Morana Tacitus

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Morana was as observant as she usually was, her blue eyes narrowing further when she took notice of the way the man`s hand remained firmly rested on his pocket; it was easy for her to determine that was where he had a weapon hidden, meaning he was cautious and rightfully so. Besides, the forest itself was known for being dangerous and lethal. Vampires were not the only ones that resided in these woods and, to be quite frank, they were always considered more tame compared to the other monstrosities out there. A brief smile flashed across her face at the mere thought, a contemplative hum sounding deep in her chest as she continued to watch him closely. For some peculiar reason, she found herself wanting to learn more about this human, as if her cold heart itself wanted to indulge him in a little game of cat and mouse. Yeah, this human was certainly interesting and she wanted to figure out precisely why. The Father had always said he believed that each member of the Vampiric Court was destined to have a heir one day- that they would know precisely which human would be the right one- but Morana had always deemed it bullshit; the others, excluding Celeste who already had a heir of her own, agreed with her wholeheartedly.

``I`m sure,`` Morana laughed gently as she relaxed her stance against a nearby tree, folding her arms across her chest whilst tilting her chin a fraction. Her gaze remained entirely fixated on him, refusing to wander off or drift away whenever a sound broke the silence around them. A brief sigh escaped her as she lifted one of her hands to twirl a stray strand of her hair. Morana had to keep up with this act of being human, even if it was slowly driving her insane already. ``The cold`s never bothered me. A lot of people from where I`m from are the same way.``

She nodded when he asked about her watching him set up the wards. As far as she knew, it was common human knowledge regarding what wards looked like and what they did; of course, it was the incredibly simplified version, but it would still not be bewildering for her to know about them. Morana straightened herself and stepped away from the tree she had been leaning against, approaching the ward that was nearly finished being repaired. She almost reached for it to see if it would hurt as terribly as the rumors say, but she didn`t dare do it.. Maybe, she would have if the human was not actively wacthing her. She eventually spoke again, feigning awe and intrigue, ``Wards always look so.. pretty, in their own unique ways.``

Morana nearly smirked when he spoke of not being able to tell her about the wards. It would seem like her and the others were doing a successful job at scaring them or, at the very least, making them worry. She doubted the Vampiric Court would truly do anything to wipe out the town, especially when they desperately needed humans for their blood and the other town that was considered close was nearly a day`s trip away. A hum escaped her again before she replied gently, her voice understanding, ``I see.. I just haven`t really heard of wards breaking where I come from.``

When he asked if she wanted to go into town with him, she quirked a brow in surprise. Truly, she had never expected a human to be so willing to bring someone into the town that he didn`t even know anything about; surely, he knew that vampires weren`t the only human-looking monster out there? She almost pitied him for being so trusting and gullible, yet she took advantage of it. Before the ward could finish repairing completely, she walked towards him and stepped onto the side that he was on- the side that would let her go into town with no problems whatsoever. During that brief second she was aligned with the other wards, however, she felt like her skin was aflame for a split moment; it was horrid, but she had to tolerate it just for that one moment.

``I suppose extra company wouldn`t be a bad thing,`` she smiled at him, folding her arms across her chest again out of habit. For some odd reason, her smile had been a little genuine; tonight certainly was full of surprises.

“You’re from a colder part of the world, are you?” He hummed, a bit too preoccupied by the smoking wards to make proper conversation, or watch her. That didn’t mean he missed her eyes, not moving away from him. It was hard to miss that icy blue gaze following his every move, even if he was only catching it out of the corner of his own view. Why was she watching him so intensely? Her sigh made him glance over at her more directly. She was distracting…something about her kept nagging in the back of his mind. Really…what was it with him tonight? Annoyed at himself he reminded himself that he was technically still on the clock until these wards burnt out and he told Farrah about it.

Watching her get closer to the ward made him tilt his head, she’d been so close to the border they formed that Sorren hadn’t registered that she’d been on the wrong side of them this whole time, and he still missed it- his human mind wasn’t like a vampire’s. It got clouded, and it missed details…like the fact that her feet were just behind the ward border. “I’ve actually always thought the same” He replied “Reminds me of Christmas decorations, don’t you think? They take a lot of skill to make, I’m a bit too awkward with the tools to get them just right” He confessed to her, finding himself…oddly relieved to talk out loud. It made the forest seem less dark and empty.

