#this content is catered maybe two people who will recognise where he’s from

[mangozic]

portrait practice

[twstheadcanons]

This is a lore question and a slightly specific one. Cater as a character and otherwise is super interesting to me but at the same time insanely confusing. While at first I thought he would end up having maybe slightly abusive family there's a possibility that's not the case. His sister's seem to enjoy dolling him up and his mother seems to go along with it and his father's a bit more absent. I think I would mainly like to know what his true self is truly reflecting and also if Trey seems to know about this 'true version'. Don't feel pressured to anwser this if you can't btw ❣️

Cater fans come get yall’s food.

S, iideally I’d go through events Cater’s prominent in (Beans Day, Halloween), but that would just make this whole post longer.  So I’ll be using Cater’s card stories for now.  What we know about Cater, on the surface level, is that he comes across as happy-go-lucky, energetic, social, trendy, superficial, flaky, and insensitive at times.  But that’s Cater on a surface level.

So for Cater, his major issues from his background are:

his family frequently moving to accommodate his father’s occupation as a banker

his sisters dragging him into their own interests that he was expected to accommodate as well

Cater repeatedly states he disliked getting dragged around by his sisters and having cutesy stuff he wasn’t genuinely interested in shoved into his face.  This would even happen on his birthday, where his sisters got him things they’re more likely to enjoy, which made Cater feel frustrated since he was supposed to be the focus on his own birthday.  But despite that annoyance, Cater understands his sisters didn’t really mean any harm.  From the sounds of it, they liked hanging out with Cater, and assumed that Cater enjoyed how they spent time together as well since Cater preferred to go with the flow, rather than rock the boat.  

In his Bday SSR, Cater mentions that his sisters became more considerate of his own interests and asked him what he wanted.  All three coming from a family where they move and lose close friends a lot, the sisters are probably close and want to stay close to their brother as well, since they’re the only consistent company in a similar age range.  His sisters are each other’s best friends, Cater didn’t have that growing up.  He also mentions his sisters and mother’s sweets-making kick, and how he eventually got over having sweets every day.  But when he protested, it’d disappoint and sadden them/they’d have dejected looks on their faces, which Cater didn’t know how to handle, so he made himself go along with their whims to keep them happy.  

This pours into his social media life, where he’s a peppy, cheery guy that posts upbeat content and responds with light, casual, carefree messages to people.  His Lab SR literally has him state that he ‘should always be happy and excited, after all’.  So, clearly, whatever dynamic the Diamond family has, while not what I’d call something as heavy as abuse, isn’t considerate of Cater’s feelings and views Cater’s ‘go with the flow’ ways as approval.  If he ‘breaks character’ of the devil-may-care person he is on the surface, it raises questions, and Cater would rather just avoid all that and enjoy himself instead of getting involved in anything heavy.

Again, Cater doesn’t like to rock the boat.  He also mentions in his Lab SR that this obsession with cutesy stuff became rather invasive, and he’d even be criticised or second-guessed if he didn’t go along with the idea.  Cater ends up accommodating that interest to prevent any debate, even if he didn’t actually care for them.  That said, with such an emphasis on aesthetics being the way he grew up, Cater has a good understanding and practical knowledge of decour and eye-catching designs, which makes him helpful and invaluable when the time calls for decour.  This is something Cater knows he’s good at, and enjoys showing off since the focus is on himself and he’s acknowledged for his skills.

With their family moving all the time, Caters gained and lost friends a lot.  Cater has an outgoing personality, at this point, it’s safe to assume he’s an extrovert, so making friends comes naturally to him.  But when you’re moving a lot, maybe sometimes in the middle of a school term, .  Cater needs engagement and social interaction, but at this point in his life, he’s tired of trying to keep up with old and new friends on deep levels, hence his interest and obsession with social media.

One thing to note about Cater: he likes cutting corners.  a lot.

In his R card “Portrait of Rosalia”, it’s understood that Cater being nice to Rosalia by throwing her a party with some lively students around is a way for him to get on her good side, because Rosalia overhears the teachers’ discussions of tests and future lessons so that he wouldn’t have to study for an upcoming history test: while Cater’s idea of a party to lift Rosalia’s spirits is in good nature, he wants something out of it that benefits him.  But while disappointed the plan didn’t work, he’s quick to brush it off, and Rosalia’s anger, by mentioning that she’s cuter when uptight anyway.

In his PE card “This betrayer!” Cater only have five laps left to do in PE.  But he hates how sweaty he is and how tedious the overall task is.  So he uses his UM to try and avoid doing all five laps himself.  Riddle catches him red-handed, and Cater tries - albeit I’m sure he knows it’s a lost cause - to flatter Riddle at the last minute.  Trey’s also involved, and despite leaving Cater in the dust, Trey also returns with Riddle, because Trey knows that Cater’s the type that tries to cut corners whenever possible, something against the rules in Heartslabyul.  Honestly, as far as Trey goes, Trey’s someone used to the way Riddle holds himself back.  Cater’s exterior personality wouldn’t be hard for Trey to recognise as Cater pushing himself or exaggerating points of his personality just to keep up an image. especially after being in the same dorm for three years.

In short, while he isn’t malicious about majority of the time, Cater will use others to get out situations and tasks he wants no part of.  This is a huge thing reflected in his UM, as it allows Cater to be in more than one place, so that he personally doesn’t have to be involved.  Growing up with two pushy older sisters, it makes he develops a UM that complements a need for escape when pure wit won’t work.  And despite being someone with a superficial interest in trends, that experience accumulates in him understanding the basics about social media and how it affects others, himself included, since it became the only way he could stay in contact with acquaintances and ‘friends’ from previous years. 

 Cater has a good understanding of how people, in general, work, especially those in his agegroup, which makes him rather crafty when he wants to string others along and get out of a situation.  This doesn’t make Cater a mean or conniving person, and in fact, he’s generally amicable and social.  Cater lives by a pretty ‘live in the moment’ credo.  He enjoys having fun and not getting overly serious about issues when he can help it.  There are instances where he doesn’t care about the situation he’s in, or thinks it’s lame/boring, but he tries to make the most of it as something to post about on MagiCam later to engage in low-effort social interaction for a mental break. 

Cater pretty much states this in his Halloween SSR:

“If I left there, they remained there. That’s why I’d rather have a casual and happy time with everyone instead of going steady. It’s like a circus troupe, you know, having fun hanging with people all over the world and then leaving. And that’s why MagiCam is the best. I suddenly got messages from acquaintances from the school I went to 3 years ago. Aren’t my casual and light relationships multiplying? It’s lovely! “

Social media helps him keep in contact with people on a low-effort level, so the risk of moving doesn’t damage his relationships online like it would physical friendships.  As for family, Cater’s feelings towards his family are difficult, tricky ones he has problems with.  He certainly doesn’t hate them, but their lifestyle, the moving and pushy personalities, don’t mesh well with Cater’s personality overall.  When Lilia tries to relate to Cater’s experiences of fleeting relationships, Cater can’t help but dismiss Lilia’s empathy as surface-level, since, to CATER’S knowledge (it’s not like he knows Lilia’s old as shit), Lilia’s always lived in the VoT with his own family and friends, which hits a sore spot with Cater:

““Cater: ….Family…huh.

Flashback Lilia: I feel like I understand you. But it is just as Cater says, it might be the truth that you should not attach yourself too much to one person in particular.

Flashback ends Cater: (That was full of lies. For a guy who grew up in the same place and never had to deal with rebuilding relations over and over… He wouldn’t understand my worthless and meaningless feelings.)

/Notification

Cater: Hello, Trey. What’s up? Huh? Are we doing our rehearsal for our night show at the stamp rally now? And is Deuce from my committee lacking in hands, so Ace is helping him out? Darn, Ace is definitely going to use this to ask me for a favor later!

Cater: Argh! And is Riddle on the verge of a rampage? I’ll be back soon, Trey, please calm him! It was such a pain getting involved in the biggest crisis of this Halloween week! No, for real! I’m not lying. That’s why you don’t have to say such cold things to me, kay? URGH, TREY, YOU’RE SO CRUEL!!

Cater: Now that Diasomnia’s turmoil has settled, it’s time to change the mood. No matter how you slice it, we’ll still separate if we become 4th years… It would be different if I repeated a year though. Anyway, I should just enjoy the memories I’m making “now”! I’ll surprise everyone with this charming skeleton costume! I’ll show them my serious side!”

Cater calls his own feelings ‘worthless and meaningless’, which likely ties into how he got dragged into his mother and sisters’ own interests over his own, and sometimes even criticised if he didn’t go with their flow.  He also expects the friendships he’s made in NRC (as we see with him talking to Trey about the rest of the Heartslabyul cast), to inevitably disappear after he and Trey are fourth years with their own internships and lives to live.  Because to Cater, the future of his life and relationships appear disruptive and inconsistent, so instead of fretting about them, he wants to live in the moment and enjoy what he’s doing at all times, hence why he cuts corners to make things easier on himself.  This is why he can come across as superficial and easy to get along with, because he doesn’t want to fret over the details.

unrelated but we’re team ‘former dorm leader cater’ here because him doing it because it sounds cool and fun fits perfectly with his personality

[dehvastation]

Disobeying Orders, Making Friends

Tori: +Once more she found herself out in the night. Blue hair tied back and out of her face as she shrugs into the oversized hooded sweater. Tonight was all about comfort. Keeping her bag with her sketchbook and wallet in it secured to her side she decided to do the food thing. A little diner that catered to the 24/7 crowd was her destination. But not before she stopped in her garage to grab the commissions. Securing the paintings for delivery she heads out at a brisk walking pace. The cool of the evening soothing to her frazzled nerves. She would once more need to hunt. But her thirst was under control at the moment so she would be ok. 

  Walking the couple miles to the diner was always fun. The deserted night perfect for her to meander. Because she was carrying merchandise she hurried her pace a bit. Not enough to actually make her breath catch, but just enough that it was clear it wasn’t a stroll in the early morning hours. As she walked she quietly let’s her mind wander. Eyes of light blue heavenward, the stars were lovely and bright almost ethereal in their look. She idly wondered what it would be like to believe in the stars. To be human and unaware of the danger all around them. To be lost in the stars, believing in angels and heaven. Shaking her head to clear it of its thoughts a small contented smile lit her face. Her fangs just barely peeking out of pale pink lips. 

  She hadn’t bothered with makeup. Not tonight, she wasn’t out to impress anyone. No, she was just delivering the paintings for the diner and partaking in a late meal. Something that would settle her stomach and wasn’t blood. Even if the want of the stuff was there. She could technically go another two nights before things got dicey. And because of her aversion to all things hurting humans. She knew what her limit was having pushed herself to that point a few times in the last few months. 

  Entering a better lit area she walks past the storefronts. Pausing every so often to check her reflection. She wasn’t what she viewed as a classic beauty, rather her looks were average. Her hair and eyes being the focal point. Always a different shade of blue. Her hoodie was black and huge, stolen from one of her male friends from before the change. Her jeans also black cling to her body. Giving her definition and the blue runners completed the relaxed look. All in all she looked like a college kid with a package. Unassuming and easily forgettable. Which is exactly what she wanted.+

Dehv: ~ I still wasn’t able to see as much as I’d like to, but I could see enough to get out of my place and take a walk. Maybe even grab something to eat and a nice coffee to cheer up my sour mood. Qhuinn had been pulled into patrol that night and that meant that I got to tie up loose ends with my business and set up some new clients for the coming months. It also meant that I was trailing around like a lovesick puppy and it was fucking annoying me. So instead of stew a minute longer, I was going to go and get a good meal, with some kind of horribly chocolaty dessert and then crack on with plans for the upcoming months. Well, plan the best I could with not having any kind of rota for patrol for another week or two at least. I pushed away from my desk and locked up everything so that it wasn’t easily accessible in case there was ever a break in. Unlikely with Vishous’ various safeguards, but I would prefer to be safe than sorry. Then I went upstairs to my sanctuary. It was small enough to feel lived in being there on my own, but big enough to host people should anyone need a room or came to visit. Rarely happened, and Qhuinn didn’t need his own room. I loved it though. A kitchen fully stocked for when I had time to indulge my chef side. Plus a sofa more then long enough for me to lie out on, or for both me and Qhuinn to occupy at the same time while watching whatever TV show or film we’d gotten addicted to that month. The colours were warm, and hopefully inviting. I’d never heard anyone complain. It was a little eclectic, but I liked it. Best thing though, I knew it by heart, so I didn’t have to see anything. Which was great with my eyesight still phasing in and out and the constant unfocused quality to them that meant I couldn’t really focus on anything yet.

I grabbed my boots, phone, keys and coat before heading back downstairs again. I laced the boots as quickly as I could and then pulled on the light coat, tugging the door closed behind me. It locked automatically and I used the app on my phone to get the security set up properly before I started down the street. It wasn’t busy, and I found that I could let my mind wander without paying attention to where I was going. Autopilot allowing my eyes to glaze over while I walked. It was a nice break for them, as I spent most days forcing them to work well past what they should be at this stage of healing. I just knew they were improving day by day, kind of, and that was enough to know that I was doing the right things, even if I still wasn’t fit to fight properly and was stuck on a go slow when it came to training. I had to roll out my shoulders to dispel the tension at that thought, and was happy to see the lights beckoning me in to the warm interior of one of my favourite 24/7 cafes. “Evening.” I smiled at whoever was behind the counter. Unable to make them out properly until I got closer. I kept smiling anyway, since I knew all the staff in here. I kept moving, hoping that soon enough their face would come into view and I’d be able to be polite before finding a quiet booth to sit in. ~

Tori: +Passing one last window front she pauses to critically look at herself. The hoodie obscuring the fact that she was underweight. It had been over a week since she’d eaten food. Well more than a handful of crackers she’d managed to stomach. She hadn’t felt like eating. Shrugging and adjusting the package she continues on until she came to the diner. Slipping through the door she takes a moment to look around. Noting few people before her attention was pulled to the counter. 

“Where you been kid? We missed you. You finished them?” She offers a smile and a nod before handing the paintings off. “Hey, haven’t felt like coming out.” Her own words tinged with amusement before she waves to the others. She wasn’t about to dwell on the panic and the fear that kept her hidden. The loneliness of having no family to support her. Turning to continue her conversation with the staff who had approached her in greeting. Taking the moment to be there and present before their duties called them back. 

Once they were through she made her way over to the booth closest to the man who had caught her attention when she walked into the diner. Sliding into the booth and closing her eyes as a wave of hunger swept through her. Once the bloodlust had passed she opens her eyes again. Her gaze on the stranger. Fingers twitching unseen as she fought down the urge to sketch him. It would be rude to do so without permission. Plus he gave off a slightly more.. well more in his aura. She couldn’t quite identify it. He didn’t seem to be dangerous, but she was hyper aware of him her senses were stretched as she studied him. Was he like her? Like her cousin? Perhaps. 

