♪ Breaking routines ♪ (CLOSED)

[Skylar]

I know I've fucked up the moment he freezes. That's not normal behaviour. Most guys will walk with a girl on their arm, even if that girl isn't theirs. When he pull away I shoot him a look of confusion. I wonder... Am I really so repellent that the guy can’t stand to be next to me? As he explains his phobia, I arch a brow. Yeah right. Vampires are immortal. They don’t get sick. I can’t help but wonder why he’d fear germs now. Unless... Yep. He's lying. A real germaphobe wouldn’t go near a quarantined anything. I shake my head at the offer of a cigarette and politely let him know I’m not a fool. Even though I'd followed him through the door.
"You're a liar. A cute liar. But a liar all the same. You say you don't like germs or whatever but in the next breath you bring up the quarantine zone as if you're about to suggest taking me on a date there. Which is just odd. Really. Cos if you find me so hideous that you don’t want me touching you, I’m surprised you even want to carry on this conversation, let alone take me somewhere."
There's that alarm bell again; the one that rang earlier when I started following the guy in the first place. God knows what it wants now? Am I supposed to walk away? I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being overly cautious. Humanly cautious even. That’s why I refuse to listen to it. That and because this Ric guy intrigues me. He's so... odd. I like odd. Far more interesting than boring old puppy types. Or the kind of guy that changes women as often as he did his socks.
"You know I could probably prove it right? That you aren't afraid of germs. The fact that you didn't pull out hand sanitizer or try to wipe at the area I touched kind of proves that. I'll warn you now. In the interest of full disclosure... I don't do boundaries. In fact I'm fighting the urge to lick your face right now, cos I think you're gonna freak if I do."
I shrug and keep my distance. Licking this guy would also prove you can't catch germs but that would be rather a longer lesson, as any cold I had wouldn't transfer and surface immediately. Though... Nah. I've kissed Dillon and he's still alive so I don't think there's anything funky in our saliva. I'm kind of distracted by that thought now and realise I should have said I'd kiss him. Most people prefer to be kissed than to have their faces licked. Even the crew I hung out with look at me strange when I do that. It's usually met with a slight protest but it kind of losses the effect if they're laughing at me, which they usually are. Its a great way to end an argument actually. Confuses the **** out of people,they have no idea what to do when you do that. I kind of enjoy confusing people. I want to confuse Ric but he said I'd already crossed one boundary and I'm sure I should reel in my quirkiness for at least a few minutes before I try crossing any more lines.

[Roderic]

At first I started to believe this woman was mentally unstable in some aspect. I never asked her on a date, but she assumes by us hanging out for a few minutes that I had. Attention needing, clingy and desperation reeked from her in those few words. Especially when she carries on about her appearance. Nothing I said or did seemed to imply I found her unattractive or attractive. At least I don't think so.

But as she keeps talking, the corners of my lips flick up and make a small smile. She wasn't as unintelligent as I thought she was. Not some dumb blonde in a sea of more dumb blondes that no one might miss. Someone might miss her, but truth was, we came back after we died. If she did, that would be her choice. She served a purpose in my mind at that second and that was to get blood to stay strong and move on with my night after getting rid of her.

She talks about licking my face and I just stare at her. Who says that to a stranger they don't know? I could have a disease or something. And never mind that I'm a complete stranger. "That won't be necessary. The end result would not be pleasant for either of us." It is a small threat on her end. I wouldn't like it and she would get stabbed right then and there.

"You are inaccurate about your observations. I never indicated you were hideous." I tell her. Maybe that would get her to shut up. She liked attention and here, I was giving her some. A small amount, but some none the less. "I did tell you that I liked space. Which implies that we are not going on a date. Unless this is a friend date." I wasn't interested in a friend date or date with her. But knowing what was going on in that head of hers would let me know how to get her to shut the hell up. "I asked if you had been there because that's where I'm going now. The choice is up to you if you want to go. If you do, that just means we have the same ending location. Nothing more or less."

