The Enabled (Role-Play)

bunnyshadow • 17 May 2016 at 8:56 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Upstairs is off limits for the party, excluding staff and er..." Vladan trailed off, before finishing his statement. "Friends." He stood firmly in the center of the entryway, ignoring the workers as they were forced to sidestep him. "You can set up at the top of the stairway, or the center if you would rather not be as easily spotted."

dada_dragon • 17 May 2016 at 9:26 PM

Kita sighed. He hadn't really answered her questions, but she didn't bother arguing. She grabbed her things and walked up the stairway he had pointed to. One of the many people setting up took notice of her and approached her.

"I suspect you are the entertainment, miss." he said courteously. "Will you be needing anything? I can have the staff bring it to you."

"A music stand would be nice." she said politely. "And a bottle of water, if you have one."

The man bowed, making Kita slightly uncomfortable at the attention. "Of course, miss. I will have them brought to you right away."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 19 May 2016 at 1:09 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

The guests began arriving shortly after everything had been prepared. Even with Vladan's arrogant attitude, he knew he had to greet the guests this time around, especially since his reputation had been on the line ever since he had the fiasco at the Silver Bay less than a week ago. He gave a short, stiff handshake to most of the more important businessmen that showed up at the door, and a slick kiss of the hand to the woman that appeared. Men wore expensive business suits of foreign brand worth thousands, while the woman wore beautiful colored dresses. The dinner party began without a hitch as the trickling of the guests came to a stop as the last few arrived by the table. The room quieted down as he stood by the head of the table.

"I'd like to thank all you distinguished men and woman for arriving at my humble abode today for dinner tonight." Vladan gestured around the room, a broad smile on his face, though to those that knew him well, it was easily recognizable as a fake one presented simply for the audience spectating his short speech. He spoke loudly, and his voice boomed noisily against the shining silverware around the room. "Let the dinner begin!" He said, before giving a toast to the success of the companies of all that resided in the room.

Short, polite clapping ensued as the servants placed plates upon plates of expensive food on the elegant white and gold cloth placed over the dinner table. He gave a low key signal to one of the servants, letting him know to tell Kita it was time to start. He glanced around the table, forcing small talk as the meal continued without an issue. The conversations were polite, and many of the guests spoke well of the food.

Vladan continued to keep the plastic smile on his face throughout the meal, and laughed jovially at a few of the jokes that the younger businessmen made in an attempt to lighten the mood. The beginning course had long been completed, and the main one was just being tidied up. Dessert would be served soon. Vladan glanced over as inconspicuously as possible at his wrist watch, glad to see that a little over an hour had passed since the doors to his mansion had opened.

His stormy gaze occasionally glanced over to the other end of the table, as his eyes examined the faces, minds, and thoughts of everyone in the room. Everyone overall seemed to be having a good time, but he had managed to read their hesitation on the one topic they all wished to speak about. Rumors had been spread on the inconsistency of his attitudes and personalities, and especially after what happened with Kita at the restaurant, many of the older men and woman were doubting his temper would get him any further than he already was today.

Business talk began with the serving of the desserts, and the attitudes of those in the room had faded from slight humor to mute seriousness. Questions and opinions peppered the room, and he feigned patience through it all. A strong voice rose over those of anyone else in the room, and his eyes narrowed at the question.

"What are you going to do about all the revenue you could have received, but lost due to your bad reputation because of your inability to control your attitude?"

He looked over to see a man dressed in a dark suit, not too different from the others in the room. His hair was dark, though one was able to spot white roots if they paid attention to his face. The man's eyes were a piercing gray color, rivaling those of Vladan's. His hand tightened it's grip around his wine glass. He let out an annoyed sigh and opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by the man once again.

"What are you going to do about all the revenue you could have received, but lost due to your bad reputation because of your inability to control your attitude?"

Vladan's grip tightened even further, and his knuckles whitened at how strong he was holding the wine glass.

"I heard you the first time, you didn't have to repeat yourself." He said through grit teeth.

dada_dragon • 19 May 2016 at 4:38 PM

Kita kept playing, but watched the situation closely. Vladan was unpredictable at the best of times, but the man had clearly hit a nerve. She could only hope Vladan didn't have a weapon on him...

