Playing With Fire {Between Caelia & cclayjr}

Started by Caelia, September 23, 2017, 10:26:49 PM

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Caelia

There is a space between dreaming and wakefulness in which Kairi hovered. She knew very well that she needed to awaken and get on with her day but there was a small part of her that wanted to stay where she was, wanted to slip back into dream-land where she soared through the skies and explored the deepest oceans. But alas reality awaited. With a sigh that parted petal-soft lips, her thick eyelashes fluttered back to reveal sparkling blue eyes. She stared upwards at the slow revolving ceiling fan before she pushed herself into a seated position. Her hair fell around her face in a pale mess and she used a hand to comb it away. Shoving back the blankets, she threw her legs over the bedside and slip down until she touched the floor. Weak sunlight filtered through the window as she padded across the wooden floor and into the bathroom.

She flipped the light on and shut the door, running her fingers through her hair as she reached over the bathtub and turned the shower on. Slipping out of her simple sleep shorts and tank top she stepped under the warm spray, ducking her head to let the water run over her head. Humming to herself, she went through her routine and stepped out, drying herself off with a towel. She blow dried her hair and ran a brush through it, padding out into her bedroom. She threw open her closet doors and ran her eyes over her clothes.

Reaching out with a pale hand, she snagged some articles and dropped her towel, slipping into the soft clothing. Smoothing her hands over any wrinkles, she appraised herself in her full-length mirror. A cable knit sweater rested over a plain tank top. A skirt encircled her hips, soft leggings encasing her legs. Her ankle boots finished the look off and she braided her hair, sliding a headband on top of her head.

She tossed her towel into the hamper and padded out of her bedroom. She picked her way through her studio apartment, smiling as her cat gave her a meow. “Time for breakfast Barron?” She questioned. The cat meowed again and hopped down from the counter, leading the way to the kitchen. He scratched at the pantry door impatiently and she chuckled softly, grabbing a pocket of dry food for her pet and a box of cereal for herself. She placed Barron’s food in his bowl and poured herself some cereal, also placing the kettle on to boil.

Once the whistling rang through her apartment, she filled a travel mug and set a bag of tea inside to steep, finishing off her breakfast and washing out her bowl, setting it into the dishwasher. As her tea steeped, she gathered her belongings together in a messenger bag and set it by the front door. She added sugar and cream to her tea and threw away the tea bag, snapping on the mugs lid. She gave her cat a kiss goodbye and grabbed her unneeded jacket.

The forecast called for snow any day now and she would a bit strange walking out in such cold weather without a jacket. So even though it was unnecessary, she needed to keep up an appearance of being human. So on the jacket went and her bag was slung across her shoulder, Kairi exiting her apartment.

She took a deep breath of the cold air, her breath leaving her in a cloud puff, eyes closing briefly before she turned down the street and began the short walk to her store. She passed many people, some hurrying to work and school, casually walking to their destination. She hurried across the street and walked a few paces before turning to unlock the door of her store.

Barron’s Books was her pride and joy, her baby. Never did she think that owning a bookstore would be so enjoyable but it was. She had a small cafe added on and many of her patrons enjoyed a nice cup of tea or coffee as they read their books in the lounge on the second floor. She had a few workers man the cafe counter but they didn’t come in until eight, while the bookstore itself was opened at seven in the morning.

Kairi stepped into the welcoming building taking a sip of her tea as she made her way behind the counter and into the back room where she stored her belongings. She shrugged out of her coat and stored it and her bag in a locker. Tea in hand she exited back into the main area and flipped the sign to signal they were open. She settled herself in her chair behind the register and grabbed her current book, flipping to where she left off as she waited for the little bell above the door to chime.

Gannameade

Malcolm had been chasing this clown for about four blocks.  He should have just put a bullet in him, but he wasn’t sure this time the silver/iron bullet would be enough to put this demonmane down.  It was a minor demon, but this one seemed to have been put in place for him.  He had been chasing Brian Bettaway for the better part of two months.  He wasn’t going to let him get away.  He had possessed the husband that had made a deal with another crossroads demon for a pen that would let me make contracts for loads of money.  It would allow him to make deals that wouldn’t normally go through.  In exchange, he had to use the pen on someone.  It started off with outside people then it began to corrupt him and turned inside and he began to work on his family.  He had a wife, three children including a newborn.  No matter what anyone said, there was no redeeming that.

Malcolm stood 5’10”, he had a muscular build, that right now he was glad of as he was able to keep up for the most part.  His supernatural speed should have easily let him catch this creep but nonetheless the closer one got to the darkness the stronger they became.  He closed as he rounded the corner in the shopping district.  He was still sticking to the alleyways, he was going to get him.  He had taken to becoming a private detective.  He didn’t have to explain as much why he was a walking arsenal or running down the street chasing people.  His jacket flapped in the wind as they both moved.  He lost sight of him for the briefest of moments, it was daylight now, his powers should have diminished slightly but the demon was now cornered it seemed and was refusing to give up knowing the alternative.  Malcolm’s dark-skinned helped to hide him a bit as he moved slowly within the building that could be the only place to find Brian.  His eyes focused to the darkness….too late as he felt the wind only to block the stabbing pen. 

“It wants you to Hunter!  Your blood will power me for months.”  He grunted with a kick and continued swing of the razor-sharp pen that was barely blocked and followed by a hard kick.

