The Prodigal Son Returns (Centara)

[Joshua O'Neill]

Joshua O'Neill


I'll have you know that
I've become indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
On the other side a terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable

It seemed as if time had passed slowly, although he knew it to be well over a year since he had last set foot inside the darkness of Der Keller. He barely noticed the days as they passed him by anymore, each seeming the same as the last. He had taken to wandering, not content with where he was and seeking something. Whether it was acceptance or some sort of destiny that he sought he wasn't sure, but it had led to him dropping in and out, never settling in one place for long. In the time he had been gone Josh had visited everywhere from Paris to Moscow, Rome to New York, yet each time he left he yearned to come back home. Now it seemed as if his time as a nomad was coming to a close, his decision made. He would return to Austria one last time, most likely never to leave again willingly. It had taken quite a bit of work to get back, what with the war and all of that going on. The last time he had visited his house had practically been demolished by the fighting, and he didn't expect the remains of it to still be there. It was with that in mind that he had sent his patronus ahead of him to alert Centara to his arrival. If there was one person he needed to see upon it was return, it was her.

Centara would always hold a special place in his unbeating heart, as she was the reason for his immortality. To this day he still vividly remembered his words, how they had provoked her to the anger that had led to him being sired. He had grown to rely on her, acting almost as one of her servants for a time before he came into his own. His arrogance had led to him leaving in the first place. He had been unable to believe that anyone could be more powerful than himself, a fact that he had left without testing. He came back now humble, although not doubtful of his own capabilities. He was quite powerful in his own right, and few vampires that he had met had been able to keep up with him in either speed or strength. None of the vampires he had encountered on his travels could hold a candle to him, but that gave him no delusions of grandeur. Both Centara and Keara were at the very least his equal, and he had no aspirations to test either of them. Now he returned to his former master seeking a friend, one of the few true friends that he had ever had. She was the one that he had always been able to count on, and he hoped that hadn't changed in his time away.

Josh strode confidently through the bar, his eyes casually scanning the room and taking everything in. Most of the bouncers seemed to be newer, although the man guarding the VIP rooms hadn't changed. His black cloak billowed behind him with every step, an unnatural grace in his steps. He lowered his cowl and revealed himself to the door man, who stepped aside instantly. At least that hadn't changed, and for that much he could be thankful. He seemed to be the only one here for now, and he began to wonder if Centara would even show up. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't, although he would be surprised. He felt as if they had been close enough before for her to at least hear him out, and if he were extremely lucky honor his request. He took a seat without a word, and with one fluid motion removed a flask from the confines of his cloak. Now all there was to do was wait, and hope for the best.

____________________________

tag ,, Centara !
status ,, Complete !
word count ,, 641 !
music ,, n/a !
misc ,, Sorry I took so long

[Centara Zealon]

“I thought I had made myself clear,” Centara said in a flat tone, her eyes not looking up from the piece of paper she had been glancing over for the last minute. Listed on it were the locations and names of clan leaders that had sworn their allegiance, as much as that meant. Vampires weren’t exactly to be trusted most of the time, and Centara hardly trusted a single name on that list. Jem out in New York was on this list and probably the only one she truly trusted out of them all, but Lacey wasn’t too far behind, especially since they had the most contact out of all of the clan leaders. But the list just didn’t seem right. She had thought it would have grown slightly larger. Of course, this one page was only the beginning of the list, but she had already weeded through the rest of it, and only came back to this page to verify some of the numbers she had been interested in. But surely, the number of clans interested in helping with the operation had to have increased by now. Her brows furrowed as she scanned the list once more, tallying up the figures of vampires in each clan. At least there was one number that was promising. Their constituents in the Americas were increasing significantly now. Good. When their Ministry would start to enforce registration, they were going to have a difficult time with all of the vampires already against the movement. At least there was something positive out of going through all of this paperwork.

