[M C] Nutshell - Private, feel free to read!

[supah x nova]

Sirusxo{ remus }xo Locke
t h e xo t r i g g e r - h a p p y xo w e r e w o l f
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Sirus simply nodded, remaining silent as he relaxed into his seat. Green eyes gazed lazily outside of the passenger window, a slight frown marring his features. Were it not for the comfort of his gun case propped up against his leg, he would have felt a little more uneasy about this entire situation. He didn't accept much help from anybody, not even humans. Other Werewolves were out of the question, simply for the fact that he would look weak, a good target for another competitor to bring down. He wasn't necessarily getting the same vibe from Iah compared to most other Wolves, but that didn't mean he should let his guard down.

He chanced a glance at the other male when he heard music begin to play from the speakers. "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles. He wasn't necessarily a huge fan of music, but he could appreciate it this time. At least now he wasn't getting that nervous, weird vibe from the other wolf, which in turn made him feel a little more at ease. He wouldn't trust him that easy, of course, but he didn't want to be all tense either. It was uncomfortable, and not at all ideal for him to stay in that state of mind.
Not while he had been deprived of a Change for quite a few days...

He returned his gaze to the scenery once more, eyes narrowing slightly at each sign indicating their return to what he affectionately liked to call Hell - I mean ... the city. Like all Werewolves, he preferred the wilderness over the dirty, smelly breeding grounds of Humans and even Vampires. He couldn't Change as often as he would have liked, for obvious reasons; though, he knew very well that he didn't have a choice. His brother liked large cities, most likely because of an excess of prey wandering around street corners at night. Sirus had to brave them for the sake of finding Adrian.

He wrinkled his nose slightly, before suddenly being snapped out of his thoughts when Iah suddenly spoke. He turned to look at him curiously, then allowed a tiny smirk to surface. "I've got an antique rifle in there, too. It's the only one in my collection that requires gun powder." He answered, for once sounding less annoyed and guarded than before. He loved his guns, and therefore, liked talking about his guns and of course, shooting them. His smirk only grew wider, "Try saying that again when you don't have time to Change and some big brute's charging at you full speed. Don't get me wrong, I prefer to hunt as a wolf, but there are times where you have to defend yourself as a human."

He turned away from Iah, letting out a small laugh and shaking his head at the last question. "Not humans. Why would I bother?" He paused a moment, "Just a Vampire. I've got a score to settle with him."

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{iahxoverr }
t h e xo g o o f y xo v e g a b o n d
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Iah nodded, only partially interested when Sirus mentioned that he had an antique rifle. It was never his style, but that did explain the amount of scent he was getting off of the suitcase. Not convinced by the man’s tough exterior, Iah waited for Sirus to finish. Knowing he’d probably had to defend himself without a pack, but not liking the idea for a second. Sure he’d carried around a gun before, but he’d much rather get his hands dirty, using a gun seemed like cheating somehow. He was a man of very few opinions and that one rubbed his fur the wrong way somehow, it always had.

His eyebrows spiked upwards when Sirus mentioned a score with a vampire, but he didn’t say anything as he eased into the garage’s parking lot. A grin sliding back onto his face as he spotted Paul pacing like a caged tiger in the front of the shop.

Iah slid out of the car, grabbed his duffel with his coveralls and jogged towards the office; he got in with a flourish and held the door open for his guest before glancing around for his client, who was situated in a chair reading the Cosmo he’d put in the waiting room just for laughs. Paul and him had an on-going bet about which men would pick the woman’s mag up to check out how to get more mileage out of their man’s erection. Yeah, there were quite a few. So many they kept a tally. It was hanging behind the desk looking important, marked only with a ‘y’ and an ‘n’ and then the date of the ‘incident.’ There were only 2 on the ‘no’ side and this made him smile even as he tried to act like his grandmother had pneumonia.

His customer was a petite blonde thang, wearing a light blue dress and matching shoes. One look at her two inch manicured nails told him she’d never even popped the hood on her small Honda, and her scent confirmed that. Did she swim in her Chanelle of choice this morning? He tried not to sneeze.

“Good morning Ms Campbell, I’m so sorry I’m late. Grandma Verr isn’t doing too well and I picked up my cousin Sirus from the airport this morning, so he could say his goodbyes too,” he bugged his eyes just slightly, not enough to make him look crazy, but enough so they’d catch the air and shimmer, and true to his incredibly charming nature, her annoyed look melted into one of compassion.

He sent a glance to Paul whos face had some how managed to find the palm of his hand, and was currently residing there. Perhaps doing noble things such as building schools and digging wells in their flawless union, but more likely concealing a giant s**t eating grin. Iah hid his amusement, barely.

“Oh, waiting was no problem, Paul was just telling me about how you and your grandma used to go fishing in the country” she said solemnly. fishing?? Iah turned his frown of confusion into a look of great pain.

“Yeah, we used to have such fun sitting on the boat and eating the sandwiches she’d packed,” he stated, wondering if Paul had tried to ******** up his day, when she frowned at his explanation of these ‘fishing trips with Grandma’ he knew Paul HAD tried to ******** up his day and was extremely impressed.

“But he said she’d lost both her hands in the war?” Ms Campbell stated tapping her nails on the arm of the chair. The sound made him wince, and Paul took this as a victory cause he was hiding his grin, by turning around and digging around in his tool box for the keys to the tow truck.

