Private Decay | Cordelia

[Rience]

D E C A Y​

Tag: Cordelia Malkavian
Location: Lake Country, Naboo

The days were as stones upon his shoulders.

When last the Titan set his eyes upon the estate, it was in a far better state of being. By no means was the residence as large or as breathtaking as the rest of Naboo, but what it lacked in splendor it made up for in being Home. Yet, as Rience ascended the broken steps towards his refuge, it would be difficult to even apply that label. His expression was, at the very least, colored with surprise when his brass key still worked in the front door. Even more still when the door pratically buckled and fell off its hinges.

And as he struggled to keep the piece from shattering against the marble floor, the light of day graced his "Home."

The curtains which once proudly introduced the light had been drawn...and seemed to have been rent apart by blades. The bookshelves were broken, with pages scattered about the floors and furniture. Every bust and vase had crumbled. And there was a fine layer of dust coating everything. Time had not been kind to this place. Nor had whomever had seen fit to unleash Hell upon it. The Titan had an inkling of an idea of who it might have been. She who had the second key to the home, specifically.

Where to even start was the question which danced upon his mind.

Fledgling steps bore him slowly into the residence. Each stride kicking up plumes of dust and grime from the carpets underneath. Each plume causing his nose to itch and his eyes to water. Allergies. The bane of all civilized men it seemed. He paused at the end of the entrance hall, just at the base of the far stairs. To the left of the winding staircase was one end table which had been relatively untouched. In fact, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Dust was, miraculously, absent from its form. And the sole item on top did not show any signs of damage.

He reached for it - a picture within a frame. His face and another. A memory of a time long since past - long since...all of this.

Instinct screamed. His fingers tightened around the picture whilst his offhand casually slipped into his pants pocket. Fingers closing about the medallion residing within the fabrics. He felt the warmth of his might upon the metal. He willed it to awaken at his call. To be ready - for it was clear he was not alone.​

 

[Cordelia Malkavian]

Forgotten?​

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Tags: | Rience |​

Location: Lake Country, Naboo

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It was still the strangest thing...to be up, and about. To wander from one place to another, freely without the fear of being captured and put through her paces in every form of the phrase. It had taken her time to heal, so much time, and there were days when she still didn't know which way was up. But her captor had made the mistake of underestimating her. She had been found on the battlefield, beaten and broken in so many ways, and therefore had been the perfect target for an easy meal. Apparently a meal with a taste that couldn't be ignored, and eventually her body had recovered - and changed. New strengths, new impulses, new hunger.

It had been far too easy to take the life of the creature who had taken her hostage, and from there Cordelia had not looked back.

For a time, she was ravenous; anything in her path suffered her ire, but did not quench her unrelenting thirst. Nothing it seemed would tame her, nothing would satisfy her. From place to place Delia moved, never lingering long enough for any large group of irate people to catch wind of her location due to her deeds, and eventually this brought her to Naboo. Oddly, she did not feel the same desire to ravage these people. In fact, she felt nothing at all. A strange numbness carried her forward, a hollowness that she could not explain forced her to put one foot in front of the other. Not once did she look where she was going, not once did she observe her surroundings. Her feet moved and she obeyed the movement, and when she came to a home...she was confused.

A hand reached for the door, and from the moment her fingers pressed to it, everything became a blur. So when the home was finally disturbed a second time, the damages within were not so easily explainable. It had not been blades against the drapes, but the lashing out from Delia as she attempted to rip this house asunder for answers that she could not reach or come to on her own. There were very few things she had left in tact, and the picture, that single little frame, had been one of the few.

She had been aware when she was no longer alone, and like the predator she was Cordelia had silently stalked the body that had come into her home - for she had at least figured out and remembered that this was her home. "Rience..." the name slipped off her tongue with a familiarity she couldn't even recall. A familiarity that made her feel warm for the first time in who knew how long. But it was fleeting, and she stayed consumed in the darkened portion of the room, uncertain what this familiarity was and worse yet? How it would be reciprocated.

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[Rience]

R E M E M B E R​

T A G : Cordelia Malkavian

The Heart and Instinct Collided.

