“Hester! What a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!” Henrik exclaimed, taking to her shyness with ease. “This is my sister, Helena. Don’t mind her quietness; she’s a bitch, really.”

Helena glared at Henrik, but otherwise said nothing. In truth, she was more than pissed off now. Henrik got to feed and she didn’t? But she kept her composure, just like she was taught to. Perhaps if she wasn’t so hungry, she would have been able to deal with striking out before she had even begun, but she couldn’t think past the hollow in her stomach and the throbbing in her throat. She was hungry. And then, as if to cheer her up, the Gods sent a freaking chicken!

The chicken swooped down and attacked the other girl, bringing her down to the ground. Helena allowed her lips to quirk upwards, not bothering to move a muscle to help the girl – Hester, was it? – while Henrik swooped downwards, grabbing the chicken with both hands. He openly glared at Helena before depositing the chicken into her hands as he gave his hand to Hester to let her up. Helena rubbed the head of the chicken, silently thanking the Gods for a little bit of entertainment to her otherwise dull and boring day. Another smug quirk of her lips and Helena dropped the chicken to the ground, letting it move towards her piglet, Alf.

“Ignore my sister.” Henrik muttered, seeing Helena’s amusement on her otherwise stoic face. “I’ll make sure the chicken doesn’t bother you.”

He had turned to look out the window below into the courtyard, watching the creatures in there humanoid forms. It was quite peaceful to him, the idea of being around so many different species was interesting. To him, in a way, he felt like a human child in a zoo. "So many species and I want to learn about all of them!" A small smile adorned his face as he heard his question. Pompous idiot. He chuckled at the last part but it was when he mentioned Scottish a low and draconic growl escaped his humanoid body while a smile remained on his face. His accent was semi-thick with a Nordic accent.

"Boy you don't fully understand the word pompous as far as I am concerned. There is nothing wrong with enjoying money whether your rich or poor, as long as you enjoy yourself. As for me however I'm from Norway but my family is spread out across the world... I live in a rather...interesting family. It runs off of a, uhhh, how do I put this...a hierarchy of sorts that is based off power and by power I mean power; physical and financial strength. There's a lot of internal and external conflict, with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers...you name it. Despite this we still get together every five years. We don't get together often but when we do its usually a family reunion that takes maybe 2-4 days and when we do meet we usually fight... most fighting ends in a death or two and the ones who cause it in my family are the Scottish. Recently I've been in England visiting my little brother as a it was his birthday. As for coming here it was partially to get me away from the conflict within the family and partially for my own amusement. I personally do not care if I can live amongst humans or not but I will say this. I am not like the rest of my family who would tear a small town apart if the wrong human was to cross paths with them. I am more on the tranquil side."

He then turned and faced him with a half smug, half genuine smile. He took a large inhale of his cigarette, causing it to burn halfway down before exhaling what could only be described as a cloud of smoke. As it left his lungs and into the air, it took on the form of a medium size mushroom cloud before dissipating once it was a 2 feet away from Oliver. Sule then lifted his arm a bit to flick the butt out the window. As far as my livelihood, I've been living through inheritance and financial opportunities which resulted in major grow in finances. 84 billion to be exact and still continuing to grow. I have a mountain house in Sweden, a chateau in Norway and a small beach house in the Bahamas that I go to every summer. I also do enjoy traveling but I have put that on hold for now until I am done here. But I wonder what brought you here?"

Huh… so he’d been wrong about the accent, not only that, but Scottish people seemed to be a bit of a sore subject. He filed that away for future reference. Now that it had been pointed out, Oliver could definitely hear the Nordic tones in the man’s voice as he spoke. Oliver pushed down the embarrassment that bubbled up as he continued to listen, fascinated by the description of a life and family so completely different from his own. Thankfully, Suleykaar claimed to be more relaxed than the rest of his family, information that Oliver was immensely thankful for, and honestly, Oliver wasn’t surprised that he wanted to get away from them for a while, that kind of life sounded stressful.

Oliver took an instinctive step back as Suleykaar exhaled a particularly large cloud of smoke, the back of his calves bumping lightly against the hard frame of the bed he’d dumped his bag on. He didn’t mind other people smoking, but it wasn’t something he’d ever do himself, he’d tried it once at boarding school, and it had ended up with him bent double coughing, whilst everyone else laughed. Not exactly his proudest moment.