“That’s why I cherish those memories so much, she worked so hard to make those trips perfect,” he stole a glance at Sirus before meeting her blue eyes, “But enough of these sad memories, Sirus has been up for hours, and I’m just going to show him up to my apartment very quickly and get him settled before getting to work. He’s had such an emotional day.”

He waited until her eyes turned sympathetic and she nodded before adding a “Thank you darling, I’ll be back down as soon as I can.” He ran a hand through his dark curls and gave her a meaningful glance before nodding slowly and motioning for his guest to follow him up the stairs to his loft apartment over the garage. Paul followed behind him, not bothering to hide his smirk anymore.

“That,” he stated crossing his arms, “was worth the hour of keeping her busy” he stated chuckling.

Iah grinned, “Well good, I’m glad you enjoyed that. I’ve gotta get my a** moving before she decides she’s waited long enough, can you take care of that car for me?”

Paul nodded and crossed his arms, “Yeah man, I’m gonna check out the Ninja before I go though.” Iah laughed and sent him a grin as he walked out.

“Just try not to drool on her” he yelled after him, before turning to Sirus, “I hope you like cats, cause she doesn’t like anyone… and she hasn’t eaten yet,”, he took the stairs two at a time and unlocked the door.

The cat was sitting in the middle of the doorway, she stared up at him from her spot on the hardwood, not moving, and blinked once with her one clear blue eye. She was missing the other, and the scarred mess on the other side of her face mimicked the motion but did little for the effect. She looked insulted, probably because breakfast hadn’t happened for her yet. She only moved when he took a step forward, and then she just sauntered into the middle of the room and sat down again, giving him a curious ‘I smell someone else look’ and licking her cream coloured paw once.

She was a larger cat, and to his best guess she was about 9 years old. Scars dotted her body and pink nose, and her shabby cream and brown speckled coat didn’t shine anymore, but she was smarter then most and refused to leave his side, so she stayed. Living off of the meat he brought home after hunts and lounging about the place. He’d found her a year ago, in the woods.

Iah left his keys in the clay bowl beside his stack of day old mail. The apartment wasn’t huge, but it was enough space for him and the cat. The assorted plants he kept by the window didn’t seem to mind the place too much. There was a small guest bedroom and he slept in the loft up the stairs. A skylight provided most of the light he needed, and his kitchen was messy but not so bad that it smelled. “Frankie, this is Sirus, he’s gonna be staying here while I fix his car.” he sent the cat a glance and the cat blinked once before dismissing him by looking away. Taking this as reluctant acceptance, Iah turned to Sirus.

“Make yourself at home, and help yourself to what you can find in the fridge. I suggest feeding her before she decides that you look particularly delicious. She’s got a Tupperware portion in the freezer, just throw it in the microwave for a couple minutes and let her have it. I’ll be back in a few.” With that he shut the door behind him, leaving the man to his home. Not the ideal for a werewolf he didn’t know, but all his information was locked in a safe and there wasn’t much in that apartment he couldn’t afford to lose. He didn’t mind the situation for now, he’d get more info after he fixed this poor woman’s muffler.

Ooc:// Frankie is an open chara, anyone can write/mention her. XD Silly kitty. Sorry if this post was long, but I wanted to get our Werewolf friends out of the car. I don’t intend on bringing back anymore dialogue with Paul, but brief mentions might/will be made just so the shop is being run etc…

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

“One more chance Marcus.”

Marcus’ eyes widened as the clairvoyant pulled him closer, wrapping her hands around him. Her hands wove through his hair before resting on his hip. God, help me. Mentally reminding himself that he was wearing caps, that this was going smoothly and that he’d better not ******** it up, he managed to control himself. Nimble digits caressed her cheek before resting on her waist.

He smiled, knowing the caps were not noticeable, only thing was they it made him look like he had human canines. Which would be looked down upon if he wasn’t alone with Nika. Pulling her closer he let his hands rest more properly at her sides. Thank you for letting me try again…

“This is nice…” He said softly

“OH MY GOD LOOK AT YOU TWO!” Alex shouted, grinning ear to ear, living vicariously through the human, “You’re tooooooooo cuuuuute!” Giggling, she smiled, touching Marcus’ shoulder.

“Should I leave? Or can I join you?” She laughed, nibbling the vampire lord’s earlobe a quick second, her hand going right through him as she tried to tippy-toe to reach his height, not realising she’d risen off the floor before she turned to bound away, noticing she had no legs.
“I’m kidding! But I’ll stay here for you, I think I could get Adrian in here again if Marcus screws up. Unlikely, lookithim!”

Marcus felt the cold through his shirt, freezing him as it pushed through his skin… His pupils had widened slightly at the teasing at his ear, but it was quickly under control when the cooling left him.

“…Nika, I know I’ve asked before… I swear I won’t bring in an exorcist - are there ghosts here?” He had the feeling that her random habit of talking to herself when he barged in on her was not a habit. She had denied any accusations of ghosts once before, and he was seriously beginning to wonder. The cold he sometimes felt was too concentrated to be anything else.

