DAMIEN BECK
Reaper
Posts: 97
Age:
74
Occupation:
Reaper/Bank Robber
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Aurora de Martel
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 12, 2024 20:45:44 GMT
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Post by DAMIEN BECK on Aug 29, 2024 19:29:01 GMT
The crunch of metal had killed all sound in the woods. They’d all stood there, stunned and silent, not even the birds in the trees that had been protesting about all the noise they were making minutes before. Silence had given way to a spreading numbness that left him stumbling as he pushed to his feet. His legs not working properly as he and Sonny had raced towards the car and Connie. It had taken days for it to start wearing off and when it did, hell, it had just been worse. He hadn’t wanted to feel all the cracks that had shot through his heart or the shattered glass shards of hope that cut deeper every time one of the doctors shook their head. Like life had suddenly raced into reverse, that wave had rolled over him again as his sister had thrown herself at him.
Connie.
Connie stumbling down the stairs of Elias’ pied-à-terre (his days there were numbered even more than they had been before) as Elias shoved her in his direction. The world stopping the same way it had done then, the desire to pound Elias’ face into hamburger for laying a hand on his sister only breaking when Connie had squealed and hugged him. The questions had started swirling around him then, accusations on both sides doing absolutely fucking nothing to explain just how his little sister had come back to life.
Holding on tight, maybe too tight, to Connie’s arm, Damien had drawn her in for the trip back to his apartment. I know what you did. Elias probably still thought that he’d freed Connie from her heaven. Maybe if he hadn’t killed their last Death he’d have been able to tell Elias that it was complete bullshit. If he’d been planning on breaking Connie out, why would he have waited 50 years to do it? Finally losing her had broken his heart, but letting her go and be in peace up in Heaven had felt like the right thing. She’d had enough pain on Earth and maybe in a few centuries Death would’ve cut him loose and he coulda gone there too (believing he might’ve been dragging Sonny in tow then felt like it would’ve been an impossibility but some small part of him had hoped for it all the same).
How? Landing in the guest room of his apartment, Damien kept a hold on his sister for a moment, like she’d vanish if he didn’t. Connie hadn’t had any real answers for how it’d happened. His sister had never been a dummy, he and Sonny had raised her to be smart (the smart ass in her was all her own). She’d likely given Elias a mouthful before he’d been summoned there, but unless it was something that might’ve gotten him and Sonny in trouble, she probably woulda said something already.
His mouth settled into a tight line as he heard Aurora out in the living room. He’d told her what had happened to Connie right back near the start of their relationship, reeling off his family’s tragic history to explain how he’d become a reaper. After all she’d seen over the centuries, someone coming back from the dead probably wasn’t gonna make her blink, but this was his sister, thrown back into his life – their life - without warning.
Damien squeezed his sister’s arm lightly and stepped towards the door. ”Gimme five minutes, OK? I … there’s someone I need to explain all of this to.” Someone who had a say in him keeping Connie right here. Elijah’s invasion of Aurora’s apartment had turned his apartment into theirs and he didn’t want Aurora feeling like he was nudging her aside because he had a family situation (God, it was so much more complicated than that).
For a second as he closed it behind him, he almost left the door to the bedroom half open. If Elias was going to march Connie back up to Heaven he would’ve done it already. She was here, she was staying, he didn’t need to feel like each time he looked at her would be the last time he did. Damien shut it with a quiet click, trusting Connie would burst out of it when he did call her in.
”Hey,” he managed breathlessly as he stepped out into the living room. The corners of his mouth twitched as his chest went tight. Damien swallowed hard and met her eye. ”I … uh … I’ve got some news. Unexpected news.” That numbness was back, racing its way up his body, leaving him sitting down hard on the couch. ”My sister’s alive.” As though he was hearing the news for the first time, Damien felt a jolt in his chest and the burn of tears prickling at the back of his eyes. All these years he’d been trying to get Sonny back, and Connie had somehow found her way to him first.