Speaking with another Rowan may have given him more of an opportunity to express his worries about these wards, but the mysterious woman was alright too. He shrugged when she said that she wasn’t used to hearing about wards breaking “Maybe they have a similar policy, you’d be surprised…plenty of Sects handle these things quietly. Speaking of, you won’t mind keeping this to yourself?” Sorren checked, if she mentioned this to the wrong person and it got out it could cause panic and get him in trouble. Sorren liked this job, he thought it was important- he didn’t want to lose it.

Protecting others from vampires meant a lot to him. He hated what they could do…he hated the fear they struck into everyone, including himself. No Rowan was truly without fear of the monsters in these woods, but that’s why Sorren thought the job deserved dedication and respect. The people he worked with were brave, and they looked out for one another. On that, Farrah- he should get back to her.

“Your company isn’t so bad from my side either” He chuckled “Come on let’s get going, people are waiting for me and probably for you too, hm?” Sorren turned away from the ward once it finished smoking, waving her with him as he set off towards the Rowan headquarters. It was an uneventful walk until they got back into the city lights. Like he’d expected, Farrah was there. The older woman hurried over and grabbed him by his shoulders. “You took your sweet time didn’t you?” She scolded

Sorren was about to apologize but she waved him into silence “As long as the wards are up?” A simple nod seemed to be all she needed. “Good, good…who is this with you?” She raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired woman with Sorren “Oh I was just walking her back to town, she was out on a walk” He filled her in. There weren’t that many people around, most of them were with their families or friends by now. Looking towards the inner city, the moving lights and rising smoke of chimneys or street cooking suggested that the first day of the festival was still going strong. Maybe he could still go out tonight. He’d feel bad for leaving the woman he’d found alone though “Are you going to be alright finding your way around?” Sorren’s hand had finally left his pocket, and he was resting it over the nape of his neck- his posture much more relaxed than in the woods.

He had a sense of security in this town, as false as it may currently be- it allowed him to let his guard down. His face was less severe, the subtle creases of anxiety vanishing now under the warm glow.

Morana Tacitus

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``I suppose you could say that,`` Morana replied as she continued to observe him, trying to figure out the most minuscule of details about the man solely from his appearance and other factors. Since he didn`t seem as cautious as most hunters were, she presumed he was more of a.. covenant member. Morana, truth be told, lacked knowledge when it came to the covenants that had been fabricated and originated along with where each one was. She presumed that covenants were assimilated groups of humans with the shared goal of thwarting and hunting down specific monstrosities; most of them aimed to eradicate vampires since they were, although less brutal, far more likely to kill and conquer. This man, however, struck her almost as an ordinary citizen. He wasn`t as cocky or egotistical as most hunters would be, which was probably why she was curious about him.

``I would presume so. Wards are sacred things, protecting towns for who knows how long,`` she replied to his comments regarding the wards surrounding them. If they hadn`t nearly burnt her to a crisp from the inside out, she would have had the enthusiasm to agree. There was something about them that would make anyone want to use them as decorations, but then again.. each line and symbol had to be precise or else it served no purpose whatsoever. ``I can only imagine how difficult it is to make them in the first place.``

Morana had never actually seen one of her fellow Vampiric Court members turn a human into a vampire. She was aware of it being a sacred things, almost always reserved until a vampire found a human they believed to be their ``destined one``. It was an absolutely ridiculous concept in her opinion, but she remembered the things The Father had told her about, even if she despised him more than humans. He had told her all the things that only she and the other royals could do, things that he almost regretted giving them the power of. Perhaps that was what led to him separating from them all after a few centuries dealing with their bullshit; she understood him and his reasons.. almost. When he asked her to not say anything about the wards, she offered a simple nod.

Not a word left her as she followed the man through the woods, letting him lead her to the town she had only heard of. Morana wondered if they had been untouched by the others, if they faced threats more dangerous than just vampires; she had heard of werewolf infestations and even other cryptids taking over places that had been oblivious to the horrors that existed in the shadows. She pitied them- almost- and wondered if the humans would ever advance enough to wipe them all out. The Father often said that humans were far smarter and intelligent than any of them could imagine, but Morana believed it was all a futile attempt to get them to only kill humans when necessary.