Oliver’s eyes widened when his roommate mentioned his finances, 87 billion… that was… a lot. Oliver had grown up around wealth, it was a part of everyday life, his father was a banker, friends with CEOs and MPs, but it seemed Suleykaar was in an entirely different league to most of those people, a fact which took Oliver by surprise, but something he was also kind of happy about. With that kind of money, it’d be pretty difficult for his father to get information out of this guy. Hopefully whoever Alice was roommates with would have similar financial security.

The question made Oliver pause, instantly tense, he dragged his fingers through his knotted hair, and shifted his weight, “That’s… kind of a long story…” his smile was strained, and he debated over whether to continue or not. On the one hand, it would only take a phone call for Suleykaar to turn Oliver and Alice in, on the other, they were roommates, he was bound to figure it out eventually, and he didn’t seem the type to turn them over.

Oliver sat down heavily, his knees suddenly deciding that they’d had enough of standing up, but he kept a wary eye on Suleykaar, “I guess… me and my friend, the one I said I was travelling with earlier… we weren’t so much travelling as we were running away,” he paused, trying to figure out how to say the next part, “I guess that sounds pretty cowardly, ‘running away’, but there really wasn’t any other option. My father is terrifying, or at least he is to us, he’s very old and very powerful, and he… well, he definitely wants to kill my friend, he probably wants to kill me too,” he tried to shrug, failing at nonchalance, “I didn’t really stick around to find out. “I heard about this place from one of my father’s enemies, a teacher here, we came here because it’s safer than the road, and it gives my friend, Alice, a chance to be normal again. I owe it to her, to keep her safe. It’s my fault her life was ruined, I know that sounds self-absorbed, but it’s true. I can’t let him hurt her any more than he already has… and wow I’m oversharing,” he chuckled, “sorry, it’s just a relief to tell someone…”

A thought crossed his mind, “Actually, do you mind if I ask a huge favour?” Oliver wasn’t sure how well he’d take this, but it was worth a try, “If you hear about anyone asking about me or Alice, please tell me? I’m trying to keep an eye out, but it’s pretty tough, and sometimes I miss things… I’d totally understand if you say no, but I’d be eternally grateful if you said yes…” he looked up at Suleykaar hopefully, mindful that he’d probably refuse. It wasn’t exactly a pretty mess to get caught up in, even if it was just keeping an open ear.

When Oliver stepped back from the thought of his financial stability it was quite amusing. Though, it should be no surprise due to whom he now roomed with but nonetheless, the reaction was still slightly entertaining."I have time to listen." A slight grin crossed his face as he hard his story. In hiding? This would be quite interesting and his father. A wealthy and powerful vampire. This "vacation" of his was turning out to be quite the adventure already. He made his way over to Oliver's side of the room, exhaling another breath of smoke. The young and powerful dragon would sit down in the chair next across from him, legs crossed and fingers intertwined into each other.

"It is quite alright, Oliver. Such a hardship to go through but nonetheless what has happened has happened. But tell me how normal can one be when they are will still be watched? Followed? Sooner or later you both may be hunted down like dogs. However-"

He leaned back into the chair and his head cocked to the side, a twitch at the side of his mouth as he let that sink in. Suleykaar then leaned forward as his eyes looked into Oliver's. "What guarantees you that this "enemy of your father's" won't turn you into him in order to avoid your father's fury?" He then stood up and walked over to his side but stopped when he heard about the favor. He lifted his head and looked at the ceiling before turning back to face Oliver with a stern look, manifesting his wings, spreading them wide, a definite sign of intimidation. "I am a dragon, Oliver, I am nobody's spy...understand that well. As for that wretched corpse of a father of yours he doesn't intimidate me in the slightest. I will do a favor for you Oliver since you seem like a reasonably decent individual but I won't be giving you information on the whereabouts of your hunters but rather I will help take you off the grid completely."

He let his wings disappear and moved closer. "Your eternal gratitude would be graciously accepted however I want something more of---value as well." A mischievous look managed to etch its way onto his face. "When the time comes I will ask you to do something for me but for now you will remain by my side and assist me when I need it and in return I will make a few phone calls and have your friend's and your name erased out of important documents, footage and the sorts within the next couple months. That should by you some time. So-" He held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Oliver blinked a couple of times at the offer, which was much more generous than he’d expected. He’d only really meant to ask for a quick shout if Suleykaar spotted big vampires with guns wandering round the campus, and it appeared his roommate had taken it slightly differently, but here he was, offering to erase his and Alice’s paper trail, something Oliver had been trying to figure out how to do from the second he’d decided to run. Slowly, Oliver’s perplexed look morphed into an enthused smile, and he shook the proffered hand wholeheartedly, barely pausing to think about the consequences, “I believe we do.”