“No one was to bother me for the next hour.” She was leaning back in a large, leather chair positioned behind the wooden desk in her home office. She had been in the forest for the last few hours so even though she was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a nice blouse, her shoes were boots that had bits of mud caked on the bottom due to the rainfall the night before. Her legs were crossed and one hand was across her lap while the other held the piece of paper. In front of her, standing awkwardly in the large room was a vampire. Small, female, mousy. She looked entirely out of place, like she didn’t belong there. And she really didn’t. Centara didn’t even know the girls name. She was a good vampire, but certainly not someone important enough for Centara to pay much attention to. She belonged to a low level clan, was loyal, but didn’t have any outstanding characteristics that would even tempt Centara to learn her name. The girl wasn’t even born of magic; could not wield a wand. She was just another member of another clan out there, and in here, she just didn’t belong. Especially when implicit instructions were given to stay out of the house under all circumstances. She had specifically set aside this hour to review some of the papers that had been stacking up on her desk. Potential vampires looking to join the cause against the military, clan leaders from across the globe indicating their distress about their ministry beginning the registering process, even the occasional intel from within the Ministry. She had been getting details from within Darren’s ranks this time last year, but as the information got less and less, there was no need to maintain that connection. Though, from what she had gathered, the rules were changing on that side of the line. She had made a mental note to discuss said operations with Adonis, see what she could get out of him, if anything, but it just never seemed like the right time. Mainly because they were too busy with their… hobby.

”I-I… I was told to come tell you th-that…” The girls stuttering was getting bothersome. Why did she have such a small, useless vampire in her ranks? She was an equal opportunist, that was why. She provided the opportunity to all who wished to become part of something. It was often a mistake, but she always made it right in the end in some manner. Sighing, Centara looked up over the paper but because of the girls short height, she had to set the paper down in order to even see her. And once she did, it was a wonder she wasn’t shorter. The girl looked hardly over twelve, no doubt bitten as a child and burdened to forever be underage. She was a new vampire, which of course would cause reason for intimidation while standing in the office of the head of the clans, but it was still no way to conduct one’s self when you knew you didn’t belong there. “Tell me what?” Centara asked impatiently, hoping this conversation would be over in a moment. She hated when they dragged on. The girl swallowed, an unnecessary action that just exemplified her young age. She was still subject to human reactions. ”Kearaislookingforyou.” The words came out in such a jumble that Centara quirked an eyebrow, but it dropped as she picked up a hand and shooed away the little girl. “Next time when I say stay out, I mean it. Keara can inform me herself when she is looking for me,” she responded, picking up the piece of paper again. The door clicked a moment later, the young vampire obviously in a hurry to get out of there before she got any negative effects of her actions. Smart of her. After another quick review of the paperwork, Centara set it off to the side, glancing out the window to her side. What could Keara possibly want? Hadn’t they handled all of the business aspects of Der Keller the other day? Certainly there wouldn’t be any more things that needed attending to on that front. Perhaps she was changing her mind about allying herself with Centara after all this time. Whatever the reason, Centara uncrossed her legs and lifted herself from her chair, grabbing the next stack of papers that was on her list just to keep herself occupied. No point in wasting time when there was work to be done. After all, there were only twenty-four hours in a day. Even without sleep, that time always flew by.

Centara made her way out of the office and then her home, wasting no time in her pace as she made it to the border of the protection spells where she could finally apparate. She knew where Keara was, because if she wasn’t on the grounds, she was at Der Keller. The woman seemed to not have anything better to do. Well, that was a lie. Centara was sure she had smelled male on her a few weeks ago, meaning she had actually spent time with someone of the other gender. Good for her. Maybe it would get that stick out of her ass if she had more social interactions. Though, somehow, she doubted it. Centara was about to apparate off the grounds, go find the blasted vampire who was ruining the time she had set aside, when something silver appeared out of the corner of her eye. She knew the color and the familiar wisp of it from anywhere. Patronus. Stopping in her tracks, Centara turned slowly to the side to see the small animal waiting patiently to be heard. And when it spoke, it was in a male voice that hadn’t been heard in Austria for quite a long time, if Centara recalled properly. Then again, her memory of before her trip was extremely hazy and spotty. Either way, she wasn’t entirely pleased that, once again, she was being distracted. A scowl flashed across her face as the patronus disappeared, but it was gone as fast as it had come. This certainly was not part of the plan, but it was also part of her job. When new people came into the country, it was customary to make yourself known to the clan you were going to be impeding on. Of course, since all of the clans were combined, usually they tried to get in contact with Centara. While she normally didn’t comply with that request, she supposed for a vampire whom she had sired, she would make a slight exception. Despite how much she did not feel like it.

