Jade Blades

Of Blood and Magic

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Joryldin Nailo

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Friends?

Interacting with: @Achronum

"I'm trying to be proactive with my classes. My councilor and I already sorted out this semester's electives. I'm a huge theater buff, too, so I'm hoping to get into the drama programs as soon as possible."

Joryldin settled down on the ground where he was, cross-legged by the closet. The lazy, aloof posture served a number of purposes. First, it allowed him to see out into the living room and keep tabs on Ryan's attention. Second, it preserved personal space; much better than sitting down on the edge of the bed right next to the mage he barely knew. Finally, it put him below Ryan's eye level, meaning they couldn't make direct eye contact unless they were actively trying to.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's up with you guys? It seems like you've got some sort of spy-club going on here. I saw you dipping in and out of the night taking pictures earlier, and it sounded like the TA kids were watching a friend."

Of Blood and Magic

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Joryldin Nailo

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Friends?

Interacting with: @Achronum

It was a good feeling, being in such a casual setting; the sort of thing Joryldin was worried that he was never see again... or, for the first time, for that matter. His true blue eyes took on the shade of a clear summer sky. The group's collection dwarfed the size of his own, and Joryldin was struck by choice paralysis. He bent down and scooped a disk into his hand.

"I'm not sure. You've got a bit of everything around here."

The art intrigued him too, he gently held the disk up for its owner to take, and glanced at the beautiful scenery.

"Did you guys make these?" he asked, gesturing to the myriad murals coating the bedroom walls. "There's so much talent here, it's crazy."

Of Blood and Magic

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Joryldin Nailo

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Friends?

Interacting with: @Achronum

Joryldin waved and greeted everyone in turn, very polite-like. It made him feel a bit sick to his stomach. No, wait, that was still just the nausea from teleporting.

"Nice to meet everybody. You all seem like a pretty great crowd, I look forward to getting to know you all better."

His head spun trying to take in all of the names and faces at once. He was awful with names, having never interacted with enough people to need to remember more than four or five besides his tutors and family. Still, he was resigned to the fact that he would need them. Knowing everybody, and more importantly, everybody's business, was going to be an integral part of his survival for what would likely be eternity. He didn't like it, but he could start now or never.

"The student council president is coming? Lucky me. All the advice I could find online said to get involved with as many groups as I could at the start of the year and narrow it down from there. Think she can give me some direction when it comes to extracurricular stuff?"

Instinctively, he spared a quick glance at Ryan and Nick... He'd have to talk to them in a bit after the mood shifted away from introductions.

Of Blood and Magic

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Joryldin Nailo

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Friends?

Interacting with: @Achronum

Joryldin covered his mouth, expecting to violently retch up his dinner. His dead stomach barely saved him from dry-heaving. He shook his head and tapped his palm up against his left ear to knock the nausea away.

"Hey Evalyn! Landing was -urp- fine by me... So, this is the cool kids club?" He chuckled; a quiet, wispy sound without much punch behind it. Looking down at his ridiculously lavish regalia, the fledgling couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Guess I'm a bit overdressed, aren't I?"

Joryldin let out a sigh, and sat straight on the couch. "The rumors look to be about as true as they get. The academy's locked up like Fort Knox, so we're stuck here for the night. Mind introducing me to your crew here?" He put on his best smile. Perfect, unused fangs sparkled like polished spears.

Of Blood and Magic

Joryldin Nailo

Interacting with: @Achronum

Incredibly focused on the quickly rising danger levels of the Academy, Joryldin didn't even notice the gentleman appear beside him. When Ryan spoke up and held out his fist, the fledgeling nearly fell backwards off of the roof. Only undead reflexes saved him from becoming intimately familiar with the rosebush below. He steadied himself and returned the human's gesture with a casual fistbump.

"Nice to meet you Ryan. I'm Joryldin. As for teleporting; I've done it once or twice, but I've got no clue how the living do it without losing their lunch."

He spared the grounds another glance, intimidated by the magnitude of security. Wasn't the Queen the single most powerful living thing in existence? All of the shimmering weapons and armor must have been just for show.

"Let's get going, I'd rather not stick around up here. If we can see them, they can see us."