[Skylar]

I facepalm and drag my hand downwards, groaning as I do it. This guy is either dense or he has some serious issues. What is it about some people that makes them take everything literally? Then again, maybe it's me? Maybe I've just lost my charisma. Between Ric and Elliot my confidence was taking a serious knocking. Why don't they understand my teasing. I need to hang out with a more lively bunch. the corner of my mouth curls as I realise that's true, only by lively I probably meant living. Both Elliot and Ric were vampires. Maybe some vampires lost their sense of humour in their turning.
"I didn't... Ah forget it. You know what? I'm not going to argue over semantics. Actually no. I am."
I change my mind but still maintain my distance.
"You've definitely invited me to spend time with you now. Space or not. date or not. You wanted to know if I was going your way because you wanted company. You're odd. You know that right?"
I look him over, still ignoring the rational part of my brain that was telling me that I should probably quit while I'm ahead and go the **** home. I just don't see what my instincts are all jumpy about. Elliot took me to the quarantine zone and I made it out of there okay. But then Elliot's a softy. At least I think he is. I still don't know him all that well.
"And to answer your question. No. I wasn't going there. Even if I could forget the fact that you have to go through the sewers to reach the place, I would still remember that the place is crawling with..."
A guy rushes past me and knocks into my shoulder. It was perfect timing really as I was about to blurt out the word zombie in public. I'm about to call after him when I hear him mumble his apology. He's got his head down and he doesn't look like he's stopping so I let it go. If anything, I have to take it as a sign. Not sure I believe in the whole higher power thing, but if I did, it would be in moments like this.
"Germs."
I poke my tongue out at Ric. This was clearly a jibe at his expense, and I hoped he was smart enough to realise that I was once again talking I code.
"Lots of nasty, horrible, germs that want to kill me. So no. No I don't think I'd be going there. I'm not suicidal.
And by asking if I was going that way, you were kind of requesting my company."
I'd already stated as much but I repeat it anyway. the guy's kind of bugging me now, but in that 'I want to understand you' kind of way that makes me frustrated as all hell. I like puzzles and stuff. But if I can't work them out I usually cheat. You can't cheat with people. You can either work them out or you can't. Right now. This guy. This Ric, well he's a conundrum.
"I would kind of like to talk to you though. Pick your brain a little. Get your take on this crazy club we find ourselves in. So... I guess I could walk with you to the station."
It's a compromise of sorts. A part of me wants to follow him wherever he's going but I get the feeling we're just rubbing each other up the wrong way in this moment of time.
I catch myself staring at him. I don't know what it is about guys with unruly hair that I like so much. I don't know what it is I tend to like about guys period. I must have a type, I just don't see it yet. Mum says I'm a trouble magnet though and that if there's a guy that's bad for me in a twenty mile radius, that I'll find him. Maybe she's right. Maybe that's why my instincts are telling me to run. I need to run away before I find myself crushing on him. But of course... I don't.

[Roderic]

This girl was winded and riled up easy. A smile flickers across my lips as I allow her to get every word out she felt necessary to say. Women were like that I noticed. Had to talk and get everything off their chest to feel better. Right away too. I part my lips, look around, then speak. "Feel better, sparky? Germs, can't kill you. Just for some basic knowledge sharing. They're irritating, but you're a vampire. Handle **** that comes your way as such." I say the last part low enough so that no one hears us. "I've not been sick in about a year." That's about how long I had been a vampire for. How long Nix probably wished that she had managed to kill me instead.

I begin to walk again, thinking about the rest of what she said and what she wanted. "If you want to talk about our club, it's going to cost you. Not enough time to pick apart my brain from here to the station. So you're going to the qz." I let her know it's not an option. Not if she wanted to get anything from me. I'm not a ******* charity. "Got things to do there and we're just wasting time here."