Alex turned, body halfway through the wall as she tried seeing if Charlie was around - though he’d gone the other way, he had a habit of eavesdropping - sometimes he’d go to the opposite wall to listen while the two had ‘girl talk’. She smiled, coming back into the room and sitting on the edge of the room. He’s noticed…

Ooc:// Not gunna lie, had trouble with this one - hence the lack of AUTO-REPLY lol So, sorry if it's lacking - just wanted to finally get it out there~

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{NikaxoClemmings}
t h e xo c l a i r v o y a n t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Nika took a deep breath, relaxing just for a second as his fingers caressed her cheek, and when he smiled at her… Damn she almost had herself convinced that he was a human, just for a split second, before her mind brought her back to reality. She snapped the whip on her brain, forcing a subject change, but that had her thinking about how humiliating covering his teeth would be for him, and that only got her back to flattered and slightly amused, Adrian walking in right about now, might just be the funniest thing she’d ever witness. Worried and flustered she looked up at him, and then he pulled her closer to him. You better not ******** this up...

His hushed voice brought her back to reality, and she shrugged quietly, Alex was positively gushing, and she tried not to look in the ghost’s direction, lest she be caught. Annoyed with the ghost’s antics she really couldn’t do anything to dissuade her with Marcus standing right there. The only thing she could really accomplish was a very pointed glance. She really didn’t need her friends to be forcibly removed from the house. The ghost was right up to the vampire, hanging off him as per usual, this time she thought she noted a flicker of something in his eyes. Oh gods, she wants to watch?! She watched the ghost nibble the vamps’ ear, horrified, her eyes widened. She gave up and sent Alex a glare, motioning to the closest wall with her eyes, Marcus seemed too confused to notice anyways.

Her bare feet massaged the carpet again as she thought, and then he asked the one question she wasn’t sure how to answer, she glanced at where Alex had disappeared, knowing it might make her the happiest ghost on the planet, her face paling at the thought of Marcus bringing in an exorcist. Although, them not thinking I’m talking to myself would be a bonus She pulled a hand through her hair absentmindedly, and it fell with cold presence on her bare shoulder.

“There are… a few. One in particular that hangs out here… She didn’t want to give up too much about them, and if he thought there was only one… She took this moment to meet Alex’s eyes and raise her eyebrows, silently asking how much she should tell the vampire. “Although I could have gone without the mental picture,” she added pointedly, rolling her eyes at the ghost.

She glanced at the vamp, scoping for a reaction, nervous.


Ooc:// Emerald- The Tea Party
Truth- Seether on the One Cold Night Acoustic album
Were what I listened to when I wrote this one. XD Oh, I’m gonna do Charlie next, poor ghostie is being ignored, he is not amused, I think I’m going to write my song choice down on the bottom of each post, just for the lulz, feel free to do the same, or ignore them, or look them up. I just like going back to see my influences.

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{CharliexoGosland}
t h e xo W i s e – a s s xo G h o s t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Charlie paced the deserted room below Nika’s bedroom, a familiar haunt, for lack of a better term. Huffing he smoothly removed the cigar he had in his front pocket and lit it using his pocket of precisely five reappearing matches. He scowled at the taste. He didn’t smoke cigars. The only reason he had it was that when he had it on him when he died. It was supposed to have been his celebratory cigar, his uncle had tucked it in his shirt pocket before the wedding ceremony, and it was the only thing he had to smoke. God did he missed a good f**.

He took a long frustrated pull from the cigar, and listened to the conversation above. He angrily tapped ghostly ashes into a very real flower pot. It was a habit he just couldn’t rid himself of. The plant itself was a small delicate white orchid, and it was very real. When he’d first come here he’d always be surprised with the real plants, the lack of sunlight didn’t seem to be a problem. Then he’d realized that there were small sunlamps hidden over each one. The pets took care of them.

He listened to the conversation going on upstairs, and tossed his hat across the room angrily. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t stand it if she got hurt again, he couldn’t even wrap his arms around her damn it. As much as he wanted to think to the contrary, even with him there, she was alone. He didn’t exist anymore, and he damn well knew it.

Angst ripped through him as he thought of the gap. This goddamned tosser of a vampire was keeping her from experiencing any kind of life at all. Hell she’d never really even had any proper human contact at all. A hug was something Nika’d only experienced from a handful of vampire prudes. Namely Marcus, who hoarded her away for himself, and although he was quite sure Marcus felt SOMETHING for Nika, he was positive there was something else out there that would be better for the young sun deprived clairvoyant. Something more than a life confined behind walls.

This, beyond everything else, made him hate the whole situation going on, on the floor above. Cursing loudly he ran a finger over his moustache and puffed on the cigar, both actions were those that only happened when he was extremely worried. Annoyed with his repeating repertoire of annoyance he dropped the cigar and went to pick up his hat, only to begin pacing again.

Damn… that was his biggest fear, being stuck in a faded prescience, doomed to repeat the same actions like a tape being played and rewound until he faded into nothing. Fear struck through him when he heard Alex yell about cute, and he squashed the impulse to go and look.

