Lullabye time

[Lovely]

June 14, 2010
11pm


Mari padded around the house in her barefeet and pajamas, she had this weird feeling like she was being watched and was closing up the shades and curtains. Her hair was still a little damp from her shower, which reminded her that the weird feeling had come over her after she'd gotten out of it. She told herself she was just being paranoid but then again KC was on edge too, though he had been growing steadily more snappy for weeks. She did her best to stay out of his way and keep him as happy as she could when he was like that. He was taking his turn and his time in the shower now and Mari was nearly hoping she could get herself into bed and pretend to be asleep before he finished. She shook her head at herself for even thinking that, her hands rubbed over her arms as she felt the slight breeze. "Mmm." It felt good against her skin but her lips turned in a pout when she realized where it was coming from, at just about the same time Buddy did. "Oh no you don't!" She scolded the dog as he bolted for the door and she ran after him, she almost caught the large rotwieller but KC's voice snapping at the dog from the bottom of the stairs, startled her. "Damn it! Buddy.. get back here!" She called after the dog and turned over her shoulder to glance at KC, he was only in his towel and had to get dressed. She saw his hand curl into a fist as he turned to go back up the stairs. Mari darted out the door after the dog, it was safer to wander after him in the dark than deal with KC since he'd left the door open like he always did. "Buddy.. come." Mari heard the rustling of branches and headed aross the lawn, further from the circle of light and closer to the woods. "Come.. and I'll give you a yummy treat.." She tried a bribe that wasn't likely to work as she stepped into the tree line.

The yummy treat wasn't in her control to give, or take. The dog seemed to be just up ahead, nosing around half-way under a large bush and ignoring her call, though there was a sudden rustling noise to her left. Out of nowhere there was now a tall man charging out at her too quick to see his face or features clearly, but there was an unmistakable strangeness to the shape of his head, perhaps covered with a mask or some kind of hat. The blur grabbed hold of her. The hot breath was brief on her arm and the bite sharp, then he was gone again. There was no telling where he'd gone. The leaves had stopped rustling around her.

It all happened so fast and 'it' was gone so quickly that Mari almost didn't react, she stood there questioning what had happened if anything and if she'd imagined it? She glanced around but nothing was stirring, she shook her head a little. "Wow.. that was weird." She spoke aloud but to herself, reaching up to push her hair back from her face. She winced and looked at her arm, her eyes widened as she saw that she was bleeding. There was fear mixed with surprise and a bit of 'wtf', her arm was bleeding pretty steadily and she had to give up on chasing the dog. Part of her wondered if the stupid dog had bitten her? He'd never bitten her before but in the dark the marks on her arm looked like a bite. Mari turned to head back across the yard, her hand clamped over her other arm the best she could. KC was coming out to help look for the dog, both he and Mari were grumbling to themselves as they approached one another. "What the hell happened?" He snapped at her and she just shook her head, half shrugging. "I think the dog bit me.. that or some guy in a mask.." She added the last, meaning it as a joke since the closer she got to the house the more ridiculous it seemed. It was the dog, it had to be the dog, that was the only logical explaination. Her joke didn't go over well with KC and he looked more frightened than she was, which brought her level of fear up several notches. He barked at her to get into the house and something in his expression made her start to run, she was breathing heavy as she got into the house and leaned against the wall by the door.

[Lovely]

"Didn't he tell you we were coming?" There he was suddenly beside her again, this time putting a hand on her shoulder and closing the door behind her although KC was still out in the dark beyond it. He grinned as though he was quite aware where KC was. "Such a shame, really. Big, tough guy like that, headstrong, all gung-ho? We probably coulda been pretty good friends, but I guess we'll never find out. Awww, but look at you, all soft and pretty for lulla-bye time. Want me to sing you a lullabye? Oh - you're bleeding," he said, feigning shock as he turned around her to face her. He smiled and licked his lip that was still wet from leaving the mark.

The voice startled her enough that she jumped despite the hand on her shoulder and the wall behind her. She pressed back into the wall a bit as he closed the door and turned his attention to her, there wasn't anywhere for her to go. Her head shook a gentle no, she didn't know anyone was supposed to be coming.. but this guy didn't seem like he was KC's friend. Maybe he was drunk or high.. or just weird and come to rob them while they were looking for the dog. "Something bit me." She commented about her arm, deliberately keeping her gaze averted so he wouldn't think she was trying to 'see him' so she could describe him to the cops. "I'll be fine.. look.. just.. " She was scared and swallowed it back the best she could. ".. just take anything you want.. and go.."

