Uptown
High-brow, and trendy, Uptown is perhaps the most metropolitan of all the neighborhoods in Dallas. Filled with boutiques, shopping, avant-garde restaurants, and extremely classy clubs, the area is the general playground for the young professionals of the city. Instead of the traditional houses seen elsewhere in Dallas, there are a number of condominiums, townhouses, and apartments. Despite the fact that the living spaces are smaller, due to the proximity to the downtown core and the notoriety of the area for being the most upscale in all of Dallas, Uptown is one of the most expensive places in the city to live.
It's just coming up to ten and Micheal's been home hunting yet again. He walks along the streets with obvious disappointment, nothing has caught his fancy. He removes his phone from his pocket, making a call he speaks in quick, authoritive tones. "I've decided I'll be looking at some of the old properties, you know the ones, you can't be familiarity for comfort after all."
She very nearly used that cell phone of hers, very nearly called her sister to let her know that she's on campus. Then she realizes that, especially after everything that has happened over the past few days it very likely would be a bad idea. At least she's gone back to the institute so that they have called off the dogs, so to speak. And at this rate she'll be back before curfew!
Rose walks the streets of Dallas, deciding that going back on her own is a much better idea. Poor Hope would have a heart attack if she learned the truth, after all. It's much colder now in comparison to how she was when she left the company of Hiro. Her head is down at the moment as she walks in attempts to avoid the small flurries that are about.
Michael spots Rose and hangs up, his instructions given to whoever it was he was speaking to as he makes his way towards Rose with a slight smile. "It's late for you to be out isn't it? While I don't believe the streets are quite as dangerous as some have claimed. I'd certainly not consider them safe." He bows slightly. "Please allow me to accompany you, I am after all a gentleman, and would feel terrible leaving a young lady to walk alone at night."
The woman is almost too far deep in her own thoughts, a scary place to be sure, and very nearly doesn't recognize that someone is speaking to her. Finally she looks up to see Michael and offers him a smile so warm it could practically melt the snow. "Mister Michael Isonzo," Rose greets. "I was just trying to walk home. I'm glad I ran into someone else nice tonight."
Wait a second. She's walking home. "You probably don't want to walk with me the whole way." She doesn't want him to. Then he'll know she's mental and won't talk to her anymore. "Although I do want to apologize for the other night. Sometimes things just happen and I can't control myself."
Bowing his head slightly again Michael smiles with mild amusement. "Yes, I've been there myself." He offers an arm to Rose with another polite smile. "And please, it's just Michael." He begins to walk next to Rose. "It's good to see you looking well."
It's a good thing she's so comfortable right now or else she might think that he's mocking her. Everyone seems to be doing that today. "Okay, Just Michael. Isn't it late for you to be out?" Rose takes the offered arm having no reservations about walking with Michael. It's not like he's a vampire or anything. "I just took a nap," she explains. "Some man was giving me a ride and I must have fallen asleep since I don't remember it. But I feel very relaxed so I must have."
Shaking his head Michael smiles at the question of time. "No, I work nights. I've always been more comfortable that way." He frowns a little. "You should be careful, especially falling asleep while in a strangers car." He seems to consider that for a moment. "Still no harm seems to have been done."
Oh, well, that explains that. "I don't know how you do it. I'd likely fall asleep working nights. The past couple of days I've stayed up pretty late for me and it was making me very tired." Rose is wearing a turtleneck, and a choker with a silver charm. It all covers what exactly did happen to her and she's clueless to it all.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep. Mister Hiro was very nice and it was so nice being in his car. He took me to see my sister but I knew she would be mad if she knew what happened." Besides! There's no reason to worry. She has friends that will protect her. "What is it that you do, Just Michael, that lets you walk around while working?"
Shrugging Michael grins a little. "I do many things, mostly international investments, as such the night allows me to speak with businesses in a number of countries I couldn't during the day… and to be honest I have assistants I have handle the day shift for me." He grins a little. "I've always been a fan of delegating, and I've long been more comfortable at night, it's what you get used to I suppose."
It all seems to make sense to her. "It sounds like you're very important, Just Michael. Far too important to waste your time speaking to someone, well, someone like me." Someone who is insane. "If I'm keeping you from anything, I can probably find my way back on my own." Rose is obviously being polite and seems to enjoy the company. He's safe, after all. "I think that the nights will be better during the summer. Far less cold. I'll probably stop randomly falling asleep in warm places."
