Ello's Story

“Yuna, where’s my breakfast I told you to get. My. breakfast.”

“It’s right here Ello, I’ve got it.” The brunette girl called, exasperated. She was so tired from cleaning the cottage all night. Her yellow green eyes had become dull where they’d once been bright, her posture broken when it had once been strong. Yuna lightly jogged to the counter where her…boss…. sat. The woman she owed her soul to, Ello.

Her beauty was strange, unnatural; you could tell she was an Akina immediately. The way her sharp face didn’t fit the petite body she held, the sweet and kind looking pink hair. It was obvious that her old body had been plumper, but now it was thin, almost sickly. Her green-silver eyes glided across the counter to Yuna like a cat, a smug cat, watching her prey squirm. Her hands bandaged in black cloth lay on the table looking so dainty… but Yuna wondered how deadly they really could be.

“Thank you dear, you’re a good girl, you really are. The cottage looks fabulous,” Ello smirked at the schoolgirl, who then left to get her coffee. “I’m sure you won’t go running around after school like I warned you against anymore. Dangerous stuff.” Ello laughed to herself, just under her breath, but Yuna heard every word from across the kitchen. She shivered, afraid, but she tried to calm herself. Then Ello sounded irritated, “Where’s Ami?”

Ami and Yuna were still allowed to go to high school, but only if they came back to the cottage, Ello’s cottage, just outside town. No one knew Ello was out there, and if anyone did they’d probably try to come out and kill her. The Akina had cast an easy but confusing path winding spell that only her cursed ones, Ami and Yuna, could see through to return to the cottage after school. If they tried to leave town at night or they stayed out too late with their friends, Ello always knew, and she always came looking for them, ready to punish them with chores and hard labor.

Yuna had heard about Ello from the kids whispering around her high school. That high school was six towns over from the one they lived in now. Ello was once a piece of fascinating local folklore to Yuna, a magical woman who could grant any wish. But there were the bad rumors, too, like the tales of Ello killing her cursed ones once she began to love them. Yuna didn’t believe those stories, how could you kill someone once you loved them? But, nonetheless, when Yuna had gone out hunting for Ello to have her wish granted, she had not expected to become the witch’s slave girl.

“Don’t listen to her.” Ami had come up behind Yuna and put a hand on her shoulder, her short brown hair bouncing about like usual,” She’s just bluffing.” And then Ami took the coffee from Yuna and brought it over to Ello, setting it down, and then beginning to cut up the Akina’s food.

Ami was from Yuna’s town, too. They hadn’t been friends, but they both had one thing in common back then: a wish they’d give anything for. For Ami, it was her sick mother. The doctors had no idea what was wrong with her, so Ami sold her soul to save her life. Yuna’s wish was a bit more selfish. She’d always thought herself ugly, so she wanted to be the most beautiful girl in her school. Yuna wasn’t a bad soul, just naïve. But both were naïve enough to Ello’s true intensions, though, and now they couldn’t escape her. No matter where they hid or where they ran, Ello always found them.

It wasn’t like the cottage was a horrid place to live. Ello even let them see their families every few weeks, having both committed themselves to Ello just a year ago. But they were forced to help the crippled Akina here in this town because she could barely use her hands. Her magic, though, made up for her disability in full. Ami began to feed the pieces of egg into Ello’s mouth.

“You girls are off to school this morning?” The woman paused to chew. “Don’t forget to water the flowers on your way out.” Ello said in a long drawl, very comfortable in her stool as she was fed and Yuna brushed her hair.

As they finally got to walk out the door, they gave a sour look to each other, but tried hard to keep it from the terrifying Akina. Ello saw it, of course, but smiled, liking the emotional distance they kept from her. The woman in the stool stood, around 5’ 10’’ in a tattered but still lovely black dress, and approached the mirror.

“Mirina… these girls are too afraid to bother me too much. And look how they take care of us, they do make-up so well.” And Ello flattered herself in the mirror. Of course the Akina knew that the human who used to possess her body was long gone in an eternal sleep, deep inside her subconscious, but the face they once shared was the only one Ello ever felt like talking to.

It was because she hated everyone. Anyone she ever met, besides herself. She wanted all of those emotional ones to die, especially the human ones… but until she had the power to do so, she would sit tight with her cursed ones in her nice cottage by the river. Alone, content and pretty.