And then he paused, the full force of what he’d just agreed to suddenly hitting him. He’d happily give his own life in exchange for what had been offered, but what if he was asked to hurt Alice, the person he’d been working so hard to protect? He frowned, the expression barely noticeable, but there, “Just… don’t ask me to hurt Alice, please? Whatever it is you want me to do, whatever the price, I’ll pay it, as long as it doesn’t involve her. In fact, I’d rather she didn’t know about this at all, she probably wouldn’t approve,” he chuckled slightly at the thought, in the time he’d known her, Alice had approved of very little, but signing himself over to his enigmatic and oh-so-slightly terrifying (and apparently winged) roommate for some as of yet undetermined task would probably top the list, “Just so long as I don’t have to hurt her, I’ll happily do anything you want, if that’s okay with you?”

Suleykaar gave a small smile. He managed to gain a servant in the few hours that he had been at the school. As he thought earlier. It was going to be quite entertaining. However his smile faded into a frown, teeth slightly showing as he gripped Oliver's hand a bit harder. "You DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO. IF I WERE TO COMMAND YOU TO KILL HER ON SIGHT YOU WILL DO SO WITHOUT QUESTION AND WITH EXTREME PREJIDUCE OR YOUR FATHER WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR CONCERNS, VAMPIRE! His face twisted in anger with each passing word. His glare then subsided as he let go of his hand as he let that threat sink in. An emotionless gaze then stared at Oliver. "But fortunately I wouldn't ask you to do such a thing. However, I will meet her. I will not go about protecting random people I have never seen. Plus, the longer you wait the worse the reaction from her will be when she finds out. He then made his way back over to his bed and picked up a cigarette before lighting it up.

Exhaling he pulled out his phone and begun to dial a number. As the phone rested against Suleykaar's ear, he looked at Oliver with a grin. "One of the first things to help you out with your problem will be to take out your phone and write down the contacts that you have or want to keep and then give it to me. I'll put you under my plan. It'll run on my own secure lines and under new names. Hello? An answer had came on his phone as he smiled. "Anders, I need ou to do something for an...aquiantence of mine.....Yes...Yes, you see...He's in a bit of trouble....Yes...Correct, I need two new phones and get in contact with my allies in....yes, the works; phone calls, emails, letters, documents, profiles... everything....I don't care about what he thinks, he owe's me for....Just warn him about what he asked of me a long time ago...Thank you Anders." He tapped his phone and smiled at the young vampire. "The gears are in motion, Oliver. In about a month or so you will be a ghost, a phantom per say. But I will say this one time. You must trust me completey and without question. Do you understand? If you cannot trust me, this whole thing comes to an end." His head was lowered with a stern voice and face.

After his answer was given he would look at Oliver with a more genuine smile. Business was comepleted and time to move on. He made his way to the doorway and looked at Oliver, gesturing for him to follow. "Come on, we are going to grab something to eat and if you can please, contact...Alice, and have us meet in the cafeteria."

First, it had been a small smile, cracking through the debris of her three month old scowl, and then it grew. From a smile, to a grin, to a wide beam that morphed into bubbles of laughter. She’d wandered away from the crowds, to a small wooded area near the stables; it was quiet, peaceful almost, so she’d lain down, toes digging into the dirt, blades of grass pricking the back of her bare freckled arms, warm and fresh and alive. She stared up at the canopy of trees above, pricks of sunlight filtered through the leaves, hitting her in the face but not hurting. Even before she was turned, this wouldn’t be an ideal situation, by now she would’ve been an interesting shade of lobster, but not even that seemed to be happening. This place was turning out to be pretty amazing, the sort of place that invited you to leave your worries at the gate, something that Alice was happy to do.

She stretched, a slight yawn escaping her lips. Last night, curled up on a couch in the school’s foyer, head resting on Oliver’s shoulder, she’d struggled to sleep. She’d been tense, still clinging to the heightened levels of paranoia and stress that clung to every moment on the run. But now she was starting to relax, and although she was still stressed and paranoid, the effects were lessening, and the consequences of her recent lifestyle were starting to catch up, leaving her tires and sleepy.

