Sadly, and as much as she hated to admit it, Ana was right. Asta felt first hand what it was like for the 'blood lust' to take over. She had no idea what was going on until it was said and done.. But that still didn't mean that she was going to speak to Allen. Not now. She didn't even want to look at him, even if it was just an accident. It was still so horrible, but she supposed that this was what she got for getting involved with vampires.

Silent, Asta nodded, and with a drooped down head, silently went with Ana.

Ana noticed how silent Asta was as the two cleaned up the remains of Asta's hunt. She knew that the fledgeling was feeling terrible, and longed to make her feel better.

"It could have been worse, Asta," she said softly. She could see Asta's incredulous look, and kept speaking before the girl could comment. "The last time I fell into bloodlust, thirty people were dead before I came back around. A literal pile of bodies. And I don't remember any of it. It's all just a red haze." Once the body was taken care of, she took off her outer sweater and handed it to Asta, motioning for her to put it on. Asta's shirt was ruined, after all. It was ripped in places, and covered in blood. Ana made a mental note to teach her how to be cleaner in her hunting.

Asta was a literal mess, and after a moment, she willingly slipped the sweater over her head, and then she stood once more. Asta was listening to Ana, and everything she was saying.. but the words weren't sticking. Asta crossed her arms and then with a small sigh, she turned her back on the woman.

So this is how it was going to be from now on..? Bloody alley ways, broken bodies, and clean ups at whenever-whatever in the morning. There would be feeding late at night, sleeping all day, and staying out all night. There was no kind of life here that she wanted.. Was there any way to even kill herself...?
Asta looked down to the concrete, and with sad eyes, she began to look around once more. She was cold. She was so cold, but at the same time, she was of decent temperature. There was no more warm cuddling, just this..

"Ana," she began softly, "I want to go home.."

Softly, Ana drew Asta into a hug. While neither of them were human-warm anymore, the hug seemed warm because they were both the same temperature.

"Come on, let's head back to your apartment. It will be sunrise soon, so you'll need to bed down for the day. I have some contacts in the blood bank network, they can get me enough toss-out bags to stock your kitchen for a while, alright?" Gently, she steered Asta towards the apartment building. "There are ways to live without killing, and I'll teach you how. My door is always open for you, and I'll have a spare key made for you."

Not only was Asta cold, but now she felt like a burden. She had no idea what she was doing anymore, and now Ana was getting her a spare key made? She felt so sick to her stomach. If she could have just left Allen be, and if she had followed through with never speaking to him again, things would have gone so much better, life would be so much easier... for everyone. Now it was one, big, tangled mess, and she had no idea what she was going to do with it.

"That's very.. sweet of you, Ana.." she said softly as they stepped through her front door. Seems it had been left open. But soon enough after, she spotted Allen, and a big temper, and well of sadness overwhelmed her as she looked away from just the mere sight of him.

Ana saw Allen at the same time that Asta did. He was sitting on the couch, looking vaguely like a lost puppy. Ana would have tried to comfort him, but she knew Asta would probably explode if she did.

"Go on into your room, Asta," she said softly. "I'll make sure Allen is out by the time you're cleaned up."

Once Asta was on her way into her bedroom, Ana went over to Allen.

Allen was staring into space, not really thinking or even responsive. He saw Ana and Asta come in, but he didn't think much of it. It was Asta's apartment, and he was sure he'd be kicked out soon. He was surprised when he was suddenly being dragged out by the waistband of his jeans.

"What--?" he sputtered. Ana was a tiny slip of a girl, he was at least twice her size! How was she dragging him? "Ana, what are you-- how are you--"

"Allen, you're barely a week old. I'm over three hundred years old. Give me some credit," Ana replied tartly. "I don't know what you were thinking, skipping a meal like that at your age, but I'm going to make sure you never do it again." Allen was about to reply when Ana literally tossed him into his apartment. The impact with the floor disoriented him enough that he didn't get his wits together until Ana was just about to close the door on him.

"She hates me now, doesn't she?" he asked slowly. Ana stopped.

"Right now, I think so," she replied softly. "I'm not sure if she'll come around for a while. I suggest you give her a bit of space until she's ready to deal with you. Just don't forget... you have forever."