Malcolm blocked the pen, with a sweep of his hand, he turned away from the kick and punched Brian in the ribs hard, the cracking was all but audible as he kicked him in the back of the leg as well.  That crack too was audible.  “There was nothing your family had done to deserve that!”  With an elbow to the head, Brian was dazed.

The monster that was Brian moved and growled as it all but hobbled to find someplace to hide from the angry more powerful being that sought its life now.  The spirit that inhabited the pen realized this vessel probably wouldn’t survive this altercation.

Malcolm’s eyes burned with fire as he focused on the heat signature and simply followed it to the dark corner of the building.  “So this is what love brings us too, selfishness and greed.”  He pulled his sword from his coat seemingly from nowhere as it was glowing almost flames.

Brian thought to toss the pen aside hoping someone else would come across the accursed thing and pick up where the previous owner left off. 

As it slides across the floor, Malcolm stepped on it and put his sword through it, the guttural scream was chalkboard like in its audibility.  He moved closer to Brian.  “For you crimes against heaven and humanity, you are hereby sentenced to the same pain and torture you had inflicted upon your own.  Part of it was the pen, the other part was your own selfish ends.”  As the sword entered Brian’s body the same scream could be heard as Malcolm too was bathed in the deep flames that he had exposed the body too.  Brian burned like a vampire till only his dust remained.  For the first time in a long time as Malcolm put away both the sword and the gun, he was worn with no sleep for a couple of days.  He moved to stop into the store next door, he didn’t know what nor cared what it was, he just wanted to sit down for a moment before continuing on.  He entered and found a seat, it wasn’t till he looked around that he realized he found himself in a….bookstore?

Caelia

Kairi’s eyes darted back and forth across the page, wide as she excitedly waited with baited breath for the adventures to reach the Goblin King's fortress. The group had come across many false leads throughout their quest and Kairi was hoping this lead proved fruitful. But alas, she would have to wait for this discovery. The chiming of the bell over-head caught her attention and she marked her page and slid the book back beneath the desk. A smile spread across her face as she glanced up, cheerily greeting whoever had just entered the store.

“Hello and welcome to Barron’s Books! Do you need help finding anything today?” Her eyes scanned the shelves, seeking out a potential customer among the stacks. She finally found him, seated on the settee found near one of the windows. He appeared ragged, as if he had not found sleeps embrace in quite a few nights. In fact, based off of his facial expression, he seemed surprised to find himself in her bookstore, as if he had walked in without fully aware of what building he had entered.

She glanced at the dark cafe nestled to the right side of the store and back at the man, indecisive. Finally, after a few moments more, she walked around the desk and strode off towards the cafe. Stopping at one of the cases lining the walls, she reached in and snagged a water bottle, noting to drop the money for in the register later. Cold water in hand, she padded back to the front of the store and stopped before the man.

From this distance, his tired appearance solidified her decision and she held out the bottle of water to him, a soft smile gracing her features. “You look like you could use this. I can get you something stronger if you want; we serve tea and coffee.” A few wisps of hair were already escaping her braid and she brushed them back with her free hand, her other hand still holding out the water bottle to the stranger.

Gannameade

Malcolm looked up at the woman with a grim expression.  His eyes were open but he woke out of his gaze to look up at the woman before him.  She was cute but tiny.  ‘I would probably break her.’  He thought now really focused.  “Thanks.”  He said grimly.  He took the water and opened it after scanning it.  He looked around briefly realizing he hadn’t read a book for pleasure in who knew when.

“Water will do, you have what kind of coffee…what is your oldest book here?”  He was always doing research something to help expedite his journey back to the pearly gates.  He scanned the woman before him.  She wasn’t human, but she wasn’t celestial either good or bad, but she wasn’t a norm.

He just sat there looking at her, his eyes drank her in as he didn’t want to stand up to intimidate her by his size.  Right now he was glad his jacket was closed as she would notice the weapons.  “So you run a bookstore, but you are what?”  He wasn’t one for pleasantries.  He was generally direct since she wasn’t evil he might as well ask.


Caelia

Kairi returned his stare, doing her own scan of him. Even sitting down he looked like he would positively tower above her but she didn’t mind overmuch; her father had been quite tall when he was among this world as was her mother. So she grew up used to being surrounded by giants. She studied his expression; he seemed like a straight-to-the-point kind of person and it showed through when he got right to the point with his questions.

She released her grip on the bottle as he took it, tucking more hair behind her ear. She nibbled her lip in thought as her eyes studied the shelves around them. “Our oldest book hmm? Well, that would depend; are you looking for fiction or non-fiction? Are you asking about old in terms of the time period it was written in or the material it covers? I try to keep the store updated with the newest books as they are published but we have both a history and religion section you might find something you’re interested in. I can show you where both sections are located if you wish; they’re both on the second floor.”

She took a step back, body angled towards the stairs when his last question gave her pause and she returned her attention to the man in front of her; a slight wrinkle to her brow. “I’m sorry but you’re going to have to be a tad more specific; am I what? A woman? Young?” She studied him more closely. She could not put her finger on it, but something about him set off her radars that this man was not human. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was off about him but she had met plenty of supernatural beings like herself in the 150 years she had been alive so she knew the difference between the energy a human emits and the energy a supernatural being emits.