With the girls all tucked into bed, Ello finally decided to crawl around in the night air in town. Once it hit around midnight she walked out the door, barefoot, her black dress making her look a bit more pale than she actually was. The body she held, Mirina, had actually retained quite a complexion. Ello had stayed fairly peach after the takeover; some would even say she was tan in a certain light. But Ello’s sharp cheek bones protruded oddly from Mirina’s old face and it made her look sick, like she should be ghostly pale, and parts of her face and body didn’t go with each other.

Ello grasped tightly onto a pocket watch tucked inside the right pocket on her dress and she briskly approached the streets. If Yuna or Ami so much as got out of bed the watch would vibrate gently enough to warn her, but not enough to seem strange to anyone she spoke to. Of course, cell phones and computers with tractors were very practical nowadays, but did they look as fashionable or adorable as her pocket watch? Absolutely not.

She glided down the alley ways, not looking at many people but not hiding herself from anyone. Some looked on at her with awe and kept out of her way, some just shot her a glace and turned down their gaze. They knew what she was, an Akina looking for souls who wanted their wishes granted, but they knew the rumors going around about her slave girls too. The night time regulars knew her face well, as well as her dangers. No, none of them would do. She was looking for a new, fresh face.

”Oh that girl looks so lovely…” Ello thought to herself as she approached a couple speaking in a dark alley way. The boy was a vampire, to Akina’s distaste, and Ello immediately wanted the girl for herself. She didn’t want him to have her. As she heard the ‘what’s your name’ line, the Akina almost slithered up behind Cantus and touched his shoulder with a hand, rearing her head around his arm impishly.

“Hey there guys, anyone have a lighter handy? Not to bother either of you.” She let her old host, Mirina, show her personality a little for conversation. That child-like, innocent, but upbeat attitude always let the new comers of the town feel super comfy in a dark alley way. They both seemed just a tad younger than she appeared: a tall 19. But the way her old eyes mix-matched with her body and hair made her seem ageless and hard to pin point on the maturity scale. She let her silver-green eyes, the eyes of a predator, soften almost completely as she gazed over at Erin.

There was a different air about him than other people. He seemed so...formal, to say the least. It was hard to suppress a smile. When the man, no, gentleman seemed more appropriate. Gentleman, then, when the gentleman introduced himself, Erin couldn't help giggling slightly. What an interesting name he had. She couldn't help wondering what ethnicity or country that name was from. It sounded interesting, at any rate, and she didn't particularly dislike it. So she cleared her throat slightly before speaking. "My name's Erin. Cantus?" she hoped she'd pronounced it correctly, she seemed to have bad luck on that subject, "That's an interesting name. It's too bad you're not from around here, really. Are you staying with family here?" The man seemed so polite, so it was weird speaking with him since she spoke so informally by nature.

Erin rocked back and forth in her combat boots comfortably, deciding that she liked this stranger. He seemed really nice so far, so she decided that if she ever saw him again then she'd show him around the town, and not get lost that time. She felt short while standing near him, but she was already short for her age and she'd gotten used to it. In fact, his whole being made her feel somehow smaller.

There was another person behind Cantus, she noted. She looked so beautiful, Erin thought. A lighter, she was asking for a lighter. "No, I'm sorry," Erin said in return. The girl, whose age Erin couldn't seem to pinpoint, had the most peculiar shade of blue eyes that somehow matched- or did it?- shockingly soft pink hair. Erin wasn't sure whether or not to be afraid of her or to go for a walk with her and get coffee like old friends.



Walking with a cane caused him to receive more strange looks than he would expect. Hadn't they seen a cane before? It suddenly became even clearer the social status gap between Jax and the, as he called them, commoners. How dreary. Mr. Crue, I would advise you rest. You're useless when you're tired. There was the annoyingly wise voice in Jaxson's mind.

"Of course, Gideon, it is in our best interest," the gentleman muttered with an edge of annoyance. It seemed that only around his weapon did Jaxson have troubles controlling his temper. He couldn't decide if Gideon were to be described as a doting father or a ruthless drill sergeant. Of all attitudes a weapon could have, Jax was stuck with that of Gideon. Admittedly, the cane was rather useful in battle.

Placing the owed money onto the table, Jaxson rose from his seat and walked to the elevator of the hotel. He had requested, as it was always, a master room on the top floor. He was easily satisfied with the best of things, and found that money helped smooth most anything over.

Inside his room, there was a map that he had taped with care to a wall. On it, detailed marks were made plotting the movement of something, or rather someone. He was tracking down a Creaous, as always, though he seemed to be having difficulty with this particular prey.

Second Body

He had heard quite a bit of skepticism about his name, but he quickly blew that skepticism away with a simple 'my parents love latin'. Those words usually worked on most, but skilled monsters were able to see past his guise.

