Kem had laughed out loud at the idea of Aishe apologising for making him wait. Very funny. There was a part of him still reeling at the idea that Aishe was here, in Nachton, a vampire, no less, in his clan...
The night had been a long one, to say the least. Upon arriving back from staring at her empty family home, he'd gone to the park but had realized soon enough there wasn't nearly enough there to keep him occupied. So he'd come to Meridian, where at least he could work while trying not to berate himself for the fact that he should be there.
It wasn't that he didn't want this. He shook his head as he listened to Aishe's voice in his mind. She was so calm, and it was he who was falling apart. Her turning had been, for the last several years, the forbidden fruit, that deep dark secret desire he always meant to keep hidden. It was, in his opinion, the epitome of selfishness to want her to take this life just so he wouldn't have to watch her grow old and die.
A better man might not have let that matter.
He'd foolishly thought, though, that the choice would be his alone to make. That was where, he now realized, he'd gone so badly wrong. And in light of that fault being presented to him so abruptly tonight, Kem had been certain that what had been done was no business of his, any longer, and he had forfeited his right to be present, if he'd even been able to force himself to watch to begin with. Aishe's turning... he might have been able to be part of it had he realized sooner that it wasn't for him to say yes or no.
He sat there, in the archives, at his desk, contemplating matters as he stared down at a loan request he should be assembling. What was he supposed to say to her when he saw her? By some miracle she didn't seem angry with him. She didn't seem upset with him. But he'd come to know that about her, too. Aishe was always tough to ruffle.
Kem stood and stretched, smiling a little at the commentary in his head. Aishe's small-talk was the perfect distraction. maybe she needed that as well, and sooner or later they'd get around to setting a place to meet.
Rolling his shoulders, bracing his palms on the desk in front of him, he looked down at the little black letters in front of him and realized he'd put that loan together and sent it off two nights ago.
What he really wanted to do was find out how Aishe really was... how her night had gone. He'd spent most of it being so self-absorbed, so wrapped up in his own issues, terrified to tune in too closely to what was happening to her, that e'd missed the details he could have caught if he'd really been attentive.
[Aishe,] he interrupted her gently. [How are you, really? You sound - good. I was worried.]
Not the best start, but he was, at best, out of practice.
At Second Sight
One of the advantages of being undead, Aishe thought, was that it was impossible for her to die of fear, anxiety, or anticipation. And she'd been feeling all of those in various degrees since returning to the Towers. She'd begun the morning (it was well past midnight, almost sunrise at her best guess), at Liefde, but a change of venue seemed appropriate and she found herself making her way quietly over to Meridian, as if she were somehow afraid of being seen.
She was still dressed in the evening gown she'd worn to the club, finding it suited her to dress well for this particular occasion.
It hadn't been difficult at all to contact Kem, she reflected. All she'd really needed to do was stop trying to ignore the bits of her mind that were clamoring at her for attention and let them flow in, and there he was once again in the back of her head. All of a sudeen Liefde had seemed very big around her, and herself very very small, as she realized that there she stood, actually about to talk to someone through several walls of concrete and with no phone in sight.
Talk she had, though, if you could call it that.
[Kem. I'm sorry to make you wait. There were... things to take care of.]
His response had been irony; all this time, and she was worried about making him wait? She found herself smiling in response to the deep tones in her head. Then again, Kem had never had trouble coaxing a smile out of her... it shouldn't surprise her now.
One or two more questions and she found out her wayward vampire had wandered himself into Meridian's archives to work and to keep himself focused. A diplomatic way, she understood, of avoiding the fact that he'd spent the night more terrified than she had been, sheltered in Chris' protection.
Aishe decided not to tell Kem she was already back at Liefde. She decided not to invite him to a conference room. He'd gone to the archives when he was in distress, so there she would meet him, in a place that was comfortable to him. Certainly, she had been the one who'd been turned earlier that night, but the experience hadn't traumatized her, nor was she tired any longer. She felt energized and excited, and very soon she would feel whole again.
