a goofy smile that made you want to laugh. Seeing it, Rose smiled sadly, carefully setting the remaining flowers on his frame. Staring at the frame, she spoke.... "You know, you shouldn't try to sneak up on people. You'll get hurt." She wasn't speaking to the portrait. She was speaking to the person who'd tried to sneak up on her.
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 19, 2011 18:20:01 GMT -5
Alucard had been going to the kitchen to make himself something to eat when he spotted Rose carrying a bundle of flowers and heading towards the basement. He didn't know why she had flowers in her hands, but he knew that was not something she normally did and wondered what she was doing. He followed her to the basement and a room full of pictures. It was the room that they had set up to honor those lost over the years. Alucard silently watched as Rose placed a flower under each picture. She had stopped at one of the pictures and Alucard guessed she was close to the person in the picture. She had finally said something to him after a moment, and he wondered what took her so long to notice him. He hadn't tried to hide the fact he was there from her, although he didn't make it known either.
" I wasn't sneaking around." Alucard said in reply. " Did you know each of them personally?"
Alucard looked around at all the pictures finally, and was kind of surprised by how many of them there were. He knew the institute had trained many people over the years, but he didn't know it had trained this many of them to be xmen and that they had died for one cause or another.
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Post by Rose North on Aug 19, 2011 19:22:06 GMT -5
It wasn't that Rose hadn't realized he was there. She'd just ignored it for a few moments, waiting to see if the person would say something. When they responded, she chuckled, shaking her head. Of course, Alucard. "No. Not all of them."
She was silent as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Just the ones that have died since I came to the school." She paused motioning him to come over as she moved to, and pointed at, a portrait of young woman, who.... He would recognize. "Is it silly to mourn your own death..? Or sillier to be mourned when you aren't dead?" It was her, with the date of her suicide below her name. "It's strange... that I'm in this room. By the time they found out I wasn't actually dead, I was already up. Now.... I guess it's for everyone's protection."
Her gaze was distant as she stared at her own portrait. No one would guess she and the girl in the photo were the same. And not just because she looked nothing like her former self. But.... Because she looked so happy and carefree. "I'm sorry for what I've said to you." She paused, turning her head to look at him. "I don't mean to be so... withdrawn, especially with you and Parker."
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 19, 2011 19:44:13 GMT -5
Alucard looked over at the portrait of Rose when she was still in her old body. She did look happy and carefree in it, which made him glad to know she had been able to look like that. He was still looking at it when Rose suddenly spoke to him. He was surprised that she was apologizing to him. He didn't see the need for her to apologize, but he figured it made her feel better. He looked over at her.
" You don't need to apologize to me. You have your own reasons to be like that towards us, even if it doesn't work so well with Parker and his annoying habit." Alucard said to her in reply. " I think there is something you need to know Rose, so would you mind coming with me somewhere else? I happened to be on my way somewhere when I saw you and I should be getting there soon."
Alucard waited for Rose to reply before he lead her out of the basement and to the kitchen. No one else was in there when they walked in. Alucard walked over to the fridge and began to look through it.
" What might you want to eat? I'd be happy to make you anything that you want." Alucard asked from the fridge.
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Post by Rose North on Aug 19, 2011 20:15:49 GMT -5
Alucard didn’t seem to realize it. A lot of the people were only on this wall because of her. They’d died protecting her. Hence why she had so many issues with Alucard saying he’d wanted to protect her. She didn’t want to be responsible for any more names going up on this wall.
”I can keep Parker out if I want. As long as he’s not to determined to get in.” Her gaze was back to the newest portrait, he expression bare once more. ”Someone like him though, you never know when he’s listening in. So I don’t usually try.”
She looked at him when he said he needed to tell her something, an eyebrow raised. ”….” She was silent for a moment, before shrugging. ”That isn’t really specific, but sure.”
Silence followed as they went up to the kitchen. She leaned against the counter, arms folded as she watched him. ”I’m not hungry.” She paused for a few moments.
She shrugged away from the counter, moving to the bar and taking a seat. ”You said you need to tell me something?”
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 19, 2011 20:34:51 GMT -5
Alucard looked around as she said she wasn't hungry. He began to grab some stuff that he would need out of the fridge and put it up on the counter and pulled out everything he needed to cook it. He was going to fry some chicken in a pan with olive oil. He turned the oven on and let it heat up the pan for a moment while he grabbed the olive oil, salt, and pepper. He set it next to the fresh basil, onion, and garlic that he had sitting out already. He began to chop up the onion and garlic when Rose asked him what he wanted to talk about. He waited until he had gotten them both chopped up like he wanted them before he poured olive oil into the pan. He threw the chopped up onion and garlic into the pan and threw some salt and pepper onto it and stirred it around for a moment before he crushed up the basil and spread it onto the chicken breasts he had out.
