Path of the Vampire forum

It seems the holiday cheer is just going to keep coming and coming! Okay, so Bancroft is really trying to make this a very merry Christmas, because only a few minutes after the reindeer rides are announced, the elves are at it again. This time, they begin to disperse amongst the crowd with little red wagons pulled along behind them. The wagons have been set up with a facade to look like miniature red sleighs, and seem to be loaded down with large red and white fluffy stockings.

Aside from being soft to the touch, these stockings come in one of two varieties - one designed for vampires and the other for humans. Of course, for those who wish to remain anonymous as to their 'status', there are glittering crumpled pieces of tinsel paper sticking out of the top, to distract from the actual contents. However, the choice is given to each person who receives one of the goodie-filled socks.

In the bag for vampires there are little vials of blood from willing donors. Some politicians, some famous athletes, some starlets. The stocking for the humans has expensive chocolates and other candies. Both contain numerous gems from the Algonquin caverns, in their raw state, as well as gold coins pressed with an image of Bancroft's face. There are also dozens of coupons for local businesses.

As Doc corners the elf with the megaphone to inquire about the mayor, the elf lifted a hand to adjust a pair of spectacles which look as if they may or may not be real. The frames for them are thin and metallic. The lenses are completely circular. "Apologies, sir, but I'm not sure if Bancroft is going to make it to the event. He was called out of town recently, though one of his personal assistants is hanging around to make sure everything runs smoothly." He then leans a little closer, back of his hand covering his lips to obscure them for view by outsiders. "Between you and me, I hear he got a call from a higher up government type, but that's all I know. And you didn't hear it from me." With that, the elf, slipped past Doc and scurries off to help put together the next event.

He felt the brush of lips on his cheek twice, and at first, he intended to ask Mortll what had her in such a good mood. If perhaps she the holiday spirit was getting to her, or if maybe there was some good news she had to share with him. Unfortunately, it seemed no sooner did the trio stop, than the Mystic watched his fellow Dragon move off in a different directly. She excused herself, and...was she carrying a rose? Oh well. He could certainly talk to her about it later. Up until she departed, he was more than happy to stay close, as if she were indeed the very delicate ornament he had described her as. But she was not the sort of woman who needed an escort.

And it was as he was tracking the progress of Flynn across the room (okay so his gaze totally dropped to follow the retreat of one particular part of his partner), that he briefly caught sight of the nod in his direction from Elizabeth. He was more than happy to return the expression of acknowledgement - she had been one of the very people Az had been talking about with his Paladin only a few moments prior. There was a second when he thought perhaps she had overheard him, though chances were, it was just a brief greeting. A first really, from afar, and therefor appreciated with an expression signature to the Mystic, with hints of roguishness at the corners of his mouth. His mate was far superior to him when it came to the smirk, so Az didn’t even try to emulate.

However, he couldn’t be all over the room at once, and he was reminded of this when the Sis spoke directly into his brain. At first, he was pleased that he was turned just a little away, because his eyes widened at what she had to say. He snapped back into place, his shoulders squaring. It was as if she had read his mind. Azraeth had been considering something...very similar a lot lately. In fact, with the Paladin’s very slowly waning fear of commitment, the Mystic had been hesitantly hopeful that he might be able to ask the other man before summer. Well. After a manner. The thought had certainly occurred to him. The only thing that held him back, aside from the fear that it was too soon for Flynn, was this voice at the back of his mind. The one that said he should wait things out a little more. He should see if, while living together, they were able to survive and not want to end up strangling each other. If things could truly last between them. If they could build a life together. Or if it was just wishful thinking.

Az had certainly been burned in the past. Numerous times. He had fallen prey to infatuation. He had thought he was in love. He had even loved other people. It had never worked out. Things certainly felt very different when it came to Flynn. But there was still that doubt hanging like a fog on the outskirts of his conscious mind. But there was another, brighter part of him that thought love was something inherently joyful, and that joy itself was ephemeral. That he should just roll the dice with what he knew and take the chance.

I hope you know...I intend to get the One Ring. The one ring to rule them all. I am a romantic son of a *****.

The thought was sent to Amalea with another of his grins.

Thankfully, the topic turned from Az’s romantic life to Amalea’s. And of course, she buried the lead. Public relations for the Hebigumo Foundation. Az was well aware of what that likely meant. The vampire had yet to be impressed by the Sirens. They were not very forthcoming with their information or their motives, which made it difficult to trust them. That, and their past with the vampire community seemed...quite checkered. He didn’t assume there was much danger posed to Lea herself, but he was about to tell her to be careful when...she answered for him. It seemed she was very much in his head. So he decided the best move was to just slip closer and let an arm slide around the woman’s middle so he could hug her against his side.

“As long as you take precautions.” He said, the way one might have talked about wearing ‘protection.’. “It’s one thing to play nice in public…” He trailed off. He knew that Amalea was a bright woman. Brilliant in some ways. She wasn’t the sort who would rush into a situation without analyzing possible outcomes. Still. That did not change that Azraeth was the kind of person who felt protective. Especially when it came to those who were close to his heart.

This was right around the time an elf came by with a selection of stockings. He was more than happy to nab one. Rather than grab the ‘vampire’ option, he went for the human one. He figured he could just give the sweets to either Lea or Flynn. And as soon as he had the thing in his hands, he glanced around, looking for a table to dump the goodies out upon to rifle through them. Sadly, there were not a lot of them, so he just began to go through the contents standing there. First was the tinsel paper, which he pocketed. Next he reached down inside and yanked free some gold coins, which he inspected carefully and tested with his molars before also secreting on his person. “Anyway, what are your plans for Christmas itself? I was thinking of doing something quiet.”

