It's The Little Things (Aliyah)

[Roderic]

I nod and then look around. I see some familiars and some people I haven't seen before. Great. "Maybe you should come to my floor. There's a lounge there. Until things are fixed." My eyes swing over to the people sitting at the bar, then over by the piano where Christmas music is being played. I wonder if Pyper comes down here anymore to play the piano and if she does, does she follow with the traditions humans do with playing that type of music at this time of year.

I don't give her a chance to reply before I head to the elevator and punch the call button with one finger. I do it again, not that it matters as the button lit up the instant I pushed it. But sometimes you call the thing and it doesn't come to your floor. It's called somewhere else and someone gets your ride and you're stuck standing around looking odd while others wonder what you're doing.

I want to ask her about her last name, but don't want to sound like one of those guys. The kind that's hitting on her, because I'm really not interested in her like that. My quick glance of her noted some admirable qualities about the woman, but if anything, the thing I would want the most from her is her blood, and I've already had my fill for the night. 'Are you from around here?' Sounded like a bad pick up line. 'Is that Hawthorne with an 'e'?' might sound creepy, but better than a pick up line. At least I think so. So that's what I ask as we enter the elevator. Sort of.

"I knew a Hawthorne in high school a few years back. Ends with an 'e,' right? Any relation?" Easy enough and harmless enough. I think so. I press the button for my floor, then plant myself towards the front of the door. If I was behind her, it might make her uneasy, and rightfully so. Right next to her wouldn't work for me, because I liked my space, even if she was temporarily invited into it. As we ascend to my floor, I resist the urge to tell her that if she tells anyone where I live, I'm going to kill her, because I don't think she will remember where I live, care where I live or have many people to tell. She didn't even know anything about her own path. Stabbing her sire was potentially on the table for that. It's why we had so many problems. People siring vampires and not telling them the important things. Luckily, for Aliyah, fate intervened.

[Aliyah]

As the doors to the building swung open, Aliyah found herself surrounded new sights and smells that clearly did not fit the locale. For being in the QZ, it was a pretty lively place, with people situated at the bar and festive music played in background. It was open, warm, and the complete opposite of what she would have expected. Then again, her expectations of vampires were pretty far off, so what right did she have to make any assumptions about the place at the point? None.

Ric's assessment that ended with his suggestion she NOT wait in the lobby left a nasty taste in her mouth, and she frowned deeply at his back as he moved to the elevator. He lived here, so he claimed, but felt her security was at risk...or that his security was. She couldn't tell which was he was more worried about, but either way, she didn't like it. Putting up a fight on the matter seemed childish, however, and so she simply moved into the elevator, putting her back against the back wall. It put a fair amount of space between the two of them, and she could clearly see everything that might happen, before it happened.

Aliyah cradled her arm to her chest, careful to hide the majority of her injury. It was hard to hide the black nothingness oozing from it, but she could play that off...somehow. With her good hand, she tapped a finger against the metal railing she leaned on, peering over at Ric as he spoke of an acquaintance. Another Hawthorne. She skimmed through her memory, searching for any mention of a family members that lived in the general area. "As far as I know, I don't have any relatives outside my mother and father. I highly doubt it. I grew up in Australia..." she explained, canting her head as the doors swung open.

"My parents lived over here before I was born. They moved to Australia, and stayed there until I was 17. Then we moved back" She didn't know why she was telling him her life story, but he asked about her relations and figured knowing her history would ease his mind. "So, unless this Hawthorne guy is related to a Benjamin Hawthorne in some way or another, then no relation!"

She stopped short of the hallway of doors, letting him go about his business. She knew he did not want her near his home, he made it abundantly clear. And so, here, she would stay.

[Roderic]

I didn't stop when Aliyah talked about a Benjamin Hawthorne. I wiped my feet off at the door, an even set of times and then stepped inside the apartment. I head to the bathroom, which is off to the side the second you enter. I open the cabinet drawers and pull out one of my multiple medical kits. I open it and fumble around for the supplies I'll need to suture her arm up with.

I move to the medicine cabinet and stuff a box of gauze in it, close the mirrored door and then flick off the light before heading back out to the floor's lobby. "I'm not sure who his family all was. Haven't really talked to the guy in a while." A while being a few months. Again, I'm not lying, I'm just being evasive and while I did know a Benjamin Hawthorne, I didn't know much more of my family besides that. Not until Aliyah started painting a pretty good picture for me.

