Let's Play!

Marina watched him leave, and figured he was simply doing as she asked, sighing, very long, and slowly, and then returning to her room, to hide away under her covers.

After Ephriam had finished puking out his guts (and apparently most of the vertigo lay with his stomach contents), he turned around to find Jethro leaning against the bathroom doorframe.



"That happened to me once. Sucks. It was then that I decided that if I was going, I wouldn't hesitate and just go." Jethro clapped his friend on the back, noting the expression.



"I know what you need. A good drink." And that was how Jethro and Ephriam got into the drawing room with a bottle of scotch.

Marina slept, unaware of how the men were entertaining themselves... her dreams tormenting her.

The thing was, it wasn't really entertainment. It was therapeutic drinking. Jethro liked the alcohol for the taste and for the way it helped his body to relax. See, he was a fun drunk and had no problem with the act.



Ephriam, on the other hand, drank very little and normally only had enough for that light buzz. Tonight, though, for some reason or another, the man drank until he was blasted. Not that it was that bad. Ephriam was one of those weird drunks, the kind that almost never said anything and just tended to sit down and brood - sometimes cast a glare at this or that.



Both were unaware of the trouble in Marina's room.

Marina woke, covered in an icy cold sweat, shaking and unstable as she shook her head slowly, hands frisking over her body to assure herself that she was completely alright before slowly sliding from the bed.



Breathing a bit off, she started walking down the halls to try and calm her nerves, unaware of the tears covering her face, or the fact she was still dripping that ice cold sweat as she stumbled ( Literally) upon the room the boys were in. Tripping and falling to the floor, she stayed there, able to smell the alcohol, stomach turning.

Ephriam just sat there in the chair, eyes resting on the girl with intensity. He didn't move though, almost swallowed in the squishy fabric. The funny thing was that for once he was fall down drunk. Jethro was only warm. So Ephriam didn't move, but Jethro knelt down.



"You okay?"

Marina looked up, tears clouding her eyes, face very pale.



" No."



she said softly, stomach turning, looking over Jethro.



" He expects me to handle this, and I'm not sure if I can."

Jethro glanced up at the man still sitting in the chair. The muscles along his shoulders were terse and he just stared at the two on the floor. The older vampire just sighed slightly.



"He feels awful about putting you through this. I mean... Look at him." Jethro gestured to the man whose eyebrows were slowly moving closer together and pinching the forehead.



"Actually, no, don't look at him. Um..." He floundered, glancing around for an answer. "Would you like something to drink?"

Marina shook her head slowly.



" No... I know he feels bad, I don't want pitty or guilt offered to me. I don't want apologies. I want understanding."

Jethro just nodded, standing up and offering her a hand.



"I thought he was trying to help you any way he could with that. What got skipped?" Okay, she had declined, but Jethro picked up a lowball glass and poured Marina some anyhow. He held it out to her.



"Careful not to spill. Eph gets a bit moody over the rug even when he's sober."

" I know."



Marina replied, looking him over as she took his offered glass.



" .... Are you as sure as I'd like to be, about how he feels about me?"

Ephriam moved quite suddenly, jerking his arms so that they were crossed across his chest. The action spilled scotch onto the rug, something at which he glared at fiercely. It was almost as though he blamed the alcohol for leaping out of his glass.



Jethro glanced between the wet spot and the man and then placed a hand on Marina's back, gesturing towards the door with his glass.



"I think this would best be discussed elsewhere." He took a couple steps towards the entryway, and on second though grabbed the bottle first. Whether that was cutting Eph off or wanting more for himself, only Jethro knew.

Doing as he bid, she followed his gesture, worrying her lip and ignoring Ephriam, mind troubled.



" Alright... but?"



She asked, looking up at him sincerely, wanting the answer.

Jethro sighed slightly as he stopped in front of the girl's room. He was getting a headache. The alcohol could have been wearing off. It could have been stress. Either way, he downed another glass just to be sure. He waited a minute or two then pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead.



"Marina, friend of a friend... friend of my blood, I am not sure how to comfort you. I can say that he is incredibly fond of you. You were the first person he let in the castle for... I lose count of how many years." Jethro paced back and forth briefly. Jethro paused to pour bit more into his glass, though he did not drink it immediately. He paused.



