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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2592039" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p><strong>A Night in the Countryside</strong></p><p></p><p>Nanuet smiles as he gets off his horse and helps Minerva from hers. "This is quite the oasis you have found here. It is a beautiful spot, I feel we will be safe here. I have called for Maska to meet us, hopefully she feels well enough to travel, it has only been a few days."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, we are always safe here." Ruby breathes the cool and refreshing night air deeply. She only waits 2 seconds before she starts pulling off her clothes and throwing them on the ground.</p><p></p><p>"Uh, Ruby, don't you think.... You're not alone here," Kate said with a blush coming to her cheeks.</p><p></p><p>"I'm not sleeping in my dress, Kate," she says matter of factly. "Besides I'm pretty sure everyone here has seen women's undergarments before. And besides, uh, besides, it's too nice to stay cooped up in a stuffy dress. I normally don’t sleep in anything but I don't think Jake would like that tonight, would you baby?" she giggles.</p><p></p><p> Jake forces a grin to his face. "I suppose it would be better tonight to leave your under garments intact." He gives her a wink. <em>It would be nice if that was the only thing I was worried about.</em> </p><p></p><p>Jake carefully looks around and then arranges Ruby's bedroll in the center of the grasses near the stream. He brings her the bag from her horse, and hands her the half empty bottle. </p><p></p><p>"Hey, Chet!" He waves the deputy marshall over and speaks quietly to him. "Why don't you make a few stakes with that oversized knife of yours? Make sure at least you, me and Nanuet each have one. Thanks." </p><p></p><p>"Why? Are we pitching a tent?" He pauses. "Oh, right, for the blood monster. I don't see how a pointy stick can hurt Turner if bullets can't, but I'll get right on it." </p><p></p><p>Chester gathers a few stout branches and begins whittling the ends. His thoughts go back to Clarisse and how he puts her behind the others. <em>I can't keep doing that. It isn't fair to her to always stay behind, while I go with Jake and the others. But we do things that would bring down the law on us, if people found out.</em> He fingers the badge in his pocket. <em>That's funny. If Berg or Isby had any idea...</em> Chester shakes his head asnd gets back to work.</p><p></p><p>Jake stands in thought for some time watching the puppies who seem still awake inspite of the late hour. He searches around and selects a couple of sticks. With a whistle he calls them waving the sticks, "Lucky! Mischief!" Their heads snap up and they come bounding towards him. Jake starts a game of fetch with them, making his throws closer and closer to the stream near a shallow wide spot. He then intentionally tosses the sticks just across the stream and watches to see what they will do.</p><p></p><p>Ruby drops on her knees on her bedroll and takes small sips from her bottle. She looks up to the sky and breathes in deeply. The itchy urgent desire to get the hot, stifling air off her was gone, replaced by the cool calmness of the dark, starry night. She was relaxed now, maybe because of the night, maybe because the whiskey. </p><p></p><p>She gazes at each of her friends in turn, watching them get their setups ready. Kate had looked pale since earlier back at the Lucky Lady. She still looks uncomfortable as she tries to lay a blanket down. Minerva and Nanuet are quietly whispering something to each other and Ruby strains to hear what they are saying but she is quickly distracted by Chester. </p><p></p><p>He was whittling wood into some kind of pointy stick. She watches, almost entranced, as he continues to work away. She stares at him intently, before her thoughts are interupted by the puppies squeals. </p><p></p><p>She smiles widely as Jake plays with them. They both playfully pounce on the sticks after they are thrown. Mischief seems to disappear in the darkness before he comes running back, chewing on his stick. Lucky has a harder time jumping through the grass but not for lack of effort. </p><p></p><p>The sticks go flying through the air, landing on the far side of the stream. Lucky stops at the edge, slowing pushing her nose in the cool water a few times before proceeding slowly. She gets a quarter way into the stream before the water hits her belly and she turns and heads back. Mischief doesn't even think before splashing through the stream. He quickly makes it across, grabs the stick and shakes his kill in his mouth back and forth before pouncing back to Jake. Panting he drops the stick at Jake's feet and looks up at him with big, proud puppy dog eyes. </p><p></p><p>Ruby stands slowly, trying not to fall, and comes to Jake, wrapping her arms around him. "It's sssooooo cute, I've never seen you play with the puppies before. I knew you'd grow to love them!" She squeezes his waist tightly before falling into him with a giggle.