Gannameade

“Non-fiction.  None of that fluff stuff I am looking for atonement and redemption books.  Something that can help with that if you are looking to feel or make yourself useful.”  He said taking a swig of the water and downing all but half of the bottle in one jolt.

“Content of course.  Religion where is the section?”  He got up appeared to come back to life with those words.  He moved to follow her as he rose to his full height not thinking of finding anything in this place but perhaps the fates had granted him a reprieve.

“I know you are an attractive young woman, set to lure the weak minded or naive to their doom.  I get it but what are you really, mutant, altered human, you are not a celestial, vampire, zombie.  Is that specific enough for you?  What kind of being are you other than something wrapped as eye candy.”  He gruffed.
“The books if you please?”  He said as he waited for the answers.  “And the answers to my questions if you are bold enough.”

Caelia

Kairi was right, he absolutely towered above her when he stood to his full height. She had to crane her head back just to be able to meet his gaze. At his rapid-fire questions, she took a step back, trying to hide her growing alarm. She pulled a fixed smile onto her face as she gazed up at him. “For all the disdain you give for the so-called “fluff”, you know quite a bit about its contents. But to answer your odd question: I am human. What else would I be, a vampire?” She gave a light laugh, mask firmly in place, though, for a split second it cracked; panic flitted through her eyes quicker than the normal eye would be able to detect.

She turned away from him and headed for the stairs, waving a hand at him to follow. She struggled to maintain a normal human pace when everything in her was screaming to get him out of her store as quickly as she could. She liked her peaceful life and she didn’t want that to be shattered by this man, whatever he was, finding out what she was. She knew her species was dying out and she also knew there were fanatics out there itching to get their hands on her. So the tighter she kept her secret, the safer she would be.

As she wound her way through the shelves to the religion section, the bell chimed above the door. “I’ll be with you in just a second!” She called down over the banister. “It’s just me Ri!” James, one of her barista’s, called back as he made his way towards the cafe. Kairi finally stopped at the correct section and began pulling a few books down from the selves and passing them to the giant behind her. “Here you go, books on how to get back into the Gods’ good graces. Feel free to browse around, I’ll be at the counter when you’re ready to check out.”

With that, she scurried back downstairs, taking a healthy drink from her tea once she had reached the safety of the counter. She eyed her trembling hands and balled them into fists. It’s okay, She told herself mentally. He’ll buy his books and he’ll leave. Your quiet life will remain as it has always been. And besides, if worst comes to worst, I have enough money to flee the country, Hell, even the whole continent. I’ve heard Ireland is very nice this time of year.

She snorted quietly to herself. Who was she kidding, there was no way she would be able to leave her bookstore behind, come Hell or high water.

Gannameade

‘She can’t be trusted.  Lie!’  “No, it is daybreak a vampire would be going to bed to keep from being scorched by the sun.  I am looking for something, in particular,  I have disdain for BS and I don’t like being lied to.”  He looked into her eyes trying to see what she was or what she was looking for in him.  He didn’t faze nor blink as he took her in his own eyes looked like a warm inviting chocolate almost calling if not summoning her.

He followed her but not too close.  ‘Nice shape.  Focus!’  he thought looking at her behind then at her back.  She was moving hurriedly, she was panicked about something….him.  He had set her on edge he could tell.  He tried to listen for her heartbeat, to focus on the heat coming from her.  Right now he was wishing he could have kept the empath from before.

“These are for sale or rent?”  He said now enjoying their closeness, he could tell by her reaction she was now afraid of him.  That was where he wanted her, she was fearful she would mess up and he would have her, he was to be a guardian angel he needed to know who and what she was before he determined if she was a threat.  “I will.”  He said with his cat swallowed the canary smile.  He looked at her as if he were drinking her in.

He moved to watch her then look through the books,
occasionally looking at her to make sure he got eye contact so she would know he was watching her.  If she was a danger to humans, she wouldn’t be for long.  He went through the books narrowing them down to what he needed or what would be useful or not.

“Then he made his way to the counter, these books please.”  He said as he was going to hang out here today to throw this monster off her game.  He was going to get to the bottom of this.


Caelia

Kairi settled back onto her stool, hands now steady and her heart-rate beating at a normal pace. She let her hair free from its braid and it tumbled down to her shoulders. She raked it out of her face with her fingers as she sighed, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. You’ve been through worse than an overly curious man poking around. Everything will turn out okay. She reminded herself as she took another sip of her tea. It had gone cold by now and she picked it up, slipping it into the break room and pouring out what was left, leaving the mug resting next to her bag. She stepped back out and headed over to the cafe.

“Hey James, how are you this morning?” She asked the young man preparing the cafe for opening. He glanced up from filling one of the display cases and cast her a dimpled grin. “Hey, Ri! I’m doing good this morning. Hey, while I have you here, I wanna run something by you that we could maybe add to the menu.” He launched into his description and Kairi nodded, a smile gracing her lips. “Yeah, that sounds like it could be a hit. I’ll talk to Ryan when he comes in and see if he would be up for your new culinary masterpiece. Anyway, I better get back to the counter. You’re clocking at 4:30 today right?” She inquired. “Yeah, I have to take my grandmother to the doctor's.” Kairi nodded. “That’s not a problem, it’s normally pretty quiet around that time anyway.”

