From her spot on the porch Vex noticed a woman running out towards the two vampires. Amethyst eyes blinked out at them. Where did she come from? Did she know them somehow? Probably. It wouldn't make sense for someone totally random to interfere on such a cordial fight they had background on. Then again, Vex thought that way because she was the kind of gal who kept out of business that wasn't hers.

When the woman was backhanded, Vex nodded. She could see that coming. Before the woman could fall to the ground, Alistair caught her. Vex hadn't even seen him move. Vampires were weird. When the black haired vampire appeared and threw the child aside effortlessly, Vex sighed.

It was a sigh of disappointment, and a sigh of relief. At least Regan wouldn't be getting hurt. She moved to stand by Regan. "You totally had him," she said with a wide grin. The kind of grin that said, "I was rooting for you, but you're so lucky this guy saved you."

Amethyst eyes looked over the new vampire. He definitely looked like the kind of guy who had deep pockets. She smiled seductively at him, simultaneously giving herself a mental eye roll. When would she learn?

~~~*~~~*~~~

Ren closed his hand quickly as Daralis' fingers brushed his palm, but alas, he was too slow. He was running out of air and cursing at the same time, making the situation worse. He watched fearfully as the woman closed her eyes. No Daralis! Don't give up! He certainly wasn't.

With his last burst of adrenaline, Ren launched forward and grabbed onto her arm. He used her body to pull himself down towards the vine looking twine around her ankle and in one swift motion, razor like claws slashed through the weed and retracted back into his fingers as if they had never been there.

They floated freely now as the darkness had nearly consumed them. He wrapped one arm under hers with her back pressed to him and looked towards the surface. They were so far down, they'd never make it. Still, Ren wouldn't give up. He was going to save Daralis or die trying.

He kicked and pulled at the water, toting the limp body with him. His lungs ached and he fought himself constantly now not to inhale. He was so close. With each upward motion, Ren's muscles burned. They needed oxygen, Daralis needed oxygen.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ren burst through the surface of the water with an epic gasp. Immediately, he pulled Daralis' head above the water. "Daralis," he managed between gasps and chokes, "Daralis!" She was unresponsive. His heart lurched in his chest and sunk to his belly. His eyes filled with tears and he swam hard towards the dock. They weren't far now.

When he reached the dock, he pulled Daralis behind him, pulling her to his back with one arm held over his chest as he amazingly pulled the pair of them onto the deck. He gently laid Daralis on the wood and choked back tears. "Daralis!"

Water dripped from his sculpted body and glistened from his skin in the sunlight. He wasn't sure he'd be doing this right, but he had to try. With one hand he held Daralis' nose and with the other, her chin. Without another moments hesitation he breathed in, again and again. Frequently he would stop and place an ear to her chest to listen for signs of a heart beat. For the first time since he'd met this girl, his grin was long gone.

Jack wasn't about to let such a simple but nice looking girl get away, especially when she thought the inn costed money. He decided to play along, "Oh, I've got plenty of those! They're all safe places, I think you'll like some of them. I can even get you some blankets and stuff." He grinned, then began to giggle. Suddenly the boisterous group of vampires came out. "They're becoming too many," Jack muttered seriously under his breath. He frowned at them and then noticed how the girl cowered. He stood in front of her a bit, and stretched out his wings. He giggle thinking of himself as "an angel".

The kid even freaked him out a bit, the kid wasn't close to his master's level though. Then again he might be, the crow frowned unhappy at this thought. He wasn't sure what to make of the vampire, then they began to fight. The brunette piped up, "Please... stop this. No more bloodshed, please." He raised an eyebrow, he was enjoying the fight, in fact he was itching to sink his talons deep into either of the vampire's flesh. Then out of no where one came up, slapping her and it all became a blur. He jumped back, taken by surprise and raised an eyebrow.

Jack's eyes hurt, he screeched because he felt his eyes were on fire from it. The light was very bright to him, it hurt, and he fell back and scooted back into a bush. The light dissapitated and his body relaxed. He blinked his eyes and took a few moments for him to start to see again, his vision was blurred and he had to squint, he wasn't in a good mood now. He was angry, annoyed, that light hurt and it came from somewhere in the midst of the thing. He looked around and it just seemed, quiet. He sat there, one leg crossed and the other holding his arm up which held his head.

~(^_^)~

Miya nodded as she was reinformed about the kitchen and the place. "My home is in the country Renvar," she told the innkeeper. She was given a key and told she would need it. Her brows scrunched but she accepted it, "Thank you for your hospitality." Soon after that a boy came into the room, she shivered since the air felt icy. When she looked at him, she saw a grown man inside a boy's body. There were many people here, this inn was so lively. Miya was shocked when he began to feed on the other, she'd never seen this before. Then again, she'd never seen a thief either. She jumped up and grabbed her guitar case and backed up against the wall.

This was probably one of the most worst things she's ever seen. Her hands flew up to her mouth, and despite the atrocity of this, lyrics came to her mind. Songs filled her head. As they were leaving, she did not notice because she had begun to sing from where she sat on the floor. "Starlight, shining so bright, peeking through the curtains to say... good night, said the little one to the right. Sleep tight said the little one up so, so high." The song was soft, like a lullaby and slow. It calmed her heart as she sang it, it calmed her nerves. Fighting was ensuing outside, so she continued to sing.

"... Don't cry, all the lights are gleaming in your eyes and I would be relieved to see your sweet smile, smiling back at me."

((OOC: Ok, so done. :"D The lyrics are again not mine, Lexi's Lullaby by Anna Graceman. :heart: Freaking adore that song. Crapp. Messed up. D:))

It was entirely too dark. No, that wasn't entirely right. Dark and light played together, dancing and weaving a pattern that took her breath away. The sight was so beautiful, Daralis wanted to be part of it, part of that eternal dance.

