Welcome to the French owned tavern, La Taverne. The tavern welcomes creatures of all kinds as that is what it's used to serving the majority of the time. We provide rooms for free with the stipulation that you do your own laundry (there is a spring and clothesline out back), prepare your own meals (food and dishes are in the kitchen - clean up after yourself) and leave your room the way it was when you found it upon your departure.

To the left of La Taverne is a beautiful meadow, the the right of La Taverne is a wooded area that goes on until it reaches the cliffs at the ocean. The springs are surrounded in beautiful flowers and cherry blossom trees. Our rooms are up the stairs to the right and the keys are hanging off the wooden stair rail. Enjoy your stay!

RULES:
- Follow Mene's rules first and foremost.
- No Godmodding without permission.
- Violence and romance are encouraged, but keep it PG-13.
- Be kind and have fun!

Post a photo or description of your character/s at the top of your first post and jump on in! (If I have not started the play by the time you're ready, go ahead and start posting. I'll work with anything you throw out.)

Not much is known about her nor will she say much aside from her name. It doesn't matter anyway. She has dark brown hair that reaches to her mid-back and grey soulless looking eyes. She has pale porcelain skin and is rather soft spoken. She wears an old pendant around her neck that was her mothers and she never takes it off. She's a hopeless romantic, but that doesn't matter anymore either. Katerina has heard of a stone that can reverse what has happened to her and give her a normal life. She lives to search for the stone for if she doesn't soon, she will die.

--

Katerina stood outside of the tavern. The sun was setting, her favorite time of day. She stared out over the meadow at the sunset and inhaled deeply trying to take it all in. She couldn't smell anything. Not the beautiful scent of the cherry blossoms, the summer dusk, nothing at all. A flicker of pain cast over her features before returning to their normal emotionless state. She made her way inside the tavern slowly, stopping to read the sign over the self serve bar.

She carried a small pack with her that held her journal and various photos of those she'd once loved as well as few other personal belongings. There didn't appear to be a living soul here, so Katerina sat at the bar. She pulled her leather bound journal from her pack and began writing. It had been almost seven days since she'd eaten and although the sign had stated the kitchen was open, she highly doubted it held what she required.

Sylver "Lark" NightinGale, has both male and female body parts, though sounds and looks slightly more feminine than masculine and as such prefers to be referred to as a female. She also prefers to be called Lark. Lark is an alchemist and a necromancer (mostly necromancer), and not entirely human.



The building seemed cozy enough, at least from the outside. Lark pulled her long black cloak tighter about her body, the hood up, hiding her white hair beneath it. Long hair that trailed down her back in a single braid, the tip of it just barely dusting the ground behind her heels. Beneath the black cloak she wore a short black sleeveless dress, with shoulder high sleevelets on her arms and knee high black boots adorning her feet. Well, Lark wasn't exactly a she, nor was she exactly a he, and she supposed since her slender body and voice was more feminine in appearance and sound that she would just pretend to be all female.

In one hand she gripped a long staff, atop it a crystal seemed to just hover above the crown of the staff. The crystal glowed and pulsated gently, a psion crystal. Not the source of her power, but a way to further focus her power if she were to perform a necromantic spell. Her skin was a bit pale, as it always was, and her eyes an almost faded red color. Sometimes people mistook her for a vampire just because of her pale appearance and red eyes, but she was no vampire, though not completely human either.

Lark stared at the building for a few moments longer before she stepped inside and out of the way of anyone who might suddenly burst in behind her. Her gaze swept over the interior for a few moments. Her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. Well, it wasn't quite the way she had imagined it would be, but then, most things never turned out the way she imagined. Though it seemed as if someone else was here, of course Lark was surprised the place wasn't more crowded. Perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised.

Her heeled boots made no noise as she moved across the floor, she did that on purpose. Lark approached the bar, or rather, she approached the woman at the bar. Lark rudely leaned over the woman's shoulder to look and see what she was writing. Such rudeness had been known to get Lark into trouble on more than one occasion, but that didn't stop the necromancer.

Katerina's mind was somewhere else as she wrote in her journal. She wrote about not having had sustenance in a week. She wrote about being tired of the hunt. And Katerina wrote about her loneliness. Even for a creature of her nature, the new woman who entered was quiet.