With a wave of her fingers, the young woman strode back over to the counter just in time for the man to descend the stairs with his chosen books. Her fixed smile made a second appearance as she reached out for the books. She scanned the books and set them a sticker while she tapped a few buttons on the computer. “Your total is $5.35; Will you be paying with cash or credit?” She grabbed a few sheets of parchment paper and laid the books in the middle, deftly wrapping the paper around the books and tying it together with a corded string. She pushed the books towards him and held out one slender hand to accept his form of payment.

Gannameade

  Malcolm continued to watch her upstairs.  He watched her mannerism, her motions trying to pick up something.  Something that would give him an idea into what she was.  Nothing came to him and he had dealt with or killed a lot of creatures but nothing no indication told him anything.  He had the books he needed but when he could get nothing from her he moved down the stairs to look at her up close.

He needed to get out of here, he had to go get his money for this last assignment.  He would clean the house, change the documents and put the house on the market.  Or he could use it as one of his safehouses as it wouldn’t be too likely to sell with the thought of murders having occurred there.

“Cash.”  He said as he held her hand a bit longer than normal.  He gave her $10.  Keep the change.  ‘She is pretty.’  He thought.  ‘She is evil till proven otherwise.’  Another thought came just as quickly.  He would just as soon cut her head off verses let her live.  His job was to protect humans, by any means necessary.  He frowned and sighed.  “I know I came off as gruff before, but maybe you might forgive me over…dinner?”  He said hoping for a chance to smooth things over.

Caelia

The man's fingers closed over hers as he handed her the money and held on longer than a stranger she had just meet would. Tingles raced up and down her fingers and she jerked her hand away with a startled expression in her eyes. She took his money with her other hand and flexed the one that tingled, rubbing it against her leg to chase the feeling away. Well. That had never happened before. She added the money to the cash register and printed out his receipt, sliding it across the counter towards him as she made sure to keep her skin away from his. She didn't know what caused the tingles but she wasn't looking for a repeat experience until she understood what was happening.

At the man's request, Kariri froze and her pale cheeks colored as she shot him a surprised look. Well, that certainly came out of nowhere. First, he was interrogating her about what she was and now he was asking her to dinner. She studied him closely, arms folding over her chest protectively. While he was handsome and if it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have hesitated to accept their invitation. But this was a man was too curious for her liking and she didn't fancy going anywhere alone with him. She gave him a small, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline. We're receiving a shipment today and I'll more than likely be staying late to add them to the inventory and get them sorted.” There was a chime over the door and Kairi peered around the man's bulk and spotted a figure stepping inside. It was Ronan, a warlock who was the only person that knew about her secret. He had found out accidentally and had vowed on his magic he wouldn't betray her. He had become her best friend in the years they had known each other and always stopped by her store to check up on her. He waved at her cheerily with a haphazardly bandaged hand, curiously eyeing the man still standing at the counter.

“Ronan, what did you do to your hand?!” Kairi exclaimed as she hurried over to him. “Er…cooking accident.” He said with another glance at the man, eyes silently telling her they would have to go somewhere more private if she wanted to know what really happened. Kairi nodded and motioned for him to head into the backrooms. “Have a nice day sir.” She told her customer as she slipped by him and into the backroom.

Gannameade

He was not at all liking what just happened.  It seemed like a connection.  He didn’t like it, he only felt it a couple of times before in his mind he screamed ‘No.’  He couldn’t he wouldn’t do that to anyone else…he wouldn’t do that to himself.  He realized she felt it too, but he ignored it on her part as he put the change in the give/take tray and he put the dollars in his pocket.

He still asked her out despite himself, why she was research, she wasn’t a date right?  She was going to enjoy their time loosen up and tell him what he wanted to know.  Then he would take her home and never see her again unless he came to this bookstore, which he could easily avoid like the plague.  When she said no, he found he was more hurt that he figured he should have been but nonetheless he accepted it.  “Thank you anyway, have a great day.”  He said as he left the store.  He looked at the times on the store and set his watch to be back then.  He was going to have to keep an eye on her from another viewpoint.

He looked her over one last time and left the store, why?  Why?  He shook it off and went home.  He moved down the alleyway and since no one was looking he took off home.  He dropped his jacket on the chair as he landed invisibly on the balcony and went into the house pouring through the book till his alarm went off to check on her and this…inventory.

Caelia

Kairi stepped into the backroom and heaved a sigh of relief as the man finally exited her store. Ronan watched her with a frown, seated on one of the stools that decorated the backroom. “Are you okay Ri? That man...he wasn’t human.” Kairi nodded as she began to rummage through the cabinets for the first aid kit. “I know he wasn’t, I just can’t put my finger on what he is, exactly. I do know he was too curious for my liking; he kept demanding to know what I was. Said I wasn’t a vampire or zombie but it was clear he knew I wasn’t human either.” She grabbed the metal box and set it on the counter near Ronan and took his bandaged hand in her smaller ones.

Ronan frowned as she began to unwrap his sloppily bandaged hand. “That’s very worrying. I can add some protection to the store and your house. It won’t keep anything specific out, but at the very least will alert you when something that means to harm you has crossed the threshold.” Kairi sighed and nodded her head in agreement. “That would probably make me feel better, at the very least. By the way, what in the world did you do to your hand?” She asked, wincing as she got a look at the burned marks crisscrossing his hand.