He chuckled. "Was just the dog, wasn't it? That's what you were telling yourself coming back in here. Just the dog. Well, Buddy? Your dog? He and KC are a little busy out there with a couple of my friends, right now, and they don't like to be disturbed - especially while they're eating," he said, reaching his hand up to her cheek to feel the tremble. "So, I'm not going just yet."

She squeezed her eyes shut as he touched her cheek, his words had her shaking a bit or maybe it was the fact that she was still bleeding. "Only horrible people kill dogs." She sort of spat at him, managing to make it sound like she was more upset that they were harming the dog than she was about her boyfriend.

"But he bit you, didn't he, Mariah? Can't have a dog biting you. You could get rabies," he chuckled again. She knew it wasn't the dog that had bitten her and he wondered if she considered what might happen to her from a bite that wasn't even from a dog. He held her still with his fingers clenching around her jaw."Only horrible people kill my family," he hissed.

She had a reply about the dog on the tip of her tongue, almost spitting it at him till he held her jaw and hissed the last, her eyes flew open. The confusion was clear in her eyes and in her scent, she had no idea what he was talking about and the fear laced heavily into it. "I hope whoever it was gets what they deserve.. but I didn't kill anyone.." She was shaking and trying hard not to panic, she believed that he was going to hurt her at least.. probably kill her. Was this what had been happening to the others? Her knee came up fast and hard toward his groin, hoping to get him away long enough for her to run.

[Lovely]

She connected but not as hard as she'd hoped. He dodged most of the blow, but held onto her, squirming against the sting. "Hah... aha, no no no, don't do that. I know you didn't kill anyone. That's why you're in here and not out there, so no mistakes are made. Awww, so he didn't tell you about that either? Tsk, tsk, KC. Pretty little girlfriend here deserves to know her boyfriend's a killer."

"Get your hands off me!" She let go of her bleeding arm to reach up and try to pry his hand off her jaw, her hand smearing a nice coat of red over his hand and arm. "What are you talking about?" She hissed her words at him as nuch as she could with her naturally sweet sounding voice. Mari didn't really believe if this guy's friends were outside messing KC up in someway that he wasn't going to do the same to her in here but she tested that a little. "If that's the case then you'll let me take care of this." She held up her bitten, bloody arm.. maybe he was just waiting for her to pass out from it, which probably wouldn't take too much longer. She was starting to feel kind of woozy.

"I will, but not yet. A few more minutes," he said, reaching around the bite mark with his larger hand, helping to stem the bleeding and not let her get out of his sight. "It's important that you wait so you understand. First things first - KC brought this on himself. You have nothing to do with ... or you didn't. You see, I changed my mind."

For a few seconds she felt some relief as he at least tried to help with her wound and started to tell her she had nothing to do with what was happening. She paled as he changed his story and apparently his mind, the panic started to rise and her breath became uneven. "Please.. I haven't done anything.. I don't know anything.. I don't need to understand.. I don't.. really! You don't have to hurt me.."

"I'm not. I'm keeping you safe from them out there," he said, looking at the mark that seeped between his fingers. His smile was just as predatory as the things he claimed to be keeping at bay. "That should just about do it," he said, suddenly moving his hand and darting to lick the mark before it began to run down her arm.

She wanted to ask so many things as he told her he wasn't hurting her, that he was protecting her but then he started licking her arm. She gasped and tried to jerk away but she was against the wall already. "What the hell are you doing?" She exclaimed, her other hand was still wet with blood from when she'd been holding it over the wound, she reached up to push at his face.

"Saving your life," he said, pushing her bloody hand back as he turned to face her. There was a flash of a strange, murky color in his eyes, then they were clear again as he smeared the blood on his lips, trying to wipe it off. "Before you bleed to death, remember? Tending it now. It should stop bleeding on its own in a moment."

"You're derranged!" She tried to knee him again but not hard this time, it was more like a push than a blow. "How is you licking me going to make it stop bleeding? I need bandages and probably stitches!"

"I'm deranged...," he repeated as if mocking her and calling her the crazy one. "I didn't go out in the middle of the night into the woods and get myself bitten by a damned wolf, did I? Okay, well maybe I did, but that was a long time ago and that's not my point. You did and if you still think I'm crazy, then look at your arm now."

[Lovely]

"What are you babbling about? I went out after KC's dog.. it's not like I just said 'oh I'm going to talk a walk in the woods at 11pm' and I was only like two feet into the woods when I got bit!" She looked at her arm and her expression was stunned. "How did you do that?" There was still a mess of smeared blood all over but the wound itself was no longer bleeding.

