Path of the Vampire forum

September 27, 2017

- A Z R A E T H -
The city of the dead was a quiet. As far as he knew, Azraeth was a lone figure amongst the still dead, and he had made the decision to leave his gun back home. Instead, he relied on the three things that had always gotten him through when he was alone: his wits, his magic, and his sword. So he slogged through the levels, getting deeper and deeper into the demesnes of something darker and bigger than he could imagine. And that was where he met with the Enslaved Revenant. Theirs was a short-lived face off, because Az wasn’t the type of man who dawdled when he knew what he needed to do. Minutes later, he was dusting some ashes into a vial, and putting quark stopper on the top.

He had needed time to think, and that was precisely what he’d done.

It was nearly an hour later, after a shower, to clean off the gunk and stink of death, that he stepped into the Dragomir Temple. A bit of business. A bit of nightly routine. After the Longslade incident, his temporary contract with the university had been immediately terminated, and the remainder of his term was being taught by someone else. He was a vampire, and those classes, the late night ones, were a bit of a shameful mark. Nobody wanted to be associated with vampiric sympathy, and him actually being a blood sucking monster made it all the worse. He suspected the program was going to get scrapped after the semester ended.

But he was a resourceful guy, and there was someone he wanted to talk to. Besides. He owed the guy one after having his back during the **** storm a few weeks back. And so, he reached out, as if with the core of his being. And suddenly pulled Flynn to himself. Az was seated on the ritual altar at the head of the Dragomir Temple, his legs crossed at the ankle, his palms on the edge as he leaned over to watch the newly appeared man. And he grinned.

Wearing

- F L Y N N -
The day had been exhausting. With the news breaking about the ‘vampire terrorists,’ the lawyers of his firm were like vultures. Somehow, they were convinced that they were about to see an influx of clients, each of them looking to build a case against a supposed vampire for rights to their bodies or some other weird **** that Flynn had stopped bothering to listen to. There had just been a literal slaughter, and all they seemed to care about was making money out of it. Naturally. He had left annoyed and feeling dirty, like his suit was stained with their apathy.

His apartment was just the solace he needed, away from the chaos and panic that seemed to be overtaking the general population of the city. A shower was enough to mellow him out, but that didn’t stop him from dropping onto his couch with a groan. Using his forearm to block out the dim lights of the living room, he tried to clear his head of all the nonsense the days had caused.

That came to abrupt end as he felt a tugging sensation at the pit of his stomach, his eyes snapping open. And he wasn’t even in his apartment, anymore. In fact, he hadn’t a clue where he was, just that he was staring at Azraeth, who had the grin of a man responsible for the sudden shift. Doubling over, Flynn placed his hands on his knees and groaned, “I might throw up…” he sighed, closing his eyes against the sudden vertigo. “What the hell did you do?”

WEARING

- A Z R A E T H -
It was like one of those moments when someone was horsing around and accidentally punched another person in the face. Sure, it was all fun and games, until someone got hurt, and then it was time to make apologies and profusely beg forgiveness. For a second, Az’s characteristic over-sized (too toothy, no pun intended) grin faltered as he jumped off of the altar and onto his feet. His shoes were polished and leather, which held such a sheen that he could actually see things in their reflection. He rarely felt the need to dress up, but when he visited the Temple on business, he felt the need to put in the bit of extra effort. It was, perhaps, a callback to the days when he and his brother both wore monochromatic suits. Whatever the case, his hand immediately went to the other man’s back, so he could lay his palm against a spine, and lazily, lightly massage warmth into flesh through a t-shirt. “Sorry about that, Mr. Ryder. New to the whole summoning thing? It can be a bit of a kick to the gnads the first couple of times, but you’ll get the hang of it.” He didn’t even bother to say not to vomit on the altar. Because it had certainly seen a lot worse than puke. He did however keep his shoes carefully out of the way of a mouth.

“Also, welcome to the Dragomir Temple, if you feel something cold, that’s probably a ghost walking through you.” His voice was naturally soft, unremarkable in its range, being neither exceptionally high in pitch nor deep, though it had a sort of silken quality to it, smooth and unrushed. It made it difficult to tell if he was making a joke or not right then.

- F L Y N N -
For a moment, he was convinced that vomitting all over the altar was exactly what he was going to do, but after a few deep breaths, his stomach settled enough to feel confident enough to open his eyes. There were no attempts to straighten up right away, and that was partly due to his own shock at the easy way in which Az had began to comfort him. The act itself wasn’t the problem, it was the immediate reaction his body had to the touch. The muscles of his shoulders tensed, the grip on his knees tightening. “I’ll get the hang of it? That implies this is going to happen again…” he said with a turn of his head so that he could look up at the man at his side. “A phone works just as well if you wanted something.”

