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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Nov 11, 2012 19:19:43 GMT
"It's been so long since I had friends..." she whispered. "I think I've forgotten how to be one." She looked confused for a moment, and her eyes closed as sleep fought to take over. She shook it off, and tried to smile at her old friend.
"Tell me all your news, Silvery," she said, clinging as firmly as she dared to the witch's hand. "What have you been up to? You're positively radiant! You must either be happy or in love, or both."
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Nov 12, 2012 16:45:37 GMT
Silvery gave a small shiver at the thought of Ophelia's father, she always found him to be a bit...scary, but she was relieved to hear that it was the medication that was affecting her vampire friend's reality in this way after all.
"Oh!" She replied to the healer with a smile. "That's great to hear. I just hope her father's visits and mine don't ever coincide. If you've been around him at all I'm sure you understand why."
She turned back to Ophelia, whose cold hand was gripping hers like a little girl starving for attention. She now wondered if she really was the only person other than her father and healers to ever visit her. That would truly be sad.
"Thank you, Ophelia! And yes, I suppose I am both. I don't guess you heard that I got married, did you? See?" She showed her her left hand, wiggling her fingers this way and that so that the diamonds on the beautiful silver ring Miles had bought her sparkled in the light of the lanterns scattered around the room. "I still can't get used to being called Mrs. though. That's my mother, not me." She laughed, taking a seat on the bed next to Ophelia...almost forgetting where they were and why they were here.
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Nov 18, 2012 10:16:09 GMT
Ophelia whispered, "Daddy is all I have left. Dante is gone, and Bojan... well. It's probably for the best. I don't want to inflict myself on him." She forced herself to cheer up and added in a slightly stronger voice, "But it is nice to have a visitor. Thank you, Silv."
She smiled weakly, wanting to be enthusiastic for her friend but too sedated to be as giddy as she felt. "Oh, Silvery! It's beautiful. Such perfect gems. So... who's the lucky man?" she asked, admiring the ring. "I know. It took me months before I stopped using my maiden name by mistake. It's quite a change, isn't it?"
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Dec 27, 2012 20:19:06 GMT
Her smile faded after Ophelia's words. She had lost so much, including her husband. Her story was truly a sad one.
"Ah! Bojan. Good man, real good man."
She forced a smile again and continued, answering her "lucky man" question next.
"Who's the lucky man? You really don't know?"
"Well, it's not Draco. That's who you saw me with last, isn't it? I married Miles Bletchley. I'm sure you know him."
Silvery glanced in the direction of the healer and then back, implying that she'd say more but couldn't in his presence.
She added, now completely serious.
So tell me Ophelia. How are you REALLY doing? Is there anything I can do to help you?
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Dec 28, 2012 0:17:34 GMT
Ophelia nodded, and said with more than a little choke to her voice, "The best."
She swallowed, forcing her sadness back down inside of her, determined to save her tears for when she was alone.
"Miles! Vlad Dracul, you bagged yourself a hottie!" She grinned, grateful for something positive to focus on. "Silv, you lucky thing! He is incredibly tasty... and I don't mean that in the toothy sort of way."
She took a deep breath, wondering how much she should tell her friend while the healer was listening in. In her darkest moments, Sickness had assured her that she had spilled far more serious secrets while she ranted and raved, and that she had screamed the very depths of her soul to no-one while she slept. In for a knut, in for a galleon, she supposed.
"To be frank, I'm something of a mess. I barely eat. I'm afraid to sleep, because sleep takes away what little certainty I have that I am still me. They forced me to take the Dark Gift, so I don't even have a wand any more. Everything that I had... everything that I was is gone. I don't think anyone really can help me, despite the very best efforts of the healers here. I don't know if I will ever be wholly myself again, and that scares me half to death. Tell me, Silvery, who can help me with all that?"
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Mar 27, 2013 20:00:10 GMT
Silvery's eyes widened in consternation.
"Did you say you don't have a wand anymore? You're no longer a witch?"