Walking the final steps to the edge of the protection barrier, Centara apparated to the cobblestone streets of Drear Alley. It was a few paces to the trademark red door that indicated a Der Keller club, and once inside, she could feel the familiar rush that came with being inside of her business. She had built it to appeal to the younger generations, the more modern crowd because they were the ones that brought in the most money here. They were the ones who still liked to party and try to get wasted, while the older generations tended to avoid such things. Of course, there was a bar especially set up for those who didn’t enjoy the dancing and loud music, but the moment the front door opened, you were immediately greeted with the partyers. Walking down the staircase, Centara emerged into a series of pathways. For new customers, it was one of the most confusing things in the world, but she knew exactly where she was going. Keara first. She turned down a few hallways until she emerged into a hallway that was lined with three doors. Employee lounge, then two management offices. Centara went to the second door and didn’t even bother to knock. She walked in to find Keara lying on top of her desk in the office. Quirking an eyebrow, Centara leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms, being sure not to crush the papers as she did so. “Comfortable?” A chuckle from the vampire, but nothing more until she began to explain the reason Centara had been called from her home office into her work office. ”Someone confirmed to me tonight. There’s a new Dark Lord. They overheard a DeathEater mention it earlier and passed the word along. Thought you should know.” Neither vampire moved as she spoke, but when she was over, Centara allowed her mind to process for a moment before standing up again and straightening out her blouse. “Well, that’s an interesting development.” Pursing her lips, Centara turned on her heel and began out of the office, but stop shorted and turned to look at the vampire who was obviously too comfortable on her desk to even consider moving. “Let me know if you hear anything else,” she added before stalking out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

It took only moments for her to wander through the hallways to the VIP lounges where her next unexpected appointment was apparently waiting. Hopefully this one would be just as long. Nicolai was standing guard as usual, his big, burly self. People wouldn’t even realize that he had a hard time hurting a fly most of the time. Such a sweetheart, but he knew how to do his job. Looking intimidating was the biggest part of the job. From what she was aware, no one even bothered to challenge him. Fighting a large werewolf? Not someone’s idea of a good time. As he stepped aside and indicated the door of the person who he obviously knew she was here to see, Centara offered him a fanged smile that faded as she opened up the door to the room. Joshua was already seated and waiting, the image unchanged from her century old memory. No surprise there. Once again, a door clicked shut behind her as she walked over to the minibar and set down the papers she had been holding. She didn’t make eye contact, but instead focused on what she was doing, which happened to be pouring herself a drink. Pulling out a flask from her back pocket, she combined tequila with the contents inside, the only blood she ever drank anymore. “You have five minutes. I don’t suggest wasting it with pleasantries,” she recited as she put the top back on the flask and replaced it in her pocket. The words she spoke had become commonplace in meetings such as these. Her time was valuable, more so than most people thought, so she made sure they were aware of such things when she began a meeting. Wasting her time was like wasting money. And while she would never have a problem with funds, Centara was never interested in wasting money. Picking up her glass, she pulled her papers towards her and began to skim over the details of the Russian situation. The Ministry was, unfortunately, getting on board with the plans here in Austria, pushing the vampires there to get past their grudges that they may have with their vampire neighbors and reach out for information. Perfect.

[Joshua O'Neill]

I'll have you know that
I've become indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
On the other side a terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable

As she swept into the room, Josh couldn't help but smile. Her grace was evident in her every move, and it almost looked as if she restrained herself so as to keep from moving too fast. Her words startled him, although he wasn't sure why he had expected anything else. For some reason he was still somewhat foggy on why she was the name that stood out in his mind, among so many others that he had known. Of course she had sired him, that in and of itself should have made her a fixture in his head. It was something else however, a nagging thought that he couldn't seem to reign in. He went over everything once more in his mind, desperately trying to solve this latest puzzle. It had been like this for quite some time, with certain thoughts persisting when they had no reason to do so. Certain people drew him to them, as if there was more there than he knew there to be. He had even dreamed of Centara on a few occasions, which was unusual. He had left her in a rush, his own arrogance after his siring leading him to believe he knew better than she did. That had been the last time he had seen her, and then all of this Dark Lord business had come about while he had thankfully been out of the country.