“I’ll have to gather some ingredients and prepare the spell but I should have everything ready in a day or so,” Ronan said, giving a wince of his own as Kairi applied some burn cream. “I was being foolish and didn’t pay enough attention to a potion I was preparing. I added crushed wormwood instead of dried and the potion exploded. I’m lucky I still have a hand with which to be bandaged.” Kairi tsked at him as she re-bandaged his hand, this time doing a much better job. Ronan flexed his hand and stood, stooping to give Kairi a kiss on top of her head. “Thank Ri. As much as I would love to stick around and chat, I was just stopping in to check on you. I was on my way to a clients house. Bye Doll.” With a wink, Ronan blew Kairi a kiss and disappeared through the door.

The dragon shook her head and packed up the supplies, heading back to the counter. The rest of the day was normal in comparison to this morning and at 4:30 she was waving goodbye to James. At 6:00 she was locking up and flipping the sign to closed. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck before she grabbed her phone. Scrolling through her playlist, she pressed play and headed to the backroom. Adding the books to the inventory was a tedious process and when she was done, she lugged them to the main area and began adding them to the shelves, her music playing in the background. Kairi had taken a few dance classes a couple of years back and it showed in the way she twirled and danced around the shop. ”Your laughter haunts me like a ringing in my ear. You left me long ago, you're still everywhere. I reach out for you, I'm desperate for your warmth. Can you tell me where we went wrong? At least tell me just to move on!” She sang, a smile on her face as she moved her hips to the beat.

At 10:00 she had sorted through all the books and was locking up. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she turned and began to head towards home.

Gannameade

Malcolm finished his studying.  There was no known information.  He still had to pay his penance.  He still had to be a guardian, archangel status or no.  He still had to protect those he deemed unworthy of protecting or so he had.  He was now unofficial guard of this sector.  He moved to grab his coat and at 5:45 he made his way to the bookstore.  By 6 pm she had locked the place up.
He watched her she moved like a dancer, her form was lovely.  He gazed at her, he was enjoying the sight.  Even now a part of him wanted to reach out to her….for her.  He put his hands in his pockets, it wasn’t for him.  He had taken two lovers, both of them were willing to trust him, be with him, love him.  Both of them he buried, the second there was hardly anything left to bury. 
His world was simply too dangerous for a mortal lover.  ‘She is different.’  “No, she isn’t she is something but is she good/evil.  It would be just my luck to fall for succubi.’  ‘She isn’t, if she was like us you would feel it.  She is a bookstore owner how evil could she be?’  “Evil hides in all forms.”  He was having this conversation with herself.  He had seen movement out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one, then another….another still on the far corner and that one wasn’t alone.  He wondered what they were up to, he walked back into the shadows. ‘Darkness preys upon the innocent, I am the voice of the innocent.’

They saw her close up the store, when she moved towards her house the first three followed her.  The next group moved to make sure they were in front of her.  They would move to intercept her as she crossed in front of the park. 
Malcolm followed staying out of sight, he went to the roof and trailed them.  His eyes adjusted to their heat signatures and he moved to keep them insight.

Once they had her closer, they did what vermin did.  They closed in.  “Well now looking good there.”
“where you going this late at night all alone?”  Another asked.
At this point only four of the six were visible.  He was close enough to hear standing on the other side in the darkness with the other two.

Caelia

Kairi wasn’t a fool; she knew she was being followed from the moment she started walking away from the store. They were not exactly quiet as they stomped behind her. Whether it was the man from earlier or something else, she wasn’t sure but she definitely wasn’t going to lead whoever it was to her front door. Keeping her posture relaxed and her pace casual, she turned left when she would normally turn right, leading them away from where she lived and towards the park. With any luck, she could potentially lose them among the thick forest that butted up against the park. And if not, at least the park was deserted at this time of night and she wouldn’t have to hold back.

She spotted another couple heading towards her and she quickly veered into the park. By the time she had stepped foot onto the grass, they were closing in. Kairi examined them closely, lip curling in disgust when she realized who had been stalking her. Vampires. Of course. As if her day couldn’t get any better. They attempted to close in around her and she danced away, hands still tucked casually into her coat pockets. She knew better than to let them surround her. Once they did they would all bum rush her and she couldn’t take on that many all at once. She turned to face the man who appeared to be the leader of the little rag-tag gang and gave him a demure smile, keeping her body language lax.

“I was on my way home. At least, I was; until you and your friends interrupted my night. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She took a few steps back, just as one them of lunged for her arm. She jerked away at the last moment and bared sharpened canines at them, eyes glinting gold in irritation. “Look, I’ve had a very long day and I’m not in the mood for your theatrics. Ooooo, I’m a creature of the night, fear me!” She mocked, glaring at them. “Kindly screw off.” She said, waving a hand. “You’ll regret that!” The leader snarled, lunging at her fangs first.

Kairi yelped and raised an arm to protect her face. Razor sharp fangs sliced through her jacket and made a sharp sound as they rebounded off her arm. The vampire hissed, pulling away in confusion. Kairi stared down at the ruined sleeve of her jacket and sweater that revealed the green-blue scales scattered down her arm, scales that had saved her from a nasty bite. She scowled, glaring daggers at the vampires. “This was my favorite jacket.” She growled, nails sharpening into claws as she crouched low to the ground in preparation for an attack.

