Getting the Lines Uncrossed (private: attn Aishe)

Aishe grabbed her pack from where it sat at the foot of the stairs and found the unoccupied bedroom. Tossing her pack carelessly at the foot of the bed she looked around. The room was lovely, spacious and decorated in muted, earthy tones. She would probably take more time to appreciate it later but at the moment she was still distracted by the odd jumpy feelings she had noticed and more than anything she thought it was the right time to get in touch with Kem.

On one side of the room was a set of double windows with a lovely window bench, which Aishe was drawn to. She sat, gazing up at the moon which was barely visible through the trees, and gazed out for a moment before closing her eyes.

She had sent back and forth with Chris before, and the one time with Pak, but Aishe had never tried to initiate communication with Kem through their bond, although she was assured it was possible.

She focused her thought on him now. He was never far from her heart, and bringing him to mind was a simple matter. It wasn't too hard, if she was doing it right.

[Hello, Kem.]

Kem liked to consider himself fairly easygoing, but that did not preclude bouts of panic now and then. He was lost. That had to be it. He had an excellent sense of direction though, and couldn't figure out how he had managed to find himself in front of a very familiar house in a very familiar neighborhood that couldn't possibly be the one he recalled, because there was no one in it.

Looking around, he caught sight of something he'd missed before, a small sign pounded into the ground next to the mailbox at the end of the drive. For Sale… Sold. The sense of panic grew, compounded by a growing sense of loss and a very real sense of "FUBAR."

He'd lost her. Aishe hadn't called him back (she checked her cell phone every day, like clockwork). Worried, he'd made the drive up here after waking from his admittedly stupid drunken haze, to find her family's home completely empty.

He stood at the end of the drive, at a loss, staring into the ground floor window as if he could will her family into their old home. Just as he turned away, a soft voice echoed into his head, unbidden, something that was usually his job. The tone of it shocked him, and the words nearly knocked him over.

Kem stood there for a moment, gaping with disbelief. Groping for a casual response he gave up completely when the first thing that came to mind was a statement of the obvious.

[Aishe?] Followed by probably the next stupidest thing he could have said. [Did you get my message?]

Aishe smiled at the sound of Kem’s voice. Even flustered and surprised, even echoing into her head, it was crystal clear who among them was the one who could sing. Deep and mellow, very little edge to it even though he was obviously caught off guard, it was soothing. His confusion was understandable, his question less so.


[Message?] She glanced over at her pack, where her cell phone was. She hadn’t checked it that day or that evening. She’d wanted a little distance from the outside world tonight.


[I didn’t even look. You called? I’m… amazed. But I’m here now.]

Kem leaned against his passenger side door and brushed his hand over his eyes. Was he still drunk? No, no... he was more than reasonably certain he was sober. He was really having a mental conversation with Aishe. A remarkably calm and cool Aishe. But then again, when wasn't Aishe calm and cool? Flipping out was his job. Oh, irony. Leave it to the 1600 year old vampire to be the high-maintenance one.


[Uh, yeah.] That's right, smooth as usual. [I think this is the part where I tell you I've finally reached the conclusion that I'm the world's biggest asshole. I'm assuming you've reached the same.]


May as well go for broke. Hadn't he already figured earlier that chicks dig groveling?

Aishe wanted to hug him and smack him at the same time. Months she'd been here, looking for him, waiting for this moment, and here Kem was, his usual sarcastic self, endearingly self-conscious and adorably honest.

[Have you, then? I can't agree. I don't find you an asshole at all. I understand why you left. It doesn't change anything though.] Aishe couldn't meet his honesty with the exact same. She wasn't certain that telling him she was about to be turned would be productive, or how to even broach the subject.

Kem sighed as his spirits fell. Of course it would change nothing; he'd been unforgivably dense and it had been stupid to think that a smart, capable woman such as Aishe would be pining away for some kind of lost, unrequited love.

Hell, for all he knew she didn't care for him at all. The little bond in the back of his mind told him otherwise, but they'd never... everything had always been unspoken... Kem wasn't good at taking anything for granted, particularly anything of this magnitude, so naturally he assumed the worst, then multiplied it by several thousand.

[I don't suppose... I mean, I know what we had can't be the same. But I sort of... what I mean is... well, I do miss you. Can I make it up to you somehow?]

Like a nice walk in the sunshine? Why, when the gods were handing out personality traits, had he missed out on anything that even remotely resembled the ability to calmly handle uncomfortable situations with poise and dignity? No, instead he was on the short line where they were handing out things like 'has emotional issues,' 'awkward in social situations,' and 'prone to tripping on screwdrivers.'