However, just as she was about to drift of, she felt a buzz in the pocket of her skinny jeans. Somewhat frustrated, she awkwardly her small mobile from her pocket, obliged to answer because the only person she knew would be texting her was Oliver. Shielding the screen from the sun’s glare with her hand, she squinted to see the message-

Meet me in the cafeteria soon plz, it’s important

She frowned, what could that be about? Knowing Oliver, probably something small that he’d convince himself was vitally important, and meant they had to leave right now this second or she’d end up dead in a ditch. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t grateful, but it could be a bit annoying at times, especially when she was already expecting every bump in the night to be a horde of terrifying vampires ready to kill her. With a sigh, she texted back a quick reply,

Sure, but if you want us to leave already, I’m putting my foot down, I like it here :)

---

Oliver listened to his roommate’s phone call with a feeling of trepidation crawling through his gut. It was starting, before long, Alice would be as close to safe as she could get, and Oliver would be… it was worth it. He’d happily give his live to give her a better chance, in comparison, his servitude was nothing. Whilst Suleykaar was speaking on the phone, he wrote a short list of names and numbers as he’d been told. There weren’t many, just Alice and a couple of others he trusted unconditionally. He hesitated, glancing at the list again; did he really trust these people? The answer was probably no. He scribbled over the names, until the only one left was Alice’s.

After Suleykaar finished on the phone, he told Oliver to contact Alice, something he did easily. He was going to have to learn to do everything the man said, the second he did it, if he wanted Alice to stay safe. He needed this, regardless of what happened, and regardless of how strange this whole experience was going to be.

Alice texted him back quickly, “She says she’ll meet us there,” he said quietly, and then stood, ready to follow Suleykaar, ”and… thanks for this, I appreciate it”

Needless to say a small crowd had formed outside the room when the yelling began and it was a safe assumption that news would travel that someone tried starting a fight with a dragon or other rumors of the like, thanks to his need to show off his wings which would have given him away but rumors were rumors and how he did enjoy rumors. One thing from these rumors would be true. To those who overheard the whole fiasco, they would know that Oliver had just signed himself up to serve a dragon. A very dangerous and bold decision. However this would also draw unwanted attention to Oliver and soon enough Alice. But once the three of them were seen together, it would be a dangerous decision to try to go after Alice and Oliver, especially when he was around. Thanks to Suley's hearing, he could overhear a whisper's about "he did what?", "he's crazy", "does he understand what he just did" and a few positive things like "now nobody is gonna try and mess with him", "a dragon and a vampire as a team? That's a scary thought". All of them put a smile on Suley's face.

Now if one were to think about such a deal, they would know that he now served a dragon and like a dog and its master, they would follow behind unless told otherwise. But Suley did not let that thought cross the minds of these idiots. This was a business venture, one that would end in another financial growth for the young dragon's already expanding wealth and quite possibly a long term servant and possibly powerful ally once Oliver gained years and experience. So instead of leading Oliver around like a dog to its owner, he walked beside him, as business partners. This simple gesture would also change the way Oliver was viewed as well, after the initial rumors died down.

"My my, Oliver. You've just became the talk of the school from what I could hear. Challenging a dragon? We can use that to your advantage. Think about it, a young vampire who has just befriended a dragon? Despite in the form of servitude it's quite the scary situation for those whom wish to tempt your, power and influence? Believe me you will soon have such things, and at a young age no less. Gain a few followers and possible allies and you could quite possibly have your own posse to protect you and Alice besides me. Isn't that amusing?" He chuckled. Entertained was a polite way of describing the way Suley saw this. Ecstatic maybe. They waled down the halls, getting looks here and there but nothing that showed hostility.

It didn't take them long to get to the cafeteria which was fairly large. Then again, creatures of all shapes and sizes would be here so it would make sense. "So tell me Oliver, what does your...Friend, Alice look like, hm?" He didn't look at him but rather scanned each and every person looking for who Alice could be. It would be obvious she was of a vampiric nature which means her smell would match that. Earthy and dead. But there were other variables to take into account. Was she born a vampire? If so, it would b and easy find. However, if she was recently turned it would be more difficult, a hint of human would be within the already known smells of a vampire and since this school was quite large and there were many creatures here and with so many variants of vampires it would be difficult to decipher which one she would be.

The walk to the canteen was… interesting, to say the least. It seemed the rumour mill had been working double time, and by now, half the school seemed to have heard about the deal. They all also seemed to think he was a moron, not that that mattered. He’d heard worse in primary school, although the fact that said primary school was full of the children of the wealthiest and most arrogant people in the country may have had something to do with that. At least Suleykaar seemed to be enjoying the attention, possibly, Oliver really had no way of knowing.

He listened as Suleykaar continued to talk, and felt a smile begin to form on his face. The scenario he was describing was starting to sound very appealing, especially the part where he mentioned Oliver possibly being able to build his own base of power. All his life he’d relied on other people, his father, the (numerous) nannies, friends, many of whom had turned out to be far less reliable than he’d thought. It’d be nice to gain at least a modicum of self-sufficiency, even if it was only enough to protect Alice. Of course the ideal situation would be one in which he could ensure her safety indefinitely, and move towards righting the wrongs that had been committed against her, but that would mean taking his father out of the equation entirely, which was by no means an easy task.

