Picnic fun times. (Invite only)

[Pi dArtois]

“Of course you do.” Pi replied easily. “If my blessing is what you want, you have it.”

Pi didn’t really consider the vampires she sired as her children, not anymore. In the beginning of her life as a vampire she had, when she compensated for her own lack of family by trying to create one with the vampires that had become hers to protect and care for. But what she had learned (the hard way) is that all of the vampires she had turned, (and those that came after) were adults. Men and women who had lived lives before, who had experiences and lives and as much as she wanted them to have a family, in the truer sense of the word, it wasn’t possible or practical to be a parent to adults who didn’t really need (or want) a parental figure at all.

It was ironic really, that after not trying to be a family, she found herself in a position of parental figure anyway. Her smile, when she turned it towards Vada was poignant, and soft.

She’d have said more, maybe expanded on the honour she felt that he’d asked at all, that he had wanted her blessings when Klara joined them. Turning to face the woman, her smiled broadened and she stood. Holding out a hand to the woman Pi closed the distance to bring the woman in for a hug.

“Ah, there you are. Vada said you might join us. How have you been?” Pi greeted, walking the short distance to the blanket with the woman and retaking her place on the blanket, leaving plenty of room for Klara next to Vada.

[vadablade]

He smiled back at Pi, she was the perfect woman to fill the position of caregiver to him. She wasn't his mother, but his creator, his sire and he would destroy any that hurt her, if she could. Seeing her move he looked up and smiled seeing Klara and pulled her into his lap as he slid his arms around her waist.

" Speak of the demoness and she will come. Klara you got my note, I am so glad you could make it. Pi said we can have her blessing." He smiled as he kissed Her neck and then handed her his cup as he looked at Pi. " We aren't going to marry yet, going to wait a little while. I may not like Simon the crier, but Klara bound to him so out of that respect we will wait a little while." He spoke mostly to let Klara know what they were going to do and inform Pi too.

He wanted no one to question anyone for their love of someone else, Klara had a bad break up. He knew all about Simon not working on the marriage when he was meant to, that he chose another whilst with her, but he was her ex. Out of more honour for the marriage process, then the actual people, he will make her wait for it. They would marry, just not for a month or 2 at least.

[Lancaster]

The note had reached Elliot. It wasn’t too hard to clear his plans; he was the boss, and people generally did as asked, and gave him all the leeway he needed. The Australian had to wonder whether Vada wasn’t just a little bit simple. Though, he wouldn’t go so far as to insult him in such a way, not to the man’s face. But Elliot wondered it, nonetheless. Maybe he’d had some kind of strange upbringing. But the impression Elliot had got so far was slightly … well, unformed.

Pi had taken the time to get to know Skylar. The two had started off on the wrong foot, simply because Skylar happened to be the same sex as Pi, and attached to Elliot as a childe. Though, Elliot couldn’t say that he had reacted any better. Although he hadn’t ranted and raved and threatened to go kill this new fledgling, he had not exactly liked the way that Vada had admitted his ‘love’ for Pi. The temptation for violence confused Elliot; he’d never been like that in the past. It didn’t matter if some other man showed interest in Pi, right? Jealousy only showed mistrust. He’d always thought as much, and was proud if any other man showed interest in whoever Elliot might have been dating at the time. It meant that he had caught something worth keeping.

Something had changed, this time. But Elliot thought it would be the responsible thing to do. Go and meet this Vada person properly.

So he arrived at the appointed time. He arrived to see that Klara was only just being greeted, too—but that Vada and Pi were already settled. Bottles were opened. Things had been consumed.

”Am I late?” Elliot asked as he approached—hardly quiet. Tone mostly cordial, even if there was the barest hint of … what was that? He couldn’t even identify it himself.

[Klara]

Klara smiled as Pi moved to greet her, embracing the woman who had shown her so much kindness. She would always be indebted to her for vada’s turning. She smiled and slid into Vada’s arms and snuggled in on his lap as the trio sat and talked.