Now that he was sure the contents of his stomach were going to stay there, he straightened up and took in his surroundings, which he now knew to be the Dragomir Temple. “So, not only did you bring me here unannounced, you brought me somewhere haunted. Great…” he sarcastically commented, half-turning to glance behind him to get a better idea of where his exits were. There was no expectation of needing to make a hasty exit, but being completely unaware was just bad taste.

- A Z R A E T H -
He noticed the way Flynn tensed, and at first, his instinct was to pull his hand away. Normally, he probably would have asked before touching another person (Well. Unless he was going to kill them, but that was a different situation entirely). However, he had been operating purely on instinct, and he knew that as a paladin, Flynn had a sort of natural enmity towards him that he had to overcome. He was worried, for a moment, that perhaps he had made the other man flinch. It was this sort of irrational response, but when he wasn’t met with violence, he dismissed it as just normal warines. “Yeah, it’s probably going to happen again at some point or another. Summoning someone can get them out of a tough spot. Once there was a member of my bloodline that got lost in the wilderness, where the Fae roam freely and attack my kind. I had to go in and teleport her out...mind you, this was before I learned how to summon.” He explained.

Which was about the time Flynn began to sit up properly, so Az took a step back, sitting perched on the arm of a pew. “Yes. Though honestly most places in Harper Rock are haunted. We have some real Derry, Maine, Pennywise **** going on here with our death rate.” He muttered. And then finally. “Fine. I’ll call you before summoning you from now on. Or shoot you a telepathic message.” And that was when he took the time to really watch the other man. Not just what he was doing, but the way he looked, and how he moved, the way Flynn’s eyes darted around, drinking the whole place in. “Oh, also I have something for you.”

- F L Y N N -
Satisfied that he had a better grasp on his surroundings, Flynn allowed himself to relax and release the built up tension. At least, as much as was possible when in such close proximity to Az. He knew he wouldn’t always so reactive to the other male’s presence, and eventually, he would be able to block it out completely. That didn’t make it any better in the current circumstances, but it was something he would have to deal with. Only time would make the difference, that meant patience. Granted, patience had never been his best virtue. In fact, it was probably one of the lower ones on the list. He made a mental note to work on that as he leaned back against one of the backs of the pews, palms grasping either side.

“That’s fantastic. Now, not only do I get to look forward to being yanked around the city, I should keep my eyes out for killer clowns…but, at least I can expect a call, first.” His words were accompanied by a smirk over in Az’s direction. He was quiet for a minute after that, merely watching the man across the aisle. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t expected them to cross paths again, so soon. Clearly, Azraeth had had other plans, and Flynn didn’t see himself complaining. “You...have something for me? What is that, exactly? Another head?” His eyebrows rose up together toward his hairline, half expecting to get just that.

- A Z R A E T H -
His gaze followed Flynn as the man came to rest against a pew. Az’s eyes set him apart almost immediately as a vampire, or at least something...otherwordly. For this reason, it was occasionally difficult for people to read him. In fact, when he put his mind to it, he was absolutely inscrutable. It was perhaps for that reason, he normally didn’t bother to veil what he was thinking. His head tilted to one side and he reached into his jacket pocket so he could pull out the glass vial he’d filled with ashes just a few hours before. “Think fast!” He said, and then gave it a toss. “Those are revenant’s ashes. When you have them on you, it’s going to make you kind of...a little incorporeal? Like it’ll be harder for people to hit you with bullets and blades, but magic is going to really kick your ***.” He explained. Of course. He hadn’t just called the other man there (called being totally incorrect as a term in this case) just to hand him off a gift. “I figured since you made sure I didn’t get my head blown away when we were in that government facility, you deserved it.”

The truth was just that Az liked to dote on people. He enjoyed giving them things. “Anyway, there’s also the matter of all the absolute crazy-banana nonsense that’s going on with the riots and the marching and the protesting.” He murmured, his shoulders lifting into an ineffectual shrug as if to say he didn’t know what was happening. Of course, he was all too aware of it, and all too aware of the role he had played. “Also. That head is yours to keep. If you scrape off the scalp and skin, I can turn the skull itself into a tome for you if you ever want one.”

