On The Edge [Flynn & Azraeth]

[Raven Talius]

Raven’s heeled steps echoed down the dark alley as the vampire exited The Handle Bar through the back exit. The woman used to be a frequent visitor and as it happened, it had been the first time that she had visited the place since she returned. She was the black sheep of the Fforde family. Jesse hated her guts because she did whatever she wanted and she in turn returned the favour. The word family always churned her stomach. She could never understand the appeal, probably because she never had a family that had accepted her for who she was.

Footsteps were startled as a yawn parted her lips then and the waxing light of the moon softly glinted off of her permanent fangs. One of the humans darted off, but not before brown eyes caught the sight of lips turning downwards and the scowl of the second human clearly put at unease by the clear fact that she was a vampire. ”Filth,” He muttered as a slow smirk curved her lips while she watched the human straighten his form for a moment and her hearing focused upon the beating heart that thumped hard within his chest.

A thirst to kill rose up suddenly and the urge to kill sunk its claws into her brain as it tried to drown out everything else except that burning urge. ”Stupid human. Get. Lost.” Raven hissed as she began to walk towards the human that had spoken, but as she approached he began to back off before he spun upon his heels and ran. A twitch of her lips caused a corner of her lips to turn downwards in displeasure. That was until a whine caught her attention and she glanced down to her right.

There stood a stray black dog and she sighed in frustration. ”You have the best timing. I might have tracked him otherwise. Humans. Are stupid.” The woman grumbled to herself as her right hand slipped into her jacket and produced a few off cuts of steak tucked away into a napkin. ”You’re lucky that I like you too much. Money doesn’t grow on trees you know.” Raven said as she placed the pieces upon the ground, gave the dog a pat on the top of his head and moved on.

The stray dog and the hawk that Clover gave her, were the company that she mostly kept ever since she had returned to Harper Rock. Of course, she had seen her sire, but her sire rather enjoyed the company of Jesse. So Raven shouldered her problems on her own. The main problem was the urge to feed and kill. It had been getting a lot worse with each night that passed, a problem that she was struggling with. Bagged blood only did so much and her nose screwed up at the memory of the taste of the blood.

Slowly, she strolled through the familiar darkness, feeling rather at home within the shadows that the night brought with it when the sun would set. However, her steps usually brought her back to the familiar bridge that brought two halves of Harper Rock together. Her favourite past time? Simply peering into the dark waters underneath helped to calm the dark urges, but it seemed that that calm would not come quietly.

Raven felt, rather than heard the gunshot as the bullet pierced through her left shoulder. The pain felt like it was searing hot, but the woman remained frozen for a moment as she felt the dark urges roar to life once more.

Kill.

It was the only word that stood out in her mind as she slowly turned around to face the familiar human from before. The human was scared, she could smell the sweat that rolled down his forehead and hear the heartbeat that threatened to beat right out of his chest. ”Vampires don’t bleed r-r-red?” He managed to stammer out just as the vampire suddenly appeared right in front of him. A hand shot out to shove the man back into the brick wall behind him and a resounding crack caught her attention, as it was accompanied by the sweet smell of blood.

Both of her hands shot out and slammed into the wall right beside his head and the gun slipped from his sweaty hands and clattered to the pavement under their feet. ”No. I don't. I bleed black shadows. Because I am evil. I was born through death and blood.”

Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump, th-thump.

The sound called to her like a lullaby that promised to fulfill the desire that burned within. One that promised that she would enjoy every drop of blood that would touch her tongue if she sank her fangs into the pulsing jugular. Her entire body tensed up as she struggled to fight with the urge to kill. "You're a ******* idiot." She hissed as the turmoil raged on.

Kill.

No. She couldn't. The vampire watched as the human's adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. She could almost smell the fear that radiated from him. What possessed him to try and attack her in such an open street?

Kill.

No. The street was open, she couldn't kill him. Not yet anyway. Maybe she could let him go, cloak herself and follow him from the shadows until he was in a secluded spot. One where she could kill him. Brilliant idea. This guy doesn't look like he would be missed, Raven told herself as she took in his disheveled appearance. She could even smell the chemicals that was attached to the pores of his skin. Chemicals that were maybe connected to drugs?

Slowly she leaned in to press her nose to the curve of his neck, drawing in his scent and she paused to lick her one of her fangs. The woman could easily do it. Kill him without a moment's hesitation and drain him dry, however there was that one little problem that she never knew when would arise. What if one of his memories carried through to her through his blood. Raven scrunched up her nose at the thought. No. She couldn't kill him. Raven was trying to be... Reformed.

Kill.

A groan parted her lips as she leaned back just enough to look into his green eyes and she wanted so badly to kill the man. He was right there in front of her and she had every right to defend herself. The human after all did shoot first. "****!" Raven cursed as the game of mental tug-of-war played on.

[Wearing]

[Flynn]

WEARING

The doors to Veil Tower closed behind Flynn with a rush of warmth escaping to mingle with the cool night air. Ares, the massive caucasian shepherd, and Athena, the ginger husky trailed along at his side, alert and watchful of their surroundings. The streets were beginning to thin out as it grew later, with only the occasional groups of people passing by. That was the thing about Harper Rock these days; you rarely saw a human travel alone, anymore. Not with the threat of the vampires looming over them like a dark cloud ready to strike them down at any second. At least, that was their perception of the situation, even if it was wrong in 7 out of 10 cases. There were those vampire outliers, the ones that took pleasure in the chaos of bloodlust and hostility, but in Flynn's experience...most of them were content enough to mind their business and only take as they needed to. Some relied on blood packs, never to take fresh for the source, others fed on willing donors. Not that the majority of the citizens cared to learn those details.