The fact he managed to make it from the airport to the apartment to change and back out to where he was standing with a present in hand was a mystery to him. Jet lag certainly covered part of it. He had been away long enough that he had come up with a few explanations as to what had him delayed in returning. Part of it he wasn’t entirely sure should be shared on this particular night. Not with Ainsley. The holidays were important to both of them. They spent them together since he could remember. They never had much but they always had eachother.

Mom was gone and Dad could drop dead for all he cared. For the record Bohan cared less than ever for anything or anyone outside Ainsley. It was only meant to be a week but that soon turned into months. The loss of Gabriel had taken a toll on him and once his sister was settled he took off to find his way through what was left. Unfortunately his demons followed the artist when he left Harper Rock in search of what he would never truly find. Instead he returned with more baggage than he left with. More emotional than anything else.

The present in his hand held his attention long enough to appreciate that the gift wrapping he paid extra for was worth it. A play castle with the drawbridge any decent one should have and interactive miniature to represent a whole kingdom rattle inside with his movements. He typically would have brought along an easel and art supplies but his gift of choice had a reason known to him. Just as he was set to enter and arrive better late than never he discovered his sibling trying to leave.

“Oh hey there...” He slid an arm around her waist and guided her to enter the party with him. No warning at all was needed or given. “You are going the wrong way.” He handed her the large package as their pace stayed in sync side by side. “Hold on to that for a minute. I think I have my invitation somewhere.” He patted at his pocket while keeping a nice connection to his sister with the other still draped around her waist. It was not loose in its placement. A certain amount of possessiveness was in play. That had not changed while he was away. The fact his wardrobe improved to the point he owned the suit he was wearing... well that had upgraded quite a bit. “I missed you.” He leaned down and whispered as much in her ear as the festive sparkle exploded to view around them. “Damn...” He never seen anything like it before.

LIFE CHOICES

There was this insistent buzzing in the darkness, and a lone hand reached across the soft expanse of bed sheets so that Grayson could grab his phone from where it was charging on his nightstand. The light of it nearly blinded him, causing a hoarse groan to slip past his lips. That was always the way his voice sounded - as if he had been shouting for hours. Like he was about to die from some combination of smoker’s lung and dehydration. Like he was a living sand dune. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, his hand having lifted as if to give him shade. There was a text from a staffing service he used to find odd jobs while he was ‘trying to figure his **** out’. Apparently there was some sort of really big party going on, and they needed another elf. There was a costume there and ready for him to wear. Apparently the turn out had been way bigger than anyone anticipated, and the people working behind the scenes were running like frantic to keep up with everything.

He ended up placing a call as he crawled his way out of bed. His apartment was blanketed in darkness. He had been enjoying sleeping off the previous three days, but he was really in need of some cash. Especially after he’d blown about half of his bank trying to impress a few handsome faces. Not that there was a body warming his bed. But that was the problem with playing the numbers game. If you hit on a ton of people, eventually someone was bound to give you attention. But sometimes, no matter how many times you rolled the dice, they didn’t come up in your favor. Eh. That was life though. Win some. Lose some. Shag some. Get slapped in the face by some. He didn’t take any of it personally.

So after ensuring they still needed him, he brushed his teeth in the bright lights of his bathroom, and then began to throw on some clothes. His choices probably wouldn’t mesh with the whole high society feel, but he was going to be changing as soon as he got there anyway. And he ******* loved everything about Christmas. It was around this time of year that he really began to miss New York - because the entire city seemed to completely change. And then when New Year finally rolled around, he felt a little pang of regret at not being right there on Times Square. But life had taken him up north, and Harper Rock had a few of its own charms.

Besides. He hadn’t moved for himself.

And there were reasons he refused to go back.

It was about ten minutes later, that he approached the mansion in Elmworth. There were a lot of paparazzi outside, and the whole thing seemed extravagant. He cut through them like a knife along that carpet. Sure. There was probably a service entrance, but what did he care if his face ended up plastered all over the media? It wouldn’t have been the first time. Which was to say he wasn’t all that phased by the flash of the lights. But it was right as he neared the entrance that he caught sight of a pair a little better dressed for the gravity of the event. “Hey, let me get by you.” He said as he steered himself around them, so he could disappear into the building. He had to go and find this costume he was meant to be wearing. Apparently Bancroft was paying the staffers top dollar, and he wasn’t about to miss out on even a minute of lining his deep pockets.

There was a quick quiver of amusement to her lips as Doc referred to himself in such a strong fashion. However, the flicker was replaced with a look of intrigue at the word, 'friend.' Elizabeth said nothing to interrupt the rest of what Doc had to say, finding the prospect of him carrying, or rather, dragging her 'home' slightly entertaining. "That could be quite the spectacle." Elizabeth commented, somewhat icly, her thoughts on both the present, and recently past conversations that occurred.

The look he cast her way was received with a high brow, before Elizabeth watched him wander off in the direction of one of the elves, to what she assumed, was to socialize. Not long after he was gone, trinkets were practically thrust upon her-and everyone else in the room, by another elf. Elizabeth glanced around, stlil curious about the ever mysterious Banecroft, before moving on to be social herself.

Elizabeth gravitated towards the familiar-which was to Alaric and those surrounding him. It was simply curious to her, that the Siren seemed to position herself with the only other elder in the room, and those that were clearly...human. Perhaps his family, even. When Elizabeth 'appeared,' for lack of a better word, she just observed and listened to the conversations being had.