Of Blood and Magic

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Joryldin Nailo

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Eventually, after getting stuck in the same lobby as an obnoxious camper for three games in a row and getting bored of stomping them, Joryldin shut down his games and began impatiently pacing around the darkness of his dorm. There was still plenty of time before sunrise, and his patience was wearing thin. He had to do something to distract himself from his unreasonable worry and paranoia (it was just a rumor, after all), and eventually came to a decision.

The fledgling threw his dorm's heavy curtains open, and the screen door followed suit not moments after. Bitter autumn air blasted into the room. His new outfit was surprisingly well insulated, and Joryldin hardly felt it. Still, he doubted that Dakota would enjoy coming home to a frozen condo, and shut the door behind him after exiting.

Joryldin stretched his legs, and was surprised once again to find his quality ensemble completely non-restrictive. In fact, he could move better in it than he could in his hoodie and jeans. The starched slacks held absolutely no resistance, even against a full split! They had to be magical in nature, which explains why Widow Nailo so coyly called it "Something special".

The only part of the outfit he hadn't put on yet was a single gold earring. The whole thing extra enough already, but as far as he could tell, with a piece of jewelry like that on him people might start to think things. Still, if the rest of the outfit was enchanted, he thought this might be too.

A clip on the end gently pinched his ear lobe, and held fast, leaving a long golden ornament hanging down. It was a rectangular metal sheet with three runes on its front. Each was in the shape of a square with an arcane letter in the middle. When Joryldin put it on, he immediately felt the effects. The anxiety wracking his brain was pushed aside, giving way to clear and rational thought. He was still concerned about Dakota and scared of The Queen, but it wasn't all-consuming. His fear of blood, the distaste for vampiric life, they started to feel as silly as they would to most. For once, he was calm enough that his natural eye color, a breathtaking navy blue, began to show.

This upset him in a reasonable way that the magic couldn't stop. He wasn't alright with a magic ring making him think differently, especially not in a dehumanizing way. It was clearly a trinket given in good faith, meant to help him adjust, but Joryldin decided to take it off. He would save it for when he was at his wit's end, or direly needed to blend in. Still, he tried to stay calm of his own accord after the accessory fell into his pocket.

Finally, Joryldin turned back to the house and set out to do what he was going to do in the first place - get up onto the roof. He was an adept climber, even as a human, and with the help of vampiric physical prowess Joryldin scaled the siding with ease. He distributed his weight so perfectly that not even a scuff was left, and with such stealth that none of the prying eyes of his neighbors - searching for signs of the queen's arrival - noticed a thing.

He reclined up there on the shingles for a few minutes, looking out at the night sky and back at the academy down the road, until he eventually got bored. Perhaps, he thought, it was an appropriate time to check on Evalyn.

> Hey Evalyn. It's Joryldin. How's the project coming along?
> Fantastic! We definitely didn't get distracted by twister! Nope, not us.
> Is that so :P? Who won?
> My partner's friend, but they cheat! I might be a vampire, but come on! Not even I can bend that much! Is that game kicking your butt for me?
> It's a total snoozefest. I got bored, so I climbed up on the roof to get a look around. It doesn't look like there's any chaos going on at the school, maybe the rumors were a hoax?
> Or maybe she isn't here yet. You up for sneaking around now that you're bored?
> Sure, why not?
> Okay, cool! I'll send Nick over for you. Can you get him a pic of you and where you are? Makes it easier.
> Will do!

Joryldin put on a nice smile and held out his phone, making sure to catch the mailbox and his dorm number in the background. He hated selfies, and never looked good when taking pictures of himself. He snapped the photo, making sure to use the flash considering the time of night. After blinking away the stars in his vision, he looked down and had difficulty sending the picture before him. He looked great! The fancy fashion fit his face perfectly, and he had caught his face's best side. Joryldin's fangs sparkled, and he couldn't believe that he was looking at a picture of himself. He swallowed his pride and sent the photo...

Of Blood and Magic

Joryldin Nailo

The blackout shades of his dorm were still pulled tight, just like every other dorm on the block. Joryldin spotted a few nervous sets of eyes peeking out of their windows, human and vampire alike. The rumor had spread quickly, and nobody wanted to risk being in the way of what seemed to the fledgling like two goddesses of death.

Joryldin shivered in the freezing Autumn air. He was more than ready to simply go inside, but a sparkle of red caught his attention. The flag on his mailbox was up. It had to be some more elective paperwork, he thought. Either that or some other school documents for himself and Dakota. It's not like the painting could have been delivered, or even fit in there, and nobody else had the address.