Getting into the shower, Asta washed her skin, face, and hair.. Everything was so bloody.. The shower water was a deep reddish brown color, not only stained that shade, but the dark water continued to run down her skin. She was rinsing away the evidence from her body, and eventually she was out of the shower. She dressed, she stepped out of the bathroom, and then into her bedroom. She fell onto the bed.

She wanted nothing to do Allen. Never again. She put so much faith in one person, and this is what she got. Nothing but a let down.. And now, Asta never even wanted to see him again, no matter how much she really did care about his smile, or any of that stuff that came with him.. She was so disappointed, not only in Allen, but in herself for opening up to someone who could hurt her so much, who could prove her incredibly wrong, and did.
She cared about him.. so much more than she knew was good for her. And then this..

Asta rolled over on her bed, hiding her face in her pillows.. and then.. she cried. She cried about all that had just happened to her. About Allen, and about the new life that she was going to have to take in as her own. It was a horrible feeling.. all of it, but it was real.

Allen didn't see much of Asta for ages. He only knew she was still alive because Ana made offhand comments about her every so often. Asta either never came out of her apartment when he was out, or was in and out before he noticed. Days, weeks, even months passed. Although Ana said he was doing much better than before, he didn't notice any change in himself. She still even called him 'fledgeling', for crying out loud!

Come to think of it, though, he hadn't seen Ana since he woke at sunset... Opening his apartment door, he found a note attached to it.

Fledgeling,

Please forgive the aburpt notice, I am aware that you aren't yet used to travelling at a moment's notice.

I, and by extension, you, have been invited to a masquerade in Paris. It will be a family reuinion of sorts, and I am expected to attend with any fledgelings I might have. Transportation has been arranged for us by my sire. It would be advantageous for you to pack for at least a month's stay. We leave in five days.

Allen read the note again, and hoped that Asta had been left the same thing. At least then he wouldn't be the only one off-balance by the sudden change. Hopefully, she wouldn't try to tear him apart on sight.

Asta had awoken to the very same notice on her door. Ana was the only friend that Asta had, and that being said, she would go in a heartbeat. Over the time that she had avoided Allen, she'd been running in and out of her home on midnight runs, searching for other people like her, and feeding. She was desperate for a companion. Desperate for anyone.

Ana had tried once or twice to set her off with a man or two, but the only men that Asta were interested in were the human kind. No vampire had been able to give her a genuine source of affection. No one seemed to think that they were equal to everything else. Asta didn't feel gifted about anything in her life anymore. There was nothing special.

Asta packed as instructed, and soon enough, there was a limousine parked out front, and with no hesitation, she entered it. Unfortunately, she hadn't been expecting what she saw in the backseat; Allen. He must have been picked up first.
Her breath hitched in her chest, and she looked down as she stepped in, wavy locks droops past her shoulders a way. Her hair had grown substantially grown in the time that they were apart, but she cut it to a bit past her shoulders, making it seem longer in the end. She had looked like such a deer in headlights, and now she looked down at her lap, and said nothing to him. Him. That horrible creature.

Allen had had some time to prepare himself for seeing Asta, and he was able to stop himself from chuckling when he saw the look on her face.

"You seem surprised," he said dryly. He moved closer to the opposite window, giving her plenty of room so she could sit and not be anywhere near him. It was obvious she still hated him. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Not that you'll care, I'm sure."

"Both of you, enough," Ana said from behind Asta. "You both need to behave in France. There are creatures far older and more powerful than me who will be in attendance, and I won't be able to help you if you start trouble." Getting in, Ana sat in the seat opposite the two younger vampires and motioned for the driver to leave. "We'll be staying in my townhouse when we get there, and you'll both need to be fitted for proper attire."

Asta looked away from Allen. It was needless to say that even the driver could see that there was tension between Asta and Allen. "I won't start anything," she said simply. "I never started anything anyway." She had always been the innocent one, he had been the one who attacked her, if that was even the suitable term for it. "I'll be fine as long as he leaves me alone."

