Pick Your Poison (Open)

[Shai]

He woke not know where he was. Disoriented and the pain radiating through his head was enough to send any man reeling. Shai rolled to his side and vomited. It was just his luck that a waste basket was ther just at the side of the bed that he was on. He blinked blurrily at the item before slowly trying to grab onto what fragments of reality he could. He was in his room at the Moon-Reaper manor, that much he could gather. His clear blue tinted eyes scanned the room slowly. It still looked like no one lived in it. His and Levi's suitcases were still at the door. They hadn't had a chance to unpack before Shai had went to sleep.

"Oh good, your awake. How do you feel?" Levi's voice drifted in slowly making the young man wince despite how hushed her tone was. "Like my head is splitting." Shai croaked. He turned his glassy eyes towards his sister slowly. She was lounge comfortably in a recliner. Her eyes were focused on the walkman in her hands. "You puked for a whole five minutes." She reported.

Shai grimaced before sitting up slowly. His head was indeed pulsing in sharp bouts of pains that made his eyes water. He blinked away the tears still holding some stubborness from his earlier days. He shook his head. "What came up?"

"Bunch of bile...no blood this time...." Levi looked up and watched Shai slowly stand. Her fingers stilled on the buttons of the walkman ready to get up and help him as he staggered around. Even if Shai wasn't human, he seemed to be far less stable than she was. "Where are you going, Cain?" She asked softly.

"Out..." Shai whispered making his way to the bathroom. He didn't want his sister to see him at his worse. He didn't want anyone to see him at his worse for that matter. "I'll be back later with some food...don't leave the room." He said disappearing into the bathroom. There, he took himself in. He was pale and almost sickly looking. Turning on the water, he began washing his face.

"I'm not hungry, you should rest." Levi said as she stood from her seat. She watched her siblings back worriedly wondering if she found that 'Chiru later' she could talk the other into staying in bed. Before she could take action, Shai had straightened from the sink to go to his suit case. Throwing on a black beater with the tattered jeans he wore, he turned to the door. "Hey!"

"Huh?" Shai looked over his shoulder in time to catch his black hoodie. He looked down at it then back up. "Thanks." He left then welcoming the night air. His eyes closed as he walked to block out the streetlights and moonlight that only served to escalate the migraine assaulting his head. As he moved he slipped on his hoodie and zipped it up half way. Brushing away the strands of white hair, he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Another half hour later, he found that he had walked to the Lounge. He looked up at the entrance and shrugged. He could meet his body half way, couldn't he? No harm in a few drinks. He stepped in and headed to the nearest empty booth. Finding one away from the other visitors, he sat and rested his head on the table. The cool surface only helped for five seconds. "Can I help you sir?" A female's voice asked.

"A bottle of the strongest booze you got...I don't care how much it costs." Shai answered without looking up. He listened absently to the woman's steps as she went to comply before letting his thoughts drift to nothing.

[kali]

The streets of Ravenblack city where mostly empty on this chilly evening. Except for one figure who was walking down the street alone. A few lamps lit the block, their light barely enough to even see more than a foot in front of you. When the figure walked passed one of the lamps, its face was revealed. It was a young woman, probably around the age of 16 or 17.

Her name was Acelin Ashenvale, a vampire of only about a month or so. She was wearing a white shirt, hidden by a black hoodie and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her eyes were blue, the color of the sea after a storm and shown as bright as ice. She had long, raven black hair that fell down almost to the middle of her back. There were a few strands of hair underneath every few inches that were white blond. She also had a black side swept bang which fell right above her eyes. Her skin was fair and ivory white, a few small scars hidden under her clothes.

Her father, Dri Ashenvale wasn't around and she had started to get bored back at the manor. She loved her new family, of course she did, but they could be a little over protective at times. And besides, before she had met Dri, her old family hadn't been so great.

Acelin's old family had abused her and mistreated her from an early age. Her father was a drug addict and her mother was an over stressed worker who didn't really take care of her at all. Dri had met Acelin in the city the day she had ran away from her old life.

After walking down a few more blocks, Acelin finally arrived at the Lounge. She opened the door and closed it, stopping the chilly night breeze from entering. Glancing around a bit, she then headed over to a chair and sat down. The chair was by the fireplace and she turned her attention to it, watching the red and orange flames dance in the fireplace.

[Shai]

He was pretty sure that he had fallen asleep again. Shai forced his eyes open slowly blinking away the dryness the best he could. There was a bottle of liquor by his head and a shot glass. He blinked at it slowly wondering where it had come from. Then he remembered. He grunted straightening slightly in his seat and rubbing at the spot between his eyes. What he wouldn't give for some painkillers right about now. He wasn't so quick to shake away the thought as he was before. He was tired of the headaches and tired of the nosebleeds. It would have been so easy just to fall back into his habits. So easy.

He took up the bottle on his table and pulled the cork out. Watching a thin white frost come off of the bottle for a moment, he pour some of the liquid fire into the shot bottle. He didn't check the name of what they had given him. For all he knew he was about to drink a bottle's worth of cyanide. Who cared? Well, Chiru would care. Levi would be pissed. Right...

He held it up to his nose slowly and took a slow breath in. It didn't smell like poison. Good enough. He tossed it back and nearly choked. His throat worked long after the liqour was gone to swallow it down and get rid of the burning residue left over. He coughed and cleared his throat as quietly as possible not wanting any attention on him. He liked his spot in the shadows. Finally recovered he looked around as he poured another shot. Someone had come in...someone that was part of the kirin von mana one way or another. Who, he wasn't sure.

He took up his shot glass again and drank it. This time his throat was numb to the burning but not to the migraine still throbbing behind his eyes. He poured another. He would be well and truly drunk if not for a few hours. It was long enough to get Levi her food and pass out back at the manor.

[kali]

Acelin's eyes moved from the fireplace to the nearby window as rain slowly started to fall. She loved to listen to the rain and quiet spaces. She didn't like loud noises or being in large groups of people. It made her feel uncomfortable most of the time. A few loose strands of her raven black hair fell into her eyes and she swept them back with her hand and then lowered it back to its place.

A lady came over to her a few moments later and polietly asked her if she wanted anything to drink. Acelin nodded and the lady left, coming back a minute later with water. She didn't drink, she wasn't even old enough to drink really. But then again, being a vampire it probably didn't even matter anymore. She only drank rarely, for special events mainly.

She thought about her father, Dri for a moment. She had snuck out of his manor tonight, wanting some time alone for a little while. She wondered if he would be mad at her if he noticed her absenence. Before Dri and the Ashenvales, Acelin had learned not to show her emotions because of her past family. Drug addicts, nervous wreck parents who didn't care what happened to their daughter. So Acelin had stopped showing those emotions so that she wouldn't risk pain and hurting again.

Her eyes finally travelled around the room slowly, taking in what she saw. Another scent found her, one coming from the shadows. Acelin didn't know who it was, but it seemed to be a male, and he had noticed her scent too. She wasn't the kind to make conversation most of the time, but would if she knew the person. Her sea after a storm blue eyes remained looking at the shadows, before finally making its way back to the fire.