He strode over to the mailbox and gave the little door a quick tug. It made a quiet pop as it swung open, like the cork on a wine bottle. When Joryldin bent down to peek inside, he was met with no form of papers or envelopes at all. Instead, he saw a neatly wrapped parcel, tied together with twine. There was no tag on it, no return address... nothing. Entirely confused, he removed the parcel with utmost care. He closed the mailbox and lowered the flag with his elbow, then made his way into the dorm.

Dakota was nowhere to be seen, which worried Joryldin to no end. No way in hell was he about to call her and tell her what to do, but he didn't like the idea of her being out during such a dangerous time. He didn't want to meddle in her business, and wouldn't dare imply that he had any sort of authority over his partner, but nonetheless felt responsible for her safety.

There was nothing to be done about it for now but wait patiently for her to return. In the meantime, Joryldin dropped himself onto a couch like a sack of rocks and inspected the parcel further. A faint sound of clicking glass and sloshing liquid could be heard among the darkness. Joryldin never bothered to turn on the lights, as they didn't make much of a difference to him anymore.

Joryldin reached down under his collar. A high pitched plink rang out as a string looped around his chest snapped. From under his shirt, the vampire pulled an ornate dagger. It was the most expensive item he owned, and the only thing he had from his original family. The weapon was emblazoned with all sorts of superstitious symbols from a bygone age. The handle resembled a gilded cross wrapped in rose stems, with a ruby blossom in its center. Its silver blade was engraved with beautiful wave patterns. The knife was meant for one purpose and one purpose only. Killing vampires.

Of course, all of those things were just ancient superstitions from well before even the Blood War. None of it actually worked. Joryldin knew the weapon's significance, but didn't much care. It was nothing more than a memento to him. That, and right now a letter opener.

A quick flick of the wrist was all it took to open the package. It's strings were cut through like empty air. As the paper unfolded, flashes of ivory, gold, and rose shone before Joryldin's eyes. A note fluttered out into the air, which he caught and read immediately.

From Mom with love! <3

Joryldin had so many questions, but settled for figuring out what was actually laying in his lap. He unfolded the beautiful white silk to reveal an immaculate ensemble that put what some of he nobles were wearing last night to shame. Gold trim lined the edges of a white jacket with a sturdy collar. Beneath that was a bright red shirt with coattails that made it almost resemble some sort of royal robe. Further buried in the parcel were several accessories, which seemed to sparkle even in total darkness. Finally, hidden in a roll of paper at the bottom were three vials of blood.

OK. This was too much.
He tied his dagger back in its place over his heart, then pulled out his phone.

> Hi mom, I got your package safe and sound. Thanks for the awesome gift!
> Oh, wonderful! I knew you'd probably probably packed nothing but old ratty clothes, so I figured I'd send you something special! :D
> It's definitely special. I've got one question though.
> What's is it, dear?
> HOW!?
> Like, what!? How did you get my dorm address so soon? How in the sun's name did you get a package all the way to a different country in one day!?
> Magic. ^-^
> ... Fair point.
> Another question, though, where did you find clothes like this? How did you afford them? They look like they cost more than a ticket to your shows.
> The same way you 'found' and 'afforded' most of your old things; and I never ask you about that, do I? ;)
> You stole this!?
> No! Nooo~ I borrowed it from the dressing room of the male lead of my next performance. :3
> Mom, you're gonna get fired if they find out, and how am I supposed to be able to wear this if it's known to have been missing?
> It's fine, you won't get in trouble! It's the most recent high end piece from... oh I can't remember the name of the designer. It's the same lady who wrote that "Magic and Fashion" book everyone is on about. Besides, they couldn't fire me if they wanted to! There isn't another woman alive or dead who can sing the Aria of Sorrow like I can! ;P

Joryldin heaved a sigh. Widow Nailo's incessant use of emojis was grating, but he didn't have the heart to correct her. Literally.

> You never change, do you? You're going to give that producer an aneurysm, I swear. Thanks again for the awesome gifts, and best wishes for your show this weekend!
> You're welcome dear. Remember to drink enough, alright? I know you're still not comfortable with biting, and I don't expect you to suddenly be ok with doing it to a stranger, but remember to take care of yourself.
> I will. Love you mom.
> Love you too dear. <3

Joryldin closed his phone and tossed it over his shoulder. It took him four full minutes to figure out how to even get the preposterously complicated outfit on, and not even supernatural speed could help with those nigh-on impossible buttons. Still, when all was said and done, it fit him perfectly. The whole thing was so damn gaudy, but he came to realize it would probably go a long way for his reputation.

