[IC] Of Blood And Magic

[Trainerblue192]

As I sit there staring into the water I notice my cat had found his prey. "Helloo tall dark and vampsome." Just as soon as i see the man before cat, he goes and kicks at it. Well how rude! Jokes on him though he's just gonna get wet I think as I smirk at the thought of him drenched. "Well? What do you want?" He says towards Jasper (yeah, that's a good cat name) almost as if expecting a response back. "Alrighty Jasper, bring 'em home" With this simple command he knows exactly what to do. He begins to walk away from Michael and then stops, turns around and ensures that Michael is following. He doesn't seem too nice, but maybe he's better with people? Michael begins his approach towards me and already i can see an annoyance in his eyes.This wont be fun I begin to think to myself as his annoyance grows increasingly more apparent and intense. Finally looming over me, staring at me with the same intensity only the gravitational pull of a black hole could give, he manages to mutter out two words "River right?" River right? River right?! thats all he can manage to say?

"Yes, sir! River's the name and great times are my aim! Say, what does a misspelling and me have in common?" I give a slight pause, just long enough to allow someone to open their mouth to answer but not long enough to allow them the pleasure of trying. "We're both TYPE-O'S!" As the words leave my mouth i begin to burst out in laughter, almost falling into the fountain i was sitting on. I wipe away tears from my eyes and realize that if there was a reaction to my joke I missed it in my own amusement. "But no seriously, lets try to have fun with this. It's a new place with new people for new adventures to await us. So please tell me all about yourself, your habits and hobbies and just for fun your sexual orientation" I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity to have some fun, maybe not sexual fun but fun none the less. More than aware that my family is almost indiscernible in sex based on either looks or voice as we all have extraordinarily fluid appearances and our octave could be that of either a male or female. I could use this though to my advantage depending on his orientation and preferences. This is an opportunity I am not about to miss.@WeepingLiberty

[Ellion]

Now Now...Play Nicely

As the pair made their way towards their dorms (as if they could really be called that honestly Declan tried to not laugh at the girls many many question. After each one, he put up as finger, as though counting. "I happen to adore lemons, they are just so yellow," honestly, he didn't care about lemons one way or another, and while he knew that vampires did have much stronger senses of ...well everything than their mage counter parts, it wasn't atypical for his kind to ban something over a slight annoyance. "And please M'am, don't not wear lotion on account of little old me, as my Grandmother used to say 'hydrated skin is healthy skin' or she would if I had a grandmother," He held up two fingers at this point. "I'm counting that as two questions by the way, because you asked if I didn't like a scent plus the question of what scent I like. I don't mind, just as long as your don't end up spelling like your friends vampire over there, I'm not so picky. Or do what you want. But friendly advise, don't smell like him,"

At this point he did catch a glance at the girls rather extensive list of questions. "You are not good at this game Miss. See, you're supposed to ask me one, then I am supposed to ask you one, and then we laugh and it is good. But since you are clearly knew, I'll answer your questions, but I am asking an equal amount of my own,"

"As for my eating habits, I tend to me a man of simple impulse, I eat when I am hungry, I stop when I am full or I don't eat at all unless the moment suites us both," They had now passed from the dark court yard into what, what he thought was, a very well light corridor. "Home is a father and myself, as well as an abundance of mistresses and mages. Very homey if I do say so myself. I've even got a sibling or two running around the castle that I know of. Eva and Walter. There are probably more in the world though,"