She was drowned in childlike curiosity when they arrived, her blue eyes darting to and fro as if she had never seen a town before; spoiler alert: she had. Human civilizations made her wish that vampires didn`t stick to themselves so much; there was no community whatsoever.. not ever since a specific group of vampires went against everyone else.

Morana`s thoughts were interrupted when she saw the woman speaking with the man, her eyes narrowing just a little. The way the two were interacting was making her believe they had known each other for a while, something that almost warmed her cold heart. She huffed quietly as they spoke about her, folding her arms across her chest and tapping a foot against the floor; she needed to fabricate more lies.. she knew it. Morana relaxed just a little when he spoke to her, replying quietly, ``I.. actually only just arrived, so I hope it wouldn`t be too much if I followed you around for a bit longer. I traveled here alone and this is my first time here.``

She spent the next moments of silence praying that he would understand her poorly thought-out explanation. Her words were the truth in a twisted way, but still the truth. Morana looked at him expectantly, hoping she also wasn`t acting in a way humans didn`t. She cursed herself inwardly for not learning more about the insufferable creatures before even considering going into town in a disguise of sorts; if she were found out, she was dead. Even a member of the Vampiric Court couldn`t win against a large number of humans.

Farrah glanced back at the woman Sorren had brought with him, eyebrows dipping in concern “You were walking alone?” She asked, crossing her arms and taking on the look of a worried parent. Sorren recognized it and his face broke out into a slightly amused smile, Farrah was like this by nature, she was a protector, it really suited her to be working with wards because of that. Her desire to keep people safe spilled over into much of what she did, including how she reacted to strangers. “You weren’t hurt were you? Didn’t see anything alarming” The woman asked, stepping closer to look the newcomer over. She didn’t touch her, but decided she looked alright. When Morana admitted to being alone and entirely new to the town Farrah gave Sorren an expectant look “Sorren will help you?” She answered for him- not that he would have said no otherwise- but she wasn’t going to let Sorren leave this woman by herself.


He let out a breathy chuckle and nodded “Yes, I’ll help you get your footing in town” He assured both of them. Farrah looked satisfied and left Sorren with one last pat to his shoulders “Take care of yourself” She hummed, waiting for the man to nod before she wandered away from them again. When Farrah was gone he turned back to Morana “I’ll show you around a bit, if you don’t mind though I was going to meet up with some of my friends tonight. You could come?” He offered “If you don’t want to that’s fine, I’ll walk you back to where you’re staying” Sorren didn’t want to force her into coming along, and to be honest he wasn’t sure how his friends would react to him bringing this woman with him. He could probably expect teasing comments from most of them, he didn’t think that they would be rude to her but if they’d been drinking for a while- He didn’t want to embarrass himself.

When Morana confirmed what she’d like to do Sorren nodded, and waved her to follow him as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up. He had to think about which route he’d show her, there were plenty of short ways but that wouldn’t help Morana navigate by herself so he picked one of the longer, more scenic paths, taking the first left they got to. It was a street, lined with little stalls selling trinkets of different kinds. All of them had to do with the solstice coming up. There were calendars based on the moon, decorative plaques, stained glass ornaments- it was a hub of artisan activity. Sorren particularly liked this part of the festival because of the live music. In addition to the craft stalls, there were people singing or playing string instruments here and there. The way he enjoyed it was clear, his head swaying gently along with the melody “What are you interested in seeing here?” He asked suddenly, glancing down at Morana

“You came for a reason I’m guessing, I could help you find it” Sorren explained his question, undoing his coat as it got warmer towards the centre of the town. There’d be fires going, incense burning- the subtle spiced smell already curling through the air.