He uncorked one of the vials and had a quick drink. This time, it wasn't much more of a sensation than having really good food. Not fasting for days on end before having any sort of sustenance will do that. He put the other two in the fridge and sat himself down to play an old favorite, some good old Call of Duty: Wolf War 2. It was an ample distraction to pass the time while he anxiously awaited his partner's return.

Of Blood and Magic

Joryldin Nailo

The ride into town was rather uneventful, much quieter than the rest of the orientation had been thus far. The bus itself was, as expected, a luxury model with leather reclining seats, personal control AC vents, and a small tablet that could be pulled out of an opening in the chair arm. Music played softly in the background. A few others were on the bus, mostly filling out once it stopped at the dorms before it took a left out onto the main road. Only one other person remained on the bus, large over the ear headphones plugged into something in her bag, and she danced in her seat to whatever she was listening to.

The trip itself only took about ten minutes, cutting through the forest and opening up to reveal the small town. Only having a single cross road and a single traffic light, the entirety of the business area was visible from the bus stop. A general store was immediately next to the stop followed by a diner and a bookshop. Across the street, a tattoo parlor covered in various styles of street art sat next to an art store followed by an alchemist’s shop. A chalkboard sign between the art shop and the tattoo parlor acted as a temporary armrest for an older guy, arms done up in full sleeves, who nodded as he listened to a woman with an apron embroidered with the art shop’s name gestured wildly. The girl on the bus shifted her bag and pulled her headphones down around her neck, rap spilling out of the headphones, and cross the street, waving at the talking pair before joining in. A few bits of their conversation drifted across the street, mostly about how piercings and tattoos has recently become more popular with the student body within the past few years, but otherwise the town was quiet.

Joryldin wondered how such a tiny town subsisted itself entirely off of the academy’s students coming in and out. Most of the students seemed to be fairly wealthy, but with himself and the other girl being the only visitors at the moment, could they possibly get enough business to survive? Pulling his hood up over his eyes, the freshman stepped off the bus with little ceremony. Trying to look as casual as possible, he stuffed his hands into his hoodie’s pocket as he glanced into the various windows.

He never was big on reading, but the bookshop seemed nice enough and the art store would be a good place to stop by and grab some decorations to make his cookie-cutter dorm have a bit more personality. The book store had several displays in its window, primarily revolving around a book titled “Magic and Fashion”. The cover showed a mage seemingly conjuring clothes from thin air. That sounded like a dangerous and hilarious game. The idea of a spell wearing off during the middle of the night, leaving some poor mage in their underwear during class, amused Joryldin to no end.

The vampire was hesitant to engage the group in conversation just yet, as he didn’t know what to expect. He made a quick glance in their direction while scanning the stores to figure out which these folk were, mage or vampire. The girl from the bus was clearly a vampire from the way she managed to just barely avoid making eye contact, and the other two were mages. This was pretty much the perfect situation for Joryldin. The other vampire from the academy had already begun chatting with the locals, so he could anticipate that it wouldn’t be too out of place for another to join in. He removed his earbuds and double checked that no cars were on their way through the crossing, then strolled over to the group. The freshman gave a soft smile and polite wave.

“Well hello there! Aren't you a new face!” The woman spoke loudly as Joryldin caught her attention. She stood a few inches shorter than the vampire and wore a bright yellow dress under her apron. The guy sent a nod his way and the girl waved back at him. The girl wore a cop jacket and short shirt with running shorts and her hair was tied back messily. An empty spray paint holster was strapped to her thigh.

“G’morning.” He kept his tone soft and gentle, working to maintain a laid back appearance. “Sure is a cute little town you guys have going here,” Taking notice of the other vampire’s getup, he assumed they possessed a penchant for street art, and hazarded a guess. Gesturing to the wall of graffiti, he asked, “Some of this wouldn’t happen to be your work, would it? I love your color choice.”

“Hell no it ain’t!” The man barked out a laugh while the girl glared at him. “Evalyn here is just startin’ up. Like hell I’m letting her experiments on my shop.” Evalyn let out an irritable huff and crossed her arms.