Asta was still sore about what had happened between she and Allen. So sore. Her heart still hurt, her stomach still churned when she was near him in the car.. Her eyes closed, and with crossed arms, she tried her very hardest to relax where she was. She was going to make the very best of all of this. Asta was going to meet herself a man, and be happy. She was going to dress up, and be kissed, and live forever with a man she would be able to fall in love with.. She was determined to fix her life.

The trip to France was spent in tense silence. Somehow, Ana had gotten them a private jet, and Allen had to wonder if it belonged to her or if it was sent for them. He was somewhat grateful that it was a private plane, though... He doubted he would be able to handle commercial flight. He chuckled slightly at the thought. Yeah, a dead person on a plane would go over really well...

Every so often, he glanced over at Asta and sighed. Even though she hated him, he still kind of liked her. Well, more than kind of, if he every bothered to listen to the voice in teh back of his head. And he really did regret what happened, but she wouldn't listen to him... He was thrown from his thoughts when their limousine pulled up in front of a luxurious townhouse.

"This is our stop," Ana said softly. The door of the limousine opened, and Ana got out. It was nearly dawn, Allen could feel it. "Hurry up," Ana urged. "While I can carry you both inside, I doubt either of you would want me to toss you both into the same room."

Asta had not said one word the entire trip. She was quiet, and kept to herself, and even when they came to a stop, she sighed, and got from the vehicle. She too could tell that the sun would be up soon, and after listening to what Ana said, she got to her feet, and trekked the way up to the townhouse. There was no way that she was going to be in a room with Allen, oh no. That was the one thing that she had promised herself.. she was not succumbing to her feelings, no matter what they were. Bad or good, she was going to be the better person in all of this, and she was going to make the best of everything.

Stepping toward the front door, Asta stopped abruptly. Someone had shoved out of the door, and collided with her. Asta, though she had changed so much, made an o-shape with her mouth, and stood in wonder of the beauty before her. Wouldn't you know that the first vampire that she sees is gorgeous.. "Sorry," he muttered with an apologetic sigh. "Had to get out of there." Asta's lips formed a smile, and soon enough, she was smiling as she watched him leave her, stepping off past Ana, and Allen. Now she had something that she could be looking forward to.

Allen couldn't explain the sudden hatred for the young man who had run into Asta. He had done the same thing, hadn't he? And she never looked at HIM like that!

"Easy, Allen," Ana said in a low voice. Allen jumped. He hadn't realized she was behind him. "James is already in a relationship."

"Talkin' 'bout me now, Anamaria?" a boistrous voice asked. Allen thought the accent he heard was Scottish, or Irish.

"Really, James, you have Bridget. Leave my fledgelings be," Ana retorted good-naturedly. James laughed and turned to Asta.

"My apologies, miss, I dinna mean t'run int' ye," he said, flashing a smile. Inwardly, Allen fumed.

Disappointment flurried the insides out of Asta, and the uneasy face she made as she turned around only further proved that.

Allen's reaction wasn't noticed, however.

A wide smile spread across her face, and she nodded at James as he spoke to her. He was so beautiful, and yet so unattainable. She wasn't going to go after someone who belonged to someone else.. simple as that. It was one of many unwritten laws.
Even so, the smile she gave him was one of genuine like, "It's alright," she said in response to the taken male. And with that, she went inside with the most embarrassed of feelings within her body.

The sooner she was alone, the better..

Allen followed Asta inside, although he kept a good distance from her. He looked around in wonder. The place was huge! It was more like a mansion than a townhouse. He could see other people in the entrance hall, but he couldn't smell any humans. Were they all vampires? He could hear a few whispers around him, and strained to listen.

"...Anamaria's fledgelings..."

"--two at once?"

"She isn't careless enough to drain two humans..."

He stopped listening and rolled his eyes. So he and Asta were the hot topic now, it seemed. Were two fledgelings at once really such a big deal? "Honestly..." he muttered.

"Really, while uncommon, more than one fledgeling at a time is far from unprecidented," Ana griped, unknowingly echoing Allen. Or, at least, he THOUGHT she didn't know what he was thinking. He still wasn't sure what kind of freaky vampire powers she had.

Asta could hear the whispers as well as Allen could. She too was a bit peeved by the idea of being one of the two talked about people. She hated being focused on by more than one person at a time, and now that she was shoved into the 'limelight', she felt like she was going to be sick. She hated this.