She kept her eye on Vladan. If he was going to make any kind of rash decision, she needed to be ready to jump in and stop him.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 19 May 2016 at 7:55 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I couldn't tell." The older man replied without missing a beat. "You looked like you were having a hard time comprehending what I had to say, so I decided to help you out."

Vladan forced a smile. "I heard you just fine, and as for the revenue...there's nothing I can do about it." He hated to admit it, but it was true. His wine glass touched his lips as he took an unnaturally long sip of the crimson liquid.

"Of course not. You know absolutely nothing. You are arrogant and foolish, and don't know how to control yourself." Vladan attempted to ignore the man's criticism, but found it hard as the room reigned in silence.

"If you say so." He said childishly, before flourishing to a stand. His glass met the table with a sharp thud when he spoke next. Vladan let out a broad smile.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." He said. "It was absolutely lovely having this much prestige gathered together here." Vladan glanced down as his glass was refilled by a servant.

"One last toast." He said, as he raised his glass. "To the success of all of us!" Glasses clinked together noisily and the too exploded in chattering. His eyes dropped back towards the man that had criticized him so heavily earlier, and noticed that he was the only one still sitting. Vladan overlooked it, before heading towards the entryway. It served as the exit now, as the people trickled out. The door slammed shut, but one guest had remained. Vladan turned to face him.

"You didn't have to say those things..." He trailed off as he turned his gaze away from the man.

"I spoke nothing but the truth."

Vladan's knuckles tightened, and he felt his fingernails digging into his palms. His reply was hesitant, but held strong. "You embarrassed me in front of all my guests."

The other man laughed and headed towards the door, but stopped several feet in front of Vladan. He was a bit taller than Vladan, and he had to look up to be able to look him eye to eye.

"You've already embarrassed yourself." The older man's words cut like knives, and Vladan had to force himself to keep a straight face. He opened the door, hoping that the man received the signal that Vladan wanted him to leave immediately.

"I don't care what you have to say. Your opinion doesn't matter to me..." Vladan forced out as he motioned for the man to exit. He trailed off before spitting out the man's name like poison. "Greg."

Greg arched his brows, and the lines on his forehead deepened as he stopped halfway out the door. "My opinion is the only thing that matters. You would have nothing without me."

Vladan felt something warm in his hands and looked down to see that his nails had dug through his skin and drawn blood. "Leave." He said. "Now." His words had to be forced out though his grit teeth. "Trash."

The other man turned swiftly, too quickly for Vladan to comprehend what was happening. He didn't expect the slap. It hit him across the face, and the power of it sent him reeling backwards in pain. He nearly lost his balance as he attempted to regain his footing. The door slammed shut behind Greg's back, but not before Vladan heard his last few scathing words.

"If I'm trash, it really makes me wonder what sort of dump you crawled out of."

Vladan howled angrily, both from the pain and the embarrassment of being hit. He turned to face the servants that had stopped to look, and his deep voice rumbled out his next threatening words. "Get back to work because I kill you!" He yelled as he smashed the glass vases lining the wooden shelves. The glass shattered across the ground, and he stared blankly as the workers scurried away to their hiding places.

Vladan crumbled to the ground, his face heating up as tears slid down his face. He angrily wiped it away, before standing and punching straight through a glass cabinet. Blood coated his hands as glass entered his skin. He collapsed against the wall, sobbing angrily as he dropped his head into his bleeding hands once again.

dada_dragon • 19 May 2016 at 8:43 PM

Kita tried to leave discreetly. Vladan was dangerous now... All of his guests were gone... He had already threatened his staff... And judging by his treatment of the glass, he wasn't above physical violence...

Trouble was, from where she stood, she would have to walk past him to get to the door... She grabbed her things and made her way down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible.

As she passed Vladan, she kept her distance, glancing in his direction to make sure she could spot any signs of him being ready to attack...

Was he crying?