He would have blushed when she giggled, but he had learned to control himself at a young age. "My name is Latin, my parents were interested in their culture. It means Music" He didn't mention that they'd been around when the language was first being created. He nodded calmly when she pronounced his name, hoping to show that she was saying it correctly. "Yes, I am staying here, for quite while, but not with family." He winced when he said that, remembering his father. He was about to say something, but he heard Erin talk to someone behind him.

He almost turned around and attempted to kill the Akina, but he restrained himself. He felt stupid for not noticing her presence. He looked at the 'girl's head and smiled, but his eyes showed his true age for a second. He meant it as a warning, one that would have worked on most monsters. If she wasn't an Akina, she would mistake it as a trick of the light. Either way, it was better to be safe than sorry. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a lighter." His voice showed no malice, but he was simply hiding it.

"I wonder how it would be like to be immortal, then again, wishing for something like that seems foolish without preparation." He appeared to be saying this to himself silently, but he was intending for the girl to hear it. He was trying to implant the idea of thinking about making wishes before making them. Sure, he would probably be hated by the Akina, but he was of the Royal Vampire Family. "Oh, I apologize, I appear to have been distracted for a second," And he began speaking politely again, he frowned internally. "We should probably go into a shop and continue this conversation there, if I may be so bold." He directed this at both of the young ladies, not that he believed the Akina was young. Nonetheless, surely the Akina wouldn't dare make her move in a shop. And if she wasn't an Akina, he could probably get a nice meal, or a slave. Either was fine.

I advise going to the address left of your ring finger. Honestly, I don't have eyes, and yet I can see what location we have to go to next better than you, insolent boy. Gideon's voice was sour, as it often was, while it instructed the Mortray. The young gentleman Jaxson glared at the cane as a response. He gripped the cane in his hand and slid the cover off of its true weapon form, a sword. Yes, there was a sword hidden within the cane. Gideon had always taken pride in his helpfulness during battle, and his form certainly did not disappoint.

Looking at the reflection of his face in the blade, Jaxson spoke. "You really do prove most useful, Gideon. What a distasteful attitude you have, old friend!" The man laughed at the sword he held. Setting the weapon back to its cane appearance, Jaxson removed the map with care from the wall. Rolling it so that it might fit inside his coat, he placed it inside a hidden pocket before exiting the room.

After checking out of the hotel entirely, Jaxson drew his cane up onto his arm and held his head high as he exited the building. He rather enjoyed walking, though not as much as flying, and began his way to the apartment building that Gideon had directed him to. This town, which he knew by the name of Craine, seemed a rather pleasant place to live, if you didn't mind people of class lower than Mr. Crue's. Jaxson walked in a straight line down the sidewalk with long strides and not a single care as to who may have to move out of his way.

There were some rather strange characters at the time of night, he and Gideon both noted. They further thought upon this as they passed a trio consisting of a tall female with pink hair who he deemed to be an Akina due to her eye color, a man with black hair who he recognized to be the prince of vampires (Jaxson kept tabs on major figures of the supernatural sort) and a mundane girl who seemed to be on the short side.



Her newfound companion addressed the other young woman with just as much courtesy and politeness as he had used with Erin. She leaned forward slightly, feeling even shorter than usual, and regarding the words with curiosity. Cantus proceeded to suggest the trio move their conversation to a shop. Erin's face lit up with excitement, having forgotten almost entirely about returning home and being lost. The two people before her had a strange enticement about them.

"Can we go to a coffee shop?" Erin quickly piped in. Both her and her mother had an infatuation with coffee, though Erin preferred plain black coffee. "Maybe someone there will have a lighter!" She smiled up at the girl who had joined her and Cantus. He really was so polite, it reminded her of a refined Englishman from movies or a prince, someone like that with high class.

"Oh, I forgot to ask! Can I have your name, miss?" Erin laughed slightly at her own thoughtlessness. How could she forget to introduce herself? "My name's Erin," she held out her hand, copper rings glistening slightly in the moonlight. A leather bracelet with a small amethyst stone dangling from it swung slightly at the movement.



Gideon had stopped Jaxson when they reached a door with the number '102' on it in the apartment building. He rolled back his shoulders before knocking on the door with his cane, which objected rather strongly to the action. He could hear what sounded like a raven or something inside.

