Midnight Parisitosis [TAG: Az, Niko. Invite Possible?]

[Nikolae]

"I have a feeling plenty of owls are out hunting," Nikolae replied with some bit of sardonic humor. The girl wouldn't get the joke, but he trusted Azraeth would know exactly what he'd meant by it. It was so clever he nearly laughed but bit back all but a quiet chuckle. They were walking again, and the cool air was tussling his hair, the freshness of this place a stark contrast to the nearly humid stench of decay in various other places in the city. The Quarantine Zone came to mind, though he couldn't rightly remember the last time he'd ventured to that area. There wasn't much left there for him - he'd long since become an expert at taking down the undead beasts in those streets, and it bored him more than aided in his goals.

"I call him Raeth because he's always been my wraith." He added with a half-smile, shaking his head ruefully. The younger vampire was like the missing shadow Nikolae had lost when he'd been turned, a constant companion to see the dark nights of immortality through. He'd be lost without his first-borne, he suspected, but he didn't voice that thought aloud. Too sentimental for his strong-hearted Mystic childe.

When Raeth paused in his steps, Nikolae paused right beside him, following the mans gaze toward the forest with a squint of his gold serpentine eyes. "What have you found now, Raeth?" He murmured with wry amusement. It was fitting they should stumble upon one of the beasts, though he very much hoped it's presence didn't draw out the surprisingly more violent Fae. He nearly shivered at the thought. Fighting one of them off would be more work than play, though he'd do it to see his childe and the peculiar female to safety. He hoped the woman couldn't make out the demonic creature from this far away, though. How he or Raeth would explain such a thing was beyond him.

"Perhaps the long way around?" He offered quietly. He didn't really know where they were going anyways - his sense of direction was notoriously terrible, and his childe knew it.

[Soul (DELETED 5864)]

Soul looked between the men for a moment, wondering just what exactly their secret was. For some, it may have been easily overlooked, but it tugged inside of her, saying that there was a tale to be told. Maybe she would learn it this night, but maybe she wouldn't. Either way things turned out would be just fine in her opinion. Getting to know someone was supposed to be an adventure.

She meant to ask Nikolae's wraith just what he meant by the words spoken, but as Nikolae himself cut in a question, her lips found themselves drawing back to a close. Nevertheless, with that single beckoning finger, she found her body moving with a slow caution toward the scene. With not a second lost, the young lady's eyes lit up, reflecting the kaleidoscopic patterns that danced their way across the surface of the water before them. It was truly mesmerizing and there was no doubt that the girl could easily sit there all night, through the cold and solitude, only to watch the performance the moon contributed.

Still, something seemed out of place. It was a feeling that prickled over the pores of her skin, taunted her flesh until it finally felt the cold. With human eyes she could not make out just what exactly it was that she was catching glimpses of among the leaves and branches and darkened world, but she had a feeling that Nikolae and Az knew. Normally, she would have chalked it all up to bad timing, to the treacherous little demons that haunted her having a violent go at her when she had to pretend to be normal in the presence of others. But with this pair of men, Soul felt at ease being herself.

As if she possessed a certain level of empathy, Soul began to tremble in on herself, arms coming up in a cross over her chest. Her voice soft and unsure, as if still seeking the right descriptions. "This place suddenly feels..." The girl shook her head then. Like the flip of a switch that turned a dark room bright, Soul had seemed to completely reverse whatever she had been feeling. It was likely nothing more than a decently constructed charade on her part, but being able to smile and laugh and carry on like she had before was far better than getting sucked in to whatever darkness seemed to linger close by. "It's a wonderfully magical place, like you said it would be."

The long way around suddenly seemed a very welcome idea even if the danger of what was among them remained unclear to her. But it was a decision she did not feel the right to make. Looking between them, her eyes fell to Az last before settling on a jagged rock just under his shoe. Even curiosity wouldn't push questions from her at this point. Later, perhaps.

[Azraeth]

A soft chuckle to the joke, because he did get it, though much as he’d said before – he wagered Soul wouldn’t want to meet those particular owls. At least. Not when she was in the company of vampires. Every step she made towards the darkness was another blind step towards danger. Maybe one day she would realize that, realize there was no such thing as a happily ever after in Harper Rock, or that one had to be guarded just to survive. Whatever the case, so long as she did not realize their preternatural nature, she was safe.

And Nikolae my shadow. Though he did not say those words aloud. Soul wouldn’t have understood the humor behind them, or the sincerity. The bond between sire and childe could be many things. For some, it was chaos, a tempest of emotions that ranged from hatred to adoration. For Az; it was an anchor, something solid he held onto.

He pondered how to handle the situation for a moment, as he was faced with the potential danger of the fadebeast. Stealth had not been a high priority for him, and the thing seemed to have taken notice of their little trio making its way through the forest. “Indeed, the long way around would probably be best.” His tone was a bit on the distracted side, but he took note of the seeming chill that went through Soul. It might have been winter playing its hand finally, or maybe it had more to do with the spiritual entity not far away. Whatever the case, he was intrigued, which was rare for him when it came to mortals.

“I have some business to attend to in the city, perhaps you could escort her the rest of the way, Niko?” He asked deferentially before he took a step towards the fadebeast, into the thick of the woods. His palms began to glow, though they were aimed away from the other two, a distraction from them. He would draw its attention and just teleport away at the last second. The Fae would disperse the creature into little more than crafted shadows eventually. His priority was ensuring that his sire and the human were not attacked. He suspected they would be long gone by the time it realized.

“My phone number is 343-732-2987. I’d love for us to chat again later, Soul.” And with that, he went quiet, venturing another step towards the beast. The thing snarled at him and immediately began to charge. Too close. It was drawing too close too quickly. By the time it was on top of him, both of them were gone. It happened in the blink of an eye; one second there and the next nothing but crisp clean air.

Exit Azraeth. <3 To be continued in: can you see