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AURORA DE MARTEL
Vampire
Posts: 167
Age:
1041
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Damien Beck
Played by:
Jodi
The king may rule the kingdom, but it’s the queen who moves the board
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 12:09:59 GMT
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Post by AURORA DE MARTEL on Sept 13, 2024 12:39:11 GMT
Every single morning she was checking her reflection in the mirror. Not for vanity, to see if there was a trace of the virus lingering in her features. Elijah had gotten too close to her, potentially transferring his disease to her. There were no fracture thoughts in her mind though. Everything seemed to be normal upstairs– as normal as it could be considering Aurora’s previous issues. Despite not displaying any symptoms her anxiety didn’t settle. It wasn't just about the virus though, it was about the fact Elijah thought her and her brother were behind it. In due course he’d pass that information onto his siblings and they would descend on the de Martels for answers. Answers they didn’t hold, but that wouldn’t stop Elijah and the others from attempting to tear our Aurora’s tongue in the process. Which was exactly why Damien’s apartment was the safest place for her right now. No one really knew about them. They’d somehow managed to keep their relationship a secret from ninety percent of Mystic Falls– although it helped Damien was able to whisk them off to another city for their dates. For that brief time the surrounding world just melted away. She was alone in the apartment, but there was a shift in the air which only indicated one thing. Damien was home. She waited for him to appear in the living room, with a huge smile on her face. She’d seen his face a million times before yet she still got butterflies every single time. Aurora wasn’t expecting him to appear out of the spare bedroom though, but there was something wrong. It was written all over his face. “Hey. Her voice remained steady even though worry was building inside of her. Her eyes followed him as he sat down on the couch. She slotted into the space next to him. Unexpected news was never good. She swallowed back her concerns. His sister? It wasn’t the news she was expected him to deliver, which was evident by the look of shock on her face. “But… how?” It wasn’t impossible in their world though. Both Damien and Aurora were technically dead once upon time. But it was more uncommon to hear of someone being dead for decades, then to suddenly be alive again. “Where is she now?” Her eyes shifted towards the spare bedroom, tuning her hearing towards that direction. There was a racing heartbeat coming from behind the door. “Is she in the spare bedroom?” At least this time Damien was speaking to Aurora before bringing a woman into his apartment. He’d made that mistake once before. DAMIEN BECK  |
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DAMIEN BECK
Reaper
Posts: 97
Age:
74
Occupation:
Reaper/Bank Robber
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Aurora de Martel
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 12, 2024 20:45:44 GMT
|
Post by DAMIEN BECK on Sept 17, 2024 19:54:49 GMT
Considering how easy it was for him to appear and disappear whenever and wherever he wanted to, his apartment was probably half as safe as it needed to be, but it felt like the only place he had to take Connie – and Aurora. Four brick walls, the thin veil of a life thrown up over them as though he was just as human as anybody else who lived in the building. They might as well have been made of paper if Elias decided he was gonna come for either one of them. Maybe some tropical island in the middle of the ocean somewhere would’ve been better, a spot on the map that Elias might never have guessed on his own, but who knew what other powers he’d inherited when he’d ripped the ring off of Death’s cold dead finger and started swinging the scythe around. There was a good chance nowhere would be safe enough if things went to Hell.
Connie was back. Worry and gratitude were at war in his chest as he left her in the guest room – well, her room now he guessed. They’d lost her once, the life draining out of her like grains of sand out of an hourglass. He couldn’t do it again. Whatever it took he had to keep the three of them safe – Connie, Aurora, and Sonny, if he could ever get that thing out of him without him dying in the process. There was no way on earth he was telling Connie that he was scared for her, later he’d let the words out in a whisper as he laid beside Aurora. She’d understand, the ties between her and her brother stretching for a century (even though Tristan had been an overbearing asshole that entire time).
She’d understand him bringing another woman in the apartment now too. This wasn’t like what had happened with Leah (it wasn’t like Connie had bags full of clothes to leave dumped all over the couch, she didn’t have anything with her apart from the clothes on her back), it was his sister. The words log jammed in his throat the second he laid eyes on Aurora. Usually he’d have drawn her close, kissing her hello instead of offering up that weak hey. His gaze met hers and he could see that she knew something was up.