"I think... It takes stronger stuff." He broke off thoughtfully, looking down into the amber depths of his scotch as he swirled around.



"Stronger stuff than what I have with my lady. Stronger stuff than what's in most vampires - hell, most men." He glanced up. "To put yourself through what Eph is and survive, I mean. It is very difficult to be so close to humans. There is more than a small faction that have given up on restraint altogether. And then there's ol' Eph. He fills your every waking moment. The guy even took from you. I was afraid for you that night - I couldn't interfere. Yet, even on the brink of starvation, Eph still had the heart to stop." Jethro took one a swig, eyes resting on the glass and nodding.



"Yup. That's stronger stuff."

Marina didn't look at him, not bothering to venture down the road she wanted to, biting her tongue ever so slightly as she thought over the words being said, speaking softly after a while, the icy cold sweat still clinging to her.



" I ... I want understanding ... I can't say I understand his side, because I don't... I never even knew anything beyond the name of vampires, and that if they were ever to be real, steer clear..... and even that is changed to me... but I want him to understand what this is doing to me... partly because of that lack of knowledge."

Jethro simply stared at her for a minute, perfectly still. And then he seemed to spring to life like a toy solider snapping back in place. The man let out a slight laugh and then poured a couple drops more into Marina's glass just for good measure. His head was a little bit muddier now than it was when she walked in.



"Then be straight with him. He knows that you have a lot of questions, but he can't read your mind. He'll tell you the honest truth on whatever you want to know, the same way his mentor did for him - Eph knows nothing if not patience. So just say whatever it is that you're wanting to say." He seemed to pause to think about this for a minute or so.



"Mmm... but not today. Today you should sleep and let him detox. Tonight, though, he should be nice and sober." Jethro stopped to wink at her. "Might even be groveling an apology for ignoring you. You might even be able to get him to jump off a bridge or a building or something if you play your cards right. You should try it. Pretty fun to watch." The man reached to twist the knob to her bedroom door, pushing it open for her.

Marina looked over Jethro, sighing inwardly and kissing his cheek lightly as she headed back towards her room, looking it over before crawling into her bed and falling asleep once more. Her dreams were a bit more forgiving this time as she dreamed of a drunk Jethro stumbling off a skyscraper....

Jethro simply wandered off. He enjoyed drifting off into a bit more drunkeness and then coming back again.



Ephriam sat in the study. Actually, he sobered up quite a bit before Jethro. This was more than partially on the count that Jethro had taken the bottle. It was actually somewhat interesting to watch Eph work off the alcohol. See, most people passed out or otherwise let unconsciousness take over on that token. However, seeing as said vampire did not sleep, he instead favored to lay flat on his back in the middle of the floor with his eyes shut. Why? Well, as his body filtered out the toxin, there was quite an interesting phenomena that happened. The drunker you were when you started, the more uneasy it was to come back. It wasn't at all like getting drunk where you slowly come to be more and more comfortable, but instead it was like stretching out a muscle. After each rep you found that you could bend further, even if you didn't want to. This could be rather disorienting when you are as knock-out drunk as Ephriam was. The mind wanted to stay drunk, but the brain sobered. Lucidity came back in spurts - spurts that could floor you if you weren't careful (or already there).



When he was clear, however, he slipped into Marina's bedroom silently. He simply stood in front of her vanity, watching her.

Waking about six hours or so later, Marina set up slowly as night fully set in, stretching slowly, rubbing her eyes as the memories of the last few days came back, full force.



With a heavy heart, Marina went to get up and dress as her eyes fell on Ephriam. Awkward.



Without knowing what to say or do, she merely sat there, looking up at him.

See, normally Ephriam would have slipped away the second that Marina started to wake up. But today he stayed. Why, he didn't know, but he instantly felt that it was a stupid decision.



"Apologies... I..." Yup. He couldn't think of anything that sounded appropriate to say after that. He turned around somewhat nervously and began to rearrange the bottles on her vanity so that they were in a straight line, biggest to smallest. The man threw a glance up at her in the mirror. Well, it was where his reflection was supposed to be, so she might see a little ghosting over it, but he only saw the room behind him - Marina.