As Ello looked into Cantus's eyes she noticed the power in them, and then she realized he was showing that power off in her direction: a warning. She just kept her sweet smile up... that is until he started dropping life-long advice to the girl in front of him. Now, Ello understood his game. He'd be working against her. She would have abandoned her prey right there and left to find another without a vampire's company, but Erin then asked her name, truly polite, and Ello thought she was almost irresistible. A girl with those sorts of kind-hearted manners had to be dealing with hardships at home, which made her a wonderful, adorable target. But then Erin held out her hand.

The amethyst hit her first, and she struggled against the urge to back up. Ello eyed the copper rings and thought them to be extremely ironic. Vampire and Akina guards, it was like someone had given her a heads up before either of them had even shown up. She didn't miss more than a beat, though, to respond.

"Mirina, my name is Mirina." She grinned at Erin again as she started towards the coffee shop, leading the group. "I'm sorry, I would shake your hand, but I had an accident a few years ago..." Ello sighed, showing off her black bandaged hands. They seemed normal enough, but in a couple places seemed too thin, presumably from surgery. "I can use them for small tasks, but shaking hands? Not so much. It's very nice to meet you though."

Ello always tried to keep the conversation light hearted and polite as she explained her disability. She loved it, honestly. Who in their right mind would be scared of a girl with disfigured hands. "And you're name is Cantus, right? Latin. You'd have to have an old soul with a name like that." She smiled. Ello said it like an off-hand comment. Not too flirty, but conversational, letting the vampire know she would not be backing down so quickly.

Second Body

Cantus smiled when he saw Erin's face light up, but he didn't know why. Perhaps he had some human emotion in him? It wasn't very likely. After all, he had killed quite a bit of people. And to be honest, he enjoyed most of those murders. It felt good to let out his primal instincts, to let his body take control.

"A coffee shop will suffice," He said this in response to Erin's suggestion. He felt a bit weak, but he guessed that it was simply fatigue from one of his bodies. He then noticed the copper rings and had a bit of fear inside of him. Did she know about the creatures of the night? Surely she didn't, but the girl had both copper rings and Amethyst.

He smirked at the 'accident', knowing that the Akina was very likely not halted by those disfigured hands. She probably had Cursed Ones as her servants. Cantus returned his thoughts to the situation at hand. "Yes, my name is Cantus." He would have winced at the 'old soul' part, but he was better than that. "Not much older than you," He said this with a calm voice, but it would be obvious to monsters that he was mocking her.

He decided to follow the Akina towards the coffee shop, careful to not let his gaze falter. He couldn't afford to let his guard down, especially now that he knew Erin had copper.

He continued following the Akina, but he let himself fall close to Erin without causing any suspicion. "Would you mind showing me around this city? I've never actually explored it." He asked this with a soothing voice that only a vampire could have.

Mirina seemed to know what direction the coffee shop was in. Erin's luck must have come back to her, which was something she was pretty grateful for. Humming a quiet tune to herself, she held her hands behind her back and took in the sights of the night town. She didn't often take walks this late, so Erin took the opportunity to look around her. The familiar streets, that she somehow managed to get lost in, looked different during the night. That was probably her excuse for losing her way. Cantus fell into step with her and she smiled up at him.

That would be fun, she had decided, showing Cantus around Craine. Erin nodded her head, "That sounds fun," she said to him, "When d'you want your tour, Mr. Cantus?" He had such a lovely voice, and Erin probably wouldn't have been able to deny Cantus this small request even if she wanted to. What a nice man he was. She thought that even her mother might like him, and she disliked most everyone.

Out of curiosity, Erin decided to inquire about Cantus' temporary residence. "Are you staying at a hotel, then?" There was a nice one not too far from the plaza that Erin had always thought of as nice. Perhaps her companion was staying there.

The same welcoming wind danced gently through the streets, making Erin look up at some leaves that had gotten caught in it. The moon wasn't letting many stars shine, she noted. Drawing her attention back to walking ahead, she recognized that they were nearing the plaza, where a nice little cafe was. They'd get their coffee from there, then. The great, welcoming fountain's water sparkled with the lights that were aimed perfectly at the display. She'd always liked that fountain, and imagined that her mom would like it too if she ever ventured outside.



The bird had gotten louder, and inside he was fairly certain that he could make out a woman muttering to what seemed to be herself. Get inside already, boy! Gideon barked the order at the swordmaster.

Gideon, friend, I am, and you know me, to be a gentleman. Now, what sort of gentleman would barge into a lady's home? Answer me that, cane. Jaxson tapped his finger on the handle of his cane with annoyance. What sort of commoner doesn't answer her own door when someone knocks? It was to be expected of a creaous, he presumed. Mortrays, however, were a far more civil breed with such importance that they even resembled God's army.