With Aurora sitting next to him, he reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly as he shook his head. Damien swallowed hard, trying to loosen the lump in his throat. ”That son of a bitch, Elias, had her. He denied it was him, tried throwing the blame back on me like I would’ve pulled her out of Heaven and then just left her on her own.” It could’ve been Elias manufacturing his downfall, but he’d have had to be an Oscar winning actor to pull off those accusations. Connie hadn’t known, Death himself had no clue. It was a mystery that was gonna tear him up until he knew the truth behind it.
Blinking back tears, Damien pulled his glasses off and pinched a thumb and forefinger into his eyes. He nodded, his eyes still covered. ”I had to bring her home,”{/b] he said hoarsely. ”She doesn’t have anywhere to go and I couldn’t leave her there. She doesn’t know this place, or this time. How am I gonna keep her safe here? This town’s pure chaos, I can’t let her out in the middle of that.” Although knowing Connie him ordering her to stay in the apartment would just encourage her to sneak out past him. Growing up it had always been about following her brothers into trouble rather than being left behind. Connie had been a smart mouthed kid, brave and funny and in the end too trusting. That was a bad combination in a town like Mystic Falls.
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AURORA DE MARTEL
Vampire
Posts: 167
Age:
1041
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Damien Beck
Played by:
Jodi
The king may rule the kingdom, but it’s the queen who moves the board
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 12:09:59 GMT
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Post by AURORA DE MARTEL on Oct 1, 2024 11:21:53 GMT
Technically, Damien hadn’t lost both siblings. Sonny was still alive, just buried somewhere deep within his own body. But he had lost Connie, and Aurora couldn’t even begin to fathom the pain he must have felt since that day. If she were to lose Tristan, it would send her spiralling into a darkness she doubted even Damien could pull her from. Losing a sibling after a millennium together was a heartbreak beyond comprehension. Yet, they lived in a world where death wasn’t always final. Both she and Damien had met their end at some point, and here they were, alive. Still, it didn’t lessen her shock when Damien revealed Connie was alive. To return after decades was almost unheard of—unlike Aurora, who had bounced back after a few minutes. “Had her? What do you mean he had her?” Her hatred for that man burned hotter with each passing day. For now, her hands were tied, waiting until she and Damien devised a plan to take him down. Damien’s potential promotion to Death sparked a dangerous thought in Aurora’s mind— could they use it to kill the Mikaelsons? Impervious to stakes and wooden bullets, perhaps they couldn’t survive Death’s grip. While Tristan worked on his own plans, Aurora quietly worked on hers. Maybe, just maybe, if they succeeded, Tristan would finally accept Damien into their family. She placed her hand gently over Damien’s, giving it a soft squeeze as she watched the man she loved, broken and in tears over his sister’s return. A dull ache stirred in her chest. “She’s more than welcome here,” Aurora reassured him. This was Damien’s sister, not some half-dressed harlot he’d brought home from work. “We can keep her safe. Together. I will watch over her while you’re at work, help her adjust to this modern world… although we both know I struggle with that myself.” She chuckled lightly, knowing her own awkward people skills wouldn’t make it easy for Connie to warm up to her. “Does she know what happened? How did she get here?” Plucked out of heaven and thrown into hell aka Mystic Falls. DAMIEN BECK |
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DAMIEN BECK
Reaper
Posts: 97
Age:
74
Occupation:
Reaper/Bank Robber
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Aurora de Martel
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 12, 2024 20:45:44 GMT
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Post by DAMIEN BECK on Oct 14, 2024 19:57:50 GMT
Blinded by his arrogance, Elias never would’ve realised that he wouldn’t have just let Connie go walking around unprotected if he’d snuck her out of Heaven. The guy thought the worst of everybody, sneering down at them from the top of a high horse (one he didn’t really need to go looking down at them since the guy acted like he was a foot taller and a thousand times more intelligent than the assholes around him. Dead girl, the sister of one of the reapers he hated, walking around town again, that had to equal her big brother bringing her back. It didn’t occur to him that there were some rules he hadn’t broken, even if the opportunity had been there. Alright, maybe if he had figured out exactly what had happened, he still wouldn’t have told Elias the truth, but he’d have been able to cover up his shock as he’d seen Connie looking up at him.