"Ana, can I please go to my room.." She could have sworn that it would be clear that she just wanted to get away from the crowd.. and mostly Allen, too. Allen was the main part of all of her stress. Under other circumstances, she would have liked all of this. A sort of girls out type of thing.. But NO. Allen had to come too.

"Please, Ana.."

Ana nodded.

"Of course. I'll show you both to your rooms," she said. Gesturing, she led the two to a pair of doors right next to one another. "Asta, you're on the left. Allen, the right. Take as long as you need to to unpack and settle in. The windows are all blacked out with curtains, so daybreak won't be a problem. At dusk, I will come and retireve you both, as you both need to be measured for formalwear. The masquerade is in a few days, after all."

Allen nodded as he listened. He hoped that the fittings wouldn't be too excruciating... Of course Ana wouldn't think anything of it, her measurements probably hadn't changed in three hundred years. Then again, he had no idea how such things worked, so who knew. Asta would probably be beautiful in an evening gown, though... Maybe in gold, or red... Mentally, he shook himself. No sense in thoughts like those... She didn't want anything to do with him, after all.

The youngest of the three vampires only listened to as much as she had to, and immediately after Ana had finished her final sentence, Asta was in the left bedroom. The only thing that got her, was how absolutely beautiful this so called 'townhouse' really was. Everything was so extravagant, right down to the hard wood flooring beneath her feet. The rugs were lush, as were the sheets, drapes, the wardrobe, the comforter on the bed, the stands on either side of her nice, large, canopy bed. The only thing that was so very plain in the room, was Asta, and her bag.

Asta set down her things in front of the large wardrobe which was on the left side of the bed (when she was facing the head board of the bed, of course.), and then opened the doors. She was surprised that the closet of sorts wasn't already filled with gowns that she could wear and slip into.
She'd tried to find suitable attire as Ana had instructed, but Asta owned no dresses that were.. nice. She liked the dresses, and they were modest (enough), but they weren't fit for such an occasion. And now she felt bad. Of course, someone being around as long as Ana had been, probably didn't have money issues, and if anything, Asta could pay her for the dress. Or something.

Allen was hiding in the back of her mind, and when she was done setting her things on the floor of the wardrobe, he popped to the front. She was so bothered by his presence. He was like a plague that was torturing her being. But she couldn't deny that him being there did give her some lee way. Now she could make him jealous. If he even still cared..
Why did it matter anyway? She'd given up on him long ago. Right...?

Allen looked around the extravagant room in awe. Now he was sure of it, this was no townhouse! It had to be a castle or something! This looked like something out of the reign of King Henry VIII or something. He felt small and woefully insignificant in the room, and felt very much like he didn't belong. Which he didn't, but it was the principle of the thing. Gingerly, he set his bags down at the foot of the bed. He was almost afraid of making himself comfortable in the room. It seemed like someone would rush in at any moment and ask him how he dared to be in such a lavishly decorated room.

Although he couldn't see outside, he knew it had to be almost dawn. He was suddenly exhausted, although he knew it wasn't from travelling. Sitting down carefully on the bed, he laid back and was asleep almost before he knew what was happening.

Ana stretched and gazed out the window of her room. The sunrise was always so pretty in Paris... It made her skin prickle ever so slightly, but she paid it no heed. The sunlight would have to be much stronger to hurt her. There was a knock on the door, but it didn't startle her like it would have her fledgelings. She heard the door open softly.

"Welcome back, Anamaria," a masculine voice said. "The years have treated you well."

"Being back in the old world has treated me well," Ana replied, turning around. One of her blood-brothers stood in the doorway, looking just as he had the day he was turned. "You've scarcely been back a day," her brother pointed out. His gaze swept the room, and fell upon her open wardrobe. "And yet you've already been through your things."

"Well, since my fledgelings need new clothes for the masque, it stands to reason that I shouldn't be seen in some thrice-worn gown," Ana replied. "If you're going to stand there and make small talk, John, then please wait until a more decent hour of the night."

"Ever the adopted duchess," John remarked dryly. However, he still gave a small, comical bow and left the room.