With a jolt, he realised how dark his thoughts had become. He was contemplating killing his father for crying out loud, something he never would have even considered a few months ago, regardless of how strained their relationship had been. He knew he had to stop thinking about that, no good would come from revenge fantasies, the next few years were going to be tough, and he had to direct all of his energy and focus into making sure both he and Alice emerged from them unscathed.

A quick glance at his roommate proved that he still seemed to be finding the whole debacle highly entertaining; something that Oliver concluded probably didn’t bode well for the coming years. He also noticed that he’d fallen into step beside Oliver, a gesture he appreciated, and found oddly reassuring.

They arrived at the canteen fairly quickly, and soon discovered it was quite large. In Oliver’s experience, the size of a canteen roughly correlated to the number of students attending the school, unless they had split lunches, which he hoped wasn’t the case because he and Alice were in different years, or unless they were massively overcrowded. At the moment there were a few students milling around, and he could tell Suleykaar was scanning them intently, but none of them appeared to be Alice, “I don’t think she’s here yet,” he said in answer to the question, “but she’ll be fairly easy to spot when she arrives, she’s quite short, very ginger, and probably wearing a black coat that’s about three sizes too big. She’s pretty shy around new people though, she’ll happily put me in my place, but anyone else, well… hopefully she’ll realise that I trust you before she decides to run screaming from the room.” he sounded like he was joking, but he wasn’t. He didn’t like to think about that time they’d tried to stay at one of his friends’ houses, but with the way that had turned out in the end her initial reaction had probably been justified.

As he spoke, he spotted her coming into the room, “There she is!” he said, giving her a small wave to let her know where they were. It took her a second to spot them, but when she did her expression immediately flickered to one of distrust. Once she drew close, she stopped about two meters away, her eyes flicking rapidly from Oliver, to Suleykaar, and back. When she spoke, it was quiet and tentative, as if she was expecting to be attacked if she said the wrong thing, “Oliver, who’s this…” she paused, taking a deep breath, before deciding to address Suleykaar, “excuse me, my names Alice, but who are you? And how do you know Oliver? You’re not another ‘friend’ are you?”

Run away screaming? She was not originally a vampire, was she. No vampire I have ever come across until now, would ever do such a thing. Then again, I never gave them a chance to run." A light chuckle was shortly followed by a sigh as he looked around, slightly frustrated that he couldn't find her. At least, until Oliver described her to him. Once he caught sight of her, the young dragon gave a small smile. She seemed a bit paranoid about her surroundings if her mannerisms said anything. He frowned as he took notice to the distrusting eyes. His head instinctively cocked slowly to the side as she approached. “Oliver, who’s this…” His eyebrows bent slightly down and then even further when he begun to be assaulted by question after question. He snorted out a small cloud of smoke before raising a relaxed hand, only his index, middle and thumb erected, to silence her from anymore questions. "Fist off I would like to clarify that if you wish to know who I am you ask me directly, vampire, not through Oliver." His eyes were somewhat squinted before returning to a more relaxed position. A twitch in his mouth and he pulled out a cigarette...

A cigarette...

Cigarette...

"Dammit...Oliver, run back to the room and grab a pack of smokes from off the bed if you will. I'm currently out." He looked over at him with a smile before letting out an audible "ah" and turning back to Alice, expecting Oliver to run back to the room for him. "As per your other questions which I was needlessly bombarded with, allow me to answer them. As for a friend, I'm more of a.... business partner in a sense. A toothy grin escaped his mouth. "He told me of the troubles you two were in and I had offered him safety and security in exchange for....Services and something more...valuable of his. Actually, not his per say..." He took a couple steps closer. "As far as knowing him, he is my roommate who I have met no more than a couple hours ago." He took a few more steps closer. "And as for who I am-" By now he was in front of her, a smile on his face. "I am the only thing standing between you and Oliver and his father so I suggest that you remove the tail from between your legs and at least act like what your suppose to be, vampire. With that being said I am Suleykaar Sahqon Diiv of the Diiv family. Know it and know it well because you will see me quite often." A more serious face fell upon Suleykaar's face as he said the last part.

Now that he was close enough, he could get her scent. Among the sweet scent she adorned there was still that smell of death and earth. He took a second to memorize the smell before backing away and smiling his usal smile. "Come, Alice. It's about time for lunch and I suggest we get seats now before anyone else takes them. Be sure to save a seat for Oliver for when he returns."