Looking down once more she grabs her sketchbook and pencils, opening it to a blank page and staring down at it. She shouldn’t have come out, it was a mistake. But she was here and she would in turn force down some food. Perhaps her body would stop fighting her then. But first, coffee. +

Dehv: ~ I recognised the female at long last and exhaled a breath, “Evening Charlotte, I am still healing, so my vision is a little shot. Apologies for taking so long to recognise you.” I shook off the sympathetic words and questions of what had happened. Just shrugging and saying it was a freak accident, my own fault, and that it would heal up soon enough I’d been assured. I just needed to keep my energy levels up, feed well and lots of liquids. Of course the blood diet I was also on wasn’t at all what I was talking about. I took a menu when it was offered and then moved to a booth where I could sit with my eyes on the door, and my back to a sturdy wall. Not that I could really make out much of the door, but I was trained well for these things. And now not being able to see all that clearly really impacted my ability to get by in a fight. So I hoped tonight was quiet and uneventful. At least Qhuinn wasn’t with me, or we’d have been guaranteed to be ambushed on the way home. I tried to look over the menu, and when I looked up I noticed another of my kind enter, mostly by scent, and then move to sit nearby. I’d have smiled if I had managed to figure out if she was looking at me. As it was she sat and my server popped up before I had a chance to really connect. “Could I please have a coffee and…um…so many choices.” Charlotte laughed and pointed at a few things on the counter, talking me through the various sweet treats that were still on offer for the night. I was quick to decide on pancakes with syrup and then some lemon tart after that. I didn’t always have a sweet tooth, and would have gone for a full meal. But I wasn’t all that hungry and I just fancied something specific. I waved Charlotte off and then stood to place the menu back on the counter. As I did I noticed that the female that had come in was paused over a book I recognised, I smiled. At war with myself about making myself known. I moved back to sit at my booth and hoped that I’d seem less intimidating if I was sitting than if I towered over her where she had little chance of escape. “Hey there. Are you an artist?” I nodded towards what she had in her hands and then looked back up towards her face, smiling openly in the hopes that she could read people even just a little. I got the impression that she needed a good meal, and not just of the food this diner provided. Though that wasn’t my place to speak. I’d offer advice when asked, I wouldn’t accuse or judge. I remembered being out of my depth, and it was hard to find what you needed in a society that seemed to turn its nose up at everyone who wasn’t mated by the time they went through their transition. I waited patiently, turning away briefly to thank Charlotte for my coffee and ask for more sugar than the two sachets that they provided. When I looked back, I smiled again, eager to know if I’d found a like minded individual randomly at my favourite cafe. ~

Tori: + She was acutely aware of his movements. It wasn’t intentional, rather a survival tool she’d had to use in the past. Glancing up she watches him stand kinda surprised at how tall he was and making another note that he filled the space. She wished she had that kind of presence. Men would leave her alone then. 

Glancing down at her sketchbook she was caught off guard when he spoke. Looking up once more and looking around to see if he was addressing anyone else. She knew on a more unconscious level that she was the only one close enough but she still needed to check. 

Clearing her throat nervously she looks to the side as Charlotte brought her own coffee. Thanking her softly before she focused on him once more. 

“Apologies, yes I guess I am an artist. It’s.. a hobby. Not the career I chose. And yet I seem to find myself sketching more than interacting.” She offers her own smile. Trying not to be awkward. No one had covered social niceties after transition. Hopefully he wouldn’t think her too weird.

It wasn’t his fault, that she was so nervous, uncertain. He certainly had done nothing but start a general conversation. One that she could easily talk about if she hadn’t been so jumpy or awkward. 

“Do you… is art a hobby of yours?” Well that could have been phrased better. She glances over as another one of the staff approaches her table. Speaking softly to her. Nodding once and ordering toast and more coffee she waits until they were away before she leans forward slightly. Interested in his potential answer.

He had purposely sat in such a way as to not intimidate her. She wondered why that was, for a brief moment anyway. First she wanted to know who he was, why he was here. Unless of course this was a usual place for him. Confusion crosses her face as she tried to remember if vampires were territorial. Was she in his territory? Would he tell her to get lost?

She drops his gaze. Focusing on the table as she tries to still her now racing heart. The last thing she wanted was to insult someone. It would be unbecoming of her.+

Dehv: ~ I started to answer questions when Charlotte moved over and offered up a coffee to the female. I smiled at her and blinked again. My eyes were still drier than they normally were, and while I could see in focus more and more, I was still struggling to do so for lengths of time. Qhuinn was being amazing about the flickering in and out. I’d wake up blind still some mornings, and then it’d come back as the day went on, sometimes it went the other way. The Doc was intrigued as it wasn’t often there was sunlight damage, so the actual effects were pretty unknown. I was over it, and yet here I was starting a random conversation with a female who looked like she wanted to melt into the table rather than talk. Maybe. Well, she seemed ok talking. Little awkward, but I was the same at times. But something changed between her answering me, ordering food and offering up a question of her own. I couldn’t really tell what. Why wasn’t someone here who could read people, I wasn’t awful at it, but normally I was doing it through a screen so it was a little easier. 

Instead of moving closer, which I sort of thought would be the wrong more. I smiled and picked up my coffee cup, trying to appear as approachable as possible. Because that’s totally what I serial killer wouldn’t do! “Um, yes and no. I started a small business years ago and it’s grown. I can now basically draw doodles day in and day out if I want. But I love designing, well, pretty much everything. Buildings, parks, boats. I love the raw structures that show through on the outside, and then the way you can make it totally different on the inside should you wish. That you can make the most uncomfortable of professions feel more inviting and calming if you really think about what you’re doing. I haven’t ever got the hang of drawing people though. I wish I could, and maybe that should be something that I could work on. If I wasn’t busy training every minute of the night I have free.” I chuckled and rolled my eyes playfully. Hoping that I could catch the female when when she was looking up so she could see my tease.

I then jerked slightly as I realised I was a dumbass. “I’m so sorry, I’ve Dehvastation by the way, but please just call me Dehv.” I reached between the two booths to offer my hand to the female. Nodding and smiling as my food arrived at the same time as the toast. I cleared my throat again and looked around. “I’m not being rude, and please ignore me if I am jumping to conclusions, but you look a little like I must have years ago when I first wandered into an unknown town. Would you like to join me and I’ll do my best to help? I don’t know as much as some.” I lowered my voice a little so Charlotte didn’t overhear, “I was raised in the human world.” I nodded and smiled again, “But I know more now, and I’m willing to share. But again, don’t feel you have to. I can just go back to my overly unhealthy snack and leave you to it as well.” ~

Tori: “it’s nice to meet you Dehv I’m Tori” +manners. Manners were important. Taking his hand in hers she noted the rough feel of the hand. It soothes her, irrational but rougher hands meant hard work. She also filed the training bit in the back of her mind. It meant nothing to her at this moment. Making a decision she gathers her things and her food and moves to join him. Sliding to sit across from him. 

“It’s.. you’re an architect then? Sorry, I seem to have forgotten how to hold a civil conversation. When I get annoying you can tell me to bugger off.” She partially teases. Still nervous but doing slightly better. He had offered to help, which she thought was genuine. Hoped was genuine, last thing she wanted or needed was more trouble.

“I transitioned only a few months ago. Art has grounded me. It’s sometimes nice to just draw and see what happens. Give Charlotte and the gang a couple days and some of my artwork will be hanging here.” It was an odd thought, people wanting to display her stuff. A shake of her head focuses her once more. “I have a ton of questions. Are you sure you want to answer them?” She had to be sure, otherwise they could be here till almost sun up. And with her using the shoelace express she needed to be home at a reasonable time. 

Now closer she took time to look him over. In awe of his body size. She’d never seen anyone who looked like him. Her father and Leif were smaller, shorter. She wondered if he was mated. Not because she was looking but someone that good looking.. well it would be criminal if he was still single. Again she pulls her attention back to the present. Offering a grin as she awaited his answer.+

Dehv: ~ I smiled at the female, Tori, and shook her hand. I found myself smiling wider when she obviously made the decision to trust me a little and move over to my booth. I should have asked to join her, save her the trouble of moving the coffee, plate as well as her drawing things. But I was still glad that she was moving and I hadn’t scared her off. Frankie would be so proud of me, and Qhuinn would be rolling his eyes at my ability to talk to randoms. I chuckled at the next words out of her mouth and shook my head. “No need to be sorry. If a random stranger started talking to me, it’d take me a minute to catch up. I am an architect, among other things. The business has been going a long time, so I get to dabble in other areas since we’ve branched out. It’s quite fun.” I grinned and used the side of my fork to cut into one of the pancakes. Stabbing the resulting sliver so I could eat without needing lots of time to chew before speaking again. I really didn’t want Tori to feel intimidated or like she had to fill silence if I could help it. 

I felt my brow rise in surprise when she mentioned her art work being displayed in the cafe and I naturally leaned forward to hear, and try to see, more. “That’s amazing. I have seen some works here before, sculptures and paintings etc. But I wasn’t ever sure whether they were local artists or just pieces the owners had seen and liked over the years. I will look forward to seeing your work in here. Might even purchase some of it to put in my office if it strikes me.” I knew she’d understand what I meant. A painting or artwork spoke to the person who was meant to own it. Invoked a reaction that drew them in every time they looked at the piece. I had no doubt something would do that for me, but I wasn’t about to commit until I’d seen them.

I had to laugh when she checked with me again on the questions. I’d done the same with everyone I’d come into contact with when I’d first asked every question under the sun. Then found out things I didn’t even know I needed to know. Frankie had been a godsend, not to mention Phury and the rest of the Brothers, and then Qhuinn came along and introduced me to not only my own kind, but also a million other races of demon, vampire and monster. The whole thing still blew my mind a little. In answer to the female I shook my head and finished another mouthful of my pancake. “I honestly don’t mind at all. You can ask me anything you want and I’ll answer the best I can. If I can’t answer for whatever reason, I’ll let you know that. I’ll give you my card as well so that you can contact me if you have any questions after today too. So the floor is yours.” I grinned widely and gestured dramatically with my hand across the table as if I were introducing the female to an audience. I hoped she’d take my humour as a way to calm any nerves. I was happy to answer what I knew, and find out anything I didn’t. ~

Tori: +she laughs, shaking her head at his antics. Really he didn’t have to do that but she appreciated it none the less. 

“I do commissions. And I’m really surprised they wanted some but Charlotte and the others seem to like what I do. It’s a mixture of people and landscape. Here.” She flips to her latest sketch. Two pages back. Her family on full moon nights when she was a child. “It’s a work in progress but this should give you an idea.” It was odd that she so willingly shared her work but at the same time she hadn’t been able to show anyone in months. 

Nibbling on her toast she tries to get her thoughts on some semblance of order. It was hard to do, not because she had too many questions but because she didn’t know where to start. “I’m not.. intruding on anyone’s territory right?” The question asked quietly so as not to arouse suspicion. It was one of the few things she remembered her father saying. She couldn’t tell anyone what she was.

Finishing her toast she leans back in the booth. Giving herself a moment to be. “Are there rules? Things that are ultra important to know.. other then the obvious I mean” She felt dumb asking but she’d get more specific as time went on. This was easy, and he’d mentioned giving her his card so she could contact him if she needed to. She didn’t have a cellphone yet. Couldn’t afford one, so hopefully he was good with landline phones. It came with the house and she rarely If ever used it. But she knew she would be talking to him. He seemed so genuine.+

Dehv: ~ I smiled and then leaned forward to try and focus in on the sketches in the book. I could see that it was beautiful, but otherwise I wasn’t able to make out much of the detail. I smiled anyway and figured I’d offer up an explanation when the first question asked threw me through a loop. Territory. I blinked a couple of times and started shaking my head before I even knew what was happening. “No, no of course not. There’s no territory. I mean, I’d not go walking into someone’s house uninvited, but that’s just common courtesy.” I chuckled and gestured around us, “The Brotherhood patrol this area, and they try to keep everyone safe. But there’s a lot of civilians, and there’s a lot of the enemy as well.” I took another few bites of my pancakes, letting them soak in the syrup before enjoying the sugar bomb. 

I swallowed hard and remembered back to my lack of knowledge, and how I’d been lucky to find some of my own kind of help me through my transition and then help me navigate the world a little. But it wasn’t until I’d hunted down Phury that I really started getting answers. I licked at my lips and leaned back, wondering where I should even start. Was there specific things that were more important than others? I figured I’d start with something more recent and then see if she could narrow down my education parameters. “So, ok. That’s a huge topic. I’ll tell you a little about me, since you’re stuck with me, and then maybe that will give you time to have something specific for me to start. If I start from how I understand it and move on, I might miss things, or tell you things that aren’t in any way relevant. I train with the Brotherhood. They’ve started the trainee programme, before that it was just certain bloodlines and things. I think. Don’t quote me on this.” I laughed and shook my head. “I was injured recently, which is why I know your drawings are beautiful, but I can’t really see them, or you as you can see me. So I’m sorry about the blank looks or over compensation. The rules run about as you’d expect in terms of respect and things. I can’t really stress enough about feeding though. There’s the elite, the glymera, they have a few ideas on what is proper and tend to get a little nasty when you don’t fit into their circles. As a civilian, you’re likely to hear of them or run into them in your travels. After transition they’re big on being mated soon after for feeding purposes. Or so I found. But many in lower classes don’t, can’t or won’t.” I inhaled slowly and then reached into my coat pocket to get my wallet, the card in the side held my phone number, name and business name. I quickly scribbled my address on the back. “This is for you just before I forget. Feel free to pop in when the office is open, or phone first if it’s outside business times. I’ve got a landline and a mobile there, though the landline will probably take you straight to my answer machine, I will get back to you.” I grinned and nodded again. “So, any specific questions I can answer for you? I don’t want to waffle.” ~

Tori: +She nods slowly. Listening intently as he speaks. Putting the sketch book away. “I’ll show you these when your eyesight is better. And I do feed. Three sometimes four times a week on humans because I don’t..” She glances down a moment. Struggling to find the words she needed. Taking his business card and tucking it away. “My parents died about a month before I transitioned. My cousin.. he helped me through it but he.. one day he never came back. I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m supposed to do. I moved here because it’s supposed to be safer, but I have very little clue who the Brotherhood are. Or the Glymera. I know mahman mentioned them but I can’t recall exactly when. I’m used to not fitting in. It’s sorta my thing.” 

She pauses and nods as Charlotte brings more coffee. Thanking her softly. Her attention back on Dehv. “You mentioned training. You fight then?” Safe ish topic, she’d ask more in a moment. Once she’s wrapped the rest of what he had said around her brain. 