</p><p></p><p>"They're fine mutts, that is when they aren't chewing my boots." He struggles to keep his balance. <em>I just wanted to make sure I didn't have to shoot them.</em> He sits down, trying not to drop Ruby. The dogs come over and he rubs their fur and scratches them slowly until they calm down and fall asleep. </p><p> </p><p>"They are, aren't they?" Ruby pets the fluffy pups, her hands grazing Jake's as they move over the dogs.</p><p></p><p>Ruby leans her head back on Jake's chest, looking up at the stars. She feels his regular breathing and every breath calms her more. Occassionally she takes sips of the whiskey but at this point it isn't necessary. Without lifting her head she turns her face up to Jake, pulling his arms around her. She smiles up at him, her green eyes sparkling. "Let's make love baby."</p><p></p><p>Jake smiles tenderly down at Ruby and fights the pain that rises up from his heart. <em>Who am I holding? Is it the woman that I love that is speaking or the monster trying to catch me off guard? What have you done to my Ruby!</em> Jake hugs her tightly for a moment too long. <em>Damn you Turner!</em> He lays down beside her and holds back the tears that want to spring from his eyes. It is a foreign feeling, those tears that attempt to be released, because Silver Jake Cook is not one for shedding tears. <em>It is a disease, this taint; it is not of her doing. She is sick and needs to be healed. How can I refuse her anything?</em> "Love me Ruby West, there is only you and I in the world."</p><p></p><p>"I always will baby." Ruby wraps her arms around Jake's neck and pulls herself close to him, hanging over him. Looking deeply into his brown eyes she smiles genuinely at him before giving him a soft but passionate kiss. Jake can feel Ruby's breathing speed up and her heart starts pounding. She throws her leg over Jake and continues to snuggle up to him. She whispers, "Tell me how much you love me and want me and need me..." as she starts sliding his shirt off, her red hair brushing his chest.</p><p></p><p>"You are the cool water to quench my thirst, the breath that I need take to live, and the source of my love which is as vast and endless as the stars above watching us with jealous eyes." He rests a single finger on her lips. "Now, speak no more tonight and let me feel your warm body next to mine." Jake consciously places his thorn scarred palm against the matching scar on Ruby's hand for a brief moment and then tries to let the rest of the world slip away for a little while. </p><p></p><p>Though grateful of Nanuet's watchful eye, Jake knows that he will be unable to sleep. He knows he will spend the night with one hand on his Colt and the other on Ruby. His ears will listen to her gentle breathing and strain for sounds of danger. His eyes will wander from her crimson locks to the surrounding clearing in search of movement. The only thing he will long for more than her untroubled face will be the morning sun.</p><p></p><p>Ruby banishes any remaining bad thoughts from her mind and enjoys every moment of her lover's caresses, responding with uninhibited gasps of pleasure. She tries to elicit the same response from Jake, hoping to releve some of his tension. Soon after she is satisfied and content she melts into Jake, briefly star gazes then falls into a deep calm sleep.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet makes a bed for Minerva out of bedrolls and blankets. He scouts out the area quickly making notes of any particular points of interest. "I'll take the watch, the rest of you get some sleep. I should be fine till the sun comes up, then we can all rest." </p><p></p><p>Nanuet turns so his back is to the stream and sits comfortably next to Minerva. He rubs her back and shoulders, occasionally stroking her dark tresses. He hums quietly to himself as he scans the landscape incessantly.</p><p></p><p>She lays quietly in the soft grass listening to the trickle of the brook and the soothing deep melody of his voice, forcing herself to be brave. She is too distraught to talk and so she pretends to sleep, forcing her chest to rise and fall in a light steady rhythm, as she ponders how much her life had changed… how much she had changed. </p><p></p><p>There was a time when all she felt was a burning anger. Anger at the prejudice of a world that would torment someone just for being a bit different. Rage at a world that dominated and used the weak for their own selfish gain, And at times, she even felt fury at the gods who allowed such injustice to exist. She had spent a lifetime fighting against such evils and fueling her energies with righteous anger. He anger had always served her well. It gave her power