♪ What the lady wants ♪

[Skylar]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

This RP takes place on Saturday 19th December 2015.

Ric:
She wanted a date night. But not a normal date night. I'm not against date nights unless it has a lot of people involved in a place. I finished my rounds in the cavern with the jewels I collected and came back to the apartment with them in my sack. They weren't for me-they were for her. She made things with them. I put the sack on the bench and head to our bedroom. "Sky?" I say as I make my way in the room to change.

Skylar:
I don’t hear him come in. I kinda tune out when I’m in the shower. Unless I feel like I’m being watched that is. I’m too busy singing to myself to realise I’m no longer alone. Helps that Blackie’s with me too. I know he’ll growl if that creepy stalker thing comes back. Right now he’s being quiet so I have nothing to worry about. I’d of waited and dragged Ric in here with me but I’m not sure where he is or how long he’ll be. I’m not sure he’s keen on any of my suggested date night activities but he agreed so he can like it or lump it as far as I’m concerned.

Ric:
She's in the shower and she's doing her girl thing. Singing in it. I never understood why people sing in the shower. But that's her thing and it's whatever. As I walk in, I take the black tank top off and put it in the hamper. "Hey babe. " I say loud enough so she's not surprised

Skylar:
Prick startles me when he walks in cos I never heard the door open and Blackie was next to useless as an alarm. In fact I already know without looking that the dog bolted for the front room the moment that door opened. I pull back the shower curtain a little, to find my delectable hubby already shirtless. “Hey you. You gonna get in here and join me? We can multitask.” I wink at him. He was pre-warned about the mood I’m in so I’m pretty sure he knows what I mean. Besides anything else we still need to finalise our plan for tonight and I’ll happily do that while soaping him down. I grin at the thought. He better ******* be getting in this shower or I’m gonna whimper like a baby and I know it. Damn it. I need to get me some self-control in a big old way.

Ric:
I look at my wife and shrug my shoulders. "That was the plan. We got time?" I'm stalling because I had only planned on coming home to change and then go out. I'm uncomfortable with her being in this mood. Is it because of Dillon? She mentioned him earlier in the night. And if it's not and it's because of me, I'm not really in the mood. It isn't really anything she did or didn't do. It's because of the things going on. I wonder if Sky sees me in a different light now that she's seen some of my past.

Skylar:
“Babe, for you’d I make the time. But yeah. We’ve got all the time in the world since we haven’t actually figured out what the **** we’re doing tonight. So get your pants off and get your arse in here and tell me what you wanna do after we shower.”
I go back to what I was doing and try to tune out Ric’s negativity. Something’s up. I’m not sure what it is, and I’m not sure he’d tell me if I asked. Though… **** it… He knows I don’t keep my mouth shut if I have something to say.
“What’s up with you babe? I’m getting some really weird vibes from you. Feels like uncertainty? Impatience? I’m not too sure which and I don’t much like it truth be told.”

Ric:
I just stare at her. "I'm not impatient. You know that. " I undo my belt buckle and then kick off my boots and drop my drawers. "Just wondering when Dillon will creep up. "

Skylar:
I tilt my head slightly as I peek out from behind the curtain once more to see what’s taking Ric so long. Momentarily I’m stunned into silence. There’s no sight quite like my boy in the buff.
“Erm… sorry… what? Who?”
I blink and shake off the insecurity that I’m feeling cos I’m pretty damn sure it ain’t mine.
“Ricky? You ain’t got no reason to feel insecure on account of him. Even if he were alive and well, I wouldn’t be interested. You know that. Right? God that’s like comparing, I don’t know what. Something stupid with something totally amazing and kickass.”
I know I’m babbling and I don’t even know if Rics actually feeling insecure or whatever but it doesn’t hurt to stroke his ego a little just to be on the safe side. Besides. I ain’t lying. Ric’s like my dream guy. Wait. Have I told him that before? Should I tell him now? Too mushy? Maybe. But whatever.
“You know you’re like everything I ever wanted in a guy right. And like everything I didn’t know I wanted too. So if you’re having seconds thoughts about me mister, you better tell me now so I can tie you to a chair and beat the ever loving **** out of you till you love me. I’m not above trying to Stockholm your arse if you’re ready to bolt on me.”
My tone is light-hearted but I’m only half joking. I might actually need to figure out how to cut off his powers like Jules did that time when he was loco. You know… In case I actually need to do that. ****. It’s official. I’ve lost the plot.

Ric:
Now I grin. I think she could do it. Skylar's got some wicked muscle definition in her arms. So if she got be tied up, I know she'd throw a few good punches. "I'm having second thoughts. " I'm not and maybe she'll know it and call me on it, but I can try. It sounded like a good time to me.

Skylar:
I give him a look; the kind that says “oh no you didn’t.” You know the kind of look I mean, the kind that would usually tell a guy to run or you know… take back what he said very quickly. Unfortunately for my boy, his instincts on women aren’t as hot as they should be. A year the ******’s known me and he goes and says that. I don’t think so. I have like a second to consider the fact that I might slip and end up on my arse before I’m out of the shower and standing before him in all my glory.
“**** you Roderic.”
I say this while pointing my finger at him.
“Don’t you ever ******* say that to me.”
I’m mad. I think it’s the my allurist PMS raising its ugly head again, as I can’t hold back the urge I have to kick him in the shin. Only. Well, instead of kicking him like I usually do, I sucker punch him in the gut.
“Get in the ******* shower before date night is cancelled in favour of me torturing your arse.”
I’m yelling at him. God help me.
Damn it.
I realise after I hit him and went all psycho on his arse that he was smiling before he said it. ****. He was joking. ******** was teasing me and trying to get a reaction. Well he got one. The ******.
****.
He better ******* forgive me for this or I don’t know what I’ll do. He’s not a fan of me causing him pain. I’m supposed to be the submissive in this relationship. A fact I’m reminded of by the glint I can see out of the corner of my eye as the light bounces off one of the stones in my collar. I slap my hands over my mouth and stare at my guy, clearly shocked by my own actions.
“**** babe. You okay?”