“Most of the designs are senior students at the Academy but I swear mine’s making it up there by the end of the year!” Evalyn said, determined. “Ignoring this old geezer, the name’s Evalyn. sophomore at the Academy. I take it you’re a first year?”

“Yup, and it’s been a pretty wild first day so far. Honestly, I’ve got no clue what to expect from the future. I’m Joryldin, by the way. Nice to meet you all. Mind telling me a bit about your shops? I’ve got a feeling I’ll be stopping by often.” The easiest way Joryldin had found to get someone talking was to ask about their work.

“Oh marvelous! Curious and polite, I like him! My name is Amanda, sweet pea, and I run this lovely little artist boutique back here! Brushes, spray cans, canvases, pens, markers- If you need it, I’ve got it! I even have a cute little section with all these bright colored desks and chairs and wall decorations, a few fake plants too! Helps keep those poor mages from losing their minds until they acclimate to the change.” Amanda said. “I remember my years at the Academy. Goodness, the first few months were down right gloomy without the sun!”

“Jacob.” The man nodded at the vampire. “The tattoo parlor is mine. I do piercings too, if you’re interested. It's the hip trend in the vamp crowd right now since tattoos are a bitch and a half and hurt three times as much for them.”

Joryldin’s eye twitched at the mere mention of piercings and tattoos. “Yeaaa… as much as I could use every little thing I can to help fit in; thanks for the offer, but I’ll take a hard pass. If I got a tattoo, I’m pretty sure my mom would find a way to make me wish I wasn’t already dead.” He shook that bit of primal fear out of his head, opting to further entertain the idea of the craft shop. “So, Miss Amanda, do you mind if I stop by to look around? I’m looking for some decorations and knick-knacks. The dorms are kinda barren... ”

“Of course, sweety!” Amanda beamed, waving goodbye to the others, and walked back into her store. The shop inside was long, full of several rows of art supplies,and a large open section in the back with various drawings desks, chairs, and several bean bag chairs. She took Joryldin to the back section and one wall was dedicated to various decorations. Fake flowers, lamps,fairy lights, small white boards, a few wall decals, and several picture frames hung from the wall and sat on shelves. “This is about all I have in stock right now but I have a catalogue you can order from too! Anything specific you want, darling?”

“Hmm… I’m a sucker for an ocean theme.” He glanced around the room for shell motifs or light blue colors.

“Ocean theme, ocean theme…” Amanda tapped her cheek thoughtfully before snapping and pointing towards a few sections. “We do have a few cute seashell desk chests and a few student paintings if you are interested. I have a few bean bag chairs in back stock with wave designs in the back from the summer. Oh, and a lamp with seagulls and boats painted on it. Ocean themes are just out of season but let me pull out that chair and I'll come around with the catalogue!” Amanda hurried off, leaving the boy alone for a few moments as she disappeared through a door in the back.

There was a reason for his odd preference. Some of Joryldin’s best memories were from the beach. Down the road from his home was a private beach owned by a vampiric gentleman that Widow Nailo had a bit of a crush on. He had the appearance of an old man, which was uncommon for most purebloods, but the sort of sophisticated and sharp old man who looks like they have a million and one stories to tell. Being unable to do so himself, the gentleman let Joryldin sit on the beach and watch the sunrise and sunset almost every day. Gorgeous strands of pink orange and blue filled his memory for a moment. Missing that view was one of the hardest parts of the past two months, almost more than the cannibalism. He would have to deal with it like everything else. At least the homely atmosphere of the academy would make acclimating easier.

He began to check the price tags on the items Amanda pointed out. The student paintings were incredible, and captured the beauty of that sunset better than he ever thought possible. Joryldin’s eyes turned yellow as a bright sunflower. As he awaited the owner’s return, the fledgeling made himself content to simply admire the artwork on display.

The paintings ranged from 75 dollars to just shy of 600. The desk chests were ten dollars even, a little diorama of the beach glued into the inside of the top and fitted behind a plastic screen. The desk lamp Amanda mentioned was just as described, a blue lamp with white seagulls and red sail boats dotting its surface.

With a bang Amanda returned from the back, pushing a small cart with two bean bag chairs.
One was massive enough to sink into while the other one was a bit sturdier and modeled roughly into the shape of a chair. The larger of the two was the same blue as the lamp and had a wave pattern around it. The chair shaped one was a lighter blue designed with waves lapping at the bottom. She held out a thick catalogue she fished out from her apron pocket and flipped in open to a heading that said “Summer Styles”.