Not only would Nika not want him up there, but he couldn’t bear to watch what might happen. Nightmares haunted his daytime walks through the house, of her ghost leaving a bloodless body. He shuddered, the cold he should have felt not penetrating his eternal neutrality that plagued his ghostly body. He pulled his itching collar back down, the damn outfit he’d died in the only thing he ever felt, it just happened to be the most uncomfortable, itchy starchy thing in the universe. The day he put on the second most expensive thing he’d ever bought he wasn’t really counting on keeping it on very long. Just through the ceremony, and then he’d whisk her away to the hotel above the pub and shag her sens---

The deep rumble of Marcus’ voice abruptly stopped his chain of thought, and rage flowed through him, he clenched his fists to his sides. Sure he wants to try again, the crooked-toothed corpse b*****d. She was just too much of a darling to ignore for decades. Not when she was aging and he wasn’t. Charlie rolled his eyes and grumbled, slumping onto a plush chair and suspending himself there, numbly taking drags from his cigar. If this got any further there were two things he could do. Go in there and try to stop her, or leave and force himself to return to see what the outcome was. The thought filled him with a deep dark dread, and his stomach seemed to fall through the floor. Ghosts couldn’t vomit, thank the spirits, ‘cause that would have really ruined the taste of his disgusting cigar.

Brooding, his cigar reached the end. He put it out in the plant, and left it there. It regenerated in a matter of seconds back in his shirt pocket, and he took out his matchbook again, taking the same match as last time and relighting the cigar. It was around that point when he heard Marcus ask about ghosts in the castle. He choked, the lit cigar fell through the floor when he dropped it, and he looked up at the ceiling, straining his ears for her answer, while holding onto the cough he was trying to hide.

Alex!! Alex was doing this to him, "bloody freaking hell." He knew she had feelings for the vamp, and he sympathized, really he did, in fact sometimes he thought he felt the same things toward a certain woman, but there was nothing he could do. Alex was setting herself up for disappointment and he didn’t want to be there when it all came crumbling down, because he wasn’t sure what would happen to her. Hope was something that could last forever, but rarely ever did. When the cough subsided he took a deep breath and reclined in the chair, ready and willing to wait out the rest of the encounter. He’d probably do anything for his girl. Damn he was whipped.

Ooc://It’s long. Poor boy is so cute though. Songs, Lucky- Radiohead & Metal Airplanes- Matthew Good Band

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Alex pulled herself into the room, smiling sheepishly, “…I was only teasing.”
The ghost’s image became more opaque, then went back to the more ‘normal’ transparent. A sort of full-body blush, which was only a surge of energy. If a ton of hot energy was collected by enough ghosts, they’d be able to move something as big as a human, but seeing as most ghosts died in their latter years, they had no extra energy to give. The pale youth walked over, stopping a couple feet short of the couple. Seemingly evaluating the situation, her transparent green eyes taking them in. Too bad Vampires can’t become ghosts…

Marcus looked at Nika a moment, before looking to where her gaze had fallen, directly at the ghost. He looked back at her, arching a brow slightly at the ‘mental picture’ comment, but saying nothing. Letting his hands grip slightly and release in a show of assurance. Of what, he wasn’t sure himself. He sighed lightly, giving the illusion that he had to breathe.
Vampires only needed to breathe if they wanted to talk. Mute vampires were a more common occurrence than most would think, from having lung issues in life - or the reason for their death - and the venom not being able to repair the vital organs. Which is why many vampires insured they learned sign language, or had a handmaid or pet who did. Very politically incorrect if you could not speak to one of your guests. The red silken fabric of his shirt slid past her arm, and he decided he’d ask her another question. She seemed to be opening up to him about this…

“This ghost… Is it fem- a girl?” He knew he talked too formally in front of her and decided, right then and there, he would try to make her feel more at ease by talking casually. Being master vampire over so many cities of this size forced him to adopt a highly businesslike vocabulary.

Alexandra grinned, taking another step forward, “He’s a smart cookie, eh Nika?”

She skipped over, touching the girl’s shoulder and giggling slightly at the vampire who was staring at dead space. She thought a moment, looking over the human and touching her finger to her lips, pondering.

“Can you introduce us?” They said at once, Alex’s eyes widening in surprise and elation.

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{NikaxoClemmings}
t h e xo c l a i r v o y a n t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•
]

Nika watched the young ghost pull at some energy and cocked a brow. It wasn’t very often she got a show of power from either ghost, they were both pretty old. Her heart fell, she hated that idea. Charlie had told her what could happen to older ghosts and the idea creeped her out. Being stuck in a routine, not being able to escape…

The silk of his shirt was feather light against her arm and she blinked back into reality. He sighed softly and she cursed his curse for the millionth time. The man was too damn fine an actor to believe she could trust him with this. Uggh she hated this. Being stuck in the middle, she didn’t know what the ******** she was doing.

She arched her eyebrows when Marcus asked if she was a girl, and a small smile ghosted across her face, “yeah she’s a girl,” she glanced at the ghost over his shoulder, “perhaps the cookie is a little too smart” she added cautiously to the ghost.

When they both asked to be introduced she frowned. Her shoulder acquired some new goose bumps from when Alex grabbed it , “O-okay?”

She glanced at Alex one more time before stepping back from Marcus, feeling awkward, knowing she was introducing the vampire to thin air; she motioned to where the ghost was standing so he knew where to look, almost feeling bad for the haunted, literally, vampire. “Marcus this is Alexandra Temple, she prefers Alex. Alex, as if you don’t already know, this is Marcus Cicero, master of the house.” and pain in the a**, as if you don’t already know she added mentally.

She shifted awkwardly, and her toes moved on the carpet as she waited for the weirdness to continue, her eyes going back and fourth from between both of the dead people in the room.