She restricted herself to neutral commentary as she entered Meridian instead of Liefde and made her way toward the staircase leading down.
Kem`Raaisu
17 years ago
Aishe
17 years ago
The door to the archives was propped open and she could see inside quite easily in spite of the dim light. She must have managed to be fairly quiet, or Kem was preoccupied, or both, because she could see him now, for the first time since arriving in Nachton, and she paused with wide eyes to take him in.
The last image she'd had of Kem was, to be fair, during a bad time for him. She remembered him looking worn and tired, wasted somehow, almost like a shadow. This was the first time in a long time she'd seen him looking fit, well-fed, and she had almost forgotten how appealing that was.
Kem stood in front of a desk covered with papers, leaning on it with his hands and looking down. He was dressed no differently than she remembered; a pair of tan cargo pants, a plain black tee tucked in, black boots. A desk chair was pushed back behind him, a black fleece pullover tossed over the back of it. What was different was that he'd obviously been taking care of himself. Kem was always lean, but now it was a wiry, muscular sort of lean, a build like a swimmer's. His shoulders were broad, stretching the black shirt across the flat plane of his chest; his forearms well sculpted, hands wide as they splayed upon the desk.
Aishe let her eyes linger upon his face for a moment, enjoying the fact that he hadn't noticed her there. His features had always been pleasing, and now that she knew of his origins for sure, they made much more sense. He looked Egyptian, but in such a classic way it was as if he'd stepped out of a textbook. High cheekbones, distinct arch to the bridge of his nose, almond-shaped eyes set wide. His odd silver hair was tumbled over one shoulder, leaving his profile clear to her.
What would she look like to him? Would she be changed, in his eyes? She stood there for a moment more, in the doorway, her heart in her throat.
"I'm better now," she answered his question out loud, had the satisfaction of seeing him start, watching the surprise on his face as he turned to her and took her in. "You needn't have worried. It's over now."
The waiting, the wondering, the confusion. Aishe wasn't sure what exactly she meant, but whatever it was that had come between them, it was over. And that was about all she had time to say before it was out of her hands.
The last image she'd had of Kem was, to be fair, during a bad time for him. She remembered him looking worn and tired, wasted somehow, almost like a shadow. This was the first time in a long time she'd seen him looking fit, well-fed, and she had almost forgotten how appealing that was.
Kem stood in front of a desk covered with papers, leaning on it with his hands and looking down. He was dressed no differently than she remembered; a pair of tan cargo pants, a plain black tee tucked in, black boots. A desk chair was pushed back behind him, a black fleece pullover tossed over the back of it. What was different was that he'd obviously been taking care of himself. Kem was always lean, but now it was a wiry, muscular sort of lean, a build like a swimmer's. His shoulders were broad, stretching the black shirt across the flat plane of his chest; his forearms well sculpted, hands wide as they splayed upon the desk.
Aishe let her eyes linger upon his face for a moment, enjoying the fact that he hadn't noticed her there. His features had always been pleasing, and now that she knew of his origins for sure, they made much more sense. He looked Egyptian, but in such a classic way it was as if he'd stepped out of a textbook. High cheekbones, distinct arch to the bridge of his nose, almond-shaped eyes set wide. His odd silver hair was tumbled over one shoulder, leaving his profile clear to her.
What would she look like to him? Would she be changed, in his eyes? She stood there for a moment more, in the doorway, her heart in her throat.
"I'm better now," she answered his question out loud, had the satisfaction of seeing him start, watching the surprise on his face as he turned to her and took her in. "You needn't have worried. It's over now."
The waiting, the wondering, the confusion. Aishe wasn't sure what exactly she meant, but whatever it was that had come between them, it was over. And that was about all she had time to say before it was out of her hands.