He had wandered near and far, desperate to find whatever it was that was eluding him so. During his travels he had made friends all over the place, but none of them felt nearly as right as the friends he had in Austria. Once he had returned, he had sought out the people that he remembered only to be told that he hadn't had much to do with any of them in quite some time. Still his mind had traced back to Centara, something telling him that he needed to seek her out. His journey had brought him to his former residence, which surprisingly still stood even if it were in shambles. The magical wards he had placed seemed to be holding, telling him that no one had disturbed his former residence. He had spent hours digging through what seemed like useless things and was almost on the verge of giving up when he found a small leather bound book that seemed promising. It had been magically sealed, of that much he was certain, but it opened to his touch. It looked to be a journal of some sort, although he couldn't seem to remember ever keeping one. The evening had flew by while he read, each page more interesting than the last. The words were clearly written in his hand, although he had no recollection of writing them. He also couldn't remember any of the events that he seemed to be describing, a fact that disturbed him greatly. He had read names of people whom he recognized, but could remember no interaction with. If the words were to be believed though, he had known some of these people quite well. Perhaps all of that had something to do with the reason he couldn't seem to get some thoughts out of his head, and he was determined that Centara was part of the solution.

He forced his mind back to the present, back to the meeting that he had asked for. Without a word he reached into the folds of his robe, withdrawing the journal and tossing it casually onto the table between them. "I found this when I returned home. It seems that I wrote it, but I can't recall any of these things happening. For some reason I feel like you might be able to help me, although I'm not sure if you will or not. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I just want to know what's going on, why I'm drawn to this place...and to you." He trailed off, his eyes locked on her own. Now he had to hope that she was in a helpful mood, because if she wasn't he would have a long road ahead of him.

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tag ,, Centara !
status ,, Complete !
word count ,, 693 !
music ,, n/a !
misc ,, Hopefully this works !

[Centara Zealon]

The further she read, the more bothered Centara became. While she had initially thought the papers she was reading was just a letter stating that there was movement within the Russian Ministry, she quickly found out that it was an incorrect assumption. It was, indeed, a letter. From one of the eldest clans in Russia that she had come into contact with. Apparently many of the clans had gotten together and shared their experiences before ultimately deciding to contact her, only she wished they had contacted her sooner. It had been months ago that she had forewarned them, sat down in a meeting with many of the clan leaders and warned them of what was going on in Austria. Warned them of the disappearances of vampires and werewolves alike, the registration process, the rumors of weapons that could do unknown harm. Her words had fallen on deaf ears, however. Perhaps it was due to her never presenting herself as the leader of the Austrian clans, but only as a vampire who had experienced such things. It had been in everyone’s best interest, though. The less people who knew exactly who she was, the less danger she, herself, was in when the Ministry went looking for her, and the less people who would have to debate about turning her over. It kept them out of harm’s way if someone, say Ashton Wentworth, came knocking at their doors. They would never have to be concerned with covering for her or facing her wrath whenever she found out it was them who had turned over her name. Unfortunately, it also meant that she was hardly taken seriously. While her age was now formidable, while there were very few vampires who thought she was just a child anymore, she was still just another vampire without influence to them.