Ooc:// Wasn’t sure what to write here. But here it is.
Songs: One of a Kind: Concrete Blonde & Misery: Dana Fuchs (SUCH A GOOD SONG)

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

The vampire smiled slightly at the ‘cookie’ comment. Guessing easily the cliché phrase the ghost had used. Turning in time with Nika’s awkward introduction to face the air where Alex was supposed to be.
“An honour, Miss. Temple.” He smiled, feeling like an idiot, but not letting it touch his face. If Nika was friends with the ghost, then he wanted to be as well… and, it seemed as though the ghost did too, if the random cold spots on his crappy days were any indication.

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you Marcus.” If it were possible for her to turn red, she would have, “Please, call me Alex…”
She looked at Nika pointedly, as if asking her to translate. The teen turned back to the lord vampire, smiling brightly as he knelt slightly, holding out his hand. Damn he looked fine. If only it had a ring box in it… Well… Might help if I could wear the damn ring… She shook the idea from her mind. It was never, never going to happen for her. Nika could still have everything Alex wanted while she was alive, and like hell the clairvoyant wasn’t going to get it.

She stepped forward, slipping her hand into his, clenching her teeth when she saw his eye twitch slightly at the sudden cold. No girl, this was a good thing, he just didn’t know when the cold would hit him, that’s all. She turned her face away from Nika slightly, hiding her hurt before replacing her demeanour with one of cheer.

He gave the air - looking just above the figment’s hairline - a charming smile, head tipping down to kiss the top of her hand. Her eyes widened and she covered her face with her other hand, so shocked.
“If you’re the one who’s been there for me, I thank you very much.” He said softly, eyes coming back up. He rose slowly, letting Alex’s hand stay in his, so she wouldn’t just pass through it, and could keep the illusion. She grinned ear to ear, looking at Marcus with a tender affection that had been cultivated after watching him for so long.

Hand at his side, but still open, he let the little ghost hold his hand, but still free to leave whenever she wanted. Which was highly unlikely. Don’t be mad Nika, just let me pretend…

“Should I invest in a Ouiji board?” He asked the human, unsure if she could move it, but surely the ghost could make his fingers cold when he got to the right letter…

 

[black_stained_flowers]

nikaxo{ and }xo charlie
t h e xo c l a i r v o y a n t xo & xo w i s e – a s s xo g h o s t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Nika watched this exchange with a mixture of amusement and second hand embarrassment for Alex, who looked so damn cute. Poor Marcus had no idea. She glanced at him searching his eyes while he wasn’t looking at her and added softly, “She says you can call her Alex.” She felt like an intruder on a very intimate moment.

When he mentioned that she’d been visiting him, she wasn’t surprised, but suddenly she felt really bad for the ghost, she’d been fully aware of Alex’s feelings, but suddenly felt even worse for ending up in Marcus’ arms. Damn it… When he got on one knee, Alex almost melted, in ghost language that would be an “eeeee!” and a “hubba hubba” all at the same time. Amusement pulled her lips upwards.

She watched them hold hands, trying to comprehend the emotion she was feeling at that very second. They looked great together. Double damn it. It was almost like she was the only one in the way. She hated that feeling. Taking a deep breath she glanced at Alex, who looked enamoured in him, there was nothing she could do. She hated that feeling. She bit her lip and waited it out. Turning away from the scene until Marcus addressed her.

Fear bit though her as she thought of the impact of a Ouiji board.“ No,” she stated automatically, she glanced at the ghost, “they… they wouldn’t be a very good—They attract… things” she tried to explain. “Bad things?” she offered, she pulled a hand through her hair and sent him a weak smile.

“She’s in the room with me, if you want to ask her anything. If you’d rather me not hear, you both can, um, try finding an EMF reader, or perhaps trying different paper games, you can obviously feel when she touches you so it should work. Just don’t get the full Ouiji experience. You don’t want the whole Ouiji experience,” a shudder ran through her as she thought of how she first realized she could talk to ghosts. Fear snaked back into her psyche, and she looked away, biting the inside of her cheek. The blood rushed out of her face. Charlie had been the only good thing about her parent’s romp back into the hippie s**t, pot and ouiji. She’d never been so scared in her life. Running had been how she’d gotten caught and held here in the first place. She got up and walked over to the bed, before sitting down, finished with keeping her walls up when it came to the vamp. She wanted to sit damn it, and she would. If he tried to go near her, she wasn’t sure what she’d do, but whatever he did wouldn’t be as bad as what he could do with a stupid board. It’s not like she was making a pass at him. She sighed again. God she was weak.

Her fingers found the unravelling sheets and she picked at them to keep her mind busy. The breeze coming in from the open window went from comforting to eerie in a split second, and she tried to get her emotions back in check. She held a breath, and was able to at least get her heart rate down, before glancing up at the two in the middle of the room. Really not wanting to talk about it.

CHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIECHARLIE

Charlie listened from his chair, his eyes widening when Marcus mentioned a Ouiji board. “Alright love?” he asked quietly. When she spotted him, he noted the misery and floated a bit closer. She sent him a firm nod, disguised as a sneeze, and he nodded back at her, trying to send her a supporting look. She looked, relieved, like she was glad he wasn’t mad, and he sent her a bit of a grin. Happy that she cared what he thought, he’d discuss it with her later, even though he was still worried. He decided firmly. He didn’t even want to look at Alex, already wise as to what he would see. He knew she would hurt later tonight, and that made him about as miserable as Nika at the moment, she he dropped back down before Alex could see him and moved into the room beside Nika’s.