Not noticing the woman until she had been lingering over Katerina's shoulder for moments too long, she slammed the journal shut. Times like these made her regret her decision not to feed off humans, the nosy, inconsiderate... She spun around angrily, not an emotion she felt often.

As she faced Lark, she felt a moment of surprise and her anger disappeared immediately. The woman wasn't at all what she expected to see upon turning around. Katerina merely sat there watching the woman for a moment. When she realized she'd been staring too long, she frowned, "Mind your own business," she said in a quiet tone and then spun back around.

Uranaya “Nara” Helceon

In her physical humanoid form (she spends most time in this form) She is a little over average height and of an average build. Her hair is white as snow except for a single purple streak of hair she keeps braided and pulled to the side slightly. From her hair comes twin white cat ears and she has a long white tail to match. Her eyes are deep dark blue and over the left eye is a large burn scar likely from a spell of some sort. She wears black and blue, most of the black subtly made of leather armor.

In her ice spirit form she appears as a wispy humanoid form with short wavy hair that floats around her head. She is transparent and appears to be made of ice cold mists. In this ethereal form she cannot touch or be touched. In her other two forms she appears either as a small white cat with blue eyes and a series of purple stars are near her left ear. In her larger cat form she appears with similar coloring and star marks but is large and built like a lioness. In the larger form she is almost the size of a pony. Her fur also appears to have ice in it in both forms, and it is cold to be too near her.

English is not her first language and her voice has a strange power, under the feminine, melodious tone. It puts one in mind of ice and crisp mountain air and snow covered peeks as well as makes them feel a little cold. This makes her prone to speaking quietly as to minimize the effect or not at all if one seems to already be cold.

Nara entered the inn with a slightly excited air, looking forward to it really. She always met the more interesting people she knew at inns. As she entered, however, she found herself facing only two people. Slowly the cat like being tilted her head to the side, one white ear flickering slightly in thought. One had pale hair like she herself did, discounting the purple streak anyway, but the other was just the opposite. Dark and light, the contrast struck her for a moment and she just gazed at them before looking away. She was raised to be very polite. She turned towards the kitchen only to pause before glancing at the two. She was a little intimated by the darker girl but it would be polite.

"Madame's, Would either of you like some ice tea? I..I shall be making myself some anyway...." She asked the two quietly. She wished she could control the effect of her voice but she could not. The two would be reminded inexplicably of crisp mountain air and snowy jagged peaks. Her voice was also slightly formal, and hold a polite, subdued tone that indicated she was likely brought up to treat others as her betters. In fact she had been, as was the nature of her people. They were a culture of many rules and social complications.

It amused Lark at how long it took the other to notice her. She had been unnaturally quiet though, so really it should have surprised her. When the woman slammed the journal closed, Lark hopped back a step. Those boots still unnaturally silent on the floor as she moved. As the woman stared, Lark too stared, she wondered if the other could detect her scent. A strange scent. Female and male, human and not. When the other finally said something, Lark blinked, shrugged and shoved the hood of her cloak back with one hand. "Go somewhere private to write then." As far as she was concerned if someone didn't want what they were doing seen, they ought to do it in privacy. "This is a public place, if I'm not mistaken." Though the woman had already turned back around. Lark shrugged and turned from the woman, it was time to thoroughly explore her new surroundings anyway. She kept a careful grip on her staff, occasionally glancing at the pulsing crystal at it's top.

Lark stopped immediately and turned as another came into the building. Those faded red eyes watched the cat eared woman almost carefully for a moment, then she shrugged as the newcomer spoke, not able to help the small chill that crept over her from the feline like woman's voice. It was an effect that Lark found rather intriguing and she stared at the cat eared woman far longer than what could be considered polite. "If I want something, I'll get it myself." Lark turned towards the stairs and noiselessly made her way to them. She picked a key at random and moved along up the stairs to find the room that matched the key. Once found, she would lay her staff on the bed, place a spell or two over it so no one else could touch it, then she would come back down the stairs.

Katerina grumbled and bit her lip at the woman's words. A public place. Katerina was writing and that woman had been in her personal space. She wrote in public many times before and no one had felt entitled to the words in her journal. She took a breath and calmed herself only sending a sideways glance towards the newcomer.

When Lark began moving up the stairs, Katerina turned to see the woman, curiosity getting the best of her. What was that staff? The crystal on the top of it had her attention. The woman was gone now and Katerina only blinked up at the empty stairs after her. Finally she turned her head to the newcomer. "I'm sorry," she said, realizing she'd initially ignored the cat-eared woman.