Until now, that is. Now they were asking for forgiveness for not listening sooner, asking for help from the leader in Austria. A vampire whom Centara was sure was thrice her age was requesting a meeting with her, the head of the Austrian clans, sort of, to assist them in handling their Ministry. The Ministry of Russia who had already begun snatching up vampires, capturing them and torturing them for information and returning them with trackers, ways to find and smoke out the clans. Her eyebrows lifted in admiration as she read the so called things that Ministry was doing. Smart ones, they were. Managing to sneak in trackers under the skin of vampires, using muggle technology to find the nests and register all of the vampires. Of course, now the clans had become aware. Now they knew who went missing and made sure to scour them head to toe when they were returned to ensure they were not being tracked. It had worked for long enough, though. Long enough to register many of their newborn vampires. It was, however, the push they needed to get them on board with taking down the Ministry at first chance. She smirked internally at the final line. ”It is our hope you will look past our previous ignorance and allow us to help in saving our kind from this abuse of power.” Ignorance. Merlin, she loved when people realized their error. Of course she would help, take them under her wing and assist them in handling their Ministry, as long as they agreed to all her terms and conditions. And given that Torsten agreed. Because, after all, she was not the head of the clans. Not really. She was the face, the one who handled all of the contact and management. But it was Torsten who she referred to for advice, listened to when he had ideas and concerns. He ultimately was the one running the show, but she didn’t deny that she played a very large part. Either way, she was fairly sure he would agree with her that it would be beneficial to take the Russians under their wing. Whatever Torsten’s motives were, whatever he ultimately had planned (because she had figured out half a century ago that he did not have the same intentions as her), he knew that it was best to have numbers on one side. Whether for fighting, detail gathering, or surveillance; the more people, the better results.

Though, there was the question of if one more vampire would really make a difference. Surely clans of vampires made a difference, but as Centara heard a rustling, she looked up finally at the other person in the room, the other undead body occupying the space. She didn’t know why he was here, why he had requested a meeting, but she was certainly sure that having him on their side would provide no additional benefits. He was hardly allotted a glance before she looked back down at the papers in front of her. She would respond when she got back to her office, hopefully with a meeting resulting within the next few days. She was busy, but never too busy for helping out fellow clans with a pest problem. She began to reread it, committing the most important of names to memory, their problems and starting to begin to solve them, everything she would need to know when writing the letter, but as she was committing another name to memory, a soft thunk radiated through the room. Centara glanced back up the fleshling. There was a journal now sitting on a low table in the middle of the room. It must have been what he was moving around for, pulling it out of his pocket. She quirked an eyebrow as she looked from it to him. She truly hoped he didn’t expect her to waste her time reading such a thing. "I found this when I returned home. It seems that I wrote it, but I can't recall any of these things happening. For some reason I feel like you might be able to help me, although I'm not sure if you will or not. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I just want to know what's going on, why I'm drawn to this place...and to you." The more he spoke, the more furious she got. What was he talking about? How could he not remember writing such things? Clearly, he recognized his own handwriting so it was his journal, his thoughts, his memories. And to imply that he didn’t even know her, that he had no clue who she was but that he was drawn to her? Merlin, what did he take her for, a fool?
“Is this some sort of joke?” Her words were indifferent, but slowly, her upper lip pulled back as needle-like fangs began to extend, the tips hovering just over her lower lip. Her eyes narrowed and her entire face seemed to reflect the disgust she was feeling. “You have the nerve to bring me here to play some game? Asking me to explain your problems? While you are completely aware at how busy I get?” she questioned, her spine straightening as she stood at full height. Anger dripped from her words, a hiss reverberating in each syllable. Why hadn’t she listened to her own advice and ignored his request? Gone and taken care of her own tasks. “I don’t know what gives you the impression that you can call on me just because I sired you, O’Neill, but next time you think about it, don’t.” Her emotions were gone out of her tone but she still spoke the last with a growl, her fangs hiding behind her lips once again. She knew how to keep her temper, and how to suppress it when it reared its ugly, impatient head. But this was just unacceptable. Surely he didn’t think that being sired by her gave him any special privileges. Merely the fact that he could brag about it. However, not much bragging could be done considering he didn’t know the power she held know, didn’t know the position she held because he had left before then. Abandoned Austria before she had reached the height of her success. That did not excuse his lack of respect, however. Even before he had left, she held enough power that meant she did not deal with petty problems. She did not come on a whim when called. And she sure as hell did not have enough time to play games. If he had a death wish, he simply could have just walked into the werewolf den instead of wasting her time.