Like two meteors burning through the heavens, parts of the Titan clashed. His instinct screamed to remain on guard - that the voice which spoke in the Darkness couldn't be who it was. Yet his heart...oh his heart skipped a beat when the velvet tone reached his ears. It had been so long, too long, since he heard it last. And in that time, he had wandered the stars, defeaned to who he truly was. A crime of memory - a crisis of identity. Now whole, he had returned to that place called home. And who he found was the one he shared these very walls with. If his heart had its way, he would have crossed the room in that instant to find her embrace. To finally make right the years of distance.

Yet instinct won the day.

Despite the tug. Despite the ache. Rience remained on guard and rooted to the spot. His mind raced - sweat beading upon his brow. Was this some sort of trick? Was the home itself subject to a new form of Darkness or Illusion which now plagued him? Was it truly her? What about her voice. There was something off about it. There were far too many questions and not enough answers. Let alone, the darkness between them made it impossible to fully see her face. Yet, he could make out the crimson of her hair within the shadows. The man swallowed, silence ruling him for a moment, before he made a decision.

"Delia. Is that really you?" he began. A caution step was taken forward, his hand remaining in his pant's pocket. The warmth yet lingered. "Please tell me this isn't some trick...Please tell me it's really you." Oh how he wanted to believe. His heart wanted nothing else in the entire cosmos. But he had to see her face. He had to know for absolute certain.

Was she real? Or was his home about to see further ruin?

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[Cordelia Malkavian]

Familiarity​

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Tags: Rience ​

The was recognition, a returned sense of familiarity. Whatever it was she had felt was reciprocated, and surprisingly this confused Cordelia a bit. Her brow pulled down in the middle, and she made a noise in her throat as she gazed with perfect clarity across the distance between them. A distance he seemed content to close with a step forward. This caused Delia's gaze to peel from his face to his feet and for a time she stared as if daring him to take another. The creature that was ever present beneath the surface of her skin begged for dominance, for control. For the chance to lash out and demand answers as to who this Rience thought he was and why he was trespassing in her home - familiarity be damned!​

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But Delia did not allow this; it was that very familiarity that caused her to take a step forward as her gaze peeled up from the floor again to find the eyes watching her - or trying to. "In a manner of speaking," she found herself answering him, though whether to his question or his statement was honestly up in the air. ​

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She took another step forward.​

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The light was fleeting, but each step brought her from the darkened corner she had been using to shield herself with. There was really only one visible change to Delia's features; she was perhaps more pale now than she had been the last time the pair of them were face to face. She had always been porcelain in color, fair complected, but for someone who knew her intimately it would be a noticeable change. But otherwise, there were no real changes. There was the shame sharpness to her crimson gaze, her skin was still soft to the touch despite her hardened nature - though that of course would not be known at the moment - and of course that fiery blaze of hair. She would feel different, however. Her signature within the Force was no longer the same.​

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Another step carried her forward, and she would be in full view now, unhindered by the lingering shadows around the home. A sigh escaped her through her nose and once more her brow pulled down in the middle. "Why are you here?" There were fragments of memory starting to pull themselves together slowly. And honestly she couldn't pull the last time they were together in this home to the forefront of her mind, not yet at least.​

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[Rience]

H O M E​

T A G : Cordelia Malkavian

Something was Off.

In that moment, each and every instinct within the Hunter screamed in protest. Yet Rience silenced the experience and skill that had kept him alive this long. Before him, after so many years, was the sight of what his heart craved the most. It was almost like a dream...though, frankly...the reunion would have been a little less tense than this if it were a dreamscape. Nonetheless, the look on Rience's face was the furthest thing from antagonistic. When that crimson gaze settled upon his countenance, she would see the face of a man who looked at her as if she were air.

As if he needed her to exist.

She took a step forward, revealing herself better to the dull light of the estate. Despite the shadow and the dust, Rience was able to see her clearly. And it was in that moment that instinct began to crack through ever so slightly. Something had changed within her. She did not feel the same. When last they were together, simply basking in her presence was like the smell of cinnamon. Unique. Sharp. Comforting. It was like being home. Yet now? Her very identity in the Force had shifted. It was cold. It...it screamed Hunger. Something terrible had happened.