Someone was calling her. The voice was familiar, though there was something wrong with it. Why did Ren sound so worried? The woman frowned as she floated in that strange place, until she let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. She couldn't leave, not yet. People needed her, and she wanted to get to know Ren even if his life was going to end so much sooner then hers.

Spluttering and coughing, the purple haired woman opened her eyes with a tiny smile. Someone had laid their head on her heart, and it was such a nice feeling. No one had ever done that before, or risked their life for her. Daralis lifted a still wet hand to run it trough the man's hair as she spoke up.

"Ren, you saved me didn't you? Thank you ... I've never known anyone who would risk their life for me before." She searched her mind, tugging at that part of her that could find anything at all. There had to be something, someone, she could find for her friend. "If you could choose to find anything in the world, what or who would it be?"

Regan growled low in his throat and vaulted forward. Somehow, everything happened in a blur. The battle ended in a moment unexpectedly as another player arrived in their midst. This person's power slammed into the younger vampire with a force so great it made him want to kneel, or do something in order to show his respect.

Resisting the urge, he moved forward and inclined his head slightly as he put away his sword. "Thank you for the interruption, I find myself rather grateful for it." Once that was done, the vampire turned away until his eyes fell upon Vex.

He walked to her side, joining her in silence until she spoke up with that grin of hers. A laugh escaped Regan before he could stop it. Shaking his head, the vampire eyed the girl with amusement. "We both know I didn't, but thank you anyway." It shouldn't have embarrassed Regan, but it had.

So he distracted himself by watching the woman who had tried to interrupt the battle. That staff of hers was something else. It's light had hurt, but not quite as much as he'd expected. Maybe it had something to do with the intent of the people it was aimed at, who knew?

Alistair's eyes were lowered, he had closed them at the flash of light, but now they were opened. Angel stood in front of him. "My lord." He murmured the word softly. Giving the elder vampire his respect, now Alistair's attention turned to the girl next to him. She was asking him if he was alright. "I am fine, I'm sorry you had to witness such violence. My maker is often a violent person." When Angel offered him a hand up, Alistair took it and stood slowly.

Angel coughed lightly, he hadn't closed his eyes or flinched at the bright light, but he was very curious about it. The staff seemed old, the power he had felt, felt old. "Violent is an understatement." He smirked down at the two, offering the girl a hand to help her stand, while he reached down with his other hand and put his fingers beneath Alistair's chin. He tilted the silver haired vampire's head up to look deeply into Alistair's eyes, then he released the man's chin and offered that hand to help the other to his feet.

"I know what to do!" Biti exclaimed, finally deciding what to do with her magic to help the situation. She blinked owlishly around the room. Oh, well where did everybody go? She was pouting now. No funners. She levitated off the ground into a relaxed position. One leg over the other, leaned back with her arms behind her head. She was still behind the counter, golden eyes lazily watching the door. Biti was very bored, and that never meant anything good.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Vex shrugged, still smiling. Well, he said it, not her. "All this talk of violence is making me thirsty," she said. Regan knew Vex well enough to know that meant she was about to make herself a strong drink. "I need to change out of these gypsy clothes, too." She looked down at the outfit and gave it a look of disgust. It didn't look bad on her, nothing ever did, it just wasn't Vex's style.

With that she moved along inside the tavern where she leaned over the front side of the counter to pour herself a quick shot. She snatched up her bag of mostly stolen things, but also clothes, and off she went up the stairs and into the room that matched her key.

Inside, she quickly stripped herself of the gypsy clothes and tossed them onto the bed. What would she do with those? She shook her head. Nothing, absolutely nothing. They could lay there and get eaten by moths, she couldn't care less. Finally Vex looked around the room.

This place was different from any of the other inns and taverns she'd stayed at. It was charming and had a fairy tale essence about it. The curtains were sheer and blew lightly in the breeze of the open wooden window. Natural light lit the room and from her spot in the sun streaming through the window, it looked as if glitter was twirling and dancing all around her.

She swatted at the particles of dust that created the effect, and then sneezed. She was never a happy ending, fairy tale kind of girl. To her right was a large beautiful dresser with a big rectangular mirror attached to the back of it. Vex moved to stand in front of it, looking herself over.

Amethyst eyes overlooked her bruised cheek and busted lip to question her motives for being here, questioned her state of mind and the things she told herself she wanted, as opposed to the things her heart knew she needed. Big loose blonde curls poked out from under the gypsy bandanna and she pulled it off, letting her long hair fall around her face and over her shoulders.

Her eyes fell onto the scar under her ribs. Consecutive puncture wounds, inflicted by... an old friend. Scars, bruises, busted lips; they were all things she was used to, things she didn't even come to mind or notice anymore. But this scar almost haunted her now, reminding her of a time when things were rough, as rough as her boyfriend and so called friends.

She rubbed her fingers over the scar gently and closed her eyes. Things were different from here on out. She was here because she wanted a change and she wanted to be treated like a princess, though that would probably never happen to a girl like Vex, even in a place like this.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Ren laid his head on Daralis' chest again. He'd lost count how many times he'd done it now. When she started to cough up the water, Ren's eyes lit up. His throat tightened and his eyes watered. He'd not tell her how scared he'd actually been, it wasn't good for his image, so he kept himself from crying. God how he thought he'd been too late...

As she spoke he scooped the girl up in his large arms and held her tightly while they still sat on the dock, smiling and teaching himself to breath calmly again. If she'd gotten cold, his body heat would certainly warm her quickly.

Risk his life for her? Yeah, he guess he did do that... He hadn't thought about that at all. His safety was never a question when he thought Daralis was in trouble. He was surprised to hear that she knew of no one who would protect her the way he wanted so desperately too.