Vada shared the good news that Pi was going to give her blessing to the couple whenever they chose to marry. She listened to vada explain and chuckled. “Honey, I’m of the same mind. I didn’t want to rush into my last one nor do I want to rush it with you. I only just got the papers. I want Simon and me to be friends and not enemies but with everyone and their mother butting in and half-truths floating around who knows what will happen. It’s important that any drama surrounding him is over. I want nothing to interfere with us and I want you to be sure of my love. One day we will have a fight or a down time and I don’t want you to ever doubt or wonder if you were a rebound. You aren’t. Doc and Mortll don’t want me to rush either and besides we have our lifetime to be together.”

She winked at Vada, “Besides I want the worlds most romantic proposal!”

Kissing him tenderly she turned as the kiss ended to see Elliot show up and waved at him. “Hey Elliot come join us! I just got here myself!” Klara glanced Pi thinking Elliot seemed a tad off but wasn’t sure if it was her or if he truly was.

[vadablade]

He chuckled at Klaras words and kissed her as he turned to Eliot. "Pi has said so much about you, is it true you run your own bar and I still get carded there?" He laughed as he joked, he really only knew he ran the bar, but was wanting to learn about him. Get his own opinion on the man that Pi adored so much.

He hugged Klara tighter as he laid his head on her shoulder. " I gave you and Klara a later time so I could get to know our beautiful sire more." He spoke without much emotion, he loved Pi, but as a sire. He would explain it to Eliot but liked he seemed put off by him. He ran his hands through Klaras hair as he smiled to Pi and chuckled.

[Pi dArtois]

Turning her cheek up to Elliot she smiled as he leaned absently down to kiss her cheek. It was an automatic move, on her part and his, an automatic greeting that they’d done a million times, a soft sweep of lips on cheek and reciprocated before she pat the blanket next to her. If she'd been paying attention she might have noted the distance in his tone. But she wasn't the intuitive one in this relationship. She was the bull dozer, the bull dog and sometimes emotionally distant, so it was little wonder she didn't pick up on the queues. Pi wasn't really built for ... empathy.

“Oui.” Pi said, her lips moving against Elliot's cheek as she spoke then moving back to smile at the man she loved her words following on from vada. “Vada had some good news he wanted to share but I think… maybe it is good news him and Klara can announce together.”

With what Klara had just said Pi wasn’t too sure about the status quo of this announcement or pending nuptials. Life wasn’t always a straight road and it seemed that the road to this happy ever after had a couple bumps and curves in it. But what relationship didn’t?

For her and Elliot it seemed theirs had morphed and changed before they even realised what it had done, and all of a sudden they were blind sided with feelings that they had to deal with. It wasn’t easy and it hadn’t been entirely pleasant to begin with but they’d eventually find their way there. She thought the rockier road to happiness created an appreciation for the journey taken to get there and she certainly appreciated what she’d managed to get at the end of the drama. Elliot.

“I know a Simon.” Pi commented, picking up name of the man Klara was talking about. “He and I were good friends when we were both new to this city… new to being… what we were, but I haven’t seen him in a couple years. Simon Ward. Is that the same man?”

The likelihood was slim really, but isn’t that what you did in conversations, find a common denominator, pick it out and dissect the potential mutual acquaintance to see if the world really was as small as you thought it was.

[Klara]

Klara smiled enjoying her time with the others. It had been so long since she had just done something simple like a picnic. She listened as Pi talked when Simon’s name was brought up. Klara choked on the drink she had just sipped, coughing and sputtering trying to regain her composure. Finally, after several long moments she looked at Pi and smiled.

“Why yes, Simon Ward, he was my husband. I was Klara Ward. He goes by Simon Cross these days. He and I were married but I divorced him and I just recently got the papers though we separated at the beginning of December.” She swallowed before continuing, “Because it was such a nasty break up we felt it was only proper to wait a while to get engaged. I mean I’d marry Vada today but I want this marriage to be for the long run.

Looking at Vada to check his reaction she looked back and smiled at Elliot and Pi. “Simon is the one who Vada shot because he was on the list which caused some drama but it all seems to be settle down now.”

Klara took Vada’s hand and squeezed it kissing his cheek. “Pi and Elliott, I love Vada but I really want us to last and it’s important that we know one another. I know we’ll have fights along the way but if we’ve bonded together we’ll be able to work things out and I love the fact that you let Vada handle his own problems. If it gets him killed, it’s his fault and he’ll learn. Thank you for saving him. To be honest, he saved me.”