"By... a... wolf. Aren't you listening? Geezo, women you just can't reason with. Fine," he sighed and looked her in the eye. He only forced a little of the change in his features, the mask of his face stretching and bowing into the slight resemblance of the dog she thought she'd been bitten by. "And you think I'm crazy? I'm what bit you. A mark.. a claim, really, but I'll explain that later..., but something that says, hey gang, I got this, you get KC. Oh, and by the way, sorry about your breakup. It was really nasty, I hear," he added, reverting his features quickly and showing sincere condolence for the episode he could hear out in the yard that escaped her ears' reach.

There was so much to take in, from the healing of her arm to the change in his face and then his words beyond that, confused was a good start to describe how she felt right now. "My breakup?" She started softly, her legs felt weak and if he didn't hold her up, she was about to be on the floor. "You bit me.."

"Um.. yeeeah, I did. I thought we just went over that. Do you have any alcohol in this place? I think you better have some and sit down. At least sit down either way. You're not looking like you feel well.. and that's going to be an understatement here shortly. Your breakup with KC, um... yeah, don't wait up," he said, actually trying to help her gently from her wall toward the nearest chair.

She shook her head but it wasn't really to answer him, she was trying to deny that anything he said was true. Mari actually reached to hold onto him as he helped her, her legs weren't supporting her anymore so without him she'd just 'sit' right there. Her other hand went to her forhead and again she shook her head, her thoughts were spinning. "What are you going to do to me? Why won't I feel well?" She asked, a bit of the panic rising in her voice again, why should she believe he didn't really want to hurt her too?

"Already did it," he shrugged a little, kicking a small table out of the way. "The bite starts it. What finishes it either a complete transformation, or you go totally nuts and try to kill yourself. Thing is though...," he paused to help her onto the couch. "You'll be pretty damned convinced you're dying anyway, so you'll lay there waiting for it to kill you, then suddenly... all done and you're about as far from dead as.. um.. well, you're not dead, but what's the word... invigorated, that's it. A whole new life waiting for you."

It was good that her head was already spinning because if it wasn't, it would be now. She curled into a bit of a ball on the couch, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around herself. It was hard to believe that what he said could be true, especially with how quick the bite had been, it was so fast she had questioned whether it had even happened. One second and this quick bite and poof she was... She shook her head, she didn't believe it and if it was true, she wasn't going to wait around to go through this horrible pain and whetever he described. Other than a little woozy from the loss of blood, she felt perfectly fine... physically that is. "Get out."

[Lovely]

"Nut uhn," he said, shaking his head. He would need to keep an eye on her during the change. Maybe he'd missed something, though. He remembered a whole lot more discomfort than this and so far she only seemed annoyed and overwhelmed. "Once you start hitting nutsville, you need someone strong enough to keep you from really hurting yourself or your best friends."

Her jaw clenched a little, she was still plenty scared and confused but now she was also starting to get a little angry too. Mari hadn't really expected he would leave when she told him to, but that didn't make it any less annoying that he didn't listen. "Oh.. I think you've helped enough.. I don't want anymore of your kind of help. You really think I want you anywhere near me if what you did is going to make me go nuts? Hmm no.. now get out. I'll hurt myself, if I want to hurt myself.. better me than you." She spoke tough but didn't move off the couch at first, not until fueled by her own words to rise up and try to shove him.

It was her scent. His brow furrowed a little as he took in a deeper breath, trying to categorize the changes but that was just it. She wasn't changing other than becoming aggitated which soured her otherwise sweet allure. "I'm really sorry about this," he said, shaking his head as she shoved at him. He grabbed her closer by that arm to deliver a second, sharper bite. He had to hold on longer and not let go this time.

He apologised but she didn't really accept it, not when he grabbed her and started biting her again! This time the bite wasn't a quick split second thing, this time he muckled onto her and she knew it was happening. Mari cried out sharply with the pain and started kicking with both legs and punching him with her other arm. "What the hell is wrong with you!" She about screamed the words out with the agony of his teeth being sunk into her arm. As she flailed she bumped the lamp and then caught hold of it, using it as a weapon and bringing the base of it down on his head.

The thump on his head was enough to make him stop biting and let go. He laughed as he tried to get the lamp out of her hand and toss the bent frame out of her reach. "Nothing's wrong with me, I'm just staking my claim. Don't get any ideas - stakes... those only work on vampires. Heh, vampires, as if they really exist.. please."

Hitting him on the head with a lamp made him laugh and shocked her with how casually he brushed it off. The lamp was plucked from her fingers without too much effort as she stared at him and he rambled about vampires. "Okay.. wait.. back up.." Her hand came up to gesture at him as if to physically back him off though she meant in the conversation as it was. "Staking your claim? What the hell does that mean and why does it involve you chewing on my arms?"