Marina sighed ar she moved towards him, kissing the middle of his back.



"No apologies. I know you do that. You told me, remember?"



She purred faintly, trying in vain to calm her thoughts.

The man sighed slightly and then stood up straight, his hands smoothing out the cloth over top. His voice was soft.



"Not for that." And it was true. Ephriam was sorry for just about everything other than that. He was sorry for last night. He was sorry for making the woman go through this. Still, he couldn't quite be sorry for the thing that started it, the thing that made it his fault. Eph turned around and gently placed her hand on the side of the woman's face with a sigh.



"Not for that."

Marina looked up at him, currently resting her head to the hands that was now cupping it, considering him with watery eyes, looking like she was clearly battling off tears.



" I don't want apologies for anything. I want understanding... and answers. Both ways."





she explained gently.

The man gazed down at Marina's watery blue eyes with a certain amount of ache inside his own self. He stepped away again with thought and opened up her closet. The man pulled out a sundress with little white stars spilling down the pastel indigo fabric. He lay it out on the bed for her, considered it for a moment, and then pushed it aside so that he could sit down in its stead.



"I am trying." He held out his hands to her.

Marina looked him over, considering him for the longest moment.



" I know.. that's why it's so hard on me.. I feel like I'm the only one understanding my side, but I see you killing yourself (so to speak) trying... Yet... it's not the same as actually understanding. ... I feel I have two choices... be shot in the head, or walk off the great wall of china."

Ephriam's eyes drifted to the mirror emptily, letting his hands fall back into his lap.



"I believe that firearms are a horrible invention..." He murmured under his breath. The man's eyes drifted to her.



"It has been a very long time, and your situation is different than mine was. Tell me what bothers you."

Marina looked over him slowly, hesitant at first, but deciding that she had little to loose at this point.



" Vain and petty things, such as I want to be able to see my reflection, and i don't want to have to give up my dreams.. to more serious matters... such as, what of my relatives? This would be something I'd have to keep from them... I have next to no family as it is... and I would loose the last I had, completely, if I had to keep something of this level from them... To weird things, like I want to be able to have pets, without their heart beat driving me insane... I adore animal companions.... I feel like I'm all alone no matter what I chose. ... I don't even know how my family is doing. I don't want to leave, or loose, you. I care too much... But I don't know how ready I am for all of this.... and there is no one who understands what I'm looking at. I'm looking at forever being different then everything I've ever known... I'm looking at being, according to what i read while I wasn't able to sleep, bound to you, no matter what. I lo- ... I care deeply about you, but eternity is hard to be certain about. Human or not, we're all flawed... Nothing is guaranteed for us... for me, anyway."





She purred softly, barely choking back tears as she looked to the photo albums and books from his library, then to the floor, feeling ashamed.

Ephriam just considered her for a very long time, letting the silence settle back into his bones. He didn't say anything, just looking at the books. Most of them were very accurate, just a few little things off here and there. They were common titles amongst his kind, typically mentioned to those that were newly blooded. He did note that she had missed a very worn out leather-bound book that he would have expected to have been pulled from his collection. Hiding with all of the other books was his journal from the time of his turning. She didn't have that one in here. He finally looked up to the woman.



"I cannot understand your need for a reflection, you always look beautiful to me. I know your want for dreams, and have told you my thought on such before. I will not lie to you. It is very difficult to be around living things for the first while, but if it is your wish, you can temper yourself. It is a secret, but one that you can share with discretion. However if you feel so strongly opposed, then I will not ask. I will let you be, let you go if you wish - I have offered it before." Ephriam pulled his legs up, folding them beneath him in a posture of patience and temperance.



"As for binding... I think you should ask me about my mentor. I was not born a vampire after all."

" It's personal. Something that i don't wish to pry into. I'm not that stable... and I've always been the jealous sort."



She purred, looking up at him slowly, swallowing.



" I don't think I could handle a story about anyone in your past.... especially female. Even though I'm 100% sure they lived, and died prior to even my birth."