- F L Y N N -
The warning wouldn’t have been necessary, if only because Flynn had relatively good reflexes. He snapped the bottle from the air and lifted it up to get a better look at the inside. He could see they were ashes, and just as he was about to ask about the contents, it was being explained to him. Lowering the vial, he turned his head to look the man and study his expression. For the first time, he actually considered the animalistic quality of his eyes. They had never bothered him, or seemed odd...which was odd in itself. That would be something anyone would have picked up on immediately, but they somehow just seemed to fit, and so it was easily glanced over as nothing to be concerned with. “I’m pretty sure I don’t need a gift for having your back, Az…” he replied, shaking his head, slowly. His eyes shot to the ceiling, then, trying to remember an instance where he had ever used such a nickname. Shrugging it off, he gave the ashes a small toss and allowed it to return to his palm. “I won’t ask if you’re sure, and just leave it at thank you.”


His demeanor shifted once he considered the topic of the craziness outside the Temple doors. They had played their roles in it, but Azraeth was the one to suffer the most of it. Despite being there, Flynn was still human and had no trouble walking through the streets. There were no fingers pointed at him. “Yeah...how are you doing with all that, anyway?” he asked, tucking the ashes away into his pocket so that he could cross his arms over his chest. “I’m not the one who was labeled a terrorist, after all.”

- A Z R A E T H -
He watched at Flynn caught the vial, though the observation was perfunctory, and his gaze seemed to have moved right past the human. It was as if there was an entire world around them that only he could see. In a literal sense, this was true. He could see the spirits milling around. The way the dead crawled across the floors of the Temple. How they screamed. How they danced. How they trembled in fear. How they did all of the things the living did. Of course, he wasn’t looking at those. Rather, his mind was on something else. “I also don’t really need an excuse to give you things. I seem to have lost my Oakley. I had been gifting her with things, but she is infamously terrible at getting lost in walls.” Which. Actually was the truth, even if it made Az seem insane. The Dragomir themselves were known to be a little bit. Off. Sometimes that manifested physically. Other times they were blatantly crazy.

“Anyway, it’s not the label I’m worried about.” He admitted with a sigh. He slumped back, falling onto the pew’s seat, his arms folded behind his head, his legs dangling over the arm so that his feet partially invaded the carpeted aisle. “It’s war. For years, vampires kept themselves secret. The last time we were revealed en masse, my kind were slaughtered mercilessly. A lot of our people tried desperately to keep our existence a secret. And then that ended. Now it seems like we’re balancing on a razor’s edge. On one side is peace, and on the other side is all out war. A war that I frankly don’t think we can win. Not with how easy it is to identify my kind and with the vast difference in numbers.”

- F L Y N N -
“Alright, I’m gonna gloss over that comment and not ask for an explanation of what the hell that means…” he muttered in regards to getting lost in walls. Probably some other vampire business that was beyond his humanly scope of understanding, and frankly, he didn’t need any other reasons to envy them. He was still pretty peeved about the water walking business, and still had half a mind to go burn that bridge down. If only out of spite. Except, that was considered impulsive, or something like that, and could likely land him in some hot water. Keeping a low profile was in his best interest, even if he wasn’t one of the vampires being protested against.

He watched as Azraeth dropped down in the pew, the heavy topic falling over them like an avalanche. With a push off from his perch, he moved across the aisle and sat down in the pew behind Az’s, leaning over to rest his elbows on the top edge. “Yeah, I’m not entirely sure that you could win it, either. It’s one city against the rest of the world, and those aren’t very good odds, even for vampires with supernatural power. Hell, they are even talking about a quarantine...like we have some rampant virus running through our streets.” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Staring off at the wall, he absently chewed on his lip in thought. “Vampires may have to pull off one hell of a miracle, at this point.”

- A Z R A E T H -
He glanced up and caught sight of Flynn’s face, the other man having leaned over the back of the pew he was lying on, which meant that he was able to peer right into the paladin’s eyes. Oh boy. He sure had opened a can of worms, hadn’t he? He supposed it probably seemed strange to have invited someone he barely knew to talk about something that was such a big deal. He couldn’t even say it was because he wanted a human perspective, because he was closer to Amalea. But at the same time, he sort of wanted a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ for the problem. “It’s not even that vampires would lose. There are some really chaotic, really dark members of this community who would do erratic, dangerous things if they felt pushed into a corner. Imagine what you would do if you felt trapped, like you were going to die anyway? Now imagine there are hundreds of you with magical powers the world barely understands. If we get quarantined for example, at least that’s just isolation. All out war though? Fighting in the streets? I don’t think anyone really understands the cost.”

