A light in the darkness (Cereza)

By the time his meeting with Prince Legard had reached its conclusion, midnight was soon to arrive. The meeting itself had gone better than could have been expected; Maalik being pleasantly surprised at the tolerance Byron had shown. While it was clear that the Camarilla leader was definitely not one to be trifled with, the aged Nosferatu already found himself respecting him. Making his way back down beneath the city streets, Maalik found his thoughts drawn back to the young Kine, Cereza. Although he still did not understand why God had placed her in his path, or perhaps, he in hers, there was no doubt in his mind that there was indeed a purpose behind it.

As he progressed closer to his subterranean home, he noticed certain things that seemed out of place. There were footsteps in the dirt where there had been none just a few hours before and delicately stacked bones knocked out of place on a passageways corner. There was someone else down here in the darkness. Maalik's predatory instincts kicked in, his blood-born abilities shrouding his presence from even the naked eye. It was not long before he encountered the intruder; another Nosferatu, no less, who appeared to be stalking something themselves...

Had his heart still been beating, it may well have stopped as he noticed a familiar scent upon the air.

Cereza... he thought, feeling panic wash over him. He could not see the little human from where he was, but the fact that the trespasser was still so focused on something ahead of him gave Maalik some semblance of hope.

Maalik's long, deceptively strong fingers wrapped themselves tight around the throat of the would-be predator as he 're-materialised'; the discipline of Obfuscate abandoned in great urgency.

"Something tells me..." he snarled, his monstrous nature seeping to the surface through a thousand layers of faith, "That you are not here on the orders of the Prince..."

"N-no..." came the stammered reply.

When he spoke again, Maalik's voice was dripping with venom.

"Then heed my warning, cousin... if you ever go near that child, or trespass so close to my home without his authority again, then even the wrath of Allah will pale in comparison to my own..."

With what seemed like no effort at all, Maalik hurled the other Nosferatu back down the passageway, watching him skitter off into the darkness with considerable haste. Brushing off his robes, he was about to continue his search for Cereza. As it happened, however, when he turned to do so, he found himself chuckling.

"I should have known... Hello Cereza."

Cereza had to wait for the abbess to glance into the room she shared with three other girls before she'd been able to slip away; tucking her pillows beneath her sheets to portray her slight form should any further inspection occur. The other girls were already fast sleep when she snuck out of the room, carefully avoiding any hallways that would lead her into possible encounters with Belmont Abbey's limited night staff. Night reigned outside and the small girl paused only briefly to inhale the earthy smell of the gardens mingling with the cool, somber air of the evening. Then, she collected her coat and boots she'd stashed and carefully climbed down into the aberrant corridors of the Parisian underbelly.

Emboldened by the chastisement she'd received from the Abbott, the stinging welts on her palms still not allowing her to close her hands fully, she decided to traipse deeper into the catacombs. Her footsteps were less sure and her fingers clumsily familiarized themselves with the walls of the new path she took. All the while, she was unaware of the predator that hunted her in the gloom. Her senses, beyond her complete lack of sight, were unnaturally honed but not so much as to discern when she was being hunted.

Her footsteps halted on the uneven ground and she turned her body, harshly spoken words of unknown composition warbled down the 'hall' and she moved toward them. When she arrived upon whatever scene had just transpired, there was only one party still present. She smiled broadly.

"Mon ombre." She said excitedly, composing herself shortly after. "A-As-salamu a-alaikum."

"Wa ʿalaykumu s-salām, ma lueur," Maalik said, already feeling the Beast's influence receding now that the little human was out of immediate danger, "You must take great care when coming down here, little one, not all the shadows are safe to walk."

The Nosferatu looked down at Cereza's smiling face, her sightless gaze looking straight through him. He could not help but feel a pang of guilt, wondering what might have happened had he not been around to chase her would-be predator away. The thought passed soon enough, however, as his gaze was drawn to her hands. Kneeling down before her, he reached out with long, delicate-looking fingers and took her hands in his.

"What crime could one so young commit that such barbarous punishment is warranted?" He muttered, displeasure apparent in his voice.