When she asked her question, Ren held her back a little to look at her with a confused look. "What do you mean Daralis?" What did that have to do with anything? He couldn't even honestly answer her question he didn't think. Was there something he wanted, or someone he wanted to see? He watched her expectantly, hoping she would clear up his confusion.

She cuddled close to Ren with a small sigh of contentment as he held her close. The man was so warm, abnormally so really. It didn't bother the woman though, not when she was still shivering from her near death. It helped that no one else had ever held her like this, as if ... they might never want to let her go.

With a tilt of her head she lifted her strange dark pink eyes to offer up a smile and a little laugh. Daralis couldn't help but thing that Ren looked cute with confused written across his face. "I can find anything, or anyone. A while ago, when I was twenty-two, I had asked a mage to grant me immortality so I could help others. He did, because I passed all his tests and quests to make sure that I this was truly what I wanted, and to see that it was for the reasons I had said. I used to have brown eyes and black hair you know... The spell giving me immortality changed that though."

A soft sigh escaped her then as she remembered the reason why she never let herself get too close to anyone. All the people she cared for, the human ones anyway, died all too soon or aged and envied her for her eternal youth. The immortal races thought she was an abomination, though they tolerated her because they knew Daralis was kind, and only wanted to help others.

With another laugh, the vampire nodded and fell into step behind the woman as she sauntered back into the inn. Though when she moved to walk up the stairs the redhead remained bellow and walked over to the bar.

"A genie I take it?" wondered Regan aloud as he caught sight of Biti floating so easily in the air. He couldn't say he knew very much about genies, save that they were a mix of people, like most races really.

The man leaned against the counter for a while before deciding to try his hand at making a drink for Vex. It was only fair, since she had done so for him on more then one occasion.

Plucking bottles from here and there, he tasted the liquid in his own glass from time to time to make sure it the stuff wasn't too strong or horrible tasting. When the blue eyed man was happy with the result, he mixed up another for Vex and placed it upon the counter and waited for her to return. It would be nice to talk to her about old times and find out what had brought her there.

Though knowing Vex, it was probably because she was running from something or someone.

((I'll wait to post with Bit and Vex so other charries can get involved/don't get left behind :yes:))

Ren listened to Daralis' story silently. He couldn't imagine her with black hair and brown eyes, though she'd still be just as beautiful. He stood and pulled Daralis to her feet, continuing to hold one hand, while placing and arm around her waist to be sure she wasn't too weak too stand before letting her go. Not that he planned on it anyway.

He seemed in deep thought for a moment as he stared off into the distance, thinking over her offer. He thought of his father. The man was the leader of his pack, a very large pack. Ren never understood why he'd been allowed to have the title, although he understood that it was passed down through the family. The man wasn't an abusive drunk or anything, he was just, so much like Ren, who knew he didn't deserve the title either. That's why he left.

He sighed. "No," he answered simply at first. "I don't need things to be happy." He paused. "And right now, you're the only person I want to see." He grinned his normal wide grin once again. "You know, 'cause you're fun and stuff. So don't scare me again, okay?"

Though he seemed past it, he was still thinking about Daralis' ability to locate people and things. It was an amazing ability, and aside from assuming she couldn't bring his father back from the dead, there was only one other person he could think of that he wanted to see. Loki. Not because he missed the man at all, but because he never really got to give him the piece of mind he thought about giving him every day for so long. He really would probably be happier not running into the old wolf again, but that didn't mean he didn't think of him from time to time.

The purple haired woman leaned against him with a curious look upon her face. IT was the strangest of feelings for her to be held, and told that someone wanted to see her. Daralis couldn't help but giggle a little as she wrapped her arms around the muscular man with a smile.

"I'll try my best not to." With a tilt of her head, she lifted her lips to brush them against Ren's cheek. "Ren ... You're human right?" She probably shouldn't have been asking then, but it was something she wanted to know so darn much. If he was, that would give her about eighty years with him if things went well. Was it worth it for her to risk her heart, knowing she would lose him eventually?

There were so many things that could happen to shorten anyone's life. Daralis had just lived trough an experience that proved that. Her heart was still beating too fast, and her mind still raced trough everything she still hadn't done. Now they all seemed to fall to the side with this new perspective on life she had, falling behind something she'd never thought to even consider.

Love. Daralis wanted to know what it was, to feel it and immerse herself in the sensations. Perhaps the seeds of it had been planted in her heart already, making her want to get to know more about Ren. She was still incredibly cautious, and admittedly quite frightened.

Cherry watched as the vampire referred to the other as a lord. After her former master any with such a title scared her and she unconsciously leaned closer to Alistair in fear. She knew there was little he could do and she had no right to ask him to protect her but it had been a movement of instinct not thought. She looked up at Alistair, however, as he spoke up. She frowned at him as he spoke, not so sure he was okay. It sounded like the kind of excuse she would have made at one time. She would have blamed herself... said she had disobeyed and apologized. Hearing it from another... somehow made it feel wrong. No one should make excuses like that. It wasn't right. Even if she was terrible she didn't deserve it anymore then he did. It was a startling revelation for the girl.

It startled her enough that she took angel's hand without thought. Once she realized what she had done she would tremble slightly and her eyes were wild as she searched his for some sign of intent to hurt her or capture her. She gripped Alistair's hand with her free one out of instinct as if to give her comfort. She watched Angel with fear. He felt too much like her former master yet he acted so kind. Could anyone with such power really be so gentle? She would stand with Angel's help but she seemed to afraid to even pull away her hand until he released it.