She smiled a faint smile. "Yes, I'd love some," she said, looking forward to the company over the tea. At this point, Katerina could no longer smell, not the scent of the woman who was also male, not the scent of the old tavern, nor could she taste. Those things that had once been so heightened had slipped away from her when she'd made her switch from feasting on humans to animals. Still, the feeling of a far away mountain air lingered in Katerina's mind. How strange.

"I....s..sorry." The naturally slightly shy woman responded to lark, rather shocked at the rude behavior. She had been among humans now long enough to be use to such boldness yet somehow her upbringing always made it seem so odd and her feel so uncertain. She played with her tail a moment in thought, absently wondering why she smelled a male yet none appeared to be present. It was only when the other woman left that she realized that it was her. Perhaps a cross dresser? Nara was uncertain and did not have much time to puzzle over it when the other woman responded.

"I will make some then" She said with a soft smile, appearing to brighten somewhat. She bowed her head slightly, always polite if not downright submissive. She disappeared into the kitchen and soon returned with a tea tray, with various things to sweeten it as she did not know the other woman's preference. She herself would add a small amount of honey and little else. The food of her people tended to be less sweet and closer to nature then some so it was a habit she had been unable to break.

"I hope you like my choice...." She said softly, as if uncertain that she had chosen the right tea. Some where very particular about such things... She glanced up a moment as she finished speaking, feeling the other woman re-enter. Her smell also had female scents in it now she realized absently. How very strange. She knew magic could form such things and that nature occasionally created one now and then but it still surprised her. She said nothing, however, not knowing how the other felt about it.

Lark's cloak lay open across her shoulders, held at her throat with the thin black cord. She hadn't thought of it, but she should have left her cloak up in her chosen room with her staff. Oh well, she pulled the cord and let the cloak fall from her shoulders, catching it with one hand before it hit the floor. She folded it and draped it almost carelessly on the banister of the stairwell. Lark blinked lightly and pulled her long braid over her right shoulder before she moved towards the bar.

Her eyes lingering on the other two for a moment as she slipped behind the bar and fixed herself a drink that smelled rather fruity. She didn't bother to ask them if they wanted something while she was back there, though they did have tea. Still, even if they didn't already have something to drink Lark still wouldn't have asked. If they wanted something they could get it themselves. She came out from behind the bar and sat down on a barstool and sipped her drink. Rudely watching the other two women.

Completely putting away her journal as the cat-eared woman returned with tea, Katerina gave the woman another barely visible smile. She picked up her cup of tea without adding a thing. "It's great," she lied, not knowing weather it tasted bitter, sweet, tangy or any other way.

It wasn't long before a little French man doddled down the stairs. He was in striped boxers, socks and a white t-shirt. He was knobby kneed, had a five o'clock shadow and had bags under his eyes. He ignored them all, making his way to the bar to grab an entire bottle of liquor. Katerina was fluent in French, not her first, but her favorite language. She noted how the man stumbled back up the stairs mumbling in French about the tavern that ran off all companionship. Everyone always leaves, she recalled him mumbling.

Once again she was left staring up the stairs. But now she stared because she recalled so vividly the staff, that was so clearly left upstairs. She glanced over at Lark, surprised to see the woman staring. She stared back for a moment before returning her attention to the cat-eared woman and then the tea. "Thank you," she said. "It's been a very long time since I've had tea," or anything else so typical to those who normally indulged in food for the living.

"I am Katerina," she offered, turning her back slightly to Lark, purposely, still annoyed at her earlier breach of personal space. Just then Katerina felt a wave of nausea. The room spun for a moment and she reached up to place a hand on her forehead. She knew better than to put anything in her system aside from that that she so required to live. That which she had not had in many years.

((Sorry I'm super distracted, hope it all came together and made sense, lol.))

Lark continued to watch the two for a little while longer, especially the one introduced as Katerina. When the French man had come down, Lark barely gave him a passing glance. Soon he was gone and she looked down at her drink, within a moment she tossed the whole thing back and slipped off the bar stool. Not much escaped Lark's eyes, but it wasn't the fact that Katerina put a hand to her head, that made Lark approach her. She sat down right next to Katerina and looked at her. "Call me Lark." She glanced at the other woman to include her into the introduction as well, but her attention moved to Katerina, watching her almost carefully. There was no telling why the necromancer seemed so interested in Katerina, though the only reason was probably because Lark was a necromancer.