He was not there to save her.

Guilt ripped through the man's soul as he looked upon her. She answered his question in an even tone. Dangerously. She was Delia, yes, in a matter of speaking. This all but confirmed that some ill fate had befallen her. And then, she asked a question of her own. Why was he here? Where did he start. Should he go into detail about how he lost his memory for so long after a battle gone awry? Should he simply state facts - that he was home and wanted his life back? Her back? There was so much to say, so much he wanted to say. But what he settled on was the simple truth.

"Because I love you." He took a step forward to match hers. Slow. Deliberate. Nonthreatening. "And before the...matter of speaking...you loved me too." He only hoped that this was enough to make her see. To make her realize that, no matter what had happened, it was certainly him.

He was finally home.

382

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[Cordelia Malkavian]

Truth​

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Tags: Rience ​

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The mood shifted within the room in the matter of a set of heartbeats. The answer that Cordelia had given, or perhaps it was her very appearance, had sent a wave of unease through the man standing across from her. She heard it in the very thrum of his heart, the slightest hitch in the breath that had followed. Oddly, his reaction made her feel momentarily self conscious, which was a sensation that the redheaded woman hadn't felt in...well...she couldn't actually recall. But her lips pursed and her brow pulled down, and she almost lifted a hand to touch her face in this fleeting moment - but did not actually do as such.​

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Strange how a simple reaction seared through her the way that this one did. Why should it matter how someone reacted to her, even if that someone was Rience? But the very simple answer was held within that very question; because the reaction had come from Rience. Almost as quickly as her self conscious moment had come, it was gone again and Delia's expression smoothed back out. It was understandable after all, now that she had the moment to consider just why unease had occurred. ​

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The last time she and Rience had seen one another, Delia had very much so been alive. Her very presence had been warm - to him at least - vibrant, full of thriving life. She would not have questioned his return, she would have said nothing and instead allowed for her actions and body to speak for her. There would have been no hesitation in welcoming him home. But now? She knew she was different, how different she must appear in everything but her looks. His had been a reaction to the difference; Rience was aware that Delia was hungry.​

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And as soon as she thought about it, the redhead became aware of just how dry her throat felt. How long had it been since she had left this house to appease her hunger? She couldn't remember...but now the burning in her throat had created a constant reminder of the fact. Some part of Delia was aware that Rience was speaking, that he was answering her question as to why he had returned, why he had bothered to check their home, but her gaze had dipped to the visible, gently thumping pulse point just beneath the surface of the skin on his neck. Her gums ached, eager for fangs to elongate and sink into soft, tender flesh. Knowing the man as well as she did, as intimately as she did, Delia could just imagine how he tasted. ​

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Her muscles tensed, her expression hardened just a tad-- And then she heard him. ​

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His words pierced through the hunger clouding her brain and her gaze corrected itself to once again meet his. Again and again those words repeated themselves in her head. Again and again she mulled over them, processed them, and each time she became less and less aware of the burn in her throat. He Loved Her. But it wasn't his proclamation that had stilled her, no it was what he had stated afterwards about her feelings towards him. At no point could she recall feeling anything less for him than she had before. How many times had she wished for him to be there when she was suffering? To take her home, to help her, to put her out of her misery. Even when she had lost herself, she could recall strong, unrelenting feelings, she just hadn't been able to remember what they were for.​

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But now, there was clarity, or at least more clarity than there had been before. "Not just before the manner of speaking..." she admit to him. After all, she had come here of all places, apparently lead by not only familiarity, but longing for the only person who had ever made her feel whole.​

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[Rience]

E M B R A C E​

T A G : Cordelia Malkavian

Conflict.

When a man comes to love, even the slightest details become incredible. The change in her hairstyle. A pout of the lips. A roll of the eyes. Every moment, no matter how small, would be captured in the man's memory. With love came the capacity to observe on a deeper level. To seek out those small changes without thinking. Thus, Rience watched as Cordelia's expression evolved before him. He witnessed the pursing of her lips - a fact that caused his lips to twitch ever so slightly. His mind was reminded of when last he saw that expression...and it was when trying on a something at the store.