Ric:
She rises to the challenge and doesn't at all disappoint me. She goes off like she normally does in her Skylar fashion and then punches me to boot. It's not some girly punch either. I'm hunched over and rubbing at the red mark she made with her fist. But at least Skylar's back. She's been a little off for a while now. I don't remember when. Maybe it was before my dreams, or maybe it's cause of my dreams. Whatever the reason, it was ********. "I've taken a punch before." I say with a scowl before standing up. "You should do that on our date." I say before climbing in the shower. "To someone else, obviously."

Skylar:
I throw my hands up in the air cos I’m like exasperated or whatever. At least I never said sorry. ****** deserved it. I nod to myself and get back in the shower.
“So… you want me to start a fight in a bar or something? Is that your idea of a date hmm?”
I shove him playfully.
“You so totally want me to be a battle babe.”
I shake my head. He knows that’s not on the cards for me. At least I don’t think it is. The more time I spend with Ric, the more I think I may be wrong about that. It’s almost impossible to deny how good I feel with a blade in my hand. Totally his influence. I’d say it’s a good job he doesn’t know how I feel but there’s a chance he’s seen it in a memory or something. Memories have feelings attached right? I mean that internal stuff. It’s part of the package when recalling stuff isn’t it? Hmm… I should probably ask him about that at some point.

Ric:
"No. But if you feel like punching someone for whatever, do it. " I shrug as I grab the soap and start to wash up. "So any idea what you want to do? You said a couple things. Any preference? "

Skylar:
“Punched you didn’t I.”
I practically snort before I get lost in what he’s doing.
Damn.
Double damn.
My libido is like out of control I swear. Does watching him soap himself up usually make me drool like this? Maybe.
I mentally shake myself so I can reply but that doesn’t stop my hands from wandering as I speak.
“Something with projectiles. Archery or darts or throwing knives or something. Hell we can buy some shuriken and practice with those if you like. I hear they are wicked difficult to master. Though knowing me I’ll end up burying one in you or like dropping it on my foot or something. Things could get dangerous.”
I laugh. Whatever tension I had is pretty much being washed away by the water and the feel of his skin under my hands is distracting me from any residual negativity. Ricky feels calmer. It’s odd. He should be pissed at me but he seems happier now than when he came in. I don’t much blame him. Besides the punching part, this is what I needed. This and some time doing something different with my guy. Varieties the spice of life and all that. Right?

Ric:
"Ok." I say with a nod, already having an idea in my head. And it wasn't furry or a person. That's what she had said, right? I take the soap and turn it on her, soaping her up. "How's your night vision?" I ask, wondering how my idea would really pan out.

Skylar:
“As good as yours I’d imagine seeing as how we’re both immortal and stuff. I mean my vision was 20-20 when I was alive and it’s better now. Not ever had it tested or anything since you know… dying…”
Okay. This is way too distracting. Too much talking. Yep. That’s what the issue is. I slip my hands around his neck and kiss him as if I’m drowning ad he’s my air. He pretty much is. I just don’t think he’s clued into that yet. Which might be a good thing. The weirdest things freak him out. Still.

Ric:
"Good." I say before she's eating my face. Not really, but that's what I call making out. No matter who it is. I drop the soap somewhere in the shower, wrap my hand around her neck, feeling the collar. I like the feel of it and it reminds me that I'm in control. I use my other hand to take one of her hands off me and pin it to the wall of the shower space. I kiss her back, stepping into her and pushing her to the wall that her hand is on. I don't waste any more time talking about what we're going to do.

Skylar:
God I love it when he takes control. If I had to breathe I swear Ric would take my breath away. Thankfully I don’t need to worry about that kinda thing anymore. I’m kinda aware of the fact that I’m probably a bit of a freak. I’ve always thought that anyways but the things I let this man of mine do to me pretty much prove it I’m sure.
Once we’ve had our fun in the shower. I kiss him a couple more times for good measure and untangle myself from him.
“You make such a persuasive argument to stay in, you know.”
I wink at him. I’m not really teasing cos what I said is true, but I do kinda wanna go out too. I don’t know what he’s decided on and honestly I don’t much care. I know he’ll have chosen something he wants to do and that’s kinda the point of tonight for me. Relationships are about give and take after all and well he just gave me exactly what I needed. Only fair I do something for him now. I’m sure in any other relationship things might be vice versa with the guy getting his way in the shower and the girl getting her night out, but we’re not really a conventional couple.
“So… What do I need to wear. Since you’re being all secret squirrelly about what we’re doing.”
He’s not really being secretive - at least I don’t think so - he just hasn’t let me in on the plan yet. I don’t need the details but I do know what I need to wear. Not that jeans and a t-shirt probably won’t cut it. I’m sure if I switch my now standard heels out for trainers or boots I’ll be fine.

Ric:
"Clothes." I say as I pull on a t-shirt I picked up not long after I sired Sister B. It's black and has white words that says, 'Jesus is a ****. ' I've never had the chance to wear it in front of her. She practically shacked up with Pyper after getting sired. I pull out a pair of black jeans, black cotton socks and my black boots. "Jeans and shoes. Practical stuff."