Laughing Michael shakes his head. "I have nothing more important to do." He chuckles slightly. "I'm in investments, when you've been doing the job as long as I have you learn how to do your work in very little time, mostly it's handled by other people." He looks at her for a moment. "What is it you do?"
"I would say that I'm jealous, but I don't really do much work, either." Rose looks down at the ground as they walk, slowly losing more and more of that feeling of relaxation she had been experiencing. A hand comes up to scratch at her neck in embarrassment. "If we're being honest, I'm afraid to tell you. If you know the truth you'll probably not want to talk to me anymore."
Michael offers another of those warm smiles. "Rose, I have spoke with you enough to know that you are a kind, caring person, whatever it is you think will change my mind won't." Admittedly this is partly because Michael doesn't care if she's a kind and caring person or not.
Someday Rose will learn not to be so trusting of people, especially those who go bump in the night. They really aren't as interested in friendship as she believes them to be. "It's embarrassing," she admits while continuing to rub at her neck. "But one day I woke up here in Dallas when I'm from Louisiana. I don't know why, but I've been in an institution. I basically spend my days convincing people that I'm not" She takes a deep breath, only mentally completing the sentence. Crazy.
Nodding Michael seems to consider that. "Well why would I think any less of you for that? We've already discussed the holes in your memory, perhaps one day we can discuss them some more, somewhere quiet, but the fact that you were the victim of a trauma isn't reason for me to think any less of you."
That went surprisingly differently than she had expected it to. So much so that Rose just stares at Michael for a moment. "I think, maybe, if it were just that then maybe I wouldn't be locked up. I think that there's some sort of conspiracy out there that's making people say that I'm crazy. Like maybe something I should know I really shouldn't know." Rose looks around momentarily, just in case. "I'm not crazy, I just see things."
Nodding very slightly Michael seems concerned for a moment. "Really, what do you see?" He pauses a moment to consider how much to say. "I've got to admit I've suspected that if there are Vampire's then there are likely other things we don't know of."
She can't really see anything, but this is a result of being locked away, medicated and exposed to other crazies. "The future," Rose whispers, allowing her mind to delve into her fantasies. "No one believes me, but I know that it's true." At least Michael seems to be open to the possibility. "I don't know if aliens are responsible, or vampires, or what, but I do know that some weird things happen."
Nodding Michael continues to consider things, at least to all appearances. "I see, and you're right, weird things do happen…. every day without fail, but we need to consider both the possibility that what you see is true, and that what you see is actually tied to the gaps in your memory." He smiles very slightly, his expression still as friendly and open as ever. "You see it's only by questioning these things that you can find proof one way or the other."
He's being very nice about it all. This is more than she normally gets. "I talk to people all the time. They just ask me how I feel, not anything else." It isn't that Rose is trying to get attention, but she does have more issues than she's willing to believe. "I've tried to remember, I have. I just can't. I mean, I finally remember who I am, my real name, many things. There are just some things that won't come back." Again the woman looks around, almost as if the terrorists are everywhere and listening. "I said that someone I knew was going to be hurt, and look at what happened to London. And after last night I had a dream that someone I know would be bitten by a vampire. I'm afraid."
Nodding again Michael frowns slightly. "I would like to help you, if you want me to?" He smiles very slightly. "I learnt a trick when I was… not much older than you. That may be of help, it should at least help you to feel more relaxed." He smiles slightly. "I can't promise anything, but if we can find somewhere out of the way for a while then I may be able to help you remember."
"Relaxed? Does that mean that I'll fall asleep again?" It's an innocent enough question, really. Rose looks down at her wrist as if she's wearing a watch. No watch is there but she believes she's got a firm grasp on the time. "Do you really think that you can help? Are you like me and can see things?" The poor dear really just wants to be normal. Too bad that she doesn't know that it will never happen.
Shaking his head Michael sighs slightly. "I don't see things… at least not unexpected things, but I have /seen/ a great many things." He sighs seeming to think how to explain. "I may be able to find what fits in the holes… if it's still there, and if it's not I may be able to cover them over a little so that you don't keep falling in." He smiles slightly. "But it will take some work on both our parts, you'll have to want to let me in."