None of which could possibly help him at all, if ever. Undeath could be so unfair.

If ever Aishe had suspected she could know Kem better, she had reached a point now that was about as far as she'd thought that talent could go. Having someone living in your head for over half a year bred a certain familiarity, and she knew the road Kem's thoughts traveled down now.

[Stop,] she sent gently. [That's not at all what I meant, and you know it. Don't even think it.]

She wanted to choose her next words carefully, to let him know where she was, what was going on, without alarming him.

[I never minded,] she continued. [I know my own feelings, and I wasn't about to give up on you. I understand why you left, and it's all right.]

She bit her lip softly. [I just want time. There's so much I don't know about you, that you still don't know about me, and I want to know it all. I'm finally in a position to get it, the time I want, for us to rebuild things if that's what you'd like. I've been learning a lot about vampires since I got to Nachton, Kem.]

Aishe paused again. [I'm sorry. Should I call you Kiamhaat?]

Kem had died. Again. With his back still against the car door he sank down the side of it as Aishe spoke calmly into his head. Bending his knees, he wrapped his arms around them and then settled his chin there as well.

He squeezed his eyes shut, momentarily overwhelmed by the readiness of her forgiveness. How was it she always managed to deliver the words he needed to hear? Where did she find the generosity of spirit to absolve him of the fact that he'd managed to make a complete mess of everything they'd had?

A chill settled over him. And when had she gone to Nachton? She was... in Nachton? Now?

He was about to get to his feet when her next words floored him all over again. Kiamhaat... he hadn't been called that name in nearly 1600 years.

[I don't know what to say.] Honesty was the best policy, after all. [When... when did you get to Nachton?]

He couldn't even address the issue of his name just then. Hearing the word from her was surreal. Kem had no idea how he felt about it.

Aishe cupped her chin in her hands and looked up at sky outside the pretty bay window.

[I've been here for a few months,] she sent. [I'm sorry. I was worried about you, I wanted to know you were all right. And I hid from you. I thought if you knew I was there you'd leave again and I wouldn't be able to find you.]

She could condense with a clear conscience, she decided. [I've made friends,] she reassured him. [Nothing bad has happened. I've met the Evenhet, I've spoken to Alfarinn. I've been spending a lot of time with Chris... Christian Bern. He's teaching me.]

And here she was, pulling the rug out from beneath Kem, who never handled surprises well. He didn't like being on the spot, in the spotlight. He was happy to fade into the background quietly and ignore his feelings, but here she was dredging everything to the surface.

Sometimes you had to re-break a bone before it could be set properly, but that didn't mean the task was always enjoyable.

Kem figured he would wake up any time. He'd had way too much to drink earlier that morning, he was having some sort of alcohol-induced hallucination, but no. He was really sitting here on the side of the road in the dark, leaning against his car, having a conversation with Aishe.

[You've been... with Chris Bern?] Perhaps repeating everything she sent to him would make it seem like he had some kind of grip on the situation. She'd met Alfarinn... Alfarinn hadn't told him! Then again, neither had Chris.

Of all the shifty...

... but Aishe was right, and he knew it. Until the last few days he wouldn't have been able to handle her following him to Nachton. Yes, he would have run. He would have avoided her like the plague and he would have made an even greater mess of things, and he truly might have lost her forever, instead of being given a chance to make things right.

He couldn't pass it up. No matter what depth of shock he felt, no matter how far he'd pulled the wool over his own eyes. If there was ever one time in the last several centuries when he had to face everything, this was it. He had everything to gain; having lost Aishe once, he knew he couldn't do it again.

[What do you want me to do? Whatever it is, I'll do it.] Just to have a chance to redeem himself from what was quite possibly the worst screwup he'd ever made. He hadn't had very many second chances over the years. He would be ten times an idiot if he didn't jump on this one.

She read his emotions as best she could, but it was as if he were far away. Aishe was curious. By now she knew the strength of their bond varied with distance but she had never felt it so weak.

[Are you still in the city?] She needed time, still. She thought she had been fairly clear on what her plans were, why she would have so much time, but she was hesitant to have him rush out immediately. Chris had said it didn't always go so smoothly. As much as she wanted Kem... Kiamhaat... with her for it, would it do him any good to see her turning? Or would it be unnecessarily cruel?

She had thought to make it completely obvious what she was doing there, but he hadn't seemed to have picked up on the hints she'd given him. Now, in hindsight, seeing her turned might just be an unproductive revisitation of many of the fears that had chased him off to begin with. Perhaps, if he hadn't understood what she'd been saying, she should let it slide.