[Roderic]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
Skylar:
I watch Ric get dressed as I dry off my hair with my towel.
“I’m seeing a theme here.”
I say as I note just how much black he’s wearing. Not that that’s a shock or anything. I’m kinda used to his somewhat mono-chromatic clothing choices. I’d wonder if he’s fashionably challenged if it actually bothered me but my boy’s got style, so ain’t no way I’m messing with what’s not broke.
“So standard clothing. No heels I’m guessing. No matter what you’ve chosen I’ll be at enough of a disadvantage as it is just by being me, I’m sure.”
I laugh at myself. Hand eye co-ordination just isn’t my thing. At least not for fighting and throwing weapons and stuff. Actually I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think it’s a coordination issue. I think it’s more a me being a klutz issue. Which I am. Which he knows I am. If I make it out of tonight unscathed it’ll be a ******* miracle I tell you. I don’t even have to know what we’re doing to know that.
I dress in a pair of jeans that aren’t as figure hugging as they could be and pair it with a band t-shirt. I take my collar off since we’re going out and place it on my dresser and then put my trainers on. I’m kinda excited on a different level for whatever we’re about to do. Grabbing my jacket, I scrape my damp hair back into a ponytail and then look down at myself.
Yep. I’m ready. Bring on the entertainment.
“This the kinda thing we can bring Blackie along on, or are we leaving him here?”

Ric:
I shrug. "He can come. It's going to be outside." I say as I start tying my boots. "I have to get some things." I say as she finishes getting ready. I go to my closet and open it up. I've made a lot of stuff in there the last few weeks and I think I've got what we could use in there. As she finishes, I find the three make shift spears I've made out of the ribs of some bears I've found in the wilderness. I come back with two in one arm and one in the other. "Nothing furry or human. Promise." I tell her.

Skylar:
I’m kinda happy to be able to bring Blackie with us. He doesn’t get out much and he seems to like Ric a bit better in open spaces. Not that I know we’re heading to an open space before but you know, a forest is open enough to a semi-claustrophobic dog and Ric does like forests and ****.
“Damn…”
I give an appreciative whistle as Ric produces a few of spears from the cupboard. I could probably make some wicked metal tips for those if he asked me to but then whatever he’s used looks pretty ******* lethal as it is. I begin to think we should be making these to sell. I take one from Ric and look it over. My boy is wicked talented. It’s not I get a good look that I realise the tips are made from bone. It would be creepy if well… if I weren’t living with Ric. This kinda thing is the norm around here.
“I’m suddenly wondering if it’s a good idea to bring Blackie.”
I’m only half joking. I’m suddenly fearing for his life and we haven’t even left the apartment yet. If I spear our dog I’ll never forgive myself. Hopefully he’ll stay close by me. He’s pretty good. I could get him to lay down and stay somewhere safe. If there is such a thing as a safe place with me wielding one of these things.

Ric:
"Your call." I don't like the dog and he doesn't like me. There would be no love loss for me if he bit the dust. But he's attached to sky like flies on ****. "Maybe he should stay." I don't want to hear about me killing Blackie by accident. I start to the front door. "Come on, Sparky." I nod to the front door, careful of the spears in my arms.

Skylar:
I laugh.
“You haven’t called me that in a while.”
I practically bounce as I walk cos I’m kinda pumped. I’m taking Blackie though. Danger be damned. He’s a good boy. I’m sure we can find somewhere for him to sit and stay. I pick up his lead and attach it to his collar so I can walk him out the door without him trying to attack the zombies downstairs.
“I’m sure between the pair of us we can keep Blackie safe. I’m the danger magnet, so we’ll just sit him down a little way away from me. He should be fine.”
I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince Ric of this or me. Probably both, even if Ric is giving of an apathetic vibe.

Ric:
"Okay." Skylar obviously wants him to come with us, and the debate is holding up time. "Don't forget his leash." I remind her because worst case, we tie him to a tree or some other fixture that won't budge. "I think this is all we need. Ready?" I want to give her a heads up before we get going. Skylar is still a girl and girls, are, well, girls.

Skylar:
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I’m always up for following my guy wherever it is that he wants to go. I’m not a stalker. Really. Okay. Maybe a little bit. But he’s worse. Yeah, right. I wish. I’d love it if my guy stalked me. Guess he doesn’t have to though. Not with that nifty little super power of his.
“Ricky… Why do you call me Sparky?”
I ask the question but I’m not entirely sure I wanna know the answer.

Ric:
I don't answer the question right away. Not until we're out of the apartment with Blackie on the leash. "Why do you call me Ricky? And keep calling me it?" She knows I don't like it, but I've gotten over it. But since she asked, I thought it was fair to bring up. I hit the elevator button and then give her a serious answer. "Because you're like fire. Dangerous to play with." The elevator opens and I step in, pushing past the dog even.

Skylar:
I smile when Ric brings up my nickname for him. I’m sure I explained it to him before but perhaps not. Besides, it’s obvious right. It’s like an extension of his name. Then he explains his name for me and I can’t help but feel all kinds of fuzzy emotions. If I didn’t have to drag Blackie in the elevator with me, I’d already be wrapped around him. Once I’m in and the doors have closed, I let Blackie cower in the corner furthest away from Ric and – avoiding the spears – wrap my arms around Ric’s neck. I kiss him hard, cos well… why the hell not.
“That’s like the sweetest thing. I love that name all the more now I know what it means.”
I grin at him.
“And you know why I call you Ricky. It’s like a play on your name. I cutesified it. You must have noticed I tend to do that when I like a person. When I can, I just add the ‘ie’ sound to the end of the name. So Elliot became Ellie. You became Ricky. Make sense?”
I put a little space between us – by which I mean I’m no longer pressed against him. My fingers are linked and resting at the back of neck though. I’m not letting him get that far away from me.