Despite his description of his race, Jaxson was in actuality not religious. It was a sin to be impatient, anyway, wasn't it?

No, no he must be patient. A gentleman is always patient, and Jax Crue is a model gentleman. All that he had to do was to exterminate the vile creature muttering inside the apartment.

Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. Went the beat of the man's heart who the blond-haired female held against her. She stood behind one of the shops, luckily for her, no one was around as her teeth sank into his fragile flesh. The man gasped, his muscles tightening, but her telekinesis was restraining any other movement. Her eyes glowed a faint red as she drank the man's life away, her pale hands gripping his shirt tightly. After a few minutes, she dropped him, his life remaining intact. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear as he lay unconscious on the ground.

She'd drank just enough to sustain her until her next dosage of gold, but for now she needed something to get the burned flesh taste out of her mouth. With that thought in mind, the girl rounded the corner and slipped through the door of the closest shop she could find, happily discovering that it was a coffee house. Without any hesitation, she sauntered up to the counter to order. The teenage male who was working the cash register gave her a flirtatious smile as he asked for her order. "I'd like a chocolate chip frappuccino, if you please." Her voice was sweet as sugar, and she watched as the boy before her gulped as if he'd never seen a woman before. When he rang up her total she handed him the cash and he gave her a number, telling her to wait at one of the tables so she would be more comfortable.

She nodded her thanks, walking to one of the booths in the corner. She sat down on the end of the seat crossing one leg over the other, closing her eyes for a few minutes.

Seph gave a light laugh that sounded almost like a 'hmph' when the woman said he name and her preferred title. Soul sat down next to him and introduced himself to her after she had received her drink. 'That was good. She didn't seem to be dangerous at all. At least not from her actions. Why else would she return to the table? The fact still remained however, that she still smelt of fresh blood. Blood that wasn't hers.
He thought since she stated her name, then he should also state his. "My names Seph. As for hunters, I don't fear them because unlike the cub I can control my transformation." It wasn't really something he was proud to say, since learning how to control it took allot of blood and built up allot of hate for a man that he made sure died by his own hands. "Speaking of which, try to hide your ears. If your going to be traveling with me then you should at least know how to conceal your true nature." He said to Soul, shaking his head a little at the guy. Turning back to Syra he said, "Anyway, I'm not here for hunting, I'm here because I don't have anywhere else to go." Her earlier statement formed an Idea in his mind. "You say you live here, but there's hunters here as well. Where do you sleep exactly?"

Before he was able to get an answer out of him, a smell hit his nose that was worse then hers. A vampire. He had a really unique smell too. Seph couldn't really pin point why but if he smelled that strong, he must have not just some random vampire that you can find anywhere.

He turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. Surely her face and the vibe he was getting from her meant that the vampire who entered the room was indeed a powerful one and judging from his smell, he was also more pure bled then she was. He let out a faint growl. "Do you know him?" He asked. "He seems to be pretty strong from what I can tell." Surely this town attracted not only him, but allot of other creatures as well. The only question was why.

He grinned as his scone arrived, fluffy and flaky like a scone should be. He despised going hungry, and it had been sometime between meals. After a few bites his ears perked up, then lay back at Seph's "cub" comment. "I'm not a cub. I turned of age a few months ago." He then muttered to himself, "I mean, I think I did." He dropped his scone on the little plate and clutched his head with one hand, ears going flat, as something at the back of his mind tried to surface. A memory best left untouched. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone, and he rubbed his temple to ease the pain. His brain was being especially rude today, doing a thing like that. "As for my ears", he said. "They refuse to change. Soul has tried hundreds of times but Soul is stuck with them. And putting a hat over them renders Soul all but deaf."

He took another bite of scone, it was quite a good one at that, as he noticed the tension in the air, the thick smell of what he'd come to understand his Vampire. He did his best to keep his ears from twitching, they would alert the new presence of his awareness. This scent, and this strange feeling in his gut, like someone was squeezing him in a vice, it unsettled him greatly. He put down his scone and laced his fingers together to keep his hands from shaking. What was this person, that they're mere presence unsettled him so greatly? "Seph, I-I don't like this," He managed to whisper. "Who ever that person is..." His voice trailed off, his brain refusing further operation of the tongue. Images flashed in his mind. Blood. Pain. Death. Over and over again, blood, pain, and death.

He couldn't deal with this. He laid his head down on the table and shut his eyes, trying to relax, though when the mans eyes fell on him, his whole body went rigid. He didn't know what was happening, but if this kept up, he'd lose control. Then lots of bad things would happen.