In a way, that set Flynn apart, in more ways than one. Firstly, in the sense that he rarely traveled anywhere with anyone else, being more than content to keep to himself, save for the possible canine or two attached to his hip. And if he did have company, it came in the form of his vampire partner. That was strange enough with his being a human, but it got stranger when you added in the minute detail of being a Paladin, to boot. Polar opposite sides of the spectrum, but they managed to make it work. And work really well. And it had been while preparing to take Ares and Athena to Azraeth's that his phone lit up, the screen bright in the dimness of his apartment (which had become his norm, and he totally blamed Az for it). As he swiped to unlock, the vampire's face flashed on the screen, accompanied by the custom name he had given to himself. His reasoning being something like, 'to match' Flynn's name in his.

[Text]DamnThatAzz:In a meeting. Get some flour for me and I'll make cookies when I get home! XoXo Also here's a smile selfie!

So, with a roll of his eyes and the tell tale smirk, he had set off for the store. The fact that Az wasn't home meant that Flynn could take his time, taking a few extra streets here and there to ensure that the dogs got a decent walk out of the trip before he piled them into the car to head out of the city for Tomkin. The more energy they got of their system now, the less likely they were to be riled up, later. While Athena enjoyed the relaxed pace, Ares never let his guard down. He had been trained to be ever vigilant, a hunter and a fighter at his master's command. Along with his own instinct reactions to the presence of vampires, Ares could sense them as well as Flynn could, making them a pretty decent duo for tracking those groups that ran rogue. Like the Disciples or the Lionellii, but hunting the sewers wasn't on the agenda for the night, and all it took was a gentle hand on the top of the dog's head to make those tensed muscles relax, "легко, Ares. Easy. We aren't working tonight."

While it wasn't the closest store to the apartment, there was one not too far from Veil Tower, just before the bridge that practically but the city in two equal halves. Ever since he could remember, Flynn had had a bit of enmity for bridges, and it was entirely irrational. In fact, he couldn't have provided a date for when it all started, just that...to this day, the knowledge that he would cross one brought on an unrestrained anger that he seemed capable of controlling. As soon as he reached the other side, it all seemed to fade and everything went back to normal. Regardless, he did his best to avoid them. In a city split by the river, that was easier said than done, but he managed thanks to the intricate transit system that navigated beneath the streets.

It was the moment that Flynn moved to enter the store that the shot ran out, coming from the direction of the bridge. His head whipped around as the area descended into momentary chaos, the few humans fleeing in every direction to duck indoors. Gunshots weren't uncommon in these streets, especially with the cops and soldiers roaming who were more than a little trigger happy. The Paladin glanced to his canines, each of them tense with eyes locked on the direction of the bridge. "Alright, guys...let's go see what's up, hmm?" he whispered to the canines, heading off in the direction of the shot to investigate, if only for his own peace of mind. And it turned out he didn't have to go very far.

He had only just turned the corner when he saw the man slammed against the wall, the crack being loud enough to hear from even this distance, the glint of light catching on the gun as it fell from the man's grasp. It was an educated guess, at best, but Flynn was fairly comfortable in saying that the human made the mistake of shooting, first, entirely ignorant to the fact that vampires didn't take very kindly to bullet wounds. As he made his approach, Ares grew more restless, teeth bared with a low rumbling growl emanating from deep within his chest. In those moments, he was watchful and ready, and he was a pretty observant guy. There was no missing the hesitation, or the fury. The woman seemed in conflict, debating her options as the man trembled before her.

"You seem a little unsure of yourself," he said as a warning to his approach, only to lean against the wall about an arm's reach away from the vampire and her potential prey. And while the man's head turned in his direction, Flynn's green eyes were locked on the woman, narrowed and hard. "The way I see it, you have three options. One, you can let the man go, and everyone leaves here in one piece," he continued, holding out a closed fist, so that he could raise a single finger. As soon as he offered that first option, the human looked back at the woman and nodded frantically, "Y-yeah! What he said! You could let me go!"

Flynn's gaze shot to the man, eyes cold as ice. "Don't help." The words were practically a growl, his lips curled in annoyance. "You got yourself into this mess." After a second of silent glaring, his attention once against shifted back to the female. A second finger come up as he spoke again, "Two, I can make you let him go, but that takes away your choice, and...who wants that? Or three...you can kill him, with the knowledge that a Paladin is standing right here, and would have no choice but to act accordingly, regardless of the possible danger you pose." As he finished, the third finger rose up, as did his eyebrows. As if to extend a challenge to her. "It's your call."

Leaning against the wall, he fell silent. Like a game of chess, it was her turn to make a move.

[Raven Talius]

Raven had barely heard the approaching footsteps and the sound of growling dogs, as the killer within was focused on the man in front of her. The sound of his beating heart, that pumped blood throughout the man's body was just calling to her, drowning out the fight within. She could smell the blood that trickled from his head wound and the vampire could only imagine the sweet taste of blood from the vein once more. It made her salivate just thinking about it's delicious thick liquid that supplied the human with life. Life that she wanted to drain and take away from the man that had deliberately went out of his way to shoot her. Images ran wild within her imagination as she could see herself lean forward to sink her pearly white fangs into his neck breaking the fragile skin to sink into the vein which would pour free his life essence. Essence which she would make sure to steal all of it in a greedy fit of thirst. He deserved it, after all, a bullet wound didn't help his cause. It only made her even more thirsty, which made restraint almost impossible.