Black eyes watched the girl now. She had his full attention and he was very hesitant to release her hand for a few moments. She shook like a leaf, she was terrified of him. Angel smiled softly at her, "I would speak with you more, child, about the holy staff you carry but later. Once you've calmed down a bit." Those eyes turned to Alistair. "Lord Hiro, how many times must I remind you. We are equals you need not bow to me. You earned your title just as I earned my title, you also have more power to resist Aoshi than you realize. Maker's can be disobeyed, old friend."

Angel pulled Alistair to him and hugged him tightly for a moment, whispering something in Alistair's ear, then he released the other vampire. He turned from them and moved to enter the building. Angel's movements were very fluid like and he had to put forth a little effort so that he didn't move too quickly. "That was very foolish, challenging an Ancient." Angel spoke the words matter-of-factly as he came to stand next to Regan. He was trying to decide if this vampire was brave or foolish. Sometimes the two things could be one and the same.

Alistair had only nodded in response to Angel's words, returning the hug only briefly and once Angel had disappeared into the building Alistair turned to the girl. "Angel will not harm you, neither will I. Nor would we let anyone here hurt you." He watched her, carefully. She seemed so frightened and unsure. "Would you like to enter the building? I will buy you food and drink if you like." Alistair held his hand out to her. This vampire, he was a completely different person when Aoshi wasn't around. Alistair was tired, and hungry from the way Aoshi had been feeding from him earlier, but he hid those things well. It was easy to hide such things, but he could take care of his hunger later.

He wished to know about the staff? She knew very little. She had only taken it in fact to defy what her master... no her former master had wanted for it. She squeezed Alistair's hand tighter as she held onto it but simply nodded as she inwardly wondered if Angel would hurt her when she could not answer his questions. Still he seemed so gentle... and he knew more about her staff then she did. It was holy? So that was why the demon couldn't touch t directly and hadn't wanted anything good to hold it or for her to touch it... It could hurt evil like him...

She fell so deep in thought she didn't really hear what he said to alistair, her mind having turned to the past. He had been so delighted when he got it, he had acted as if he had put one over on god himself... So many more things made sense... So it could be a weapon to protect her from the demons who would inevitably come after her. If she could learn in time... As she thought this, however, Alistair spoke to her and she raised up her head to look at him.

"Promise?" She whispered softly, even though she didn't know if she could trust anyone here yet. The vampires would protect her? She looked at the building then and nodded as she gently took his hand. She shivered a little but she held his hand tightly. She heard her stomach growl, that piece of fruit having been not enough and her throat was dry from need for water. Would he buy her a room to stay too? And if so what would he want in return? She had been taught no one gave you anything for nothing...even if it was usually because she was the thing being bartered by her master.

The vampire shrugged, pushed his drink aside, and turned upon his seat to eye Angel warily. "I knew it was a losing battle, but what he did was wrong. I simply couldn't stand aside without acting." Regan paused a moment before going on. "If that makes me foolish, then so be it." He'd never dealt much with the lords of his kind. There hadn't been any reason to. Now he wondered if perhaps he could find a way to gain a title of his own.

Unbidden a memory of Loki reared it's head within his mind, making the vampire smile sadly. Lord of the Bloody Moon, Loki had called him that jokingly once. "How does one go about gaining a title?" He'd never found out, but now he wanted to with a desperation that echoed his earlier search for a certain wolf.

The tavern door could be heard closing downstairs and brought Vex out of her daze. Quickly she pulled on her favorite purple dress that laced up the sides and her matching heels. She pulled her blonde hair back with a ribbon and re-applied her face color. She never knew who was going to come in that she could con with her looks. In fact, there was always someone she could con, with or without her good looks and charm.

She exited her room, closing the door behind her and tucking the key into her bra. She made her was downstairs and spotted Regan immediately. She smiled brightly, a smile no one had seen in quite a while. She was glad to have an old friend like Regan around.

On the other side of the bar, the genie floated. Vex didn't think anything of it, she'd certainly seen stranger things. Vex sat next to Regan with the drink in front of her. "Is this yours or did I just steal someone's place?" She said it with a smile that accused him of all the wrong things and the raise of an eye brow. "Surely you didn't meet a lady friend in such a short amount of time."

Vex was only poking fun, but she knew it was possible. Regan was sexy and he was lonely and hurting. Men like that were prime targets for some women, she knew. She glanced over at the vampire at the other side of Regan, the one who'd saved his butt. She smiled her best seductive smile. What? You are who you are.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Biti was ignoring everything. No one here was doing anything particularly exciting and she was trying not to cause trouble. But then Regan spoke to her. She smiled mischievously and floated onto her belly to rest her head in her palms and kick her feet lazily. "Mhmm," she said. "What gave me away?" she asked sarcastically as she floated ever closer to him.

Another vampire appeared beside him. "Is there some sort of vampire convention in the woods tonight that I don't know about?" she asked. She wasn't really asking, she was only being a pain. She was good at that. When the blonde haired woman came downstairs Biti only glanced her way. Immediately she was thinking up ways to get herself into trouble, of course she didn't see it that way.

It was exactly noon now. Everyone would know because the old timey sound of a triangle bell being rung from the porch of a ranch house could be heard, loud and clear. In fact, some of the animals in the woods probably heard it, too. Biti rolled her eyes at the tavern. Why did it always insist on doing that?