Ooc:// I did it before bed. I’m sooo bad, I need to sleep now.

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Marcus nodded softly at her mention of the ghost’s preferred title. A bit confused as to why Nika was looking away. A bit unsure as to why she was freaking out, but having a general idea… He’d gotten the young girl to go into therapy when she was younger - not responsive but that was her. He watched her, eyes softening when she sat on the side of the bed. You know she’s not asking for anything. He stayed where he was, turning slowly so Alex could keep her hand in his.

“…Perhaps I could use a laptop in the same way, and she could turn my finger cold when I get to the right key?” He stated, less of a question, but still wanting Nika’s input. It was rather obvious that she was not happy, and it wasn’t just the Ouija board idea that had her on edge.

She has ruined the brand new sheets I bought her! his pupils dilated, hands clenching until the cold seeped into his hand and he snapped back to normal. He was holding someone’s hand damn it. He smiled toward his frigid hand.
“Excuse me, Alex, I’m going to close the window.” The master vampire paused a moment after the freezing sensation left his hand so that he was sure she knew which way he intended to walk, so he didn’t have to walk through the poor ghost. He started to close the window and heard Nika sneeze.

“Nika, I know you’re distracted, but I’d appreciate if you’d stop ruining the sheets…” He murmured quietly, not expecting her to stop. He arched his back, cracking it before he stared walking back to the center of the room, pausing a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed, a large gap between the two. Yes, he wanted to sit right next to her, but he didn’t want to push things - they were going so well thus far…

Alex smiled softly at Charlie’s re-appearance, saying nothing as she saw Marcus sit down beside her best friend. Jealousy was quickly replaced by a pang of guilt. No, nothing will happen between us… Ever. Plastering on a grin, masking her real feelings, she sat beside Marcus, cross-legged on the floor. She tilted her head to rest it on his knee, catching herself before she did so. No, bad girl.

Marcus frowned slightly, unsure of what to do. Where was the invisible line they had set, now that she said she’d like to try again? Was he allowed to reach out and comfort her, or was he stuck with forever asking her for a simple embra- hug? There were so many rules between vampires, and women were so damn fickle at times… Couldn’t everyone just say exactly what they wanted, shouting from the rooftops that, yes, he was in love with a human who was afraid of him because of a stupid mistake on his part? Too many questions. Vampire or human, surely they could find a way to make this work, he’d sooner stake himself then put Nika in true harm’s way. He shifted, looking more directly at the clairvoyant.

“Darling, I know this is all back to new and raw, but I can tell you’re upset about something. And if it’s nothing I’ve done, I want to hold you and tell you what you need to hear.”

And if it is my fault, I’d still like to do so…

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{NikaxoClemmings}
t h e xo c l a i r v o y a n t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Nika glanced down, “yeah, the keyboard would work” she agreed, a chill going up her back as the breeze from the window hit her again. She glanced up at Marcus who was glaring at her hand, confused, she then looked down. A small highly undetectable smile crossed her features and was quickly hidden. She hadn’t even noticed she’d been picking her sheets again, just something to take her mind off things.

She watched as he politely excused himself to go close the window, and sent him a grateful glance behind his back. When he mentioned the sheets she kept her face neutral, but inside she was laughing, Charlie popping up helped too. She got a little more wary when Marcus returned and came closer to the bed, but he sat just about the furthest away he could get, and she couldn’t help but be a little more amused, perhaps even a little smug.

Jeeze Marcus, these sheets fell apart so easily, they mustn’t have been very expensive… heh She took a deep breath, now probably wasn’t the time. If she seemed too smug she might give him the wrong idea. She glanced around for Alex who looked contented enough by his knee. Acting like she wasn’t as upset as she really was, Nika looked back to the floor, thinking hard about what she should do.

When he asked what was wrong her eyebrows raised on their own accord, “If it’s not about you? she cracked a smile as she turned to him, and saw Alex sitting there again, and stopped mid thought.

What can I do? He really does want to try again, but Alex… she looked away again, crossing her arms over her chest, and biting her lip.

“ It’s nothing you can help with Marcus...” she started, then hesitated, “I’m sorry.” She shrugged a shoulder, “I’ve gotta work this out by myself, it’s just… weird?” her shoulders constricted and she took a deep breath. "Christ this whole situation is weird," she realized.

“Damn it, I don’t know, you really make this difficult, because a-as much as I want to think… She stopped midsentence and smiled just a little bit, enjoying her inner mind theatre for a fraction of a second, she shook her head, scolding herself for being so candid, “as much as I want to think about what could be, I get hung up in what is, and if you could maybe just…” hold me and pretend for one goddamn second that you aren’t so afraid of breaking me, you fanged prude my mind quipped. Touché brain. Perhaps if he treated her like she wasn’t so breakable… But then she was, wasn’t she? She’d learned this already. It’d been goddamned drilled into her head after last time. Damn it

She glanced over at him again, at a loss for more words, torn.