It's almost confusing at first. Rose is trying her best but she can't quite figure out what he means. "Let you in? Like some of the doctors always try to get me to let them in to my mind. Only they usually just shake their heads and walk away." There most likely is not a way to fix Rose, not in the sense that she's looking for, but perhaps she'll figure out some day that she's not magical. She's just suffering nightmares related to that which she does not remember. "I don't really understand, but I do know that I'm making things really hard for Hope right now. I'd like to get better, just for her. That's why I'm going out alone, to prove that she doesn't have to worry."
Nodding Michael smiles slightly. "You just have to trust me, you just need to understand that I'm not intending to hurt you and that I'm doing everything I can to help." He looks at her. "Can you do that for me?" He meets her eyes he seems sincere, he's had a very long time to get good at the well meaning friend act after all.
If she ever figures out that he's not a well meaning friend, well, she'll likely lose it. Then again she only has so much left to lose so it might not be so bad. Rose stares into his eyes silently for quite some time. She's trying to process everything the same way that her sister would, but she already knows what Hope's solution would be.
"You've been so kind already," Rose responds finally. "You actually make me feel safe. I don't see why I shouldn't trust you at all." Hiro is why she shouldn't trust people, but it will be a little while longer before she discovers that surprise.
Nodding Michael smiles slightly. "Good, then just relax." He begins with the glamouring. "Rose, can you tell me who you rode in the car with?" He speaks in slow friendly calming tones.
This particular human is going to set a record for the most amount of times to be glamoured in one lifetime. Rose enters back into that stage of calm, of relaxation. She fully trusts Michael, but at this point it wouldn't matter. She is very much at his disposal.
His first question is very easy. There are points that she doesn't remember but a good majority that she does. "The man from the coffee shower," she responds. "Mister Hiro." Unfortunately she doesn't think that she ever caught his last name.
Nodding slightly Michael continues with that slight smile. "Very good, now can you tell me what he said to you?"
Now this requires much more thought. There were many things that were said. It's a matter of what may or may not be relevant. "That he's a bounty hunter," Rose begins. "And that it is cold. He was very cold. He said he felt like he was solid ice. So I felt him to make sure that he wasn't." That would have been her major mistake. "He also said that it was too cold for me to walk."
And here comes the money maker. "And he made you feel like you do now? He made you feel safe, secure and trusting?"
Again with the easy questions! "Yes." There's no hesitation with Rose, no fear. She obviously doesn't see where anything bad may have happened. "We were in his car and I just felt so comfortable that I must have fallen asleep. He woke me up when we were at Hope's campus."
Nodding Michael smiles slightly. "Then I have an instruction for you. Next time you are put into this state by anyone but me you are to tell them that you are mine. Do you understand? That will help you remain safe." He smiles very slightly as watches Rose, his eyes still meeting hers.
She should be questioning what is going on, what is being said. Human beings don't own other human beings, and since when can people make others feel so relaxed? But good ol' Rose isn't thinking of any of this. All she can think of is how wonderful she feels at the moment, and how Michael is so super swell. He's probably the best man ever.
Still she watches him, her entire body relaxed. "I understand. You just want me to be safe." Oh, boy. "So I just need to say that I belong to you."
Nodding slightly Michael smiles. "That's very good, but you're only to remember this instruction when you're feeling like this, the rest of the time you'll just put it out of your head it's not worth thinking about until you have to say it after all." He smiles slightly, it's the smile of someone who's just realised something amusing.
Rose certainly does seem to be a source of amusement for others. Hopefully now, though, she also won't be a source of blood. "There's no reason," she echoes. It's a wonder she's standing with how she's feeling. It must be from so much practice of being highly medicated. "But it can help keep me safe when I need it."
Nodding Michael smiles. "You're getting very good at this, but lets look at your memories shall we. It's important you remember nothing can hurt you, you're safe with me and there's nothing to fear. I want you to think about the holes, think about Vampires and why they scare you, but remember, there's nothing to panic about, these memories won't hurt you." He speaks in soothing tones although his insistance that the memories are harmless and that Rose isn't afraid are given a slightly stern edge for emphasis.