The walls were painted a tasteful brown color, with cream, patterns and brown accents and floor colors. A wonderful place that was just the right mix of old and new. The air, well, the air even smelled nice, like cream and old books. "I love music. No noises, not really. He gave pause to the last one, a smile dancing on his lips, taking a moment, he stopped suddenly, yanking the girls so they stood chest to chest, him looking down on her. "Romantic status and sexuality? Yes," he said, allowing silence to fill the air for a moment too long before letting the girl go and continuing their walk, this time it involved climbing up a rather grand staircase. " No pet peeves and pets are fine," The hallway they entered this time was a little simpler, there were less decorations and the floor was carpeted. He paused outside a simple wooden door. "Looks like this is us," he said, pushing the door open to show a beautifully decorated apartment, with a wide window overlooking a part of the lake and forest. Torch light dancing in the distance. "And it looks like you own me eight questions," He said, waving his fingers in front of her. "Question number one, are do you keep things clean or do you like a nice 'lived in' look. Do you shower at night or in the morning? That is, if you aren't a bath person. What do you do for fun? What is your family life like? Besides the fire ball outside, any others that I need to be aware when being a part of your life? What is your cycle and need I keep the house stocked with anything in particular? And..what about you? What is your romantic status and sexuality?," his voice only slightly mocking on the last question.
_@KiwiBaer

[Achronum]

Alexander flung the door to his home for the foreseeable future open. Finally! Third one's the charm! Or is this the fourth? So focused getting there, he didn't double check the address. The first door he opened revealed a vampire and mage engaged in some rather intimate activities, at which Alexander stopped, stuttered a hasty apology, and back pedaled faster than light itself. The second one, well next door actually, had been locked. A fact his forehead ruefully discovered as he walked face first into a door he expected to swing wide open. At least the walking petri dish was the only witness to that particular event. Kanalie would never let him live it down!

Inside, the fire mage threw a critical look around. A full kitchen- which prior experiance screamed STAY OUT . Fire and all that-, spacious dining/living room combination with his assorted luggage piled up in, and two closed doors. A sigh of relief sprang past his lips as he poked his head into the bedrooms. Seperate bathrooms. Thank whatever entity arranged that! Alexander decided he liked the left one and flicked on the lights. A beautiful bed, a large bookcase, and a desk with a chair, which quickly adorned the vest and tie he slid off, screamed wealth more than his bedroom at home stuffed full of his things did. Maybe this wouldn't be as awful as he had first imagin- His jaw dropped as he stepped into the bathroom. Marbled tile, a beautiful full length tub, and a marble counter top. Thank the heavans someone cared about cleanliness and comfort around here! Hosing down the vampire may not actually suck! The red head whipped around. Where was Light anyway?

Alexander dashed back into the living room. No putrid pile of blood sucker here. He slipped quietly into the other bedroom and bathroom. Nothing. Damn it! Had he really not followed?

"This is fucking rediculous." Alexander muttered to himself, running his hand through his hair, "How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this? I literally don't understand. Not even a bit. I mean... Actually you know what? No. Nope. I'm done. He has to get here before sunrise either way. I'll deal with it then." Shelving the issue for later, the mage decided to have a nice relaxing bath, call home, and then hunt down Kanalie, probably not in that order."

Whistling, he scrounged through his luggage and yanked out toiletries. Toothpaste, floss, brush, comb, deodorant, his favorite bath bomb, and... Alexander frowned. Where was it? He flipped the bag and shook it out onto the floor. A few bits of jewelry, shirts, and socks littered the floor until a heavy thump made him stop the mess. He grinned, scooping up his favorite mouthwash. Cinnamon flavored! He kept a small horde of them at home as well since he enjoyed them so much.

Abandoning the mess, Alexander snagged his mp3 player and his bath supplies before slipping back to his bathroom. The fire mage's phone forced his hand when it finally ran out of memory, mostly due to his refusal to clear out old music, to switch to a secondary music device. He shut the door with his foot, dumped his treasures on the counter, and powered up the mp3 player. He started slipping his shirt over his head before he froze. Something seemed... off. A chill ran down his spine. He slid his shirt back on and looked around. Nothing looked off. 'Just nerves from a new place.' Alexander thought to himself.

He locked the door just in case. The loud click made him feel a little better. He ghosted over the shuffle butto- There it was. A flutter. Soft. Quiet. There it was again, accompanied by a quick, muted tap tap tap. Sweat started to form on his brow as he slowly looked at the bath tub. A shadow scuttled across the edge. Alexander slowly turned and stepped back until he felt the cold of the handle pressing against him. The monstrosity stopped. Then turned. It steady eyes met his. Alexander softly unlocked the door but it echoed in the room. His face paled as its wings sprang open. It's eyes bored into him, taunting him, daring him to move. Alexander swallowed loudly.