Ric:
I let Skylar think I was being sweet. I've learned when to hold my full thoughts with her. And some people who can't take the truth. The real truth. I just nod and press the 'G' button. "I know. I remember." I still don't like it. "Maybe you could think of a second one. That's not so cutsey." I suggest as the door closes and we descend to the main floor a minute or so later. I like that the main floor is "G" and not "1." "Won't take us long to get to our destination." I assure Skylar before we head out. Blackie In her capable hands and the spears in mine.

Skylar:
I wait till were out and walking before I reply. To Ric it might seem I was thinking over his request but really I knew what I was going to say almost immediately. I have a couple of choice names for Ric that aren’t sweet or endearing but I only use them when I’m pissed at him – something I’m sure he knows, or would, if he thought about it. Blackie is trying to get his paws on any zombie he sees, but I have no trouble restraining him. I may look small and fragile but I’m a deceptive little powerhouse.
“You know I have some not nice names for you too arsehat. But I tend to use those when the mood takes me. And if I’m calling you anything other than Ricky or Ric, you’re probably in trouble and should be either apologising, running or trying to restrain me.”
I’m wearing a mischievous smile on my lips, but my words are pure truth. I wink at him, so he knows I’m not spoiling for a fight. I know he used to hate me calling him Ricky but somewhere along the line, he gave up complaining about it… until today.

Ric:
She tells me that she's a typical woman in all that. Emotional and crazy. Great. I should work on getting rid of one of those two things. First, our date. I keep heading north until we're at the river bank between the QZ and the Bullwood district. One spear at a time goes into the softy, sandy soil at my feet. "Here we are." I look at Skylar and then to Blackie who is sitting on the sand, staring at the water, confused.

Skylar:
“Oookay.”
I look from the spears, to Ric, to Blackie. I have no idea what my guy is thinking, but then again I rarely know what that boy of mine is thinking.
“Erm…”
I reach down to pet Blackie who looks like he’s lost in his own reflection. I think it’s an animal thing. I don’t think he’s doing the typical vain male thing. Dogs don’t seem to give much of a **** what they look like, and if I remember correctly, they aren’t capable of recognising their own reflection anyways. He’s probably trying to work out who the mutt is that staring at him.
“What’s the plan Stan?”
I look back up at Ric and wait for him to explain what’s going through that beautifully twisted mind of his.

Ric:
I point to the water. "We're fishing. Spear fishing." I say with a small grin. "Not human. Not fluffy." I remind Skylar of her terms. "Come on, Sparky." I grab a spear from the sand and hold it for her to take while my other hand yanks another spear out for me.

Skylar:
“Well if we’re staying here I may as well let Blackie have the run of the place. He knows this area well and all he’s gonna do is mark his territory, bark at zombies and then do a runner when they get too close. I don’t think he knows what to make of them.”
I run my hand over Blackie’s glossy coat and then unclip his leash. I don’t wait for Ric’s reply, cos well, **** it, that’s why. He doesn’t know Blackie like I do and even if he disappears off, he won’t go far. Just far enough away from Ric that he feels comfortable, most likely.
“So fishing eh?”
I peer into the water. Should I tell Ric that this might be the worst idea for a date ever? Erm. No. Why not? Because, well… one I don’t wanna knock his attempts at dating to the point he refuses to go on anymore and two because I usually have fun with Ric no matter what we do, it’s him I need to keep happy and entertained.
“I think you’re gonna have to show me what I’m expected to do here, babe. My hand eye co-ordination isn’t great for stuff like this, so you’d best not get your hopes up either. It’s highly likely I’m gonna suck at this.”

Ric:
How can someone not know how to spear fish? Or at least where to start? Skylar would have been screwed if there was no electricity or water when she was a human. "Yeah. Ok." I just nod my head and start towards the water. "Hope you don't mind getting wet." I realize how that sounds too little too late but manage to finish my thoughts before my wife turns them to someone they aren't. "By the river." I go in, boots and all, just until the water covers my ankles or so

Skylar:
I stifle my giggle when Ric asks if I mind getting wet. He really should know the answer to that one already considering what we were doing not 30 mins ago.
“Whatever you say handsome.”
I notice how he knows the way in which my mind was going and tried to stop it. Believe it or not, that’s progress for my guy.
I kick off my trainers and take off my socks before rolling up my jeans. It won’t help all that much and had I known, I’d of worn a pair of shorts. Hmm… still could. I could rip these… even though it’s not shorts weather or anything and that might look strange. But then someone being on this side of the river is strange anyways. I shrug to myself and ask Ricky for a blade, since I know he’s bound to be carrying one.
“Hey babe… you got a dagger on you or something?”

Ric:
Usually, I do. But I knew we weren't going far and weren't going to have any issues with spearing fish. Other than Sky stabbing me. Or her. "No. Why?" I look at spear. "We can't dagger fish." I tell her before going to her and help her roll up her jeans. "We good?" I stare down at her

Skylar:
“Erm… Well… I was gonna cut my jeans into shorts. Wet denim is just manky.”
I explain my thinking to Ric. Yeah I could rip the denim but material’s funny. It doesn’t always rip the way you want it to. Trust this to be the one time my guy ain’t carrying.
“No worries. Guess I’ll make do.”
I stroke his face and give him two quick kisses, my lips barely brushing his each time. He’s kinda a sweetheart when he wants to be, even if he’d never admit it. I mean what other guy would help with my jeans like this. It’s pretty much just Ric. Most guys only touch my clothing to try and get it off, not to get me comfy. Not that guys do that to me anymore. Thank god. Who knew marriage could be so freeing?

