Elara's senses picked up on every splash of water and the change in Sybil's breathing that was a telltale she was weeping for some reason. With a roll of her eyes, the vampire queen rose from her chair and moved across her bedchamber to the bureau where she had her own clothing stored. Without wasting time, the dark haired queen stepped out of her boots and removed her clothing with slow, precise movements, folding the garments in half and leaving them on top of the bureau for her maid to take for cleaning. She studied herself, naked in the full-length mirror on one of the walls, turning slightly and pulling her dark hair to the side to study the old scars along her neck and spine from the day she had been 'volunteered' for those who had lost their sanity. Her thoughts and memories drifted back to her youth, before she had ever decided she would learn to do battle, study old stratagems and create her own force.<br/><br/>The female vampire had barely been into adolescence for her kind, and the research on those who had gone off the rails and started attacking and feeding on their own species way out in the edges of their cursed realm had just begun. They had rounded up as many as they could find and between Caldwyn and other mages he worked with, they weren't quite sure what made them crave their own kind so Ava's council at the time had requested 'young, healthy volunteers' that would be compensated for their 'donation' to further the research and cure of the problem. Despite the protests of Caldwyn and his immediate trainees, Ava had approved the council's request and pushed for it wholeheartedly, since she had needed healthy warriors to continue her war with the mortal realm.<br/><br/>Elara gave a sudden shudder and pulled herself away from the memories of walking into the cold stone room, barefoot and shivering, not from the cold since she was a vampire and didn't need heat to survive, but from the apprehension and fear. She had been right to be afraid of the creature that was crouched in the corner of the cell, snarling and hissing in apparent discomfort. Her own mother had reached over to slice the younger vampire's palm, to let the smell of her blood fill the air to draw the other's attention. She still had the scar on her palm, and ran a finger over it as she recalled the slow ceasing of noise and the steady rise from the crouch the other had done, turning to fix her with eyes that had no comprehension behind them that she was offering it what it needed to survive, and nothing more. Then it had moved, faster than any other vampire she had seen and pounced, knocking her off her feet and on her stomach, her bleeding hand slapping flat on the stone floor and leaving a red print as the creature tore at fabric and flesh.<br/><br/>She took a deep breath and reached up to swipe away a single drop beneath her eye, before digging through the drawers for the satiny-smooth night-time garments she preferred, this time in a soft lavender. Elara rarely wore the pastels outside of her personal chambers, but her sleeping garments were a private matter between herself and the maid who took care of things for her. As if summoned by the queen's thoughts, her maid entered her bedchamber, a simple soft night dress draped over one arm, with a similar styled dressing gown, and appropriate clothing for the daytime draped across the other. The vampire queen nodded to her maid, indicating she should go ahead and make the ungrateful human wench aware the clothes were available to her. The maid opened the door to the bathing chamber and stepped in, clearing her throat to announce herself and laid out the two sets of clothing on dry shelves on one of the walls before she departed.