Gannameade

 Malcolm watched her, he saw her move then she seemed to turn.  It was a slight almost imperceptible hesitation.  But she turned to the left, she was going towards the park, smart girl.  He noticed the cold of their bodies and frowned almost growling himself, he hated vampires he had met only three in his life that he hadn't killed.  Only because the hunted vampires and one was only half.  But nonetheless these six held true to form and he knew their fate tonight.

She avoided the couple, he did too staying to the shadows, he saw them getting closer and he moved till he was behind the trailing trio.  He was too silent right now to be heard, it was his training mostly, not counting that he could probably fly now too.  He noticed the leader, the second the other would be back up, then he realized they didn't just want her blood, it didn't take that many for blood they were looking for....other diversions.  That pissed him off, even more, it wasn't like there weren't other stupid women willing almost screaming for the touch of a vampire, they had to try to take someone against their will for their own pleasure.  He wasn't sure his own eyes were glowing with anger right now.

She moved like she was trained she kept her hands in her coat till the last moment.  He watched the leader lunge for her and his hiss gave him away as lead dog and he would have first blood.    He wanted to laugh at her statement, 'I am a creature of the night fear me.'  He knew she was different, but not till the vampire tried to bite her did he have a hint a what she was.

When they attacked her without provocation he was given permission of sorts.  And two fell screaming at his feel instant dust as he sliced off their heads with his now flaming sword.

The other moved as Malcolm was brimming with heat right now, he could make himself burst into flames but he wasn't trying to give them that much warning.  The last one of this particular trio moved too late as Malcolm's hand was twisted to the side and he dropped the sword.  He laughed as his own fangs and red eyes were apparent.  He turned the dropping of his sword into his advantage as he hit the vampire with stomach punch that was painful enough to bend him over, he followed that with a kidney punch, almost raising him off the ground with a palm strike to the chin.  He only stayed on the ground because Malcolm was standing on his foot.  He reached up to grab his head and twist, breaking the man's neck.  With a final strike of his hand going through his chest to snatch out the man's heart which burst into flames along with his body that now disintegrated into dust.

He moved to retrieve his sword and turned onto the other three.  "So are you going to leave or die?  The choice is yours."  Malcolm said with a straight face, he in truth had no intentions of letting any of them leave alive, but it sounded good. 

"You motherf.."  Malcolm shoved his blade through the vampire head and kicked the body into the tree.   The sword landed in the tree as the remaining ashes fell off of the sword. 

"That language isn't necessary, you have been given a chance, I suggest you take it."  He looked at the leader now and his last henchman.  Malcolm was only covered in vampire dust, he didn't notice that one of them had actually clawed him on his way down.  He didn't feel the wound that was now bleeding but the two of them could smell the powerful blood coming from him now.  He normally would have been fine, but he hadn't had any of his water in days and he hadn't eaten in as long either.  He was a monster but he still needed food and water to help his body remain strong and these were different vampires it seemed, not all of them were the same.

Caelia

Kairi braced herself for an attack but was taken completely by surprise by a sword swinging in from nowhere. Eyes wide, she glanced at the owner of said sword and nearly gaped at seeing the man from earlier. Had he been following her or had he been after these vampires? She watched him easily dispatch three of the undead creatures and turn to the remaining two and the leader. Kairi hung back, ready to go on the defensive should any of these beings turn their attention to her. She had half a mind to take off while they were all occupied but something held her back. There was something about this man that drew her to him, even if at the same time she wanted to run as far away from him as she could. It was a very confusing feeling.

The metallic tang of blood scented the air and Kairi’s eyes darted between the three figures in front of her. It appeared one of the vampires had gone down fighting and managed to hook his claws into the mysterious man. I seemed to send the remained vampires into a frenzy as they snarled and hissed, circling around the man like a pack of sharks. Kairi tensed and as the two vampires leaped at the man, walls of ice suddenly rose up and threw them back. Before the dazed vampires could recover, Kairi jumped on the lackey and drove an ice sword through its heart. As he crumpled into dust, she turned just as the leader charged at her.

Throwing herself to the side, she sent up another ice wall that gave her a moment to get her feet under her. She ducked to avoid his swinging arm and slashed at his face with her own claws. Howling, he retreated briefly, clutching his face. It gave her enough distraction to lash out with her sword and free his head from his shoulders. His body crumpled into dust and she released the sword, it and her walls dissolving away.

She gave the man from earlier a glance before she took off into the forest at a sprint. He may have dispatched a few vampires but that did not mean she trusted him. Even after that little display, she still didn’t have a clue what he was and until she did, she wasn’t sticking around. Their little town was nearly surrounded by deep forests on all sides and that particular park stood next to one such forest. If she ran a little bit west, there was a steep incline that she could use as a launchpad for her wings. She would fly high enough then double back to go to her apartment.

Gannameade

Malcolm watched her move, he wondered if he left the other two on purpose.   And yet he realized she wasn’t some damsel in distress.  He smirked as he watched her move, she was more poetry in motion then himself.  He moved to grab his sword and put the flaming blade to his side as the wound closed he hissed briefly before watching her take off.

