Shady Dealings in New Beginnings [Open]

[Blaize]

The studio was empty, but it wasn’t decrepit. It looked like it had only recently been vacated, but not too recently that it had fallen to ruin. A sheen of dust had fallen over the floors and the bars, and over the few items left behind in one of the corners. The glass could do with a good clean, and one of the lights had blown – Blaize would have to buy new storage cupboards, maybe some lockers. It depended on what he wanted to do with the place, whether he wanted it to be a real community or just a place for people to come to learn to dance, bringing their own paraphernalia with them.

Truly, the man hadn’t yet decided, though he knew that he wouldn’t be doing the teaching. He’d hire someone for that. All he knew was that he needed money to fuel his ambition; ballet was not a cheap sport. The pointe shoes alone cost an arm and a leg, especially when he went through a pair every week or two.

Blaize didn’t belong in a teaching studio. He belonged on the stage. He would oversee; he would have the business under his belt, something to add to his CV, something to add to the gravitas of his name. If this studio produced high-class, classically trained ballet dancers, then all the better. Though, the space would be split. Shoes scuffed against wooden flooring as Blaize wandered down the middle of the vast space, stepping though a door at the back. A door that he tested for weight, the locks that just wouldn’t do.

University. The Studio was nestled amongst other shops and places of recreation and learning. But students, Blaize knew from experience, could be ambitious creatures. Desperately ambitious, especially if on scholarships. And Blaize would be there to help them out when they were in a tight spot. He knew people. This, he could do. It was wrong, ethically, and he did wonder whether his sire would approve, or whether he should be conducting such business on West grounds. Maybe one day he’d find out. For now, the ideas hadn’t yet fully hatched; they needed time to percolate.

The dancer wandered back out to the front of the studio, arms crossed over his chest as he gazed out at the green. It really was a wonderful night.

[Kalidora (DELETED 8612)]

Kali was walking alone the street, abandoned as it was at this time of night. Her face hidden behind a large grey overcoat as she noted a small studio to her right. Not particularly keen of getting caught by her sire, out so late and alone the female found the door and entered the studio. It was a dance studio and unlike her first impression the place was not empty.

A male stood there and Kali froze not expecting anyone to be in such a place, a quick glance told her that she need no worry about her vampirism being revealed to the humans as this male was not a human. Even if he was she had already fed earlier in the evening, leaving the human there a little dazed and confused but alive at least

.Returning the chocolate-hued irises to the male before her she relaxed slightly, the grey coat slid off her shoulders slightly to reveal an elegant strapless white flowy dress. Kali nodded at the male with a slight smile making it's way to her otherwise emotionless face.
Unless he didn't approve of her presence she was not a threat to him.

" My apologies, I did not know there was anyone here' The accent was soft yet unmistakable as European, This lovely creature that was Kalidora came from the upper-class English family that resided in Ireland leaving Kali with a mix of both Irish and English accents.

[Blaize]

There wasn’t much happening on the quad; as much as he’d learned that this city was so full of vampires it may as well be a city of the dead, not many of them appeared to be students. Or, if they were, they were all ensconced within the walls of the university, studying, and thus leaving the grassed area in front of him free of foot traffic.

Time was not there to be wasted. Blaize was not the kind of person who liked to be idle; you’d never find him stretched out on a beach chair reading a book taking in the rays. He never slept in, aside from Sundays, and he always kept himself busy even when he had nothing that needed doing. Now, however, he had plenty that needed doing. In a bid to ignore the hunger that bit at his innards, he turned back to the studio to grab a cloth and glass cleaner. It was time to attack all the mirrors, clean them to gleaming. Then he’d vacuum up all the dust. And then he’d mop. The studio was in good condition, it just needed a bit of a clean.

He’d barely got started when a woman wandered in through the door. Blaize straightened, cool blue eyes steadfast, silent as he waited for an explanation. An old student, maybe, unaware that the place had been sold, and the management had changed hands? Or maybe not. The dancer glanced up at the ceiling, where the lights were blazing, then back to the woman. He had his doubts. As antisocial and as cold as he could be, Blaize still had a set of manners.