" There is something I wanted to talk about. You remember the other day when we meet in the rose garden?" Alucard said to Rose in reply after he had gotten the basil spread onto the chicken breasts. " Well it is about something I'm sure you noticed then. Parker probably told you about it, but I'm sure you could have noticed it as well. I was under the effects of the Nightshade madness for a moment there."
Alucard stirred the stuff he had in the pan around to keep them from burning and sticking to the bottom of it. He was glad he had a reason not to look her in the face right now.
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Post by Rose North on Aug 19, 2011 21:30:57 GMT -5
Oh, Rose knew. How could she not? After experiencing the insanity herself…. The young woman had more experience in regards to the ‘Nightshade madness’ then most. ”I know.” There was rarely a members of the Nightshades who didn’t have a touch of the insanity. It was a genetic thing. Some of them just a little stronger than others. Rose happened to be one of them.
”And believe me, it could have been a lot worse.” She paused for a moment, watching him cook. ”When I went insane, I almost killed one of my closest friends. I left him for dead, his injuries so severe, that he was in a coma for weeks.” She didn’t tell people about her first experience with insanity, but…. Considering Alucard was family…. She felt she should. ”At least you managed to free yourself. It means you have a stronger will then me.”
Rose had been in her insane state for months. She’d only broke free at the end, when she killed herself. If she ever lost it like that again… It was likely she’d repeat herself. Alucard though. He wouldn’t fall like that.
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 19, 2011 21:50:52 GMT -5
Alucard continued to cook the onion and garlic in the pan until it started to become slightly clearish. He pulled out the two chicken breasts he had prepared and put them in the pan with the onions. The chicken began to hiss as it hit the pan. He let it sit there as he thought about what she had just said to him.
" Perhaps, but there is far more to it then what you saw yesterday Rose." Alucard said to her as he just watched the pan. " But I'd like to apologize for having shown you that side of me. I didn't want anyone to know about it, that didn't already."
Alucard just remained silent after he had finished talking, and didn't even seem like he heard anything that she might have said to him after. He flipped the chicken breasts over in the pan after awhile and let them cook once more. He grabbed two plates, two forks, and two knives and set them near the pan. He set everything he had used aside from the pan and the spachula into the sink. He turned off the stove as the chicken finished cooking and set one of the chicken breasts on each of the plates as well as half the onions. He placed a fork and knife onto each place took them over to the counter. He set one in front of Rose and the other in front of where he was going to sit.
" I hope you like it, not much really though." Alucard said before he began to eat his food.
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Post by Rose North on Aug 19, 2011 22:14:57 GMT -5
”There always is.” Rose leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. Hearing his apology, she sat up straight, her full attention on him now. ”Wait, you weren’t going to tell anyone? None of us..?”
She let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. ”So you knew there was a chance this might happen.” She paused for a moment, staring intently at him. ”That would be extremely dangerous. If you ever lost control, what do you think would happen? Even I told the staff about the possibility of me going insane when I came here.”
That was the Nightshade way, don’t consider the consequences of your actions, keep your secrets. Alucard had to learn that he might still be a Nightshade, but keeping some secrets could get people killed. She’d learned that the hard way.
She was silent now, but only because she’d realized he was preparing a second plate. Hadn’t she told him she wasn’t hungry? And he’d still fixed something. She wasn’t sure if she liked that trait. Most people would think he was sweet. She thought he didn’t take no for an answer. She could do that sometimes, but…. Oh well.
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 19, 2011 22:41:50 GMT -5
Alucard was enjoying his meal when he noticed she wasn't eating her food. He thought she had just said she wasn't hungry because she didn't think he could cook. He wasn't for sure if that was still the case or not. He looked at her as he set his fork down on his plate.
" I guess you weren't hungry after all. If you don't want it then just say so." Alucard said to her.
Alucard wasn't sure what she was going to do, so he just finished up his plate. He had been debating if he should tell her this matter or not the entire time, and was the reason he had been so silent while she spoke. He looked at her once more with a serious look on his face.
" Rose, I wish to tell you something that I don't want you to tell to anyone else. What I'm about to tell you is the reason why I was allowed to come here in the first place." Alucard said to her in a voice that reflected how serious he was being. " You know how for some mutations they happen in stages? Well it is very much the case for my mutation. The first stage is how it was since the moment I was born. My resistance to anything that travels through the blood has been something I have had since long before I could remember. The second stage is what you could call it's true awakening as a mutation, that was marked by my ability to manipulate my own blood. For a few years now, my mutation has been showing signs that it could be going on to it's third stage. I'm not sure what all this third stage will bring about, but I do know one thing for sure about it. When the third stage finally comes to the surface completely, it will bring the Nightshade madness with it. You saw it earlier in the rose garden. It had flared up badly once before not long before I was sent here. I blacked out and the next thing I remembered was waking up in my own bed the next morning. I was told about what my family had ended up seeing though what I can't remember. I will tell you if you want me to."
