Christian watched Aishe head outside with her choice of prey and then turned to Fiona.
"I must take my leave. Happy hunting, Sister."Â?
He gave the redhead a wink at the family title and slid out of the booth. His second glass of wine returned just as Christian straightened his coat. Taking the glass from the tray, he drained its contents and then set it on the table. It was certainly a waste not to savor the wine but it would have been an even bigger crime to have left it undrunk. Placing a fifty dollar bill on the waiter's tray, Christian nodded at the man, and headed for the door.
It was not difficult to catch up to strolling couple by moving quickly through the crowd. Blending into his surroundings allowed him to not fear that his more rapid walk would be noticed by the young man with Aishe.
He turned the corner into the alleyway and watched his child feed. She did an excellent job on her first time hunting. Christian had been concerned that he would need to pull her away but eventually she sat back. It was more blood than he would have taken under the same set of circumstances but that was mostly a matter of convenience.
Curious to see if Aishe had thought the rest through, he sent.
[Good job. I hope you're feeling much better. Now what's your plan?]
Curbside Snack (Attn: Aishe)
It wasn't difficult for Aishe to follow Chris' suggestions. Particularly not when they made such sense. She drew strength from his calm, confidence from his assured manner. Her jitters remained simply that, slight nerves, and she didn't have any trouble falling back into her semi-demure manner as their dance ended.
Giving a long sigh, she glanced up at Adam with big wide eyes and somewhat shyly asked if he'd accompany her outside for some fresh air. She tripped slightly over the words, knowing how he'd interpret them and letting it happen. He was more than willing to go along with her, guiding her with a hand on her back, slightly lower than she would have deemed appropriate in any other setting, but for her purposes tonight that was just fine.
Trusting that Chris would intervene if anything went wrong, she walked a short way away from the club, looking for an appropriate side street or alcove. They didn't have to go far; alcohol had made her young man perhaps slightly bolder than he might otherwise have been and Aishe was not inclined to dissuade him; in fact, she gave him every opportunity to get close and physical.
Here now was the detachment she'd been looking for before. Instead of feeling slightly irritated as she might have with a bold suitor, Aishe found herself patient and distant as she was gently pressed against a wall and kissed. The kissing, she wasn't a fan of the kissing. It was too much like being unfaithful. But she was doing what she was doing because of faith. Irony in a most unpleasant form.
She wrapped her arms around her dinner, pulling him close, stroking her hands lightly over his back, waiting until he dropped his head to her shoulder, baring his neck. Then without hesitation she sank her newly-revealed fangs into his skin.
He stopped what he'd been doing and she froze too out of instinct. Momentarily worried that she'd missed entirely (did vampires ever miss? Even little new-ish ones like she?), she almost withdrew before she heard a long sigh, and the blood flowed freely, from the little punctures she'd made into her mouth, warm and tasty.
The sensation was delightful. It wasn't exactly the euphoria she recalled from when Kem had bitten her; it was something much more deeply fulfilling. It was difficult to know how much time passed; she could do this forever. Lapping almost eagerly at the warm blood she struggled to pull herself back. A little part of her whined that Chris wasn't screaming at her to stop, so maybe she could have more? The rational, down-to-earth, good old reliable Aishe stepped in however, and pointed out that she was no longer hungry... and reminded her that she did like this man. For dinner. No! She had liked talking to him, too!
Blinking suddenly, Aishe pulled away, holding Adam in her arms as he slumped. She remembered to politely clean the blood from his neck, touching the little punctures gently in curiosity as they began to heal almost immediately, and then peered with amusemetn at the young man's sleepy, out-of-it expression, repressing a little laugh.
He might have been too heavy for her as a human, but she had been strong even then... she could get him back to his friends, she thought. Still she looked around for Chris... for approval, for direction, for what to do next... if she had done wrong she wanted to know, but she also wanted to know if she'd done it right. And how exactly to get Adam back safely to his friends.
Christian Bern
17 years ago
Aishe
17 years ago
Struggling to rearrange the much taller Adam over her shoulder, Aishe staggered a step and chuckled at how she must look. Chris' approval made her beam with happiness, although that could easly have been the effect of the young man's blood. She'd done it, though! She'd managed to feed herself on her first night as a vampire! Perhaps that meant everything would come together now?
That is, until Chris asked her about her plans.
[Ah... my plan now is to return this very accommodating young man to his friends - or at the very least, to the bouncer at the door, and then consult my most respected and worthy Creator whose opinion I highly value.]
