SL update 4/22/12

** Just for the sake of better consistency folks... am changing this blog to third person perspective. ** 

@AppiusOcellaSVM . emerges again with another bit of input for @Alexei_Romanov1, this one in the nature of a mandate. Alexei's absence has weakened their bond and he demands that that weakness be done away with. He commands Alexei to allow himself be bitten and also to take his blood so that once again he would be under Ocella's full control and within the sphere of his awareness.   Later... perhaps just to demonstrate that nothing has tempered Ocella's cruelty in his absence... he drains a young female before him and orders Alexei to dispose of her and lie to the staff that it was an unfortunate... accident. 


Cassie, meanwhile, encounters another problem.  Her recall of @MirandaLaney, which forced her to draw her own blood with a dagger, an athame special to Miranda - who may not know the extent of her own power has had an unexpected effect.  That dash of Fae in Cassie's blood - enough to recall Miranda if needed, liked what it felt - and drew it in, enriched itself with it and left her with a bit of a mystery. Waking next to Alexei, she kissed him and headed for the shower, dressing, she grabbed up the athame and thought the radio had been left on or a monitor - and then slowly came on that realization that what she was hearing were the voices of those around her.  Assuming they were trying to reach Miranda because it was her dagger, Cassie recalls Miranda again and is told... to her shock, that the reason she is hearing voices is because she can now hear the thoughts of those around her.  


Shocked that that tiny bit of Fae could ever do more than spice her blood for vampires, she is given a decision  - whether she wants to enhance that new power.  Realizing what an advantage that could be in her work in relation to humans, she agrees and Miranda takes her through a few exercises to show her how to keep building on her new gift.  For the first time in her life... Cassie finds herself with a supernatural power of her own and comes to terms with it quicky but deeply, riding out from the palace on a huge copper gelding she carefully chose... because she saw that he was large, powerful, and a challenge to tame... just like her new gift. 


Filled with concerns, deep ones about the state of some affairs in the Romanov Kingdom, @Natasha_Cdr  goes to @Irina_IGRM to talk at length.  (See Natasha's Tales here: http://tashastales.tumblr.com/post/20352130597/about-me ).  


Natashas' concern is Cassie and that she lacks the basic understanding of how the palace protocols work and her lack of respect failing to bow to @OlgaNikolaevna_ , one of the most revered royal council members.  


Irina  calms her and explains to her that they are obliged to deal with her American quirks, that Alexei is different than royals in the past in choosing her, that not only is Cassie not going anywhere for the forseeable future but that she will certainly not be given the job to kill her...  Natasha continues to vent, needing her frustrations heard to the friend and colleague she has known for centuries, complaining to Irina of Cassie's boldness, sarcasm, and bragging and what she perceives as her lack of respect. Irina explains that in America... they have no monarchy and that it will take time for her to adjust and to consider that Cassie feels somewhat overwhelmed in the face of all those around her who have done the job she is taking on, in small part, for centuries.  She tell Natasha, if she were able to assign her "homework" - to greet Cassie with a smile and give her some time. She also informs her that she will have a word with Cassie. Agreeing but still unhappy, Natasha is happier to move onto a more enjoyable pursuit, sparring the Irina so that they might hone the hands-on protective skills that have served them for so very long. 


Still dealing with adjusting to telepathic powers, Cassie finds herself not only dining with Irina but of having the privilege of having the dinner prepared by Princess Katia herself, who is desperate to just be Katia.  Over a meal of roast chicken and vegetables and white wine - Cassie and @Katia_Andreev begin a language lesson focusing on simple social interactions, something Cassie has left undone yet in the face of learning military commands. Dining with the first human she's had one on one contact with for any amount of time finds Cassie struggling to conceal her new talent, especially as images of Katia's murdered family pass through the young woman's mind. Katis is struggling still to accept their loss and the loss of her freedom despite the gain of rank and privileges that becoming a royal has provided to her. The two women find a point of contact, of closeness and of laughter when absent gestures by both result in servants leaping to fill Cassie's wine glass and a bevy of kitchen staff surrounding Katia to see what the sudden snap of her own fingers meant she wanted or needed. 




Finally alone,  with much to discuss, Cassie goes to Alexei in his office and as they talk she sees the bite marks on his neck. Slow to heal as they are from his maker, she undoes his collar and asks that they are. Alexei confirms to her that Ocella has compelled him to reinforce their bond against Alexei's will. Cassie reassures him that she understands and Alexei reassures her that their are ways of "negotiating" around the bond, that they are difficult to master and he will have to reacquaint himself with them to be able to connect with her as he once did...to protect her from Ocella's wrath.  Knowing what a challenge that will be and how dangerous for him, Cassie asks if he would really risk that for her, tears streaming down her face, and Alexei reassures her he would.   As the only person in the palace who knows of Ocella's secret brutality to Alexei, Cassie struggles with the news but work demands both of their attentions.  She promises Alexei that later on, back in their chambers, when he is preparing to die for the day that she'll have something positive they can share. 


As dawn approaches and he joins her in the suite, Cassie tells Alexei they have something to celebrate and that her contact with Miranda's power has initiated a change for her... that she can now read minds. Alexei is happy for her but concerned that the change is overwhelming, especially in the light of everything else she's absorbing.  She reassures him that she'll deal with  it somehow, that in the end she knows it will be a huge advantage.   Reaching out for Alexei after they speak of being each other's refuge, Cassie is surprised when he doesn't respond then realizes that he is afraid of Ocella and what the consequences could be since he is still working on mastering how to work his way around the bond. Alexei quells his fear for a moment and takes her in his arms and asks that she speak to no one of what he's told her, to treat Ocella as the others do.  Ocella is loved and revered, that he is barbaric in private to the prince must be their secret... just as Cassie's newly emerged telepathy will be.  Cassie volunteers to simply act as a trinket he has brought back from America - a souvenir of sorts and regretting it mightily, Alexei agrees that would be best.   Feeling the pull of dawn... he lays down to die for the day, trying to relax as Cassie has advised, as she kisses his forehead and lays down to rest with her head upon his chest. 