and strength and it had allowed her to serve her gods even when she was angry with them for allowing evil's existence. After her father’s murder it was her anger that had kept her from falling into despair and she stoked it heartily and often like an engineer of one of those steam locomotives feeding his furnace. </p><p></p><p>There was a time not so long ago when she could battle the monsters of the world without fearing the repercussions of her bold and often rash actions. But everything was different now. She had people whom she loved and who loved her in return, A whole town who counted on her protection from the monsters of the world. This realization doused the flames of her anger as effectivley as water on a fire. “I have too much to lose." The cold terror of what is to come seeps into her bones. She shivers and buries her self deeper in her blanket.</p><p></p><p>As Nanuet sits and watch he is distraught. <em>An abomination of all things natural, this thing must be destroyed</em> he thinks to himself. He startles as some night creature scoots across the night landscape. He chuckles lightly at his own fright and looks to the stars. He is unsure but one of the clouds seems to him to be moving against the breeze. He keeps an eye on it but decides not to mention it to the others. <em>Not yet, not just yet.</em></p><p></p><p>Kate looked around their small camp from where she was curled up under her blankets. The vast sky above made her feel small and exposed, and seeing the others curled up with their loves left her feeling lonely. Back at the Cantina there would be her own warm bed and a family. Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales would be laughing together, or she might be in the kitchen asking Dorita question after question. </p><p></p><p>If Tom was still here, would they have sat under the stars like this? Maybe on land they had bought for themselves before they began to build a ranch on it? It probably wouldn't have occured to him to ask her to sleep outside. She sighed. She would have liked to sit under the stars with him and feel his arms around her, keeping her warm while a cool breeze blew across her face. Instead she was alone and shivering, not even sure if she could trust her own mind and this time facing a monster that only pretended to wear a human face. </p><p></p><p>She said a quiet prayer to the stars, hoping that Ruby had wanted to come here of her own free will and they would be safe until the sun rose. After a moment, she added thanks to that prayer for the hope that she didn't have to feel this lonliness forever. She closed her eyes to try to sleep and to try <em>not</em> to think of a man back in town who would have gladly been here with her.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2592039, member: 12815"] [b]A Night in the Countryside[/b] Nanuet smiles as he gets off his horse and helps Minerva from hers. "This is quite the oasis you have found here. It is a beautiful spot, I feel we will be safe here. I have called for Maska to meet us, hopefully she feels well enough to travel, it has only been a few days." "Yes, we are always safe here." Ruby breathes the cool and refreshing night air deeply. She only waits 2 seconds before she starts pulling off her clothes and throwing them on the ground. "Uh, Ruby, don't you think.... You're not alone here," Kate said with a blush coming to her cheeks. "I'm not sleeping in my dress, Kate," she says matter of factly. "Besides I'm pretty sure everyone here has seen women's undergarments before. And besides, uh, besides, it's too nice to stay cooped up in a stuffy dress. I normally don’t sleep in anything but I don't think Jake would like that tonight, would you baby?" she giggles. Jake forces a grin to his face. "I suppose it would be better tonight to leave your under garments intact." He gives her a wink. [I]It would be nice if that was the only thing I was worried about.[/I] Jake carefully looks around and then arranges Ruby's bedroll in the center of the grasses near the stream. He brings her the bag from her horse, and hands her the half empty bottle. "Hey, Chet!" He waves the deputy marshall over and speaks quietly to him. "Why don't you make a few stakes with that oversized knife of yours? Make sure at least you, me and Nanuet each have one. Thanks." "Why? Are we pitching a tent?" He pauses. "Oh, right, for the blood monster. I don't see how a pointy stick can hurt Turner if bullets can't, but I'll get right on it." Chester gathers a few stout branches and begins whittling the ends. His thoughts go back to Clarisse and how he puts her behind the others. [I]I can't keep doing that. It isn't fair to her to always stay behind, while I go with Jake and the others. But we do things that would bring down the law on us, if people found out.[/I] He fingers the badge in his pocket. [i]That's funny. If Berg or Isby had any idea...