Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Temple was a fairly large one but was nothing like what it used to be. Instead of something bleak, stark, and gothic was something that, while still slightly ominous, appeared much more welcoming in comparison. Dark shadows still shrouded the area, though generally there were not so many during the nighttime as, during the day, the area of the vampire God's temple was forever shrouded in a darkness that would not allow the sun to shine through.

This was not meant to be a place to intimidate his followers, but one they could feel comfortable approaching. Unlike Caine, Grendel had no intention of ruling through intimidation and fear, but instead through respect.

If the outside of the temple presented one image, the inside was quite another thing entirely. Here were the influences of the God's chosen partner, the Disciple Ravnos. Brightly colored hanging fabrics, random pillows, area carpets...the Temple interior was still under construction but it was clear that someone was taking special care to hand-pick each adornment. Once Murcia had entered the first great hall and neared its end, a doorway would open, seemingly of its own accord, and should she follow it, she would find herself in the room, not unlike a lounge or living room, with plush couches and chairs, a surprising amount of ashtrays, and colorful throw pillows strewn all about.

At the moment, the God was not present, as he was busy attending something elsewhere in the temple, though he was very much aware of Murcia's arrival and would be with her shortly.

"It is a little... colorful, isn't it? I told him it was." The deep growl of a voice seemed to come from nowhere, or perhaps it came from everywhere, and at first, there was nobody there to go with it.

And then suddenly, there was. Grendel, sat in a high-backed chair that was much too soft, pulling a throw pillow out from behind his back and, with a bemused look on his face, throwing it across the room to land amongst several others that were gathered in a corner. He had no idea where Ravnos kept finding them all, but he swore he found more and more throughout the temple every single day.

"Hello, Murcia. I do not believe we have ever met?" He pushed back his red and black hair and held her with steady regard, his eyes glowing dimly and boring into hers. He was almost a spitting image of his father Caine, though obviously younger and with some features not quite the same. He also did not bear the same tentacles on his back, where instead his own shadow tendrils writhed.

"I hope I am not disappointing, at least." The God spoke, his eyes continuing to bore into hers as if weighing her. And perhaps that is what he was doing, though not just that. He was trying to get a sense of her, of her desires, of what she wanted for herself and for her clan. He peeked into her mind, skimmed the surface, and came back into himself just as she asked what came next.

"I suppose that is up to you, Murcia. I can offer to strengthen your bond to me, to make you one of my Disciples, and to make you more powerful than you were before but..." He frowned then as if contemplating something.

"Your blood is weak. You are not able to embrace. Not traditionally, at least." Yes, he knew about the Ahrimanes, their rarity, and the odd way in which they created more like them.

He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped. "What if I could fix that?"

Grendel watched her with a hint of bemusement in his gaze. While he could indeed get annoyed and snap someone out of existence, he had managed, thus far, to avoid needing to use such dramatic measures on any of his father's Disciples. Thankfully, so far they had all been quite amendable.

He supposed he could thank Caine for at least one thing. He had done such a good job of making everyone hate him that everyone seemed more than willing to accept new leadership.

His offer had been an honest one, meant to be an olive branch of sorts. While he did appreciate that the Disciple's were so willing to come to him, he still wanted to offer them something in exchange. A good foundation to build what he hoped would be strong loyalty.

Her reaction was not quite what he expected. He watched her go through her stages of disbelief, the amusement fading from his gaze as she eventually knelt at his feet.

Well then.

He rose from his chair and stood over her, a long-clawed hand reaching out to rest atop her head, his eyes seeming to glow as they met hers.

"Only you." He said, and his voice seemed to echo endlessly in her mind.

This is going to hurt. These words came in to cut off the echo, a sharp reprieve followed by absolute silence and stillness of her mind as if all of her thoughts were cut off and suspended for just a moment.

And then it came. A searing pain that began in her chest and spread to all of her limbs, as her blood began to heat, bubble, and boil in her veins, changing. Shadow tendrils lashed out from all corners of the room to hold her still. He did not want her to thrash about lest it break his hold on her. They held her at her arms and legs, and around her waist. She could still struggle a little, but she could not fall.

While her blood changed, strengthened, something else was also occurring. That tether that had been severed from Caine was being replaced, flowing toward her essence and binding her to the new God. It could also be painful if she fought against it, or it could just be faintly strange and uncomfortable if accepted as a gift. Once in place, however, she would feel it right away. The renewal of strength that had been lost.

This would go on for only minutes, though to Muricia it may have felt like hours.

It was done. She had endured a great deal of pain, but he hoped that the gift of being able to embrace just like any other vampire of age and ability would be worth it to her. Still, she would be the only one in her clan able to do so. He removed his hand from her head and waved away the shadow tendrils so that she could either fall or hold herself up with her strength. They unwound from her slowly, giving her time to realize she was being let go before they were gone.

"How do you feel?" He asked though it was only with mild concern since he knew she would be okay. The pain would fade quickly, and she would feel the surge of new strength in her renewed blood and her bond with him.

"I appreciate that." His voice rumbled, regarding her preference for speaking truthfully. He did not need his Disciples to be dishonest with him.

And if they were, he would know, so it would be ridiculous of them to try.

"Be well then, Muricia. I expect you to fill the ranks of your clan with this new gift and be ready should I ever need you."

With that, she was dismissed, and the God was suddenly gone from the place he had stood, the fire that burned in a nearby hearth flickering and going out.

If she wanted to stay, she could, but it seemed that Grendel had decided that their meeting was finished.