However, it was the stranger's voice that called to her in a calm manner that brought her out of her imagination and into reality. The man could see that she was hesitating, whereas in the past she wouldn't have. Raven would have already killed the man and be looting the body by now, if it wasn't for the fact that she was trying to be... Reformed for people that she hadn't even had contact with for so long. The woman savagely bit down upon her bottom lip, tasting the copper of the black blood upon her tongue in order to restrain herself from strangling the human in front of her for even agreeing with the other male. Slowly she brought her senses around to the paladin and the two dogs at his feet and listened to the resounding steady heartbeats instead of the one right in front of her, tempting her to kill. The steady beats, gave her the chance to think clearly about the presented options before her.

All three of the options were not favourable. She finally decided as she sucked at her bottom lip in to draw upon her own blood, however disgusting it was. Not to mention that she'd probably throw up if she didn't stop. So she did and slowly exhaled. Option one didn't give her the satisfaction of getting her revenge, especially considering that she had gotten shot and she didn't heal as fast as other vampires. The woman would also miss out on the opportunity of satisfying the need to kill which clawed at her skull. Option two and three were even less favourable as she was at a disadvantage of already being wounded, plus... As she lifted her brown eyes to peer over towards the paladin, the woman also realised that while she may be able to walk past feral animals without a scratch, these dogs looked like they may help their master. A master that she wasn't sure how trained he was.

Damn ******* paladins, Raven inwardly grumbled to herself as she stared at that silent face. Someone was always there to steal away the fun that she had grasped for herself. Or, tell her to do something that she really didn't want to do. It pissed her off. People were always trying to change her and she guessed that's why she never really fit anywhere, because she realised that she would never be enough. "I like option four. None of the above. I am, well and truly within my right to kill this ****** out of self defense. He ******* shot me. Or..." A slow smirk curved her lips as her gaze slid back over to the male that she had pinned right in front of her. "I could turn him. Let him become the thing that he very much despises." A soft chuckle parted her bloodied stained lips as she thought about it. Raven wouldn't have to kill him, he would kill himself only to be sent to the Shadow Realm where some vampires loose their minds in the darkness that the shadow vampire loved so much.

She didn't have to prove jack **** to anyone there.

Sweat beaded across the human's forehead and she wanted to focus upon the beating heartbeat that threatened to give him a heart attack. Fear was a killer on its own, although it was rare. Instead, she angled her head towards the paladin and returned her gaze to him, where she listened to the steady heart beat that quietly drove away the urge to kill. At least for now anyway. Paladins were a problem. Often the vampire would come across them and had killed a couple of young cocky ones, but this one seemed different somehow and she inhaled deeply even though her dead lungs didn't require her to.

"You paladins are always ruining my fun. I'm just surprised that you haven't attacked me on sight like most d-." The man in front of her shifted just a fraction to the right and she hissed, bringing her right hand back, fisted it and sent it crashing into the wall next to the man's face. This made him jump and return to cowering against the wall. "Move and I can't guarantee your safety." Raven warned him as brown eyes focused on the foolish human. Why did they always test her and do something stupid? It made no sense. Prey should just listen while the fangs are a fraction from their throat.

It was at this point that she realised that the paladin may not be attacking because her fangs were at her target's throat and a slow smile tugged at the corner of her lips once more. "Or maybe it's because you realise that even if you did attack me, I could kill this human and then focus on you. He would still be dead and even if I die, I'll return from the Shadow Realm against my will." Simply because if Clover ever found out that Raven had returned there, the vampire figured that her sire may do something silly. It wouldn't be the first time. She deduced as she shifted her gaze back to the paladin. No, death did not scare her one bit in fact she found it rather entertaining the relationship that she had with death. How many times had she cheated it? Often she wondered if death could be seen within her very own eyes. How hollow she felt.

It was only by killing, fighting and feeding that she felt anything. Pain was glorious, but killing brought a pleasure that was almost... Orgasmic on its own.

Finally, after what probably seemed like an eternity to the human, Raven dropped her right arm to allow the man to retreat to the paladin. "Run little human... I'll remember you, She finished off within her own thoughts. If she ever felt the need to kill overwhelm anything. She could probably track this man down and kill him. She did, after all remember every little detail. The vampire had been born a hunter and she had figured out that she had developed a couple of neat little traits. Besides. She decided that letting the human go was best for her in the long run. If she had to fight the paladin and his dogs, she would probably end up with extra wounds which wouldn't work out in her favour, in fact it would work against.

"I hope you're happy now." Raven grumbled as she lifted her right hand to pat down her pockets to chase down a cigarette case. The vampire would need to fish out the bullet later, which meant opening the wound up further. Her timeline had been put up a bit.