Kem`Raaisu
17 years ago
There are moments in life, if you could slow life down that is, when you stand on the cusp of making a choice that you know will change the way everything goes from there on out. Kem had the distinct impression that this was one of those moments as he heard Aishe's voice, not in his head but from across the room, and looked up to see her standing there.
If ever a more beautiful vampire had been created, Kem had yet to see her. Chris should be proud, he thought dumbly, as he drank in the sight at the doorway with disbelieving eyes. He had a hard time believing Aishe was a vampire, for she fairly glowed as she stood before him.
Dressed in an evening gown that clung in all the right places, grasping a little handbag in front of her, she leaned against the doorframe, her silky wealth of black hair falling about her. Tip-tilted green eyes sparkled out of a lovely bronzed face and her teeth flashed at him as she smiled, showing pointed little canines.
And then she said it was over, and while he thought at first she just meant the night in general, her turning, and everything associated with it, there was something in her voice that was far more final, much more satisfactory. It was then that he figured he had several options to choose from and the ball was most definitely in his court.
Words failed him for a few moments until he wrapped his head around the idea that the right choice didn't necessarily include any of those, not immediately, anyway. It was only a few short strides to the doorway where Aishe stood and his legs carried him there seemingly of their own will without his brain's consent.
Once he got there, it was a simple matter of letting his arms reach out and draw her close, made ever so much easier by the fact that she seemed to be heading in his direction as well. Without a word he simply pulled her to his chest, hands diving into the sleek fullness of her hair, tilted his head down, and let himself brush his lips against hers.
At some point he was pretty sure he murmured "I'm sorry," but the apology was swallowed in a quick gasp as Aishe wrapped her own arms around his neck and made speech impossible for the next several minutes.
If ever a more beautiful vampire had been created, Kem had yet to see her. Chris should be proud, he thought dumbly, as he drank in the sight at the doorway with disbelieving eyes. He had a hard time believing Aishe was a vampire, for she fairly glowed as she stood before him.
Dressed in an evening gown that clung in all the right places, grasping a little handbag in front of her, she leaned against the doorframe, her silky wealth of black hair falling about her. Tip-tilted green eyes sparkled out of a lovely bronzed face and her teeth flashed at him as she smiled, showing pointed little canines.
And then she said it was over, and while he thought at first she just meant the night in general, her turning, and everything associated with it, there was something in her voice that was far more final, much more satisfactory. It was then that he figured he had several options to choose from and the ball was most definitely in his court.
Words failed him for a few moments until he wrapped his head around the idea that the right choice didn't necessarily include any of those, not immediately, anyway. It was only a few short strides to the doorway where Aishe stood and his legs carried him there seemingly of their own will without his brain's consent.
Once he got there, it was a simple matter of letting his arms reach out and draw her close, made ever so much easier by the fact that she seemed to be heading in his direction as well. Without a word he simply pulled her to his chest, hands diving into the sleek fullness of her hair, tilted his head down, and let himself brush his lips against hers.
At some point he was pretty sure he murmured "I'm sorry," but the apology was swallowed in a quick gasp as Aishe wrapped her own arms around his neck and made speech impossible for the next several minutes.
Aishe
17 years ago
The last thing Aishe had expected was for Kem to be so... proactive. She wasn't going to complain though, for even as Kem came toward her with a strange expression on his face, somewhere halfway between curiosity and determination, she was falling into his outstretched arms and turning her face up to his, waiting for a kiss that lost no time in coming.
There was nothing on her mind except the fact that she was finally here in Kem's arms, and everything would naturally fall into place after this. It wasn't the moment for her to worry about it. A minute or a year could have passed before they broke apart, and it was then she realized with a smile that that had been their first kiss.
Kem pulled back a bit and she felt his arm move from her back as he raised one hand to brush his thumb across her lips, over the little ridge of a fang that peeked out. A look of concern passed over his face and he shook his head at her.