And then there was the other thing. Something he had never told anyone, not even Nikolae. And why was he going to tell Flynn? Because he figured that maybe the other man would get it. “Right now, I sort of wish that there was a reset button. Like me and the rest of the vampires could fabricate a second holocaust. Bury ourselves for a century. Come back with everyone believing we’re dead. So we can go back into hiding. Except that wouldn’t work. Vampires can never agree on anything, and there are times when I feel like Cobb...he was the guy who caused the last holocaust, had it right. I think that maybe most of the vampires in the world should be wiped out and only a few copacetic individuals should survive. But then I think that I wouldn’t be able to save the people I love, and I know I could never make the choice to pull that trigger. I guess what I’m saying is that I have a lot of doubt. The hard route is rarely what my kind want to do, and it will take a lot of hard work to restore humanity’s faith in us. Maybe I’m just being fatalistic.”

- F L Y N N -
Flynn laced his fingers together and nodded along as Az opened up a floodgate of his thoughts, laying it all out between them. It was some fairly deep stuff, and he couldn’t help but wonder why he was the one hearing it. They barely knew each other, but there was that odd saying somewhere about stranger spilling their deepest secrets to each other with knowledge that it wouldn’t come back to haunt them. Granted, Flynn wasn’t going to up and disappear from the city, taking Azraeth’s thoughts with him to never be spoken aloud, again. Not that he would repeated them, anyway. Regardless of who else knew about it, he had still shared something private. “I think you may be underestimating the majority of the population. Most people have a pretty good idea regarding the devastation of war. Of course, knowing it and experiencing it are very different things…”

Flynn trailed off for a moment, picking at one of his nails as he collected his thoughts before continuing with the rest of his answer. “And, maybe you’re right. It’s possible that vampires and humans were never meant to coexist. But, they did. At least, for a little while…” he sighed, glancing down at the man below. “Humans like to think they are the top of the feed chain. The existence of vampires proves they are not, and that scares them. They have a right to be scared. Like you said, some of your kind are chaotic and unpredictable. It’s hard to accept something when you don’t understand the mechanics behind it. But, what good would really come from wiping the vampires out? Just another dark stain in human history?”

- A Z R A E T H -
That did ring true to him. Most people didn’t want war. Maybe he was being a bit pessimistic, and a lot hyperbolic. But then, really it only took a few bad apples to really **** things up, or however the old saying went. What he wanted, what he would have loved, was a way to truly punish the vampires who actually deserved it. Killing the undead did absolutely nothing - they just came back later, angrier, and smarter. It was like putting humans in prison. The number of people who were actually reformed was miniscule. The ones who treated being behind bars like university for criminals? That figure was much higher. The end of secrecy had all but proven that. There had been ample and numerous punishments handed out to vampires who broke code, and in the end, it didn’t make a difference. Az dragged his lower lip between his teeth as he thought, rolling the flesh with his jaw.

“I think that’s part of the problem. Vampires are easy to otherise because there isn’t a ton of information about us. Ironically, the cure and the people who made it probably have a better idea of how our internal mechanics work than we do. Even still, there is a lot that can’t be explained. I think that there are probably a lot of solutions right in front of us, but the most obvious one is that vampires need to be better. We need to stop being violent. We need to keep our own in check. We need to weed out the ones who can’t control themselves. We need to be better than our human counterparts to be treated human. Even that isn’t going to guarantee our safety.” He paused and then his gaze focused once more. “Yeah, so if it were you, what would you do? “

- F L Y N N -
There was a lot to be said in regards to vampires ‘doing better,’ but it was probably best if Flynn didn’t offer his input on such a matter. The fact of it was, vampires would always need human blood to survive unless they all picked up the habit of feeding from each other. And as far he was aware, that was considered a bit of a taboo among their kind. That being the case, humans would need to willingly donate to the vampire race if they did not want to see their blood taken by force. They had enough trouble collecting blood to keep in blood banks for those in dire need of it. Getting them to just hand it over would be a feat in, and of, itself. Humans had a sense of self-preservation, but they could fairly dense when it came to selflessness. And that’s exactly what they would need be.

Flynn snorted at the question, leaning back from the pew. Shifting, he slid himself back so that his back hit the arm of the pew and his legs were stretched out across the seat. “I’m positive I am the wrong person to ask about what I would do in your shoes. Let’s think about this for a second...I willingly stood with vampires during an assault on a military facility. And that’s one thing. But, my stance in an all out war is an entirely different situation. ‘No man’s land’ doesn’t really exist, and eventually I would be expected to pick one or the other…” Taking the bottle of ashes from his pocket, he began to twirl it in his hands with his focus on the contents within. “I may not have the same mentality as the other paladins, and the humans certainly don’t need more numbers...but, your kind has the opportunity to come back when faced with death. We don’t. The question becoming who has more to lose, and which one would I rather die for?”