She hesitated for a moment, not sure what to think.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 12:22 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

It was a sorry sight to behold. A grown man sobbing into his knees, curled up like a fetus on a pillow of sharp crystalline blades. He heard glass crackling under feet, and looked up quickly to recognize Kita's deep purple dress. Vladan scoffed at how it stood out vibrantly against the drying blood splattered across the linoleum floor.

Honestly, it was absolutely astonishing how Vladan can change from a sophisticated businessman to a crying shipwreck in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. But no matter how badly he wanted to believe it, Vladan knew that he wasn't as self sufficient as he always claimed to be. He was aware that he needed to have someone supporting him at all times, whether it be Teiv, Dawn... Kita. Vladan turned away from her, dropping his head back into his body so that she couldn't see his face.

"Go away." He said childishly, voice muffled by his clothing. "Go home."

"You did what you came here to do."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 3:45 AM

Kita started to walk away, but stopped just short of the door. She turned back around.

"I've seen you lose your cool over the slightest insult... Even when the other person fights back, you never back down, even if it is one of your worst qualities..." she said plainly. "So who was that guy? Obviously if he's reduced you to this, he's more than just a business rival..."

Maybe she was a little harsh, but for the number of times he'd physically injured her, he really shouldn't expect any different from her.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 10:47 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan couldn't help but scoff at Kita's words. It was unbelievable how she acted and reacted to his words and actions sometimes. This time wasn't any different.

"Reduced me to this?" He said in disbelief. Her words had a cutting edge--sharper than the ones that belonged to the glass scattered across the floor. "It's none of your business." Vladan mumbled. Vladan hated it. Hated the fact that she always managed to catch him at his worst times, and hated the fact that she was so straight forward with her words. No one ever treated him like that...

He wanted to yell and scream, but he knew it wouldn't make him feel any better.

Not this time.

"Stop." He said angrily. "Just stop talking."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 12:14 PM

"No." she said. "You stop."

She crossed her arms, looking down at him.

"You want to know what? You're a child." she said coldly. "No wonder anyone says you're out of control. You yell at anyone who disagrees with you. You pout when you don't get your way. You'd rather have a playground fight than confront your problems like a sensible person."

She walked until she was right in front of him.

"Everyone keeps telling me that you're a good person, but you know what? I just can't seem to see it." she said, her volume steadily increasing. "Prove me wrong!"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 12:27 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan's laugh was short and bitter. The louder Kita got, the less motivated he was to even look at her, much less bother replying to her. Her words hurt, but it was nothing he hadn't heard at least a dozen times through his life already.

"Of course." He finally forced out. His fingers picked at the glass shards on the ground, and he piled them up on a little hill by his feet. "Of course..." Vladan trailed off as he closed his eyes tightly. He took in several deep breaths, enjoying the cold darkness in an attempt to relax himself.

"There's nothing to prove." He finally said. "There's nothing I want to prove." Vladan scoffed. "Not to someone like you. Not to someone that doesn't mean a single thing to me."

"You haven't done jack for me, Kita. You don't deserve--" He cut himself off when he remembered Willow's haunting words.

"Thank Kita...She saved your life, not me."

He hesitated before speaking.

"If I had a choice either of both times, I wouldn't have even bothered."

His hand tightened around the piece of glass he was about to drop on the pile, and he could feel it cutting into his skin. He choked on his words. "You don't deserve anything."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 1:00 PM

Kita turned around and walked to the door.

"Fine." she said. "You tell Tiev and Dawn that I tried."

She stopped right in front of the door. She couldn't believe she'd ever worried about him or helped him, or gave him chance upon chance to prove he wasn't exactly who she knew he was...

"If anyone doesn't deserve anything, it's you." she siad, her back still to him. "Dawn... Tiev... the others... they deserve better than you."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 1:54 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan swept the pile of glass across the floor, savoring the noise the broken pieces made as they clattered across the linoleum. He propped himself up taller on the wall as he picked at the smaller glass pieces jammed in his skin. "You aren't the first person that has ever told me that." He said with a sad smile. Vladan stood now, placing a hand roughly against the shelf to help himself up.

"But you..." He trailed off as he moved towards Kita. Vladan placed his arm across the doorway, blocking the exit should she decide she wanted to leave before he could finish talking. He spoke softly, his eyes dropping down so they could lock onto hers.