~~~*~~~*~~~

Ren laughed, too. He couldn't help it, Daralis' giggle was contagious. As her lips brushed his cheek, his grasp on her tightened. He didn't want her to lean away from him. He wanted to kiss her right then and there.

Woah, where did that come from? He relaxed his grasp on her. He liked her, he was sure of it, but his own actions had him wondering if there was something more to this "like" he had for Daralis. It scared him a little.

"Human?" he repeated. He grinned and chuckled. "Only in the day light," he said jokingly. "I'm actually a werewolf. It turns out that people get pretty scared when I show up places in my true form, so I had to quit doing that." He laughed again. "Do I seem so human?" Ren didn't want to hear her answer, of course he seemed human, he lived in his human form and rarely changed. It reminded him of different times, worse times.

"No, that wasn't foolish. That was courage, courage is the ability to stand up for what you know is right, even if you know you can't win." When the human female came down and sat next to Regan, Angel bowed his head lightly towards her. "Lady." Then that head tilted to the side slightly and he regarded Regan carefully. "Title of Lord is a high honor, it must be earned. Mostly it is earned by challenging a lord to the death and winning that fight. It can be earned in other ways, earning favor and honor with the council is one way, but often that is more dangerous than challenging a lord to the death."

He shrugged slightly. "The council watches all vampires, an invitation is usually given out to one that may be worthy of the title. The title though, is about power and viciousness in most cases. Vampire hierarchy is just a power struggle of the most dangerous kind. It would be best if you kept your nose clean of it for a few more decades, however, if you challenge a lord you gain some of that lords power upon his death. If I had thought you could win, I would have let you continue your fight. Aoshi's strength would be better used in someone else's hands." Angel glanced at the genie and shrugged lightly at her question.

Alistair nodded softly. "Of course." He guided the girl into the building and to the bar, so that he could seat himself next to Angel. Alistair glanced around, looked at the genie for a moment, then glanced around again. He cleared his throat softly as he looked at the genie again. "Excuse me, my friend would like a meal and something to drink, if it's not too much trouble?" He sounded a little uncertain, and he was. He wasn't sure the genie was the bartender or waitress or anything like that.

Curiosity sparkled in her eyes all of a sudden. "A werewolf? So how long do you live, and what do you look like in you true form?" She had so many other questions to ask, but she supposed that was enough for now.