---

---

Laurel watched easily as the Faerie put up a glamour, green eyes settling on the hyena as the other girl questioned about her race and then the Hyena. She chuckled lightly, "Not exactly, she's a stripped hyena. They come from the deserts of North Africa where my line of people are from. I am a Gifted from the Egyptian Line formed by the Goddess Bastet." Her voice was smooth and cool but she smiled easily at they other girl. Laurel moved easily towards the bags that were placed at the foot of the hyena's bed. She opened the suitcase to search for something in particular.

"You heard about the feast tonight didn't you?" She questioned of the other girl as she continued to tear through the contents of the bag, throwing the clothing and other items onto the bed, covering the hyena with various items of clothing. The creature flattened it's radar dish ears as she shook off the clothes and raised the long hairs that laid upon her spine and baring a mouth full of bone crushing teeth. Her jaws were capable of delivering one of the strongest bites in the natural world.

Güzel has been born to one of the lower ranking females in her clan but her mother had died in a fight and Laurel had found the cub wandering around, lost. She had taken in the cub and raised her, she had thrived under Laurel's care. Güzel had grown much larger than even some of the matriarch females. She was massive, much larger than most standing just over three feet tall at her shoulders and weighing in at roughly 130 pounds.

The big hyena looked at the Faerie with curiosity, staring intently at her before opening her mouth to show the white teeth. She snapped her jaws lightly and swiveled her ears softly. "She wants you to pet her. It's not a threat." Laurel said matter of factly as she found the pair of tennis shoes she had been looking for at the bottom of the suitcase.

~ Kiara ~

Laurel explained herself to the fairly ignorant faerie. Kiara’s eyes lit up when she mentioned where she was from. “Oh, How exciting! I can’t wait to go to the human realm! I was pretty close at my guess, though. I mean, I know of Bastet, Egyptian goddess of cats… I should have known you were a Gifted, I’ve studied the human world a lot…” her rambling trailed off with a blush. It would probably be best to stop talking now, before she insulted the girl. Thankfully, Laurel busied herself with her suitcase, sending clothing soaring through the room.

Kiki curiously looked at all of the clothing, is that what humans wore? Kiara looked down and tugged the edge of her skirt. Faeries wore very little clothing, some hardly bothered with it at all, but when they did, there was very little fabric. Kiki’s skimpy outfit was dark, as was Unseelie fashion, and involved crow feathers, black and red roses, and other magically preserved flora. Her feet were bare, as always. Laurel asked if she had heard about the feast. “Yes, the lilac lady mentioned that in the courtyard. We Unseelie faeries don’t really need to eat, but I love the taste of sweet things! I will go to meet people too, there are so many beautiful, interesting creatures here!”

The hyena was staring at Kiki as she prattled on, then opened her mouth and snapped her jaws lightly. Laurel said that meant that she wanted pets. “Oh!~” Kiara cooed before kneeling down gracefully and rubbing the hyenas head softly, making sure to scratch behind her ears.

Persephone made a squeaking noise before flapping her wings against Kiki’s shoulder. “Oh, Persy! Don’t be jealous, you know you’ll always be my number one.” she reassured the disgruntled bat before swiftly standing up. “It was nice to meet you both, but I’m going to head to the cafeteria now, so I’ll see you around!” Kiara waved before spinning around and waltzing out the door.

The cafeteria was packed with chattering students. All of the sights, sounds and smells of the cryptids around Kiara were a little overwhelming, so, for a moment, she just stood in the doorway and stared. After a few seconds, Kiki smiled and confidently stepped in to find herself a seat next to someone cute.

Alice watched as Oliver quickly hurried out of the room, narrowly avoiding a scantily-clad girl with what appeared to be a bat perched on her shoulder, and her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. That wasn’t like him at all... she’d never seen him blindly follow orders like that, and she’d certainly never seen him abandon her with a complete stranger. Her eyes flicked to Oliver’s companion, he was tall, he’d towered over Oliver, and by default that made Alice feel like a hobbit. She twisted her fingers together anxiously as the stranger began to talk.

Alice resisted the temptation to roll her eyes when she heard about the deal; trust Oliver to run around swearing himself into the service of his terrifying draconic roommate the second she turned her back, it was probably the most reckless thing he’d done to date. Although to be honest, it wasn’t the service part that worried her, it was the ‘something more valuable’… what did he mean when he said it was something that wasn’t actually Oliver’s? How could somebody give something that wasn’t theirs to begin with? Unless… perhaps it was something he had to take? She frowned; her mind running round in circles, whatever it was, she doubted that Oliver really knew what he was getting himself into. This man exuded danger, and however nice he seemed, there was no hiding the serrated edge to his smile. He could hurt them, easily, and Oliver was so eager to grab onto whatever help they could get, he’d just walk right into it.

