The Tribunal of Marius de Romanus, Pt. 1

marius-and-maryI knew the time had come. Monday is the Tribunal.  David and Maharet had done all they could do, at least I wouldn’t be put down like a lame dog. But I would be away from my family, my Lydia. That hurt me more than anything else. I know that as much as she sometimes gets overwhelmed by my antics, Lydia is actually a very sensitive woman and the knowledge that I am out there somewhere where she can run to is a big comfort for her. I am not sure that anyone would be able to quiet the silence that she would feel if they sentence me to a box. Not even Va’lis, for as much as she loves him and he loves her — it’s not the same. That desperation was one I felt when Lydia taken from me and only when you have that kind of love could you ever truly relate. But there was no turning back now, I must face the music. 

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An Interesting Opportunity

Marius de Romanus (Age: 2,278 Apparent: 40

What is surely to be an interesting opportunity quickens my resolve to continue my work.

Piper Vale walked back into our lives. But no this wasn’t the same Piper I used to know.  This was Piper the Vampire.  Vampirism having stripped her of her witchery, she was now accustomed to her new reality, but was she?  She talked of the struggles she’s had to work to overcome and how difficult it had been.  But of course, Ashiok had made her vampire and all but left her to her own devices. Surely, at her own request; she’s stubborn like that. She thought she could handle it on her own, being around vampires the majority of her life.  But by her own admission, she had underestimated the importance of a good sire. As most of us do, for one reason or another. Now she felt a bit lost, a bit overwhelmed, and certainly a bit lonely. She needed a vampire that could educate her, guide her, mentor her.

Of course, I offered her to become my protego.  This was Piper.  Our Piper.  I would not leave her to suffer and have her grow to be unstable.  That’s what happens without a proper sireship. But the memory of Piper would surely evoke other memories, especially for Pandora. She was afterall the woman that brought Brelynn and Saralyn to us, helped us raise them, developed us into actual parents. Everytime we look at her, we’re reminded of what we lost. 

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An Honest Conversation

injecting-the-serumCherry walked into my office as I was trying to navigate the expedition of the application for the Razele Bloodline to be protected under House Romanus. She had something on her mind, “Oh sorry I can see you are busy, I’ll just… I’ll just come back some other time.” She said. I immediately put my papers aside and said, “Cherry get in here and sit down.” She did just that. People normally do what I tell them to do, but Cherry was special. Special to me.

She is my grandprogeny, made of my most humble of servants, Amroth de Plinius. I cried when I made him. So gentle, a god-fearing man of the cloth, but also a warrior in his own right. Amroth actually forwent the registration of his own line and let Cherry register the Spyergenanbaum line as its own bloodline, under House Romanus. And what she has done with it has been nothing short of remarkable. She makes Amroth proud every single day. She makes me proud every single day.

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A Matter of Urgent Concern

*a letter written to David Talbot from Marius de Romanus*

Dearest old friend,

I’m afraid there has been an incident that I will need your help to navigate.

As you may have heard, we engaged in hostile actions with House Draconis in the heart of London. The fire that was reported to be malfunctioning oil heating was in fact not just a fire. 

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Let’s Keep On Not Talking About It

*at Marius’ office in Romanus Manor*

I called Armand to talk about the events that occurred in Paris that had Armand so fumed with anger. Locking him and Va’lis in the gun cellar when Maharet announced they had taken his wife in addition to Carrie had been a wise move on my part, but perhaps my execution of it all was not.  There is too much history between Armand and I that lingers and interjects in our relationship. Where as with Va’lis, we have more of a clean slate.  I knew this conversation was not going to go well when he walked in and immediately said, “I can’t expect an apology from you now can I?” To which I replied, “I had to keep you from going after them on your own.”

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Blood Will Flow, Pt. 7

marius-burn-it-downI heard that sound and I jumped behind Va’lis to catch him by his neck, I pulled him to me dropping him down to the ground covering him completely with my own weight. Cherry took a split second to turn her rage in the right direction, at Kirk. She flew through the air and using the butt of her gun struck him clear across his face knocking him flat on the floor. He almost immediately sprung back to feet only to be met with Cherry’s full hellfire vamp mode; fangs and claws out. “Oh you came to play,” Kirk taunted her. She was a fierce killer when she turns up. She stood up straight and threw her guns down, putting up her fists. She made a beckoning hand gesture,”Come get some.” Kirk chuckled and threw down his own guns. What ensued was one hell of a fist fight.

I managed to pull Va’lis up from the ground, remaining horizontal and moved with him back towards the back hall where I saw no one stood guard. I ripped into my wrist letting my blood flow into Va’lis lips. He shook awake now feeling the full pain of the shot that burned in his torso. He let out a muffled cry, “Fuck that hurts!” He winced, biting his lower lip. “Stay still, drink.” I whispered to him offering my wrist again. He took it and drank deep. As he did I ripped through the leather jerkin he wore trying to find the wound. He wasn’t going to like what I did next. Ripping a piece of the leather I stuffed it in his mouth taking back my wrist,”Bite down, trust me,” I said. He did so. I used my short dagger retrieved from my inner boot strap and cut into his stomach; I need to get that bullet out. Va’lis was in agony. I felt almost all his pain, like we were bonded but we’re not. I stuck my fingers in and dug that bullet out. I then ripped into my other wrist dripping my blood into the wound directly. The burning of the healing is so intense. I gripped his hand tight looking into his eyes as he kept biting that torn leather.  “Sssshhhh, it will pass son. Hang on!” I tried to soothe him.

