{M} Immortality - The Final Fronteir? (Shades of Grey ~ Drakonnas)

Unfortunately we are not looking for anyone else to join this RP with us; it's semi-private. If we change our minds any time soon, however, keep a look out for the pic in CartelSaide's signature and/or RP of the Week to advertise it~

Admins, if because of it's semi private nature this RP needs to be moved, feel free to do so. So sorry for the trouble!

Rated M for potential violence/gore, language, substance abuse, sexual tension, any anything else that the M rating goes to.






...One Hour Earlier...

Elincia ran through the streets of the port city, her small white robes fluttering in the breeze behind her. The nine year old girl was the daughter of the head priest and priestess of the city, and as such, she was expected to learn the ins and outs of becoming a priestess herself. Though, today, she was allowed to go outside and play. She was currently playing hide and seek with a few of her friends, as they ran, laughing through the streets, the people turned and smiled as the children ran by. Through the streets she ran, her staff held firmly in her hands. It was her most valuable possession, it was gold and white, with many ornate and intricate designs. At the tip was a golden sphere that radiated a gentle, illuminating light.

As the little girl ran, laughing, she looked for a place to hide. Suddenly, a brilliant idea. Right in front of her were the docks, where various boats were. And right in the middle of them, was a small vessel, but it looked quite important. She ran past the docks, and onto the boat, where she found a hiding space in a small corner of the ship. Giggling to herself, she hid, trying to be quiet. Ten minutes passed, and no one had found her yet. Sitting still, she felt drowsy under the heat of the sun...

Elincia was a very well mannered child, she was cute, sweet, and caring. She never said anything bad about anyone, and was pretty much a perfect little girl. Sure, she had some issues, like all children do. But she was a very kind young lady, sensitive and friendly. She never was unkind, and always honest. She really cared about people. She had been raised that way, after all. Everyone loved her. Everyone always said that she had a mysterious way of making people feel good, about putting everyone at ease. Maybe it was her magic, maybe it was her personality. But she was very dearly loved by her parents, and others as well.

...Present time...

Elincia woke up with a yawn, but something felt very wrong... The air was damp and salty, and she was moving to and fro, as if the land was not steady. She didn't know what to do, was this just a bad dream? She hadn't meant to doze off, but the heat of the sun beating down had made her sleepy. She tried to stand up, but almost immediately fell over, as the boat shifted beneath her. A sudden realization hit her, she was no longer simply docked at the yard, she was actually out at sea... Panic began to set in as she looked over the side of the boat, and saw water. No land was visible... There was also no one she could see aboard the ship... scared now, Elincia began to look around for someone, anyone.

She didn't know that this boat would not be returning to the mainland. She had no idea that one of the only other people here was not going to expect a little girl to be aboard this ship. She had no idea that she could very well be in danger...

The Previous Morning

The sky was pitch black, save for the sliver of the new moon casting a glow on the dark world beneath it. It was just past midnight in Mauko, and it was surprising how many people were asleep already. Being a land filled with vampires, Mauko was usually bursting with vitality at this hour. But tonight was different. There were mere hours until the journey to that new land. That new land that lay south, beyond the Hephstae River, beyond the valley, beyond the great weeping willow that marked the southmost point of the island. That new land that promised the Fountain of Possibility.
Possibility...
Everyone had chatted about the fountain that promised anything. Everyone wondered if the myth was true, and if Mauko did manage to claim such a fountain, what ever would Lord Axis wish for? It was all so exciting to the citizens on the island. Nothing this exciting had happened in centuries, and they certainly had been around long enough to say so.

One Maukoian couldn't sleep, as much as he tried. He gazed out at the dark sky, counting the stars. He got to three hundred and two before being interrupted.
His chamber door creaked open, and in walked a small creature. Two golden eyes watched the damphyr, and the creature took a place upon his bed. The creature stretched a bit before circling and laying on the bed.
The damphyr ran two fingers over the small grey cat on his bed. "What are you doing in here?" he murmured. "You should be downstairs, watching over the castle."
The cat ignored the damphyr and stretched its paws.
With a shrug, the damphyr turned away from the cat. "It's a big day, today," he said, more to himself than the cat on his bed. "Can you believe his lord is sending me? Of all the vampires in the land, he picks a halfblood like me?" A small smile played over his lips. His fangs rested on his bottom lip, barely showing in his smile. "What if I fail him?" he went on, letting his worries out to the cat who by now was snoring softly. "What if I fail all of Mauko? How will I ever be able to live that down?" He shook his head. "I shouldn't be worrying about such things," he decided. "Hiersehs, you are in my spot." He nudge the cat lightly. "I do need to get some sleep. I need to be well rested for tomorrow. Now come on, you old cat. Move it."