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Post by Rose North on Aug 20, 2011 0:38:25 GMT -5
It really wasn’t because she thought he couldn’t cook. She just wasn’t hungry. ”I’ll save it for later.” She shrugged, pushing the plate away so she had room to rest her arms on the counter. ”It’s nothing against your cooking.”
Hearing him speak after finishing his food, she glanced at him. ”I’m listening.” She waited, not saying anything else until he finished speaking. It didn’t surprise her. His power had the potential to go a little haywire. And now it was beyond potential. It was going haywire. He had to learn to keep it in reign.
”I can guess what happened, you don’t need to go into detail.” She paused, tilting her head slightly. ”So? What’s the plan then? Do you plan on keeping it a total secret? I know, of course, and Parker probably knows. But what about the others? Are you at least going to tell your mentor? Storm?” She shrugged. ”I’m not saying you should. I just mean… Sometimes, keeping it a total secret can get a lot of people hurt. If you lost it, me and Parker can’t come to your rescue every time. Someone who doesn’t understand, won’t stop to think about ways to calm you down. Just ways to stop you, even if it meant killing you.” The look she had him fixed with was unnerving, the young woman speaking from experience. ”At least let a few others know. For yours, and everyone else’s safety.”
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 20, 2011 0:53:55 GMT -5
Alucard looked over at Rose. She understood how the madness was better then he did, but something didn't seem right to him about the madness he felt. He didn't know how to describe it to her though.
" I'm not sure who I would even tell. Xavier knew about it, and I believe Storm does as well. I do not have a mentor as of yet though, so I don't have a mentor to tell. Then there is no one at the school I could call a friend so far. So who would I be able to tell about this?" Alucard said to her. " Although, I don't think calming me down would work. It didn't help the servants I was told I killed when I blacked out that one time. My madness I get is different in some way then the normal madness of the family. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I get this feeling that once my mutation goes into it's third stage I won't be myself. I think I could come back, but I don't know how long it would take me to come back and who knows what might happen in the mean time. It is like the madness in me is already calm, so how can you just calm me down out of it?"
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Post by Rose North on Aug 20, 2011 1:08:01 GMT -5
Insanity was always different, depending on the person. But, she did understand it. She'd grown up closer to the more... insane members of their family then him. He'd only met Shadow a few times, while Rose had lived under the same roof. She saw what it did to people. How it took and destroyed you, twisting everything you believed in to it's own will. Corrupting you.
"You'll find out who your mentor is soon enough. Who knows, maybe they'll even think it'd be funny to put you and Parker with me. I wouldn't put it past them." She really didn't It wouldn't surprise her if they decided to put the two other Nightshades with her. She knew what they went through better then anyone else. But, who knows. Maybe they'd decide to split the cousins up.
"At least you can return...." She paused, falling silent as she looked away. "Hopefully you won't try to kill yourself like I did." She glanced back at him, smiling softly. "Anyway, you shouldn't worry to much about friends. Most the student body isn't even back from vacation yet. You've only met the ones forces to stay here because they don't want to go home, or can't. You'll make friends, soon enough."
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Post by Alucard Nightshade on Aug 20, 2011 1:23:54 GMT -5
Alucard listened to what she had to say, but it made him wonder if she had seen a madness like his. He looked at her for a time as he tried to decide if he should ask her what he was thinking of asking her. He finally made up his mind to.
" I told you have had to deal with it since it first showed up, so I have an idea of what my madness is like. I never heard about it before, but have you ever heard of a madness causing a blood thirst?" Alucard said to her.
Alucard listened to her for a moment after he had asked her his question. He wasn't sure if she had or not even after he had asked. There seemed to be a some confusion as to what he meant though.
" I'm not talking about a thirst for blood as in to kill another person just to kill them. I meant a literal thirst for blood. My madness has to consume blood. It has a never ending need to drain the blood out of others. It has to have more and it will do anything to get it." Alucard said to her. " Have you ever heard of madness causing a physical need to have blood?"
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Post by Rose North on Aug 20, 2011 1:40:56 GMT -5
Rose stared at him in silence for a few moments. His question had two meanings. He could be referring to a metaphorical blood lust, like what she got, where you had to kill people. Or he could mean literal. She was leaning more towards the second meaning, with his power and all.
"Everyone reacts differently. Just like we are our own people, the insanity lurking inside us varies. And, sometimes widely depending on our powers. Yours being one of them. Mine, not so much." She paused for a moment, hopping off her stool and slowly pacing around the room as she continued.
"Actually, you probably aren't the first. Where do you think all the Vampire stories come from? Of course, most are 'mostly' fictional, but we write what we know. Those who first wrote about vampires, they probably had an encounter of some sort. Who knows, maybe Count Dracula was real, and actually a mutant, with an actual thirst for blood. You never know." She paused, smiling slightly.
"Anyway, shouldn't you be looking for ways to prevent this from happening? Mentally preparing yourself for those moments of weakness, working with others, devising ways to stop you."
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