Alice Rose Athers's Story

Alice confused herself, walking in circles. "Where am I?! I was just heading for the forest North..." she yelled at herself, stopping at what seemed like a bar, but she could barely see anymore past the door's slight crack. "Am I lost?" she yawned and looked into it, seeing the mix of humans AND vampires. She hasn't seen that happen before. Actually, where she came from, vampires were killed on sight. "What a weird place..." she mumbled, deciding to enter and have a drink, although she was completely nervous. As soon as she walks in, she knows she will be sensed. It sort of scared her out of her mind. Alice took a deep breath and counted to three. "One... Two... Thr-" she stepped in slowly before she could finish the last number and froze in place. There were so many of them mixed together, it overwhelmed her. Alice just barely noticed a small group chatting; but she didn't dare to approach them.

Lilith smiled brightly. She didn't get to have conversations very often, so she treasured small moments like these. "Well thank you for coming in. If you don't like socializing, there's a few different VIP rooms above here, one has a personal bar and is more for feedings and those who like the quiet." she explains, trying to make sure everyone was comfortable, as usual. Hearing the female voice she turned and smiled even brighter. "Hello! My name is Lilith! I'm the owner of this club... Just so happens I tend to the bar and the motel on either side..." she says frowning slightly.

"Hey Kitsune, I'll be right back... I need to go check on the bar and the motel..." she said and headed to the entrance where she spotted yet another new-comer. "The VIP room is opened on the third floor, if you feel you can't be around so many humans.." she said and went on her way to tend to the bar.

Alice blinked repetitively, confused after seeing and hearing what seemed like a fox talk, ignoring the voice talking directly at her. She's not one to talk unless necessary. She then turned to walk out, pulling her violin case to her chest, deciding to play it. She stepped away, making sure she had a few feet's distance so she does not disturb the club. She set the case down on the floor left open, pulling the pure white violin below her chin and the bow into the air. "I really do hope they don't hear me.. It'll be a bit embarrassing..." Alice sighed, setting her fingers up before she placed the bow against the strings, playing a melancholic, yet melodious tune. She shut her eyes and ignored her surroundings, losing herself in the gradually increasing sound of the sad violin.

Casper mindlessly ran his fingers through his hair, unwittingly self-conscious, but he smiled warmly anyway. "No, this is my first time here," He replied truthfully to the raven haired vampire girl. Casper turned casually and quickly in towards the bar once more answering, "I'll have whatever she's having," he nodded towards his boisterous bar companion, "I'm up for trying something new," he continued, with the edge of a laugh. The company he was in, Casper found, was friendly and despite deep-seated unease around any and all vampires, he was mildly comfortable around this group, as different as they might be. The soft lull of a violin tune drifting in from outside the busy club only served the dampen Casper's other worries.

Alice's surroundings seemed to disappear, along with her troubles. The sound of the violin ringed in her ears as she played, her fingers moving across the strings gracefully, her white hair covering her eyes. She gently slid the bow across the strings for a long, sad note, then paused and played something that sounded beautiful yet oh, so very complicated. She opened her eyes as she played, looking into the club to see the orange-haired boy glancing in her direction, she turned around so that her back is facing him, her cheeks slowly turning a shade of pink. Alice convinced herself that the orange-haired had seen her, along with her rosy cheeks. It made her violin playing grow intense as she tried to calm herself, sure that her heartbeat was audible to everyone in the club, especially since it is after all a heart beat. "The vampires would hear it so easily..." Alice mumbled, as she calmed herself, the violin's sound going back to the melancholic sound.

Alice finished the last note and opened her eyes slowly, pulling the white violin from her chin. "I wonder if anyone heard that... I'm getting thirsty..." she mumbled, deciding to go into the club again. "I wonder what they have here..." she sighed, walking inside the bar, violin in hand as she struggled to get it back in it's case. Her violin slipped out of her hands when she slammed into a short-haired person, near her height. "No!" she cried, sliding to the ground to catch the white violin, "Safe..." Her voice cracked and she held the violin to her chest, looking up at the girl, the slightly irritated look on her face. "I... I-I'm so sorry..." Alice managed to speak, her breath hitched into her throat. It's the first time she's actually communicated with someone else for a long time. Her heart was racing and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment which caused her to bury her face into the violin, trying to hide the rosiness of her cheeks and also trying to calm her heart which was sure enough heard by every single vampire in the club, and probably the humans too.

Alice sat down slowly, her entire body trembling as she set the violin in it's case, leaving it opened. She just stared down at her fingers, her shyness taking part. She had no idea what to say but managed to speak her name, "A...lice... Alice.. Rose Athers..." Then her heart beat much faster, Robin's words finally sinking in. "You heard me?! How embarrassing... Did.. anyone else..." she barely finished her question, her voice drifting into a whisper as her heart pounded in her ears.

Kitsune smiled softly. "well i must admit it was lovely. i would love to hear more."he said and glowed softly changing into hes true form sitting on the counter. "yay!!!! clothes actually stayed this time!!!"he cheered. he had a small problem of with keeping his clothes on after transforming. After that incident he tried to change around less people of possible. "ahhh so much better. being a fox is fun but sometime hands and toes are good too. He places a hes tail lightly over alice. "now my dear relax....u are among friends. no here to judge but help and comfort."he says trying to ease the young vampire.