“You mentioned f.feeding. Is there a safe place to do that? From someone other then.. because I really hate feeding from humans. I went to school to be a nurse, and it goes against my oath but the bloodlust is ridiculous and I just realized that I’m rambling I’ll shut up now.” Her jaw clicks shut with an audible snap as she regains her normal breathing pattern. The rushed breath of her last statement leaving her anxious, afraid of his response almost. 

She couldn’t help the smirk when he spoke about common courtesy. “Well no, I’d expect not but I was actually serious. Anything I’ve read about our kind I take with a grain of salt but some of it has to be based on fact. Hence that question.” +

Dehv: ~ I grinned widely and looked up to the female’s face. “I really am interested. Once I’m back to 100% I’ll be taking you up on seeing those sketches, AND insisting you give me some instruction on how you sketch the people. I just can’t seem to get them right.” I chuckled and shook my head. My fingers drawing imaginary images in front of me as I speak. Showing that I wasn’t exactly an expert at the whole face recreation. I could do incredibly close up, or I could do more abstract. But once you get me to try and do a nice little family portrait, I struggled more than I’d like to admit. I also just really liked learning new techniques and how others saw the world. Seeing the transition from real life to paper, or mind to paper always drew my interest. 

I had no clue myself really when I moved here. I knew nothing at all, and I’ve learned a lot since. The Brotherhood are working really hard to protect our race against lessers. They’re a whole other level of brute.” I laughed and shook my head. “They’re all honourable, they fight every night to ensure some kind of safe passage for our kind. Caldwell isn’t without its problems, but we’re all working together the best we can. They’ve got a trainee programme so that civilians like you and I can train to fight should we wish. That’s pretty new. The glymera have a lot of outdated ideas from what I can tell. They like to play judge and jury for anyone who isn’t at their level. And literally no one appears to be on their level. Even the Brotherhood, or maybe especially the Brotherhood. Our King isn’t like any before him, so they’re a little rattled. Some more than others.” I nodded and then took another mouthful of my pancakes, finishing what was on my plate before swapping them over so I could get personal with the next in line. “I am part of the training programme. So I am training to fight, I go out on patrol and I do all the various theory work that goes along with that too. Qhuinn, my male, is one of the trainers on the programme. He’s in the Brotherhood and it amuses me greatly to see how much I can push his buttons when we train. I have a few friends on the programme who go to great lengths to use the most abstract and weird objects offered in case we’re ever jumped in a random public toilet or something.” I laughed at the visual images of bog brushes and spatulas in a fight. It was unlikely to ever happen, and yet we loved the challenge. As well as the rolls of Qhuinn’s eyes when he watched us beeline for those kind of weapons time and time again.

“Um, feeding wise I can certainly help you with. There’s a club that we meet at the first Friday of every month. I can give you the name. You can’t miss the group that go. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, but they are all there to feed and nothing more. Normally wrist, but depending on how crowded it is, you can take from the throat if you’re dancing close enough for others not to notice. They have bathrooms out back that the humans use to have sex, but you can use to feed as well if you want to. It gives privacy if you’re not feeling secure. Though it can also be misconstrued if you’ve not been entirely upfront with what you want. As I said, most go just for blood, and we get new comers all the time as single civilians transition but aren’t mated. I think the Glymera and the families just turn a blind eye to it and assume it’s being handled.” I snorted and rolled my eyes at the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy that came with most of the Glymeras. I was glad that the Brotherhood as a whole were far more vocal about their thoughts, wants and acceptances. I smiled and cocked my head. Hoping that I’d managed to answer any and all questions asked. Without scaring or throwing too much at her. “Was that ok for information? Anything else? I remember when I started learning all this stuff. It was basically a full hour of me questioning every single thing. I feel for Phury. He didn’t try to choke me with the hot dog I was eating at the time.” I grinned and winked, then focused in on my pie again, ensuring I cut a proper sized piece and didn’t embarrass myself getting it to my mouth. ~

Tori: “a club? A legit club for this stuff. That I wasn’t expecting. Who is Phury? I’m sorry, I really have no idea about much. We have a King? So the monarchy is actually a thing and not just rumour.” +She leans back. Grinning as he drew with his hands. She’d love to teach him. Although finding the time might be difficult. Taking a sip of her now cold coffee she pulls a face before she sets the mug down. Taking that moment of silence while he ate to gather her thoughts.

“The Lessers. They are the baby powder scented people aren’t they? Or they smell sweet.. Papa warned me about that scent. I’ve smelled it a couple times that I’ve been out walking. And you actually answered a question I was afraid to ask. I didn’t want to seem more awkward potato then I am” she laughs. Nodding as Charlotte refilled her coffee, thanking her and ordering a slice of pie for herself. It looked tasty. 

“Does this training.. you said anyone could do it? Is there just a self defence portion of it? Before I transitioned I did self defence courses with friends but.. I kinda sorta went from like five foot five to like I think I’m five eight flat footed. I’ve literally had to relearn basic movements. And anything including toilet paper can be used as a weapon. Or so the movies say” she teases. Taking a small bite of her own pie as it arrived. Humming in satisfaction at the taste.+

Dehv: ~ I shook my head at the female and chuckled. “It’s not a club for it specifically. It’s a club, but we have an silent agreement that if we need to feed and we’re not mated we can turn up there. You can then find your own kind by scent or sight, then it’s up to you how you go from there.” I nodded and carried on answering questions. “Phury is one of the Brotherhood. They protect the King, Wrath, and protect our kind from the lessers. Who are the baby powder smelling people. You are correct on that one. You want to move fast in the other direction if they come anywhere near your vicinity. They won’t hesitate to kill you, or worse. Normally you’ll be more than fine wandering around, but they are a threat and you’d do well to just be knowledgeable about them.” I smiled and took a drink before having another mouthful of my cake, savouring every bite with a little hum of satisfaction. I then almost choked as the toilet paper was mentioned. I laughed and cleared my throat before speaking. “You are correctly, anything can be seen as a weapon. It just depends on how you use it. Toilet paper might take some preparation to be deadly, but I have no doubt you could brain someone if you tried hard enough, or choke them.” I grinned and took a second to try and imagine what that might look like. And who might manage to do that kind of thing. It had me thinking of asking Qhuinn to get some toilet paper as a weapon in the next training sessions, see who’d be brave enough to pick it up.

I laughed again before speaking. “It’s a full training programme. I believe there’s self defense classes for the civilians that are run locally though. I can find that out for you? Then you can figure out how to use your limbs now that they’ve grown along with the rest of you. You can imagine how much fun it is being our size or worse, and starting much, much smaller.” I chuckled as I remembered the way I was when I’d transitioned. The bambi on ice impression was a sight to behold. I smiled as I watched Tori enjoy her food. “Can I get you anything else, or answer any more questions?” ~

Tori: “I’m good food wise. I’ve actually eaten more then I have in a long time.” +she nods slowly.+ “I would appreciate if you could help me find a local self Defense group. More then you know. So the owners are in the know then? How do you recognize one of us? I mean I didn’t actually know if you were at first..” +she hides behind her hair in embarrassment. 

He made some good points and she would be taking them to heart. She also pauses to think about his statement about growth. She couldn’t imagine being shorter again. This height suited her, when she wasn’t being a gangly oaf. Somethings, like stairs and gaging distances at times still needed work. Luckily when she usually fell up or down the stairs she was alone. “If you don’t mind a couple personal questions… how long have you and Qhuinn? Been together? Is it easy or hard to have a relationship given your schedule?” +

Dehv: ~ I smiled at the words, unsure as to why it made my chest ease slightly to know that the female was actually eating something. I found myself nodding happily, I knew a few places, but I knew that Qhuinn might know of some others. So I’d ask him for his recommendations as well. It might be that Davidson wanted his sister to get in on the action too, so I could see if she might go with Tori, or meet her there and that would give them both something to do, and allow Tori to make some friends around here. I then coughed out a laugh. Remembering when I was so new to this too, though at least I’d had some education. I leaned forward and placed my hand on the table, brushing crumbs away from where we were sitting. “I remember so many of these questions when I first really found out about things and moved further out of the human world. I’m glad you’re eating, it’s important to keep up your strength. Before any kind of defense class can help you, being strong is important.” I nodded and exhaled slowly, my vision blinking out before I knew what was happening. I curled my hands into fists and swallowed down the panic that came with that. Knowing that one time it might just not come back. Sometimes it came back really quickly. I just had to wait it out and I was safe enough here. “Um….so we small different, look different and most times you’ll get a vibe from them. Civilians not as much as Brothers, or those with that bloodline.” I nodded and blinked again, willing my eyes to work. I hoped it wasn’t too obvious that my heart rate had increased ten fold while I tried to keep my voice level. “If you try to see if you can see the differences between say me and…..is that dude still sitting in the corner? Size for a start, but we also will just give you a gut feeling. Just like you know when the sun rises and sets. That tingle down your spine. That will tell you all you need to know.” I nodded again and then smiled openly. The thought of Qhuinn, probably off teaching a training class I wasn’t allowed to go to yet had me both happy and sad. I wanted to be there, I wanted to be able to train with everyone, but I also wanted to have his back with the idiots being back in the programme. So I took a minute to just appreciate talking about my male. “Well, it’s a bit of a complicated story. But properly, we’ve getting on about 7 months or so now. But it works a little differently for us than humans. I’m sure you know, bonding and things. Once it happens, it takes a lot to break it. And I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive that kind of heartbreak.” I smiled and shrugged. “He’s a tutor for the trainee programme, so I get to see him then. But honestly, he’s like a trouble magnet, so even when we get a spare five minutes he’s pretty much guaranteed to have shit hit the fan.” I chuckled, knowing that if Qhuinn was here I’d be getting kicked under the table and Tori would be getting told just how much of a magnet I seemed to be right along with him. But as he wasn’t, I could totally spin a little story in my head. “So yeah, it is hard, but nothing that’s not worth it. I’d do it all a hundred times over if it got me to this point again. Though with working eyes would be a bonus.” I then quietened slightly before leaning forwards again, hoping I was in the right direction. “I had a question, I have a friend I train with. His sister is a civilian, and I believe she goes to the club as well as self defense classes. Would be adverse to me asking her the ones she attends and perhaps that would give you someone you could meet and show you the ropes? You’re welcome to say no, or no for now. The offer isn’t going to expire just because now it’s overwhelming.” I patted the table and settled back in my chair again. Knowing I’d just downloaded a whole lots of information to digest. ~

Tori: +if she hadn’t been sitting across from him her brain most likely would’ve been goo with the amount of information he had given her. Shifting slightly she frowns as she watches him. The itch to help being suppressed until after she had a moment. If she hadn’t known what to watch for, she never would’ve picked up the fact he was anxious. Taking a moment to sweep her gaze around the cafe. Noting the patrons and staff. Nothing seemed out of place. But clearly, well clear to her something was wrong. Biting her bottom lip she begins to assess him on sight. Her brain literally going back to nursing mode. 

He had of course asked a couple questions and once she was satisfied visually that he was ok she would answer him. It was strange really, she was comfortable with this male even though they had technically just met. Maybe it was the fact he was already mated, maybe it was because he was approachable enough. Or maybe, it was because he reminded her of her cousin. Whatever the reason she found herself alert but relaxed. Not worried about making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. 

“I forget to eat most days. I’m just not hungry. Probably something to do with losing my parents, transitioning a month later and losing my cousin a couple months after that but I don’t know. I.. I’d be ok if this friend of yours uh sister was it? Went with me. I mean I need to meet people somehow.” She does another visual sweep of the area before she listens intently. “Don’t take this the wrong way but are you ok? You look.. anxious. Do you need help? I am a trained nurse.” Ok, she was also nervous and babbling slightly but she was concerned about him. 

Clearing her throat she leans back. Against the chair. “I actually know very little about bonds and that. What I do know is that they are intense. Now I think you are stronger than you seem but I wouldn’t wish for you to ever find out. So you see him on a professional level? Please tell me you two get to go on dates once in a blue moon..” yeah ok. Maybe she was a secret romantic. The very idea that they didn’t get to do anything outside work disturbed her. She just hoped she wasn’t overstepping her grounds.+ 

Dehv: ~ I felt the tension creep back into the female across from me. My eyesight still hadn’t returned, but it was something you could feel. The atmosphere changed and I listened harder to ensure that she was reacting to me and not ot something else in the cafe. If I had to protect her, I would, though I’d likely be getting a beating from Qhuinn when I got home for coming out on my own at night and getting into a fight when I was blind. Something seemed to suddenly click though, because that unease gave way to something else, I wasn’t sure what exactly, and the tension didn’t go entirely, but it felt almost like a mask was being put on, something familiar, like I would if I went into the training centre. I was still me, but there was focus and drive at the forefront rather than the architect that my clients would meet if they came to a meeting. It was how I imagined people saw Wrath when they met him, not as the male the Brothers got to see, but as the…slightly less than conventional King of our race. One of the many hats we wore in different situations. I almost smiled when my body registered that understanding and started to relax again. Despite the agitation with my eyes. 

I frowned at the list of things that the female had gone through in such a short time. Transitioning was bad enough, the threat of not only feeling like you  might die, but also knowing you could, really did a number on your head. Then to have all that happen around it, it really was a miracle that the female was still sitting across from me. I licked my lips and inhaled slowly before I spoke. “That’s awful. And I really am sorry all of that happened to you, at all, but especially so close together. I lost a lot of my family when I was still young, but the hurt never really goes away entirely. Please know that you’re somewhere with others of your kind who will understand and support you. Do lose parents and a cousin so close together, was that Lessers?” I frowned and leaned forward again. I’d not heard of raids outside of the city, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. I didn’t want to dwell, but if that was true, I’d have to feed it back to the Brotherhood.

“And as much as eating probably feels insignificant, it really is something you need to remember. It’ll strengthen you before you can push your body with other things. Davidson is my friend, his sister Rehbecca is who I am speaking of. She’s older than him, and won’t let him forget it. She does self defense weekly, and as far as I know isn’t mated and has no intention of being as yet. I’m not sure the entire story or the ins and outs of where she trains, but I’ll find out for you and then if you contact me again, I can pass on everything to you. My actual office is also just up this road. Turn left out the cafe. The name and things is on the card I gave you.” I smiled and nodded again. Then I laughed. “And I am fine, yet. I’m not hurt, well not physically any more at any rate. I got into a little trouble on a routine call out not long ago and it’s resulted in some damage to my eyes. I had to look through concentrated sunlight, and it’s done some damage. And since our kind don’t routinely expose ourselves to the sun, it’s not really known what can be done about it. I was entirely blind until I fed just after I got back to the training centre. Now it comes and goes. I could see when I walked in here, now I can’t. I’m sorry if I panicked you. I should have said as soon as it happened.” I smiled again, my eyes still sightless as I blinked away the dry feeling that always came with the bouts of blindness. I seemed to forget to blink regularly and that just caused more irritation. 

