Who Wants To Live Forever? [OPEN]

[colorature]

Who: Diva (coloratura) & You!
What: April Catchall & open prompts: Being a menace, as usual. Bridal gowns, bagged milk and maybe murder...
When: Throughout April
Where: Olympia's shopping district, The Redlight district, JJ's house...
Warning(s): Usual warnings for Diva. Will update if necessary. So far she hasn't done...anything too terrible.



CAN YOU HEAR THE BELLS

<sub>[Diva's not sure how long she's been staring at the pamphlet she was handed while walking aimlessly through Olympia's shopping district. The words SPRING BRIDAL SALE stare back at her in a golden font, the advertisement littered with pictures of various dresses and rings. The map drawn on the back of the pamphlet is simple enough that she's able to follow it to the boutique in question. She's been standing in front of the shop's display window for at least fifteen minutes now, not having budged an inch as she takes in the sight of a beautiful wedding gown. She seems completely taken with the sight of the dress, but there's something a bit somber about her expression. This was the kind of dress girls got to wear on their wedding day. It was a day she'd never really given much thought to, but now, with a dress like that before her, it's hard not to.

It's not a day she'll ever get to have, she thinks. She's not exactly marriage material, for a number of reasons. For one, she wasn't human. While that might not deter some it did make her pool of selection a bit more narrow. Then there was her immortality. The way she was now, destined to forever be youthful, would put a damper on things if her partner decided to grow old and die on her.

The prospect of living forever has never really bothered her before, mainly because it was never something that crossed her mind. Now though, as she stares at her own reflection in the window, the dress looming before her, it leaves her feeling somewhat uneasy. Lonely. Uncomfortable. A few steps and she brings herself closer to the glass to inspect her appearance. She pokes at her own fangs with a finger, suddenly conscious of how the tips like to peek out past her upper lip. Her nose is small and petit, in contrast to her big, bright blue eyes. From what Diva can tell, she looks like most other girls, even though she knows she's not. Fingers move from teeth to hair as she brushes them through the long, dark strands that fall past her hips. It'd be much easier to manage if she cut her hair, like Solomon had suggested, but she wouldn't ever do such a thing.

Besides, long hair was prettier.

Without realizing it, her nose is almost pressed to the glass of the window, as if doing so will help her get a better look at the dress in question. The longer she looks at it, the more disheartened she feels. She shouldn't care about something as silly as a wedding and yet...knowing she won't ever have one digs at her in a place she didn't realize existed.]</sub>

It isn't fair...

_{[All girls are allowed to pine for romance, it seems, even a girl like Diva.]}

BAGGED MILK - CLOSED TO JJ'S CR/HOUSEMATES

<sub>[Really, she could've stayed at home in her own bed to sulk. Instead she's here, having snuck into JJ's bedroom through the window, taking refuge in the skater's bed without telling him beforehand. She's more or less burrito'd herself beneath the covers, some of her hair peeking out from underneath the covers.

Laying here, cocooned in sheets that smell like JJ, is comforting, even if he's nowhere to be found at the moment. It's better than being at home alone. It's something she's been thinking about a lot lately, ever since she found out Reign wasn't immortal and she'd relived the worst parts of her memories. Diva didn't have a problem with being alone, per say, but being lonely? It's not pleasant.

She hasn't bothered to close the door to JJ's room and so if one bothers to peek inside they might just see her burrito form. Alternatively, she might be spotted in the kitchen, barefoot and in a plain white dress, looking groggy and tired, pouring herself a glass of milk. Or at least that's what she had planned on doing. The milk JJ has in his fridge is in plastic bags, and rather than bothering to cut open a new bag and put it in the empty pitcher (who didn't replace the bag?), she opts to pierce the bag with her fangs instead, sucking the liquid out straight from said bag.

It's...definitely not the most lady like display, but she's determined to drink the whole damn thing. Why someone would have milk in bags rather than a carton or glass bottle she isn't sure, but she's not here to judge right now.]</sub>


QUENCH YOUR THIRST

<sub>[She probably shouldn't be here. That's what other patrons in the bar keep telling her. That she's far too pretty or young to be in a scummy place like this. She looks too innocent, too out of place as she sits on a stool by the bar, thin legs dangling off the edge. With her dark hair, pale features and blue accented white dress, she sticks out like a sore thumb in the tavern filled with drunks, whores and criminals. Not that Diva seems to care much.