As soon as the spinning started it stopped and Katerina removed her hand from her forehead. She looked down at the tea. Why she had had any of the drink in the first place was somewhat of a mystery. She knew the consequences in her state. Had she really become that disgraceful as a predator, that not only was she no longer feeding upon humans, but she was harming herself just to have meaningless conversations with them?

She turned slightly in her chair to see Lark sitting beside her. She watched the woman with an emotionless expression for too long. It would be impossible to tell what she was thinking. "Katerina Mironova," she finally said in her normal calm and quiet tone. No sense in holding a grudge over someone's curiosity. She had once been too curious, and she'd been paying for it for over a hundred and sixty years now. Another wave of nausea swept over her and with the woman's eyes on her she tried to keep herself composed, merely looking away for a moment, at the stairs once more as she thought of the staff. A place her mind continued to wander.

"People call me Nara..." She said quietly as she watched the two. She didn't believe the other woman's comment about the tea being perfect and when she appeared nauseous she instantly felt maybe she was the cause. She hesitated, playing with her tail once again as she watched the other two and briefly began to feel briefly lost. Something was going on between the two but she could not tell what. She took a gentle sniff again, this time focusing on Katerina.

When Rina had taken the tea she had presumed the woman a half vampire or something like a vampire, as many full vampires had problems with human food. Now she was beginning to be in their company enough she could sort one smell from another and knew the truth. The woman was a vampire.......apparently a lonely one at that. She didn't even glance at the french men except to give him a nervous, cursory nod before glancing back to Rina. Finally the gentle soul came to a simple choice as she gazed at the tea thoughtfully.

"K...katerina....if you are feeling unwell perhaps I should help you to your room. I may be able to help...." She said quietly as she gazed at the vampire. It would be simple to feed her...... being a Faelira she was neither of this world or of the next so her blood would not be in danger of being 'tainted' by a vampire bite. The vampire would have a small 'danger' of increased power for a short time but that was all. It was something that would have been considered wrong, evil, of Nara to do for an outsider but hadn't they too made Nara an outsider? What difference did that make now.....

Lark waved a hand dismissively, as if Nara had been speaking to her instead of Katerina. "She's just hungry, her diary says so." She watched Nara for a few moments now though. Rather liking the way the woman's voice brought to mind visions of snowy mountaintops and that delicious crisp mountain air. Lark's gaze lingered on Nara, though part of her attention was on Katerina. Honestly the necromancer was tempted to cast a necromantic spell or two on Katerina, just to see how the vampire might react. At least, Lark was nearly one hundred percent certain Katerina was a vampire. Judging by the way her aura felt and the things she had read when the girl had been writing in the journal. Lark looked at Katerina expectantly. Though there was no telling how the necromancer expected or wanted Katerina to react.

Grey soulless eyes watched Nara. In truth she could help. But that was a path Katerina didn't want to travel down again. She opened her mouth to respectfully decline when Lark spoke. Katerina felt her eyebrow twitch. She closed her eyes, stood and angrily grabbed her pack. "I'm fine," she said. Boy that Lark really got under her skin. And that was something fairly hard to do.

"Thank you for the tea Nara, I must turn in for the night," she sent one last glare to Lark before turning and making her way to the stairs where she plucked a key from the stand and disappeared onto the second level. Once out of sight Katerina nearly fell into the wall beside her. The hall spun and Katerina closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, all seemed well. But it wasn't. This was getting worse and worse. If she didn't feed upon human blood, she would die. But she refused to do it. She needed to find that stone. Once she found the stone, all she would need is some kind of witch to cast the spell, or undo her death, or whatever was supposed to be done to make her human again.

She leaned against the wall for a moment, her mind returning to the staff. It held such a beautiful stone, but what were the chances... Katerina pushed herself from the wall. Which room was Lark's? It didn't matter, Katerina could easily twist the knobs on each door and pop them all right open, in case the woman had locked her door. And that's exactly what Katerina did.