Ooc:// ok, so, music really made a big deal in this one, it kind of shaped the whole-- ness? PS WOOOO 40th post bitches!!!!
James Blunt: I Really Want You (XD)
Misery: Pink and Steven Tyler

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

The master vampire watched as she bit her lip and cover her torso in a sort of defensive manner. Listening to her needs was the least he could so and when she trailed off…
“and if you could maybe just…” He let a smile ease out, truly happy she’d looked to him for comfort. He leaned inward slowly, letting his hands slide across her shoulders, easing Nika forward as he scooched towards her. He breathed in her scent softly, feeling his pupils dilate somewhat. It had been so long since they’d had this sort of physical contact.

“Nika, I’m happy you wanted to try again. I…” Marcus paused, running a hand over her hair, “I missed you.” He continued, voice soft. He rubbed her back, pressure light, hoping to ease her stress somewhat. Red shirt was shifting over his skin, feeling almost like liquid. He could hear her heartbeat, eyes closing to listen to it more intently.

Alex sat up, watching her favourite vampire dote on her best friend. She thought a moment, unsure of what to do in this situation. Nothing she really could do, so like a good friend, she tried her best to look happy as she stood.

“Nika, I’m going to check on the house pets. Make sure the guests aren’t being naughty while Marcus is distracted.” She smiled, heading for the door, touching the door, wishing she could turn the shiny metal handle. The ghost turned, avoiding eye contact with anyone, “I’ll be back later I guess.”



Ooc:// Sorry it's so short. Thinking of making a time skip soon. Also I thought you all might be interested in this; [300 ways to say SAID]

 

[black_stained_flowers]

{NikaxoClemmings}
t h e xo c l a i r v o y a n t
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Nika almost melted into him before she caught herself, but she let him wrap his arms around her and settled there, enjoying the comforting fingers massaging her back. She closed her eyes for a second and let his presence sink in, sighing. I missed you too. She pondered this for a second, there was a medical condition for things like this, Stockholm syndrome, she pushed that thought out of her mind and closed her eyes again.

Alex seemed to cut through the silence with a knife and Nika nodded at the ghost as she left, following her out with her eyes, “I’ll be back later I guess.”

Nika’s heart fell slightly, she guessed she’d be back? Not liking the sound of that she hoped Charlie would do something to make her feel better. Guilt swept over her, and she pulled her hair down over her neck. Once Alex left she relaxed a little bit, leaning on the vampire slightly, and she took a sharp breath, her heartbeat skipped she turned her head and lightly pressed her lips to his.

Ooc:// Surprise! Also, couldn’t think of anything to write, so it’s really short. Agreed, for the time skip.

 

[VairaSmythe]

marcusxo{ tullius }xo cicero
t h e xo s e d u c t i v e xo & xo p r o t e c t i v e xo v a m p i r e
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Nika’s soft brushing lips against his didn’t go unnoticed. He kissed back before she could pull away, making sure she knew that anymore might push him too far. He smiled, holding the clairvoyant’s arms with a light touch, before kissing her forehead.
“I must go attend to my guests, I can only guess that some of them are hungry, and most aren’t aware I’m fond of the pets.” He rose, brushing her cheek with his thumb, giving her a sincere close-lipped smile. Caps or not, he was trying. Moving towards the door, he gave her a backwards glance. The tall man stopped, and turned, facing her full on.

“…You have full run of the house again Nika. Please don’t make me regret this.”

* * * Three Days Later * * *

“Dearest guests,” The Master was clearly in his element. All eyes on his chocolate orbs as he met each of their gazes in turn. There were at least thirty master vampires in the ballroom, and they seemed to match his elegant draperies and expensive h’or dourve’s matching their pompous outlook. They had a right. If they let go and allowed themselves to be who they really were, rather than what society - what bit of society that knew of them - dictated them to be… Lord knows there would be no respect for them at all.

“I have the greatest pleasure of hosting you all this evening,” He paused, waiting for the interpreter at his left to finish copying him. This particular treasure could speak and sign… no to mention she had gorgeous almond skin, which tasted nothing like almonds… he thought inwardly, smiling again at his waiting guests. “Each one of you has travelled so far to come to my ‘cave’ and I greatly appreciate it. I can only hope I can match up to Piscary’s party.”

Murmurs of memories past welled slightly, some of the handmaidens giggling. The pheromones were enough to get most of them high as a kite. Piscary himself was amongst the small crowd, smiling appropriately as his hand servant gave him a playful touch on the shoulder, receiving a tight-lipped smile in return.

“As fun as that was, I must ask you all to please be careful with the pets. They are here of their free will - and quite a few of them are new to our ways of life.” He smiled genuinely when most of the audience nodded or at least didn’t say anything against it. “Not to worry, the party itself shall be properly celebrated.”

There seemed to be a lessening of tension in the air, one vampire with almost Asian features and short jet-black hair letting out a giggle, her red-haired hand maiden spinning to mouth ‘told you’. The interpreter finished, smile soft, used to this sort of thing. There had been the same vampire she’d translated for Marcus standing in the crowd, and he wasn’t the almond-skinned girl’s favourite. Ignoring the girl’s discomfort he continued on, hoping his next line would make it seem like he really was making a tough choice, not finally getting a hold of the freaking clairvoyant.

“I would like to say that the… celebratory month before the actual event has left me without a doubt that I had to choose my handmaiden as soon as possible. So with the help of my sycophant, Adrian, I have finally chosen.” He waited again for the translator to finish, catching the end and smiling at her use of words, “…Ainsi avec l'aide de mon flagorneur, Adrian, j'ai finalement choisi.”