I laughed when I thought of Qhuinn though, the word professional wasn’t something I really associated with him. He was great at what he did, as our trainer and kickass in a fight, but he never used conventional methods. “Bonding is sort of new to me too. I grew up around humans, so I had to ask a lot of questions, and unintentionally hurt some close to me when I got those questions wrong. But yeah, bonding is a connection that you just know when it happens to you. It’s like you can’t breathe without the other person being safe and well. Or as well as they ever are, since Qhuinn is prone to just as many incidents as I am. But we’ve been doing a lot of running around the last 7 months, it’s been one thing after another. Ever date we’ve tried to have got interrupted. Though now we’ve been given permission to tell anyone we want about us, it’s going to get easier to find time with each other. I hope.” I winked to show that I wasn’t worried about the lack of time. I was secure in where I stood, and wanted the female to feel relaxed while we finished up the last scraps of food and finished talking. ~

Tori: +She let out the tiniest sigh of relief, glad she hadn’t overstepped her bounds, interacting with anyone on a social level had been hard. Really hard, even pre transition. She just didn’t gel well with people. It had actually been a standing joke in her family at how poor her social skills could be. She couldn’t help the smile when he spoke of his Male. They were both lucky to have found each other. Oh she was a hopeless romantic at heart but didn’t tend to dwell on that or think too much. She just wanted everyone to be happy and healthy. The smile changes as he speaks about incidents, especially about the eye thing. It made her uncomfortable, not in the traditional sense because the sun could be, read that as was bad for them. But the idea of losing her eyesight, even for brief periods of time, it terrified her. Leaning forward she nods, aware he couldn’t see her. “That.. routine call huh? Were you alone? Are you sure you are ok? Is there such a thing as like doctors and nurses to help you guys?” 

She kept her voice low, glancing around to be sure they wouldn’t be overheard. She also made a note of the directions to his office, she’d be stopping by if she had time after sunset. If he allowed it. “My parents were killed in a car accident in Europe. I don’t know exactly what happened but I suspect that one was trapped and the other refused to leave and the sun killed them both. My parents.. The love they had for each other. I’ve never seen anything like it. My dad worshiped Mahman, the very ground she walked on. If I am ever lucky enough to love or bond with anyone I hope I can have a bond even half as strong as theirs was.” Realising that she had been gushing she shifts slightly embarrassed. Normally in public she didn’t gush like that. “As to Leif, my cousin. I don’t know. We were supposed to meet up in the city but he never showed. I waited about a week and then took off. I suspect that it was Lessers but I wasn’t there so I don’t know.” Her voice cracked at the end, catching herself she breathes deeply, bottling her emotions up once more.

She was surprised they had kept it secret, then again he was a warrior. Maybe they did things differently. “I’ll call the number on the card when I get home. That way you’ll have my contact information. Are you not training because of your eyes?” +

Dehv: Dehv: ~ I licked at my lips and tried not to blink too often to clear the blindness. It seemed to take it sweet time to come and go. Occasionally it’d flick in and out like a TV trying to find a station. Other times it’d click in and I’d have hours to enjoy. More than once I’d just felt relief that it was back, and then it’d blink out again, mocking me and my enthusiasm. Though I could hear the worry in Tori’s voice when she spoke to me. And I found myself having to take a moment. Where had her family grown up for her to not know about our doctors or hospitals. I shook my head and brushed my hands down my jacket, hoping that I looked like I was checking for crumbs and not like I was as nervous as I felt. “It comes and goes. I sometimes think I have it back before it blinks out on me again. But I’m doing ok. I might have to get you to lead me out this place and point me in the right direction though. If you’re ready to go, if not could you shuffle me out regardless?” I chuckled and straightened in my seat a little before broaching the subject of our race. “We have basically everything humans have, sometimes more. Since we have to do more investigations with the inability to have blood transfusions and the fact we’ve got six chambered hearts etc. But we do have whole medical centres dedicated to our kind only. They are kept under wraps in the same way that we might keep other homes out of the prying eyes of humans. Though typically we don’t play around with sunlight, so I’m not sure whether this is any kind of injury they’ve seen before. I’m hoping that the Chosen blood, and Qhuinn’s blood will enable them to heal properly. I’m feeding far more often than I was in the effort to reverse the effects.” I nodded and sighed. I hated talking about the what ifs of the situation. There was a very real chance my eyesight would deteriorate until I couldn’t see at all. Which was terrifying. I nodded at the other questions. Knowing I could only answer so much of it without giving away too much of the Brotherhood. “I was with a Brother. He got the call on the Brotherhood emergency line and I was free for the evening. We partner up just like we’re told to.” I smiled at the thought, because not ever Brother partnered up, and as a trainee I was normally far more than partnered, we normally went in groups of four. But yes, other than my eyes, I’m more than fine.”

I smiled and then frowned hard as I listened to the story. I’d have done the same if I was stuck in a car with the sun coming up and Qhuinn wasn’t able to get out. There’s no way I’d walk away from that. Regardless of how much he cussed he out for it. And I had no doubt there would be nothing other than swear words coming at me if that were the situation. “I’m so sorry about that. Your parents sound to have a wonderful connection, and you are correct, once you are bonded it’s a love like nothing else. I would do the same for Qhuinn. No, that’s not true, I’d likely want to do that for others if I was in that situation, but I’d be unable to do anything else if it was Qhuinn. The choices isn’t there, it’s a physical need that it’s easily overridden. Family are the same, so I am hopeful that your cousin was kept away. Though you are right, it doesn’t sound good. If he was willing to support you through your transition then he cares about you a lot.” I smiled. Hoping my words were of come comfort when I knew there wasn’t much to offer.

I exhaled slowly and pushed to my feet, really hoping that my hearing was up to scratch so I didn’t bash into someone by mistake. I pulled my wallet from my pocket again and held it out. “Could you pull the right money out of there so we can pay? Yours and mine if that’s alright with you? Call the number on the card any time. If I’m in a meeting or whatever I’ll call you right back again. Once we’ve paid, would you please help me outside and across the road then point me in the direction where the door to this place is on my left?” I smiled and waited. Hoping that the female was as trustworthy as I thought she was. ~

Tori: +She listened intently as he spoke. Nodding even though he couldn’t see it. She wasn’t all that surprised that they had places and clinics. It made sense, even though they were different they still got hurt. The need for treatment was universal. As he rose and held out his wallet she blinks in surprise before responding. + “Of course, uhm, thank you.” +She moves to take his wallet. Paying for their meals and handing it back to him as soon as she was done. Slipping out of the booth she stands beside him as she gathers her sketchbook and bag and looks around to be sure they both had everything they needed. Satisfied that they weren’t leaving anything behind. Clearing her throat slightly nervous she takes him arm. Making sure to make it look like he was escorting her out of the cafe and not anything else.+ 

“We lived off the grid, Mahman took care of everything at home. Hence my lack of knowledge. Papa said that it was too dangerous to be seen or known. I got my first real taste of civilisation when I went to College. It was an adjustment, people thought my parents were Amish. I just went with it.”

+Leading him out the door after waving farewell to the staff she followed his instructions. Looking around to be sure they were alone before heading across the street.+ “You said left correct?” +The question falling fairly easily from her lips. It was nice to have a conversation with someone, even if she did ask a fair few questions. Once stopped across the street she drops his arm and chews on her bottom lip, trying to decide if she had any last questions before they parted ways.+

Dehv: ~ I was glad when the female took my wallet without complaint. Paying for our meals and then handing it back to me. I was able to put it in my pocket before I felt her hands settling on my arm. I needed to know I was being led out safely, and there was nothing I wanted less than to bump into one of the numerous tables that scattered the open floor. I hadn’t managed to get a mental picture of the place, since I was ridiculously optimistic in my assumptions that my eyesight would just switch back on and not go off again. Of course, so far that hadn’t happened. So I needed to start actually giving myself something to work with and ensure I was prepared in these situations. It wasn’t unlike my training to watch my back. Check out the exits and ensure I was aware of my surrounds at all times. Now that was limited, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t go ahead and add in another habit. Even if my eyesight did come back, it wouldn’t be a bad skill to be able to have an exit strategy right along with an actual door. Saved anyone bumping into things or gave ideas for hiding places. I was sure it would come in handy at some point. I moved right along with her, smiling so that I didn’t look terrible until I felt the air from outside hit my face. At that point I exhaled and then spoke. “Yeah, to the left please. And I think we all do what we can to survive when we’re not the norm. I had to do the same when I transitioned seemingly over night from a normalish size to this. It wasn’t easy to explain. I got lucky that I could avoid some for a while and pretend I’d just bulked up. The height wasn’t so easy, and I ended up moving around a little. You’ll find your place, and you’re in a good city to do that. There’s a good network of civilians and Brothers here. We have medical services and strategies in place to ensure we can own our own homes and such. So just ask questions, speak to everyone you can and be safe. Lessers are something to watch out for and you want to keep yourself self.” I smiled and squeezed Tori’s arm where she was still holding mine. I could feel the tingle in my vision that told me I’d be able to see again soon. But probably not before I got home. I kept myself facing the way the female had faced me and then took a step back. “I look forward to hearing from you and I’ll get those names and numbers for you.” I bowed my head slightly and then started walking down the street towards my house, fingers trailing over brickwork to ensure I knew when I’d reached home. If I got lost this close, Qhuinn would likely murder me where I stood. ~ #DisobeyingOrdersMakingFriends

[sofaradaysogood]

Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste || Faraday

    “Broken Irish is better than clever English” for @poorlikeness​ and @knivesnothingtoit​

Just because he talks about his mother in the past tense, doesn’t mean she’s not somewhere.

By the time they reach town, they’re all on foot. Walking, leading their horses rather than riding them. It’s been a long day’s travel, and it’s nice to stretch their legs. It’s late in the afternoon; the heat has settled into a steady stillness, quiet and calm.

In all that tranquillity, Faraday’s unease is obvious. He’s tense and he’s jumpy, gaze darting from side to side and fingers clenching and unclenching at Jack’s reins without even realising. Jack’s content to follow the rest, and doesn’t seem to mind even when Faraday’s hands fall from the reins entirely.

It’s a small town, one of several scattered across the low, grassy plain. Each is no more than an hour’s ride from the next. An unlikely place to encounter any trouble. Mostly, they’re full of hard-working and god-fearing people, some even going so far as to avoid having a saloon.

Maybe that’s why they’re stopping here, of all places, for the night – nothing to get any of them in trouble. Just a real bed and some real, hot food, a break from sleeping under the stars as they make their way towards whatever mess it is that Sam’s leading them to.

It makes the first words they hear from one of its inhabitants all the more surprising.

“Joshua Faraday?”

Vasquez’s hand is on his gun before the last syllable falls. Faraday’s face is a picture of perfect panic. He has the look of a man prepared to sacrifice very dignity for the sake of escape – ready to simply turn tail and sprint.

Billy’s posture shifts, just a little. A brush of Goodnight’s fingers against his arm keeps him from advancing.

Sam turns a look on Faraday, its message clear.

   Who’d you cheat in a backwater place like this?

When the owner of the voice emerges from the shade of a doorway, Sam’s expression turns a little more to disappointing than disbelieving. The man’s a preacher, sixty-five if he’s a day. Short and white-haired, but hearty and hale, face tanned and hands rough from real work.

Any other time, Faraday might have taken offence at the assumption that he’d cheated anyone at all, let alone a goddamn preacher. Right now, he’s too busy staring at the man, wide-eyed and frozen like a startled rabbit that can’t decide whether to bolt.

The man’s face isn’t painted with anger. In recognising the man before him, he seems to find only joy.

It’s a few short steps for him to be close enough to reach out, to grasp both of Faraday’s shoulders and to shake him a little, as if proving to himself that Faraday is real, not some ghost or spectre or mirage, rising up with the heat from the dust-track road.

“It really is you,” the man says, and then – without warning – he pulls Faraday into a tight embrace,  mindless of the way that Faraday is still frozen under his touch, rooted to the spot and giving no sign of returning the greeting.

There’s a general air of bemusement from his fellows that scatters the moment the man pulls back and takes Faraday by the ear, like a child caught stealing apples. Faraday yelps, bending into the tight grip in a vain effort to escape some of the pain.

He’s got two inches, three guns and a good thirty years on the old man, but he seems powerless to break free. He stumbles on after him, boots scuffing against each other.

“Stop! Get off –”

His words have no discernible effect, and nor do his hands, scrabbling at the iron pinch of the preacher’s fingers. Vasquez has followed without question or hesitation, hand uncertainly hovering near his gun. The others, to some greater or lesser degree, follow. Some out of concern and some, no doubt, mere curiosity.

      “Fháil amach dom!”

Vasquez pulls up short, a little surprised by the unfamiliar words that have torn themselves urgent from Faraday’s tongue. The preacher stops, too, drops his hand and turns back to face Faraday, whose hand comes up to clutch at his reddening ear.

“Ah? Anois labhraíonn tú do theanga féin?” the preacher demands, with a scoff. The general air of bewilderment amongst his companions grows. Faraday scowls at the accusation. Now you speak your own language? As a child, he’d refused. Sat in stubborn silence even when it had earned him a smack. He’d seen the way people were treated when they spoke Irish. The way his mother was treated, even when she spoke English, her accent obvious enough to earn her derision and abuse, to keep her from honest work.

Better to be silent than to be less than nothing.

“Where’re you taking me, anyway?” Faraday asks, irritably. In English. The Irish syllables, born out of desperation, had been clumsy on his tongue. You go long enough without speaking a language – even your own – and your tongue unlearns it.

“To let James Byrne have a word with you before I take you to see your poor mother.”

Faraday blanches, and finally seems to find his autonomy once more. He takes a step back, and then another, until he’s close enough to Vasquez to be reassured by his presence. He makes the mistake of glancing back at the man, and finding his eyes, wide and surprised and concerned, fixed solidly on him.

The reassurance fades a little.

“She doesn’t want to see me. So how ‘bout we skip both those things.”

“Doesn’t want to see you?” The preacher barks a laugh, shakes his head and raises his hands, begging witness in God or anybody to this foolishness. “Mo Thiarna! What sort of mother wouldn’t want to see her own child? After so long?”

Something steely settles in the angle of Faraday’s jaw. No matter the look on Vasquez’s face, he wants to tuck himself closer still, to press back into the security of the man at his back who he knows will pull a gun when he does, because he trusts him.

Not that he’s planning on shooting anybody here.

“One who’s got me,” he says. “If you don’t mind, I got somewhere to be that’s not here, so --”

“Mac, grá sí leat.”

Faraday looks angry. He turns to Vasquez, and can’t quite meet his eye.