As they got closer Sorren kept looking around, clearly searching for someone. He was checking where his friends were, they had agreed to meet in the centre of town and they were just about at the main square. When he did catch a familiar face Sorren waved over at them, setting off in that direction. There were three other people waiting there, two women and another man. He greeted them as Percy- the other man, Charlie- short for Charlotte- and Harper. As much as he tried to introduce Morana before the flood of questions could begin, Sorren just wasn’t quick enough. The other three noticed Morana immediately and stepped aside to make room for her in their little circle “I don’t recognize you” It was Harper speaking “You from out of town?” This was followed by Percy “How do you know Sorren?” and then Charlie chipped in “Is he holding you hostage?” She joked. They were all warm from a bit of drink but not too out of it, which was a relief to Sorren

“Calm down, she just got here, you can’t interrogate her like that” Sorren rolled his eyes, without any real irritation, at his friends.

Morana Tacitus

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Morana should have expected the littlest bit of interrogation from the humans since it really was peculiar for anyone to be out and about alone, especially considering the circumstances. It was common knowledge that the monsters that lurked in the shadows were becoming more brave, leaving their usual dwelling places to stalk and torment humans even killing them in some situations. Therefore, Morana lifted a hand to twirl a stray strand of her hair, a small smile of sorts appearing on her lips. There wasn`t really a good explanation nor reason for being out there other than the truth, which would not end well whatsoever; it was the last thing she needed to happen. She eventually laughed calmly, the sound quiet and reassuring before she spoke softly, ``I just needed a break from the festivities. I get.. overwhelmed easily, but the walk was peaceful and uneventful.``

The vampire looked over at Sorren when he spoke, her smile growing just a little bit. Smiling was usually absolutely foreign to someone like Morana, yet here she was- doing it more often than she usually ever did; she probably had the humans to blame for it, even if she despised them more than anything else in existence. Then again, she was more surprised by the fact that she was genuinely getting along with them, so maybe.. humans weren`t that bad; the thought vanished as soon as it appeared. She looked over at Sorren as she listened to his explanation about hanging out with his friends. Morana figured that it couldn`t be that bad to hang out with multiple humans at once.. right? She cleared her throat again as she replied, ``Sure, I don`t mind.``

Morana followed Sorren as he guided her through the town, her gaze flitting to and fro between him and the sights around them. Humans were really creative and relied on community more than vampires did, which was honestly intriguing. She noticed the arts and crafts, the incense burning, and the groups of people here and there that looked like they were having the times of their lives. For a moment, she wondered how humans even managed to get this far when they were constantly being oppressed by monsters and beasts, especially back in the day when protection was minuscule and often malfunctioned. She hummed thoughtfully before Sorren`s voice interrupted her thoughts.

``Oh, uh.. I really like literature,`` Morana explained, inwardly praising herself for coming up with a somewhat fast and genuine response. She was a sucker for literature, so much so that the other vampires often laughed at her for it; they preferred action over reading, which was understandable. Regardless, if she had to choose between going into town and reading a book, she would always choose reading over anything else. ``My hometown doesn`t have the best choices, so I often go around to see if other ones have better books.``

Morana felt relieved when she figured her response was understandable, a breath of relaxation escaping her. She observed as Sorren changed course all of a sudden, turning on her heels to walk after him. Her blue eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the people gathered in front of them, all of them looking.. in high spirits; humans drank often, she remembered. A hint of warmth spread across her face when she was bombarded with questions, a nervous laugh escaping her. Yeah.. humans were always so eager to meet new people while vampires kept to themselves mostly; it was honestly entertaining as long as one was the one watching, not interacting. She spoke up once they had all calmed down, answering each of their questions, ``I`m Morana. I was actually just visiting and I stumbled upon Sorren when I was taking a walk.``

Sorren shouldn’t have taken her reason at face value, but she seemed honest- and her voice didn’t falter. She didn’t show any of the normal human signs of lying that he could pick up on…other than touching her hair…but he was sure that was just an aside. Nothing he had to worry about. So Sorren concluded that he could trust her “Overwhelmed, huh? You might not be the biggest fan of my friends in that case. Don’t feel embarrassed or bad if you need to go home after all of their noise. I can always take you and catch up with them later” He was still kind of on the job while he was looking out for Morana, which is partially why he was taking it to this extent. Sorren was a nice person, sure, but it was also his need to see people safe that motivated this behavior from him. “If you’re feeling better we should get going” He hummed after a few moments.