BANG! The door practically flew off the hinges as Alexander tore out of the bathroom, the beetle launching itself after the boy. He threw himself screaming out of the bedroom, whipped through the the apartment and slammed the door behind him, breathing hard and shaking. So much for relaxing. Shit. And he had no clue where Kanalie was. Didn't even write down her address. Damn, he was an ass. He should have made sure she was okay before he left but Alexander was so confused and off balance as it was and... ugh! He pulled out his phone and place it to his ear as it dialed his best friend. Hopefully, she wasn't too busy too pick up...

@KiwiBaer @The One

[KiwiBaer]

Kanalie watched in surprise as she caught on to the fact that he had been counting her questions from the beginning, the kind of surprise that quickly morphs itself into miserable embarrassment. Still, she forced herself away from such an emotional response and instead made sure she listened closely to his answers. And apparently his scolding as well. When he chose to explain the rules of the game to her, her face grew a touch hotter and she glanced away from his eyes, trying not to pout.

She had simply been trying to avoid wasting his time like a good little mage. This man really enjoyed trampling all over her careful set of rules, throwing them out the damn window. Though, admittedly, she was rather glad about the lemons. It had been a great disappointment discovering the bliss of lemon bars only to simultaneously discover their outlaw within her home. She wasn't even allowed to eat outside with home unless she showered aggressively before returning, the smell apparently clinging to her.

As Declan described his home life, Kanalie was quick to compare it to her own, wondering if it was much the same. And if it was the same, how in the gods's names had he ended up so loose in his terms.

She was pulled away from her internal ravings for just a moment as they entered the dorm halls. She took in the opulence and smiled a small bit as it reminded her of her home. Perhaps a bit more in just about about every aspect, but similar enough that its vision brought some relief. The adjustment to this aspect of her new life would be much easier to handle. It was while she was inspecting the pleasant swirling texture on the walls that Declan yanked her forward and she released a shocked breath. A renewed flush overtook her features as the distance between them was suddenly incredibly minimal. Somewhere in her mind, she registered that Alex would be cross with this development. Right as she thought of this and considered pushing him back a ways, he was gone and her respiratory system functioned again. She was about four steps behind when she recovered enough to chase him up the flight of stairs.

They reached the door at the same time and she sighed in relief at having caught up. Only to grow distracted yet again as the door to their apartment opened up, revealing their home. She slipped past him, stepping inside and gazing about her. She spun on her toes slowly to take it all in, arctic blue eyes wide to absorb more of the scene. When she had gone 360 degrees, she saw the eight fingers he held up and bit at her tongue, surprised to find she had actually spouted out that much.

"Right, okay." She sat herself down on a chair at their dining room table, stabilizing herself upon the stained wood. She was quick to remove her shoes and then folded her legs up to her chest, hugging them. She listened carefully and attentively as he offered up each inquiry, knowing she would forget in a second if she drifted. She only realized how much eight questions was when they were directed at herself.

She took a deep breath and began.

"Honestly, I have no preference. My only concern is that I'm a bit of a zombie in the morning and will likely fall flat on my face if there isn't a clear path to the bathroom. Which actually leads into your next question, yay. I prefer to shower in the morning since it wakes me up, but if it's a particularly cold or stressful day I melt into a hot bath. And before you ask, I am not willing to share." She felt silly the moment she voiced her teasing jab, regretting it. Her head ducked down carefully and she stared at her socked toes, wiggling them distractedly. She tried to rush back into her responses, hoping to drown her stupid joke. "For fun, uh... I like to hang out with Alex most of the time, we do a lot of different stuff together. But on my own I watch a lot of baking tutorials online. I also like comedy TV shows and star-gazing."

And long walks in the park and romantic sunsets and a man that makes me feel like a real woman! Kanalie recited in her head, feeling like she was straight out of the lamest dating show on the planet.