Aishe gave him her best cheeky grin; she didn't mind his explorations in the least. First things first though; "I'm sorry too," she said, remembering there had been somewhere in there a soft apology which she'd missed... her attention had been focused elsewhere at the time. "For the way it all happened. For the last few months."
It was water under the bridge now, she wasn't going to revisit it if he didn't want to. That, she would leave up to him... but she wasn't letting go again, that was certain.
There was nothing on her mind except the fact that she was finally here in Kem's arms, and everything would naturally fall into place after this. It wasn't the moment for her to worry about it. A minute or a year could have passed before they broke apart, and it was then she realized with a smile that that had been their first kiss.
Kem pulled back a bit and she felt his arm move from her back as he raised one hand to brush his thumb across her lips, over the little ridge of a fang that peeked out. A look of concern passed over his face and he shook his head at her.
Aishe gave him her best cheeky grin; she didn't mind his explorations in the least. First things first though; "I'm sorry too," she said, remembering there had been somewhere in there a soft apology which she'd missed... her attention had been focused elsewhere at the time. "For the way it all happened. For the last few months."
It was water under the bridge now, she wasn't going to revisit it if he didn't want to. That, she would leave up to him... but she wasn't letting go again, that was certain.
Kem`Raaisu
17 years ago
It was easy to move his thumb from tracing the contour of Aishe's lips to pressing against them, preventing further apology. "Enough of that."
If Aishe was willing to let it go, then Kem was willing to let his belief that the fault was solely his remain hidden. It didn't stop him from figuring on spending the next several hundred years making it up to her.
He stood back from her a bit, taking her in, still not wholly convinced she was here and no figment of his imagination. In spite of their embrace, there was still some tension between them, that feeling of not knowing what to say next, or even where to start. Their relationship had been cut off before it had gotten to the point of such intimate knowledge of each other; everything they'd learned since then had been coincidental; bits and pieces of each other's personalities that had leaked through and spilled over their shared bond.
Kem took Aishe's hand in his, led her to his desk. He sat her down there and leaned against it himself, crossing his arms and looking at her speculatively. He had known Aishe was stubborn, but he had never imagined that stubborn streak would be turned toward chasing him down. He really had believed she'd find her own way and forget about him.
Having no idea where to begin, he figured he may as well admit as much. He smiled at her somewhat sheepishly, offered her a helpless little shrug, and asked, "What happens now?"
If Aishe was willing to let it go, then Kem was willing to let his belief that the fault was solely his remain hidden. It didn't stop him from figuring on spending the next several hundred years making it up to her.
He stood back from her a bit, taking her in, still not wholly convinced she was here and no figment of his imagination. In spite of their embrace, there was still some tension between them, that feeling of not knowing what to say next, or even where to start. Their relationship had been cut off before it had gotten to the point of such intimate knowledge of each other; everything they'd learned since then had been coincidental; bits and pieces of each other's personalities that had leaked through and spilled over their shared bond.
Kem took Aishe's hand in his, led her to his desk. He sat her down there and leaned against it himself, crossing his arms and looking at her speculatively. He had known Aishe was stubborn, but he had never imagined that stubborn streak would be turned toward chasing him down. He really had believed she'd find her own way and forget about him.
Having no idea where to begin, he figured he may as well admit as much. He smiled at her somewhat sheepishly, offered her a helpless little shrug, and asked, "What happens now?"
Aishe
17 years ago
Aishe carefully studied the colors and shapes that seemed to appear around Kem's head as he spoke. She was going to have to ask Chris what his colors meant; see if they reflected hers at all. Sharply-angled forms of dark blue faded into focus, accompanied by rounded squares of red fading to pale pink as Kem spoke. His words were short, though, and before she really had a chance to study them she was sitting comfortably at his desk and he was no longer touching her, thereby robbing her of her ability to see his speech.