- A Z R A E T H -
To keep eye contact with Flynn, he had to sit up, so that’s exactly what he did, his back arching, his arm laying across the back of a pew. They were divided by that piece of wood, sitting on two opposite sides, facing each other. Az, had he been looking for symbolism, might have taken note of that. “I don’t think it’s that easy.” He murmured. “I mean. I don’t think it’s a matter of who has the most to lose. I think unless we find a way to peace, everyone ends up losing. Vampires, as much as people may pretend that we’re different, are really just people. We have the same emotions. We have fears, and we have doubts. I think maybe that’s why you stood with us at Longslade. I think you, despite being a paladin, get that the world would be missing something without us. You don’t see me, I don’t think, as a monster. You see me as a unique intelligence. I think the world needs more people like you. I guess maybe that’s why I asked - because you have every reason to hate, but you don’t.”

He leaned a little bit closer to Flynn then, across the back of the pew, which separated them. He watched the way the man played with that vial of ashes. “I think in the end, we both want the same thing. I think we both want people to be judged based on their merits and not based on their species. Or race, I guess, if you want to get Martin Luther King-y with it.” He paused, his brows furrowing. ‘Too soon?’ he mouthed before continuing. “My point, I think, is that vampires have done evil. Humans have done evil. I don’t think either is inherently better. Vampires need humans, but I don’t know if humans need vampires. I think maybe the components of our society that want to make peace need to find a way to do that. To really come together and fight, metaphorically mind you, to win the hearts and minds of humanity. Even if it’s a temporary fix.”

- F L Y N N -
His hands stilled on the bottle, only his gaze lifting to meet Azraeth’s. While he knew his thoughts on vampires better than anyone, it was odd to have them said aloud by someone else. It wasn’t an aspect of his life that he generally aired, if only because it was such a conflicting thought process. It was hard to balance, being a paladin while believing life outside of humanity was still something to be protected and maintained, so as long as it was deserving. And while he had very little knowledge of Az, he had managed to prove the point. He was sitting across the wooden pew, doubting the very decisions he had made that had played a part in landing them where they were. A mindless creature --monster, to use his term-- wouldn’t waste the time worrying about it. “I definitely think you’re something, Az...though unique intelligence isn’t exactly the words I would use…” he said, voice low while fighting off a smirk. It hardly seemed the time to make jokes, but he couldn’t help it.

“If there is going to be efforts toward peace, then I would imagine it becomes necessary for someone...a vampire, preferably...making a pretty public statement. You can’t expect someone to know you want to avoid war if you don’t say so. I would think silence leads to the opposite conclusions…” he mused. Propping his arm on the back of his pew, he pressed his hand into his palm, though still angled in Az’s direction. “Maybe the vampires need to show a united front. Show you don’t want war, but in the same breath, condemn those of your kind that will give the humans a reason to think the opposite. Not everyone wants peace...it wouldn’t surprise me if some on both sides are counting on it.”

- A Z R A E T H -
His brow lifted and his lip curled just a little bit as if to say ‘oh really?’ when the other man talked about using different terminology to describe the vampire. There was no malice behind the sneer though, he just sort of leaned closer so that he could tap the very tip of Flynn’s nose. “Boop.” He said, and then grinned, before slumping back into position with the slight popping of hi spine. “You’re right though. I think that there needs to be some kind of unified front. Or even the illusion of unity. If people think that vampires are all working together, and more importantly, dealing with their problems, they will be less inclined to try and isolate us, or make us carry special identification, or nuke us out of existence. I think the big problem is Longslade. We can’t just get people to forget that. It happened, it’s done. I think what we need is an aggressive rebranding campaign. I have a few ideas for who to contact for that. Even still, it’s a sticky situation. My instinct is to start planning, lay low until there’s a real strategy ready to go. I think this might be a matter of playing the long game. Like the very long game.”

He shrugged loosely and then moved to stand on the pew itself, taking a step over the seat’s back, his foot landed between the other man’s ankles, and he flopped down, removing that thing which divided them. “I don’t know if Mortll is going to want to be part of it. The Restoration? A snazzy name might help, but I’m no good at those. Anyway, if you want to be part of helping to make peace happen, I’ll keep you up to date on what’s going on, on this side of things. Maybe there’s something we can do about it. Either way, thanks for talking to me about this. I really needed someone to just...chat with about what was going on in my head.” And then that very same head turned to one side curiously. “So what exactly were you doing when I summoned you?”