The vampire heard her returning from a good deal away. Heightened hearing was a perk he had come to enjoy. He continued to admire the artwork with his back turned to the store’s lovely owner. “I’ve never seen talent like this before… Can you tell me anything about the students that made these?” Joryldin casually gestured to a gorgeous landscape of a beach at dusk.

“That student…” Amanda looked at it for a long moment. “Elizabeth Harvey. Sweet girl. A bit airheaded but what artist isn't? Made a big fuss anytime someone so much as hurt the hair on anyone's head around her. She graduated last year and put this up before she left. Last I heard, she was accepting commissions between restoration work at a museum.”

“Are fights really that common around here? Actually… Don’t answer that, I’d rather not know. Anyway, I love the piece. Without a doubt I’ll buy it.” Joryldin turned around with a content grin. He fished the wallet from his back pocket and cupped the cheap leather in his palm. “You mentioned a catalogue, right?” He saw Amanda already sorting through it. “Oh, it looks like you’re a few steps ahead of me already.”

“Here you go, sweet pea. Take a look yourself and we'll get this painting taken up to the front.” Amanda said as she picked it off the wall and headed to the front. “Did you want to take it back now or have it sent over to the dorms for you? It'll reach you tomorrow morning before class.”

“Having it delivered would be best. I don’t want to risk accidentally damaging it on the way back” Joryldin took a peek at the catalogue while Amanda walked through the aisles, calling out a greeting to another customer browsing paint brushes, and laid it carefully on the counter.

“Holy shity guys!” Evaylin burst into the shop at a dead sprint, barely catching herself before crashing into Joryldin. “Someone leaked the Queen is visiting campus today!”

A mix of excitement, anticipation, and sheer hopeless terror washed over him in an instant. Joryldin had no clue what to make of this news. “You’re kidding, right? I thought the academy was the Princess’ thing. What’s the Queen coming here for?”

“I don’t know! You can count the number of times she has ever visited the Academy on one hand. Rumor has it she is bringing Lady Sinnenodel too but my source on that one is really unreliable.” Evelyn paced in front of the counter as she spoke. “It’s so exciting! I’m going to do my damnedest to see her! Mom would be so excited if I got her a picture!”

“Now, now. Calm down dear before you give me a heart attack.” Amanda said, chuckling. “And you won’t be allowed on the grounds while she’s here. You’ll have to be in one of the halls or your dorm. Don’t go sneaking around either, young lady. You cause enough mischief as it is.”

“We should probably head back and get out of the way soon, then.” He closed the catalogue and pulled out his card to pay, but a bout of curiosity struck him. “Who’s this Lady Sinnenodel? Another noble? I never payed attention to any of the houses besides the royal family.”

“Another noble? She's the matriarch of House Sinnenodel!” Evelyn said incredulously. Even Amanda sent him an odd look. “She gets carried around by her mages all the time. People say she's so old, her skin is too hard to move. I just think she's a pretentious bitch like the rest of her house.”

“Language, Evelyn!” Amanda said as she finished Joryldin's transaction and passed him a form to fill out. “Address and dorm number please, dear. Have to make sure it gets there safe and sound!”

A slight smirk crossed Joryldin’s lips. “If it’s nobility we’re talking about, then that sounds pretty accurate.” It only took him a moment to jot down his info and pay for the wonderful painting. “Still; all the more reason to stay out of the way, and all the more reason not to care about them.”

“Come on, it'll be fun! Then you can brag you snuck around campus to see The Queen.” Evelyn said as she started heading out. “Either way, let's get to the bus before they stop running it!” She waved goodbye to Amanda.

“I’m already dead enough, Evelyn.” Joryldin chuckled, “I don’t need to get myself properly killed on my second day here.” He turned around to face the store’s owner, giving her a friendly smile as he backed out the door. “Thanks for everything Miss Amanda! I’ll be sure to come back soon with my partner; I bet she’ll love this place.” With that, he followed Evelyn out to the bus stop.

The pair made it to the stop just as the bus pulled up and the driver explained to them there would be no more buses for the rest of the day. Evelyn sat in the first row and patted the seat next to her expectantly.

“Since you don't want to have some fun, what are you going to do?” Evelyn asked as the bus pulled away.