Flagorneur meaning ‘flatterer’ in French. Typically sycophant was a negative word if one would care to look it up, and in vampire terms it was just short of a scion. Someone vying for the position or close enough to the master but not enough for the scion title. Funny things, words. “I have chosen to take on Nika Clemmings as my handmaiden, and I would appreciate no blood letting or scent plays until I get her adjusted.”

“J'ai choisi de prendre Nika Clemmings…”

Many Masters had made the same request, and only the brave - or foolish - went against those words. Foolish would be Marcus’ term, but he knew he was not stronger or even as strong as some of the other vampires here. He hoped she would be okay, now certain that many of the other hand servants would be trying to make nice to get information on how their Master could get higher up in his good books.

“…ajustée.”

Marcus smiled again, flashing a bit of fang, but not enough to imply anything but playfulness. Twisting his wrists quickly to allow the crushed velvet sleeves to fall away from his wrists a bit more he decided that this was enough.
“I know we do not need to eat, but please enjoy what I have set out for you, I will be draining some sweet wine for you in just a half hour. Please, enjoy!”

With that he let his arms fall slightly, worry settling in his mind, though he wouldn’t dare let it show on his face. One of the joys of Piscary’s party had been the large hunt the undead had given them. He’d bought a mass expanse of land, covering it in beautiful foliage and letting a bunch of young virgins free. After slitting their wrists. Charming… His human mind thought with disgust, and even as he revolted he felt his eyes dilate. It had been good. So, so good. He’d given in to his primal instincts, and so had everyone around him. Blood exchanges all around, high on the ecstasy the swap gave them. Piscary knew exactly what to do to let that out. He left the ballroom, and most of the pets were hiding in the Kitchen, ‘helping out’ or being bled out in a cautious fashion.

Where the hell was his entourage?

 

[supah x nova]

Sirusxo{ remus }xo Locke
t h e xo t r i g g e r - h a p p y xo w e r e w o l f
•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•xo•

Sirus was silent as the car pulled into the parking lot, his unease returning at full force. As it was mentioned before, Sirus had trust issues. It was bad enough that he had to be driven into the nearest city by another werewolf - most likely a pack wolf, too - but now he was in a situation where good, relatively civil behavior meant freedom from some imaginary hell he had concocted inside his head. Sure, maybe he was overreacting over the whole situation, but it really wasn't like he didn't have good reason to. He'd been betrayed once and everything had just spiralled downhill since then.
'Course, he'd managed to stay out of too much trouble during his years spent alone, but that had come at a price. His trust had been shot, therefore causing him to forgo any sense of companionship. He couldn't let himself put his trust in anyone, and to think he now had to spend a few days in some stranger's apartment while his car was overhauled...

Forcing himself to remain calm and guarded, he shouldered his own duffle bag and stepped out of the passenger seat with a small amount of hesitation. His free hand grasped hold of the gun case, lifting it from the car and then proceeding to shut the passenger door behind him. He took a moment to sniff the air, wrinkling his nose in distaste when he caught the acrid, but traditional, scents of the city. Cement and asphalt baking in the sun overhead, car emissions and the odd fast-food joint all mixed into one. Wonderful.

Muttering something foul under his breath, he followed Iah into the shop and took the chance to get familiar with his surroundings for the time being. Green eyes fell only momentarily on the young woman sitting in the room, glued to a Cosmo magazine. She reeked of perfume, and therefore, quickly lost Sirus' interest. He did, however, pay attention to the short conversation Iah carried on with her and then with Paul, as he really had nothing better to do while he waited. He could have even shouted his relief the moment Iah excused himself and began heading up to the apartment above the shop, but remained quiet and followed Iah up with a little less hesitation then before. He'd be glad to be out of sight and left alone for a little while, to let him deal with the current situation.

At the mention of a cat, however, Sirus frowned. He didn't mind cats, it was really only people he had a problem with, but they weren't exactly his favourite animal, either. They also seemed to share the same opinion of him. Perhaps it was just his scent? Or maybe his attitude? Whatever it was, they really weren't fond of him. Nonetheless, he merely grunted in response. Despite his trust issues, he decided it wasn't worth risking a place to stay for the night if he didn't end up getting along with some stupid cat. He'd rather just deal with it for now.

The cat was sitting in the middle of the doorway the moment Iah opened the door and Sirus immediately frowned at the unfortunate creature. She'd definitely seen better days, that was for sure. He even wondered for a moment, where exactly Iah had found the cat, but he kept his mouth shut. It didn't really matter.
Idly, he watched the cat move into the small living room as Iah walked inside and set his keys down, before following the other Were further into the small apartment. It wasn't much, but Sirus guessed it was just to Iah's liking. He turned toward the other Were once more, nodding once after being told it would be best to feed the cat, before being left on his own in the apartment.

A few moments of silence passed and he let out a small sigh as he set his things down near the couch. A loud, croaking meow suddenly sounded and Sirus turned to look at the cat. She was staring at him now, a strange look in her one eye. He grimaced, "What?" The cat just stared at him, unblinking before letting out another weird sound that was almost similar to a cat stuck in a blender. Not a pleasant sound, at all. This time, he did manage to get the message, though.
"Food, right? Okay, fine." He sighed again, heading into the kitchen with the cat following at his heels.


[ooc:// D8 Seriously, the best I could come up with.
God, I can do better than this!]