She smiled wider at his uncertainty, the self-conscious little shrug, the sheepish smile which she had always found attractive. Aishe had had few boyfriends over the years, but she recalled with vivid clarity her dislike for anyone who made assumptions, who figured they knew everything. Kem was quite the opposite... he hesitated to speak up even when he was perfectly correct, but Aishe didn't mind that. She found it far more appealing, and she knew by now that when this discomfort had passed he would open up to her again.
Bearing that in mind she simply answered the question put to her. "Now we put the past year or so behind us, and we pick up where we were before this all happened, which I believe is with you taking me out to dinner, and then a movie, only this time I really think there ought to be a little more kissing involved."
Aishe gave him her most winning smile, and had the satisfaction of watching him lose his battle to swallow his laughter.
She smiled wider at his uncertainty, the self-conscious little shrug, the sheepish smile which she had always found attractive. Aishe had had few boyfriends over the years, but she recalled with vivid clarity her dislike for anyone who made assumptions, who figured they knew everything. Kem was quite the opposite... he hesitated to speak up even when he was perfectly correct, but Aishe didn't mind that. She found it far more appealing, and she knew by now that when this discomfort had passed he would open up to her again.
Bearing that in mind she simply answered the question put to her. "Now we put the past year or so behind us, and we pick up where we were before this all happened, which I believe is with you taking me out to dinner, and then a movie, only this time I really think there ought to be a little more kissing involved."
Aishe gave him her most winning smile, and had the satisfaction of watching him lose his battle to swallow his laughter.
Kem`Raaisu
17 years ago
Aishe's good mood was infectous; rightly so, of course. Kem hadn't expected to fall back into old patterns so easily, but he seemed to be doing exactly that as he subsided into laughter at her matter-of-fact answer. Holding up his hands as if to fend her off he shook his head.
"It's a little late for dinner, don't you think? Although you're welcome to come back home with me for a movie, and uh, I'm pretty sure we can take care of that last bit too." Reaching behind him, he pulled a book and a pencil from his desk and stuck the pencil in his mouth as he thumbed through the book.
"Let's see... Movie, and then kissing? Or did you want to knock off two birds with one stone and do them both at once?" He spoke around the pencil in his mouth deliberately, turning the organizer to show her the page.
It was far easier for him to fall into the cheery, humorous routine than to dwell on the past year, and with Aishe sitting right there, it was easier still. Kem was certain there would be time later for deeper discussion, for the question he knew she would ask and that he for once wouldn't hesitate to answer.
In the same light he wanted to know everything about where she'd been and who she'd seen here in Nachton. And then he wanted to find Alfarinn, wherever he was, and... what? He didn't know what. Only, knowing how he'd been handling the past few months, it would probably involve a lot of drinking. And what the hell was he supposed to say to Christian? What did one say to the people who picked up the slack when you were being a world-class idiot? Hell, he'd never have been able to turn Aishe, not in a million years. The thought of it made him shiver.
Shaking himself loose of that train of thought (hadn't he just reminded himself it would all come later?) he waved the planner at Aishe and smiled as best as he could around the pencil. "I'm very busy. You're going to have to pick your days carefully."
Glancing at the planner himself he realized every day was blank. Kem hated planners. But he kept one on his desk anyway, on the off-chance he decided to actually use it someday.
"It's a little late for dinner, don't you think? Although you're welcome to come back home with me for a movie, and uh, I'm pretty sure we can take care of that last bit too." Reaching behind him, he pulled a book and a pencil from his desk and stuck the pencil in his mouth as he thumbed through the book.
"Let's see... Movie, and then kissing? Or did you want to knock off two birds with one stone and do them both at once?" He spoke around the pencil in his mouth deliberately, turning the organizer to show her the page.
It was far easier for him to fall into the cheery, humorous routine than to dwell on the past year, and with Aishe sitting right there, it was easier still. Kem was certain there would be time later for deeper discussion, for the question he knew she would ask and that he for once wouldn't hesitate to answer.