- F L Y N N -
Flynn’s eyes widened in surprise at the touch to his nose, leaving him to stare at Azraeth as he sat back again. His expression didn’t shift much as the topic returned to the matter at hand, though he did eventually close his mouth that had fallen up in shock. It took a deep breath in through his nose to bring back his focus, doing his best to actually pay attention to the words being said to him and not on the man saying them. “An illusion of unity is still something to work with. The humans don’t need to know that the vampires are as divided as they potentially will be, just that they will need to see some of them taking a stand to say it’s a work in progress.” And a work in progress was still a sign of good faith. Good faith was usually something accepted, so long as it continued in good favor, rather than diminishing . “And, I would definitely say I leave the vampire connections to you. Good luck with all that…” he said with a wave of his hand, content to keep his vampire acquaintances to a tight knit circle.

The same expression formed again as Az literally climbed over the pew to sit on opposite end of his. Flynn raised his knees slightly, just to grant the other male the ability to get comfortable how he saw fit. He blinked, slowly, as the offer to be kept in the loop. “I can keep my eyes and ears open for any whispers in the human circles. I imagine the streets will be full of them during the day…” he nodded, already positive of that fact. Daylight meant an assumed safety from their undead counterparts. His own head mimicked Az’s action, though going in the opposite direction as he shrugged. “You’re welcome, though you did interrupt some quality silence. I was contentedly enjoying my couch. And...Athena is probably trying to break down my apartment door, since I literally disappeared from her view.”

- A Z R A E T H -
Flynn made room for him, after wearing was admittedly an adorable expression of surprise. Okay, so Az maybe slightly enjoyed pulling a little bit of shock factor out when it came to his human friend, because the paladin was undeniably composed, and Az got the impression that Flynn’s thoughts ran a lot deeper than the human let on. Az himself let his arm slide to lay on the ledge formed by the back of the pew as he leaned into it. One of his legs was curled onto the bench, crooked at the knee - his other foot rested square against the ground. “You mentioned working at a law office. Something tells me you end up seeing a lot because of that. I reckon now that vampires are on the other side of public opinion, there are all sorts of people coming out of the woodworks to try and see if they can sue a bloodsucker or two. Pretty soon, we’re going to invade every part of your life. Like now. With me. Invading your life.” He said with a faint grin.

And then a pause as he restrained a laugh. “Oh! The couch, I see. Well I’m sorry I took you away from that, though I think the easiest way to remedy that situation would be to invite me to your place at some point. Or I guess I could invite you to mine, though you might not really dig my decor.” He admitted. The whole ‘everything in black and gray’ wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The choice wasn’t something done to fit into a stylized subculture. He wasn’t ‘gothic’ or anything like that. As a matter of fact, his apartments were just designed to look like the Shadow Realm. “You could do that now, mind you. I mean randomly summoning you, and maiming people together can totally be our thing, but I think most buddies just hang out. Also. If Athena is a dog (please say that she’s a dog), I want to meet her! And then I can show you my snake.” Delivered totally deadpan. Flawless.

- F L Y N N -
As soon as Az mentioned the firm, Flynn groaned. His eyes shut as the frustration from the day immediately returned full force. Removing his hand from the side of his head, he instead pinched the bridge of his nose in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent a stress headache. “Don’t get me started. The lawyers are already planning on their next big payout with the cases about to be rolling in. I heard about nothing else all day until you brought me here. Now you went and ruined it. And you were doing so well…” he sighed, just a bit overdramatically at the notion of what he might hear down the grapevine. As much as he hated to admit it, Az had a point, though. The firm could actually prove to be a source of information when it came to the human motives in the coming weeks. Most of it would likely be useless, but there was no way of knowing unless he bothered to pay attention. Fun.

As he was busy trying to process Azraeth’s next words, he lowered his hand from his face. It sounded a lot like both a request and an invitation, whichever was preferred in the current circumstance. Flynn swung his legs around so that his feet hit the ground and he stood, turning the options in his head while simultaneously twisting once to each side to stretch out his back from sitting against the arm of the pew. He could very easily say ‘no.’ Sure, he had had a vampire in his personal space more than once...but that was multiple occasions for only one individual. This was opening the space to a second, and that seemed like a slippery slope. Despite that fact, he found himself saying instead, “Mmm...Athena in a dog, yes, and she does love company. She loves me more, so I probably should check on her. So, I suppose...if you wanted to come to my apartment to meet her, I won’t stop you. Though, some of us do have to work when the sun rises, so you will be effectively kicked out sooner rather than later.” He paused briefly, narrowing his gaze on the seated male. “And what kind of snake?”