At the mention of her family she finally glanced up, fixing him with a reflective stare, before shrugging one of her shoulders. "My family's pretty traditional, I guess. I was born from two mages who live with a vampire family. They're not particularly wealthy or well known and only have my family in their household, but we're all comfortable." She scrunched up her nose a bit, debating the truth of her own words. "I actually have a sibling too! An older brother named Shaun. He goes he as well, but I doubt we'll be seeing much of him."

Remembering his last two questions stopped her dead however as she grasped tightly at her own knees and felt her cheeks ignite yet again. She was only 18, had yet to quite be comfortable with her own bodily functions and probably would never be comfortable enough to discuss them with a stranger. Those words were the perfect recipe for chasing her eyes away yet again and she nervously tapped her fingers against her leggings. "U-um, I-I don't- well, y-you don't have to worry about th-that, I will take full care of it on my own!" And of course, the last one. She tucked her hair back behind her reddened ears and tried t respond without causing more embarrassment for herself (something that this man was making an impossibility). "I am not currently in any romantic relationship and, ah, lets just go with 'yes' for sexuality as well, then."

She kept her gaze focused on the wall now, curling and uncurling her toes. If Declan looked any closer, he could probably see her cheeks steaming.

That is, until her phone started to shout out the main refrain of Hot Blooded by Foreigner and she let out a shriek. She hadn't expected anything like that and with current conversation, she was wound up so tightly, she absolutely could not help it. Groaning, she reached into her pocket to pick it up, knowing already that it was her friend. "Sorry! It's Alexander, I've got to take this." She swiped to accept the call without looking at the vampire across the room, the phone going to her ear. She turned her away from Declan just slightly, answering almost breathlessly "If you're calling me to help clean up a dead body, I don't really think I can deal with that right now, Alex."

---

_{@Achronum@Ellion}

[Achronum]

he click signaling a connection helped ground Alexander immensely. Just knowing he had someone, especially Kanalie, to talk to made the rising panic edge off slightly. He took a shakey breath as her voice came through,

"If you're calling me to help clean up a dead body, I don't really think I can deal with that right now, Alex." The sheer absurdity of the comment tore a shakey giggle from his lips. Then he doubled over as the panic bubbled into a laughing fit. The laughing hurting his stomach. He took a few deep breaths and wiped away tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Well you almost had to clean up me, okay? My apartment is freaking infested or something! It was horrendous and it could fly. At first it was just waiting in the bathroom, like it knew I would be there, and then BAM! It tries to kamakazie me in the face!" Alexander was talking rapid fire, faint red glows starting to whirl around him again as his panic started to rise. "Can I stay at your place for now?" He knew he sounded pathetic asking but bugs supercede pride.

@KiwiBaer

[Azereiah]

---

Finally, Some Rest.

---

Though it took him some time to get grounded in reality again and check the posted signs, Rolf eventually successfully made his way to he and Kidan's flat. Er, Kyran's flat. Wait, was that his name? Rolf checked the letter again. Yep, that was his name. Wonder what he's like. Something told him that he'd already met his roommate, though -- a sort of nagging feeling in the back of his head. He gave the trunk a quick shove, pushing it completely upright. An observant eye might note the trail of broken pavers dotting the street here and there where the trunk had rolled, and another stone cracked when the trunk settled.

Two sharp knocks were given at the door, and Rolf waited a few moments in case someone had already entered. Moments turned to minutes, and the next time Rolf checked his phone, he was shocked to see that twelve had already passed, just standing there. Or, he would've been shocked had he been mentally present enough to care. He inserted the key and turned it to the left to unlock the door. It didn't work. He turned the key to the right next, which opened it, and the dull green door swung inwards. Someone had screwed up the doorknob installation, but at least it worked.

The room was, of course, pitch black, and Rolf decided to simply wander in without bothering to find a light switch. The trunk followed, and after a struggle with the threshold, it finally fell to the floor inside. The lid popped open in protest of its poor treatment, and clothing and research papers flew everywhere. Rolf shut the door and promptly fell face-first into the trunk, his fall padded by almost his entire wardrobe. The trunk lid fell half-shut on top of him.