He was nothing if not impressed but even then his inner self told him….’No.’  No other would die for his selfish needs.  Besides she would never be his lover she was afraid of him.  But yet in still, he wanted to make sure she was truly ok.  He wasn’t going to follow her home or meet her at home.  He was going to talk to her, he concentrated and let his mind protect him from the trees.  He moved around pulling his sword away as he gave chase.  His speed would hopefully carry him and allow for him to get in front of her.  He thought of going through the trees but his enhanced speed would hopefully let him outflank her and by the time she realized he wasn’t behind her.  He would be standing in front of her and she would run into him.  He wasn’t trying to kill her he just wanted to talk.  In truth, a part of him wondered if his time for talking to her had passed and yet.  He thought, he really just wanted to know more about her.  Why did they attack her without reason, what would draw them to her?  It was something that pulled these creatins out of the woodwork and what was it??

He stood right in her path waiting for her.  “Can you stop?  I just want to talk, I promise.”  He said as she was coming towards him at this speed she might have even had the chance to knock him down were it not for his strength.

Caelia

Kairi nearly looked behind her to see if she was being followed but she quelled the urge. She needed to watch where she was going and besides, if she looked behind her, she might slow down without realizing it and she wanted to get as far away as soon as possible. She dodged around a few trees and leaped over some logs. She felt at home in the forest; having grown up in a village located deep in a forest, she normally spent her days exploring between the trees and climbing all many of branches to watch the birds in their nests. The familiar scents and sounds calmed her racing heart and relaxed her tense shoulders from the encounter with the vampires. She sound nearly be to the clearing by now. Just as she thought that, there was a blur among the trees and suddenly, a figure stood in her path.

Going at such a high speed, Kairi didn’t have time to stop or even slow down. She tensed and threw herself to the side to avoid colliding with him. She tucked her arms and legs in as she rolled across the ground, her momentum being halted by a tree. She let out a yelp of pain and surprise, scrambling to her feet as she cradled what was surely a bruised shoulder. She shrugged and moved the injured arm, hissing quietly at the pain but nothing felt broken or dislocated. Assured she was fine, she turned to what had caused her sudden direction change and glared at him, hair full of twigs and leaves.

“What’s the big idea, suddenly appearing in front of me like that, I could have hit you!” She growled, crossing her arms over her chest. “Look, I appreciate you helping me out back there with those vampires but I’m not really in the mood to stand in the middle of a forest, at nearly midnight, to chat. I would like to go home, take a bath, and go to sleep. I’ve got a hungry cat I need to feed and he’s most likely tearing the house apart in revenge as we speak. So if you’ll excuse me.” With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, hands clenched at her sides and she walked as fast as she could through the trees. She still hadn’t forgotten how curious he had been earlier but she didn’t plan on sticking around for more questioning. She had been serious about her cat, he had quite the temper when he wasn’t fed on time. She sighed, a sudden exhaustion crashing down upon her, whether from the night's events in general or from using her power after not  using it for such a long time. Whatever the case it made her stumble slightly and she had to catch herself against a tree.

Gannameade

Malcolm was familiar with the forest, he was here sometimes to practice.  Just for a change of pace, some fresh air.  This deep he could feel if someone came near.  Few could sneak upon him even when he was distracted by swordplay or kata.  Because of what he was he could feel like and the fire of life.  When he had calculated his movement, he made a veer for the appropriate angle he was fast enough to move in front of her, he had to time it right or she would run off the cliff. Which seemed strange to him unless she too could fly.

He wasn’t expecting her to change directions, but with her change in directions, he rolled.  He would have probably killed a human, but he knew now she wasn’t that.  He turned to look at her expecting to have her in his arms now, but apparently, that chance and time were missed.  He wished he was the charming kind but he wasn’t to him even amongst his kind he felt like a monster as he simply did what was necessary.

“Are you ok?”  He said looking at her as he moved in her direction.

“And you crashing into me would have hurt my feelings how?  Did you not think I had expected that?”  ‘Maybe even wanted it?’  He shook the last thought away quickly.  He looked at her, she didn’t look like a cat lady.  But who was he to judge he didn’t look like a killer…most of the time.  He moved to let her go, but when she stumbled against the tree he was there almost as if by instinct.  He scooped her up into his arms and looked at her.  “You may not want my help, but you surely can’t stop me from helping.”  He moved till he was in an area between two fairly close trees and he concentrated as he walked toward them.  As he did the shadow between the trees began to grow until a doorway was formed.  He realized her change in direction from earlier and he made a portal close to her home.  He walked through holding her in his arms, despite his thoughts to the contrary, she felt nice, almost comfortable there but he stomped those thoughts and feelings down like a steamroller.  She wasn't interested him, right?  Besides he had no time for a relationship, even with someone like her.

Once the portal opened in an alleyway.  He walked through as the doorway closed on both sides.  He held her there until forced to put her down.  “Which one is yours?”  He asked she was feather-light in his arms and strangely enough he was in no hurry to let her go. "and before you protest, think of your hungry cat!"  He said as a matter of factly.

Caelia

Kairi was tired, dirty from her rolling on the ground and her shoulder ached from colliding with that tree. All she wanted to do was take a bath and curl up under a blanket with a book and some tea. What she didn’t want, was a man who just so happened to have been nosing around in her business earlier, following after her as she attempted to get home. If she hadn't been nearly falling over from exhaustion, she would have been able to make a bee-line for the cliff and fly the rest of the way home before the man could blink. But because she was so tired, she had completely missed the man flitting to her side and didn’t even realize he had picked up her until she was in his arms and he was walking through the forest. So opened her mouth to demand he put her down, maybe even claw at his face for good measure but she snapped her jaws shut before any words rolled off her tongue. He had a point; she was so tired she doubted she would have been able to fight her way from his grasp.