”I’m the new owner,” he said, offering a hand.

”Blaize Monroe. Did you used to come her before?” he asked. Maybe she was a vagrant who’d been using the empty space. Whatever the case, he made it clear that it was now claimed.

[Kalidora (DELETED 8612)]

"Kalidora Montague" Kali decided that she best be polite to this new owner. The raven hair that she so religiously held in an elegant updo was flowing free, cascading across her shoulder in a curly waterfall. The female looked at the male with the blue eyes that had identified himself as Blaize. Kali accepted his hand and gave it a firm shake, all while a smile threatened to spill out from behind the full red lips. Kali eventually pulled her hand back as Blaize asked her if she had been here before.

Memories swirled the raven haired woman's vision as she slowly nodded her head in response." When I was a child, my mother bought me here once" The female stated, she had been raised in Europe so trips were rare and it seemed like she knew this place before it was even a dance studio but as a 5th generation vampire she was still new to the whole thing.

" Would you like some help cleaning?" The female inquired politely. standing to her full 5'6 height to show she was to be taken seriously, as a vampire, she had many gifts. one was enhanced agaility and the female had already careful calculated a plan to clean the entire place. If Blaize would let her she would help him, if he said no then she would take her leave, maybe bring a charmed human as a departing gift.

[Blaize]

Glancing around, Blaize wondered how old the building could be; how long had it been here? The University itself was probably a century old. Weren’t all universities a century old? Or were they just ageless, timeless, always there, and to always be there? Blaize had no idea. He’d been so focused on his own future, and on his own upward movement that he didn’t pay much attention to the history of the city he lived in. Now that he had time – so, so much time – he might make an effort. Not before he had achieved his goals, however.

Only a few more seconds were spared to wonder at the age of the woman who’d joined him, and how long ago she might have been a child. In the grand scheme of things, it really didn’t matter. She was here. And she was offering to help clean. Who, really, walked off the street to help a random stranger clean?

Blaize’s shoes scuffed the wood of the floor as he shifted in a semi-circle, before returning his attention to Kalidora. Blaize could blame everything on his ambition, including his lack of social grace. Communication with others mainly consisted of basic day-to-day needs, like small talk at the grocery store. Otherwise, he got drunk and had no idea what he said to strangers. There was no getting drunk anymore, though, was there? He had to gather his wits and focus, though his focus required a suspicious narrowing of the eyes.

”Why?” he asked.

”I mean…” he wanted to ask who are you? He had her name. Surely, there had to be more. ”It does seem a bit strange…” he said. Clearly, Blaize Monroe was accustomed to being alone.

[Kalidora (DELETED 8612)]

Honestly, Kali had expected his response to her offer to be covered in suspicion but the young woman could not help but roll her eyes before replying ]" Can't a girl just offer? you know the old thing is known as helping other's out, Really Blaize you should really relax. But if you must know, I am not here for any other reason than I was looking for a place to hide from my sire, She will not be pleased to find me alone this late" [/b] Kalidora finished her speech with a wave of her hand before they moved to her hips and she moved closer to Blaize, awaiting his response the female smiled softly before placing a small hand out towards the male.

" This is a dance studio, surely you know how to dance?" The female stated, giving Blaize and affectionate smile.
[b]" Dance with me?"[/b] Tho it was phrased as a question, it was more leaning towards a demand and without waiting for an answer the female set about doing her part in the only ballet she knew she was good at, which was the classic Swan Lake.

If he joined, great! if he didn't well at least she showed him why she was so keen on restoring this dance studio, it had been a long time since she had been there. Kalidora Montague, was definitely a strange woman, beautiful but strange.