And then he was in front of her, mere centimetres away, close enough to touch. She flinched unintentionally, although to be fair, anyone would be at least a touch intimidated by this situation, especially seeing as that seemed to be the point of this display. Her heart shuddered at the proximity, his essence, the power and heat that radiated from every pore in his body, was overwhelming, flooding her senses so that they refused to accept anything else.

Suleykaar Sahqon Diiv of the Diiv family was there, and he wanted her to know it.

At the mention of other vampires, she bristled, teeth clenched and avoiding eye contact. She’d known his name all of half a second, and already he was judging her. Too nervous to actually say anything, she internally seethed. So what if she kept her tail tucked between her legs? Better that than having it bitten off. Of course, she couldn’t concentrate on seething for very long, because he appeared to be… smelling her? That was a new one… although certainly not the strangest thing she’d ever experienced (that prize went to cousin Charlie’s polite request that she please help him get the homeless man out of his car), it was a close run thing.

He broke away, his light smile doing little to assuage the cloying unease that still clung to her skin. He mentioned something about getting a table as he began to move away, but the words only got through partially, her mind elsewhere. It took her a moment to begin to follow him towards a cluster of empty seats at the end of the cafeteria, her previously paralyzed tongue making its way around a quiet, mumbled sentence, “ I’d rather not act like what I’m ‘supposed to be’,” she looked up, attempting to meet his eye, “y’know , considering the last fully grown vampire I met locked me in his cellar, drank my blood, and threatened to kill me, it really doesn’t seem like such a great way to make new friends.” Her lips quirked briefly, before she hurriedly began to move towards the seats, hiding her face and the awkward flush of crimson that spread through her cheeks, hoping she hadn't come across as too ungrateful.

Niall made a trip to his room after meeting the little female in the courtyard. He was quite convinced that she would be very interesting to interact with this school year. He wasn't in his room long, just enough time to pull on a black athletic shirt that clung easily to the thick bands of muscle that covered his body. He shut the door behind him after he left, it didn't look like he had a room mate yet, if he did have one he wasn't here yet.

He moved smoothly and with a sense of pride and confidence that betrayed his ranking. He headed for the great hall and stepped inside for the large feast that was about to take place. There was a plethora of places to sit but the one he found most appealing was at a rather empty table. He ran a hand through his thick hair as he made his way to the table. He sat down quickly, waiting on the food to be brought out once the rest of the tables filled up and everyone arrived.

At a table in the front sat most all of the faculty members and the head mistress. They were all seated higher up on a raised platform that made them stand out from the rest of the crowd. They were all exceedingly beautiful, even the Head Mistress who was one of the only ones who showed any amount of age. It immediately gave away her race, a witch, they were the only ones who aged. Niall was fairly certain that she had been here when his father had attended and that had been nearly a 100 years ago. She must have been at least that old.

When he moved close to her he could tell that she was frightened if the flinch was anything to go off of but despite that she followed him over to one of the tables and moved to a chair on the end. “I’d rather not act like what I’m ‘supposed to be..”

Suleykaar had made it to his seat when he heard her mumble, causing him pivot around until he faced her once again. "I suggest that you do. Not for my benefit but for your own. Like dragons, vampires can smell fear, fear is weakness and weakness brings forth death and believe me with what information I have now, the ones your friend's father will send will pick you out of a group within moments if you keep acting like a scared little puppy and tear you to shreds. Your best bet is at least act like you have a backbone." Then he heard her say something else which caused him to smile as he moved back towards his seat, quickly taking notice to another girl sitting at the table with them. He did that? Interesting. That's new information. He originally sat down with his legs crossed and his fingers intertwined but broke loose from that to lean over the table, not in her face but just enough to keep his next words low. "What his father did to you is not what a vampire is supposed to be. He is, from the sound of things, much like Vladimir the Impaler. A walking corpse with a superiority complex. I have met decent vampires before and they had agreed with me about my belief with them." He leaned back in his seat again until he turned to the one sitting next to them, a small smile upon is face. "Are you going to just sit there or are you going to say hello?"