She'd find out eventually one way or another. Daralis had a hidden stubborn streak, that went hand in hand with her ability quite well. It took someone stubborn to sift trough all the lost things in the world to find just the thing someone needed.

If only it were that easy to find something for Ren. Though she suspected nothing would work. He seemed to be so happy all the time, she wondered if that was hiding some other emotion beneath, or if everything was genuine ... Perhaps it was a mixture of both. Daralis really didn't know him well enough to be able to tell.

Turning from the dark haired man, he grinned at Vex's comment. With a wink, he slung an arm around her shoulders. "Oh maybe I have, you're a lady friend aren't you?" He hadn't teased or flirted with anyone like this in such a long time.

Even with Amadeo, it had been more of a sad desperation driving him then anything else. With Vex he could simply relax and be himself, despite the pain underlying every emotion in his heart.

It was nice to have a friend. He leaned against her slightly, seeking the comfort of knowing that someone at least wasn't angry with him for his actions. She hadn't condemned him when she heard. It had meant a lot to him, more really then even Regan knew.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he titled it away from her to listen to the other vampire's words. Apparently even someone of a millennium and a half still wasn't worthy of such a title. "Perhaps it would be easier to gain such a title if one of the Ancients taught me." Speculation and calculation crossed his face as he regarded Angel.

This might also make it easier for him to prove to Loki that he didn't need to be left behind or taken care of. The other man had a title of his own, perhaps if he worked to gain his own then things might smooth out somewhat between them. It was a thought.

Cherry nodded as he responded and for a moment believed him. Still she couldn't help her fear as they were pulled into the building and sat next to the powerful vampire. She held his hand tightly even as they sat and glanced at the genie. So many powerful beings were around her... and she was merely human. She wanted to hide in Alistair's shoulder or run outside but she did nothing. She desperately needed water and food. She squeezed Alistair's hand tighter but spoke up softly as if not wanting to anger the genie.

"I can...can make something myself... if just pointed to the kitchen. I don't want to be any trouble..." She said meekly as she gazed at her feet. She used her free hand to brush the staff, finding it comforted her for some reason. She did not release Alistair's hand, however, even as she sat next to him. He seemed trustworthy at least... as much as anyone else here. She still couldn't make herself trust him completely though...

((OMG I just got this hilarious idea! So Biti doesn't have a master, and she's a new genie so she isn't very good, and she's never had a master before so to start the cycle, there's a magic word. I think I'll make a magic word and if someone in the role-play says it, they become her master by accident! Lol oh the hilarious possibilities! Anyone wanna go with that?))

Biti turned her head to see to the third vampire and timid female at the bar. She disappeared in thin air and appeared again standing across from them. She smiled and nodded as she pointed towards the kitchen. "It's right through that weird swinging door over there."

She wasn't being rude at all, she just wasn't the chef, or the waitress, or the bartender. In fact, the place had none of those things. If you wanted it done in Betoverde, then you had to do it yourself, Biti certainly wasn't anyone's servant, nor would she ever be. Well, she probably would be one day. But, that day was certainly not today.

Then again, she could easily have just made food appear in front of the girl, but that was against her moral code. Again, she was no one's servant. Her smile faded and she turned up her nose at the idea of it, surely leaving the pair across from her thinking her rude, or crazy. But it was definitely more craze than anything.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Ren laughed. Everyone always had so many questions. "How about we come out after dark, watch some stars, roast some marshmallows... I'll show you my true form, and we can play 21 questions?" He draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into him in a playful hug. "For now, let's get you inside and dry."

He led Daralis towards the tavern, a wide grin on his face as they walked. From time to time he'd glance down and her and his grin would unintentionally widen. He enjoyed her company very much and found himself wanting to knew everything about her, every detail from her birthplace to body markings, which he decided he'd find on his own.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Vex leaned playfully back against the vampire and smiled. Since Regan had arrived, Vex's smiles had been much more genuine than the forced seduction she always added to them. She picked up the drink in front of her and took a sip, minding her own business while Regan talked to the other vampire.

Immediately when the liquid hit her taste buds, she half gagged. She swallowed the liquid and stared down into the glass with a nearly horrified look. She swished it around and took a smell of it.

((That's an awesome idea!))

She smiled, and hugged Ren back hard. "I really like the sound of that!" She sniffled a little and looked down at herself. Well at least her clothes were going to dry outside ... Even if she didn't really have anything to change into. Daralis knew that walking into the inn wearing only her underwear was going to be a bad idea, though she'd seen people walking around in just as much at the marketplace all the time without even a second thought.

"Umm, I don't have any extra clothes," finally said the woman a little sheepishly with a blush as she eyed the ground. "And what are marshmallows?" The last question bubbled with excitement and curiosity as she tried to imagine what this unfamiliar delicacy might be.