[/I] Chester shakes his head asnd gets back to work. Jake stands in thought for some time watching the puppies who seem still awake inspite of the late hour. He searches around and selects a couple of sticks. With a whistle he calls them waving the sticks, "Lucky! Mischief!" Their heads snap up and they come bounding towards him. Jake starts a game of fetch with them, making his throws closer and closer to the stream near a shallow wide spot. He then intentionally tosses the sticks just across the stream and watches to see what they will do. Ruby drops on her knees on her bedroll and takes small sips from her bottle. She looks up to the sky and breathes in deeply. The itchy urgent desire to get the hot, stifling air off her was gone, replaced by the cool calmness of the dark, starry night. She was relaxed now, maybe because of the night, maybe because the whiskey. She gazes at each of her friends in turn, watching them get their setups ready. Kate had looked pale since earlier back at the Lucky Lady. She still looks uncomfortable as she tries to lay a blanket down. Minerva and Nanuet are quietly whispering something to each other and Ruby strains to hear what they are saying but she is quickly distracted by Chester. He was whittling wood into some kind of pointy stick. She watches, almost entranced, as he continues to work away. She stares at him intently, before her thoughts are interupted by the puppies squeals. She smiles widely as Jake plays with them. They both playfully pounce on the sticks after they are thrown. Mischief seems to disappear in the darkness before he comes running back, chewing on his stick. Lucky has a harder time jumping through the grass but not for lack of effort. The sticks go flying through the air, landing on the far side of the stream. Lucky stops at the edge, slowing pushing her nose in the cool water a few times before proceeding slowly. She gets a quarter way into the stream before the water hits her belly and she turns and heads back. Mischief doesn't even think before splashing through the stream. He quickly makes it across, grabs the stick and shakes his kill in his mouth back and forth before pouncing back to Jake. Panting he drops the stick at Jake's feet and looks up at him with big, proud puppy dog eyes. Ruby stands slowly, trying not to fall, and comes to Jake, wrapping her arms around him. "It's sssooooo cute, I've never seen you play with the puppies before. I knew you'd grow to love them!" She squeezes his waist tightly before falling into him with a giggle. "They're fine mutts, that is when they aren't chewing my boots." He struggles to keep his balance. [I]I just wanted to make sure I didn't have to shoot them.[/I] He sits down, trying not to drop Ruby. The dogs come over and he rubs their fur and scratches them slowly until they calm down and fall asleep. "They are, aren't they?" Ruby pets the fluffy pups, her hands grazing Jake's as they move over the dogs. Ruby leans her head back on Jake's chest, looking up at the stars. She feels his regular breathing and every breath calms her more. Occassionally she takes sips of the whiskey but at this point it isn't necessary. Without lifting her head she turns her face up to Jake, pulling his arms around her. She smiles up at him, her green eyes sparkling. "Let's make love baby." Jake smiles tenderly down at Ruby and fights the pain that rises up from his heart. [I]Who am I holding? Is it the woman that I love that is speaking or the monster trying to catch me off guard? What have you done to my Ruby![/I] Jake hugs her tightly for a moment too long. [I]Damn you Turner![/I] He lays down beside her and holds back the tears that want to spring from his eyes. It is a foreign feeling, those tears that attempt to be released, because Silver Jake Cook is not one for shedding tears. [I]It is a disease, this taint; it is not of her doing. She is sick and needs to be healed. How can I refuse her anything?[/I] "Love me Ruby West, there is only you and I in the world." "I always will baby." Ruby wraps her arms around Jake's neck and pulls herself close to him, hanging over him. Looking deeply into his brown eyes she smiles genuinely at him before giving him a soft but passionate kiss. Jake can feel Ruby's breathing speed up and her heart starts pounding. She throws her leg over Jake and continues to snuggle up to him. She whispers, "Tell me how much you love me and want me and need me..." as she starts sliding his shirt off, her red hair brushing his chest. "You are the cool water to quench my thirst, the breath that I need take to live, and the source of my love which is as vast and endless as the stars above watching us with jealous eyes." He rests a single finger on her lips. "Now, speak no more tonight and let me feel your warm body next to mine." Jake consciously places his thorn scarred palm against the matching