“I want to leave,” he says, as if it’s in Vasquez’s power to make the preacher disappear, to halt the words that none of the rest of them will understand. Vasquez looks from Faraday to the white-haired priest standing behind him, and nods, once.

He shifts to the side to let Faraday pass him, and then steps back again once he has, as though to shield him from this obviously unwelcome piece of his past. Head tipped just a little so he can see Faraday from the corner of his eye and watch the preacher at the same time, he rests a hand on his belt, not quite touching his gun.

“She doesn’t blame you,” calls the preacher, softly. “She never did, Joshua.”

“You sure you want to walk away from this?” Vasquez asks, softly. He’s not questioning Faraday’s decision. He’s just making damn sure this is what Faraday wants. Faraday stills, and his head drops, and Vasquez reaches out for his wrist. “Guerito?”

When Faraday takes a breath, it’s the breath of a man going out to meet his death.

“Just – don’t go far,” he mutters. Vasquez nods, and lets the fingers circling Faraday’s wrist drop. When he presses a hand to Faraday’s shoulder, it’s with a glance up and around at the surrounding buildings, the patiently watching preacher. He doesn’t trust it, any of it. Not if it makes Faraday this nervous.

When Faraday catches up Jack’s reins and leads him over, he only shakes his head, once, in answer to Vasquez’s inquiring look. He wants to know where they are, so he can slink back to them if needs be. He doesn’t want them to know where he is – doesn’t want them to follow, to see the disappointment he leaves in his wake.

Faraday makes his way over to the preacher, uncharacteristically cautious.

“If ol’ James Byrne thinks he can still put me over his knee,” Faraday warns, “he’s very much mistaken.”

Ol’ James Byrne is just that: old. He’d seemed old when Faraday was a child – now, he seems ancient, skin paper thin and limbs stick-like. And yet, here he is, next town over. Still doing the rounds with the good preacher, doctorin’ where folk need it.

He fixes Faraday with a look, and says ‘hmph’.

Faraday resists the urge to pull a face, the way he did at five years old when he got fixed with the same look for scraping his knees or his palms up.

“Well then,” Byrne says, like he saw Faraday this week just gone. “We’d better get riding.”

His mother doesn’t live where she used to.

She’s tucked up in Jack Byrne’s back room, too frail and too weak to look after herself anymore. She’s getting old and she’s getting ill and she’s dying by degrees. He doesn’t like the way guilt pools hot in his belly. She should be living comfortable. She shouldn’t be alone.

She shouldn’t have to see him again.

But he sinks into a chair by her bedside because Jack Byrne had looked him in the eye and told him that it’s God’s own luck he’d made it in time to see her still breathing. He doesn’t like the idea of her alone, now. Even if she deserves better company than this.

She stirs, and he leans forward. He’s hesitant to take her hand, but he does. Her fingers are cold and dry and too delicate in his rough hands. Her blue-tinged eyelids flutter. When her eyes open, they’re shockingly youthful in the sunken stretch of her face, mirrors of his own.

“Joshua?” she whispers, voice cracking and confusion evident.

"Dia duit, máthair,” he says. She begins to cry.

He rides back into town past midnight, so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Jack has steered himself most of the way, following the beaten track with the sort of patience he doesn’t usually exhibit.

He dismounts and unsaddles Jack without a thought, hands filling in for his brain. He even stays to brush Jack down, thorough and methodical, and blanket him after. And then, at a loss, his feet take him towards the hotel, the only place in this little nowhere that caters for strangers.

He finds Vasquez awake, sat on the wooden steps up to the door. Waiting.

Wordless, Faraday sinks down next to him, and surprises the Mexican by tucking himself against his side without a snide remark or even a grin. He just presses close, and shivers despite the warmth of the night.

“You saw your mother?” Vasquez asks, gentle. Faraday is still staring into the darkness as he replies.

“I saw her,” he confirms. “Go ndéana Dia trócaire air.” The sounds are a little clumsy in his mouth. He stumbles, toward the end, corrects himself.

Vasquez doesn’t understand, and isn’t there some irony in that, somewhere? Faraday pulls himself together, and turns a tired smile at Vasquez as he translates.

   “God rest her soul.”

It’s the last time he’ll speak Irish in a long, long while. There’s nothing tethering him to it, now.

[torirainn]

#DisobeyingOrdersMakingFriends

Written with @dehvastation

Tori: +Once more she found herself out in the night. Blue hair tied back and out of her face as she shrugs into the oversized hooded sweater. Tonight was all about comfort. Keeping her bag with her sketchbook and wallet in it secured to her side she decided to do the food thing. A little diner that catered to the 24/7 crowd was her destination. But not before she stopped in her garage to grab the commissions. Securing the paintings for delivery she heads out at a brisk walking pace. The cool of the evening soothing to her frazzled nerves. She would once more need to hunt. But her thirst was under control at the moment so she would be ok. 

  Walking the couple miles to the diner was always fun. The deserted night perfect for her to meander. Because she was carrying merchandise she hurried her pace a bit. Not enough to actually make her breath catch, but just enough that it was clear it wasn’t a stroll in the early morning hours. As she walked she quietly let’s her mind wander. Eyes of light blue heavenward, the stars were lovely and bright almost ethereal in their look. She idly wondered what it would be like to believe in the stars. To be human and unaware of the danger all around them. To be lost in the stars, believing in angels and heaven. Shaking her head to clear it of its thoughts a small contented smile lights her face. Her fangs just barely peeking out of pale pink lips. 

  She hadn’t bothered with makeup. Not tonight, she wasn’t out to impress anyone. No, she was just delivering the paintings for the diner and partaking in a late meal. Something that would settle her stomach and wasn’t blood. Even if the want of the stuff was there. She could technically go another two nights before things got dicey. And because of her aversion to all things hurting humans. She knew what her limit was having pushed herself to that point a few times in the last few months. 

  Entering a better lit area she walks past the storefronts. Pausing every so often to check her reflection. She wasn’t what she viewed as a classic beauty, rather her looks were average. Her hair and eyes being the focal point. Always a different shade of blue. Her hoodie was black and huge, stolen from one of her male friends from before the change. Her jeans also black cling to her body. Giving her definition and the blue runners completed the relaxed look. All in all she looked like a college kid with a package. Unassuming and easily forgettable. Which is exactly what she wanted.+

Dehv: ~ I still wasn’t able to see as much as I’d like to, but I could see enough to get out of my place and take a walk. Maybe even grab something to eat and a nice coffee to cheer up my sour mood. Qhuinn had been pulled into patrol that night and that meant that I got to tie up loose ends with my business and set up some new clients for the coming months. It also meant that I was trailing around like a lovesick puppy and it was fucking annoying me. So instead of stew a minute longer, I was going to go and get a good meal, with some kind of horribly chocolaty dessert and then crack on with plans for the upcoming months. Well, plan the best I could with not having any kind of rota for patrol until a week or two prior. I pushed away from my desk and locked up everything so that it wasn’t easily accessible in case there was ever a break in. Unlikely with Vishous’ various safeguards, but I would prefer to be safe than sorry. Then I went upstairs to my sanctuary. It was small enough to feel lived in being there on my own, but big enough to host people should anyone need a room or came to visit. Rarely happened, and Qhuinn didn’t need his own room. I loved it though. A kitchen fully stocked for when I had time to indulge my chef side. Plus a sofa more then long enough for me to lie out on, or for both me and Qhuinn to occupy at the same time while watching whatever TV show or film we’d gotten addicted to that month. The colours were warm, and hopefully inviting. I’d never heard anyone complain. It was a little eclectic, but I liked it. Best thing though, I knew it by heart, so I didn’t have to see anything. Which was great with my eyesight still phasing in and out and the constant unfocused quality to them that meant I couldn’t really focus on anything yet.

I grabbed my boots, phone, keys and coat before heading back downstairs again. I laced the boots as quickly as I could and then pulled on the light coat, tugging the door closed behind me. It locked automatically and I used the app on my phone to get the security set up properly before I started down the street. It wasn’t busy, and I found that I could let my mind wander without paying attention to where I was going. Autopilot allowing my eyes to glaze over while I walked. It was a nice break for them, as I spent most days forcing them to work well past what they should be at this stage of healing. I just knew they were improving day by day, kind of, and that was enough to know that I was doing the right things, even if I still wasn’t fit to fight properly and was stuck on a go slow when it came to training. I had to roll out my shoulders to dispel the tension at that thought, and was happy to see the lights beckoning me in to the warm interior of one of my favourite 24/7 cafes. “Evening.” I smiled at whoever was behind the counter. Unable to make them out properly until I got closer. I kept smiling anyway, since I knew all the staff in here. I kept moving, hoping that soon enough their face would come into view and I’d be able to be polite before finding a quiet booth to sit in. ~

Tori: +Passing one last window front she pauses to critically look at herself. The hoodie obscuring the fact that she was underweight. It had been over a week since she’d eaten food. Well more than a handful of crackers she’d managed to stomach. She hadn’t felt like eating. Shrugging and adjusting the package she continues on until she came to the diner. Slipping through the door she takes a moment to look around. Noting few people before her attention was pulled to the counter. 

“Where you been kid? We missed you. You finished them?” She offers a smile and a nod before handing the paintings off. “Hey, haven’t felt like coming out.” Her own words tinged with amusement before she waves to the others. She wasn’t about to dwell on the panic and the fear that kept her hidden. The loneliness of having no family to support her. Turning to continue her conversation with the staff who had approached her in greeting. Taking the moment to be there and present before their duties called them back. 

Once they were through she made her way over to the booth closest to the man who had caught her attention when she walked into the diner. Sliding into the booth and closing her eyes as a wave of hunger swept through her. Once the bloodlust had passed she opens her eyes again. Her gaze on the stranger. Fingers twitching unseen as she fought down the urge to sketch him. It would be rude to do so without permission. Plus he gave off a slightly more.. well more in his aura. She couldn’t quite identify it. He didn’t seem to be dangerous, but she was hyper aware of him her senses were stretched as she studied him. Was he like her? Like her cousin? Perhaps. 

Looking down once more she grabs her sketchbook and pencils, opening it to a blank page and staring down at it. She shouldn’t have come out, it was a mistake. But she was here and she would in turn force down some food. Perhaps her body would stop fighting her then. But first, coffee. +

Dehv: ~ I recognised the female at long last and exhaled a breath, “Evening Charlotte, I am still healing, so my vision is a little shot. Apologies for taking so long to recognise you.” I shook off the sympathetic words and questions of what had happened. Just shrugging and saying it was a freak accident, my own fault, and that it would heal up soon enough I’d been assured. I just needed to keep my energy levels up, feed well and lots of liquids. Of course the blood diet I was also on wasn’t at all what I was talking about. I took a menu when it was offered and then moved to a booth where I could sit with my eyes on the door, and my back to a sturdy wall. Not that I could really make out much of the door, but I was trained well for these things. And now not being able to see all that clearly really impacted my ability to get by in a fight. So I hoped tonight was quiet and uneventful. At least Qhuinn wasn’t with me, or we’d have been guaranteed to be ambushed on the way home. I tried to look over the menu, and when I looked up I noticed another of my kind enter, mostly my scent, and then move to sit nearby. I’d have smiled if I had managed to figure out if she was looking at me. As it was she sat and my server popped up before I had a chance to really connect. “Could I please have a coffee and…um…so many choices.” Charlotte laughed and pointed at a few things on the counter, talking me through the various sweet treats that were still on offer for the night. I was quick to decide on pancakes with syrup and then some lemon tart after that. I didn’t always have a sweet tooth, and would have gone for a full meal. But I wasn’t all that hungry and I just fancied something specific. I waved Charlotte off and then stood to place the menu back on the counter. As I did I noticed that the female that had come in was paused over a book I recogised, I smiled. At war with myself about making myself known. I moved back to sit at my booth and hoped that I’d seem less intimidating if I was sitting than if I towered over her where she had little chance of escape. “Hey there. Are you an artist?” I nodded towards what she had in her hands and then looked back up towards her face, smiling openly in the hopes that she could read people even just a little. I got the impression that she needed a good meal, and not just of the food this diner provided. Though that wasn’t my place to speak. I’d offer advice when asked, I wouldn’t accuse or judge. I remembered being out of my depth, and it was hard to find what you needed in a society that seemed to turn its nose up at everyone who wasn’t mated by the time they went through their transition. I waited patiently, turning away briefly to thank Charlotte for my coffee and ask for more sugar than the two sachets that they provided. When I looked back, I smiled again, eager to know if I’d found a like minded individual randomly at my favourite cafe. ~

Tori: + She was acutely aware of his movements. It wasn’t intentional, rather a survival tool she’d had to use in the past. Glancing up she watches him stand kinda surprised at how tall he was and making another note that he filled the space. She wished she had that kind of presence. Men would leave her alone then. 

Glancing down at her sketchbook she was caught off guard when he spoke. Looking up once more and looking around to see if he was addressing anyone else. She knew on a more unconscious level that she was the only one close enough but she still needed to check. 

Clearing her throat nervously she looks to the side as Charlotte brought her own coffee. Thanking her softly before she focused on him once more. 

“Apologies, yes I guess I am an artist. It’s.. a hobby. Not the career I chose. And yet I seem to find myself sketching more than interacting.” She offers her own smile. Trying not to be awkward. No one had covered social niceties after transition. Hopefully he wouldn’t think her too weird.

It wasn’t his fault, that she was so nervous, uncertain. He certainly had done nothing but start a general conversation. One that she could easily talk about if she hadn’t been so jumpy or awkward. 

“Do you… is art a hobby of yours?” Well that could have been phrased better. She glances over as another one of the staff approaches her table. Speaking softly to her. Nodding once and ordering toast and more coffee she waits until they were away before she leans forward slightly. Interested in his potential answer.

He had purposely sat in such a way as to not intimidate her. She wondered why that was, for a brief moment anyway. First she wanted to know who he was, why he was here. Unless of course this was a usual place for him. Confusion crosses her face as she tried to remember if vampires were territorial. Was she in his territory? Would he tell her to get lost?

She drops his gaze. Focusing on the table as she tries to still her now racing heart. The last thing she wanted was to insult someone. It would be unbecoming of her.+

Dehv: ~ I started to answer questions when Charlotte moved over and offered up a coffee to the female. I smiled at her and blinked again. My eyes were still drier than they normally were, and while I could see in focus more and more, I was still struggling to do so for lengths of time. Qhuinn was being amazing about the flickering in and out. I’d wake up blind still some mornings, and then it’d come back as the day went on, sometimes it went the other way. The Doc was intrigued as it wasn’t often there was sunlight damage, so the actual effects were pretty unknown. I was over it, and yet here I was starting a random conversation with a female who looked like she wanted to melt into the table rather than talk. Maybe. Well, she seemed ok talking. Little awkward, but I was the same at times. But something changed between her answering me, ordering food and offering up a question of her own. I couldn’t really tell what. Why wasn’t someone here who could read people, I wasn’t awful at it, but normally I was doing it through a screen so it was a little easier. 