So she wiggled around until she was comfortable and rested her cheek against his chest. She was so sleepy, she almost missed the whole trip through the shadows and instead only blinked in minor surprise to see them instantly arrive near her place of residence. That’s much more convenient than flying. She silently noted to herself as he asked which apartment was hers. She could practically visualize Barron shredding the curtains and so with a small sigh, she gestured towards her apartment. Once he eventually got close to her door, she wiggled until she managed to tumble from his hold. She landed with only a small stumble and turned to face him, eyes guarded.

“Thank you for the help with the vampires, but I think you’ll understand when I say this is as far as you go.” She said as she adjusted her bag. Him knowing where she lived was bordering on too much for her but Ronan was going to be adding protection spells soon so that was a small comfort at least.

Gannameade

He was angry with himself as he was finding he liked her closeness and proximity of being next to him.  He didn't mean to hurt her and he felt bad that it had been his fault for her becoming hurt.  He knew she was worn, but he also knew she needed to get back to her place so she could rest.  He knew what she was to some degree and saw her as being fine now.  He wasn't going to press her, she was not bad but she could do with some more physical training to protect herself but she was good right now.  As he moved through his portal of shadows, he thought it was important to make sure she was ok.

He was surprised that she was willing to let him know where her place was.  He wouldn't harm her and she was ok.  He would make sure no others would bother her.  She wasn't deserving of his life, despite his desire to see her again.  His life was too dangerous to involve her in.  And yet having her in his arms felt like nothing he had experienced in a while.

"I understand, my apologies for having you become harmed or that they attacked you.  Please forgive me."  He said as he moved to help her at least through her door.  He would watch her for awhile to make sure she was safe before he went home and force himself to stay away from her, for her own safety.

Caelia

Kairi waved away his apologizes, tucking a few errant strands of hair back behind her ear. “I’ll be fine with some rest. I’ve not used my ability in quite some time so it’s a bit taxing the first few times. Umm...thank you again, I’m not sure I would have been able to take on all of the vampires, so I appreciate that you helped.” She responded, taking a few steps back when he came closer, holding a hand out in front of her. “I...I can walk through my own door.” She said with a meek smile, withdrawing her key from her bag and unlocking the door.

She glanced at him once more, at a loss for what to say. What could she say? She had already thanked him for his help, for Creators sake he had been snooping around in her business earlier! “Good night.” She settled on as she slipped through her door and clicked it shut behind her, locking every single lock she had before slumping against the wall with a exhale of relief. She stood there for several moments before turning to face her living room. She winced upon spotting Barron sitting by the kitchen doorway, eyes glaring at her. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” She quietly asked as she stepped in the kitchen. She gave him his food as well as some treats in apology before making herself from food as well.

Her stomach and cat now sated, Kairi took a well-needed shower and after grabbing an ice pack for her shoulder, fell into bed wearing nothing but underwear and a long sleep shirt. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Barron eventually jumping up onto the mattress and curling in his spot by her head.

Gannameade

He accepted her words and let her close the door.  He heard all of the locks and smirked but accepted that that would help to make her feel safe.  He moved and stood outside of her window watching her for a bit to make sure she was ok.  He then stepped off the ledge and instead of falling he rose up and went to his own place outside of the city.  He called to have some flowers delivered to her in apology as well.  He didn't mean to have her hurt.  He was trying to keep and eye on her.  He now knew what she was and what she wasn't and felt much safer with that knowledge.  He would resting tomorrow as well before he picked up his next case.  He moved to peel off his clothes, he on the other hand walked around naked.  His clothes were half folded over the chair.  He went to wash, he hated having vampire blood dust on him.  It was nasty, it was worse than sand and he needed it off.  He washed and got a couple of drinks as he wore only his towel.  He sat down with a six pack and turned on the TV to veg until he dozed off about 2am.

Caelia

Loud knocking on her door woke her up to the bright light of the morning. She shot up into a sitting position, brain still fogged from sleep and her instincts kicking in after the excitement of last night. She stumbled to her feet and grabbed the dagger hidden under her mattress, creeping to the door and peeking through the peephole. Ronan stood on her doorstep and she let out a sigh of relief. She unlocked everything and let him in, locking the door behind him. “Expecting someone else?” He asked after catching a glance at what she clenched in her hand. “I had an interesting night last night.” She replied as she went to put the dagger back in its place. When she returned to her kitchen, Ronan was unpacking the coffee and pastries he had brought with him, Kairi’s attention catching on an arrangement of flowers. “Are those for me?” She asked as she leaned in to examine them. “I found them on your doorstep when I arrived. Seems like someone had them delivered to you.” Kairi turned the vase in a circle but couldn’t find a card. She left them where they were and moved over to the counter, taking her cup of coffee.

She took a sip and closed her eyes as she savored the taste. Coffee in hand, she went to get dressed and when she returned Ronan was eating his pastries as he drew on pieces of paper, preparing for the spells he was going to cast on her apartment. Kairi grabbed her enclaire and sat down, chowing down as she told Ronan what had happened last night. At her words, Ronan added more spells to the list, brow furrowed as he focused. Stomach satisfied, Kairi leaned back and sipped her coffee as she let Ronan work.