Ah, how different those days were. When shopping for clothes was the apex of their concerns.

Then, he saw the conflict. The hardening of her expression. The grappling of some silent struggle within. And when he spoke, he saw the stone melt away. The tension eroded instantly. It was like a wave of ease had washed over her form, gripping her in a sound embrace. Rience waited, his heart thundering within his chest, for her to respond. And when she did, her admission caused his heart to practically skip a beat. Instinct and the Heart moved as one. There was only one response. He moved, quickly. Yet to those monstrous instincts she now possessed, he might as well have been moving in the slowest of motions.

Regardless, he crossed the gap between them - his hands pulled her into his arms.

His dominant hand came to rest upon the rear of her head. His arms encircled her, snaring her form against his own. He noticed the chill right away - the absence of the warmth of Humanity. But he did not give a damn. She was here, his Delia was here. "I'll never let you go." Never again. They had found one another, finally. And though change had come into their lives, the foundation would remain the same. Rience loved his Cordelia.

And Cordelia loved her Rience.

333

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[Cordelia Malkavian]

Control​

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Tags: Rience ​

The fact that the very first thing to be noticed by this embrace was the coolness of her skin was no surprise for Cordelia. Just the same as it came as no surprise to her when the warmth of Rience's frame as she was drawn to it called to her like a siren's song. At first she had stiffened, not because she was attempting to ward him off, or offended by the idea that he would come forward and do such a thing. No, it was because she was legitimately afraid that at this closeness, with no space between them, she would have no control. ​

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The very scent of him and the thumping pulse within his body had been enough to distract her from who he was just moments before, and now here they were testing the very limitations of the creature she could be. As expected, the ache in her gums returned, the burn in her throat rekindled like flames with a fresh rush of oxygen. But it was bearable, tolerable. The warmth that encased her frame caused the redheaded woman to sigh out a breath she had not realized she had been holding onto, and Delia's frame melted against Rience's.​

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Strange how she could not recall the amount of time spent apart between them. Nor could she muster the memory of the last time they had stood within these walls in this very sort of embrace. But a life before that? Those memories were beginning to surface, fuzzy but tangible. A life lived within this house, the pair of them, turning the once empty space into a home. It was not all crystal clear, but it was at least there and it allowed her to curl her arms around this man that was truly dear to her, and bury her face against his skin without further fear that she could cause him harm.​

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At some point, there would be questions. What had happened to him, why had he not come home? Why had he not been present when she had fallen? Why had they been apart for such things? Amongst other questions that would surface as well. But for now, his comment about not letting her go made Delia laugh softly against his skin and nod. There were no words in response, she hadn't the ability to muster them at the moment. But her arms tightened just a little more, returning the sentiment physically, as body language had always been her best spoken language.​

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[Rience]

TOGETHER

Rience could have stood there forever.

It was not lost upon him that her form stiffened initially. A reflex. Defense. The mind telling the body to keep its guard ever-raised. Yet, shortly thereafter, Delia's form melted into his embrace. It was just as it should be. She released a sigh - he smiled. For but the briefest of moments, things were right.

But, with their reunion came questions.

The void of years needed to be accounted for. The longer his arms held the fiery-haired woman, the more he wanted to know. Thus, he broke the quiet with but a single inquiry.

"What now?"

Cordelia Malkavian​

 

[Cordelia Malkavian]

Together​

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Tags: Rience ​

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That one, simple inquiry seemed to bring Cordelia back to the immediate moment. She had been lost in the thick of reunion, so consumed by all things Rience, that she had forgotten why she was there within their home in the first place. Her grip on him tightened, and had he been any other person in the galaxy she probably would have crushed him within her grasp right then at there.​

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But this was Rience, her Rience. She would not harm him.​

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"The girls," the words left her lips through grit teeth, and she did not put space between them in order to see his face while she spoke. "Calixte is gone," she would personally deal with the man who had been left responsible with her oldest child. But it was the youngest of her brood - their brood - that Delia was most upset about. "Caelyn is gone...and there is no trace of her what so ever. It's as if she was erased from here, from me entirely."​

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Technically, it would be erased from them, but in that moment Delia had backslid just a tad to her more feral nature.​

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