Instead of moving closer, which I sort of thought would be the wrong more. I smiled and picked up my coffee cup, trying to appear as approachable as possible. Because that’s totally what I serial killer wouldn’t do! “Um, yes and no. I started a small business years ago and it’s grown. I can now basically draw doodles day in and day out if I want. But I love designing, well, pretty much everything. Buildings, parks, boats. I love the raw structures that show through on the outside, and then the way you can make it totally different on the inside should you wish. That you can make the most uncomfortable of professions feel more inviting and calming if you really think about what you’re doing. I haven’t ever got the hang of drawing people though. I wish I could, and maybe that should be something that I could work on. If I wasn’t busy training every minute of the night I have free.” I chuckled and rolled my eyes playfully. Hoping that I could catch the female when when she was looking up so she could see my tease.

I then jerked slightly as I realised I was a dumbass. “I’m so sorry, I’ve Dehvastation by the way, but please just call me Dehv.” I reached between the two booths to offer my hand to the female. Nodding and smiling as my food arrived at the same time as the toast. I cleared my throat again and looked around. “I’m not being rude, and please ignore me if I am jumping to conclusions, but you look a little like I must have years ago when I first wandered into an unknown town. Would you like to join me and I’ll do my best to help? I don’t know as much as some.” I lowered my voice a little so Charlotte didn’t overhear, “I was raised in the human world.” I nodded and smiled again, “But I know more now, and I’m willing to share. But again, don’t feel you have to. I can just go back to my overly unhealthy snack and leave you to it as well.” ~

Tori: “it’s nice to meet you Dehv I’m Tori” +manners. Manners were important. Taking his hand in hers she noted the rough feel of the hand. It soothes her, irrational but rougher hands meant hard work. She also filed the training bit in the back of her mind. It meant nothing to her at this moment. Making a decision she gathers her things and her food and moves to join him. Sliding to sit across from him. 

“It’s.. you’re an architect then? Sorry, I seem to have forgotten how to hold a civil conversation. When I get annoying you can tell me to bugger off.” She partially teases. Still nervous but doing slightly better. He had offered to help, which she thought was genuine. Hoped was genuine, last thing she wanted or needed was more trouble.

“I transitioned only a few months ago. Art has grounded me. It’s sometimes nice to just draw and see what happens. Give Charlotte and the gang a couple days and some of my artwork will be hanging here.” It was an odd thought, people wanting to display her stuff. A shake of her head focuses her once more. “I have a ton of questions. Are you sure you want to answer them?” She had to be sure, otherwise they could be here till almost sun up. And with her using the shoelace express she needed to be home at a reasonable time. 

Now closer she took time to look him over. In awe of his body size. She’d never seen anyone who looked like him. Her father and Leif were smaller, shorter. She wondered if he was mated. Not because she was looking but someone that good looking.. well it would be criminal if he was still single. Again she pulls her attention back to the present. Offering a grin as she awaited his answer.+

Dehv: ~ I smiled at the female, Tori, and shook her hand. I found myself smiling wider when she obviously made the decision to trust me a little and move over to my booth. I should have asked to join her, save her the trouble of moving the coffee, plate as well as her drawing things. But I was still glad that she was moving and I hadn’t scared her off. Frankie would be so proud of me, and Qhuinn would be rolling his eyes at my ability to talk to randoms. I chuckled at the next words out of her mouth and shook my head. “No need to be sorry. If a random stranger started talking to me, it’d take me a minute to catch up. I am an architect, among other things. The business has been going a long time, so I get to dabble in other areas since we’ve branched out. It’s quite fun.” I grinned and used the side of my fork to cut into one of the pancakes. Stabbing the resulting sliver so I could eat without needing lots of time to chew before speaking again. I really didn’t want Tori to feel intimidated or like she had to fill silence if I could help it. 

I felt my brow rise in surprise when she mentioned her art work being displayed in the cafe and I naturally leaned forward to hear, and try to see, more. “That’s amazing. I have seen some works here before, sculptures and paintings etc. But I wasn’t ever sure whether they were local artists or just pieces the owners had seen and liked over the years. I will look forward to seeing your work in here. Might even purchase some of it to put in my office if it strikes me.” I knew she’d understand what I meant. A painting or artwork spoke to the person who was meant to own it. Invoked a reaction that drew them in every time they looked at the piece. I had no doubt something would do that for me, but I wasn’t about to commit until I’d seen them.

I had to laugh when she checked with me again on the questions. I’d done the same with everyone I’d come into contact with when I’d first asked every question under the sun. Then found out things I didn’t even know I needed to know. Frankie had been a godsend, not to mention Phury and the rest of the Brothers, and then Qhuinn came along and introduced me to not only my own kind, but also a million other races of demon, vampire and monster. The whole thing still blew my mind a little. In answer to the female I shook my head and finished another mouthful of my pancake. “I honestly don’t mind at all. You can ask me anything you want and I’ll answer the best I can. If I can’t answer for whatever reason, I’ll let you know that. I’ll give you my card as well so that you can contact me if you have any questions after today too. So the floor is yours.” I grinned widely and gestured dramatically with my hand across the table as if I were introducing the female to an audience. I hoped she’d take my humour as a way to calm any nerves. I was happy to answer what I knew, and find out anything I didn’t. ~

Tori: +she laughs, shaking her head at his antics. Really he didn’t have to do that but she appreciated it none the less. 

“I do commissions. And I’m really surprised they wanted some but Charlotte and the others seem to like what I do. It’s a mixture of people and landscape. Here.” She flips to her latest sketch. Two pages back. Her family on full moon nights when she was a child. “It’s a work in progress but this should give you an idea.” It was odd that she so willingly shared her work but at the same time she hadn’t been able to show anyone in months. 

Nibbling on her toast she tries to get her thoughts on some semblance of order. It was hard to do, not because she had too many questions but because she didn’t know where to start. “I’m not.. intruding on anyone’s territory right?” The question asked quietly so as not to arouse suspicion. It was one of the few things she remembered her father saying. She couldn’t tell anyone what she was.

Finishing her toast she leans back in the booth. Giving herself a moment to be. “Are there rules? Things that are ultra important to know.. other then the obvious I mean” She felt dumb asking but she’d get more specific as time went on. This was easy, and he’d mentioned giving her his card so she could contact him if she needed to. She didn’t have a cellphone yet. Couldn’t afford one, so hopefully he was good with landline phones. It came with the house and she rarely If ever used it. But she knew she would be talking to him. He seemed so genuine.+

Dehv: ~ I smiled and then leaned forward to try and focus in on the sketches in the book. I could see that it was beautiful, but otherwise I wasn’t able to make out much of the detail. I smiled anyway and figured I’d offer up an explanation when the first question asked threw me through a loop. Territory. I blinked a couple of times and started shaking my head before I even knew what was happening. “No, no of course not. There’s no territory. I mean, I’d not go walking into someone’s house uninvited, but that’s just common courtesy.” I chuckled and gestured around us, “The Brotherhood patrol this area, and they try to keep everyone safe. But there’s a lot of civilians, and there’s a lot of the enemy as well.” I took another few bites of my pancakes, letting them soak in the syrup before enjoying the sugar bomb. 

I swallowed hard and remembered back to my lack of knowledge, and how I’d been lucky to find some of my own kind of help me through my transition and then help me navigate the world a little. But it wasn’t until I’d hunted down Phury that I really started getting answers. I licked at my lips and leaned back, wondering where I should even start. Was there specific things that were more important than others? I figured I’d start with something more recent and then see if she could narrow down my education parameters. “So, ok. That’s a huge topic. I’ll tell you a little about me, since you’re stuck with me, and then maybe that will give you time to have something specific for me to start. If I start from how I understand it and move on, I might miss things, or tell you things that aren’t in any way relevant. I train with the Brotherhood. They’ve started the trainee programme, before that it was just certain bloodlines and things. I think. Don’t quote me on this.” I laughed and shook my head. “I was injured recently, which is why I know your drawings are beautiful, but I can’t really see them, or you as you can see me. So I’m sorry about the blank looks or over compensation. The rules run about as you’d expect in terms of respect and things. I can’t really stress enough about feeding though. There’s the elite, the glymera, they have a few ideas on what is proper and tend to get a little nasty when you don’t fit into their circles. As a civilian, you’re likely to hear of them or run into them in your travels. After transition they’re big on being mated soon after for feeding purposes. Or so I found. But many in lower classes don’t, can’t or won’t.” I inhaled slowly and then reached into my coat pocket to get my wallet, the card in the side held my phone number, name and business name. I quickly scribbled my address on the back. “This is for you just before I forget. Feel free to pop in when the office is open, or phone first if it’s outside business times. I’ve got a landline and a mobile there, though the landline will probably take you straight to my answer machine, I will get back to you.” I grinned and nodded again. “So, any specific questions I can answer for you? I don’t want to waffle.” ~

Tori: +She nods slowly. Listening intently as he speaks. Putting the sketch book away. “I’ll show you these when your eyesight is better. And I do feed. Three sometimes four times a week on humans because I don’t..” She glances down a moment. Struggling to find the words she needed. Taking his business card and tucking it away. “My parents died about a month before I transitioned. My cousin.. he helped me through it but he.. one day he never came back. I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m supposed to do. I moved here because it’s supposed to be safer, but I have very little clue who the Brotherhood are. Or the Glymera. I know mahman mentioned them but I can’t recall exactly when. I’m used to not fitting in. It’s sorta my thing.” 

She pauses and nods as Charlotte brings more coffee. Thanking her softly. Her attention back on Dehv. “You mentioned training. You fight then?” Safe ish topic, she’d ask more in a moment. Once she’s wrapped the rest of what he had said around her brain. 

“You mentioned f.feeding. Is there a safe place to do that? From someone other then.. because I really hate feeding from humans. I went to school to be a nurse, and it goes against my oath but the bloodlust is ridiculous and I just realized that I’m rambling I’ll shut up now.” Her jaw clicks shut with an audible snap as she regains her normal breathing pattern. The rushed breath of her last statement leaving her anxious, afraid of his response almost. 

She couldn’t help the smirk when he spoke about common courtesy. “Well no, I’d expect not but I was actually serious. Anything I’ve read about our kind I take with a grain of salt but some of it has to be based on fact. Hence that question.” +

Dehv: ~ I grinned widely and looked up to the female’s face. “I really am interested. Once I’m back to 100% I’ll be taking you up on seeing those sketches, AND insisting you give me some instruction on how you sketch the people. I just can’t seem to get them right.” I chuckled and shook my head. My fingers drawing imaginary images in front of me as I speak. Showing that I wasn’t exactly an expert at the whole face recreation. I could do incredibly close up, or I could do more abstract. But once you get me to try and do a nice little family portrait, I struggled more than I’d like to admit. I also just really liked learning new techniques and how others saw the world. Seeing the transition from real life to paper, or mind to paper always drew my interest. 

I had no clue myself really when I moved here. I knew nothing at all, and I’ve learned a lot since. The Brotherhood are working really hard to protect our race against lessers. They’re a whole other level of brute.” I laughed and shook my head. “They’re all honourable, they fight every night to ensure some kind of safe passage for our kind. Caldwell isn’t without its problems, but we’re all working together the best we can. They’ve got a trainee programme so that civilians like you and I can train to fight should we wish. That’s pretty new. The glymera have a lot of outdated ideas from what I can tell. They like to play judge and jury for anyone who isn’t at their level. And literally no one appears to be on their level. Even the Brotherhood, or maybe especially the Brotherhood. Our King isn’t like any before him, so they’re a little rattled. Some more than others.” I nodded and then took another mouthful of my pancakes, finishing what was on my plate before swapping them over so I could get personal with the next in line. “I am part of the training programme. So I am training to fight, I go out on patrol and I do all the various theory work that goes along with that too. Qhuinn, my male, is one of the trainers on the programme. He’s in the Brotherhood and it amuses me greatly to see how much I can push his buttons when we train. I have a few friends on the programme who go to great lengths to use the most abstract and weird objects offered in case we’re ever jumped in a random public toilet or something.” I laughed at the visual images of bog brushes and spatulas in a fight. It was unlikely to ever happen, and yet we loved the challenge. As well as the rolls of Qhuinn’s eyes when he watched us beeline for those kind of weapons time and time again.

“Um, feeding wise I can certainly help you with. There’s a club that we meet at the first Friday of every month. I can give you the name. You can’t miss the group that go. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, but they are all there to feed and nothing more. Normally wrist, but depending on how crowded it is, you can take from the throat if you’re dancing close enough for others not to notice. They have bathrooms out back that the humans use to have sex, but you can use to feed as well if you want to. It gives privacy if you’re not feeling secure. Though it can also be misconstrued if you’ve not been entirely upfront with what you want. As I said, most go just for blood, and we get new comers all the time as single civilians transition but aren’t mated. I think the Glymera and the families just turn a blind eye to it and assume it’s being handled.” I snorted and rolled my eyes at the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy that came with most of the Glymeras. I was glad that the Brotherhood as a whole were far more vocal about their thoughts, wants and acceptances. I smiled and cocked my head. Hoping that I’d managed to answer any and all questions asked. Without scaring or throwing too much at her. “Was that ok for information? Anything else? I remember when I started learning all this stuff. It was basically a full hour of me questioning every single thing. I feel for Phury. He didn’t try to choke me with the hot dog I was eating at the time.” I grinned and winked, then focused in on my pie again, ensuring I cut a proper sized piece and didn’t embarrass myself getting it to my mouth. ~

Tori: “a club? A legit club for this stuff. That I wasn’t expecting. Who is Phury? I’m sorry, I really have no idea about much. We have a King? So the monarchy is actually a thing and not just rumour.” +She leans back. Grinning as he drew with his hands. She’d love to teach him. Although finding the time might be difficult. Taking a sip of her now cold coffee she pulls a face before she sets the mug down. Taking that moment of silence while he ate to gather her thoughts.

“The Lessers. They are the baby powder scented people aren’t they? Or they smell sweet.. Papa warned me about that scent. I’ve smelled it a couple times that I’ve been out walking. And you actually answered a question I was afraid to ask. I didn’t want to seem more awkward potato then I am” she laughs. Nodding as Charlotte refilled her coffee, thanking her and ordering a slice of pie for herself. It looked tasty. 