"Let's get your fixed up and on your way." I say as I point to a chair with one quick movement, then open my box and start pulling out the essentials. Needle, thread, small scissors, the small bottle of alcohol and the gauze. I open the bottle of alcohol, pour it on my hands and rub them together before threading the needle through the eye, then snipping the excess thread away. The thread is set on a gauze, that I put on the arm of the chair, before I put a piece of gauze to the open bottle of rubbing alcohol, dampening it with the alcohol and then rubbed at the wound. It's stupid, as vampires don't need things to be sterile, I know. But it's a procedure and I'm a man of such. "So what brought you back? Too many beaches in Australia?"

[Aliyah]

Aliyah waited patiently as he went off to get what he needed, glancing out the window into the darkened streets below. Despite being floors up, she could clearly make out the zombies stumbling about below, and few pieces of old newspaper that blew around in the wind. She could have been standing right there and seen it all just as the clearly. Her enhanced vision had succeeded in amazing her once again, as it always did. At some point, she assumed she would get used to it, but for now, she was okay with feeling special. Not that she was.

Ric's steps alerted her to his return as she turned to face him, peering at the supplies he carried in his hands. She sat down in the lobby chair without argument, her stomach starting to turn as she watched him go about sterilizing the needle and his hands. Needles were never a favorite of Aliyah's the mere thought of shots having sent her into a tailspin as a human, even in her adult life. But, for whatever reason, she was just as terrible with them now. With a deep breath, she shut her mouth tight and looked away, wincing before he even touched her. Oh, she was gonna be sick...

Thankfully, Ric seemed to think talking was still appropriate, and it aided in distracting her from the work he was about to do. However, the question filled her with bitterness, and she had to fight back the urge to snap at him to mind his own business. But, she had opened her own can of worms by even mentioning it. So, to satisfy him with an answer, she continued. "The beaches were the best, I miss it there terribly..." she whispered, keeping her gaze trained on the window. "My father insisted we move back here, saying something about my mother getting her way long enough...what ever that means."

To this day, she was sure that it was her mother had landed her parents in Australia in the first place. Her father never seemed to enjoy it quite as much as her mother, who prided herself on being away from her past. What she could possibly be running from, Aliyah had no idea. What ever she was running from, though, it seemed to haunt her mother as soon as they reached the States. She constantly looked over her shoulder, like she would be recognized...even after 17 years.

Oddly, there was little pain as Ric worked, at least...not any that was added to the pain she already endured. Still, the thought that she needed to be treated for it at all was enough to make her skin crawl. "What about you? Where is your family from?" she asked, in effort to keep the conversation going.

[Roderic]

I had no idea what it meant, outside the fact that I never met Aliyah until now by both chance and because her mother didn't want to be anywhere near the rest of the family it seemed. I actually don't blame her. I didn't want to be anywhere near my dad, which was Benjamin's brother.

I don't comment about the beaches. But it did give me a little bit of insight on the woman besides me. On my cousin. I didn't miss anything about my life. I doubt there would be anything I would miss if my apartment caught on fire. I would be irritated I had to start from scratch and order new supplies, but there was nothing I just had to have in my life. Well, maybe my cave. For some reason I was drawn to it. Maybe Aliyah and the beaches were the same thing. I could relate; just a little.

"I'm from the east coast of the states." I'm not going to tell her more than that, even if we are related. Were. She's not an Altaire and she died and went into some other 'family.' That sort of wiped away any connection we might have had in my mind. "I only moved this way about two years ago. For-work." There was a little pause between those two little words. I couldn't say the real reason: Because I'm a serial killer that has to move around to stay off the radar.

"There you go." I say as I finish the stitching up. I put a couple pieces of gauze over it and tape those to her arm. "Just in case it starts to come undone before it gets healed up." I tell her, even though I don't doubt my abilities. "You know, I think I remember him talking about a Benjamin. But could be a coincidence. It's a pretty common name." I tell her, only to gauge what her reaction might be.

[Aliyah]

Ric's mention of the East Coast made her pause, readily listening for any further information that he might provide on the matter. As it so happened, Benjamin had insisted they return to the east coast, though he never fought her mother as to where. They landed themselves in Pennsylvania, or in Ali's mind, Bum-****-Nowhere. Her parents settled into life back in the States quickly, as if they had never left. They joined up with a church group in the area, got new jobs to keep them occupied, and even went so far as to recommend activities to their daughter. She hadn't listened to a one. But, Ric didn't provide any other information.