Kem rubbed the back of his neck. Finally, a question he could answer without feeling as though the world might explode around him.

[Heh. Oddly enough, no,] was his wry response. [I'm at your parents' house. Or outside of it. I told you I left you a message. When you didn't call back I decided to come here and talk sense into you. See how well it worked?]

Aishe couldn't help but laugh, and feel warmed by his admission. So, Kiamhaat had decided to contact her? There was hope, after all. Perhaps her task wouldn't be as impossible as she thought.

[I'm sorry you drove all the way out there,] she replied. [They moved back to Egypt a few months ago. Having successfully raised and released their offspring, and all.]

Of course, she was also quite pleased he'd driven out there. Not only did it reassure her of his intentions to truly try to mend things, but it meant she and Chris would probably have at least an hour and a half or so before Kem arrived. Assuming she couldn't convince him to wait longer. And even if she did convince him to wait longer, when it was actually happening, how was she to conceal it from Kem? She didn't think she could.

[So, can I convince you to head back to Nachton so soon? There's... so much to say.]

Usually when he'd visited her in the past he'd stayed overnight at a hotel. Rarely did he drive both ways in one night. She understood now, of course, that that was because they'd often stayed out so late that he'd have been caught driving home when the sun came up. The night was still fairly young, though. He wouldn't be risking anything if he came back to the city soon.

Could she convince him? Try and stop him. Kem did get to his feet now, feeling like he was just waking up from a dream. Or just entering into one. How should he feel? Nervous? Excited? Determined? All that and then some, he supposed, but at the moment it was all suppressed underneath a blanket of shock and disbelief, as if he might drive back to Nachton and realize this had all been the result of his overactive imagination.

[I'm on my way back now,] he sent, only now truly paying attention to the emotions he could feel from Aishe. She was hiding something from him.

Kem shook his head. Of course she was. They hadn't seen each other in months; she'd been in Nachton trying to escape detection. Naturally there was plenty she wasn't telling him, and she was right - they would catch up in person when he drove back.

[Give me an hour.]

Well, Aishe thought, at least she wasn't going to have to argue with Kem to get him to see her. What had happened recently that might have caused such a drastic change of heart? Whatever the reason, she was nothing but happy with how open to seeing her he was.

How would he feel when he realized she wasn't human anymore? Aishe bit at her lip a little more. She was about to test the theory that it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

[Drive slowly,] she cautioned at Kem's response. [I promise, I'll be here when you arrive. I won't go anywhere.] An hour... he must be planning on breaking the sound barrier.

[Here's where you can find me...]

Kem took down the directions Aishe gave him; simple, considering how well he knew Nachton. But why was she at one of the cabins in the park? Maybe she’d been renting it. She had said Chris was there as well; again, he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. Was it all related to the feelings of fear he'd sensed in her? Those feelings that somehow she was in trouble?

He had a course of action now, and that gave him patience he normally might not have had otherwise. His questions would all be answered when he saw her, and it was Aishe, after all. Whatever she had been up to had to be sensible and practical. That was just how she worked.

[I wasn’t planning on doing anything over triple digits,] was his answer to her request that he not blaze a trail of fire back to Nachton. It was mostly true. Well, all right. It was all relative. [I’ll… huh. I guess I’ll see you soon, then.]

Through the strange numbness of disbelief came a little tickle of elation. She would be there. Waiting. After every mistake he’d made, Aishe was still waiting. For once, Kem decided the future didn’t look like a complete waste after all. They could work something out, right? Whatever happened next, it couldn’t possibly be any worse than having gone through the last few months without her.

((ooc: Kem out))

Odd, not to have to push a button or hang up a phone or something. Theoretically, she could talk to Kem through his entire drive home, but Aishe had her work cut out for her. Chris must have known Kem wouldn't be far behind once she spoke with him. Or at least, he had to suspect that Kem would show up after their chat, one way or the other. It had occurred to her more than once that it was highly likely Chris would know Kem's habits even better than she.

How long did it take to turn someone? Aishe didn't know. She did have a focus now, though; she wanted to do her best to keep calm and not get too worked up. It was important to her to keep steady. Fortunately she was looking forward to the entire process. It would only happen to her once, so it was worth remembering.

She still had that warm feeling. Kem was coming. She knew it would be all right, once he got there, and once they saw each other again. With the eternal hope born of optomism, Aishe made her way back down the stairs with a renewed spring in her step. So tonight, she was going to die... and she'd never been looking forward to it more.

((ooc: Aishe out))