[Skylar]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
Ric:
"Manky?" I stop and look up at my wife. "Is that a real word?" I shake my head, thinking it's not, but society has made up words that I'll never understand the origins from. "Babe, they're just jeans. You can walk in the mall and buy ten more pairs like nothing." Sometimes, the real girlie side of Skylar shows its head and makes me want to shake common sense back in her. But luckily she's not too hung up on her pants and more hung up with making out with my face. I pull away and grab her hand with my free one and put us in at just about thigh deep of water. "I'm not expecting us to catch a lot of fish. I just want to test the quality of these poles and see if I can make it a thing. To actually sell in my shop." I inform her before looking her dead in the eyes. "There are some things you need to know before attempting to spear anything. No excessive noise. No splashing, no large commotions and no bubbles. The sneakier you can be, the more successful we will be." I want her to acknowledge that she's heard what I said before I progress with more information sharing.

Skylar:
I shrug at his question. I have no clue if it’s a real word or not but it’s a word in my circle of friends. Which probably means it’s one of Steve’s Briticisms. I know what I mean and I’m sure Ric gets the gist as he tells me I can always buy more. I know that. I’m not stupid. It’s just the feeling of wet denim against my skin, it’s… manky. I don’t know how else to describe it. Gross maybe? I consider relaying this information to Ric but he’s already explaining what I need to know.
Great. He loves to choose things that involve us not talking and killing things. It’s a disturbing pattern but one I can live with if it means I get more time with him. If I didn’t put up and shut up at times, he wouldn’t want me around him so much. I guess it’s only fair. He puts up with my nonsense a lot of the time too.
“Right so what… whisper when talking, stand still and only strike if I think I can hit something. That the gist of it?”
I’m pretty sure that is the gist of it and while I can cope with that, I’ve gotta admit, the chances of me stabbing myself in the foot are probably pretty high. Sadly.

Ric:
I nod my head at her question, then lower my voice to talk, indicating what level of volume would be alright for this kind of activity. "Might be easier to go under water. Completely, but..." I just shrug my shoulders. Legit spear fishing would have us soaked from head to toe, but I can barely get my wife to get half her pants wet. No way am I pushing my luck tonight. "Try and spear the fish just behind the gills, on the side of its body. No more than about a foot away or so. Once you stab a fish, it's going to fight and try to get loose, even though it knows it's dying. Grab the spear, hold it firm and don't let it get off the spear tip. Grab that fish." I look at Skylar, wondering if she'll be able to pull it off. Touching a fish that is. "Have you ever fished before?"

Skylar:
I laugh.
“Of course I’ve fished before. With a net. In a tank. In my bedroom. Okay. So no. I haven’t fished. Not by any definition you’d give fishing anyways. Though if you’ve ever had to clean out a fish tank before and had to chase those little fuckers around with the net, then you’d know you’ve still gotta have a bit skill to catch ‘em.”
I’m not being as quiet as I should be but we’ve only just started. Ill calm down. Besides. He asked. I answered.
I’m not entirely sold on this spear fishing thing but I’m grateful we aren’t going all in. I mean that really would suck. Not cos I’d be all wet - I don’t give a **** about that - but because I wouldn’t be able to talk to him.

Ric:
"They are fast. Which means you have to be faster." I can't believe someone's never really gone fishing before in their entire life, but I've heard of stranger things. Once in a while. Plus, Skylar is, or did come from a ritzy family with lots of money. They probably paid people to fish for them for dinner. Or just went to some store and bought the top of the line fish. Tuna is pricey and damn good if buying it fresh. Along with a lot of other ocean fish. But we're in the river and it's not going to get eaten anyways. Well, not by me. She might eat it. I wonder about it. I pull out a couple of small enclosed hooks from my pockets and show them to her. "These are called Stringers." I show her how they open and then hand her a couple. "Any time you get a fish, you're going to stick the stick the stringer through its gills and out its mouth, firmly securing the fish, before you pull it off the spear." I put a couple back in my own pockets before glancing at her from the side now. "If you need help, I guess just hit me on the arm, or something. Just don't scream. Or jump around. I'll come and help if needed. Promise." If she can't get down on touching slimy, scaly fish, I understand it. Most girls can't. I give her props for even trying to spear fish.

Skylar:
Eww. That sounds kind of disgusting.
“Quite the romantic aren’t ya.”
I tease. Okay so I said I wouldn’t insult his choice of date night activity, but come on. Seriously. Spearing fish and sticking things through their gills and out of their mouths. Do all fish go through this? No. They’re mainly caught in nets and stuff but wow. Poor Fishy.
“Will it hurt the fish?”
The question is out my mouth before I can stop it. I stare at the little metal do-hickeys in my hand. By the time the poor thing gets these shoved through, it’s already got a hole in its side. Am I torturing the fish or will it be dead already. I gotta ask.
“Is the fish dead before we put this in it?”
"No, it won't be dead." I thought that point was clear when I said they'd be fighting and trying to get off, so she would have to use the stinger to keep them in her possession. "And not really. Once fish are out of air, they're sort of suffocating." Great. I'm going to lose her. "They just fall asleep and then they die." I don't know if it's so much falling asleep as passing out, so I rephrase. "They pass out and die."