“I’ll probably head to my room and get ready for my first day of classes.” Joryldin unceremoniously dropped himself into the seat and pushed back his hood and hair. “If it’s not too close to morning we can hang out and maybe play the newest Mortal Kombat. I lucked out and got an early access key!”

“Oh, worm? Sounds like I've got to kick your butt at it then.” She grinned but immediately sighed. “Actually, can I take a rain check? I promised my partner I'd help his friend group out with a design. But we can trade numbers so I can kick your butt later!” She held her phone out to the other vampire.

“Them’s fighting words if I’ve ever heard them.” He laid back in the seat and slipped his own device from his pocket, exchanging their phone numbers in anticipation of what would most certainly be the battle of the century if her confidence was anything to go off of. “You guys have fun with that project, and be sure to tell me how it turns out!”

The bus dropped the pair off at the dorms and Evelyn waved goodbye before dashing off back towards the Academy, leaving Joryldin alone once more.

Of Blood and Magic

Joryldin Nailo

_{Interacting with: Dominique Astorio @Leslie Hall}

Coming from Teddy's office, the cafeteria was on the complete opposite side of the campus. Joryldin was tempted to sprint it, use the strength he was given and make it over to the rest of the freshmen in a matter of seconds, but he was unsure of whether that would be in poor taste. None of the other vampires were moving faster than a brisk jog, so it was always better to err on the side of caution. Besides, he had some papers to fill out and didn't feel like losing them in the wind.

Bright moonlight lit up the academy as beams of green and white filtered through the clouds. The errant splashes of color against the navy blue night looked like something straight out of a modern art gallery. Lines blurred together and shapes lost form; it was almost difficult for Joryldin to make out the path as he took in the sights. A bitter gust of late-autumn wind snapped him free of the picturesque scenery's grasp, however. Were he still alive he might have been able to tighten his hoodie and tough it out, but the cold pervaded every corner of his body. Every inch of skin was freezing, all of his muscles were rigid. Hell, he could feel what was left of his organs getting cold!

It was nigh on unbearable. Stuffing the coursework into the oversized pocket hanging over his stomach, he took off towards the cafeteria. Running as fast as he could would clearly be uncouth, so the fledgling kept up his act by maintaining a straight posture and pretending to be on an exceptionally quick jog.

He slipped into the cafeteria with all the silence of an alleycat. Even the lone guard who noticed him had to do a double take to make sure he didn't just imagine the student appearing out of nowhere. Heat wafted out from the kitchen, providing welcome relief for the freezing undead. Each of the caffeteria's inhabitants seemed to be quite preoccupied with either work or socialization, and most of the tables had at least three to four seated at them. His best bet for privacy was a lone round table near the south wall housing a single ornery vampire seated with his back to the window behind him.

Sunlight above... I could learn a thing or two from that scowl. Whatever, if he wants to be left alone I just won't say anything.

Joryldin weaved his way through the crowd and sat across from Dominique. He pushed his hood up and hair out of his eyes so he could see properly. It was another vampire, no need to take those precautions, and Joryldin didn't plan on even looking at him anyway. He removed his coursework and pulled a pencil from his back pocket. There was a lot to fill out, and it was irritating work since Teddy had already shown him that the school already possessed most of this information. Vampire's love their busywork, apparently. Bored and a bit confused, Joryldin stuck the pencil in his mouth and reread his work. In an effort to satisfy the two itching spears in his mouth, he absentmindedly bit into the wood and poked multiple holes in his utensil.

Of Blood and Magic

Joryldin Nailo

Fully expecting a mile-long line, Joryldin trudged over to the collection of councilors only to find most of them sitting bored at their respective tables. The older vampires were making themselves look busy; tidying their station and waving pamphlets at passing freshmen. Some of the younger staff sat idly playing on their phones. Ironically, most of the purebloods blew off Count Alder's advice and went their own ways. To his dismay, Joryldin found himself and a handful of other Embraced freshmen to be the only students up on the stage.

He made sure to avoid any sort of eye contact, but as he approached his designated councilor, Joryldin could physically feel the headmaster staring him down. Dressing like a bum proved to be less than optimal, and putting himself on the headmaster's shitlist at first sight would be a nightmare to deal with later.