- A Z R A E T H - He could see the stress painting Flynn’s features like splotches of black and grey on an otherwise colorful canvas. That didn’t stop him from lifting a dark brow though, his lips twisting into an expression that said ‘Really?’ But really, before he could say anything about it, Flynn was up and moving, which meant that Az was treated to the sight of the other man stretching. In that t-shirt, he got a really good look at the way those muscles tensed and then relaxed. The vampire’s expression shifted just a little bit, less hard and sarcastic. Right. He’d almost forgotten that Flynn was handsome. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but he planned to hold th at against the human somehow. “No worries. I’ll be out well before sun up. I actually zonk out the moment the sun is up. Like as soon as it passes the horizon line, I end up immediately passing out, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing. As you can imagine, I kind of have to plan around that a lot.” He wasn’t entirely happy about it actually, but such was life.

“And it’s a pale, wriggly, fat snake. Her name is Magog.” He said as he slipped up to stand as well, only to roll his shoulders back, his hands forming fists, arms bent at the elbows as if he were pulling something towards himself. His back cracked once more, and then his hand slipped to lay on Flynn’s arm. “Where’s your apartment? I can take us there.” Yay. Teleportation again! “Oh, and this reminds me of a game. The lying game. Have you ever heard of it? It’s that one where you tell two lies and one truth, and everyone else has to guess which one is which. If you work at a law firm, you should totally be able to kick my ***.” He commented, and then, after Flynn told him where they were going, the both of them blinked out of the temple, suddenly appearing right outside of an apartment door.

- F L Y N N -
He had half a mind to be a smart *** about the description of the snake, seeing as every snake was capable of being fat, wriggly, and potentially pale. He kept quiet, though, instead watching Az stretch out. Falling asleep at the literal break of day did sound like a pain to deal with, but he actually smirked at the thought of the poor guy falling asleep anywhere he didn’t want to be. Flynn made a mental note of it, determined to test the theory out some day. He didn’t know how or when, but he would. “My apartment is in Veil Tower, though...I’m not sure how I feel about the whole teleportation thing for a second time…” he muttered, glancing down at Az’s hand as it made contact with his arm. Not that it seemed to make much difference, because they ended up doing just that. He had to blink rapidly to adjust to the change, but was satisfied to see he didn’t feel the need to throw up. “While I get the joys of teleportation, your feet do you work, you know…”

He shot Az a half-hearted glare as he approached his door. It was a lucky thing that his apartment was never locked when he was home, otherwise, he would have found himself effectively locked out. “Also...I’m not sure how well of a liar I am, so...you may be better suited for that game than you think,” he commented, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. Before he even made it two steps in, the 50lb fall of red and white fur was on him. Rather than let the husky knock him over, he knelt down to nuzzle against the top of her head. “Oh, hello, baby girl. I’m sorry for leaving you like that, but it wasn’t my fault…” he soothed the animal, gently guiding her back from the door so thatAzraeth could get through the door. “Come on in,” he said over his shoulder. “Athena, this is Azraeth, the cause for all your worries. Az, this is Athena.”

- A Z R A E T H -
Okay, so Flynn didn’t seem too sold on the idea of teleporting, but the way Az saw it, his human friend wasn’t going to get used to it if he never did it. Besides. Cutting out a half hour of commute seemed like a good idea. Not that Az needed a nightcap or anything. He just didn’t like to waste time, which wasn’t the same as impatience. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. “Yes, my feet do work. All sorts of body parts of mine work. Just not my stomach really. Or heart. Or...liver, I assume. You know, I’m actually a little sketchy on all of that.” He waved the hand which wasn’t touching Flynn’s arm in the vaguest of dismissive gestures.

And that was that. They were right outside of a door, and then it was being pushed open to reveal a husky. Ginger husky, Az might have called her. And he couldn’t help but to smile, because she seemed to immediately demand attention and love from Flynn. Which was exactly what the mystic loved about pets. Magog usually acted with intense indifference most of the time. And yet, whenever Raeth was in danger, she was always there with snapping fangs and venom. An albino death adder, she had an aversion to light, and tended to coil around Az whenever he carried her somewhere. Thankfully he didn’t need to breathe. “Aww, hello Athena.” He said, his voice lifting a few octaves. Okay. So it wasn’t outright baby speak, but he was getting dangerously close to that as he hovered closer. He made sure not to invade her personal space too much. But that was just common sense. Better to let her sniff him out and decide if she liked him before he went to scritch behind her ears or pet.