"My parents settled us in Pennsylvania. I found myself here by...coincidence, really. I was on my way to Toronto, for a job interview," she explained, given he had offered her information on how he had landed himself in Harper Rock. Oddly, Ali had to doubt that many of the vampires here were locals. For all that she had met, none of them had lived in the city as humans for long. It was like a giant melting pot, gathering too many different walks of life in one place. It was like culture shock.

Aliyah once again focused on the window, her good hand raising to fiddle around with her hair. As she had done so often before, her pointer and middle finger worked the blonde locks around them in a figure 8 motion. After a moment of that, she stuck the locks between her lips as she pondered her thoughts. She didn't suck on it, didn't chew. No, the hair just sat there, a pause, and she pulled it free again. And then the process repeated. Frankly, she had no idea where the habit had came from, but she had done it as far back as she could remember. Her mother hated it, always demanding Ali stop. Obviously, she hadn't.

The male once again startled her from her thoughts as she looked down at her arm as he finished, surprised it find it stitched up and ready to go. No more black blood, shadowy stuff to be seen. He, thankfully, covered the wound with gauze, preventing her from further inspection. Her stomach loosened from its previous knot, her body relaxing away a tension she hadn't realized even existed. She offered a small, but genuine, smile. "Thank you...you've...helped me out a lot, tonight."

But, Ric wasn't done, apparently. Her focus zeroed in on the male, assuming he was playing some game with her head. Benjamin was a common name, but not as often attached to the name Hawthorne. The gears in her head cranked, trying desperately to come up with a reason he might toy with her. "Yes...I suppose it could be a coincidence. After all...outside of my parents, my family has never even been mentioned. I don't even know my grandparent's names, let alone if my parents have siblings." was her response, voice controlled and calculated, only giving enough information to satisfy his curiosity.

Then, she stood. "But, hey! I have taken up far enough of your time today. I am sure you have other business to attend to. So, thank you very much, I truly appreciate it," she forced out, sounding far happier than she was. In truth, she was annoyed, and a tad freaked. Who the hell was this guy, anyway? "If there is anything I can do to repay you, I will be sure it gets done." She nodded. And, she wanted out. Now.

[Roderic]

"New York." I tell her, which isn't all that far away from Pennsylvania. I just wondered her reaction. To know that we were practically neighbors; Nate, Aliyah and I. Not that she suspected we were family. Well, cousins. I had only told her about Nate; which I hadn't really confirmed for her they were related at all either. Just a possible coincidence.

I'm packing away the rest of the supplies when I see her do something I know I've seen before. I stop and stare. I can't help it, because it's a odd quirk to have. My dad did the same thing. Sort of with a mustache he had when I was little. Back when they were somewhat cool to have. His brother must have the same quirk. Sometimes families shared the same sort of quirks and flaws. It's confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt for me. She and I are related. No pun intended on my end.

She stands to make her leave and I immediately move in front of her. "You can't go." I say quickly before I actually think about how that sounds. "I mean, you can. But their names are Thomas and Evelyn. Your grandparents. From what I was told." I tell her, knowing how it sounds. Some crazy nut job spouting off **** he didn't know. "And that would make you-my cousin. Nate's cousin too. Well, pre-vampire times." I add on, because cousins weren't really that big of a thing for me. But now she knew who her grandparents were and maybe she could sort out the rest of the details for herself. If she wanted to. I move out of her way then, by taking two small steps to her right. The choice was up to her. Stay or go. I wouldn't make her stay and I wouldn't stop her from going either. It seemed that family connections hadn't been a real big thing for her-situational or intentional.

[Aliyah]

He reminded her of a light switch. One moment, he was fine to be aloof and uncaring, the next he was in her face, stopping her access to the elevator. Her brows raised at his as he insisted she stay, considering her chances of taking him out. From his show with the mooncalf, he was much better off than she was, and her abilities were far less practiced. She wouldn't stand a chance, but she could try. Ali would be damed before she let herself be held anywhere against her will. Not that killing herself was really an out, anymore.

But, then he kept talking, spewing names she had never heard. She stared at him, uncomprehendingly. The words sunk in one by one, and knees practically buckled in slow motion as she sank back into the chair. Her gaze never left his though, but there was no emotion in them. Ni surprise, no fear, angry. Nothing. They were just empty. Her mind had momentarily shut down, testing the validity of his statements against what little she did know of her family. Her father had mentioned an "Evelyn" before, but only in passing, and never in reference to his mother. She could have been a coworker, for all Ali knew.

"There...there is no way..." she finally whispered, shaking her head. "No. No, okay? I don't have grandpar--..." she paused then, looking up at him in confusion. "Wait, in order to be my cousin...that has to mean my father has siblings." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. There was no other way that it made sense. "What are their names?"