"Sometimes life doesn't want to give you something that you want. It's not because you don't deserve it, but because you deserve more..." He trailed off as he leaned in closer to Kita's face. "Do you think that you deserve more?"

"Do you think you deserve more than me?"

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 2:21 PM

Kita backed away. Why was she still afraid of him? She thought that she had gotten over that fear. He was just a rich little brat, so why...?

"Why on earth would I deserve you?" she asked, looking for an exit. "You've done nothing to deserve my trust, or my friendship, or..."

Did he want more? she wondered. Did he think there was more there than...

"Vladan... I... I have someone already..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 3:33 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~~

Vladan took several steps forward to counter her backwards footing. "Does that actually matter?" He mumbled as he arched a brow. His gaze dropped on hers, and he reached out slowly with his hand. His fingers and palm were spotted with red droplets, and he noticed how greatly they contrasted against her skin. Vladan moved to touch her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Does he actually matter?" He questioned as he leaned in closer to her face. His lips tilted upwards into a sideways smirk, and he made an attempt to place his free arm around her waist.

"Tell me yes." He whispered. "You want this don't you?" Vladan chuckled now. "That's why you keep coming back."

"I know you want this." He said lowly. "And you know now that I want this too."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 3:44 PM

"Stop!" She said, flinching at his touch. She was reminded of Puppet... The way he smirked at her... She cringed.

She backed away, but was met with the table. "I gave you the wrong impression... Please... I already have somebody..."

She shouldn't have come here... She should have refused him. She should have stayed home like she was told... There were a million things she should have done...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 4:36 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan hovered over Kita, enjoying the feeling of absolute dominance he had over her because of the table blocking her way. "I..." He trailed off, hesitating heavily before stepping past her and collapsing onto the couch. "I know." Vladan muttered.

He laughed. Not at Kita, not at the situation, and not at the mess littering the floor, but at himself. His hands ran through his hair, one after another. They dropped into his lap and he sighed heavily.

"That guy." He laughed mockingly at himself. "You asked earlier." Vladan held his head in his hands, and he closed his tired eyes before speaking softly.

"He's my father."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 5:07 PM

"Your... Father?"

It made sense... Why he didn't fight... Why he was so hurt... It was...

She sat down at the table.

"That's... I'm sorry... That's rough..." She said. "He's a bit of a piece of work, isn't he?"

She tapped her nails on the table, not sure what to say.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 7:04 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Don't be sorry." He snapped. "You should never feel sorry for me."

"It's nothing he hasn't said before." Vladan said bitterly. "To him, I will never be good enough." He forced a smile, even though it must have been unusual. Even at a time like this, even after everything Kita had seen him done and say, he still felt the need to look stable and strong.

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 7:32 PM

Kita looked down.

"I know... But I can't help it." She said quietly. "Ever since Xavior's died I... I just can't stop myself... I can't stop wanting to help people... It's going to get me killed..."

She looked back towards Vladan.

"It's like I have to prove myself... I have to prove I can still fix things... I couldn't help him, so now I have to save everyone else..." She said. "I'm sorry if I led you on... I just... I couldn't stand watching you self-destruct like that..."

"Pathetic..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 20 May 2016 at 8:01 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Don't flatter yourself." Vladan said through grit teeth. His hands tightened their grip on the armrest of the couch. He turned away from Kita. "You're just another woman in my life, just another distraction for when I'm sick and tired of my work." Vladan scoffed and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Who do you think I am?" He asked with a lazy drawl. "I could get any woman I ever wanted with a snap of my fingers. All they care about is fancy cars, colorful flowers and diamond rings." Vladan sneered.

"You're probably no different."

dada_dragon • 20 May 2016 at 9:35 PM

She rolled her eyes.

"What the heck would I want with that crap?" she scoffed. "You would just tell me that I owe you for it afterwards..."

She turned back towards the door.