scar on Ruby's hand for a brief moment and then tries to let the rest of the world slip away for a little while. Though grateful of Nanuet's watchful eye, Jake knows that he will be unable to sleep. He knows he will spend the night with one hand on his Colt and the other on Ruby. His ears will listen to her gentle breathing and strain for sounds of danger. His eyes will wander from her crimson locks to the surrounding clearing in search of movement. The only thing he will long for more than her untroubled face will be the morning sun. Ruby banishes any remaining bad thoughts from her mind and enjoys every moment of her lover's caresses, responding with uninhibited gasps of pleasure. She tries to elicit the same response from Jake, hoping to releve some of his tension. Soon after she is satisfied and content she melts into Jake, briefly star gazes then falls into a deep calm sleep. Nanuet makes a bed for Minerva out of bedrolls and blankets. He scouts out the area quickly making notes of any particular points of interest. "I'll take the watch, the rest of you get some sleep. I should be fine till the sun comes up, then we can all rest." Nanuet turns so his back is to the stream and sits comfortably next to Minerva. He rubs her back and shoulders, occasionally stroking her dark tresses. He hums quietly to himself as he scans the landscape incessantly. She lays quietly in the soft grass listening to the trickle of the brook and the soothing deep melody of his voice, forcing herself to be brave. She is too distraught to talk and so she pretends to sleep, forcing her chest to rise and fall in a light steady rhythm, as she ponders how much her life had changed… how much she had changed. There was a time when all she felt was a burning anger. Anger at the prejudice of a world that would torment someone just for being a bit different. Rage at a world that dominated and used the weak for their own selfish gain, And at times, she even felt fury at the gods who allowed such injustice to exist. She had spent a lifetime fighting against such evils and fueling her energies with righteous anger. He anger had always served her well. It gave her power and strength and it had allowed her to serve her gods even when she was angry with them for allowing evil's existence. After her father’s murder it was her anger that had kept her from falling into despair and she stoked it heartily and often like an engineer of one of those steam locomotives feeding his furnace. There was a time not so long ago when she could battle the monsters of the world without fearing the repercussions of her bold and often rash actions. But everything was different now. She had people whom she loved and who loved her in return, A whole town who counted on her protection from the monsters of the world. This realization doused the flames of her anger as effectivley as water on a fire. “I have too much to lose." The cold terror of what is to come seeps into her bones. She shivers and buries her self deeper in her blanket. As Nanuet sits and watch he is distraught. [I]An abomination of all things natural, this thing must be destroyed[/I] he thinks to himself. He startles as some night creature scoots across the night landscape. He chuckles lightly at his own fright and looks to the stars. He is unsure but one of the clouds seems to him to be moving against the breeze. He keeps an eye on it but decides not to mention it to the others. [I]Not yet, not just yet.[/I] Kate looked around their small camp from where she was curled up under her blankets. The vast sky above made her feel small and exposed, and seeing the others curled up with their loves left her feeling lonely. Back at the Cantina there would be her own warm bed and a family. Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales would be laughing together, or she might be in the kitchen asking Dorita question after question. If Tom was still here, would they have sat under the stars like this? Maybe on land they had bought for themselves before they began to build a ranch on it? It probably wouldn't have occured to him to ask her to sleep outside. She sighed. She would have liked to sit under the stars with him and feel his arms around her, keeping her warm while a cool breeze blew across her face. Instead she was alone and shivering, not even sure if she could trust her own mind and this time facing a monster that only pretended to wear a human face. She said a quiet prayer to the stars, hoping that Ruby had wanted to come here of her own free will and they would be safe until the sun rose. After a moment, she added thanks to that prayer for the hope that she didn't have to feel this lonliness forever. She closed her eyes to try to sleep and to try [I]not[/I] to think of a man back in town who would have gladly been here with her. [/QUOTE]
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