"I swear, Ric, if this is cosmic joke that just gets you off, I swear to Ch-..." she stopped cold, her throat closing around the world 'Christ.' She coughed and gagged, trying her best to clear away the feeling of suffocation. She couldn't suffocate, but her humanity and habits remained firmly intact, and a fear gripped her. It went as quickly as it came, but the tightness in her chest didn't fully ease. "...I will kill you." Her voice was raspy, and hardly one to cause intimidation.

Family? One she had never even heard of? And now, a...cousin...stood before her? No way...

[Roderic]

I let her carry on. She was in shock at the news. Expected, I supposed. I might have looked and acted like her when I found out about my half-brother Nathan. I resisted the urge to stare at her in an offensive manner, so I brought a hand up to my face and rubbed at it as she finished up.

"Everyone has grandparents. You wouldn't be here otherwise." I inform her of the obvious. "My parents' names are 'mom' and asshole." It was all I felt like giving her at the time on information, just in case there was some serious mistake on my assumptions.

"Do people do that? Men, primarily? Telling women they are cousins because it gets them off?" I have debunked the possibility of me telling her we were cousins for some personal gain of the sexual nature with that question. "I've never heard anyone telling someone that so they could-you know." I don't need to say what I'm really thinking, as it should be obvious. "Honestly, I gain very little in telling you that we are cousins. My world won't change because you suddenly exist." It was the truth and she would see it as me being an asshole. Maybe I was, but it wasn't like we were going to start hanging out and sharing stories about our pasts due to this revelation.

"And you'll need to stand in line. You aren't the first to threaten me with that." I give her a sideways grin and step back two steps. "If you need a patch job any time soon-feel free to email me. Or there's my door." I point to the door as I give Aliyah another once over to make sure my first and potentially only stitch job on her meets my satisfaction, then head to my apartment.

[Aliyah]

It took Ric's attitude to make her snap, and she glared openly at him, standing from the chair in a rush. In a moment, she was in his face...or, as in his face as she could be, considering his height advantage. Her eyes held nothing but anger and disdain. "I didn't mean "get off" in a sexual sense, you asshole!" she snapped, pushing him back, and putting a safe distance between them. Her blood was boiling, creating a sense of heat that she knew was merely artificial.

As if a sudden thought struck her, she recalled his earlier answer to her question about his parents and she scowled, hands curling into fists. "No! I don't have ******* grandparents, because they sure as hell don't exist in my world. Never mentioned, never around. My family you are part of means about as much to me as dirt." She was borderline screaming at this point, the shock escalating rather than calming. The storm was only starting, and she needed to leave, or risk doing something rash. "For the record, not everyone means **** to be taking literally. Maybe you should take a lesson in it?"

With her words, she walked around him, slamming her hand against the call button for the elevator. She needed out, she needed air...she needed to slaughter something. It would have preferably been Ric, but it obviously wasn't an option, and that meant being creative. Perhaps imagining his face on a zombie would suffice.

As she waited for the elevator to reach the floor, she whipped around as he was walking away, well aware he could hear her. "Don't assume to know me, Ric. You went your whole life knowing you had family, who they were, whether dear ol' daddy was an asshole or not. Some people don't have that same luxury. Forgive me for ******* asking?" she snarled, whipping her head around in a mess of blonde locks.

With a sudden thought, she quickly took out a photo of her parents with her from her wallet. She was little in the picture, maybe 8 or 9. She glanced at them in the only photo she had and allowed the smallest hint of a smile. Then, she turned and ran with vampiric speed to stand before Ric. "You may not care who they are, I don't give a ****, frankly. But they are members of your family, whether you want them to be or not, so at least see the face of your Aunt and Uncle," she whispered, voice cold, slamming the small wallet sized picture to his chest. And then she was back at the elevator in an instance, content to ignore him from there.

The elevator doors opened as she rushed in with her fist hitting G as she passed. She turned and leaned against the back railing, flipping Ric off quickly before they closed once more to carry her to the ground floor. And as soon as she was out of sight, she screamed, her frustration released in a single sound.

The 'ding' that signaled her arrival was all she needed before shoving through the people in the lobby, far from caring about the angry shouts she recieved. As the cold and wind hit her face outside, she froze for a moment, her eyes filling with traitorous tears. Wiping them away, harshly, she moved in the direction of the river to escape into the sea of people crowding the city. Be someone else, if only for a moment.