She did all she could to hide her shock and confusion. She didn't want to upset Ophelia unnecessarily, but she found the news to be utterly disconcerting. Were such drastic measures really necessary?
"I'm afraid I don't understand. Why did they feel the need to do this? And most importantly....was it worth it?"
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Mar 28, 2013 16:20:13 GMT
Ophelia nodded. "I'm afraid so. I wish it could be reversed. I miss having a heartbeat." She sighed, and added, "I asked Daddy to keep my wand. It's useless to me now, but it was such a beautiful piece of craft. Silver birch, with flowers engraved in the wood."
It was hard to accept the loss of her magic, especially when she had refused the Dark Gift from the first moment they had offered it. Her humanity was stolen from her, all in the name of healing, and she would never forgive the ones who had done this to her.
"The Dark Gift heals," she said softly. "They thought it would heal my mind." She balled her fists and said with a touch of ice to her voice, "They were wrong - just like I had told them."
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Mar 28, 2013 16:49:12 GMT
"Yes, I remember your wand. It was beautiful."
Silvery sighed, her eyes full of sadness. She was at a loss for words too. How could anyone think that taking the magic away from someone would be the way to heal them? Magic is THE healing element. Now her poor friend, who was once a perfect mix of vampire and witch full of strength and beauty and oh so much magical talent, is left with nothing but thirst, darkness, and an illness that wasn't cured anyway.
"I'm so sorry to hear this, Ophelia. Sorry, but also furious. Seriously, what in Merlin's name were they thinking? This wasn't your father's idea was it?"
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Mar 28, 2013 18:22:50 GMT
"Didn't you hear? They put me in the Carmilla LeFanu asylum for mad vampires. While I was there, that horrid child vampire, Giuilietta de Medici, took away my wand, and forced me to take the Dark Gift. I fought them. Oh, how I fought them! Killed two of them before they managed to hold me down..."
Even under sedation, the memory of that day was enough to make her blood boil. Her eyes burned red with anger as she told the tale. "They say Țepeș Syndrome is cured by the Dark Gift sometimes. I am the exception. I was too far gone, too damaged for it to help. My father was livid when he found out. He took me away from there, took me to London." She frowned, and shook her head like she was trying to shake off cobwebs. "We met someone. She had pink hair. And then I woke up in a Ministry cell, in pain and afraid."
She forced herself to sit up. "Dante was spared, only to burn. And they've taken everything from me... everything! I have nothing left, Silvery. Nothing but memories and sorrow and regret."
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Mar 28, 2013 19:20:39 GMT
Both saddened and horrified Silvery felt like she should have known and somehow helped her friend when all this took place. Unfortunately life had taken the women in completely opposite directions at the time, and Silvery had not had word of any of it until recently when she returned to the Dark Lord's ranks and was quickly briefed and dispatched to find out how Ophelia was faring - and how much of a liability she had become to their group.
She embraced Ophelia then.
"You will get through this. And I will help anyway I can. Just tell me what you need. No request will be too small or too large. I will kill that wretched doctor if you so wish me to. That's if you didn't already take care of that on your own."
She tried to smile at the notion but couldn't, the words "Dante" and "burn" going around in circles in her head.
"Oh Ophelia, please tell me I misheard you and your gorgeous brother is not really gone."
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Post by Dante Fuilteach on Mar 28, 2013 23:57:06 GMT
Pushing open the door, Dante heard Silvery's last words, and grinned. "I heard 'gorgeous' and 'brother', so I assume you mean me?" he asked, and strolled to the bed. "Missed me, little sister?" he said, stooping to kiss her cheek. He had just taken his potion, so his skin looked as flawless as ever, and with his wig in place he was his gorgeous foppish self once again. He turned to look at Silvery, and with a flamboyant bow he took her hand in his and kissed it. "Silvery, you radiant creature! With every day that passes you grow more beautiful."
"It will take more than a fire and a gang of vampire hunting peasants from Romania to get rid of me, darling," he said, taking in the sorry sight that was his sister. "When was the last time someone took a brush to that hair, Ophelia? You look like you were dragged through a gorse bush backwards!" He went looking around the room for a brush, and eventually found one. "Let's take care of that for you, shall we? Just like old times - big brother brushing your hair until you fall asleep!"