[Azraeth]

WEARING

When Flynn pulled away from the wall so that the human Raven had released could go and cower behind him, before the mortal could make it even halfway between the two figures, a pair of arms seemed to appear from the darkness behind the Paladin’s body, and then curl around him like the coiling of a serpent around its prey. There was a moment of silence as the guy who had shot Raven sort of faltered in his step, only to glance back as if to ask the woman who had just let him go if that was normal. Which. Really man? Really? Then Az’s head popped to one side of Flynn’s, and a chin rested on a shoulder. It was as if he had been there entire time, watching. Though it became immediately clear this was untrue as soon as he opened his mouth. “Hey, babe, what’s going on here? Did you get the flour?” Then he glanced down and did not see said flour or really any shopping bags at all, which caused a pair of dark brows to furrow together. “Rave, did you take the flo--” wait a second. A couple of seconds ticked by and the vampire’s gaze narrowed, his serpentine pupils seeming to focus entirely on the vampire with the length of red hair, wearing leather.

Jesus. How long had it been since he’d seen that face?

A smile bloomed immediately and he turned his head to kiss against Flynn’s jaw before he circled around the other man. There seemed to be some sort of human who looked very confused, who was watching the entire thing. Az glanced briefly to him and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Rude. Eavesdropping.” He said as he pointed a finger at the mortal and made a gesture that said to ‘scram’. And it was probably in his best interest to do just that, lest he find himself teleported over the river only a short distance away. Though the Mystic did not pause to make sure his implied instructions were followed. Instead, he stood before Raven, taking in the sight of her once more. The last time he’d laid eyes on her, it had been back when Enzo was around. Those had been good days. But Enzo was gone. Mortll had probably moved on (it was a subject Az had yet to bring up with her, though he could hardly blame her if she had). Vampires had been exposed, and as usual, there was some sort of calamity just waiting to happen as ‘prophesied’ by the Administrator.

“You know that leather looks really good on you.” He said. He knew Raven well enough to know that she didn’t like to be touched. Not really. The pair of them had bonded at one point. Both of them twins. Very similar in a lot of ways, and yet totally different in others. He didn’t want to assume that they were still close enough that he could pull her into a hug, even if that’s what he immediately wanted to do. He did note however that she was injured. Right in the shoulder no less, which at least meant it wasn’t likely to be majorly damaging. Just really annoying and potentially hazardous to dexterity (for mobility reasons). He lifted a hand, and kissed his palm, only to reach and lightly squeeze her bicep, just south of the gunshot wound. It wasn’t much, but he could increase the production of blood in her body until she, at the very least, was not pouring everything out.

His official title at Auberouge Unlimited probably evoked images of Azraeth as something of a personal assistant, and in a way he was. Though his authority and duties tended to stretch beyond those limitations. He had years of experience in the field of organization, be it in the form of data or human resources. He had the sort of hands on understanding of the way in which people worked together to accomplish a goal which made him legitimately good at team building, problem resolution, and then minimizing margin for human (or vampire) error. That was actually the nature of the meeting he had been in.

Amalea had a special project in the works, top secret. And the Research department was supposed to be working with Legal to make sure all of the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed before Auberouge Unlimited moved forward with a plan. Unfortunately, there had been a breakdown of communication somewhere, so Az had been forced to call an emergency get together between the two departments to make sure everyone was on the same page. He’d suspected it would take a few hours, because Legal was infamously bad about notifying anyone about what they were doing. Fortunately, it had taken only about a half hour to clear up all of the miscommunication and come up with a solution that worked for everyone.

From there, he’d just had to do a little bit of tracking to find out where his boyfriend was, and one teleport later, he had arrived on the scene in classic Azraeth fashion. Which was to say he appeared out of nowhere and acted like he totally knew what was going on.

When Raven had been offered the heal, he stepped back to lean into the Paladin’s chest. “Oh hey, you found my Flynn. I’m so happy you two have met! Flynn, this is Raven, but I call her Rave. She’s sort of like family. Rave, this is Flynn, he’s mine.”

[Flynn]

Truth be told, Flynn couldn't blame the woman for believing she was well within her rights to respond to the attack made against her. While vampires were on an entirely different level than their mortal counterparts, self defense was simply a natural response and he couldn't fault her for that. The human had made a colossal mistake, and he deserved to face the consequences of those actions. However, those consequences did not have to mean his death, and from the deadly gleam in her eye and the fact she blantly said as much, that was well within the realm of possibilities. So, by default, it became the Paladin's business. Especially when she was going to throw around threats like turning the human against his will, and if Flynn was to fancy a guess, she would leave him to his own devices from there. That was how they ended up with psychotic cultists like the Disciples in the first place, and they were very much his problem to deal with. He didn't offer up a response, then, and the only acknowledgment she received was the slight narrowing of his piercing stare and a change in his position as he switched which foot rested against the brick rather than supported his weight.

He could see the shift in the vampire, though, the longer she returned his gaze. It was fragile and unsteady, like walking a tight rope, and if she could just make it across to the other side, he might just get them all out of the situation without further bloodshed. It was then that the woman brought up the other Paladins, her surprise at the fact he did not attack on sight as the majority of the others did, and the observation had his lips twitching into a smirk. If only she knew just how different he happened to be. How many unspoken rules he had broken, the lines he had crossed. That amusement remained clear as day in his expression, despite the scare tactic she used in an attempt to keep the human before her, as if she was still unsure where she landed on letting him go. Still, he didn't utter a word, content to sit in his silence for the time being, while she continued to fill it.