“Does this training.. you said anyone could do it? Is there just a self defence portion of it? Before I transitioned I did self defence courses with friends but.. I kinda sorta went from like five foot five to like I think I’m five eight flat footed. I’ve literally had to relearn basic movements. And anything including toilet paper can be used as a weapon. Or so the movies say” she teases. Taking a small bite of her own pie as it arrived. Humming in satisfaction at the taste.+

Dehv: ~ I shook my head at the female and chuckled. “It’s not a club for it specifically. It’s a club, but we have an silent agreement that if we need to feed and we’re not mated we can turn up there. You can then find your own kind by scent or sight, then it’s up to you how you go from there.” I nodded and carried on answering questions. “Phury is one of the Brotherhood. They protect the King, Wrath, and protect our kind from the lessers. Who are the baby powder smelling people. You are correct on that one. You want to move fast in the other direction if they come anywhere near your vicinity. They won’t hesitate to kill you, or worse. Normally you’ll be more than fine wandering around, but they are a threat and you’d do well to just be knowledgeable about them.” I smiled and took a drink before having another mouthful of my cake, savouring every bite with a little hum of satisfaction. I then almost choked as the toilet paper was mentioned. I laughed and cleared my throat before speaking. “You are correctly, anything can be seen as a weapon. It just depends on how you use it. Toilet paper might take some preparation to be deadly, but I have no doubt you could brain someone if you tried hard enough, or choke them.” I grinned and took a second to try and imagine what that might look like. And who might manage to do that kind of thing. It had me thinking of asking Qhuinn to get some toilet paper as a weapon in the next training sessions, see who’d be brave enough to pick it up.

I laughed again before speaking. “It’s a full training programme. I believe there’s self defense classes for the civilians that are run locally though. I can find that out for you? Then you can figure out how to use your limbs now that they’ve grown along with the rest of you. You can imagine how much fun it is being our size or worse, and starting much, much smaller.” I chuckled as I remembered the way I was when I’d transitioned. The bambi on ice impression was a sight to behold. I smiled as I watched Tori enjoy her food. “Can I get you anything else, or answer any more questions?” ~

Tori: “I’m good food wise. I’ve actually eaten more then I have in a long time.” +she nods slowly.+ “I would appreciate if you could help me find a local self Defense group. More then you know. So the owners are in the know then? How do you recognize one of us? I mean I didn’t actually know if you were at first..” +she hides behind her hair in embarrassment. 

He made some good points and she would be taking them to heart. She also pauses to think about his statement about growth. She couldn’t imagine being shorter again. This height suited her, when she wasn’t being a gangly oaf. Somethings, like stairs and gaging distances at times still needed work. Luckily when she usually fell up or down the stairs she was alone. “If you don’t mind a couple personal questions… how long have you and Qhuinn? Been together? Is it easy or hard to have a relationship given your schedule?” +

Dehv: ~ I smiled at the words, unsure as to why it made my chest ease slightly to know that the female was actually eating something. I found myself nodding happily, I knew a few places, but I knew that Qhuinn might know of some others. So I’d ask him for his recommendations as well. It might be that Davidson wanted his sister to get in on the action too, so I could see if she might go with Tori, or meet her there and that would give them both something to do, and allow Tori to make some friends around here. I then coughed out a laugh. Remembering when I was so new to this too, though at least I’d had some education. I leaned forward and placed my hand on the table, brushing crumbs away from where we were sitting. “I remember so many of these questions when I first really found out about things and moved further out of the human world. I’m glad you’re eating, it’s important to keep up your strength. Before any kind of defense class can help you, being strong is important.” I nodded and exhaled slowly, my vision blinking out before I knew what was happening. I curled my hands into fists and swallowed down the panic that came with that. Knowing that one time it might just not come back. Sometimes it came back really quickly. I just had to wait it out and I was safe enough here. “Um….so we small different, look different and most times you’ll get a vibe from them. Civilians not as much as Brothers, or those with that bloodline.” I nodded and blinked again, willing my eyes to work. I hoped it wasn’t too obvious that my heart rate had increased ten fold while I tried to keep my voice level. “If you try to see if you can see the differences between say me and…..is that dude still sitting in the corner? Size for a start, but we also will just give you a gut feeling. Just like you know when the sun rises and sets. That tingle down your spine. That will tell you all you need to know.” I nodded again and then smiled openly. The thought of Qhuinn, probably off teaching a training class I wasn’t allowed to go to yet had me both happy and sad. I wanted to be there, I wanted to be able to train with everyone, but I also wanted to have his back with the idiots being back in the programme. So I took a minute to just appreciate talking about my male. “Well, it’s a bit of a complicated story. But properly, we’ve getting on about 7 months or so now. But it works a little differently for us than humans. I’m sure you know, bonding and things. Once it happens, it takes a lot to break it. And I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive that kind of heartbreak.” I smiled and shrugged. “He’s a tutor for the trainee programme, so I get to see him then. But honestly, he’s like a trouble magnet, so even when we get a spare five minutes he’s pretty much guaranteed to have shit hit the fan.” I chuckled, knowing that if Qhuinn was here I’d be getting kicked under the table and Tori would be getting told just how much of a magnet I seemed to be right along with him. But as he wasn’t, I could totally spin a little story in my head. “So yeah, it is hard, but nothing that’s not worth it. I’d do it all a hundred times over if it got me to this point again. Though with working eyes would be a bonus.” I then quietened slightly before leaning forwards again, hoping I was in the right direction. “I had a question, I have a friend I train with. His sister is a civilian, and I believe she goes to the club as well as self defense classes. Would be adverse to me asking her the ones she attends and perhaps that would give you someone you could meet and show you the ropes? You’re welcome to say no, or no for now. The offer isn’t going to expire just because now it’s overwhelming.” I patted the table and settled back in my chair again. Knowing I’d just downloaded a whole lots of information to digest. ~

Tori: +if she hadn’t been sitting across from him her brain most likely would’ve been goo with the amount of information he had given her. Shifting slightly she frowns as she watches him. The itch to help being suppressed until after she had a moment. If she hadn’t known what to watch for, she never would’ve picked up the fact he was anxious. Taking a moment to sweep her gaze around the cafe. Noting the patrons and staff. Nothing seemed out of place. But clearly, well clear to her something was wrong. Biting her bottom lip she begins to assess him on sight. Her brain literally going back to nursing mode. 

He had of course asked a couple questions and once she was satisfied visually that he was ok she would answer him. It was strange really, she was comfortable with this male even though they had technically just met. Maybe it was the fact he was already mated, maybe it was because he was approachable enough. Or maybe, it was because he reminded her of her cousin. Whatever the reason she found herself alert but relaxed. Not worried about making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. 

“I forget to eat most days. I’m just not hungry. Probably something to do with losing my parents, transitioning a month later and losing my cousin a couple months after that but I don’t know. I.. I’d be ok if this friend of yours uh sister was it? Went with me. I mean I need to meet people somehow.” She does another visual sweep of the area before she listens intently. “Don’t take this the wrong way but are you ok? You look.. anxious. Do you need help? I am a trained nurse.” Ok, she was also nervous and babbling slightly but she was concerned about him. 

Clearing her throat she leans back. Against the chair. “I actually know very little about bonds and that. What I do know is that they are intense. Now I think you are stronger than you seem but I wouldn’t wish for you to ever find out. So you see him on a professional level? Please tell me you two get to go on dates once in a blue moon..” yeah ok. Maybe she was a secret romantic. The very idea that they didn’t get to do anything outside work disturbed her. She just hoped she wasn’t overstepping her grounds.+ 

Dehv: ~ I felt the tension creep back into the female across from me. My eyesight still hadn’t returned, but it was something you could feel. The atmosphere changed and I listened harder to ensure that she was reacting to me and not ot something else in the cafe. If I had to protect her, I would, though I’d likely be getting a beating from Qhuinn when I got home for coming out on my own at night and getting into a fight when I was blind. Something seemed to suddenly click though, because that unease gave way to something else, I wasn’t sure what exactly, and the tension didn’t go entirely, but it felt almost like a mask was being put on, something familiar, like I would if I went into the training centre. I was still me, but there was focus and drive at the forefront rather than the architect that my clients would meet if they came to a meeting. It was how I imagined people saw Wrath when they met him, not as the male the Brothers got to see, but as the…slightly less than conventional King of our race. One of the many hats we wore in different situations. I almost smiled when my body registered that understanding and started to relax again. Despite the agitation with my eyes. 

I frowned at the list of things that the female had gone through in such a short time. Transitioning was bad enough, the threat of not only feeling like you  might die, but also knowing you could, really did a number on your head. Then to have all that happen around it, it really was a miracle that the female was still sitting across from me. I licked my lips and inhaled slowly before I spoke. “That’s awful. And I really am sorry all of that happened to you, at all, but especially so close together. I lost a lot of my family when I was still young, but the hurt never really goes away entirely. Please know that you’re somewhere with others of your kind who will understand and support you. Do lose parents and a cousin so close together, was that Lessers?” I frowned and leaned forward again. I’d not heard of raids outside of the city, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. I didn’t want to dwell, but if that was true, I’d have to feed it back to the Brotherhood.

“And as much as eating probably feels insignificant, it really is something you need to remember. It’ll strengthen you before you can push your body with other things. Davidson is my friend, his sister Rehbecca is who I am speaking of. She’s older than him, and won’t let him forget it. She does self defense weekly, and as far as I know isn’t mated and has no intention of being as yet. I’m not sure the entire story or the ins and outs of where she trains, but I’ll find out for you and then if you contact me again, I can pass on everything to you. My actual office is also just up this road. Turn left out the cafe. The name and things is on the card I gave you.” I smiled and nodded again. Then I laughed. “And I am fine, yet. I’m not hurt, well not physically any more at any rate. I got into a little trouble on a routine call out not long ago and it’s resulted in some damage to my eyes. I had to look through concentrated sunlight, and it’s done some damage. And since our kind don’t routinely expose ourselves to the sun, it’s not really known what can be done about it. I was entirely blind until I fed just after I got back to the training centre. Now it comes and goes. I could see when I walked in here, now I can’t. I’m sorry if I panicked you. I should have said as soon as it happened.” I smiled again, my eyes still sightless as I blinked away the dry feeling that always came with the bouts of blindness. I seemed to forget to blink regularly and that just caused more irritation. 

I laughed when I thought of Qhuinn though, the word professional wasn’t something I really associated with him. He was great at what he did, as our trainer and kickass in a fight, but he never used conventional methods. “Bonding is sort of new to me too. I grew up around humans, so I had to ask a lot of questions, and unintentionally hurt some close to me when I got those questions wrong. But yeah, bonding is a connection that you just know when it happens to you. It’s like you can’t breathe without the other person being safe and well. Or as well as they ever are, since Qhuinn is prone to just as many incidents as I am. But we’ve been doing a lot of running around the last 7 months, it’s been one thing after another. Ever date we’ve tried to have got interrupted. Though now we’ve been given permission to tell anyone we want about us, it’s going to get easier to find time with each other. I hope.” I winked to show that I wasn’t worried about the lack of time. I was secure in where I stood, and wanted the female to feel relaxed while we finished up the last scraps of food and finished talking. ~

Tori: +She let out the tiniest sigh of relief, glad she hadn’t overstepped her bounds, interacting with anyone on a social level had been hard. Really hard, even pre transition. She just didn’t gel well with people. It had actually been a standing joke in her family at how poor her social skills could be. She couldn’t help the smile when he spoke of his Male. They were both lucky to have found each other. Oh she was a hopeless romantic at heart but didn’t tend to dwell on that or think too much. She just wanted everyone to be happy and healthy. The smile changes as he speaks about incidents, especially about the eye thing. It made her uncomfortable, not in the traditional sense because the sun could be, read that as was bad for them. But the idea of losing her eyesight, even for brief periods of time, it terrified her. Leaning forward she nods, aware he couldn’t see her. “That.. routine call huh? Were you alone? Are you sure you are ok? Is there such a thing as like doctors and nurses to help you guys?” 

She kept her voice low, glancing around to be sure they wouldn’t be overheard. She also made a note of the directions to his office, she’d be stopping by if she had time after sunset. If he allowed it. “My parents were killed in a car accident in Europe. I don’t know exactly what happened but I suspect that one was trapped and the other refused to leave and the sun killed them both. My parents.. The love they had for each other. I’ve never seen anything like it. My dad worshiped Mahman, the very ground she walked on. If I am ever lucky enough to love or bond with anyone I hope I can have a bond even half as strong as theirs was.” Realising that she had been gushing she shifts slightly embarrassed. Normally in public she didn’t gush like that. “As to Leif, my cousin. I don’t know. We were supposed to meet up in the city but he never showed. I waited about a week and then took off. I suspect that it was Lessers but I wasn’t there so I don’t know.” Her voice cracked at the end, catching herself she breathes deeply, bottling her emotions up once more.

She was surprised they had kept it secret, then again he was a warrior. Maybe they did things differently. “I’ll call the number on the card when I get home. That way you’ll have my contact information. Are you not training because of your eyes?” +

Dehv: Dehv: ~ I licked at my lips and tried not to blink too often to clear the blindness. It seemed to take it sweet time to come and go. Occasionally it’d flick in and out like a TV trying to find a station. Other times it’d click in and I’d have hours to enjoy. More than once I’d just felt relief that it was back, and then it’d blink out again, mocking me and my enthusiasm. Though I could hear the worry in Tori’s voice when she spoke to me. And I found myself having to take a moment. Where had her family grown up for her to not know about our doctors or hospitals. I shook my head and brushed my hands down my jacket, hoping that I looked like I was checking for crumbs and not like I was as nervous as I felt. “It comes and goes. I sometimes think I have it back before it blinks out on me again. But I’m doing ok. I might have to get you to lead me out this place and point me in the right direction though. If you’re ready to go, if not could you shuffle me out regardless?” I chuckled and straightened in my seat a little before broaching the subject of our race. “We have basically everything humans have, sometimes more. Since we have to do more investigations with the inability to have blood transfusions and the fact we’ve got six chambered hearts etc. But we do have whole medical centres dedicated to our kind only. They are kept under wraps in the same way that we might keep other homes out of the prying eyes of humans. Though typically we don’t play around with sunlight, so I’m not sure whether this is any kind of injury they’ve seen before. I’m hoping that the Chosen blood, and Qhuinn’s blood will enable them to heal properly. I’m feeding far more often than I was in the effort to reverse the effects.” I nodded and sighed. I hated talking about the what ifs of the situation. There was a very real chance my eyesight would deteriorate until I couldn’t see at all. Which was terrifying. I nodded at the other questions. Knowing I could only answer so much of it without giving away too much of the Brotherhood. “I was with a Brother. He got the call on the Brotherhood emergency line and I was free for the evening. We partner up just like we’re told to.” I smiled at the thought, because not ever Brother partnered up, and as a trainee I was normally far more than partnered, we normally went in groups of four. But yes, other than my eyes, I’m more than fine.”