It wasn't more than a door or two before Katerina opened a door to the staff laying across a bed. It was tall, and beautiful. What was it used for? Who was Lark to have such a thing? She moved to the bed and reached out for the staff but when she did something shocked her hand. It didn't hurt her like it might a human, but it still wasn't pleasant. She glanced down at her hand and then back at the stone, curiosity making her normally cold skin feel warmer than usual. She reached for the thing again.

((Kry, don't feel obligated to catch Katerina. If Lark doesn't, I planned on having her shocked worse the second time and giving up and going to bed until tomorrow, lol))

"If that is what you wish....." The feline responded, cringing slightly at Lark but speaking only when Rina did. She did not seem fine... and the immortal Fealira would not be as of feeding on humans or animals but something else entirely. She could sustain a vampire in ways others could not, but it was not her place to interfere. If the other woman so ran from her vampirism there was nothing she could do. She frowned as she watched the other woman go up the stairs, her great care for others showing as pain across her face as she sighed. She hated being able to do nothing.

Lark watched Katerina excuse herself. Feeling as if she were partly, or wholly, to blame for that. Well, it wasn't her fault that people got offended or annoyed easily. Or maybe it was. She could try harder to be nicer, less invasive but to what point? It just didn't suit Lark's personality to be less rude. She watched Katerina go for a few moments, her attention shifting to Nara. She studied the woman carefully, she was certainly not any race that Lark had come across before, and Lark wanted to know a little bit more.

Those lips parted, but she stopped before a syllable escaped them. Jolting slightly as if she had just been shocked by something. Her head snapping in the direction of the stairs, and those eyes narrowed. The Frenchman or the vampire was touching, or trying, to touch her staff. Lark stood slowly, flipped the braid over her shoulder and head to the stairs. She looked over her shoulder at Nara, as if inviting the other woman to follow her. Up the stairs she went, her movements noiseless as she went, Lark stopped in her door way, eyes on Katerina. "Thieving is unbecoming of young ladies." She stepped into the room, but stood in front of the doorway. Katerina would have to try to get around Lark to leave the room.

Katerina pulled her hand back and turned around calmly. She'd figured Lark might show up at some point, although she'd hoped to be gone by then. She held her hands at her side. "I wasn't trying to steal it," she said honestly before returning her attention to the stone. "It's the stone. I'm looking for something, like it," she said. She wasn't really sure the stone she was looking for was like it. She had no idea what the stone looked like. Just that it was beautiful and mesmerizing.

Grey lifeless eyes met Lark's now, questioning the woman without words. Who was she, and what was the purpose of the staff? In her earlier days Katerina would have taken the staff, and forced the information from Lark. In even earlier days she would have hidden under the bed. Today, at 162 years old, Katerina merely stood motionless and emotionless as she watched Lark. If one studied her long enough they would see hints of sadness and loneliness in Katerina's eyes, though most couldn't tell, or chose to overlook it.

Lark kept her eyes on Katerina, watching her carefully, as if trying to detect a lie in her voice. There was none that Lark could discern, and still she just carefully watched Katerina. "Something like that? Doubtful. It's a psion crystal, it's used to help focus or boost spells. It's filled with my own magical energy." It was the truth, Lark had no reason to the lie to this vampire and she was curious, even if Katerina had wanted to steal the staff. Lark was more interested in the why. "Why would you need anything like that?"

It was used to focus or boost spells. Hm. Why Katerina needed such a thing was none of the woman's business, though maybe the vampire owed the woman an explanation. She had after all been the one who'd entered the other woman's room and tried to touch her personal things. It wasn't like she'd planned to steal the staff or crystal, she was merely curious. Besides she wasn't even sure the crystal she was looking for was real anyway.

Katerina finally broke eye contact. Her grey soulless eyes stared out the bedroom window into the growing darkness. "I'm not sure the stone I seek exists," she explained quietly. "If it does it's said to be able to undo the, thing, I've become. I don't wish to steal anything from anyone. I am only searching for answers." She continued staring out the window. I'm searching for a way out.

She saw something move at the forest edge and Katerina moved calmly to the window. She stared out to see a small group of deer. Her vision was better than that of a human, especially in the dark. Unfortunately her diet kept her from her full potential. She watched the creatures move through the trees as they foraged for food. She too needed to eat and the doe at the edge of the forest would be just enough to get her through another few miserable days.