In the same light he wanted to know everything about where she'd been and who she'd seen here in Nachton. And then he wanted to find Alfarinn, wherever he was, and... what? He didn't know what. Only, knowing how he'd been handling the past few months, it would probably involve a lot of drinking. And what the hell was he supposed to say to Christian? What did one say to the people who picked up the slack when you were being a world-class idiot? Hell, he'd never have been able to turn Aishe, not in a million years. The thought of it made him shiver.
Shaking himself loose of that train of thought (hadn't he just reminded himself it would all come later?) he waved the planner at Aishe and smiled as best as he could around the pencil. "I'm very busy. You're going to have to pick your days carefully."
Glancing at the planner himself he realized every day was blank. Kem hated planners. But he kept one on his desk anyway, on the off-chance he decided to actually use it someday.
Aishe
17 years ago
Aishe laughed along easily with Kem, enjoying the relaxed humor. It was what she'd come to know with him, and something she agreed with... no matter what happened, they always had something to laugh about.
"It's never too late for dinner, although you're right I suppose, this time. I'm not very hungry." She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lip. "I could go for a hot fudge sundae. It's never too late for chocolate."
She chuckled at the sight of the empty planner and plucked it from Kem's hands with an air of gravity as she looked through it. With a serious expression she reached forward and gently tugged the pencil out from between his teeth, then bent over the planner and carefully wrote her name on each day of that week and the following week.
Showing Kem what she was doing, she dotted the pencil on the planner's cover. "Should I keep going until I have them all, or are you getting the picture?"
"It's never too late for dinner, although you're right I suppose, this time. I'm not very hungry." She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lip. "I could go for a hot fudge sundae. It's never too late for chocolate."
She chuckled at the sight of the empty planner and plucked it from Kem's hands with an air of gravity as she looked through it. With a serious expression she reached forward and gently tugged the pencil out from between his teeth, then bent over the planner and carefully wrote her name on each day of that week and the following week.
Showing Kem what she was doing, she dotted the pencil on the planner's cover. "Should I keep going until I have them all, or are you getting the picture?"
Kem`Raaisu
17 years ago
Kem stared at the planner for a moment as Aishe wrote in it patiently, closing his eyes for a moment and then opening them and gently taking the planner back. He looked at it for a moment before closing it and carefully replacing it back on the desk.
The hell with this. Kem pulled Aishe from his chair and crushed her close. Holding her, for the moment, was enough.
[I get the picture.]
Her arms, around his waist, tightened, and he uttered a long sigh of what might be mistaken as happiness or something, if he wasn't careful.
"Come back home with me." It was a mingled request and directive; he didn't expect her to deny him and she didn't. There was much more to talk about, much more to discuss, hundreds of years of catching up to do. They may as well start now, and end... well, never.
He grabbed his sweater from the back of the chair and fished around in his desk drawer for his keys. "Do you need to get anything?"
A quick trip to Liefde for Aishe while Kem prowled around in the lobby impatiently, and they were off, barely beating the sunrise as they raced up the short walkway to Kem's front door and burst into the hallway, laughing.
The hell with this. Kem pulled Aishe from his chair and crushed her close. Holding her, for the moment, was enough.
[I get the picture.]
Her arms, around his waist, tightened, and he uttered a long sigh of what might be mistaken as happiness or something, if he wasn't careful.
"Come back home with me." It was a mingled request and directive; he didn't expect her to deny him and she didn't. There was much more to talk about, much more to discuss, hundreds of years of catching up to do. They may as well start now, and end... well, never.
He grabbed his sweater from the back of the chair and fished around in his desk drawer for his keys. "Do you need to get anything?"
A quick trip to Liefde for Aishe while Kem prowled around in the lobby impatiently, and they were off, barely beating the sunrise as they raced up the short walkway to Kem's front door and burst into the hallway, laughing.