“You know I had a truth all lined up.” He said as they stepped into the apartment. His jacket came off almost immediately, because he honestly hated clothing. Fewer layers was better. “See, I have this secret desire to one day become a romance novelist...like every bad thing you’ve ever heard about romance novels. I want to do that under the pseudonym California Queen. Just imagine it. I would be a huge hit instantly.” He insisted as he placed his jacket on the nearest chair’s back before venturing deep inside. “But I suppose we could play a different game if you really want.”

- F L Y N N -
Once Az had fully inside, Flynn closed the door behind them and briefly leaned against it while the man made himself more comfortable. Athena trailed along behind him, getting a feel for the newest addition to the apartment, tail wagging all the while. That was thing about Athena, she welcomed anyone into their home, regardless of who they were. She was the sweetest of companions, but a terrible guard dog. And that was why she remained safely at home, rather than accompanying him most nights. “California Queen, the male vampire turned romance novelist...cute. Somehow the pseudonym alone screams trashy. The kind that lonely women read.” he snorted, pushing off from the door to venture inside. “...are you going to write the next 50 Shades of Grey?” In a way, he wouldn’t have been even remotely surprised if that was exactly what Az had in mind. All he could do was shake his head at the thought, moving into his bedroom to place the newly acquired ashes with his weapons in the closet.

“So...in the efforts of playing host, which I’m pretty terrible at, I do have bagged blood if you want it?” he asked with a cant of his head in Az’s direction. Somehow, he seemed out of place in the apartment, like the one thing that didn’t belong. Not in the sense that he wasn’t wanted there, just that he stood out. It was the kind of presence that demanded attention, even if he wasn’t purposely trying. “And, don’t ask why…” he quickly added, waving a dismissive hand at the idea. Dhara had a small stash in the fridge for the nights she stayed there, and it nagged at him that he was unwilling to say so. No, he knew why he didn’t want to say so, but that didn’t make it any better.

Trudging into the kitchen, he leaned against the island counter and pursed his lips in thought. “Alright, California Queen. You could always try that Never Have I Ever game. It depends on the truth, and that...I’m pretty good at.”

- A Z R A E T H -
Az pretty much immediately liked Athena, because she, unlike most dogs that he met, didn’t bark at him as soon as he got into ‘her territory’. Raeth knew first hand that there were some vampires that dogs absolutely hated. In fact, he’d seen his kind practically ripped into for no reason by man’s best friend. The mystic didn’t normally get that response, but even with living, breathing people, a lot of canines just plain didn’t like strangers. So it was a bit of a pleasant surprise, and he decided to reward Athena with some love and attention. As soon as his jacket was placed down, he slipped onto one knee to invite her closer. And when she drew near, he started by pushing his fingers through the fur between her ears, and then dragging behind them. “Ohhhh, who’s the prettiest little puppy? You are. You are.” He said in that same tone he’d used before. He was, for that moment, entirely oblivious to Flynn and whatever impression he had on the other man. Or maybe he really just didn’t care. Whatever the case, his digits moved in gentle little circles over her fur and skin, lightly kneading under her jaw, and over her throat. “You really are a gorgeous dog. Ginger Wolf. GW. And with such a good name. You know Athena was my favorite Grecian goddess?”

He asked her, as if she might respond.

He only glanced up at the mention of bagged blood. Which wasn’t all that curious to Az. Sure, maybe it was a little bit strange for a human to have that kind of thing, but it might have been to do some sort of back alley transfusion. Or because Flynn had some vampire friends he wanted to play host to (much the way he was with Az). The vampire’s head tipped to one side again in question, but he decided against pushing that particular set of buttons. “I would love something. Warm it up just a smidge?” He asked after that, before moving back to stand, though his digits remained in contact with Athena’s head, delicately moving to explore and find the places she actually wanted to be petted. And it seemed that Az didn’t mind making himself at home either, because he found a seat and almost immediately slumped into it. Normally he would have asked Flynn’s policy on dogs on furniture, but he patted his lap for the husky to come join him. It didn’t look like there was a bunch of fur on the expensive looking furniture. But maybe it was fur resistant or something. Or maybe Flynn just made sure to keep it pristine.

Never Have I Ever. “That’s a drinking game isn’t it? Do you have enough blood for that? Or are we playing for some other sort of ‘stakes’? He asked from his space in the living area, which was honestly only separated from the kitchen by an island with breakfast seating. “Either way, I’m in. Anything where I get to learn your dark dirty little secrets.”