Flynn's head fell to the side, toward a shoulder, at the next observation she made as to his potential motivations for keeping his distance thus far, but his eyes only seemed to dance in mischief while the smirk grew just a little bit bigger. He enjoyed assumptions, especially in the cases where he could just as easily prove otherwise. Such as that one. "I suppose that's not outside the realm of possibility..." he finally spoke, absently loosening Ares' leash from around his palm while keeping Athena's tightly wound. Regardless of the slack, the larger of the two beasts remained still as a statue at his master's side, black eyes trained on the vampire. "Of course, you could be wrong. I could have a trick or two up my sleeve. That would be quite the risky gamble to make, don't you think?" It was true enough that should she train her focus on him, he would certainly have his hands full. Any one vampire was capable of dealing a lot of damage, especially as one as hostile as she appeared to be. That didn't mean he couldn't put up a fight, and a damn good one.

Silently tense moments passed, only for the vampire to finally drop her arm with a hissed demand that the human leave her presence. Her grumbled complaint was met with a quirked eyebrow on the Paladin's part, because he certainly got no enjoyment out of the situation. In fact, protecting a human who was clearly lacking in common sense was the last thing on his 'Bucket List.' "It is impolite to play with your food, love. Sorry for...ruining the fun..." he offered up as a reply, the last bit coming out more than a little sarcastic. His green eyes settled on the man as he began to creep closer, only to freeze in abject horror as he witness the arms seemingly appear out of nowhere to wrap around Flynn.

The Paladin's gut reaction was no better, as a lot seemed to happen in seconds and played out in slow motion. Already on edge from the high stress situation he found himself a part of, every muscle in his upper body tensed like a loaded spring and he inhaled sharply through his nose. As if he was expecting an attack on his person to follow, he prepared to react, a hand jerking instinctively for the concealed blade at his hip. Sensing the sudden change in Flynn, Ares' attention shifted, seeking out the means for the distress, that deep and emanating rumbling from within beginning once more. And then, the pressure of a chin on his shoulder and the all too familiar sound of Azraeth's voice in his ear immediately seemed to relax him, a rush of air leaving his lungs in one sudden exhale. If anything, his body relaxed in a way that suggested he was completely at ease with the newest arrival wrapped around him.

He never had a chance to address the question posed, though, because Az used a name in reference to the female vampire, and Flynn's eyebrows furrowed. So, they knew each other. Naturally, because who didn't Az know? The Paladin snorted as his partner addressed the human and shooed him away, only to turn his attention to the female, because he was apparently having a moment, and so he took it upon himself to reach out for the human and yank him from between the two. Gripping at the front of the man's shirt, he stepped in close so that he was practically nose to nose. "I suggest you go have your head looked at. Next time you decide to do something stupid...don't." With a less than gentle shove, he sent the man off in the opposite direction, where he wasted no time taking off at a dead run.

Turning back around just in time for Az lean against him, the Paladin turned his head to press a kiss against the vampire's temple, but he was otherwise still at the introduction. His gaze cut to Raven, as she came to be known, that practiced indifference back in place. "Of course she's like family..." he sighed, fighting off the urge to shake his head. Az might as well have just put a put red stamp on her forehead that read 'OFF LIMITS'. Family was a no-go zone. It wasn't a rule that he and Azraeth had established out loud, but it didn't have to be. Az's family was his problem to deal with, not Flynn's. End of.

[Raven Talius]

As Azraeth’s voice cut through, the woman was almost sure that she had been imagining this entire scenario, even though the bullet felt real enough. Azraeth had his arm around a paladin, a ******* paladin and she could only stand there dumbfounded as the other vampire stepped forwards to give her a heal. What had the bloody hell happened in her absence? Did the man lose his mind and decided that vampires and paladins made for very good partners in crime? In fact, she wondered just as to how the whole relationship thing worked and she had to work to remember just as to how to form words once more when Flynn seemed less than excited about the fact that Azraeth saw her as something akin to family.

”Eh… I’d more say that we are along the lines of very good friends. Az, you know how I feel about the word family. I have a sire, but that’s generally about it. The Ffordes hate my guts from what I can tell and my family has always wished that I was never born, so feel free to jump on that train if you want to Flynn. I’m used to being the hated one.” The vampire said as she rub her fingers over the tattoos upon her hands that said, ’Trust no one. However, Azraeth and a couple of others had snuck past that barrier and she had extended her trust to them. Something that was no small feat on for her and it had taken a great deal of time and energy on their part.

Brown eyes drifted between the two as her brain worked to figure out the logic behind their partnership. Had Az finally lost it? How did he manage to sleep knowing that the person that he slept with, could potentially kill him one day? The very thought sent shivers down her spine and it made her to want to protect the man from his very own stupidity. Raven had even become a little slack jawed at the mind boggling thought that had been presented before her.

Slowly, she regained her composure, closed her mouth and finally produced a cigarette case and a lighter. ”So, apart from losing a few common sense brain cells while I was gone, what else did I miss apart from humans trying to cure us and the rise of the sirens?” Oh yes, the vampire was clearly making a jab at the paladin, because why not? It appeared to her that Flynn didn’t exactly like Az calling her family, which was why she had given him an out to it and the option to start a fight. She could after all, be the poster vampire for the human’s campaign against vampires. Raven was violent and a serial killer. Even now as she lit a cigarette, all that she really wanted to do, was to hunt the human down and rip his head off of his shoulders. That human, had a target upon his back still, even if he didn’t realise it yet.