Surprisingly most people seem to give her space, even if they look at her funny. A man had earlier bought her a drink, a small glass of red wine she's currently still staring at. The reason she's here in the first place is because she's thirsty, but not for the red drink before her. She's too angry at Reign to go and demand he give her blood so she's here to hunt for her own meal. There were willing people in the Red Light district, she'd been told, who would readily give up their blood to sate a vampire's thirst. She still doesn't understand those people, but it doesn't hurt to try. After all, she had promised Keaton she'd try to not kill as much.

Who knows how long that'll last?

Maybe she ought to be more proactive and approach someone, but she doesn't feel very sociable either at the moment. Maybe she should just go to the back alley and pick some unlucky, drunken fool to dine on. That might be a better option. Swiveling a bit on her stool she calls out to whoever's closest to her, holding out her untouched drink.]</sub>

Do you want this?

Comments

JJ'S HOUSE/WILDCARD

[pebblestone]

[ It's a nice spring day and as is per his usual, Frederick is doing his daily round of tidying up the house and dusting off every nook and cranny. (It simply wouldn't do to inflict the horrors of dust bunnies on his housemates, now would it.) The kitchen and living room have been rendered spotless, and he's traipsing down the hallway leading to the collection of bedrooms with a satisfied smile on his face when he hears it.

A strange rattling, coming from JJ's room.

Which is odd indeed given that JJ had left earlier that morning, off to visit some friend or another whose name Fred hadn't quite caught amidst all the chatter. He's quite sure JJ hasn't returned yet, which makes the noise all the more strange. A bird pecking at the window, perhaps?

But no, the rattling grows louder and more insistent, far too violent to belong to a simple robin. A thief?! Alarmed, he sidles up to the door, balls one hand into a fist ready to strike, and opens the door to—

—a young woman lodged halfway in the window, dark hair flowing down every which way.

What. ]

I beg your pardon?

[ Nani the fuck????? ]

[colorature]

<sub>[It's not the first time she's done this, and one would probably think that it'd make more sense to use the door...but not Diva. She sees nothing wrong with climbing through JJ's bedroom window. It's worked well enough for her thus far, at least it used to.

It's a bit of a tight squeeze, despite how thin someone like her is to begin with. Her hips have caught on the edge of the windowsill and she's doing her best to wriggle through. From Frederick's point of view, she definitely would look a bit, uh...concerning.

Nani the fuck indeed.

She looks up from her spot in the window, still pushing with her palms in an attempt to get through. She'll get there. Just give her a moment.]</sub>

You're not JJ.

[pebblestone]

[ He won't give her a moment, thanks very much.

Or rather he will but unwillingly, still too stunned by this bizarre turn of events to do much else other than gawk in a most ungentlemanly fashion. It's when she finally speaks that he's roused back into motion, jaw tensing as he scans her body for any sign of a weapon or other threat. ]

No, I certainly am not. [ Who cares who he is, who is she?? ] Who are you? Explain yourself immediately.

[ As far as first impressions go, she's not making a very good one. ]

[colorature]

<sub>[She's the threat, Fred. She is.

Diva's not really good at first impressions, but it doesn't seem to bother her either. With a grunt she manages to unhook her hipbone from where it was catching on the windowsill, and with one more push she tumbles comically into the room. She's flat on her face when she does fall to the floor, not bothering to get up on her feet, opting to roll over and look up at the rather frowny man instead, her hair splayed all over the floor.

At least, at this angle, she can pretend his frown is a smile upside down. Well, if he's not going to smile that's not going to stop her from doing so herself.]</sub>

I'm Diva! JJ's my husband.

[pebblestone]

[ Oh.

Ohhhh.

Everything suddenly clicks into place, and while he's not any more enthused about letting her into their safe little household - he still remembers her line about KILLING PEOPLE - JJ hadn't seemed to mind Diva all that much when he'd brought up his concerns. Even so. Even so! ]

You could have simply knocked on the front door, [ he says stiffly.

LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!! ]

Can you hear the bells

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya tends to take little trips to the shopping district every now and then for little necessities like food and birdseed for Apollo, but on occasion (okay a lot) he’ll spend his spare change on alcohol, and the liquor store just so happens to be right next to the bridal shop that Diva is at.

He can’t help but stop when he hears her speak in such a wistful tone, and with Apollo perched on his shoulder he comes to stand beside her.]

You want a dress?

[Chuuya has never seen the point of weddings, but okay.]

That’s a thing girls like, right?

[colorature]

_{[There's a pause at the familiar voice before Diva finds herself spinning around on her heels to face Chuuya, a hand coming to rest on her hip. Really?]}

Of course girls like dresses. I love dresses.