"I'll warn you now. In the interest of full disclosure...you'll probably be disappointed." I take her words and flip it right back to her. This was her one chance to get away free and clear, or to stay. If she's disappointed, she had been warned up front.

"Not half bad with the guitar. How long have you been busking for?" I ask her, intentionally changing the subject to eat up time and force her to come with me. I cross the street as I wait for her answer, the blonde woman at my side. For now.

[Skylar]

Hmm. So zombies can't kill me? Or did he think I meant actual germs. Either way it's good news I suppose. I'm pretty sure he was talking about zombies though. I smile at him, the knowledge was useful. It was a good thing I wasn't adverse to learning new things, else this life was going to suck big time.
I follow where he leads but that bell's ringing all the louder and it's getting harder to ignore. This guy is so difficult to figure out. Does he want shot of me, or does he want company. He's prickly so it's hard to see where his head's at. I'm not liking the idea of going through the sewers but I guess I have no choice. And in some ways, he's right. If I want information, I need to be willing to go along with him to get it. He must assume I have a hundred and one questions and that I wouldn't be done by the time we reach the station.
"Busking or playing?" I ask, but quickly proceed to answering both. "I've been playing since I was like 5. So that's..." I do the math. "Twenty-three years. I've been busking since I was like 18. As soon as I was old enough to do it without my parents getting suspicious as to where I was and all that. I like it. Busking that is. And it's not about the money. I like connecting with people. You know. Trying to enrich their day, even if it's just entertaining them for the length of a song."
I go silent and think about his warning to me. I don't mind having my words turned back on me and I'm used to being the one doing the disappointing, so that's all good too. I'm not sure what he thinks I expect of him though.
My guitar is still strapped across my back and I really need to put it away if we're going to go clambering through the sewers.
"Hold up a minute, 'kay?"
I stop when I find a place to set my case down, open it and finally put my guitar away. Snug as a bug and protected from whatever the rest of this night would bring.
" 'Kay. Let's go." I stand back up, case in hand. "I had a really good night actually tonight. Better than normal. More people seemed to stop and paying real attention. And the money. Insane. Someone actually dropped a fifty dollar bill in my case. I can't believe they did that on purpose. They must have thought it was a five dollar bill."
I shrug. Not really sure why I'm talking about me. I wanted to know about him. About our kind. Something still isn't right though. The guy says he has business in the quarantine zone and try as I might I can't think why anyone would need to go there. Ellie had mentioned something about training, but Ric was a year old and likely didn't need to be training anymore. As for me. I don't see myself going down that route any time soon. Not voluntarily at least.
"So..." I start to swing the conversation my way. "Did you sense what I was. Is that why you stopped to listen to me? Just how much can you tell by looking at someone? Do you know my path? How old I am? This is all so new to me, I'm not sure if I'm picking everything up yet that I'm supposed to."

[Roderic]

This chick asked a lot of questions. Too many of them. Or maybe she just talked a lot. I'm starting to chalk the idea of talking a lot as a woman thing. I knew a lot of women that did this. If vampires could get headaches, I'm sure I would have one by now because of Skylar.

I wait, because I have to. She's going to be my meal ticket in about an hour, so what was another two minutes? "No, I don't know how old you are. But I would guess new. Due to your questions. If you were old you would know the answers already. No, I don't know your path, but I doubt we are the same." Shadows, the ones I knew were nothing like Skylar. She was so different. Loud. People oriented. Loud.

"And yes. I knew what you were. Not because I sensed it. I saw your lack or absence of human qualities as you played. When I watched you." I leave it at that. "Can you walk on water, or do we have to go the long way to get to the qz?" I ask her before we head in a certain direction that won't do either of us any good. "Long way being through the sewers. Things down there definitely want to kill you. Heads up on that." I say that very casually, but she should know that the journey ahead of her isn't going to be an easy one. Not by a long shot.