The hand not holding onto Aurora’s squeezed into a fist. If Connie hadn’t been there, he might’ve lost his temper and gone for Elias without a second thought. It probably would’ve left him dead, disintegrated, whatever the hell that scythe had done to Death when Elias had turned it on him. He couldn’t let his temper get the better of him, not while Elias still had the upper hand, but that son of a bitch had pushed his sister. The thought of Elias’ hands on her had the muscles in his jaw jumping. ”He called me to Death’s library. Started mouthing off the minute I got there. Accusing me of breaking the rules, then he pulls someone out of nowhere and pushes her down the stairs towards me. He thought I’d brought her back out of … brought her here.” And hadn’t wanted to listen when the accusations had been thrown back the other way.
Glancing back towards the guest bedroom as he dropped his hand away from his eyes, Damien wondered if Connie was behind it, listening to him telling Aurora what had happened. He’d only been able to tell her so much with Elias standing right there. Maybe he’d already whispered in her ear about the shit her brother was supposedly up to. The truth was going to have to wait, especially when it came to Sonny, but know Connie, she’d be demanding it from him sooner rather than later. ”Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely to Aurora. He drew her closer, wanting the comfort of her held close.
The corner of his mouth kicked up slowly, the knot that had squeezed his heart painfully tight the minute he’d realised he had his sister back loosening. If there was anybody else he’d entrust Connie to in this town, it was Aurora, even if others couldn’t see it. ”I’d appreciate it,” he rumbled softly. ”After all the lifetimes you’ve lived, I don’t know how you do as well as you do.” Especially when half that time had been spent locked away by a brother who swore he just wanted to keep her safe (although Tristan seemed to think that included keeping her safe from herself). ”I don’t know when Elias is gonna go yanking my chain again. He’ll probably try and keep me under his thumb, just in case I slip up and reveal that I did it.” Or he broke the rules and went after the son of a bitch who had – which was entirely possible.
Puffing out a deep breath, Damien shook his head and slipped his glasses back on. He hadn’t had the chance to ask Connie much before he’d gotten her out of there, but he’d seen the confusion on her face. ”She doesn’t know any more than either one of us does. Whoever did this didn’t go explaining. I need to figure out what happened, I can’t be sure I can keep her really safe til I know. I need to tell … him too.” His voice dropped just in case Connie was eavesdropping. She’d heard tiny bits of what had happened to the two of them when he’d gone to collect her soul, but the details of how her big brothers had died and how one of them had ended up infested with a demon weren’t exactly death bed tales. If Koschei heard about his host’s little sister coming back now there was a chance he’d just try using Connie as a pawn and he wasn’t about to let that happen.
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AURORA DE MARTEL
Vampire
Posts: 167
Age:
1041
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Damien Beck
Played by:
Jodi
The king may rule the kingdom, but it’s the queen who moves the board
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 12:09:59 GMT
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Post by AURORA DE MARTEL on Oct 29, 2024 20:09:29 GMT
Damien’s restraint was impressive—Aurora knew she could never hold back like he had. If she'd had the power to resurrect her brother, she’d have broken the rules the same day he died. The urge would have been far too powerful to resist. She didn’t need to ask if Damien had been the one to bring his sister back; she already knew he hadn’t, but Death clearly had him under a relentless spotlight, which was growing tiring for the two of them. “And let me guess, he didn’t believe you when you said it wasn’t you?” she asked, well aware that Death was probably waiting for any excuse to come down on him. Lived was a loose term for Aurora’s existence. If anything, she and her brother hadn’t truly lived at all. The first century had been stolen from them by Elijah’s lies, and every century after had been spent chasing revenge. Even though the chance of getting regret continued to slip through their fingers they still continued chasing it. Years drifted by, yet Aurora often felt she’d done nothing meaningful, not until she met Damien. He injected excitement into her life, something she never knew she was missing until she found him. “It gets easier after a few hundred years,” she said. Eventually, everything blurs together. “If he’s all-knowing, you’d think he could figure out who actually resurrected your sister.” Whoever had done it clearly had a motive; things in their world never happened without purpose. None of them were safe in Mystic Falls. Damien had Elias breathing down his neck over Connie, while Aurora had an original vampire chasing her, convinced she’d created a virus. And both of them had brothers they needed to watch over. “I imagine she’s feeling… overwhelmed,” Aurora mused. She was more than willing to help Connie, to help her make sense of this strange reality she’d found herself in—she knew that feeling all too well. “Maybe he knows something about what’s happened,” she added, contemplating the possibility that the demon might be involved. It wouldn’t be much of a leap. DAMIEN BECK |