He was no stranger to such punishments, of course. Kine learned slowly, it seemed, that such tactics were less than effective. The fact that Cereza had still sought him out, despite the inherent risks, gave credence to that particular notion.

"Why did they punish you so?" he asked, clearly concerned.

If he were not Nosferatu, it would have been easy for him to have words with whomever had left their displeasure written across her pale skin. Unfortunately, however, to do so would be too great a risk to the Masquerade; Cereza's presence alone was cause enough for Maalik to tread lightly.

The child smiled broadly as he knelt down before her, the expression persisting through his inspection of her hands and the displeasure in his voice. She knew she should probably be more careful but nothing bad had happened to her yet. Well, besides the nuns taking a switch to her hands.


"They punished me because I came outside. They do not let me play outside with the other children; so, I come out on my own when they are not watching." She told him, her English very much accented with French and spoken slowly but purposefully. She had many questions for him, they had begun amassing in her mind the second she'd met him and Arabella.


"You are safe down here. I can be safe here too, yes?" She asked, one hand slowly sliding out of his and extending up toward his face.

"Unjust, that they would hold you back from ex-," Maalik said quietly, catching the movement of Cereza reaching for his face in the corner of his eye.

With a flick of his wrist, he deftly but gently caught hold of her little hand before her fingers could touch his monstrous features. He could not take that risk, not yet. He silently prayed for guidance from above, closing his eyes. It wounded him deeply that he could not indulge her curiosity, but Clan Nosferatu's curse held its power over even one as old as he.

"One day, ma lueur" he said, a note of sadness in his words as he guided her hand back to her side, "But not today..."

When she asked him whether she too would be safe down here, Maalik's heart felt as if it were on the edge of breaking. Clearly, Allah had placed this incredible young Kine in his path for a reason.

"It would not be safe for one so young down here, my dear, but I think I know someone who might be able to help us; The lovely Miss Belfour, whom we met the other day?"

As much as it pained him, Cereza needed to reside above ground as much as possible, for the time being at least. What could not be denied was that she needed to get out of the Abbey as soon as possible. Perhaps Miss Belfour might have contacts on the surface who would provide sanctuary for the blind girl.

Her fingers flexed as her hand was suddenly stopped, a speculative look sweeping over her fair features. She was not the kind of child who was prone to hysterics for not getting her way, she was not the kind of child who took on the full weight of dejection without understanding. From his voice, which was really all she had to go by, she could tell he was not upset. Still, why stop her? Her head gave a curious tilt and her hand slid into the pocket of her coat, her fingers rubbing at a small coin she found and stashed there on one of her many adventures down here.

"She seemed nice. Do you think she would help us?" She asked curiously, her feet shuffling a bit nervously. Her fidgeting halted abruptly, her chin tilting down. "Do you think she would let me.. come visit you?" She asked in a much smaller voice.

Maalik felt a wave of relief when Cereza did not press for a reason why he had caught her hand. As painful as it was, he could not risk the Masquerade being broken. The conversation he had had not a few hours previously had stressed the importance of such.

"Yes, she seemed like a kind soul. I think she would help, but it is always polite to ask first," he said, smiling down at her as she fidgeted.

A soft laugh escaped his lips as her curiosity and determination showed themselves once more.

"One step at a time, ma lueur. She seemed a bit worried by the idea of you being down here, but that is understandable. These passageways were never meant to be walked by ones so young," he explained, looking around at the bones that lined the walls.

"Perhaps, when we find somewhere safe for you to stay, I could visit you instead?"

The child's smile returned, broader and brighter than ever.

"You'd ask her for me, wouldn't you? Oh please..." She twirled around him with arms swept over her head in a distinct imitation of a graceful ballerina. Her sudden excitement ended with a curtsy, which she aimed in his general direction. "I don't take up much room, I don't even need to talk all that much, so I'm sure I wouldn't bother her..." She went on, imagining wistfully a place where she wouldn't be punished for merely existing. A little quiet corner that she could call her own where she could read and dance and most importantly...

"Only if I can still meet you, mon ombre. That is what I like best."