Alice's cheeks flushed, and she slowly buried into herself, her head bowed down. "Who... else...?" she whispered, her heart racing faster than the speed of light. She trembled when she felt the tail over her shoulders, biting her lower lip and staring at the fox boy. "Your name?" her cheeks flushed even more and she felt herself tremble, keeping a hand on the white violin in it's left opened case. "If I play here everyone will hear.. and it'll mess me up.. I think.. but if you really want to..." she spoke quickly, her words ending with a whisper as her fingers clung onto the violin softly, caressing the smooth surface. "Would you like to...?" she asked, her voice squeaking and cracking. She stared at both Robin and the fox as if asking for approval.

Casper laughed when Robin regected the drink, taking a sip himself and not minding the taste, rather enjoying the flavour and the alcohol in his system. "I don't know, its not that bad," He chuckled, though he would freely admit that if he was bloodthirsty he would surely cringe away from the beverage too.

The white-haired girl joined them at the bar, and Casper's curiosity gravitating towards the violin as he recognized her as the player outside the club. When she inquired about who had heard her music, he piped in softly with, "I did, and those who were paying attention, which, granted, was not many," and although he did not voice it, he would very much have enjoyed listening to her sweet tunes once more.

Alice's blush grew and she pulled the violin to her chin once more, getting on her feet. "Just... this once..." she mumbled, looking directly at the orange-haired boy, wondering if he could hear her heart- if everyone else can hear her heart which made her so different from them. She picked up the bow from the case and set her fingers up against the strings once more, taking a step back as she slid the bow across the strings, her fingers moving swiftly, the sound intense and melodious. Like before, Alice shut her eyes as she played, her expression growing fierce as her fingers danced along the strings, the bow following her fingers' pace. She slid the bow down for a long note then changed the emotion of the violin to sound melancholic and sad like before, making it sound beautiful as everyone in the club turned to stare at her, the music stopping along with the chatting and all other sounds. Alice felt the eyes focus on her which made her more determined to make the song more and more beautiful as her anxiety took over, along with her nervousness. Her heartbeat increased with all eyes on her which made the tune go back to intense and she opened her eyes, gazing at the fox, Robin, and the orange-haired boy, her eyes flashing from it's original silvery-blue color to red over and over again.

Robin smilied at Alice, nodding her head in agreement with Kitsune and Casper. She leaned against the counter as she watched Alice play the string instrument. Closing her eyes, she listened to the melodic tune flowing through her ears. Now she really wished she had learned to play an instrument.

Casper gave the pale girl a small, reassuring smile as she carefully took up her obviously beloved instrument, hoping to put her at least a little bit at ease. Cas did not close his eyes as she played, but stared intensely at the blank floor, letting the notes flow through him like a incessant tide. He could feel the outpouring of emotions and see the skill of her fingers at the times he did glance upwards and was frankly hurt by the fact that the amount of club-goers watching had made the girl nervous by the end. Distracted, Casper, out of the corner of his eye, saw Lilith make to leave, an act which was confusing in itself, and he did not know whether he should go after her or not, whether it was appropriate. He was left with a feeling of unease at his decision, but perhaps that was simply the after effects of the melancholy music.

As her eyes flashed colors, Alice looked to the side and noticed the green-haired girl leave, which made her feel a bit at ease, yet made her curiosity go through the roof, her violin playing changing to a sound that seemed to be fighting itself, going from one set of notes, to another to contradict it. She tried not to mind it, but her mind recognized her as the girl who had tried to speak to her before. She felt guilty, her fingers moving at a faster speed along the strings; her heart beating faster than before. She stared at the orange-haired boy as she played, noticing his confusion and how uneasy he grew. She waited for him to glance up until they locked eyes. Her lips formed the same reassuring smile he had given her before, hoping to return the favor. She silently bit her lip, as she lost herself in her thoughts, making the music of the violin sound slow, as if trying to find the sound it belongs to. She gestured with her eyes to where the girl had gone after figuring out he was uneasy because of that. When the orange-haired boy didn't seem to receive the message she was giving, Alice mouthed the word "Go." and hoped he would follow after the green-haired girl. She looked at Robin and the blue fox who had given her a confused look, obviously noticing her lips move. She smiled at them and continued her still-intense playing, which now sounded very sad and intense like a love story gone wrong. Alice closed her eyes and set her fingers up for the last, long intense note which she played slowly, the bow sliding up quickly, then down at a really slow speed. Once the note ended, she pulled the bow from her violin, to her side and did the same with the white violin. She bowed then sat down nervously as the people in the club clapped, then resumed the chatting and the music came on again. "That was nerve-wrecking..." she mumbled, her voice soft and quiet. She couldn't believe she had just played in front of so many people. It's the first time Alice has ever done that since she was changed into a vampire many, many years ago.