Present

"Do you have an extra lunch packed?"
"I do, yes."
"A spare set of clothes?"
"Dina, stop mothering me."
"Oh, I can't help it. You had better succeed."
"No pressure."
"Good luck, dear."

The ship was waiting for him. It was a small ship, not like what he was used to. But then, this was no cruise. He would be alone on this ship, except for the sailor. A three-hour ride that would be spent in worry.
The sun was beating on his neck, making him way too hot. He turned to the crowd waiting for him to board that ship. In front was Dina, the maid, who seemed to be the only one about to cry. She smiled at him and gave a small wave.
Beside her was Lord Axis, looking at him with no expression. He gave a slight nod.
The damphyr cleared his throat. "I shall return victorious," he assured, and with that he boarded the ship set for Possibility.

Vuxita Malquix had never done anything like this before. He had never been given so much responsibility. He reflected on this as his boat rocked gently on the water.
He wondered why he was chosen. Sure, he was the second-in-command in all of Mauko. But there were purebloods far stronger than he. There were vampires with such better chances at success than he had.
Perhaps Lord Axis had sent him because, quite frankly, no one cared if he returned. His only friend was Lord Axis, though he was sure the ruler could replace him in a heartbeat. His only other confidant was Hiersehs, the cat that lived in the castle. Everyone knew Vuxita, but no one knew him. No one cared enough. He was some lonely damphyr that the king was working on. That's all. A project.
But he'd show them. He'd show them all he was more than just some silly project.
He'd succeed. He would make it to that fountain, and he would show everyone that, just because his mom was a human did not mean he was any less a vampire than they were. He'd show them that damphyr was not synonomous with failure.
He'd show them all. And it all started with this boat ride.

Elincia slowly stood up, trying to balance herself on the waves. She had been a human at one point, until she had been bitten by a rogue vampire, which unfortunately meant she would be nine years old forever. She would never age, due to the pure venom in her blood. Vampires who were born would age slowly, much slower than humans, but they would age just the same. But vampires who were born from being bitten, they would stay the same age forever. She thought she was a little bit ironic, she was a vampire, and yet, the daughter of healers, and she was in training to be a healer.

Grabbing her staff, Elincia tried to wander around the boat, wondering what she should do. She had to find someone, and talk to them, trying to see if there was any way she could get back to the mainland... Because this boat, wherever it was going, wasn't going someplace she wanted to be. There was a pang of guilt, as she realized how worried her parents must be, when she never returned home. She had to get back. But, she couldn't swim. So how would she get back?

Wandering around the deck, she suddenly saw someone standing on the deck. "Excuse me..." She said in a timid voice, afraid that the man would yell, or be angry at her for causing trouble. "Excuse me, but where are we?" She flinched, holding her staff in front of her almost like a shield. "Are we going back to Mauko?"

The sun was hot upon his white skin, but the damphyr knew he wouldn't get any darker. The heat would only exhaust him, and for a moment he debated heading inside the ship. He didn't want to; not yet. He wanted to watch Mauko until it was just a spec on the horizon. Until it was gone, and Vuxita was sincerely alone.

That moment came all too soon. Vuxita rose to head into the shade, but he stopped when he heard a voice. A female's voice. A child's voice.
Startled, the damphyr stared down at the girl with eyes wide. "How the hell did you get here?" he spat, taking a step away from her. Was this a test? Was Lord Axis making a mockery of him? He could see it now. After his return, before the king:
"You've failed us, Vuxita. You've failed us, but this child has achieved what you could not. A child. You've been bested by a child. Now, leave my kingdom."
Rage filled his blue eyes and his hands formed into fists at either side of him. But, as the child spoke, Vuxita thought perhaps this was all a misunderstanding. Surely the king wouldn't send a child to claim the fountain without even telling her.
He raised an eyebrow at the girl, studying her. Vuxita knew nearly everyone in Mauko; he recognized the daughter of the high priest and priestess right away. What was she doing here?
"You shouldn't be here," he said coldly. "This ship isn't supposed to have anyone but me. I'm sure you've heard of the expedition that's taking place today. A juvenile like you should not be..." Vuxita paused. He was talking to a child, a girl who couldn't have been older than ten years. She would have no idea what he was talking about.
He tried to think in childlike terms, in words this girl would understand. "You know the trip I was supposed to take," he started again. "It's only supposed to be me on this boat. You aren't supposed to be here." Staring into innocent eyes, Vuxita had to smile. The girl was a vampire; he smelled it. But she hadn't yet lost her innocent touch. "What's your name? Elisa or something, isn't it? We're headed to an island for now, but when we get there I'll tell the sailor to turn around and bring you home. Does that sound okay to you?"