There was, something likeable about Flynn though, something that was kindred to her. He had this… Spark that made her think that she could probably get along with if… She could one day look past the fact that he was a paladin that could maybe one day stab her in the back or neck, just like what her twin had done. Like seriously? What was wrong with people trying to kill her from behind? It was a pattern that was quickly growing old.

However, as she eyed the two, she quickly began to realise something else. Everyone that she knew, had someone to return to. She? Was a simple drifter and she could drift out of their lives like the shadow that she could be sometimes and it wouldn’t really matter. Suddenly, she felt the urge to kill once more and she tossed the cigarette away. It wasn’t going to help and so, she pulled on a disguise. One that came in the form of a simple smirk. ”Well come on, you have to tell me all about it. I mean seriously, how did you two meet? When is the wedding?”

[Azraeth]

“Do you really think so little of my judgment, Raven?” He asked, his head tilted to one side for a moment. It was his gut reaction, and the truth of the matter was that he would have said something along the same lines had anyone questioned his connection to Raven as well. Because Az was many things, but he was no fool. Which wasn’t to say he could not be wrong about someone, but it was his prerogative to give anyone an opportunity, and if they chose to trample upon that - then he learned from it. Neither Raven nor Flynn had ever given him a reason to question their motives. They were ironically similar in a few ways - Raven bloodier than Flynn, but the vampire suspected it was one of those cases where, if they really got to know each other, they were likely to either become smashingly good friends or totally hate each other.

The mystic found himself backing away, mainly so that he could press himself lazily into Flynn’s chest. Of course just past gut instinct was thought. And Raven was, by her very nature, a loner. She had family issues, and she had never properly seen eye to eye with her bloodline. It was almost weird how well Az got along with her. At times, it seemed like she fit into the mold where his brother had been. Both were dangerous, lethal even. Both with that devil-may-care attitude. She frequently gave Azraeth outs. As if to save him from her, and the pitfall she seemed to think she was. Like she was certain she was going to let him down in some way. Of course Az had never listened to her warnings. Because he saw a place of kinship in her. And maybe the reason she called Az’s common sense into question was that she’d never had a good encounter with a Paladin? Hell. A vampire with more ties to the human world than her might have been strained to find something nice to say about one of the tattooed super-humans.

In truth, one of the reasons he liked her was that she was honest with him. At all times. Always. He never wondered where he stood with her. Good, bad or ugly.

“Sorry.” He said, his hand lifting so he could push through his own dark hair. “Anyway, yeah. Family might have been the wrong word.” And then a pause, his brows lifting in question as all of what she said caught up to him. “Still? It’s been ages. You’d have thought by now the Fforde would have come to accept that you’re never going to change yourself to suit anyone. In a way, I think there’s something liberating about that, don’t you?” He asked before his arm slipped up and back to curl around his partner’s neck, his fingers slipping to lazily press into the warmth of a scalp. The way he half turned his head made it seem as if he was asking the both of them. “Maybe you will never fit into a sheep’s clothing, but you will also never be as defenseless as one either.”

But it was gauche to harp on the idea of bloodline and family. Rude, because Az frankly didn’t know them. In fact, his only real point of intersection was through Raven. And while he was happy to listen to her talk about them, it really wasn’t his place to judge. “As for what’s been going on, I’ll tell you more about that once you tell me what you’ve been up to. I was beginning to worry you’d gone the way of too many of our kind. Into the dark, never to return.”

And that was about the time he noticed a slight change in her. Most people probably wouldn’t have picked up on it at all, but Az could usually tell when there was something going on with her. Noted. He had never been terribly good at figuring out exactly what it was. Or how to help. Normally, that just meant he offered to take her out killing...which was totally not a fact he was going to share with Flynn right then and there, because awkward. “Are you asking because you’re planning to pay out for the bachelor party?” He asked, his brows lifting. He brushed the question off with humor because his human companion tended to get a little jumpy about commitment things. Add to that a Paladin’s natural inclination towards revulsion towards vampires...well. Things had taken a while. A good while.

Which was totally like someone else Az knew.

“As for how we met...it was love at first bullet. Flynn is a member of the Voodoo Dragons. After vampires became exposed, Mortll didn’t see a reason not to invite humans into the faction - was the logic I believe. So Flynn and I met on a mission for that whole...Cure fiasco. I was totally into him when he took out a solider that was trying to paint the wall with my brain matter.” And then the vampire’s fingers slipped from his partner’s hair so he could peer into Raven’s eyes once more. “You know, I really want to hug you right now. I’ve missed your homicidal self.”

[Flynn]

