We’ve Got To Fight, We’ll Take A Stand [Open]

[Alaric James Saltzman]

Months had passed since Ric had been brought back to life and he was still no closer to figuring out who was responsible for that act or why the Darkness that had appeared to have left him on the Other Side was now back. For a while it had made its presence known in the worst of ways, it had surfaced while he was with Elena and a few times since then he had blacked out and he could only assume that the Darkness had taken over as when he came to his senses again he was in a completely different place but thankfully none of the people he loved had been harmed and he knew that in itself was a blessing. He had purposefully kept his distance from them all so that they wouldn’t be in harm’s way if the Darkness took over again and even though doing so had been incredibly difficult for Ric, he had forced himself to do it and he knew deep down that he had made the right decision. There hadn’t been any blackouts for a few weeks now but he knew that could just be the calm before the storm. He had yet to ask anyone to help him source a lapis lazuli ring so Ric was still confined to darkness. Sunlight wouldn’t kill him like it would a normal vampire but it would still burn him. The Darkness never seemed to care about that too much when it took over but it served as an incentive for Ric at the very least as he knew that when he had finally found a way to get rid of the Darkness for good then he could think about getting a ring so that he could move on with his life. He had still seen Jenna on occasion as she had refused to let him stay out of her life completely but with everyone else he had been doing his best to stay away and he had taken to staying in his apartment rather than going back to the Gilbert House which had become his home after Jenna died.

That day darkness had already fallen and since it had been a while since the Darkness had put in an appearance, Ric knew it wouldn’t hurt too much to try going out for a drink. While it was true that he had died and he had been gone for a little while, it hadn’t been long enough for anyone to really notice he was missing and thankfully he had been able to compel away the memories of those outside of the gang who had heard the news. His teaching job at the school was lined up ready for him when he was able to return from the sabbatical he had convinced them he was taking but until then a substitute was covering and he knew that it had to stay that way for the time being. He had done everything he could in order to tie up any loose ends he’d had to worry about so now it was just a case of trying to get rid of the Darkness but unfortunately so far he just kept drawing a blank. Needless to say he needed a break and he knew that if he continued staring at the same four walls of his apartment he was going to lose his mind completely so getting out was just something he needed to do. It didn’t take him long to reach the Grill and once there Ric made his way straight to the bar and found himself a seat before ordering a drink. Drinking alone wasn’t something he had ever particularly liked doing but he knew he could make an exception for once and as the bartender returned with his drink, Ric lifted it to his lips and took a sip, unable to believe he had allowed himself to forget just how nice it could be to be out among people again.

[Aloysius Corwin]

Every time he’d left a town of late he’d sworn that he wouldn’t head back, not unless something was revealed to lead him to believe that his mother had in fact been hiding within its tiny confines. Yet, each time he looked around himself Corwin discovered that he had in fact returned without there seeming to be much reason at the time. The first time he had driven out of Mystic Falls it had been with the intention of returning home to New Orleans, empty handed and almost devoid of any hope of tracking his mother in this country. Instead of finding his way back to his little garden district apartment Corwin had found himself on route back to Bon Temps, to the rather unique home of a rather unique woman. Bella Rumancek had been a marvel to him the first time he’d come across her, half dead in a ditch next to the body of the vampire she’d dispatched with nothing more than the silver chain from her neck. A second encounter had done little to rid him of the enchantment she seemed to have cast over him. Typically the grandson of the indomitable Lord Corwin didn’t fall head over heels for a common waitress, albeit one with enough backbone to make even his grandfather look meek. A Corwin was above such entanglements, at least in the Lord’s opinion. Corwin’s own differed greatly of course and wouldn’t fail to tell his grandfather so if he ever attempted to cross the ocean again.

For now both his father and grandfather were back in England, hopefully occupied enough with their own endeavours that they wouldn’t attempt to pay too much attention to how his hunt for his mother was proceeding. It had, of course, been a series of fruitless jaunts through this region. Corwin had completed another this afternoon, a journey to an exceedingly small town about forty miles from Mystic Falls. The witch he had been sent to speak to by a connection in New Orleans had been welcoming but in the end had been able to offer nothing more than a cup of dreadfully overstewed tea and a suggestion that perhaps he try Mystic Falls as it had a history of such things. He had been polite of course, accepting both the tea and the suggestion with good grace. If he’d been wise he would have headed straight back to New Orleans the instant the meeting had been over but as he had done when he’d first left Mystic Falls, Corwin had found himself suddenly on a different road to the one he had intended. Within moments of realising he was heading in the wrong direction he’d known where he would end up but he hadn’t turned around. Instead he’d continued driving, heading back to one place where he’d managed to find absolutely nothing out about his mother. Perhaps, he thought, in this case it would be the second time that was the charm.

On his first visit Corwin hadn’t ventured as far as the Mystic Grill. He had instead, on that occasion, found a smaller establishment, one with a better calibre of tea than Albert Reynolds had been able to offer this afternoon. He had there encountered an old acquaintance from England, the daughter of one of his father’s cronies, but he doubted that Lady Georgina would still be in town, in fact, she had likely already returned home and informed his grandfather of just where he had been exploring. With that thought in mind as he’d crossed the town’s border Corwin had decided that perhaps an alcoholic beverage was called for. He would be staying the night at the town’s motel and so a tipple or two wouldn’t be the issue it might have been if he’d needed to make the return journey to New Orleans. Mingling with the locals wasn’t high on his list of his desires but perhaps it would offer an insight into something that might aid his search. Unbuttoning his coat Corwin made his way towards the bar. A table would have offered more privacy but he’d far rather the less formal confines of the bar itself.

Corwin tossed the coat down onto an empty stool before realising that once again he’d forgotten his manners. In a place such as this there was always a chance that the seat had been claimed by another. ”I do beg your pardon,” Corwin murmured to the man in the adjoining seat. ”I perhaps should have enquired if this seat was taken before laying claim to it. One of these days I’ll remember my manners before rushing headlong into something possibly disastrous. Is it?” Corwin enquired, reaching for his coat once more. ”Taken I mean.” A quick glance around the pair of them revealed other seats he could perhaps occupy if it was required. Perhaps taking one of those immediately after realising his error would have been a better idea. It was too late now, he thought, adjusting his grip on his coat, he’d already started cramming his feet down his throat after all.

Tagged: Alaric James Saltzman * Word Count: 847 * Outfit: Here!