Elincia took a few hasty steps back as the older man spat at her. She backed up in fear, she could tell he was going to be hostile. She regained her composure after that momentary fright, and looked up at him with concern, and strength in her eyes. She wasn't going to fight him, if that's what he wanted, but she did have somewhat of a good composure for someone her age. She noted that his fists were clenched, and that he looked angry, very angry. She didn't mean to cause trouble. It just sorta happened. "I'm sorry..." She whispered quietly, but she wasn't sure he could hear her.

But... strangely, he seemed to calm down some. "I know I shouldn't be here..." She said quietly. "Me and Sophie and Lissa were playing hide and seek, and I was running, and thought I'd hide here... but the sun made me sleepy, and I fell asleep, and I didn't mean to, and..." She took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble, I really didn't... Momma and popppa are gonna be really worried about me..."

As he spoke to her, he offered to let the sailor take her back home. Instantly perking up, she smiled. "Thank you, sir! I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused.... I didn't mean to." She looked away, out over the ocean. "It's really pretty, just at momma said it would be. I've never been out here though, I can't swim." She said, hoping she wouldn't annoy the man.

Vuxita didn't let his anger get the better of him. This girl was just a child and he couldn't get angry over the confusion of the event. She didn't mean to intrude on his journey.
He took a seat on the deck, behind a few crates. He wondered what was in the crates; exactly what this ship was armed with.
"Well," he said, turning back to the child, "I guess this means you're some kind of Hide 'n' Seek champion, huh?" He smiled a bit, a toothless smile save for his fangs. Then he turned to study the girl.

She was a pretty girl, and probably would have made a beautiful woman had she not been transformed in the worst way. Vuxita could smell it all upon her. She had been born human, quite odd for someone of Mauko. She was one of the bitten, which made up a small population of his land, which was really a good thing. The bitten ones were annoying. Usually they were the rowdiest, the most crude. They didn't age, which meant their physique was permanent. They didn't die of old age, then; rather, the transformed were often killed. It was the only real way for them to die.
The girl didn't seem like she had been bitten. She wasn't rude. She seemed very polite, actually, and Vuxita found himself wondering exactly how she got that scar on her neck.

He looked out at the sea, watching the gentle waves rock him lightly. "It is pretty, isn't it?" he agreed. "I couldn't swim for a very long time. No one was willing to teach me. My dad abandoned me and my mother was killed when she released me. No one really cared enough to teach me simple things. I still don't know how to ride a bike..." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe someone will teach you how to swim. Your mum and dad love you lots." A moment of silence passed before Vuxita straightened. Should he be sharing such information with a child? He'd have never said anything about his past to an adult. A child was different. She had yet to learn how to judge.
"Hey kid," he said. "Take a seat. We're gonna be here a while."

Elincia nodded cheerfully. "Yeah! Lissa is gonna wanna know where I hid! Maybe I can just say on a boat." The girl didn't notice that Vuxita was studying her. If she had, it wouldn't have mattered much to her, people observed her all the time. Sometimes the bitten were felt sorry for, since they were stuck at their current age. Elincia got a lot of pity, she would never grow up, doomed to be a child forever. She would never get the pleasure of getting to love, she would never get the chance to experience most things adults got to. Her maturity level would most likely stay lower than average, though it would be above average for her age. She was forever trapped in time. Most would call it a curse.

She listened to Vuxita speak, and took a seat as she was instructed. " You don't know how to ride a bike? It's easy! When you come back, I can show you how if you like! It's a lot of fun, and once you learn, you never forget!" She seemed rather enthusiastic about the prospect. She didn't care about ages, she had learned that age was not a signifier of maturity. "Yes, momma and dad do love me. I hope they're not too worried about me... They have been, ever since..." The girl blanched for a moment, shuddered, and continued speaking. "Ever since I was r... attacked..." She had stopped mid sentence, and continued on after a moment of composure. She smelled the ocean air, and found it to be very soothing and relaxing. She hadn't meant to bring that particular subject of her transformation up, it had been very traumatic.

When you come back.
Vuxita pondered the girl's words for a minute. He may not come back at all. He understood that when he took on this responsibility. There was a chance, perhaps a great chance, that he would never return to Mauko. No one knew what this island held. There could be man-eating bears or fire-breathing dragons or...
No. He would make it back. He would return victorious.

Caught up in his own thinking, he didn't notice what the girl had said until she finished speaking. Attacked was not the word the girl had been intending to say. Vuxita saw the girl's demeanor change. She wasn't comfortable.
Dismissing the entire subject of Elincia's life at home, Vuxita went back on a previous statement. "I'd love for you to teach me," he said. "I think that would be a lot of fun." He couldn't let her know that he may not make it back for a long time, if ever.