_{[After spending years with no actual clothes, locked away in a tower, Diva very quickly came to appreciate and delight in wearing beautiful clothes and expensive fabrics. Even though the dress she's wearing now is simple in color and design, it wasn't exactly cheap...not that price was ever a factor for her when it came to wanting something. As long as it's pretty and makes her feel beautiful, what more could she ask for?]}

That isn't just a dress, it's a dress I can't have.

[thetaintedsorrow]

Yeah? Why not?

[Chuuya really is dense sometimes. Sorry Diva.]

You never wanna married or what?

[colorature]

It's not a matter of not wanting it.

_{[Really dense, it seems.]}

No one will ever want to marry someone like me.

[thetaintedsorrow]

Ah.

[Because of the whole immortal vampire that eats people thing.]

I’m sure there’s somebody out there that can appreciate you as you are.

[Maybe...probably...]

Are you interested in anyone?

wedding bells? more like mourning bells... rip time

[eaudevamp]

[ Things were more or less returning to normal for Reign, and now that Shell was living with him, everything seemed almost... familiar. It pleased him that his best friend was here, though as much as he would like to stick by Shell's side, he knew to give his friend some space as well.

Thus Reign was out shopping, most for materials for his perfume making. So far his progress was going well, though he needed more bottles for the fragrances. There was a specific design that he had commissioned, one with Diva in mind since he'd promised to create a scent for her.

Walking past the bridal store, he spotted Diva's familiar figure and turned in her direction, intending to greet her when he heard Diva's words. Reign stopped behind Diva, his voice soft when he spoke. ]

What isn't fair, my Queen?

[ Diva probably had spotted Reign through the reflection long before he opened his mouth. It was rare for Diva to wear such an expression on her face, and the sight tugged at something in Reign's heart.

Ah, if only he knew what was going through Diva's mind. ]

rip

[colorature]

<sub>[A lot of things aren't fair. She has a whole list of unfair things she could read off to him if she wanted to, but there really is no point in doing so. For as furious as she was when she first learned about Reign's mortality her anger and frustration had simmered and boiled down into a cool sort of anger. She doesn't say anything at first, letting silence fall between the two of them, before she's spinning on her heels to look up at him.

There's no smile on her face. In fact, there doesn't seem to be much emotion at all.]</sub>

Why didn't you tell me you were going to die?

[eaudevamp]

[ That kind of silence was frightening in itself, the air suddenly feeling heavy. Reign nearly jump back when Diva whirled around to face him. He would have expected her hands on her hips, frown on her face, but there wasn't any expression, and it spoke volumes.

Her question totally threw Reign off, and he blinked, not quite understanding. ]

What...? No, look at me. I'm healthy, aren't I?

[ Did someone say he was sick and ill? Was he missing something? ]

[colorature]

But you will. You're going to grow old and die, just like a human.

_{[The when isn't what bothers Diva, it's that it'll ever happen in the first place. There is no forever that Reign will be a part of. He'll be a limited part of her existence, one that will eventually disappear.]}

I thought you were like me. I thought you were going to live forever...but you're going to die, just like everyone else does.

[eaudevamp]

[ This was when Diva's word finally made sense, dawning on Reign just what she meant that he was going to die. He winced internally, realising that he had never mention before about the difference between them, despite being similar. ]

Diva...

[ What could he say? He knew intimately now what death was like, experiencing the death of his friends as well. Reign didn't want the same to befall Diva, but it looked as if that will be her fate, for her Chiropteran kind. ]

I've never been like you, Your Majesty. [ He began, trying to as gentle with his words. From the start, it had been obvious that there was a difference between them, the only similarity being that they drank human blood (and human flesh, though Reign wasn't part of that). ] My kind are not immortals. We have a long life, but we still can die. It's my fault for not having brought it up before.

weddingkun

[insist]

[ What is this girl doing? While Rohan isn't quite friendly enough to strike up a conversation with a random person for the sake of it, the way she seems to be peering at herself in the reflection is just too bizarre to him that he can't not watch. Does she see something in her teeth? She's then pressing her face into the glass, and it's soon obvious to him that it's the dress she's pining for. ]

Buy it, if you want it so badly. Honestly, that dress looks plain to me though. The designers could do better to make it stand out.

[ Then again, he's a JoJo, and this is what he's wearing right now. ]

uguu

[colorature]

_{[Sorry buddy, there are a few things wrong with that plan. Aside from you insulting her choice in dresses she a) doesn't have money on her right now and b) isn't exactly going to be wed anytime soon.]}

I can't just buy a wedding dress if I'm not getting married. You might think it's plain but I think it's pretty. The lace looks soft.