Skylar:
I’ve probably gone a little green. I’m okay with guts and gore and stuff and seeing dead animals but killing things myself, innocent things, that’s kinda different. The fish didn’t take a shot at me or try to stab me or anything. Okay. Maybe I need to reset my parameters. I’ve changed. I’m capable of harming people. Like actual living people. But well. They deserve it. I’ve watched Ric shoot and kill animals. A lot. I’ve witnessed him strip the carcases and make food and art from the meet, flesh and bones. So why the **** is it so hard to get my head around the idea of spearing a fish? Oh yeah, right. Fish have feelings too. Either I put my big girl panties on, or I have to stop eating meat.
Well, when I put it like that, I know which option I’m taking.
“So the metal thingy goes through the fish before I pull it out of the water?”
I ask to clarify, as somewhere along the line I’ve gotten lost. I thought I paid more attention than this. I thought I listened to Ric better than this. Urgh. My blonde is showing.

Ric:
I realize this is a very bad idea. Skylar isn't paying attention at all, and she looks disgusted at the idea of doing more than stabbing the fish with a spear. "Just pull it out of the water, hand on the fish and I'll hook it, babe." I'll do the dirty work. I don't mind. I'm good at that sort of thing. "Or, if you want, just forget about the fish and try stabbing rocks or something. Pebbles, ideally." It's night time and I'm not sure how well this is actually going to go over, but there were probably enough pebbles in the bottom of the lake for her to play with while I attempt to find a couple fish to bring home. I just need to find out if these things work, how well they work and if they don't, what I need to do to improve the pole or the spear tip. Maybe wood wouldn't even be a good choice for something like this, even if that's what Native Americans did and used. Maybe there was some other type of material that was better suited for this sort of thing. "Just angle the pole so it's not up and down, more at like a forty-five degree angle, throw your arm back a little and release it. Like this." I do what I told her to do, aiming at nothing particular and release the pole, letting it glide through the air and cut through the water. It lands in the muddy soil under the water and sticks out at a less than forty-five degree angle.

Skylar:
I smile at Ric. See. His softer side is showing again. Told ya he was a sweetheart.
“Babe. Me spearing something in the first place is gonna take a frickin’ miracle. But if you show me how to deal with the metal stinger thingy when you catch the first fish, I’ll give it a go on the second.”
I’m pretty confident he’ll be the one to catch something first. He’s good at this stuff. Me. Not so much. I mean I have the strength for it. I’m pretty sure I could spear a rock. But that’s just target practice. That’s not fishing. And if I do that. I’ll be scaring away any fish in the area for no reason. So, no. No rock fishing for me.
I try to hold the pole how Ric’s shown me. I feel pretty badass, even though I probably look stupid wading around in thigh high water in the dark, in the dead of winter. But hey, could be worse. I could be alone. I have my hubby with me and my dog. Which reminds me.
I don’t hear Blackie barking or anything, so I turn my body to look for him. He’s cool. He’s settled near the river bank. Nearest me. Of course. He’s watching Ric and I like he’s trying to figure out what we’re doing and if he’s supposed to wade out and join us.

Ric:
She wants me to go first. I'm not surprised, it makes sense. I'm the one with the most experience in this stuff, so I grab the spear and wait. I stand without moving, the spear out of the water and angled towards the surface of it. Again, I think we'll be lucky to catch three fish between the two of us, but someone has to try these things out. I look at Skylar and shake my head and laugh. She looks like she's trying to be some sort of amazon warrior princess or something which was kind of funny, but now it's kind of hot. I can imagine it. She should roll up her sleeves so I can see those muscles of hers. Skylar has great arm muscles, I've told her at least ten times, if not more. Exactly like that when she wants a compliment. "You have nice arms." It's true. They are nice.
They're fantastic. Best looking arms I've ever seen on a woman. I hear something splash a few feet out, and my eyes zoom in on the area where there are some ripples coming towards us. Not big, fat ones. Thin, tiny ones that are slow. It's going to be a small fish, if I get it, but I'm not holding my breath. If I had any to hold that was. I think I see the fish coming towards us, but damnit if it's not difficult to see. More than I anticipated. I take aim anyways. Maybe it's a water snake. Who cares as long as I get to try this out before marketing them? I release the pole and it goes gliding through the water and then yank it back up. Empty. "Damn." I mutter.

Skylar:
I turn my attention back to Ric when I feel his eyes on me. I love it when he looks at me like that. I get this warm, fuzzy feeling, which I kinda need right now because the water is ******* freezing. I flash Ric my best smile and then watch as he goes into hunter mode.
Talk about hot!
There’s nothing quite like watching my hubby hunt. He’s lethal. That whole bad boy thing isn’t just an act on his part. He knows what he’s doing. This spear thing though, this is new. I know he can aim with projectile weapons but I’ve never seen him use a spear before. It’s kinda primal. More so than using a blade or a crossbow anyways.
“No worries babe. I’m sure you’ll get the next one.”
I don’t care if we don’t catch anything now, truth be told. If I get to watch Ric do his thing, the night won’t be a total bust.
I look at the pole in my hand and relax my stance. I wonder if we could go spear zombies if we get bored here. I mean, they’re bigger targets, so even if this hasn’t been designed for that purpose, it should still work, right? I think so. But I’ll wait till we’ve failed half a dozen times or so before I suggest that. I didn’t get my feet wet for nothing.