Finally managing to sling her companion's arm over her shoulder in such a way as to be able to grab it with her other hand, Aishe hefted his weight and continued, [I had thought to go find Kem. But then I re-thought, and considered waiting a bit. I have to say he's being remarkably patient. I'm not sure if that's shock, or acceptance, or both.]
Tuning into the bits of Kem's personality she could feel at the moment, she decided 'both' was the more accurate statement. She had tried very hard to separate their feelings for this night, but now she felt slightly guilty for making him wait when it was clear he was staying away only out of respect for her wishes.
She didn't know if Chris might want to be present for their inevitable meeting (confrontation?). Aishe certainly wouldn't complain if he did; it wasn't difficult for her to view her Creator as a sort of combined father and teacher, and as such there was very little she could think of that Chris wouldn't be welcome to participate in. She hesitated here though, not knowing if he would find it uncomfortable. Truth be told, she admitted to herself, she was distressingly content to hide under Chris' wing for the next few days. Or weeks.
Unsure if she could still respond to Chris' sending or if too much time had passed, she simply began to drag Adam back toward the Club, glancing around for Chris as she went, trying to determine where he'd situated himself to observe.
That is, until Chris asked her about her plans.
[Ah... my plan now is to return this very accommodating young man to his friends - or at the very least, to the bouncer at the door, and then consult my most respected and worthy Creator whose opinion I highly value.]
Finally managing to sling her companion's arm over her shoulder in such a way as to be able to grab it with her other hand, Aishe hefted his weight and continued, [I had thought to go find Kem. But then I re-thought, and considered waiting a bit. I have to say he's being remarkably patient. I'm not sure if that's shock, or acceptance, or both.]
Tuning into the bits of Kem's personality she could feel at the moment, she decided 'both' was the more accurate statement. She had tried very hard to separate their feelings for this night, but now she felt slightly guilty for making him wait when it was clear he was staying away only out of respect for her wishes.
She didn't know if Chris might want to be present for their inevitable meeting (confrontation?). Aishe certainly wouldn't complain if he did; it wasn't difficult for her to view her Creator as a sort of combined father and teacher, and as such there was very little she could think of that Chris wouldn't be welcome to participate in. She hesitated here though, not knowing if he would find it uncomfortable. Truth be told, she admitted to herself, she was distressingly content to hide under Chris' wing for the next few days. Or weeks.
Unsure if she could still respond to Chris' sending or if too much time had passed, she simply began to drag Adam back toward the Club, glancing around for Chris as she went, trying to determine where he'd situated himself to observe.
Christian Bern
17 years ago
Christian watched Aishe haul her meal up over her shoulder and shook his head in the dark. She was strong enough to have potentially done the same as a human but it was certainly going to be noticeable. He doubted the bouncer of Club Eternity would say anything about the slender woman carrying a grown man like a sack of potatoes, but then he was on the undead pay roll.
[Return him to the Door man. My suggestion for the future is either find a way to leave them or only take enough so that they are groggy but still can walk. We could leave him here if you want. Or I could take him back and tell him he was hit on the head in the alley. His date ran and the attacker was scared off at the arrival of an armed person. He might consider himself to be lucky to have escaped with his wallet and his life and not bemoan the fact that he didn't get a phone number.]
He was glad that she was willing to listen to him and all in all hauling the young man to the bouncer and leaving him was not the worst imaginable scenario. The man was still alive which was all he would have asked for really.
Considering the Egyptian, Christian thought that Aishe was quite correct in believing it to be both shock and patience. Kem was a remarkably gentle man, if a bit set in his ways.
[You will have to go to him at some point, being calm and well fed is a good way to start. I suggest sooner rather than later. Not only to not torture your love interest but to get where your relationship stands cleared up. There is going to be a lot of new things happening for you and I'm sure he will want to be there for them.]
Getting up and moving back around the corner, Christian leaned against the wall and dropped his blending.
[Why not suggest meeting him in The Towers? We can drive there and you have your own place should things go wrong. I have the cabin rented for a full week. If things go well, you two could take the time and enjoy the place.]
He figured that Aishe could use a little break to understand her abilities and the two of them could use the time to get reacquainted with each other without so many outside influences
[Return him to the Door man. My suggestion for the future is either find a way to leave them or only take enough so that they are groggy but still can walk. We could leave him here if you want. Or I could take him back and tell him he was hit on the head in the alley. His date ran and the attacker was scared off at the arrival of an armed person. He might consider himself to be lucky to have escaped with his wallet and his life and not bemoan the fact that he didn't get a phone number.]
He was glad that she was willing to listen to him and all in all hauling the young man to the bouncer and leaving him was not the worst imaginable scenario. The man was still alive which was all he would have asked for really.