"Memories can't hurt" Just like that, Rose's mind skips back into the past. Two years in the past, to be specific. "Something happened. I need to talk to my sister, but I don't know what I need to tell her." She tries to get close to where there may be vampires, to what she needs to tell Hope, but it just isn't there.
Not one to give up, Rose continues to do what she's being asked to do. She's clearly growing more uncomfortable as she does so, almost more from pain than fear. She makes a sound of pain and reaches for her head. "It's not there," she explains through gritted teeth. This part is making her scared. "It's bright, like someone is flashing a light into my eyes. Then I'm tied down to a bed at a hospital."
Nodding Michael nods very slightly. "It's ok Rose." He actually reaches out to rest a hand lightly on her shoulder. "It's fine you did very well I'm pleased, but it doesn't matter." He smiles slightly. "But the things that happened in that time aren't important, you'll stop looking at them and feel better for it, they're part of you, and you don't mind that, you can put that fear deep inside the holes and then lock them away, they don't matter anymore you've got no reason to ever think on those memories or or feelings again."
The attempt to push past her first glamouring is leaving her rather light headed and headachey, but Rose isn't going to complain. After all, Michael is here and because of that she is safe. "I should stop looking back," she says once her head stops reeling. "It's okay to be who I am, and I'm safe." Too bad this won't get rid of her instant fear of vampires, especially with the nice addition to her neck. "I shouldn't worry about any of it."
Nodding Michael smiles slightly as he ends the glamour. "I think you did very well, we may have made some progress." He looks at her. "I may have to do something that will….. disturb you." He frowns slightly. "I'm going to need to talk about vampires, in detail somewhat to see if we've had any success."
There's almost a bit of sadness as the wonderful feeling begins to fade, but by this point the woman is getting used to it. Rose continues to look into his eyes, hanging off of every word. The mention of his plan causes her forehead to wrinkle but she doesn't sound out. "If you think that you have to," she replies meekly.
Looking at Rose Michael frowns slightly. "You fear Vampires, but what about them? Is it their fangs, many people fear their fangs, or is it the speed? I hear that Vampires move faster than humans can see, and that's the relatively young vampires. They're also strong, strong enough to do incredible feets without effort, even a new Vampire could lift raise off the ground one handed without effort." He pauses a moment to see how Rose has responded.
What he's saying isn't really what bothers her, really. She knows that vampires exist, but it isn't as if he's pointing out that she had dinner with one. He's merely stating knowledge about them. Still she appears uncomfortable listening to him talk and actually looks away. Her breathing begins to quicken as she does her best to figure things out.
Yet he instructed her not to go looking into her past, and it is in those holes that she can't access that the answers are hidden. Again her head is struck with pain and she places a hand against it. "I don't know." The fact that she doesn't know seems to bother her more than anything. "Hope says that they're evil, that they go against Him and His ways, and that I have every reason not to like them."
Shaking his head Michael sighs slightly. "I've found that a strange argument, the idea that anything is 'against God' is short-sighted… if God does not wish Vampires to exist then way did he allow them to come into existence? Unless he's not omnipotent, or perhaps they were a mistake, which would likewise question his omniscience." He shrugs. "But then that's just personal opinion." He smiles slightly. Michael takes a look down the street there are a couple of other people and he frowns slightly still speaking in that honest tone of his. "There is a Vampire not far from here you know? I can't tell you who, but on this very street there is someone I know for certain to be a Vampire."
"I always thought that when she was talking about His plan, that she was talking about General Custer. I think I was way off base." It's not saying that Faith is not a religious person. She actually grew up in a Christian household. She's just not been the same since. "I guess your explanation is better, but that doesn't explain anything. I'll have to talk to her"
Poor Rose. She's so caught up in trying to make sense of the God argument that she is completely blindsided by his declaration of a nearby vampire. Instantly she attempts to slink away from him, panic very real in all of her features. Even with the thought that he'll protect her, Rose can't shake that fear. "I should get home. I can't be here. I'll get hurt and Hope will be sad." And now her head is really killing her.
Shaking his head Michael smiles slightly. "You have nothing to fear, take a some deep breaths, and I promise you won't be harmed, there is a vampire here, but he intends you no harm." He smiles slightly "Why should he, in a way he has more to fear from humanity than you have to fear for him."