"Besides... like I said, I'm not interested. I have a boyfriend already." she said coldly. "If I'm just another woman, whatever. I'll try not to take the opinion of someone who has tried to kill me to heart. I'm sure it'll be so difficult, but I'll get over it."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 21 May 2016 at 11:01 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan sighed. It seemed that no matter what he said to see that Kita was the same as everyone else in his life, she always managed to prove him wrong.

"Kita." He called out when she began to turn for the door. "Do you want Teiv to send you home, or do you want me to call you a cab?"

dada_dragon • 21 May 2016 at 2:13 PM

Kita sighed.

"I'll go with Tiev... If you don't mind..."

She grabbed her things and walked outside. It had been a long day... She wasn't sure what she thought of Vladan... She was torn between frustration and sympathy... Although she knew he wasn't interested in her sympathy...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 21 May 2016 at 2:46 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan didn't bother saying good bye to Kita's retreading back. He stood with a sigh, before heading up the stairs and to the bathroom. His hands wiped angrily against his crumpled suit, and he stepped inside the shower with all the intent to wash away both the blood and glass, and his worries.

--

Teiv started the car silently, though he did glance over at Kita to see how she was doing. She seemed troubled, and he wasn't surprised if that was how she felt. He had watched Vladan's temper tantrum from his place in the shadows, and though he had come to expect it, he still found himself a bit fearful of his antics.

dada_dragon • 21 May 2016 at 7:12 PM

"I tried." she said, though she knew he wouldn't respond. "He's just way too stubborn. I don't know what you thought I would be able to accomplish, but you were mistaken."

She straightened out her dress, not looking Tiev in the eye. She sighed.

"In any case, that's the last time I'm going to go see him, if I can help it."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 22 May 2016 at 1:36 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Teiv hummed lightly under his breath at her words. He didn't know what to say back to her, but it wasn't anything he had to worry about since he never bothered speaking no matter what anyway. His gloved right hand tapped quietly on the dashboard as he drove with his left.

He stopped at a red light, and glanced over to the left to see a young man looking back at him. The guy narrowed his eyes, and a low rumbling entered his ears. Teiv scoffed as he looked over the other's car.

It wasn't that bad of a vehicle, it was probably up to par with Vladan's. He bit his lip, and stared back forwards. He wasn't one for petty street races anyway. Besides, Kita was sitting right next to him anyhow, and he doubted she would enjoy it.

Suddenly, the low rumbling roared noisily in the night air once again. Irritation gracing his hidden features, he pushed the stick to park, before revving the engine right back. It howled in the air, significantly louder than the one belonging to the yellow car besides them. Satisfied by the noise, he shifted the gear back to drive as he waited for the light to turn green.

dada_dragon • 22 May 2016 at 2:53 AM

Kita glanced sideways at the vehicle next to them. It was some cocky kid, revving his engine like he was some kind of b-movie villain.

Tiev seemed equally disinterested, but a second rev seemed to change that... next thing she knew, he had responded, She looked over to Tiev. Surelyhe wasn't...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 22 May 2016 at 3:53 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Teiv cleared his throat as he waited patiently for the light to turn. When it did switch to green, he stepped on the gas and cruised at a maintained speed down the street. The rev was enough of a satisfaction for him to even bother trying to race the kid. However, the kid in the yellow car didn't let up. Out of the corner of his eye, Teiv spotted him driving right besides them.

Suddenly, the kid cut in front of Teiv without even bothering to signal for a lane change. He felt his hands grip tighter on the wheel as he was forced to brake suddenly to avoid rear ending him. His foot stamped on the pedal as he switched to the next lane so he wouldn't have to be behind the kid in the other car. He scoffed as the guy tried to do the same, but he sped forwards so that it forced him to stay in the lane.

Immediately after, he veered in front of the yellow car. It was childish, Teiv admitted, but he hated not having the last word. He didn't bother signalling his lane switch.

What comes around goes around, he thought to himself.

dada_dragon • 22 May 2016 at 6:07 PM

Tiev was showing incredible restraint, all things considered. But this guy was clearly pushing his limits.

She sighed. "Don't hold back for my sake." She said, sitting up. "Just don't wreck the car. As I've come to learn, Vladan doesn't like that much."

@bunnyshadow