Considering the Egyptian, Christian thought that Aishe was quite correct in believing it to be both shock and patience. Kem was a remarkably gentle man, if a bit set in his ways.
[You will have to go to him at some point, being calm and well fed is a good way to start. I suggest sooner rather than later. Not only to not torture your love interest but to get where your relationship stands cleared up. There is going to be a lot of new things happening for you and I'm sure he will want to be there for them.]
Getting up and moving back around the corner, Christian leaned against the wall and dropped his blending.
[Why not suggest meeting him in The Towers? We can drive there and you have your own place should things go wrong. I have the cabin rented for a full week. If things go well, you two could take the time and enjoy the place.]
He figured that Aishe could use a little break to understand her abilities and the two of them could use the time to get reacquainted with each other without so many outside influences
Aishe
17 years ago
[Thank you Chris, I'll take him though. I don't want to cause him any distress when he wakes, and make him think something might have happened to me, and I certainly can't leave him on the street in this state.]
Aishe wasted no time in dragging her deadweight... or her leftovers, whatever, back toward the entrance of the club and the bouncer waiting there. It was simple enough to assume the young man's senselessness was due to having drunk too much, and the bouncer was remarkably discreet as he relieved Aishe of her package.
Lifting the hem of her dress in an ironically ladylike manner, disregarding the fact that she'd just hauled a young man at least half again her weight along the street, she made her way back to where she now saw Chris, a warm smile on her face.
Chris' suggestion that they meet in the Towers was ideal, and one she'd been considering herself. She had hesitated to bring it up though, unsure if there was a place suitable for them to use that didn't involve stuffing her wayward sort-of-lover into an elevator or hauling him up twenty flights. It was hardly fair to put him through the gauntlet anymore than she was, tonight.
[Is there someplace that will serve our purposes at the Towers? Someplace quiet and private and... low to the ground?]
By that time she was close enough to Chris so he could see the flush that colored her cheeks; partly from her feeding, and partly at the idea of spending the rest of the week in a cabin... with... company.
"That's sweet of you, Chris," she said in soft tones now that she was close enough to speak to her Creator. Then she gave a little smirk. "You mean I can have the rest of the week off, Boss?"
She'd had that knee-jerk 'time off from work' reaction until her practical side pointed out that Chris was certainly in the position to be able to dictate her schedule to her if he chose, and if he pointed at her and said, "go" then she would go!
Aishe wasted no time in dragging her deadweight... or her leftovers, whatever, back toward the entrance of the club and the bouncer waiting there. It was simple enough to assume the young man's senselessness was due to having drunk too much, and the bouncer was remarkably discreet as he relieved Aishe of her package.
Lifting the hem of her dress in an ironically ladylike manner, disregarding the fact that she'd just hauled a young man at least half again her weight along the street, she made her way back to where she now saw Chris, a warm smile on her face.
Chris' suggestion that they meet in the Towers was ideal, and one she'd been considering herself. She had hesitated to bring it up though, unsure if there was a place suitable for them to use that didn't involve stuffing her wayward sort-of-lover into an elevator or hauling him up twenty flights. It was hardly fair to put him through the gauntlet anymore than she was, tonight.
[Is there someplace that will serve our purposes at the Towers? Someplace quiet and private and... low to the ground?]
By that time she was close enough to Chris so he could see the flush that colored her cheeks; partly from her feeding, and partly at the idea of spending the rest of the week in a cabin... with... company.
"That's sweet of you, Chris," she said in soft tones now that she was close enough to speak to her Creator. Then she gave a little smirk. "You mean I can have the rest of the week off, Boss?"
She'd had that knee-jerk 'time off from work' reaction until her practical side pointed out that Chris was certainly in the position to be able to dictate her schedule to her if he chose, and if he pointed at her and said, "go" then she would go!
Christian Bern
17 years ago
Christian nodded though she might not have seen it, inwardly approving of her moral stance. Aishe would make a good Evenhet so long as she didn't lose the viewpoint that humans were worth respecting. It was sometimes hard for vampires not to feel superior to a people that they prey on night after night. Christian admired many of them; they fought bravely to make something of themselves in the short time that their mortality gave them. He had seen humans willing to die for what seemed to a vampire to be the smallest of things even though they've yet managed to live even a full century. It was awe inspiring to him.
Considering the Evenhet homestead, Christian gave a minute shrug and pushed himself off the wall.
[I am sure you can find something to suit. Does he not have a residence there? If not there is always the bar on the ground floor or a conference room. ]
He smiled and hailed a taxi for their short ride back to Meridian.