Lilith moved from the bar once more and walked back into the club, and rather than going to the group, she passed by them and went right up to the VIP room, which lay vacant, like a ghost town. She shook her head and sprawled out on one of the couches, not really caring whether or not anyone decided to come up. She was used to being alone. Now over the jealousy, she was happy that Alice had been able to play in the company of so many people. She sighed and laid her head back staring at the ceiling softly.

Casper hurriedly returned her smile, suddenly aware that his emotions were shown clearly on his face. Realizing what she was insinuating with the mouthed word of 'Go,', he promptly stood, quickly coming to the understanding that he was too easy to read and he mentally berated himself. But all the same, the brushed past the violin-playing girl, softly squeezing her shoulder as he whispered a hasty 'Thank you,' into her ear before strutting off after the flicker of green locks that he had glimpsed vanishing up the stairs. Casper silently followed Lilith, confronting her in a VIP booth, alone. He knocked, not wishing to appear intrusive, adding, "Is everything all right? I saw you walk off and...well, yeah,"

Lilith looked up and walked to the door opening it. "You don't have to knock... The VIP room is for all the club patrons..." she says, her voice eerily quiet. She went back to the couch and sat somewhat slouched. "And everything is fine, Casper... It just seemed that everyone got drawn into Alice's playing, and I felt intrusive... One of my many powers is I can feel others emotions... She seemed nervous and overwhelmed... So I left to make her more at ease, and more at ease she became..." she explains, trying not to talk in a rush. It wasn't too often that she had to explain her actions to those around her, but she felt the need to explain it to him, to understand that he did nothing to cause her walk-off. Sighing she ushered her shadows to bring her yet another beer, downing it and adding it to the five already sitting on the table. "Would you like a beer... Or a mixed drink or anything..." she asks, her voice still quiet and well-guarded.

Casper pulled his balled hand twitchliy away from the door frame, running it awkwardly over his other, clothed arm. "Right, yeah, um, sorry," He murmured, uncertainty causing him to fall back upon his habits and unflattering anti-social traits. He had intentions of simply slumping against the door to wait this out and converse from there, but Lilith's deflated posture screamed volumes to him, and Cas slipped inside, settling himself comfortably on the couch beside his fellow vampire. Casper listened intently, hardly moving and certainly not interrupting, and when she had finished her slightly rushed explanation, he remained as such, at least for a few moments. " I see...I can understand how that power could make you feel...yeah, well, as you said, intrusive towards others. But, I mean, you didn't have to leave. It's just one more person, right? She would have still calmed down if you'd stayed," Casper contemplated, resting his chin gently in his palms as he glanced across the small expanse of sofa. "Needless to say if you felt the urge to leave, then by all means, it was fine, I'm not lecturing you or anything," He continued, hurriedly. Promptly shutting his mouth before any further damage could be inflicted or any other unnecessary words could be blurted out. He then politely regected the prospect of any more alcohol entering his system, as the Bloody Mary had made him briefly woozy at the bar, and he had forgotten how terribly he held his drink.

Lilith shook her head with a slight smile. "As soon as she saw that I was leaving, she started to calm down slightly. Being able to feel others' emotions tends to get exhausting... There are so many emotions running rampant down there..." she whispers, pointing down to the floor. "There's anger, rage, happiness, hyperness, saddness, of course drunkeness, and the lust, oh god the amount of the humans in this damn club who are unyielding to the lust they give off...." she said as a shudder ran thorugh her body. Being able to feel others' emotions had it's advantages, but the one disadvantage was having to feel all the darkness that the humans could feel. The other vampires' usually gave off only slight emotions. She sighed and turned to face Casper sitting indian style on the couch. "Would you like a soda then? Some water?" she asks politely. "He seems really nice... It's been a long time since anyone other that Kitsune has stayed to talk...." she thought quietly to herself.

Alice calmed down, her head bowed down. She felt her cheeks which were as hot as ever and then looked up at the fox, staring at him with the curiosity of a child. "You never told me your name... What is it...? I could never do that... Open Stage Night... I'm too... shy... And that orange-haired boy? Who is he? And the green-haired girl? They look like a couple. Are they? I'm curious. He seems like he may like her? Hah... Sorry I must be annoying you with all this!" she spoke quickly, not even taking a breath between words. Her eyes glistened, shining it's bright original color which made her seem almost human, along with her still-beating heart. But her touch said otherwise, she slid cool fingers across the violin which was now in it's case once more. Her cheeks flushed and she grew embarrassed at the questions and her way of speech. But her guess was that deep in the back of her head, they were questions she wanted answered. She stared at her fingers, suddenly a bit jealous as the green-haired girl seemed. The girl seemed so loved by everyone and then there's Alice. A runaway who is the last of her family, of course, and the weird vampire with heart that still beats. "But, I have no right to..." she thought aloud, unaware that her thought were being voiced out. She took a glance at Robin who just stared blankly at nowhere, then looked down again, her thoughts voicing out once more. "I shouldn't be like this... I'm different from them. I can't just..." Alice thought, barely finishing her thoughts before and got up and grabbed her violin, heading towards the door, closing the violin case on her way, hoping no one had gone after her, or missed her absence. "It seems I'm the one being a bother here... I should just take my leave. I am a burden everywhere..."