A sardonic expression contorted Helena’s face, yet it stayed in the same perpetual apathy. This woman was weak, Helena thought, her shoulders sagging unnoticeably and her eyes wandering away. She was bored now without the chicken around to keep her occupied. At this rate, she might as well go to her dorm – nothing else interesting seems to be lurking around. She didn’t say a word to Henrik as she began to walk away, not even bothering to listen to Hester’s words.

“Where are you going?” Henrik called after Helena, but she didn’t bother giving him an answer. He would figure it out soon enough; it was rather obvious, after all. “Fine, go to bed then, lazy.”

Helena ignored the jab, though if they were back at the house, it would have been called for a good chewing out by their mother or grandmother. She didn’t care really – men were inferior, of course, but why should she care about what they do when she is secure in mind with that thought?

“No, she’s always been like that.” Henrik muttered to Hester, shrugging his shoulders without a care. He sounded almost absent-minded, as if he was somewhere far away rather than right then and there. “She’s a poster child for our kind.”

His statement was true though. Ever since he was little, Helena received praise for her lack of emotions and steeled heart. Of course, Henrik was always admonished for being a boy, but they kept him around, which is all that he could ask for. Around the age of four, when Helena began to show a distinct shine to Henrik, seeing him as an equal rather than someone beneath him, a brother rather than a servant, the Björkman matron made sure that their relationship was on level as it should be. Helena was often taken unceremoniously from Henrik’s company with a rather weak excuse such as school or Huldra duties. It didn’t matter, though – Helena was loyal to Henrik, her brother, and stayed by his side. Perhaps that’s why he was never kicked out of the family. Part of him wanted to be jealous of how precious they found Helena, but he couldn’t be really, he loved her too much.

~~~ Kiara ~~~

And cute he was, dressed in a suit with long, straight black and red hair. Faeries and dragons lived very close together in her realm, especially when it came to forming alliances in the war between the courts, so Kiara could tell right away what he was, even if his form was hidden away by his own form of glamour.

After finishing whatever conversation he was in, he turned to her and smiled. ”Are you going to just sit there, or are you going to say hello?” he asked her, rather bluntly. Her pride almost caused her to pull the ‘do you know who you are talking to like that’ card, but she supposed her station in the Unseelie Court mattered little in this realm, plus, this was supposed to be a fresh start of sorts. So, instead, she wore a crooked smile and replied “I was just waiting for you to finish your conversation, handsome. I’m Kiara, or Kiki, if that pleases you.”

The faerie extended a smooth, scrawny hand to formally greet him. The motion caused his scent to waft over to her. He was a dragon, so she expected him to smell and bit like cinder and smoke, but something about him was off, he smelled… toxic? It was definitely unnatural, whatever it was, and it caused her petite nose to wrinkle up, if only slightly.

If what he said was true, Alice supposed she could try for a little courage. It wasn’t as easy as everyone seemed to think though, sure, she could resolve to brave and determined as much as she liked, but that didn’t stop the fear when it came. When her hands started shaking, when her throat constricted to the point where she could barely breath, when it felt like the whole world was about to crash down around her ears, it wasn’t something she could just stop. And of course, there was the omnipresent apprehension that if it did stop, she’d lose a part of herself, a part that gave her humanity, made her normal, because what kind of person could live in a body like this and not be scared?

Oliver understood, partially anyway. Of course, his idea of a solution to Alice’s worrying was just to worry about it more. He did everything he could though, everything in his power to try and make sure Alice had nothing to be afraid of, but he had a hard time realising that as soon as one problem disappeared, her brain would invent another just to take its place.

At least Suleykaar’s guarantee that there were good vampires out there was reassuring, albeit difficult to believe as the only good vampire she’d ever met was Oliver, and he hadn’t even properly come of age yet. But his words would be comforting for a time, as long as she didn’t allow herself to overthink it, and seeds of doubt to crawl in where they were most definitely unwanted. She inhaled deeply, building herself up, before daring to give him a small smile and a nod of understanding. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had to offer right now.

She looked up as she noticed the girl who’d sat down at the table, and a crimson hot blush spread rapidly through her cheeks and up to her ears. There was another person here? Another stranger? Had she heard everything she’d just told Suleykaar? Did the entire school already know? She tried to keep the panicked flailing to a minimum as she sank down into her chair, eyes flying round the room rapidly, almost as if she expected hunters sent by her sire to be dropping in through the windows at that very moment.

She bit down on her lower lip, teeth digging into the already damaged tissue. The girl introduced herself as Kiara, literally oozing confidence as did so, and making Alice’s stomach clench painfully. The girl extended a long, slender arm of introduction to Suleykaar, but Alice could only watch their interaction as she willed herself to sink down deep under the floor.