Katerina's existence as a superior predator was pathetic at best, but she didn't care. After 162 years, give or take the few she lived as a human, she was ready to end it or find a way to be normal again. She'd known others who wanted this for themselves as if it would take them out of their lonely existence, but all it did was add a never ending sentence to a bitter, depressing and even lonelier than before lifestyle. She too had been one of those naive young people, once upon a time.

Not to mention the fact that Katerina couldn't handle her blood. Her swearing off "human" blood had little to do with the fact that her targets, or willing donors, were human or the like. But more to do with the fact that it brought out instincts and cravings that she once had while effortlessly and even happily slaughtering people for over a hundred years. She looked down at her hands. Though no one else could see it, it was all in her going mind, her hands were covered in the blood of all those innocents lost. She could not return to the monster she had been and she could not live without the blood that would cause her to become it once again.

Soulless eyes caught her reflection in the window. Though anyone else would see a youthful girl of twenty with pale flawless skin and almost innocent features, Katerina saw a monster. She saw a hideous frown and a bloody fanged grin. She saw the lives of men and women flashing before her own eyes. She felt their pain and their fear. Something she had been cursed with feeling once she transitioned to animal blood as if Mother Nature was for some reason forbidding her to try and change her purpose, her fate.

Katerina returned her attention to Lark. "It's really none of your business," she said bluntly. "I told you what I did because I feel I owe it to you for breaking into your room and trying to touch your things." Though Katerina was almost sure the other woman didn't even have that much respect for others personal space and belongings. She walked towards the door where the woman blocked her exit. "If you'll excuse me," she said. My dinner is waiting outside.

His real name is unknown, but he seems to respond to the name of Anubis. Around since the time of the Pharaohs, his soul is bound to the ring he wears around his neck. He is fond of making "deals" with people, but his deals always come with a price. His ring strengthens his abilities, and allows him to absorb souls. The more souls, the more powerful he becomes. He has the abilities of Darkness Manipulation, and is able to draw himself and others into the 'Shadow Relm' of his, located in the ring, where he has control. He is able to hear the "Voice" of the ring inside of his head, and is hiding a few secrets inside....

(Decided to try out a new character I'm working on o.o bet chu can't guess who he's inspired by XD lol jp x.x)

From the shadows, watching the other people inside of the tavern seemed interesting enough. A smile played on his lips, as his hand moved to the ring hanging around his neck. The metal of its' frame was warm, the life inside of it was clear to him. He wouldn't mind adding a few more souls to his 'collection'. He chuckled lightly, and stepped out of the shadows enough to move to a table. He slid his fingers along the edge of it, as his eyes traveled to the girl who was looking out of the window. He was aware of the differences in race within the room. It was quite interesting to him to see what it was exactly they were here for. He paused by a chair, and sighed for a moment, to bad that wasn't what he was here for. He crosses his arms, closing his eyes. That foolish man who brought him back was expecting him to find someone and end his meddling in matters that didn't concern him. To bad the man who thought he was in control was in for a dark surprise once Anubis gained the energy he needed. For now though, he needed to play nice. Being only awoken for a few days, he was still weak from his soul being asleep within his ring for so long. He frowned, and a slightly annoyed look crossed over his face. He would not do to well in a fight with anyone at the moment unless they were human, weak or just plain stupid.

The thought of that brought a slight smile back to his lip. People were so foolish and easily manipulated if you knew how to push their buttons. A slight shadow moved over his mind, and a voice slipped into his head They will see soon enough... He nodded a bit to himself, opening his eyes. Pulling a chair out, he sat back in it, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. Not caring about manners, he placed his boots on the table, crossing his legs. It would be easy enough to find this pathetic man he was here for, the guy had a knack for being a bit to cocky and flashy for his own good. It was only a matter of time before he showed his face, and when he did, it would be there to make it the last mistake he ever made. For now however, he would play nice and not get into any trouble. That did not mean he could not have any fun along the way.. His eyes drifted from person to person, as he lightly bit into his lower lip. The presence of souls so close to him, and the idea of making a bit of chaos was a bit of a hard thing to pass up. His true plans were unknown to others, but soon enough, as the voice had said, they would all see. He would make them pay.