"You're really 28?" I look at her, sizing her up a little. I'm not sure I believe that. Though she could be. Women generally tend to age better than men and wore so much make-up that they either looked older than what they were or younger than what they were. "What do your parents think of this? Busking?" I'm curious, only to know if she has any real solid ties to the human world before we go too far down this road.

[Skylar]

He says we aren't of the same path. I can believe that. There's like a one in six chance he'd be what I am. And that's if every six vampires all took to different paths. From what I know, assignment to a path isn't exactly controlled by the maker or any other more omnipresent being. Assignment is kind of chaotic and comes down to the individual somehow. I just nod to these words. He's pretty observant. Quick. I begin to wonder if that's a vampire trait. Are we all immediately smarter than we were before?
The guy then begins to insult me. What the hell does he mean by "lack of human qualities". I'm not that far gone. I'm barely even a vampire. I have idea what he's talking about and it kind of pisses me off. I go quiet grumbling to myself as he continues.
My injured feelings are still reeling when he asks me the most unusual question I think I've ever been asked, and it leaves me wondering if such a thing is even possible. I have one straight arm, due to the weight of the case I'm carrying. My free hand then moves to rub at my other arm, creating a sort of barrier to the world; a subconscious gesture born out of the need to defend myself from his previous statement.
I'm still working out if I want to ask him about the water walking thing or kick him in the groin for calling me inhuman, when he asks about my parents and what they think of my busking. Seems like an odd question in a conversation about vampires and such but I guess I opened that door when I practically told him I started playing on the streets without their permission. His surprise at my age doesn't shock me though. A lot of people had that reaction. That's why I tended to carry my ID.
I'm still feeling hurt by his words when I start to reply and the change in my tone probably gives that away; that and the fact that my answers are shorter now. I'm half tempted to tell him I just remembered I had to go wash my hair or something. Let him know I was blowing him off.
"Only Jesus walks on water and even that's a myth. So sewers it is. Yes, I'm really twenty-eight. And my parents hate it."
I shrug and fleetingly cast my eyes in his direction. Damn him. Damn him for being the first vampire I meet. Damn him for being attractive to me. And damn him for even giving me the time of day. I'd been on a high before he called me inhuman and now all I want to do is ring Elliot and have him cheer me up. Have him tell me I'm fine the way I am. Or at the very least explain to me what this jackass might have meant. I need to know what gave me away, if he didn't just sense what I was.

[Roderic]

Her reply tells me she hasn't been a vampire all that long. Though, I'm not surprised. If she's never seen or heard of a vampire walking on water, was she in for a real treat. I just nod, letting her believe the way she stated we were going was the way we were in fact going. But I had other plans. Mostly because I believed she was going to be loud and draw attention to us from the things down in the sewers, I didn't want to get shot, that would be counter productive to me getting blood as I would need more. A lot more, and I honestly didn't think she was very good at fighting. She didn't seem the type. Though, I hate to make too many snap judgements about someone. Who knows what she might be packing in that guitar case or in the actual guitar itself. My mind starts to wander about the possibility of a guitar becoming a weapon.

"Come on." I nudge my head towards the Bullwood area. I doubt she knew every sewer entrance and exit, but if she did, I didn't care. She would find out in the next few minutes we weren't going down there. Not if I could help it.

I take her to the edge of the River bank, but as I do that I strike up a few more comments and questions. "If they hate you doing it, why do you do it? Teenage rebellion? Sticking it to the man?" I shrug. I really don't care what the answer is, as long as it tells me one thing. How close she and her parents are to each other. As I ask these questions, my foot touches the lip of the shoreline and I focus. I needed to get to the QZ and this was the only thing standing between me and it. If I didn't think it a problem, it wouldn't be. Mind over matter. I turn my back to the water, more specifically the QZ, and take a step back. Then another and another before I stop and just stare at her. "We could do this one of two ways. I carry you, or you wait in anticipation of me summoning you there. Either work for me. Both are faster than going down below." I wait for her reply before I say anything else or move.