[Blaize]

The girl was confident for a stranger. She came off the street and started telling Blaize to relax as if she’d known him since childhood – she couldn’t know that ‘relax’ wasn’t a word in Blaize’s vocabulary. It wasn’t something he was familiar with. Paranoia wasn’t something he was accustomed to, either, and it was quickly brushed aside. No, this woman was just some free-thinking loon who thought it was perfectly natural to ask a complete stranger to dance. There wasn’t even any music.

For a moment or three, Blaize watched. He recognized the sequence all too well. Swan Lake. He knew it by heart, having recently secured himself a spot as a primary in Matthew Bourne’s rendition of the Tchaikovsky classic. It also reminded him of why he was sired, and what had led to it. Distraction on the stage, a jump gone wrong. A splintered bone. An injury that meant failure, his career over. It was an embarrassment he preferred not to think about, and he doubted he’d ever want to dance Swan Lake again. In any case, he had to keep a low profile for a while; the ballet scene in Harper Rock was small, and he’d made a name for himself. The injury could be covered up insomuch as he could make it look and sound like the gossip made it out like it was worse than it was. But they had to believe that he’d had enough time to recover before he returned to the stage properly.

In this studio, now, he could only shake his head.

”There’s no music. I have to clean,” he said. Not to mention, he did not know this girl. He did not know whether she was classically trained. He was still new at this vampire thing – he didn’t want to risk injury by dancing with someone not trained properly, and it didn’t yet occur to him that he would heal if injury did occur. He strode to the mirrors, found the spray and the paper towel, and started to clean.

[Kalidora (DELETED 8612)]

Kalidora sighed and stopped her dancing" A true artist does not need music" she countered to his earlier comment about the lack of music in the studio, Kali was not exactly a ballerina but she had done a fair few lessons, enough for her to preform well enough to pass off as classically trained. Walking over to Blaize the female gently tugged the bottle out of his hand and the cloth, they were close enough that they were nose to nose, his breath smelt of mint and Kalidora always smiled as she locked eyes with the new vampir.

"You are afraid of something,Why?" The female recognised the face of hesitance to get back into an activity after something had happened and this male has spiked her curiousity well enough that Kaliwas curious to see as to what made him so unpleasant to try and socialize with, she was fully aware than he proably thought she was crazy but shrugged it off.

"If it's looking stupid, believe me I think I crossed that line when I came in here and asked a complete stranger ro dance, Look I am really only here to see if you need help" The female looked the male up and down " Which you clearly do, Those clothes might of been okay last century but in this one, you will stick out like a sore thrumb" The female stated, taking Blaize by the arm and attempting to lead him to the door. She was interesting, crazy but interesting and Kali had good intentions for the male she was currently trying to convince to go with her into the freezing night air, she would even help clean his studio if he just accepted the fact she wasn't going to go away until he did accept her help.

[Blaize]

What was with this woman? Was she invasive enough, get into his personal space enough? Not only did she interrupt his evening, but now she was trying to ask personal questions, and chose to insult him in the same breath. Blaize’s patience was slowly giving out.

”First, you insult me by suggesting I am not a true artist,” he said, his voice smooth and calm but hard as flint. He wasn’t angry. He knew what he was worth, and he knew the heights of his artistry. He could dance without music, but right now, he didn’t want to dance. It was an excuse. He’d been told he could be rude and dismissive; he was trying to be gentle about saying no. Given this woman would not leave him be, however, he decided it was time to be blunt. Forward.

”Second, you assume too much. You know what they say about assumptions, right?” he said. He wasn’t afraid, he was bitter. He’d get over it. But there was a difference.

”And three, you insult my attire,” he said, glancing down at his clothing. There were holes in the jeans and the converses had been on sale. The shirt was large, and it was a couple of years old, but it was plain black and hardly outdated.

”I’m cleaning,” he said, taking his arm back from the stranger. ”You think I would wear fancy Louis Vuittons and the latest offering from Versace?” he asked, slightly incredulous and taking another step backward, further into the studio. Blaize was not happy-go-lucky, nor did he do things on a whim. He was not spontaneous, and this woman was getting on his nerves.