SL update 4/1/12

At their last meeting Irina tells Alexei that I have something to share with him. When I see him again, I am still under the influence of the spell Kallisto has cast on the palace, barely sleeping and when I do plagued with nightmares. Worn down by its influence, worried about his reaction, I share with him the news that Nikita Steel and I have brought back the body of Rasputin for safe-keeping and that it is enscorcled, showing no sign of decay from the time he was buried.  


Alexei asks to be taken to the body and and to my relief is grateful that we have taken it there and deprived the witches of the power it still contains to this day. He then tells me of the history he shared with Rasputin, of being healed when no other could save him, of their bond that still lives for him to this day. He asks for a time alone with the man he used to call Father Grigory and I depart for our chambers, understanding his need. 


Feeling overcome by all the new responsibilities and attentions and even the benefits of her new status, Katia finds a way to escape them, even if she knows it's brief. I meet her in a palace corridor, looking flustered and  tense. I offer he a chance to keep working on learning self-defense and take her to her first weapon, a bow-staff.  After showing her a few stances with it, I want her to understand the full power one can have when striking with a weapon that increases ones' reach and puts physics in the favor of a more skilled hand. 


My first full force blow knock her on her backside and we laugh but she asks for some ice. I go ot ask the guards for it and when I  leave her alone in the gym, she bolts for the secret garage and her car and flees the restrictions and safety of Alexander Palace. 


The search begins and it is intense but in the midst of it, when all is being done that can be, Irina and Alexei take a few moments to reacquaint back in familiar territory.  They reminisce and reconnect, Alexei reminding her that home and alone they can be as they once were, at ease with each other and simply friends. Still damp from an accompanying snowball fight, they return to the palace in good spirits relative to all that is going on around them. 


Alexei's relief is short-lived. His next reacquaitance is not so pleasant. His maker, @AppiusOcellaSVM  has returned from a task settling disputes in a distant province. He is aware of me already and thinks me unworthy, that Alexei should be involved with someone who can advance him if not politically, at least financially. Alexei defends our involvement, explaining that I am not like other humans and that he believes I am best for him.  Ocella moves on and sets about on his primary goal, forcing Alexei to renew their bond that has been weakened and faded considerably. Given no choice, Alexei finds himself once again bound to a maker who used him cruelly and allowed others to do so as well. 


Not done with us... Kallisto and a weaker witch she is using for back up attack the palace. Her goal is to take back Rasputin's body. She levitates many of the guards into the air, killing and injuring many of them as they hurtle back to the grounds.  She blasts open the gates and the main doors, protected by a magical shield that protects her from the dozens - hundred- of bullets fired in her direction. Seeing her progress, I send most of the sqaudron of guards under my command to join the forces already around Alexei and my chambers, with two sent to secure the entrance to the nearest escape route. I then speak to the captain of the guard and work with him to draw Kallisto into a trap, baiting her to finally open the doors to the secured morgue with magic. 


The instant she does, she is blasted backwards and thrown across the hallway by the powerful wards that Miranda has cast over the room. To recover she begins taking the power of the other witch, enabling me to land several blows that bring her down. However, to enable her escape, Kallisto binds the weaker witch, disabling her completely and allowing me to arrest her and turn her over to the guards. 


Natasha, continuing the search for Katia, finds tire-tracks on a dirt road that match Katia's car and sends her forces to follow them on horseback. 


Walking through the infirmary, speaking with and offering what comfort I can to the troops who were injured in the witch attack, I decide that it's time to recall Mirancda. Going over her instructions one more time in my head, I prick myself with it, over my heart, and then drip the blood on Bon Temps on a map. The blood forms a thread back to the knife and I stretch it back toward me, back into the wound... and wait. 


Miranda arrives while I'm tied up with several things and helps us more than I imagined.  She uses her power to reinforce the drained wards surrounding the morgue that holds Rasputin's body and the family that we now know was not only Katia's but Alexei's. She also undoes the spell that has been giving humans nightmares and depriving them of sleep and then  uses the egg containing Romanov blood, that we now know to also be Katia's, to scry for Katia. 


Katia, having headed all the way to Moscow to access the huge library there, has meanwhile been hacking it to find property records. She locates a record of of ownership for Morgana far back in the records, the witch whose symbols appear on the outside of the Romanov-design egg that had held the blood.  The property is located in an area called Dubna. She feels happy and vindicated in her escape, in that it has proven that she can contribute to the safety of the Alexei and the monarchy but trouble soon follows. Another riot occurs, this one outside the library that causes its shut down while Katia is in the bathroom and no one is aware. She attempts to kick her way out the door but ends up injuring her ankle. 


With the spell to locate her successful, Natasha reports to Irina that they now have the ability to retrieve her.  Irina arranges for a small caravan to retrieve her from the library.  Finding her injured, Irina even allows her to drink from her to repair the injury.  Traveling back in the limo, Katia expresses her regret at the trouble but share with Irina that she has located a possible stronghold Morgana might still be using.  Irian receives the information with great interest and a solid appreciation for Katia's skills. Katia also reveals that she has left a chip in the Moscow computers so that they can access it at anytime without being traced.