"Creation only comes...twice in your life and I believe its a reasonable excuse for taking a week off. I look at it this way, you won't be taking maternity leave any time soon."Â?
Holding the door out for her, Christian added.
"I am sure the vacation will be beneficial for you both."Â?
Considering the Evenhet homestead, Christian gave a minute shrug and pushed himself off the wall.
[I am sure you can find something to suit. Does he not have a residence there? If not there is always the bar on the ground floor or a conference room. ]
He smiled and hailed a taxi for their short ride back to Meridian.
"Creation only comes...twice in your life and I believe its a reasonable excuse for taking a week off. I look at it this way, you won't be taking maternity leave any time soon."Â?
Holding the door out for her, Christian added.
"I am sure the vacation will be beneficial for you both."Â?
Aishe
17 years ago
Aishe paused to consider for a moment. "You know, I never thought about that. He might have rooms at the Towers I suppose, for just in case. I don't think he does though." She tapped her fingernail against her bottom lip thoughtfully as she regarded her Creator. "It's the heights," she told him. "Kem can't stand heights."
That was normally something she wouldn't gossip about, but in this case Aishe felt it was information Chris should know if he didn't already. He was trying to help, after all. "I think one of the conference rooms might be best, at least to begin with. Depending on how that goes, we'll consider the bar." She flashed a brief, nervous little grin.
As Chris held the cab door open for her, she gave him a nod of thanks and slid in. She smiled at the idea of a vacation, and wondered how Kem would view that prospect. If he'd want to go. Trying not to let her nerves get the better of her, she did her best to sit quietly with her hands folded in her lap for most of the trip back to the Towers, running through various forms of greeting in her head, entirely uncertain what would be the most appropriate. This was something she couldn't look to Chris for answers to, however. She was going to have to work it out herself, and it was a very short trip.
((Aishe out, presumably to Liefde))
That was normally something she wouldn't gossip about, but in this case Aishe felt it was information Chris should know if he didn't already. He was trying to help, after all. "I think one of the conference rooms might be best, at least to begin with. Depending on how that goes, we'll consider the bar." She flashed a brief, nervous little grin.
As Chris held the cab door open for her, she gave him a nod of thanks and slid in. She smiled at the idea of a vacation, and wondered how Kem would view that prospect. If he'd want to go. Trying not to let her nerves get the better of her, she did her best to sit quietly with her hands folded in her lap for most of the trip back to the Towers, running through various forms of greeting in her head, entirely uncertain what would be the most appropriate. This was something she couldn't look to Chris for answers to, however. She was going to have to work it out herself, and it was a very short trip.
((Aishe out, presumably to Liefde))
Christian Bern
17 years ago
Christian nodded. Kem worked in the archives which meant he did spend a good deal of time in The Towers. If he could stand having an apartment a few floors up then he could live in Liefde in the first suites above the mall area. Christian's own apartment was on the ground floor near ground floor security but it was a rare set up so that he could be on call and ready as quickly as possible. He doubted there were emergencies with the artifacts that required the Egyptian to live on site but many people found it convenient.
He settled comfortably into the cab and let the driver know the destination.
"I am sure a conference room is for the best unless you can entice him to go up to more private quarters. Security has some tranquilizing guns. Won't work on our kind for long but I imagine two or three would make him amiable enough to get up to any floor you would like."Â?
He left her alone to her thoughts...as much as her thoughts were her own any more. Alfarinn explained that bonding was something like sending and empathy all the time but in both directions. It was not an idea that frightened him or made him uncomfortable, having both of those already, but he never found anyone that he felt the need to be that close to. There had been a time when Christian suggested being bonded to Alfarinn so that he would know if the Elder was in trouble. He received the oddest of looks. He hoped everything went well for them because they were now stuck with each other...for quite some time.
((OOC: Christian Out ))
He settled comfortably into the cab and let the driver know the destination.
"I am sure a conference room is for the best unless you can entice him to go up to more private quarters. Security has some tranquilizing guns. Won't work on our kind for long but I imagine two or three would make him amiable enough to get up to any floor you would like."Â?
He left her alone to her thoughts...as much as her thoughts were her own any more. Alfarinn explained that bonding was something like sending and empathy all the time but in both directions. It was not an idea that frightened him or made him uncomfortable, having both of those already, but he never found anyone that he felt the need to be that close to. There had been a time when Christian suggested being bonded to Alfarinn so that he would know if the Elder was in trouble. He received the oddest of looks. He hoped everything went well for them because they were now stuck with each other...for quite some time.
((OOC: Christian Out ))