[Roderic]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
Ric:
She's urging me on, even though I failed, by astronomical proportions. I know I can do this, if it was the middle of the day, or even early morning. Night time though? While my eyes are better than they ever were in the dark, I don't have night vision. "I know." I say, before going still again and scanning the surface's top for movement in the water. We stand in silence and stillness for ten to twelve minutes before there's another noise. To my left and not far from Skylar. Too close to her. I don't risk it. I mean, sure, she could heal and all, but I know I would hear it come up every now and again. About how I speared her this one time. Not worth it. So I wait and it moves on, before another splash to my right. I whip my head around and see the ripples, larger than before and angle my arm to take aim. Another splash and the pole is released from my hand and connects with the water and then I yank it back up to see another empty spear head. "I think we should get your human to do this in the day." I look at Skylar, as I recognize a failed attempt.

Skylar:
A fish is swimming around near my ankles and I know I shouldn’t even attempt that – not with my history. We’ve been quiet for a while but I don’t mind. I’ve come to kind of appreciate silence truth be told. It’s like some sort of reset button for the brain. I can just think things through. Though I do have to watch that I don’t start humming or moving to the tunes in my head, cos that would be bad in a situation like this.
Ric strikes like some kind of humanoid viper and I mentally cross my fingers for him. Unfortunately, he misses. You gotta admire his concentration levels though. I bet he hasn’t been running through lyrics in his mind. When he talks, he sounds defeated and I hate that, so I move over to him and wrap an arm around him. I keep my spear behind me, so I don’t accidentally poke my husband with it and draw blood.
“You can do it babe. If anyone can do it, it’s you. Sapphire would suck at this. For one I’m not sure I could convince her to even step foot in here, for two, I think she’d **** her pants and run if she actually speared something.”
I give his waist a gentle squeeze.
“Give it another go babe, and if you fail we’ll go spear zombies or something.”
I hear Blackie whimper. I swear he knew what I just said but I didn’t mean him. I’d never mean him.

Ric:
Something. Spear something. And like that the dog chimes in. Like she would let me spear the damn dog. I've no attachment to the thing, and it has none to me, so if it died, there would be no love loss. I would stuff it and give it to Skylar to put in the corner of our apartment or whoever she wanted to. Minus my closet. Nothing is really allowed in there. Especially not the dog or the carcass of what was our dog. "Zombies?" I ask, mulling the idea over. That sounds a lot more plausible than spear fishing at night. "That's not a bad idea." She has them sometimes. Good ideas. Maybe a little more than sometimes. "Let's go do that." I’m not giving up on this altogether, I just realize that there needs to be some changes to the conditions we're surrounded in before I can be successful. Anyone to be successful. Next time, a light source would be needed. "Yeah. Let's go spear some zombies or mooncalves or something." I put the spear down my right side and wrap an arm around my wife's waist with my left to guide her towards the shore. "Though, we're all wet." I stop shy of the shore bank and look at her. "Maybe we should just go back home, change and play some games."

Skylar:
“Hell no.”
I say as he guides me back to shore. I love that he does **** like that, none of my exes would have. Maybe Dillon, but he really wasn’t an exe and he’d of used it as an opportunity to grope me in the process. Not Ric. He actually cares. Probably figures I’ll face plant and end up impaling myself on my own spear. He’s not wrong. I’m still waiting for that to happen myself.
“We’re gonna run around bare foot. Hell we’re gonna prat around and pretend these spears are swords and practice fight if we gotta. You wanted to come play. We’re laying. So what if the fish don’t wanna die. We just change the rules.”
Okay so the manky denim clinging to my calves will be an issue but so what. And what’s a little dirt, gravel and probably glass in the bottom of your feet? We’re vampires. We can take it. Hell at this point I’m willing to jump in the river and try catching fish by hand if Ricky prefers it. We’re not going home till we’ve done something and done it right.

Ric:
I don't get my wife sometimes. she says we can do something and then stops us from doing that thing. I think deep down, she's a little bipolar or schizoid or something but it does make her fun. "You want to pretend sword fight?" I like the sound of that, only… "We need to watch the merchandise. I'm going to try these out again sometime soon." I'll bring my cycle when the weather is warmer and park it near the shore and leave the single headlight on. Try it then. "Come on then." I let go of her and jump back a little beckoning her over with my free hand, a wicked grin on my face.

Skylar:
“Keep the pointy end to yourself pretty boy.”
I grin at Ric as I position the pointy end in my left hand before switching it to my right hand. I’m not as good with my left as I am with my right but I can switch things up later if I have to. Ric looks like he’s ready to kick my arse. Not sure why. But I kinda like that mischievous little look of his.
“And it was just a suggestion babe. I’m still up for spearing zombies if you think you can’t take me.”
I’m talking smack. He’s still better than me with a blade, I’m pretty sure. I mean he’s the one that’s been teaching me. Well. I get a lot of practical experience running around the catacombs and sewers and stuff, but I wouldn’t know what the **** I was doing if it wasn’t for Ricky.

Ric:
There's definitely some sort of mental instability with my wife. No one has ever referred to me as a pretty boy before. I know I'm not pretty and that's okay. I don't want to be pretty. I actually try to loo as unattractive as possible to keep people away, but it doesn't seem to work. I know more people now than I've ever known my entire life. It's annoying in so many ways. I know what she's doing. She's talking trash, like a school yard bully. Bullies and **** talkers don't bug me, don't deviate my purpose and tasks. "Come on then. Come kick my ***." I taunt her back before making my move. Forget the spear. It drops to the water and floats there as I vanish from plain view. Skylar didn't say we couldn't use any powers during our play fighting session.