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Mar 29, 2013 0:01:45 GMT
Ophelia was about to answer when she saw Dante stroll in like he owned the place. Her jaw dropped. He looked like he always did - immaculately presented, hair perfect, skin perfect... But her father had spent over an hour trying to convince her potion addled brain that yes, her brother was dead, burned up in Romania by vampire hunters.
She continued to gape at him, more horrified than hopeful. She said in a small voice, "But... but Daddy said..." She shook her head and said in a more confident tone, "It's a hallucination. Right? I've gone completely round the bend, and now I'm seeing my dead brother. Oh Vlad Dracul, this is all I need... Hallucination Dante? Do me a favour and run off, please. It's bad enough that I dream about your death, but I don't want to look at you."
She turned to Silvery and said, "Please forgive me. Sometimes I see things. The Healers all assure me they're not real and can't hurt me."
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Post by Silvery Bletchley on Mar 29, 2013 0:15:46 GMT
Silvery was left without words once again. It had happened too fast. One second she was dreading to hear a confirmation of his death and the next...well, in the next moment one of the most beautiful men she had ever laid eyes on was bowing before her and kissing her hand.
She was elated, of course. And not only for the selfish reason of seeing Dante again, the protagonist of her naughtiest of dreams, but because just a minute ago Ophelia had confessed that she had lost everything. And Dante was here to prove to her that the statement could not be further from the truth.
Silvery smiled brightly at Dante but before she could thank him for his compliment she heard Ophelia speak. Her reaction to Dante's appearance was to be expected, of course. But that did not make it any easier to have to sit through. It was just too sad.
"No Ophelia. I see him too. He's here! And he's as perfect as ever."
She scooted away from Ophelia, giving Dante room to get close to his sister and brush her hair. Then she whispered to him.
"This is exactly what she needs Dante. You may be what it takes to help her. If we can convince her you're really here, that is."
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Post by Dante Fuilteach on Mar 29, 2013 0:33:56 GMT
"Now, dearest, we mustn't gape!" Dante chided, and gently pushed Ophelia's chin upwards, closing her mouth. "As pretty as you are, it makes you look like a cod fish, and we can't have that, can we?"
He glanced up and down Silvery approvingly. "You really are radiant! I take it from the ring on your finger, however, that you are off the market. He is a lucky man!" He lowered his voice, and said quietly enough that Ophelia wouldn't overhear, "She's worse than I thought. Father said she was delicate at the moment, but I had no idea it had gone this far... I can't thank you enough for coming to see the poor dear. You are a true friend, Silvery dear."
He turned then, taking a proper look at his little sister, and said in a far softer voice, "Father didn't lie. He thought it was true, but I survived the fire. I was burned and broken, yes, but I survived, and now I'm here to help take care of you. I'm as real as your own hands, darling. Promise." He sat on the bed beside her and gently brushed her hair, tutting every time he encountered a tangle.
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Post by Ophelia Fuilteach on Mar 29, 2013 0:42:40 GMT
Ophelia continued to stare at him, her eyes wide. She remembered the fire. It had flashed through her mind the moment it happened, Dante's fear and pain echoing through the minds of all those who had shared his blood. She remembered flames, panic, and most of all pain, searing and consuming. She still had nightmares, echoes of that memory being relived by her damaged mind as she slept.
His fingers on her chin certainly felt real. She didn't want to hope, just in case it was another hallucination. When Silvery spoke, and confirmed that she could see him too, her eyes welled up with tears. "You survived all that!" she gasped.
As soon as he started brushing her hair, she winced. It had been too long since she had taken care of herself, and while Dante had a gift for all things related to grooming, he was more efficient than gentle. She grinned at Silvery, slightly embarrassed that her foppish big brother was brushing her hair while she had company. "I always said he was prettier than me. Even on my wedding day, I worried that he'd show me up!"
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