fandomhigh | Paranormal Activity, March 22nd

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paranormal activity

Paranormal Activity, March 22nd

Alaric had asked everyone to come to the danger shop for class today and when the students came in they would notice they were in what looked like the world's largest living room or something. Just a bunch of TVs in a row with X-Box's hooked up to them and comfy couches to sit on.

"Everyone pick a couch and get comfy. We're gonna use the TVs after I'm done lecturing," Alaric said as people started shuffling in. "Speaking of lectures, nice work last week. You did my job admirably."

"Today we're going to be covering zombies. Again, not something I've had personal experience with but I am a big fan of Romero movies...and Weekend At Bernie's." Don't you judge him. "Zombies typically come in two metaphorical flavors--the voodoo kind and the "hell's full so the dead are walking the earth" kind you see in most movies. I'm gonna explain both today but today's activity deals with the latter."

Alaric launched into a lecture where he started off explaining the voodoo zombies that most likely weren't zombies at all, rather just people who were buried accidentally or had been drugged on purpose to cause zombie-like brain damage so they could be sold into slavery. Then he got into the zombies that most people would be familiar with. Brain eating ones that were a threat because of their numbers and one bite from them meant it was all over for you. Then he went into how to destroy them, noting that you should always go for the head and fire is not your friend 'cause flaming zombies would still try to eat you.

"Okay, so, I'm not exactly gonna make you guys get your clothes all gross by killing whatever fake zombies I could make this room come up with so instead you're gonna try your hand at a video game. It's less traumatizing and you won't have to do laundry later," he said. "Feel free to play by yourself or partner up. Working in small groups is best for an actual zombie attack anyway."

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Raven couldn't see the circumstances, but she could definitely feel the grief and horror over what had happened then. "Perhaps I can be a distraction, at least?" she said. "We could talk of something else, if you'd like."

"A distraction would be nice." Particularly since the several of their classmates had loaded up the games.

"Would it be rude if I asked how you're here now? Because a few weeks ago, Kennedy was all upset because you were...well...dead."

Not quite the distraction Raven was expecting, but she'd prepared herself some time ago for that sort of question, so it didn't trouble her overly much.

She shifted her position on the couch to try to block out the view of the games, for herself as much for Dru. "I was," she said, nodding. "That was the truth. Do you know of the circumstances behind that?"

"Not particularly," Dru admitted. "Just that Kennedy and some of the others went on a rescue mission of some sort, but that it didn't work out. Kennedy was pretty upset when I talked to her and I didn't want to press her for gory details."

"I fell victim to my father's power," Raven said softly, keeping her face calm despite the emotions churning within her at the memory. "I though I would be strong enough to resist him, but I was not. And my friends were force to destroy me to save the world, and in doing so, brought about my father's destruction."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I feel no bitterness towards them for what they did." Her father, definitely, Azar, maybe, but not the rest. "It was necessary, and I would have gladly given my life to stop my father. And so I did, but some time later powerful magics were used to recreate my body and draw my spirit back to it. It was not done for any good or pure reason, however."

Hearing the details allowed Dru to understand exactly why Kennedy had been so upset. In a roundabout way, Dru could kind of relate, to save herself and her friends, she'd been forced to destroy her father.

It did make her wonder about Raven's father, but if he was defeated and no longer a threat, there wasn't any sense to pressing the other girl for answers, not when Dru was fairly certain that Raven wasn't quite as calm as she let on.

Habit had her using the Touch to reach out and get a better sense of the other girl. She was supernatural, no doubt about it, but there was no sense of a possible threat.

"Not for any good reason? Does someone need an ass kicking?"

"He -- Sebastian, the one who brought me back -- has been dealt with," Raven said. "And I have my friends to thank for that as well. He is a vampire, and tasting blood gives him the gifts of the one from whom he drinks." She unconscious rubbed at her neck. "He was able to cloud my mind so that I would not resist marrying him, but I was able to call for help, and several of my friends came and freed me. I sent Sebastian to a hell dimension far away from here where he will trouble no one."

"I suppose that beats paying for a divorce lawyer." Yes Dru, when in doubt, make a wisecrack. "Vampires suck and I'm not making the pun to be witty. I've had to deal with one and I barely got away. My parents didn't."

"I did not truly consent, so the marriage is not truly recognized anywhere but in the demon world," Raven said, taking said wisecrack seriously.

"I am very sorry," she went on when Dru mentioned her parents. "I am not fond of such creatures, as I said. I am told there are ones that are supposed to be not evil, and I have met a few that have not seemed to intend me harm, but my experiences have been very bad ones."

"I've met one or two on the island," she nodded. "They seem to be okay, I guess. I mean no one has turned up dead." For the moment at least.

"The ones back in my world. They're not so harmless, but I've been told there's a whole Order of dhamphirs that fight them."

"Dhamphir?" Raven said, trying the unfamiliar word. "What is that?"

"They're half-human, half-vampire hybrids," Dru explained. "They've got some of the same powers as vampires, strength, speed and all that, but without the vulnerability to the sun. In my world they're mostly male although occasionally a female is born. If she survives till maturity, she's even more powerful."

"Half-human, half-vampire," Raven repeated, eyes widening slightly. "Sebastian wished to create such a child with me."

She shook her head to banish that thought. "But in your world, they fight against vampires?"

The more Dru heard about Sebastian, the more she thought a hell dimension was too good for him.

"That's what Christophe told me. He said there's hundreds, if not thousands of them and they're well organized. It makes what my dad and I did seem pretty small scale." She sighed, realizing exactly how little she really did know. "I suppose after graduation I'll find out more if I join them."

"Join them?" Raven said, giving Dru a closer look. "You are a dhamphir as well?"

"Apparently," Dru shrugged. "I only found out last year. Technically the proper term, since I'm female is Svetocha, but whatever, I don't think it matters one way or another at this point."

"One of your parents was a vampire, then?" Raven said. She kept her voice steady, fighting her instinctive panic about being near vampires. "Are such creatures more alive than dead on your world?"

"No, Dad was a normal guy. My mother was a Svetocha," she explained, wishing once more that she knew more. "I don't know how many generations back the vampire was. And I don't really care. So far the whole things been nothing but trouble." What with her parents being killed and the whole losing control and almost eating Scully the previous summer.

"Is it something that can be healed?" Raven said.

She had to ask, OK? HAD TO.

"I don't think so. And honestly, with things like increased speed and strength? Who would want to?" Although she could do without the whole random bouts of stress induced blood hunger, not that Dru was going to mention that bit.

"But you just said it has been nothing but trouble," Raven pointed out, concerned.

"Because my dad is dead. And the vamp that did it would like nothing more then to have me as some sort of happy snack." Minor things, really. "But for what I'm probably going to wind doing after I leave here? Hunting? Maybe this will give me an edge and keep me alive."

"Very well, then as long as you...." Raven caught herself before she blurted out something like "are not biting people," and instead said, "...have accepted this, then I hope you are right, and you can use your gifts to protect yourself and others." Much like she used the powers her father had given her to help and heal rather than destroy.

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Paranormal Activity, March 22nd

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