[insist]

[ He gives the dress another once over, peering at the glass. The people inside are finding it pretty strange that a grown man is staring at a wedding dress. ]

It could do with more flair, but I suppose this look can be considered a classic. [ It's pretty classically 'wedding dress'.]

Why would you look at dresses if you aren't getting married? [ It takes a beat but he does, uh, catch on. He isn't really paying much attention right now, sadly. ] Oh, it's probably a marriage you want ...

[colorature]

_{[Why would any girl look at a wedding dress if they weren't getting married? Wishful thinking, that's what. At least Rohan catches on eventually. Maybe he's just slow...Diva can forgive him for that. Not everyone can be smart.]}

Exactly...but no one will ever marry me. So I'll never get a dress like that.

[insist]

[ A kinder person would start trying to comfort her. This is Rohan, and he's not exactly a kind person. ]

Are you saying that so I'll coddle you? [ Lol. He won't. ] If you really want marriage so badly, I'm sure you could easily find someone in the red light district to marry you for the right price.

[underwhelms]

[ Diva's right to suggest that JJ doesn't mind that she comes through his window unexpectedly. The same way that he doesn't mind when his alarm wakes him up in the morning, or when he's forced to scarf down more protein despite his lack of appetite. He doesn't mind, but it's not always pleasant.

For example, right now. JJ used to be quite a deep sleeper, committed to his four or five hours a night. He'd sleep soundly and wake up energized for another day of productivity.

That was before El Nysa, and the monsters, the bandits and riots smashing windows in the night. Now, JJ is a considerably lighter sleeper, though he's no less dependent on rest, jolting out of bed when he hears the thud of Diva creeping in through his window with a sleepy and garbled ] God save me!

[ The words aren't exactly coherent, but he at least has enough of a survival instinct to brandish his pillow as a weapon, even though he doesn't quite have his eyes open, and he's pointing it at his door.

But still, he's doing his best. ]

[colorature]

<sub>[If Diva knew just how #triggered JJ was by being woken up in the middle of the night maybe she'd be a bit more courteous and not just climb through JJ's window without warning. Unfortunately for JJ, she's ignorant, and so she tumbles in like she usually does, able to see him clearly in the dark, even though belatedly she realizes he probably can't see her.

Ah.

Quickly she pitter patters her way over to the lamp on his side table, switching it on for him. If he does manage to open his eyes and look her way, he'll notice she too is in her jammies, consisting of a white nightgown and not much else.]</sub>

Save you? From me? You know I'd never do anything to you, JJ.

_[Hello...]

[underwhelms]

[ When JJ's attention does eventually wander from the door to where Diva is standing by his bed, JJ wonders for a brief, lucid second if he'd somehow ended up in a memory again. The oldest of all his siblings, he generally had the privilege of getting a room all to himself, not that it meant much when the younger kids watched scary movies and Alain and Nathalie's bed was already too crammed with children.

It feels like a memory, but it's not. His room back in Toronto was different: both the room he had in his own apartment, and his room in his parents' house. The decor was more expensive, and his medals would adorn the walls while his laptop would be settled quietly on his desk with his work scattered around it.

This is real life, but thankfully he's too tired to even be sad about it. Instead, he just blinks sleepily at Diva before collapsing back on his bed, his weaponized pillow falling uselessly on his chest. ]

Diva? What're you doing here?

[colorature]

I'm lonely.

_{[That seems to be the case a lot lately, doesn't it? She's not one to enjoy being left to her own devices, if that means boredom will take hold of her. Being bored is never good, simply because it allows her mind to wander and a wandering mind always leads Diva down a dark path she doesn't like to walk. The reply comes out of her quietly as she shuffles toward the bed, clambering up onto the mattress to join him. Her long black hair falls down over past her shoulders and back as she leans over him, peering down. He looks tired...maybe he hasn't been sleeping well?]}

Solomon isn't home and I can't sleep...

[underwhelms]

[ He's tired because he was woken up while in the middle of sleep, Diva...

But he doesn't offer any more complaints, smiling sleepily up at her when she peers down at him, patting the space next to him on the bed to indicate that she's free to lie down. ]

Oh yeah? What kinda nefarious things is he up to in the middle of the night? [ The end of his words trail off into a yawn as he stretches comfortably over the bed, bones cracking slightly before he settles back on the mattress, boneless. ] People get up to suspicious things this late. You should tell him good boys should be in bed.