A sudden irritation sparked in Flynn's chest like a match set to gasoline, and spreading throughout his body in a wave of heat. A hand closed into a first, nails biting into the flesh of his palm with enough pressure to leave faint red crescents behind. His eyes darkened into a deep set jade with a sudden flash of anger, though the gaze was directed toward the brick wall, rather than at either of the two vampires in the immediate vicinity. It was more than a little irrational, the extent of the emotion raging in his chest, but the Paladin blamed that, in part, on the natural enmity to the undead woman before him. Once upon a time, the same could have been said for Azraeth, but for a reason that the human couldn't really explain, his partner didn't raise those hackles, anymore. It wasn't simply a case of desensitization or repression, either. Flynn knew the difference, because he relied wholeheartedly on repression at the start of their relationship, but he couldn't have put his finger on an exact day that he simply hadn't felt it rear its ugly head. No, the anger searing beneath his skin was entirely related to Raven, and his own reaction to her presumptuous words.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. His shoulders, which had grown tense with rage, slumped as the muscles relaxed. That darkened gaze seemed to literally lighten to its usual vibrant green as his mood did, as well. Not that he was happy, by any means, but it was all about his state of mind. Cool, calm, and collected. The status quo when it came to the Paladin. In fact, there was a point where Az had even gone so far as to say that the human was the most even-tempered person he had ever met, and in that moment, it was possibly fairly easy to understand why. With a roll of his shoulders, Flynn focused his attention on the female vampire, quietly appraising her. And in the quiet moment that his boyfriend seemed to lose himself in thought (quietly, too, which was usually a pretty strong indication of serious consideration), he finally spoke up, "Jumping on trains sounds like a terrible idea, and you will find it relatively hard to make me hate you. Vampire or not. I didn't land myself a vampire partner by acting like every other Paladin in this goddamn forsaken city. You made that observation yourself, and yet choose to assume my motives as less than honest. That's your problem, not mine." He didn't need to confirm his intentions with Azraeth to a woman he didn't even know. The only person whose opinion of Flynn even mattered was the man pressed against him, and he knew where he stood there.

Mentions of another bloodline within the vampire ranks came up and the human did his best to keep up, but he honestly knew very little about the...familial and political standpoints when it came to the vampire population. There was the Dragomir and the Worthington, but the only reason he knew anything about them...was because Az had told him, as they were the bloodline in which he belonged to. Beyond that, they were really just a branch of the same tree in his mind. But, he was quickly distracted from the conversation from the feeling of fingers sliding across his neck and into hair, a sort of gentle caress that he was all too familiar with. His head turned just a fraction in the man's direction, though he gaze remained frozen on Raven, almost like he expected her to do something rash, though it was more an assessment, a means of learning her mannerisms.

Azraeth promised to fill her in on the hectic atmosphere of the city they called 'home',' only for Raven to throw out the word 'wedding' and succeeded in making Flynn freeze, eyes widening ever so slightly. Quick on the trigger, his partner brushed it off with a joke, but it was a little late for that. After the night with Liam, the concept of a family, of marriage, was far from a foreign concept, but it still triggered this internal struggle with indecision and panic. Raven wasn't the only one with strained familial ties, but the Paladin wasn't about to get into his lack of commitment to just about anyone in his life before Az. Or, that despite the deep love he felt the man, the idea of tying himself down and opening himself up for potential heartache was a relatively strong barrier in their relationship that the vampire literally had to work through just about every step of the way.

So, he focused on that touch, and the description provided for how they met. At which, Flynn blinked, the momentarily penic almost immediately subsiding to give way to surprise. Love at first bullet? To this day, the two of them had never really talked about the incident in Longslade, other than in passing, so the information was a new to him as it was to Raven. Then again, he wasn't sure how true it was, because it was entirely possible that Az was exaggerating. But, then...Az didn't honestly exaggerate when it came to their relationship. He was excessive and clingy, sure, but he never denied that. With a contemplative look as his partner pulled away, Flynn's head tilted, only so that it could shift onto Raven once more.

"Please, just let the man hug you. That is, at least, two seconds in which he is not clinging to me. And while I relish every moment of it..." he said, adding the last bit with a smirk at his boyfriend, "A man needs to enjoy his personal bubble every once and a while." And truth be told, the two men might as well have just had one unified bubble of space, because when they were together, chances were, Az wasn't out of reach.

[Raven Talius]

Raven’s brow perked as Azraeth asked her if she thought so little of his judgement and the answer popped up inside of her head without any thought, no. No she didn’t, in fact she held his judgement in high regard, but she didn’t want to admit that, not really for it meant that she maybe took into account someone else’s opinions. In fact, her reform was partly Azraeth's fault, along with Enzo, Mort and Doc. They had all played a part in her reform and the biggest one of all, was her sire. If it meant that Raven could stay under the radar to protect her sire, then she was more than willing to do it. ”No need to apologise Azraeth, I’ve always known that you and Nikolae considered me to be family. However, you have also known, that I was always the raven that flew on the edge of the dragons.”

Brown eyes slowly moved to Flynn and watched as the man seemed to watch her only for him to freeze, as if he had decided that becoming a stone was more healthy for him than actually speaking, once wedding was mentioned. Paladins, the woman never understood them. For the most part they seemed to hate vampires, but then a baffling one would land in her lap and she would find that they tended to… talk to vampires instead of instantly attacking. It was.... Unnerving to the vampire. No one ever really asked Raven about herself, for she had become rather adept at turning the conversation back upon the person that she happened to be talking to. So when Azraeth asked about her, she bit her bottom lip and became quiet for a moment.

So instead of answering straight away, she let silence fill the air as she took a drag from her cigarette and let the smoke simply drift from her partially parted red painted lips. ”Well, I killed my brother and took a trip around Canada.” She said all casual like, as if it didn’t matter and instantly brushed off the conversation in an instant. ”Apart from that, I wasn’t lucky to disappear into the dark. Clover might do something stupid if I did. Gotta protect my sire, even if I die half a million times in the process.” They were words that she meant. Raven would throw herself in front of danger just for Clover, a connection that she never fully understood, but knew was simply the truth. After all, Clover did save her from permanent death by turning her in that dark alley, but she had paid a price. Clover had seen a memory that Raven kept close to her heart, a memory of her own twin trying to to kill Raven while her back was turned. It was a memory that only she and Clover knew all of the details to, for the woman didn’t think that anyone else would truly understand.