[Lancaster]

Elliot settled in beside Pi - kind of semi beside her and behind her at the same time. His long limbs sometimes made sitting on the ground kind of awkward. As it was, he half sat on the grass. A subconscious action because he was aware, in the back of his mind always, about how much room his long body could take up. Although he and Pi weren't the kind of couple to give in, much, to public affection, others should always still be able to tell that there was a gravitation between them. Their bodies always turned to each other, the slightest tip of their bodies touching. Like now - Pi wasn't about to curl herself up in Elliot's lap to snuggle. That just wasn't the kind of thing she did. And nor did Elliot expect her to. They showed their affection in subtle ways; like with the nuzzle of lips against cheeks. If they had body warmth, Pi would be able to feel Elliot's as he sat close behind her. In fact, as an Allurist who had inadvertantly picked up the aura of a mortal, he had a little warmth that she might be able to feel. But it wasn't much. Just that tiny bit more than her.

Elliot calmed considerably as he watched the two on the blanket in front of them. Klara talking about marriage and the two of them generally acting like a very new couple. Vada hadn't been around long, and had only just met Klara. He nodded, in agreement with Klara's words--the ones he'd overheard just before he sat down.

"Yeah I wouldn't rush into it. How long have you guys known each other?" he said. Marriage should, perhaps, comfort him. But it didn't. Marriages fell apart all the time. People cheated on their other halves all the time. Just because Pi's male childe was in a relationship didn't mean....

Elliot shook the thought out of his head. It didn't matter. He trusted Pi and that was what mattered. He sighed and settled.

"Yeah I'll still card you," he replied to Vada. "How old are you anyway?"

[vadablade]

He smiled as he watched the male sit and chuckled, like him at 6 ft 8 the height change is odd, but it made things interesting. He smiled at Pi and then rubbed his nose against Klaras neck softly. " Not too long, but it feels like a connection that grows and is meant to be. We wont rush in but it does feel right."

He pondered at Eliots words, carding him? Like he would ever drink anything again. He did look young when he was cleanly shaved, and this no reflection thing did make it hard to shave. " I am 26, but only look it when my beard comes in. Otherwise I am told I look 21 ."

He ran his hand up and down Klaras stomach softly as his mind wondered and his eyes seemed to draw inward. It did feel right, like they should be together, but everyone said they were rushing things. Should he withdraw and go slower? Nah it wasn't his style, maybe he would just sit there and look like and idiot that seemed to zone out, which is what they would see.

He slowly blinked as he lifted the empty glass to his lips and seemed to not notice. He did the same movement several times before he returned to normal and looked at everyone. " I am glad that you approve though Pi. And I will always love you." He pondered if he should clarify but seemed to enjoy the effects it had.

" I wont ever rush into things without thinking them through. I will always contemplate things through completely before I do anything. I like to weigh my thoughts before I do anything. " He spoke from the heart and his mind as he truly believed every word he spoke. His hands slipping tightly around Klaras stomach and held her close as he kissed her neck, his eyes moving around as he smiled. " Would you like anything to eat or drink Eliot?"

[Pi dArtois]

“I’m happy for you and Vada.” Pi replied to Klara, leaning over to give her hand a small squeeze. And she was. It sometimes felt that this life they now lived was too soaked in blood, their own and that of the creatures they all ventured into the night to kill.

What right did anyone have to decide what avenues people took to find someone to share that with. It took her years to come to terms with her feelings for Elliot, probably years for it to happen for her. But that was her and the once clueless man beside her. It wasn’t always going to be the way for everyone, and whatever happiness a person could find seemed like a good thing, especially given what they were now. Vampires.

“I knew Simon quite well when I was a younger vampire, but we haven’t talked in years.. but I used to consider him a friend.”

She wasn’t sure what the history was between Klara and Simon. Divorce of any sort was rarely amicable, even between the most amicable of people and she wasn’t about to ask. She figured it was enough to be supportive of the couple in front of her and ask as few questions as possible about their shared pasts.

“Looking forward to a future together is a good thing.” She finished, this time giving Vada a smile at his words.