"Don't mind him, sir. Alder doesn't seem to get that there's a world outside of high society. If you ask me, the old man needs to spend less time in his coffin." This voice, full of lighthearted humor, came from his councilor; a gentleman aged only slightly more than Joryldin himself.

He was shocked to the point where all formality went flying out the window. "Sir? Who're you calling sir? You're probably like two centuries older than me." What surprised Joryldin more than the assumption was that calling him such implied some level of respect, or at least common decency.

"Looks like we both shot way too high, I'm only fifty, dude." With a fang-filled grin, the councilor leaned his plastic chair back and put his feet up on the table. He was a handsome fellow. Well toned muscles fought against his tight t-shirt, something from the academy's gift shop by the looks of it. He had a chiseled jawline and a pointed goatee that was all the rage right now. "Name's Teddy," Count Alder shot the both of them another icy glare. Both for the jab at himself, and the informality of their attitudes.

Ugh, fine... 'Sir Theodore Ashley'." Teddy rolled his eyes and waved his hand in the air; a sarcastic display meant purely to piss the headmaster off some more. So, tell me 'bout yourself! The more I know the easier it is for me to help you get started! Wait... Lemme check my list real quick... Nailo, right? Didn't know she had a son... Oh!" The councilor's eyes lit up with surprise for a fraction of a second as he reviewed a bulky packet of documents, "Welcome to the cool kids club!"

The greeting stung like a brand, but he couldn't object. "Thanks... how the hell did you know all of that just by looking at me" In his pockets, Joryldin tightened his fists. People had been reading him for the past two night straight, but this was a new extreme. He would have been livid were it not for how genuine and well meaning Teddy was.

"These guys are crazy, man. They've got everything! Check this out, they even gave me your old blood type! What am I gonna do with that?" Teddy laughed aloud, much to the flegeling's discomfort. He sat straight in his seat and showed Joryldin the papers. The academy had collected records of virtually his entire life. Every homeless shelter he stopped by on his travels, every coffee shop he earned a few bucks from for cleaning up; everything short of the few years with his birth parents. That wasn't surprising, though. After all, people don't die for speaking out against a noble house, they disappear. The school could have at least have the decency to put down his original name, though; rather than erasing who he was.

Joryldin heaved a sigh of defeat. The whole point of being here was to kill the human he used to be. It was like the nightmare all over again; undeath was welcoming him with open arms whether he liked it or not. "That's wild. Can't they give a kid a little privacy?" A halfhearted chuckle prompted another smile from Teddy.

"Well, they totally leave out personal interests, the one thing I can actually make use of." Teddy stuck his tongue out at the headmaster, then returned his focus to Joryldin. "Tell ya' what, lets clear out of here and head to my office. Everybody's starting to leave anyway so we might as well chat somewhere with actual furniture instead of whatever this thing counts as." The councilor rocked back and forth in his seat to prove his point, only to have the legs of the cheap lawnchair snap underneath him. Teddy would have wound up flat on the floor, but Joryldin caught his hand before he went down.

"I think I see what you mean! Let's go."

The two of them headed down the halls to Teddy's office. To account for the lack of windows, the walls were decorated with ornately carved wooden molding and all sorts of murals; most of which were made by previous alumni. Joryldin and Teddy chatted about hobbies, favorite shows; all sorts of mundane things. It was hard for Joryldin to open up about how he felt since most of his opinions were the sort of things that would get him in trouble, but Teddy provided valuable insight on what little he could share.

"I know exactly how hard humans can have it. I have everything a man can ever dream of now, but it just feels like I'm pissing on my own grave..."

"I know that feeling, dude. It was killing me for the longest time. You know how I got past it?"

"Well, no. We literally just met two hours ago and unlike you I don't have a giant cheat-sheet." The both of them had established a mutual love of sarcasm at this point, and the quick joke helped lighten the mood.

"I sat down, and I said to myself, 'Teddy, you've got eternity ahead of you, and not a worry in the world. What should you do with it?' And eventually I realized, if I already have everything, doesn't that just mean I have that much more to give those that don't? If there's one thing I want you to take away from this, it's that you've got the time and you've got the strength, so put it to good use helping people in the sort of trouble you were in." Joryldin sat silent, nodding as he took the words to heart. "Now get out there and enjoy yourself, ok?"

Joryldin got up and smiled, fangs gleaming. "Will do, Mr. Ashl-... Teddy, will do Teddy. Thanks for everything."