He'd bitten harder and longer, leaving a truly angry mark this time that appeared almost black where it pooled. He looked at the mark then wiped his mouth a little. "It means what it sounds like, taking a little sweet thing home with me. That... means you. Oh, and the lamp? Nut uhn, not right now at least. Once that starts knocking your metabolism sideways, though, then it'll be a fair fight. Save your strength," he said, pointing to the mark and then to where he suggested she sit down.

[Lovely]

She was just ticked off enough that she didn't want to admit how much her arm hurt or that she felt like she should sit down, even though she'd just about screamed from the pain moments before. Mari glared at him but listened and sat once again, her hand came up over the wound on her arm, trying to stop the bleeding like she had before. She didn't know about the rest of herself, but her arm was a mess. "Yeah.. I figured out about the lamp when you didn't fall on the floor." She commented quietly, blinking at the tears and trying so hard to remain brave and 'tough'. "Why.. do you want to take me home with you? Why did you have to treat me like an appetizer?"

If he told her she smelled nice, he expected she'd throw that back at him too unless he offered a little more explanation to go with it. He licked his lips then wiped his mouth again. "How about you let the fear out a little now. You're hiding it well but it'll take longer to heal that way. You're not an appetizer. It's therapy - a drug. Like any drug, your body will think it's poison and try to fight it. It won't let you win. It wins, I take you home, and I keep you. Are you always this difficult? You don't smell hard to get along with and out there? Sweetest little tomato on the damned vine, but I get in here and man, you're just all questions.'

"I..." She seemed offended that he said she was being difficult, she kicked him for that, though with her bare feet it probably didn't hurt in the least. "I'm not hard to get along with.. You.. you bit me! Twice! and I don't get to ask why? You tell me you're taking me home with you and someone outside is.. I don't know eating my boyfriend.. You're poisoning me for all intents and purposes.. it's going to make me go all nutso and I'll probably want to kill myself and be in all sorts of pain worse than being your chew toy and I can't ask questions? That's not very fair.. I mean really.. you come in all scary face and I'm just supposed to go 'la lee la' and go with you? Well gee.. my mother never taught me the etiquette for that. by all means, let's go.. can I pack a bag or is that not allowed? Do I at least get to know your name or am I supposed to skip that too?" She held tightly to her arm, the fear showing itself more in her ramble but she still held it back as much as she could, he'd probably scold her if she started crying.

He stared blankly at her a long moment, then began to laugh again. "I am beginning to LOVE this girl! Man do you have spunk. I could taste it and it's really sweet on you, but this is like the buttercream frosting on the top," he said, gesturing to some higher power or something as he started pacing around the room. "Nah... nah, it's okay to ask, and you know, honestly, if you did that I'd wonder what the hell's wrong with -you-. So you're not a push-over. That's going to be really handy. Packing a bag is good, probably really good, since I'm sure there's gonna be detectives crawling all over this place for weeks. Hah, but you're jooooking! I get it, hahah. Seriously though? Pack. You're going to want clothes - loose ones. Trust me on that." He still hadn't given her a name and now he was the one starting to ramble as he became more excited with the gradual changes in her scent.

There was blood dripped on the floor from the wounds before and now as they were deeper, blood on the broken lamp, the couch, the wall.. the brief struggles had smeared more around and if she walked through the house now she'd leave a trail. If he'd done this to her while claiming to like her, who knew what was outside with the others not liking KC? She sighed and blinked at the tears again, her gaze following him as he paced. "Well... can you.. lick this like you did the other so i'm not bleeding all over everything.. that or you're going to have to pack for me.. which you may have to do anyway.. I'm like all smeared and stuff.." She bit at her lip, he didn't offer his name, so she assumed they were skipping that. She felt a little dizzy again and hoped it was just blood loss or a little shock, she didn't want all that crazy stuff he had described before.

Would he? He stopped pacing and licked his lip again. He came over to her more slowly, seriously and eerily calm for the moment. His eyes flared in their milky coloration again as he nodded. "Hold onto something," he suggested, his visage changing before her again. His human tongue was more limited than the lupine one in the form he showed her more of now. He didn't give her long to decide what to grab, be it the chair or simply the ruff of thick fur over his half-changed form. He curled over her and lapped the rough surface of his tongue across the deep gash.

She didn't know what to grab or why he wanted her to at first but then his form changed and he ran his tongue over the wound, she almost screamed and her fingers grappled and then dug into his fur. It hurt like hell and made her curl involuntarily, her foot kicking out at the air. After a few passes it started to hurt less but still made her curl and kick and cling to him, small whimpers were gasped out at the strange sensations of pain and soothing at once. The blood that had already been smeared on her hands and arms was now spread to the chair she sat in and into his fur, the tears she'd held back before , now slipped freely down her cheeks.