I smiled and then frowned hard as I listened to the story. I’d have done the same if I was stuck in a car with the sun coming up and Qhuinn wasn’t able to get out. There’s no way I’d walk away from that. Regardless of how much he cussed he out for it. And I had no doubt there would be nothing other than swear words coming at me if that were the situation. “I’m so sorry about that. Your parents sound to have a wonderful connection, and you are correct, once you are bonded it’s a love like nothing else. I would do the same for Qhuinn. No, that’s not true, I’d likely want to do that for others if I was in that situation, but I’d be unable to do anything else if it was Qhuinn. The choices isn’t there, it’s a physical need that it’s easily overridden. Family are the same, so I am hopeful that your cousin was kept away. Though you are right, it doesn’t sound good. If he was willing to support you through your transition then he cares about you a lot.” I smiled. Hoping my words were of come comfort when I knew there wasn’t much to offer.

I exhaled slowly and pushed to my feet, really hoping that my hearing was up to scratch so I didn’t bash into someone by mistake. I pulled my wallet from my pocket again and held it out. “Could you pull the right money out of there so we can pay? Yours and mine if that’s alright with you? Call the number on the card any time. If I’m in a meeting or whatever I’ll call you right back again. Once we’ve paid, would you please help me outside and across the road then point me in the direction where the door to this place is on my left?” I smiled and waited. Hoping that the female was as trustworthy as I thought she was. ~

Tori: +She listened intently as he spoke. Nodding even though he couldn’t see it. She wasn’t all that surprised that they had places and clinics. It made sense, even though they were different they still got hurt. The need for treatment was universal. As he rose and held out his wallet she blinks in surprise before responding. + “Of course, uhm, thank you.” +She moves to take his wallet. Paying for their meals and handing it back to him as soon as she was done. Slipping out of the booth she stands beside him as she gathers her sketchbook and bag and looks around to be sure they both had everything they needed. Satisfied that they weren’t leaving anything behind. Clearing her throat slightly nervous she takes him arm. Making sure to make it look like he was escorting her out of the cafe and not anything else.+ 

“We lived off the grid, Mahman took care of everything at home. Hence my lack of knowledge. Papa said that it was too dangerous to be seen or known. I got my first real taste of civilisation when I went to College. It was an adjustment, people thought my parents were Amish. I just went with it.”

+Leading him out the door after waving farewell to the staff she followed his instructions. Looking around to be sure they were alone before heading across the street.+ “You said left correct?” +The question falling fairly easily from her lips. It was nice to have a conversation with someone, even if she did ask a fair few questions. Once stopped across the street she drops his arm and chews on her bottom lip, trying to decide if she had any last questions before they parted ways.+

Dehv: ~ I was glad when the female took my wallet without complaint. Paying for our meals and then handing it back to me. I was able to put it in my pocket before I felt her hands settling on my arm. I needed to know I was being led out safely, and there was nothing I wanted less than to bump into one of the numerous tables that scattered the open floor. I hadn’t managed to get a mental picture of the place, since I was ridiculously optimistic in my assumptions that my eyesight would just switch back on and not go off again. Of course, so far that hadn’t happened. So I needed to start actually giving myself something to work with and ensure I was prepared in these situations. It wasn’t unlike my training to watch my back. Check out the exits and ensure I was aware of my surrounds at all times. Now that was limited, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t go ahead and add in another habit. Even if my eyesight did come back, it wouldn’t be a bad skill to be able to have an exit strategy right along with an actual door. Saved anyone bumping into things or gave ideas for hiding places. I was sure it would come in handy at some point. I moved right along with her, smiling so that I didn’t look terrible until I felt the air from outside hit my face. At that point I exhaled and then spoke. “Yeah, to the left please. And I think we all do what we can to survive when we’re not the norm. I had to do the same when I transitioned seemingly over night from a normalish size to this. It wasn’t easy to explain. I got lucky that I could avoid some for a while and pretend I’d just bulked up. The height wasn’t so easy, and I ended up moving around a little. You’ll find your place, and you’re in a good city to do that. There’s a good network of civilians and Brothers here. We have medical services and strategies in place to ensure we can own our own homes and such. So just ask questions, speak to everyone you can and be safe. Lessers are something to watch out for and you want to keep yourself self.” I smiled and squeezed Tori’s arm where she was still holding mine. I could feel the tingle in my vision that told me I’d be able to see again soon. But probably not before I got home. I kept myself facing the way the female had faced me and then took a step back. “I look forward to hearing from you and I’ll get those names and numbers for you.” I bowed my head slightly and then started walking down the street towards my house, fingers trailing over brickwork to ensure I knew when I’d reached home. If I got lost this close, Qhuinn would likely murder me where I stood. ~ #DisobeyingOrdersMakingFriends

[readbookywooks]

'Oh, I know about that. My father told me all about that when we used to take the thargas to be mated. When a man and a woman —' 'About the universe is what I meant,' said Albert hurriedly. 'I mean, have you ever thought about it?' 'I know the Disc is carried through space on the backs of four elephants that stand on the shell of Great A'Tuin,' said Mort. 'That's just part of it. I meant the whole universe of time and space and life and death and day and night and everything.' 'Can't say I've ever given it much thought,' said Mort. 'Ah. You ought. The point is, the nodes are part of it. They stop death from getting out of control, see. Not him, not Death. Just death itself. Like, uh —' Albert struggled for words – 'like, death should come exactly at the end of life, see, and not before or after, and the nodes have to be worked out so that the key figures . . . you're not taking this in, are you?' 'Sorry.' 'They've got to be worked out,' said Albert flatly, 'and then the correct lives have got to be got. The hourglasses, you call them. The actual Duty is the easy job.' 'Can you do it?' 'No. Can you?' 'No!' Albert sucked reflectively at his peppermint. That's the whole world in the gyppo, then,' he said. 'Look, I can't see why you're so worried. I expect he's just got held up somewhere,' said Mort, but it sounded feeble even to him. It wasn't as though people buttonholed Death to tell him another story, or clapped him on the back and said things like 'You've got time for a quick half in there, my old mate, no need to rush off home' or invited him to make up a skittles team and come out for a Klatchian take-away afterwards, or . . . It struck Mort with sudden, terrible poignancy that Death must be the loneliest creature in the universe. In the great party of Creation, he was always in the kitchen. 'I'm sure I don't know what's come over the master lately,' mumbled Albert. 'Out of the chair, my girl. Let's have a look at these nodes.' They opened the ledger. They looked at it for a long time. Then Mort said, 'What do all those symbols mean?' 'Sodomy non sapiens,' said Albert under his breath. 'What does that mean?' 'Means I'm buggered if I know.' That was wizard talk, wasn't it?' said Mort. 'You shut up about wizard talk. I don't know anything about wizard talk. You apply your brain to this here.' Mort looked down again at the tracery of lines. It was as if a spider had spun a web on the page, stopping at every junction to make notes. Mort stared until his eyes hurt, waiting for some spark of inspiration. None volunteered. 'Any luck?' 'It's all Klatchian to me,' said Mort. 'I don't even know whether it should be read upside down or sideways.' 'Spiralling from the centre outwards,' sniffed Ysabell from her seat in the corner. Their heads collided as they both peered at the centre of the page. They stared at her. She shrugged. 'Father taught me how to read the node chart,' she said, 'when I used to do my sewing in here. He used to read bits out.' 'You can help?' said Mort. 'No,' said Ysabell. She blew her nose. 'What do you mean, no?' growled Albert. This is too important for any flighty —' 'I mean,' said Ysabell, in razor tones, 'that I can do them and you can help.' The Ankh-Morpork Guild of Merchants has taken to hiring large gangs of men with ears like fists and fists like large bags of walnuts whose job it is to re-educate those misguided people who publicly fail to recognise the many attractive points of their fine city. For example the philosopher Catroaster was found floating face downward in the river within hours of uttering the famous line, 'When a man is tired of Ankh-Morpork, he is tired of ankle-deep slurry.' Therefore it is prudent to dwell on one – of the very many, of course – on one of the things that makes Ankh-Morpork renowned among the great cities of the multiverse. This is its food. The trade routes of half the Disc pass through the city or down its rather sluggish river. More than half the tribes and races of the Disc have representatives dwelling within its sprawling acres. In Ankh-Morpork the cuisines of the world collide: on the menu are one thousand types of vegetable, fifteen hundred cheeses, two thousand spices, three hundred types of meat, two hundred fowl, five hundred different kinds of fish, one hundred variations on the theme of pasta, seventy eggs of one kind or another, fifty insects, thirty molluscs, twenty assorted snakes and other reptiles, and something pale brown and warty known as the Klatchian migratory bog truffle. Its eating establishments range from the opulent, where the portions are tiny but the plates are silver, to the secretive, where some of the Disc's more exotic inhabitants are rumoured to eat anything they can get down their throat best out of three. Harga's House of Ribs down by the docks is probably not numbered among the city's leading eateries, catering as it does for the type of beefy clientele that prefers quantity and breaks up the tables if it doesn't get it. They don't go in for the fancy or exotic, but stick to conventional food like flightless bird embryos, minced organs in intestine skins, slices of hog flesh and burnt ground grass seeds dipped in animal fats; or, as it is known in their patois, egg, soss and bacon and a fried slice. It was the kind of eating house that didn't need a menu. You just looked at Harga's vest. Still, he had to admit, this new cook seemed to be the business. Harga, an expansive advert for his own high carbohydrate merchandise, beamed at a room full of satisfied customers. And a fast worker, too! In fact, disconcertingly fast. He rapped on the hatch. 'Double egg, chips, beans, and a trollburger, hold the onions,' he rasped. RIGHT. The hatch slid up a few seconds later and two plates were pushed through. Harga shook his head in gratified amazement. It had been like that all evening. The eggs were bright and shiny, the beans glistened like rubies, and the chips were the crisp golden brown of sunburned bodies on expensive beaches. Harga's last cook had turned out chips like little paper bags full of pus. Harga looked around the steamy cafe. No-one was watching him. He was going to get to the bottom of this. He rapped on the hatch again. 'Alligator sandwich,' he said. 'And make it sna —' The hatch shot up. After a few seconds to pluck up enough courage, Harga peered under the top slice of the long sarny in front of him. He wasn't saying that it was alligator, and he wasn't saying it wasn't. He knuckled the hatch again. 'Okay,' he said, I'm not complaining, I just want to know how you did it so fast.' TIME IS NOT IMPORTANT. 'You say?' RIGHT. Harga decided not to argue. 'Well, you're doing a damn fine job in there, boy,' he said. WHAT is IT CALLED WHEN YOU FEEL WARM AND CONTENT AND WISH THINGS WOULD STAY THAT WAY? 'I guess you'd call it happiness,' said Harga. Inside the tiny, cramped kitchen, strata'd with the grease of decades, Death spun and whirled, chopping, slicing and flying. His skillet flashed through the fetid steam. He'd opened the door to the cold night air, and a dozen neighbourhood cats had strolled in, attracted by the bowls of milk and meat – some of Harga's best, if he'd known – that had been strategically placed around the floor. Occassionally Death would pause in his work and scratch one of them behind the ears. 'Happiness,' he said, and puzzled at the sound of his own voice. Cutwell, the wizard and Royal Recogniser by appointment, pulled himself up the last of the tower steps and leaned against the wall, waiting for his heart to stop thumping. Actually it wasn't particularly high, this tower, just high for Sto Lat. In general design and outline it looked the standard sort of tower for imprisoning princesses in; it was mainly used to store old furniture. However, it offered unsurpassed views of the city and the Sto plain, which is to say, you could see an awful lot of cabbages. Cutwell made it as far as the crumbling crenel-lations atop the wall and looked out at the morning haze. It was, maybe, a little hazier than usual. If he tried hard he could imagine a flicker in the sky. If he really strained his imagination he could hear a buzzing out over the cabbage fields, a sound like someone frying locusts. He shivered. At a time like this his hands automatically patted his pockets, and found nothing but half a bag of jelly babies, melted into a sticky mass, and an apple core. Neither offered much consolation. What Cutwell wanted was what any normal wizard wanted at a time like this, which was a smoke. He'd have killed for a cigar, and would have gone as far as a flesh wound for a squashed dog-end. He pulled himself together. Resolution was good for the moral fibre; the only trouble was the fibre didn't appreciate the sacrifices he was making for it. They said that a truly great wizard should be permanently under tension. You could have used Cutwell for a bowstring. He turned his back on the brassica-ed landscape and made his way back down the winding steps to the main part of the palace. Still, he told himself, the campaign appeared to be working. The population didn't seem to be resisting the fact that there was going to be a coronation, although they weren't exactly clear about who was going to be crowned. There was going to be bunting in the streets and Cutwell had arranged for the town square's main fountain to run, if not with wine, then at least with an acceptable beer made from broccoli. There was going to be folk dancing, at sword point if necessary. There would be races for children. There would be an ox roast. The royal coach had been regilded and Cutwell was optimistic that people could be persuaded to notice it as it went by. The High Priest at the Temple of Blind Io was going to be a problem. Cutwell had marked him down as a dear old soul whose expertise with the knife was so unreliable that half of the sacrifices got tired of waiting and wandered away. The last time he'd tried to sacrifice a goat it had time to give birth to twins before he could focus, and then the courage of motherhood had resulted in it chasing the entire priesthood out of the temple. The chances of him succeeding in putting the crown on the right person even in normal circumstances were only average, Cutwell had calculated; he'd have to stand alongside the old boy and try tactfully to guide his shaking hands. Still, even that wasn't the big problem. The big problem was much bigger than that. The big problem had been sprung on him by the Chancellor after breakfast. 'Fireworks?' Cutwell had said. 'That's the sort of thing you wizard fellows are supposed to be good at, isn't it?' said the Chancellor, as crusty as a week-old loaf. 'Flashes and bangs and whatnot. I remember a wizard when I was a lad —' 'I'm afraid I don't know anything about fireworks,' said Cutwell, in tones designed to convey that he cherished this ignorance. 'Lots of rockets,' the Chancellor reminisced happily. 'Ankhian candles. Thunderflashes. And thingies that you can hold in your hand. It's not a proper coronation without fireworks.' 'Yes, but, you see —' 'Good man,' said the Chancellor briskly, 'knew we could rely on you. Plenty of rockets, you understand, and to finish with there must be a set-piece, mind you, something really breathtaking like a portrait of – of —' his eyes glazed over in a way that was becoming depressingly familiar to Cut-well. 'The Princess Keli,' he said wearily. 'Ah. Yes. Her,' said the Chancellor. 'A portrait of – who you said – in fireworks. Of course, it's probably all pretty simple stuff to you wizards, but the people like it. Nothing like a good blowout and a blowup and a bit of balcony waving to keep the loyalty muscles in tip-top shape, that's what I always say. See to it. Rockets. With runes on.'