There were so many things Daralis didn't know, even if she had experienced quit a bit in her three hundred years at the marketplace. Somethings you could only find out by finally venturing out into the world.

Regan shifted to send a strange glance Vex's way, then realized what must have happened. He let out an embarrassed cough while he shook his head. "It seems I just can't mix a good drink." Admittedly he'd never really tried it before. Maybe waiting for Vex to help him out might have been a good idea.

"I was trying to repay the favor," ended the vampire lamely with a sheepish grin. From time to time, Vex made him forget all about Loki. That was truly quite a feat, considering that the wolf was almost always on his mind. It was hard ot forget the man, and even harder to deal with him.

((Oh God, if Jack were to say it... XD Hahahaha! Poor Bitti! Gosh, I dunno if Jack is evil enough to make her do the stupidest tasks or what yet... o: Totally come up with that magick word~. Hahaha.))

Things were calming down and Jack wasn't having fun anymore. He watched as everyone went back to the inn, even that girl he was curious about. He was going to take her away with him for a bit to see what she was about and if she was even worth keeping as a toy, pouting Jack walked into the inn. He looked around and it seemed to start to get a bit lively again. Near the wall was the singing girl, he grinned and walked right up to her, "Well look at you!" A giggle popped out and he brought her to her feet. "Ah, my my, our little singing bird, right Bitty?" He guffawed and sat on a table.

"Sing for us again, singer!"

~(^_^)~

Miya blinked, she wasn't sure how to feel about being brought to her feet and being told to sing. However, it did make her feel odd to be called a singing little bird so what she did was turn to him and reply, "I'm a bard, you're the bird." Her cheeks flushed, it was rare that she spoke like that to anyone, since it was very rude after all but all it did was make the boy bird thing laugh and almost fall off the table. She pulled her guitar though, and indulged him by beginning to play. It was a random song about running from home, she was telling her story and the song was a little fast.

~(^_^)~

Once she started to sing Jack went back to retrieve his drink from earlier. He sipped the very strong drink and listened to the commotion as well as the song. "And I just wanted to say," he caught a brief moment of lyrics. Another person was going on about mixing drinks. The drink Jack was drinking was pretty good, and due to the Genie's magic strong enough to make him a bit tipsy. When he were to get drunk he got quiet, and so he wasn't giggling as much but definitely still giggled and laughed at some things.

"Well, what's your names?" he asked the crowd. "Let's all introduce ourselves to everyone! Or at least me!" Jack laughed and smiled at the singer.

She had started a new song, he wasn't sure what this one was about but it was faster and seemed happier than the last one.

~(^_^)~

Miya was now singing about a party, something she heard some girls singing for a while after leaving a high class place. She added onto it, but not by much. It definitely lifted her spirits quite a bit made her smile as she sang.

((sounds great to me xD))

Cherry nodded and her hand clung to the vampires a little harder. She was afraid she'd made the genie mad for a moment. She didn't do anything to her however so she decided it must be alright. She gave Bitti a tentive smile when she heard the raven. She leaned into the vampire at her side for a moment and hesitated, she didn't like explaining this... She really had no name except for what her master had given her, his blood having erased her memories of her human life and her name.

"I...My... the demon who kept me called me Cherry. I...I do not know my real name." She answered in a soft voice for the others to hear. She had only the name a master had given her for the color of her blood, a slave name. No titles, no last name, none of the things the others had to give... She muttered a soft excuse me then as she heard her stomach rumbling. She headed for the kitchen, Her hand staying around Alistair's so she could pull him into the kitchen with her. Alistair made her feel a little safer, his similarity to her experiences making her feel a kinship with him.

She held his hand and led him around even as with her other hand she began to make a simple sandwich. She knew it was rude to drag him around like this but she didn't want to let him go. He had promised to protect her... She had never received such a promise. She sat the sandwich aside and soon got herself a glass of water as well. She drank down the water quickly, not even leaving the sink. She was so thirsty, it had been too long a journey.

Staria:
Ana_M:
PapillonCameo:
Kry:

I'm prodding at you guys with a character update to pick up where we left off if you'd like. I'm sorry about my disappearance, RL gets heavy from time to time.

Character Updates:

Staria's Character "Cherry" is currently with Kry's vampire "Alistair" in the kitchen.

Ana's character "Miya" is currently singing for everyone and her character "Jack" the crow boy has asked everyone in the bar area to introduce themselves.

Papillon's character "Daralis" and Kya's character "Ren" are headed inside the tavern together.

Kya's character "Vex" is sitting at the bar next to "Regan" having a drink.

Papillon's character "Regan" is talking to Kry's character "Angel".

Kya's character "Biti" the genie is behind the bar watching over everyone.


*****
I do see that it's my turn to respond with Ren, Papillon. :) I'll post as soon as I know this thing is still kickin'!