Asta had been on her bed for minutes already, and with closed eyes, she was trying her very hardest to slip off into dream land. Her head hurt, and so did her arms. God knew why those hurt. She was in a bad mood from seeing Allen, and being shot down before she could even get up.

Once Asta was able to fall into somewhat of a deep, and quiet sleep, for the first time, she dreamed. The colors in her dream were vivid, and bright. The only thing in her dream that was devoid of color, was herself. As she wandered aimlessly around the ballroom (wherever she was, she had no clue), she spotted Allen. He too was black and white, highlighted with either color. Asta was careful to avoid him, trying to find another man around who was alone, but alas, everyone but she and Allen had a mate. She looked defeated, and then slightly upset as Allen approached her and asked her to dance. She denied him several times, but finally, she gave up on refusing, and accepted. He seemed happy as he held her close to his body. But this wasn't what she wanted...
Allen's arms lay around her waist, and Asta closed her eyes as the slow dance continued on. She wished that things hadn't happened the way that they did.

The dancing slowed once more, and Allen forced her to look at him. She didn't want to gaze upon his beauty, but she was.. and soon enough, he kissed her. It wasn't the dull and lifeless kiss that she'd been expecting.. Instead, she was.. feeling fireworks. Feeling exploded throughout her body, and color erupted from the both of them.


Her eyes opened, and she came to, only to see that the night had come yet again.

Ana gently knocked on their doors once night fell and she knew they were awake.

"Asta, Allen, come on," she called. "We must get to the tailor's quickly if you want your choice of fabrics!"

Allen sat up, groaning. He felt stiff and unrested, and he was absolutely famished. Vaguely, he wondered what he would have to do to get blood for breakfast.

"I'm up, I'm up," he called back. "Mostly." He rummaged in his bags, looking for something decent to wear. Well, something to wear that wouldn't make him feel like a fool amongst all of the ancient vampires around. Once he was dressed, he opened his door and almost walked into the water bottle Ana was holding out to him. "Thanks," he said as he took it. A cautious sip told him it was full of blood. Breakfast to go, then.

Asta was unnerved as she came from her bedroom. She was wearing something similar to what she always used to wear.. only not so.. vibrant. She was always so colorful and happy seeming before she was a vampire. Now, she was not. She craved warmth, and being able to sit next to a man or woman, and feel like she was going to kill them.. And she'd had more than one accident..

She mechanically took another bottle from Ana, which was her breakfast as well. She drank the bottle impossibly fast, and she licked her lips before going off alone. She didn't need to be babysat in a place like this. One thing she was thankful for.

Allen watched Asta walk off.

"Wait, doesn't she have to come with us?" he asked, confused. Ana looked at him.

"I'll take her to be measured and fitted later. For now, you and I have to leave," she said. She knew Asta just wanted to be alone, and the 'girls night out' would probably be good for her later.

Allen followed Asta out of the mansion and into the warm night air. Everything smelled so different from home... He walked with her, looking around in awe. There were so many different things in France... Ana led him into a small building.

"François!" Ana called out. Immediately, a petite redhead came out of the back.

"Anamaria!" the redhead exclaimed. The two conversed back and forth in French for a few moments before Allen was being ushered up onto a stool. After that, it was a bit of a blur. One moment he was being measured, and the next the two were being pushed out of the shop with a heavily accented "Go! Will be ready soon!" Then Ana took him back to the mansion.

"François will have your outfit ready in a day or so," Ana commented as she went to find Asta.

Asta had been alone for the majority of the time that Ana and Allen were gone. Most of the other vampires in the entire estate avoided her, others sort of shied away from her. None of them seemed to like her, and she was guessing that it was only because she was a younger vampire. She didn't know of their traditions, or anything like that.. She was just sort of there because she had to be.

"Hi!"

Asta looking up from her perch in a seat off in a far corner of the main room. Before her was an average looking, young man. Well, as much of a man as he could be.
He was smiling brightly at her, and she only blinked, "Hello.." It was clear that she was wary of his motives. "Michael," he introduced. And she responded with her own name.
He was her only friend now, and he was quite nice, she discovered as they conversed more.
But soon enough, she smelled Ana and Allen, and knew that she'd have to go.. They came back, most likely after they noticed her absence.