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Getting Back What Belongs to Us, Pt. 4

paris-france-pallisades-boardroomThe entire family was walking out of several elevators from the world gate 5 levels beneath them.  They were in the 1st level basement which was turned into meeting rooms and conference centers. Marius called out to Armand, “Armand! Armand! Va’lis! Where are you?” No answer. Lestat went to the other levels that have personal quarters and searched for Armand and Va’lis.  Lestat came back to Marius in the command center room, “Nothing. They are not here,” he reported.  “God dammit!” Marius grew angry.  “Such defiant children! I cannot believe Armand would not follow my instructions,” Marius slammed a fist on the table.

“Relax old man,” Va’lis voice echoed. Marius looked up to see both his sons completely soaked from the sewers at the Tower.  “Could you be any more stubborn?! I specifically said, you wait. You cannot go encountering the unknown and possibly facing off with 3400 yr old vampires without backup! You’ll get yourselves killed!” Marius screamed.  Va’lis opened his mouth to say something, but he had nothing. Armand jumped in, “Look we need to confirm that Carrie was in fact being held where our reports said she was; visual confirmation of the extraction target. Besides you know Va’lis wasn’t going to just sit around. If I hadn’t gone with him he would have probably gotten himself killed. At least I could keep him from stepping on a landmine.”  Marius sneered, but he knew Armand was right. Va’lis chimmed in, “She’s definitely there. In case you wanted to know.”  His sarcasm was not lost on Marius.

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I Await Thee

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I knew Mary would run to Lestat.  I knew it.  And I didn’t mind one bit, Lestat is like the bratty kid in the family who everyone simply adores.  Lestat told me she would be spending a few days in New York, alone.  I respected that, as much as I wanted to run after her,  and just waited.  And waited.  I needed her like mortals need air to breathe.  Mary had become much more than just my muse, she was smart, sassy, and had grown strong.  I wanted nothing more than to keep her close.

Finally, she sent word she would be coming back to Sosaria.  So I dressed in my best suit and made way for the portal in Umbra.  I waited for her all day.  I wanted my face to be the first thing she saw as she stepped through.  And when she did… she was back to her natural blonde hair, dressed in a sexy little black dress looking very much like the rock star she is, some might even say she looks like a movie star. To me, she made me forget to breathe — quite literally.

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Our eyes locked and it was all she wrote as we desperately fell into each other’s arms.  I knew at that very moment, this woman would be mine for the rest of whatever eternity we both would share.  That I could make her happy, that I could be her husband fully without reservation, that Pandora would respect this for once, for the first time in her life, that these two women would shape every decision I made on behalf of my family.  Oh how much power they had.  Pandora knew it, Mary would now learn it. The three of us would rule supreme.

I felt a peace, a peace that I so longed to feel in the last few weeks since news of the Draconians settling here broke, a peace I now knew I’d only ever feel in their arms — Pandora and Mary.  We’ve become the new Trinity.

For A Man That Fears Little

Marycrying

The family, mostly the council members, were gathered around all involved in the heated conversations around me, but my thoughts lingered to Mary.  My dear Mary who is so young.  The Draconians were a real threat, and unlike Earth where our anonymity keeps us from all out open war, Sosaria’s knowledge of our existence is going to appeal to them as a catalyst for open war.  I cannot remember the last time I’ve had an all out open battle… not in centuries.  Would it come to this here in these lands?

We have so much at stake here.  Here is where we have most of our younger vampires, where they are safer in a sense from the deadly rays of the Earth’s sun.  Malas’ sun is weak and allows us a certain freedom within it.  We also have our mortals here… the majority of them… like my daughter, Brelynn and my grandchildren, Rose and Antonio Romanus. So much to protect, but in my heart… my immediate worry is my Mary.  She is not going to want to leave us in this time of need, but its so much safer for her to be back on Earth. I know her, I know what she will say,  she will be adamant about staying by my side, by Pandora’s side.  She will be afraid of loosing us, of loosing Lestat and Louis… who undoubtedly want to stay and fight with us (and frankly I’ll need them, especially Lestat).  But I cannot keep my head in the game, keep my mind clear, if I am constantly worrying about Mary.

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A Difficult Lesson

midieval-jailroomI knew that taking Mary through her journey of exploring her gifts wouldn’t be peaches and cream.  No.  It would be tough, sometimes unbearable, not just for her but for me as her maker. But I am determined to make her into a better, well-rounded, powerful vampire.  Afterall, she was created with my blood… the blood of Akasha.  And it was Akasha I feared the most in Mary’s regard. For the culling is soon to be underway and if Mary is to survive, she must be taught properly.

For I took her out and showed her how to awaken her Glamour Gift; bending the will of mortals and creatures to her own.  She channels the power that is naturally within her, through her music.  She did well, some trouble at first but she’s getting better. The Glamour Gift taps into your own individual energy, which can come from whatever feeds it, to project outwardly. For me, I use my love for Pandora, which has always been the source of my greatest power. But I also use the love of my entire family to fuel it. For Mary, it is the love of music that fuels her… the source of her energy and power.  She will need to practice the Glamour Gift more until she perfects it.

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