Angel watched Regan for a long moment. "Perhaps, if you could find an old one willing to teach you, good luck with that." He had turned slightly, watching Alistair and the female until the two disappeared into the kitchen. "I will tell you a secret though.." Angel's gaze had settled on Regan and he leaned in very close to whisper something into the young vampire's ear. He whispered very softly, very quietly so that no one but Regan could hear his words. It was probably dangerous for him to trust such an unknown and young vampire with this secret but Angel could see the potential in this young man and he didn't think Regan would use the secret against him or Alistair. His words spoken, Angel pulled back some, his eyes on Regan.

Alistair eyed the one called Jack warily for a moment. "Hiro. You may call me Hiro." He looked to Cherry when she spoke, frowning slightly. At least, he had kept his title and his names as well as the name Aoshi had given him. Hiro was technically Alistair's slave name, though according to Aoshi it was just his vampire name. A new name to start a new life with. Alistair shivered briefly at such a long ago memory. How many hundreds of years had that been? It didn't matter, not really. Alistair was lost in thought as Cherry led him around the kitchen by the hand. He didn't mind at all, not really. As she drank down her glass of water, he seemed to come out of his thoughts. "You could give yourself a new name, a new name to start a new life with." An echo of Aoshi's words, but they were much kinder words coming from Alistair's lips.

As they stepped up to the back entrance of the tavern, Daralis' question made Ren stop in his tracks. His mouth dropped and he stared at her for a moment as if he'd been shot or something. "You mean to tell me, you've never eaten, much less roasted a marshmallow?"

His wide grin returned. "I have a feeling we'll be enjoying many firsts together, Miss Daralis." He opened the door with one hand and grabbed her hand in his other. He was even more excited now to roast those marshmallows than before. Everyone loves marshmallows and he could tell, him and Darlais were going to have a fun night.

Tugging her along the hall behind him, he glanced back at her and paused again. She was soaked to the bone, purple hair stuck to her face and deep pink puppy dog eyes blinked up at him. His heart fluttered and he stopped. He squeezed her hand in his fighting the urge to push her up against the wall and kiss her. He really liked Daralis, and if she only liked him as a friend, he certainly didn't want to go ruining things by doing something like that.

Any other girl, who cared? But Daralis, she was different. After waging an internal war for what felt like an hour, Ren cleared his throat. "If you don't have any more clothes, you can come up to my room and borrow something until yours dry." He was grinning at the thought of her in one of his huge t-shirts. "Though I'm not sure we wear the same style dress." He winked a hazel at her. "Or you could ask Biti for some clothes. She can just conjure them up. Or something."

~~~*~~~*~~~

Vex smiled and took another sip of the drink. She kept the liquid in her mouth and smiled, nodding in sudden approval. It was sweet that he'd done that for her and she didn't want to make him feel bad. When he returned his attention to the other vampire, Vex held her nose and swallowed. Well, it really wasn't that bad when she held her nose.

She had to give him some credit at least. At least for someone who enjoyed the taste of human blood. She was just thankful her drink didn't taste like people. What does people blood taste like? she wondered. For all she knew her drink did taste similar to people. She blinked down into the glass again, off in a daze.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Biti looked lazily towards Jack. He knew her name, and she didn't owe it to any one here to say. But still, she did love to hear her name. It was a beautiful name after all. "I am, Ahbiti." She spoke the name with a beautiful accent that added an air of mystery.

"I respond to Biti," she added, having appeared to have lost interest in the conversation already. She hadn't though. Even though she was hovering once more behind the bar as if in some invisible beach chair with her arms behind her head and her eyes closed, she was listening in, planning and plotting misfortune.

She followed along happily with a grin on her face. All the while wondering what else there was that still remained a mystery to her. As they paused inside the inn, Daralis looked up curiously at Ren with a questioning look. There wasn't really a reason to stop ... To be truthful, she was more nervous then she should have been in his presence. Ren made butterflies swarm in her stomach, and Daralis just wasn't used to that.

Upon feeling the werewolf squeeze her hand, the woman smiled brightly. "Your clothes. I feel more comfortable in things not conjured by magic. That stuff just makes my skin itch!"

Regan felt his eyes widen upon hearing the words whispered by the older vampire. It wasn't anything he would usually contemplate, but with an ancient at hand who did nothing but irritate him, well he had to take it quite seriously indeed. His blue eyes flickered to the dark haired man questioningly. "Would you help me, more then you already have? The information is useless without the ability to implement it." He'd be able stand upon his own two feet without having to worry Loki anymore ... That alone seemed to be worth the price.

Angel shook his head slightly. "No. I've no interest in taking on apprentices. I've already told you something that I shouldn't have. Do what you will with that, but tell no one what I told you. What's the point of secrets if everyone knows it?" Angel ran a hand through his hair, his eyes on Regan. "Trust me, you don't really want this kind of power, it only brings trouble. Stay out of vampire politics, it's a dangerous game and one that must be played to win." He studied Regan carefully, he had given this vampire such valuable information, and the man seemed smart. Angel was sure that Regan could find a way to utilize such information eventually. "I'm sorry, but that's all the help I will give you."