She begins to shake her head just as she did in the coffee house. The pain in her head nearly makes her sick but certainly it's just because it's cold outside. "He'll tear out my throat and I'll be dead and then Hope will cry." Rose continues to try and back away from Michael, more out of fear in general than fear of him. "They don't fear me. They'll hurt me. Hope says so."
Just as with her last meltdown, Rose reaches for her throat. It's during this time that her fingers find the nice new addition left not all that long ago. Her eyes go wide and it's all she can do not to pass out. She's afraid due to her original glamour, but not afraid because of the latest one, but the two are fighting against each other in her fragile mind.
Michael looks at Rose and once again tries the glamour, this time he actually pushes a little bit. "You must forget what others have done to you while you're in this state, you must remember only the instructions that I gave you and feel comfort in that, all other such suggestions were lies and seem false to you." He sighs again releasing her and waiting to see how she responds, he looks worried despite his curiosity.
If her mind wasn't already so messed up it certainly would be now. The fear, the sorrow, the pain: it takes a while for her to even begin to recover from it all. A few tears begin to fall in the process as her mind is trying to force the rest of her body to cooperate. Perhaps she doesn't change as quickly as he would like, but eventually Rose does force herself to be calm. "Remember that I belong to you, and that I am safe" See? She does remember! But now she's not exactly sure how to react. Sanity is a battlefield.
Smiling slightly Michael looks at her for a moment. "How are you feeling Rose, there's nothing to fear, you know that right? You are safe and no one wishes you harm."
"I feel like I'm going to be sick." Hey, he asked! It's a completely natural response, given what all she's been through. "But I'm safe. I have friends that will make sure that nothing happens to me." He's lucky that Rose has temporarily forgotten about her bite marks. "Why would anyone want to harm me? I'm not anyone special."
Smiling slightly Michael nods very slowly. "That's right no one wants to harm you." He looks at her with a slight frown. "You're aware some people offer themselves to Vampires… they allow Vampires to feed from them, knowing that vampires are no more likely to kill you than a human, they respect human laws after all."
Now this causes her to stare at Michael. What he's saying makes absolutely no sense to her. The confusion is likely clear upon her features. Instead of asking questions, though, she just listens to what he says and nods. She doesn't want to appear foolish, but this is something that Rose has never heard of before.
Nodding Michael laughs slightly. "It's true, most Vampires do enjoy feeding on humans more than drinking tru blood, but they don't need to kill." He runs a hand through hair. "And it does them no good to do so without reason. I don't claim that humans and Vampires are the same, Vampires have their own ways and culture, but it's no different than those between the eastern and western world, and now that we have tru blood it's even smaller." He shrugs. "I hear some humans even grow to like being bitten." He sighs taking a look around. "Anyway, we had better get you home." He smiles. "Perhaps you should consider how limited your view of Vampires really is? I suspect they hurt you at one point, but honestly it could likely have been humans just as easily."
Wow. That's quite a bit to think about. There's no real place to begin to respond, not at first at least. "I don't think that I would like that. It can't be much fun." The fact of the matter is that Rose actually quite enjoys herself when at the mercy of vampires, but that's because they've been gentle so far. If she weren't eased into things she very likely would explode.
"I don't think that anyone hurt me. At least, I never heard of any injuries. I don't remember but I bet that I would have a scar or something." Rose is at least trying to apply logic to the situation. "You're right, though. I should get back. If I don't, they're going to lock me up." At least she wouldn't have to worry about vampires anymore.
Nodding Michael smiles. "Well consider it, consider the fact that some people find Vampire company perfectly acceptable and come to no harm." He smiles. "Remember that next time you think of how terrifying they are, Vampires are not evil, they're simply different, they were human once as well, and all the Vampires I've known have had…. redeeming qualities at the very least." He bows slightly as they get closer to the institute. "I will bid you good evening, and hopefully see you again soon."
"If I could find a vampire that would befriend me instead of eat me I might consider it." Harsh words, perhaps, but there's a lot of programming in the woman's mind to bring her to such a thing. The morning won't help much, either. "I know what it's like to be different. I don't like to judge." If only she realized how many vampires that she knew. Rose looks to the institution and sighs. "Thank you for walking me home." She doesn't seem to keen on it, but who would? "Enjoy the rest of your night, Just Michael."