Skylar:
I blink as he drops the spear and disappear. Cheating ********. This was supposed to be a sword fight. Well fine. The moment he appears I’m gonna pacify his sorry arse and kick him till he’s black and blue.
“Oh I see. Couldn’t beat me in a fair fight huh?”
I tease. Blackie’s no use as to where Ric is. I glanced in his direction but he hasn’t even moved. Lazy ******.
“If you’ve gone off and left me here I’m gonna re-arrange the book shelves when I get home!”
I yell into the darkness. I should be quiet. I should be listening for him but I need to warn him first. Make sure he’s not gonna run off and be a complete dick to me.
My spear drops to the floor. **** it. If he’s unarmed. I’ll go unarmed. I’m not as breakable as look.

Ric:
Again, she's taunting me and I'm just going to ignore it. She threatens to rearrange my bookshelf and while that's annoying, I have everything alphabetized by category of genre, so I don't think it would take me long to put everything back as it was. I'm organized to a flaw, people would say. She lets go of her spear, and I act. I summon her to me with a chuckle and then pull us both under the water. It's cold, but we're not going to die or get sick from it. I let Skylar go as soon as both our heads are under water and swim away a little, while still under the water. I only pop my head up a little, like a hippo does to watch and wait for her reaction to my stunt.

Skylar:
Goddamn it Roderic.
I’m freezing my arse off now. Okay so I thought about swimming with the fishes but I’d of had a chance to prepare myself if that was the case. This is like a shock to the system.
I re-emerge and push my now sodden hair out of my eyes. I’d glare at him but he looks way too cute right now.
“Pig.”
I wrinkle my nose and stick my tongue out at him as I reach for his shoulders. I’m not sure if we’re staying in here or not. Don’t really care. I’m over the shock now. If I can handle a little gunshot wound and being hacked up, then I can handle a bit of cold water. I tend to forget these things at times, but that fact that I’m not gasping for breath and shivering my arse off kinda tells me I’m gonna be okay.
“What kind of dirty move was that?

Ric:
Pig? I try to figure out how I was a pig. I've heard that insult before, but not in this kind of way. Usually it refers to a guy who does something perverse to some girl he likes but isn't warranted. "The Ric special. Always expect the unexpected, Sparky." I say looking up at my wife as she hangs on to my shoulders. "Going to cry about it?" Now, I'm taunting her back, but it's rightly deserved from her couple of rounds of trash talking.

Skylar:
“I’m thinking about it.”
I tell him this when he asks me if I’m gonna cry, but I’m grinning as I say it.
The Ric special indeed. He’s the most unpredictably predictable person I’ve ever met. His OCD keeps him conforming to certain habits, but aside from that he’s able to surprise me more often than I’m likely to admit. Like right now. I mean it was an arsehole move pulling me into the water like this, but it’s kinda cute too.
“Did you actually plan to fight me at all or was you just looking to get me all wet again?”
He’ll get what I’m saying. I know he will. And damn, now I’m thinking about sex and about what it would be like to have sex here, in the river. Have we done this before? I don’t think so. That’s surprising, since water is kind of our thing. Well at least I think it is. But then again we’ve got a couple of other things too. Things that make me blush just thinking about them.
Yep. My mind is now well and truly in the gutter. Thank you Ricky.

Ric:
"I don't want you getting hurt." I tell her, grinning from ear to ear as she asks if I planned on fighting her. I'm not completely serious. I know Skylar can hold her own for a good while against anything she charges at, but truth is, she's kind of a ditz and clumsy and I don't want her getting hurt from anything I do, or she does while we're fighting. A stab to the heart or head won't bode well for anyone, especially the one who was taking care of the one critically injured. I splash water at Skylar before I reach out for her and teleport her to the flats, and meet her there. I don't need to say anything really as I grab her hand and lead the two of us to the elevator, avoiding the wandering gaze of others who notice us in drenched clothing and take her back up to our space.

Skylar:
I grin so ******* bad when Ric says he doesn’t want me getting hurt. Yeah. Sure. I could feel insulted but he cares about me, that’s what that says to me. I’m about to ask him if that means he loves me. You know, tease him a bit cos I know he does - even if he doesn’t say it very often. Instead I find myself standing at the flats. It’s a bit of a head rush all this teleporting and summoning business. Disorientating, but I kinda love it too. It’s another way he controls me. And he controls me cos I let him. He has however forgotten our shoes, and more importantly our dog. Well **** the shoes. Blackie though. I need him.
I break away from Ric and run to the door. I lean around it, put my fingers in my mouth and whistle. I stand there for a minute and do it again. Two minutes later Blackie comes bolting through the door. I tell him he’s a god boy and walk him to the elevator, which I’m sure Ric’s called by now.

Ric:
She leaves my hold and I stare at the door watching her while she whistles for the stupid dog. He's always getting in the middle of us. I don't often initiate this sort of thing and now she's worried about the dog over me. Not going to happen. I've called the elevator by the time she starts walking over to me, but I walk to her at the same time, pick her up over my shoulder and carry Skylar to the elevator. I only let the dog in to keep her from whining about it later, and push out number twice. "Forget the dog." I tell her after a few minutes of silence and the door opens. "He can stay out here for a while." I'm not in the mood for arguments over the dog. He can come back in later, and he knows that as I give him a death glare before closing the apartment door behind us.

Skylar:
Ric picks me up and I laugh. I laugh hard. He should have known I’d go for the dog. I may not be an animal person but I’m not going to leave Blackie to the zombies. He’ll be okay in the lobby on eight though, at least I tell myself that. Truth be told, I’d tell myself anything right now to keep Ric’s attention. Ricky hardly ever gets like this, so as long as he’s willing to play, so am I. If Blackie has to sit outside for a bit and entertain himself, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
If things are about to go the way I think they’re gonna go… this is gonna be one of our best date night ever.