[Skylar]

The guy doesn't seem to notice he's upset me and just keeps on talking, so I come to the conclusion that he's dense. Though the serious issues thing is still a distinct possibility. I'm not really paying attention to where we're going but I nothing seems to jog any memories. I only really work out we're off track due to passage of time; we were taking far too long to reach the sewer entrance. I knew it was closer to the station than this and yet still I follow. I'm dragging my heels a bit now. My free hand hanging from my jeans pocket by the thumb.
When we reach the shoreline I finally admit to myself that he has other plans. He's still asking about me though, and shows some kind of interest. Right? I guess that's what I want to believe as despite it all I still answer.
"Teenage rebellion I guess. They wanted me to fit into their society and play by their rules. I decided I didn't like it."
I shrug my shoulders and watch as he steps onto the water.
"I prefer..."
What he's doing pretty much stops any thought process I have. The guy is standing on the water. Like actually standing on it. I rest my guitar case on the floor and crouch down to look at his feet. Unable to believe what I'm seeing, I tap the water around them with my free hand to see if it was some sort of trick. I thought that he was standing on some sort of invisible platform but I was wrong. There's nothing there. I look up at him, my mouth gaping open as the water ripples under him.
"Wow. Now that is a neat trick."
I still have a decision to make though so I stand back up and compose myself. Since I have no idea what a summoning is, I decide that I should get him to carry me, though that brings with a a few choices too. I mean it might be fun to have him literally sweep me off my feet. He's kinda cute, even if he is an ***, so being in his arms could be nice. I'm still carrying my guitar though, so the romantic imagery is quickly broken by the fact that I would have to cradle that as he holds me. The other option was far less romantic but probably more appropriate as he could carry my guitar, while I ride on his back. This was probably the more fun option and it would give me the chance to watch the water below us as he moved.
"I'll take option A please. Here. Take this and turn around and I'll hop on your back."
I have no idea if he'll go for the idea but I hold my case out to him and wait to see if he'll turn so I can quite literally jump on his back. Jumping on a stranger’s back probably wasn't the most sensible idea, but then again neither was handing my case over to someone that could run off with it. I shrug to myself. I quite liked doing things that would be considered out of the norm and this was definitely one of those situations.

[Roderic]

"It's not a trick. It's an ability. Maybe you'll be able to do it one night too." I tell her as I wait to hear her answer. I liked walking on water, but I was past the stage of being in awe about that capability. I had done it so many times as a blood thief that when I became a vampire, I decided I'd only learn the really useful stuff and not dick around with things I didn't care about or felt there was little to no benefit from learning.

Carrying her it was.
I'm not surprised. Summoning someone required trust. Trust that the person would always have your best interest in their mind. I personally only trusted less than a handful of people with the ability to be able to summon me on a whim. I look at the guitar case, then at her.

"I'm not sure if there's a weight restriction. Guess we'll see." I grab the guitar, then turn around as she wanted me to do and wait for her added weight to be on my back. I know I can hold her, but again, I'm not sure if the power only allows a few extra pounds. Not an extra person. Hopefully it worked. I hadn't carried anyone across a river before. "And no, before you say anything, I'm not insulting your weight." I clarify as I wait.

Once Skylar is on my back, I progress to the QZ with her on it. So far, so good. I take a few cautious steps at first, just to make sure I'm maintaining control of the situation and if we are going to go down, we only go down in a few feet. Not ten or so. We get half way before I strike up any form of conversation with her. It's just because she is a talker. And I want to control what we talk about. Things that I need or want to know. Not what she wants to talk about. Which probably doesn't serve a purpose or point. She's dinner. I don't want her to know me. Not on that level.

"So let me guess. You skipped town, tried to make it big and?" I ask as a hand comes behind me and grabs her butt. There's nothing sexual about it, but she wasn't on me quite right and if she fell off, she wasn't staying above water. "Or have I got it all wrong?"