After some time, Vuxita rose and started for the stairs. The sun was too hot and was making him thirsty. "Hey kid," he called to Elincia. "You want something to drink?"
He had no idea what the boat had to offer for refreshments. Hopefully it held some blood reserve or something. He really didn't want water.

"You know," he called to the girl while he rummaged in a refrigerator in the kitchen. "It's a six-hour round trip. Maybe we ought to call your mum, so she won't worry." He took out a bottle of water and a bottle of a dark red liquid. "Preference?" he asked. "I think it's AB. Maybe A. And I don't have a phone, wasn't allowed one, but the sailor might. I just don't want them to worry about you, you know? If it were my kid..."
What?
Vuxita didn't know how to end his sentence. His parents didn't know him. He didn't know how to treat offspring since his own family-or lack thereof-had been such an awful example.
Hoping the girl didn't notice his pause, he continued, "You know. Just don't make them worry too much. You really shouldn't have been climbing on random ships anyway, knowing there was such a mission starting today."

Elincia was still a little bit down, and timid, she hadn't meant to bring that up at all. Luckily, Vuxita caught on to her discomfort, and changed the subject, Elincia wasn't sure she could relive it if he asked. "I'd be happy to teach you!" She was clearly perking up. People were always trying to teach her things, and she never got a chance to teach anyone anything. This was a rare opportunity that she wanted to take.

Elincia was quiet for a bit, mesmerized by the waves. The rocking of the boat was a little bit unsettling, as well as a little bit soothing, it was quite weird. They sat there for a while, quietly. The young girl was getting a bit thirsty, she wasn't sure when the last time she had consumed anything was. She didn't want to ask, not wanting to sound too childlike though. But after a little while longer, Vuxita asked her if she wanted something to drink.

Eagerly, she got up, nearly falling over as a large wave rocked the boat. "Yes please, that would be wonderful!" She stated happily, looking over to the older vampire. "I don't have a phone..." Elincia said quietly. "I'm sorry... I want to, but I don't have a phone. Do you?" She looked up hopefully, wanting very much to talk to her mother and father, to let them know that she was ok. He spoke again, telling her that he didn't have a phone. Maybe the sailor would. She'd have to go check with him.

"I forgot there was something going on today." She said simply, defending her point. "I know it was a mistake, and I understand that... but I forgot. I didn't mean to cause chaos." She took one of the blood packs, and drunk it thirstily.

She looked much better now, she had a little bit of color in her cheeks, she was no longer very pale, and was feeling peppier. "Vuxita, what are you going to do over in these foreign lands? What are you looking for?" She clutched her healing staff in one hand, and tapped it on the floor in a musical rhythm, not sure what she was doing.

"I'm gonna go talk to the sailor!" She said, running off, her hair floating in the wind behind her.

Vuxita took a blood pack himself and closed the fridge shut. He started back towards a sort of sitting room on the boat when Elincia shot a row of questions. He didn't know how to answer them at first. The damphyr hesitated, wondering what he could disclose to the girl without getting in trouble with Axis. "Well," he started, but the girl was already running off. She was off to find the sailor, Vuxita already forgotten. Again.

He jogged up to Elincia and pointed her in the right direction of the sailor. "The sailor's a nice man," he said, though the opposite was true. "But maybe you should let me talk to him, okay?"
The sailor was a large vampire with eyes of amber and dirty blonde hair. He had a few teeth missing, including one of his species's signature fangs. The old sailor had been the one sailor the king sent on journeys that didn't guarantee a return. When Vuxita had heard this sailor would be the one taking him to this new land, he was fully aware then that Lord Axis wouldn't mind losing this ship and everyone aboard.
Vuxita cleared his throat. "George, sir?" he called. "I was wondering if you had a phone I could borrow a minute."
"What?" the old soldier spat. "A phone? Do I looks like the kind o' guy to 'ave a phone on me?"
"I'm sorry, sir, I just-"
"What do you need a phone for, anyways? You ain't got no one to call."
Vuxita's hands balled into fists. "Actually," he said through gritted teeth, but stopped himself. There was a child watching him. He had probably not do anything stupid. Sobering, Vuxita shook his head. "Sorry to bother you, George, sir," he said. Vuxita turned away mumbling some swears. Even if he hadn't stopped himself, he wouldn't have had anything to say.
You ain't got no one to call.
That was the truth, and Vuxita was painfully aware of that.

He returned to Elincia. "You're out of luck," he said with a shrug, trying to fake a smile. "Now, hey, what were you saying earlier? What am I looking for?"
The girl has used his name in referring to him, though he had never given it to her. She had known him from before, which made Vuxita feel special. He was honored in the kingdom-to a point-and he still wasn't used to the fame that came with the title.
He shook his head, and with it, his thoughts. "I'm looking for a fountain," he informed. "A fountain that can grant wishes. Or so the rumors say."