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DAMIEN BECK
Reaper
Posts: 97
Age:
74
Occupation:
Reaper/Bank Robber
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Aurora de Martel
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 12, 2024 20:45:44 GMT
|
Post by DAMIEN BECK on Nov 6, 2024 21:04:51 GMT
Questions had swirled around in his brain, tornado fast, stealing away his breath as he’d held onto Connie tight. The truth hadn’t mattered in that moment, only that somehow she was back. It was only once Elias had started digging that he’d started to try and pick it apart. The two of them had been standing there pointing the finger at each other with Connie caught between them. She had no clue had she’d ended up being pulled from her Heaven, back to the side of her grave. Elias probably didn’t know either – he wouldn’t have put it past him doing it just so he had something to hold over his head, but it’d felt like he was clueless – not that he would admit to it. He had someone to blame for the dead coming back to life and if he had done it then he’d have broken one of the new boss’ cardinal rules (a possibility in Elias’ head, like he’d rebel against the rules hard enough to bring his sister into this).
None of his questions had been answered by the time he’d wrapped an arm around Connie and had brought her back here. His laugh rolled out, sounding rusty as he looked at Aurora and shook his head. ”Of course he didn’t. He’d already come up with his explanation and he’s gonna hold onto that until the actual truth smacks him between the eyes. Connie had already told him what she remembered when I got there, but it wasn’t enough for him. Probably thinks we’re both lying and he’s gonna catch us out eventually.” As a detective – and the keeper of all Death’s secrets – Elias probably had the skills to pick apart the story. He had the power to do something about it too, which meant biting his tongue while there was a chance that the asshole would sweep Connie off to Heaven again – or worse.
Keeping Connie here, keeping her safe meant telling her about everything – all the things he’d shielded her from the first time. Finding out that both of them had died, that he was now ferrying newly dead souls and Sonny was out there with a demon in him was bad enough. Vampires, witches, shapeshifters, it had all felt like unnecessary information when Connie was never gonna see any of them. Damien let out a deep breath. He was gonna have to tell Connie what Aurora was in the end, it would help teach her just how dangerous the people she came across were. It wasn’t just about drunk assholes going for a drive in this town. ”I guess I’ve got a way to go,” he drawled lightly. He was barely reaching the end of a single lifetime now.
Laughter finally broke free of his throat. ”That would require him to have an open mind. He’s sure it was me, all he cares about now is figuring out how I did it.” Which probably meant that going to talk to that thing in Sonny was gonna be risky. There was a chance Elias was watching both of them now, a chance that the demon had done this painting an even bigger target on his back.
If this had happened five years ago, he’d have been alone with the problem, trying to protect Connie and help her adjust to this world all at the same time. The old Death probably would’ve given him a little breathing room, but he still would’ve been overwhelmed. In Aurora he had someone who understood, someone who’d help protect Connie. Damien bobbed his head lightly, his smile faint when it appeared. ”She won’t show it though. Connie was always determined to keep up with me and Sonny. You could tell her no all you wanted and she wouldn’t listen.” Given the option she’d charge straight into things now too.
If he told her where Sonny was, she’d charge right after him too, right into the demon’s hands. ”Maybe. I’ll track him down later, once Connie’s settled in. He probably won’t give me a straight answer, but I’ll know.” Not that he’d tell Elias when he worked out the truth. Damien squeezed Aurora’s hand lightly, his smile brightening a little. ”You wanna meet her? I should bring her out here before she decides to burst out all on her own.” Connie might’ve been a little off kilter now, but he knew his sister and it wouldn’t be long before she found her feet and took off running.
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