Lark stood there, arms across her chest, blocking the only way in or out of the bedroom and her eyes were narrowed slightly as she studied Katerina carefully. "Many vampires have sought a way to turn back human, as far as I know, none have found it yet. I can't say if such an item truly exists, but it might. Still, it's rather idiotic to deny yourself human blood while you search. If you want to die before finding it, just let someone cut your head off, it would save you some misery." She uncrossed her arms and let them hang limply at her sides, as she tilted her head a bit to expose the side of her throat. As if to tempt the vampire. "Here now, why not have a little from a willing donor? Though I bet that feline downstairs would taste better, she looks exotic, and probably has exotic blood." Lark tilted her head some more, exposing more of her throat to Katerina. She wondered just how far she could push the girl before she did snap and actually bite. "Come now, don't be shy."

The feline did not follow lark upstairs, but instead allowed them their space. Perhaps the vampire preferred human blood? It would be an unusual thing but possible. Either way the matter felt private no matter what invite lark's casual look may have been. No, she stayed downstairs with the man, though she did not know it until he moved as she had not been paying attention to other scents as she had tried to puzzle out larks and then checked the vampires. She glanced at him, thinking absently he smelled of darkness and a shiver traveled down the ice spirit's spine.

Being what she was, neither of the mortal plain or the higher plain she had few things to fear but the man had something about him that made her uncomfortable. She pushed away the thought, he was none of her business unless he approached. So she sipped her tea and took out a romance novel she'd been reading. She'd always liked love stories, though she couldn't really say why. Perhaps she'd just been born a romantic... She sipped her tea absently as she read, her cat like ears flickering this way and that as she listened to the sounds of the inn.

Although she had not revealed exactly what she was, this woman could tell. She hadn't made sure to keep it entirely secret so she wasn't too surprised. As Lark spoke of Katerina being idiotic and someone doing the favor of cutting her head off now, she frowned a light frown. This woman didn't know Katerina, nor did she know of her struggle. She didn't have the right to judge Katerina in such a way. Though everyone else would. It was just the way people were, nosing into others' business like they know something.

"I would rather die than become what I have been again," she replied to the statement. It wasn't until the woman offered up her own blood to Katerina that her frown deepened. It wasn't like she'd never had willing donors. Finding blood wasn't the problem. It was Katerina's inability to stop feeding before she killed her donor, or victim. Then it was the effect that the blood had on her, turning her into a blood thirsty monster and a killing machine.

Grey soulless eyes lingered on the woman's throat. Katerina didn't want to die, not really. She wanted to find a way to become human again. Maybe she would take the woman's offer, maybe this time would be different. No, she couldn't, it wouldn't be different, it never was. Not even when she had deep feelings for someone, not even they were spared.

Still she couldn't remove her eyes from the woman's throat and as she spoke of the feline's exotic blood, Katerina felt her throat go dry. She tried to swallow. She'd had exotic bloods before... her mouth watered and her eyes began to darken. A red tone lingered in her eyes for a moment before she blinked, snapping herself out of it.

This woman truly was pushing Katerina to the verge of breaking. How wonderful it would be to taste again, to smell, to have all of her senses heightened to the way they were when she'd not been on her animal diet... How much easier it might be to find the stone at her full potential. "Stop it," she said, "you've no business judging me. You don't know me or the things I've done because of blood. Offering yourself is the only idiotic thing happening here. Now move." All of her words were laced with a tone not heard from her before. Something cold, something hungry...

This might have been easier, if the feline woman had followed her. At least Lark hoped it would have been an easy thing to tempt the vampire, and with exotic blood closer by it might have been. Still she remained standing there, with her throat exposed. "If you would rather die, then die." Lark honestly didn't think the woman wanted to die, else she wouldn't be seeking such a stone. The necromancer had known quite a few vampires, and one in particular came to mind, but she was hesitant to let out such information. At least at the moment.

She could see it, well almost see it. The hunger in the vampire. The necromancer watched her carefully. "Perhaps I am being idiotic. But I am not a simple human and it is doubtful that your bite would kill me. Go on, take a little taste. The slower you drink the more satisfying and filling it will be and you wouldn't have to take a lot that way." Perhaps Lark should summon Angel, he could probably help this vampire in ways she couldn't. Though, the necromancer wasn't really trying to help, and she was somewhat glad the feline hadn't followed her up. Lark wanted to get bitten. To feel a vampire at her throat. Though that was just so the necromancer could still a bit of the vampire's vampiric energy. An action the other most likely wouldn't notice, but something that couldn't be done unless the vampire was feeding.