She said softly, looking him over, eyes sad now, looking as if the tears she held would fall at any moment.



" You also don't understand my need for family. .... For company. Your alot of it... but even with you... There's something still missing... Something...." that will never be there.... something I either can't, won't, wasn't ment to, or never will, or have had. ..." As for going back... and leaving you. I'd not leave you, because your too much of me now."



She informed him softly, standing slowly, walking to her vanity, looking herself over.



" As for reflection.. as I said, I'm vain. i have few things in this world that are completely mine, and my looks are one of them, whether I like them or not.... and I'd like to be able to keep those things."

Ephriam sat there quite patiently as she went through yet another episode. The man gave a soft sigh and looked up at her. His words were very gentle.



"No, I do not understand your need for family. I will admit it, and I am sorry. It is amongst the things that I have forgotten. I wish I could give you what you need." He shifted slightly, his hands resting on his knees as his eyes rested on her steadily.



"But I must say that you are wrong. You would be surprised at the story, would find it easier than whatever you have imagined. And you are wrong. My mentor is still alive. In fact, you have met. You kissed him two nights ago for a little too much alcohol, and I broke his arm the day after. Does that sound like the iconic relationship you had in mind?"

Marina looked him over, eyes aching as she moved to him, and curled up in his lap. This all hurt. All of it, in a way she wasn't able to communicate.



Nestling down tight to him, she simply let herself cry. She wasn't going to ask, she didn't think she wanted to know. One, she'd kissed several people over the last few weeks, and two, she didn't care about the story so much right now.



" I can't have both. I have to pick."



She stated simply, hating the decision she was currently facing as she cried into Ephriam's chest, unable to help it as she held to him, nestled tight, and looking more fragile and pathetic then was normal, even for her.

Ephriam just held her, rubbing her back tenderly.



"It is yours to make, though. I am not going anywhere." For a moment he thought about biting her just simply for the endorphins it releases in the human body. He hated to know that he was this stupid, that he was the cause of all of this.

" ... Your asking me to pick between dreams."



She told him softly, nestling closer to him, holding tighter to him.

Ephriam just held her now, not saying anything else. After all, what else was there to say? He couldn't tell her what to pick. Well, he could, but then that wouldn't exactly be fair, now would it?

Marina cried until it felt as if her body was empty of water, mouth dry, cheeks feeling permanently streaked, chest and throat aching as she held to him, now her mind actually starting to work over things.



" explain."





......................... So that wasn't too helpful for Ephriam, but to Marina it made perfect sense.

Now, as Jethro had explained, just because they were vampires, that didn't mean they could read minds. With this in mind, it wasn't that surprising that Ephriam was completely confused.



"Pardon?"

" Oh..."



Marina looked up at him, and then her eyes softened, deciding she didn't want know after all.



" Nothing, just a thought I decided it was better for me not to know the answer to....... Did you really have to break his arm? I mean... i kissed several people once I was properly.... Lubricated.... "

Ephriam's brows shot up as he realized what she was talking about.



"Oh! You wanted to know about Jethro..." He paused.



"And I did not break his arm for solely kissing you. I respect him more than that. It was an almost accident." He paused again and then snuck in a little comment.



"So long ago... It wasn't an affair of the heart, if that is what you are nervous about. Would you like some breakfast? You can even have it in bed today if you want." He was trying to be congenial.

" Affairs of the heart aren't meant for this kind of thing. the heart will end up shattering before this is all said and done.... Which I suppose doesn't matter, as it won't really be needed."



She sighed inwardly, looking him over curiously.



" I'm not hungry. Just need to dress and think."



She explained, smiling at him apologetically.



" Perhaps talk to Jethro. ... I know that you can answer the same questions..... It's just less personal to get the answers from him."



she added as she looked over Ephriam, wanting him to understand.

Ephriam looked at her with an expression that held a hint of sharpness.



"Never say that. The heart is the key to temperance, to any wisp of humanity. They ache just the same even after a century." The expression melted away and he sighed standing up. The man walked to the door in an almost submission, trying not to take it personally.



"As you wish."