Quietly, she listened to Azraeth as he talked about how he had met Flynn and she softly chuckled. ”What? Flynn’s danger radar was off? I met a soldier the other day, all he could do was sit there on his bar stool glaring at me.” She pursed her lips as Flynn suddenly chimed in, the hunter having been quiet for most of the time and her gaze slowly slid over his form taking note of his body posture. If anything screamed, especially in the way that his muscles moved, that he might attack, then she would be ready. Trust wasn’t her strong suit, it never had after the incident with her twin brother.

”You’re lucky that I like you Azraeth and I can’t really say that about a lot of people.” Raven finally said as she took the last drag from her cigarette and dropped the butt to the pavement beneath their feet. Her right foot lifted and she toed the gently burning stick into the ground to put it out. Fire, give it half a chance and one little spark could have a blaze burning brightly before anyone knew it. ”Get your *** over here,” The woman finally said as she held her arms open.

[Azraeth]

Well that was what mattered, didn’t it? That Raven knew they saw her as family. Even if it wasn’t something she was willing to fully accept, or was hesitant about. Az had never judged her for that. He wasn’t about to start suddenly.

Then there was this pregnant pause between his question and Raven’s answer. The way she said it; it was as if she was reciting something from her schedule. ‘Oh, I got some groceries, went to a yoga class, killed my brother, made dinner’. Yeah. Az didn’t believe for a moment that she was so blase about the whole thing, but he also wasn’t about to press in front of Flynn. Much as he loved his boyfriend; that was a personal matter. It was all about mutual respect, and he wasn’t about to press on such a potentially touchy subject around someone Raven barely knew. Even if Az was vouching for him, that didn’t necessarily mean she was comfortable around the Paladin, and the Mystic was going to choose to be sensitive to that. Though she had brought it up. Maybe it didn’t matter. “A trip around Canada? Burying body parts in each province?” he asked with a grin that said he was no stranger to a little bit of danger. It was actually something he and Flynn had never really discussed. Az was...well. Despite the fact that he was mostly ‘good’ by vampire standards, he was still a murderer. Up until a very short time before, he’d reveled in the drinking of blood. He still had an addiction to the adrenaline that came with violence. Which. Was probably why a guy as tame as Az found himself in so many situations which called for a good fight.

He figured the Paladin knew on some level that Azraeth had a very dark side. A dark side that was a lot closer to monster than man.

“Yeah, the soldiers are really trigger happy.” He commented. And then his brow lifted slowly in question. “Does that mean you’re keeping your nose clean?” He picked up on the protective way that Raven talked about Clover. Az had never met the woman, but as far as Az was concerned, if Raven cared about her, then he was happy to assume she was good people. Maybe time would eventually give them a chance to interact. It wasn’t something he intended to rush. No doubt part of the problem with Raven accepting the Dragomir was family was the misconception that they had been trying to steal her (it was entirely possible Enzo had been gunning for that, but Az’s brother always had been very direct in that way). But that wasn’t how the Mystic worked. He didn’t make his connections to people conditional like that. Raven could care about whoever she wanted.

She could love whoever she wanted.

She could see anyone she wanted as family or in whatever light she liked.

Az didn’t give a **** about any of that, and he’d told her as much months and months before. Who she was to him wasn’t contingent upon outside forces.

So when invited, he took his *** and the rest of him a few steps closer. Only for him to half twist when he was almost there so he could shoot Flynn a look. ‘I’m gonna get that *** of yours later for that comment’. He mouthed, but out loud he said “I AM your personal bubble.” He reminded before his arms curled around Rave, dragging her against his chest. It wasn’t necessarily bone crushing, but the grip was rough and deep. Because when he said he’d missed her, he hadn’t been even slightly kidding. There were so many people he’d cared about who had faded into the darkness over the years. Part of him had hardened against it. Even now, Enzo hadn’t been seen in months. Chances were he was never going to come back. It was a reality Azraeth had yet to unpackage or accept. Because doing so would have been a lot to deal with. He just sort of pretended there was a chance the charming Allurist was going to return one day. And Raven, despite her assertions to the contrary, was a bright spot for the Mystic.

“Alright.” He said, when he finally let her go and he stumbled back a step. “If you’re keeping mostly to the straight and narrow, I guess it would be wrong for me to tempt you into some kind of crazy murder spree.” He said, only to shoot Flynn an apologetic smile as if to say ‘haha totally joking!’ Totally not joking. “I was about to drag this guy home and make some cookies, but something about that doesn’t seem like it would be your scene, so how about we meet in the middle and go do something fun so I can fill you in on all of the absolutely crazy nonsense that has been going on while you’ve been away.” He backed towards Flynn, his hand slipping so he could grab the other man’s wrist, giving a little tug. Which was when he was brought fully back into the moment and realized there were a pair of dogs there.

Oh right.

“Actually, we’re going to have to make a trip by my place anyway. Why don’t you come by so I can show you the Dragon tower? And. I got a flamethrower.” Grinnnnnn. Actually, Az had a decent stockpile of unorthodox weapons. “You can tell me more about this trip around Canada and that...other thing.” If you want. Was the part he didn’t end up saying.