Naomi sighed as she made her way around the Spanish streets, completely and utterly lost. The sun was going down, which wasn't so bad for the locals. Nighttime was when they were most active, but to her, that just made it nearly impossible to find the hotel she was scouting for. Frowning, she felt hopeless. She had been wandering around for nearly 2 hours by now with absolutely no clue as to where she was. Even asking didn't help. Only a few new English, and the ones that did, didn't speak it very well so often times their instructions were choppy and hard to understand.

She swore she circled a small cafe at least 4 times already and the constant yapping of Spanish in her ear was giving her a headache. Maybe vacationing here alone, wasn't the best idea in the world. Then again, she wasn't known for making the smartest decisions. In fact, Naomi was quite rash at times. When there was something she wanted, she do it. Usually without thinking it through, and that is why she was now stuck in the middle of Spain, feeling completely isolated.

How did people do it? Go to another country, barely speaking the language, and live for like... 20, 30 years? It was ridiculous. Groaning, she decided to take a break and head into the cafe that so happily mocked her, thinking she was making it closer to her destination. How wrong she was.

When she made her way inside, she was relieved to sit down. Running her hands through her layered hair, she slowly began to calm. "I'm so screwed." She muttered, eying the restaurant in mild interest. She jokingly wondered if they'd let her crash here for the night.

Aurelio Serafin had been eyeing this young foreign lady from the moment she’d gotten lost on his street. He paused by his mark outside the café, a strange red graffiti symbol that appeared to be a cross between Arabic and Cyrillic, that signified the beginning of his area.

Vampires were rather territorial and often tagged places with words or shapes in spray paint, blood, or whatever was readily available. Their marks were easily disguised to appear like they’d been left by a normal delinquent human. Well, Aurelio stayed within his territory when searching for sustenance. Any human girl that wandered in was fair game, and he was in for a treat tonight...Exotic foreigner blood, hm?

The bell on the door rang as he entered, wandering around the edges of the restaurant so as not to appear suspicious, although the old woman at the counter immediately started yelling obscenities at him and crossing herself. No one paid any mind to her, disregarding her as some senile old bat.

He smirked to himself as he shuffled closer to the girl, making a big show out of looking around for an empty table. Which there were none. And she happened to have an extra chair.

“Perdón, pero… ¿Puedo sentarme en esta silla, señora?

Naomi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, rather bored, but jumped when the old woman started screaming. She was confused and couldn't help but stare. She was freaking out. Of course her words were in Spanish, most of which Naomi found impossible to follow at the speed she was speaking.
Sitting up straighter, her eyes flew to the male who had caused such a disturbance.
She noticed something. He was different than everyone else she had seen today. He held himself differently than most people and was... intimidating in a way, which was strange considering she had never even spoken to him.

His voice was smooth when he spoke. For a second, Naomi forgot to even listen, but just sort of listened to the tone instead of actually paying attention. She was only able to grab a few words and it took a couple seconds to process it all. Not to mention she wasn't a Spanish prodigy. Only knowing what the mediocre results of old high school classes taught. She was able to make out, Excuse me, but... Sit in chair? Some thing like that. She put the pieces together and quickly nodded, "Oh, um, sure." Realization hitting her, she motioned towards the seat and smiled, hoping he would at least know what that meant if he didn't know English. She quickly added, "Si. Lo siento, pero mi espanol no es muy bueno." She laughed uneasily, hoping she got the wording right.

((Hope I got the Spanish right. I took what I knew from Spanish class and I'm not sure it's completely right. I feel Naomi and I can relate. XD I am happy though. I knew what Aurelio said without having to look anything up!))

((Lmfao, yeah, it’s fine. XD If all else fails, use Google Language Tools. Although that’s not right either a lot.))

“Oh, si no habla español, ¿cual es su idioma de preferencia? No, dejame adivinar…” Aurelio tapped his fingers against his lips thoughtfully. Of course he knew what language he needed to use to speak to her. He could tell simply by looking at her. But still, he could have fun with this, couldn’t he? “Ist es Deutsch? No? Parlez-vous français? Mm, no, sei italiana?”

Aurelio laughed, a high, clear laugh. “It is English, yes? I am sorry, but I have too much fun with these things.”

He signaled a waitress by holding up his finger. The woman drifted over to him, her face betraying her. She gazed at him with such longing. Ah, but he was accustomed to this. Spanish women fell hard for him if he so much as glanced at them. It made the game far too easy. He hoped this foreign girl could hold her own. Or, at the very least, put up a formidable struggle against his charms.

“Quisiera ordenar unas tapas. ¿Traerme el menú, por favor?” The woman nodded and walked away briskly to fetch him the café’s menu. He did not enjoy eating human food, as it tasted flavorless to him. But he could manage it if only to keep up a front and manage in a social situation such as this.

“I saw you earlier, when I was on my way to this café,” he said, initiating a conversation. “You seemed confused. Do you know where you are? Do you need help getting somewhere?”

The waitress returned and handed him the menu, which he browsed. “Papas bravas, por favor, y una botella de sangria. Gracias.” He gave the menu back and folded his hands, resting his elbows on the table and gazing across the girl with a genial smile.

When he spoke those numerous languages, her head spun. Did he just say 5 different languages? When he finally conversed in English, a wave of relief washed over her. "That was cruel," She noted with a faint smile. "Listening to Spanish all day is exhausting but adding those to the mix... I'm surprised I haven't collapsed yet."

She sat quietly when the waitress came. The exchange was interesting to watch. In fact, she was expecting the other woman to jump on him and beg that they spend a night of passion together. She chuckled, and then let her eyes wander around the room. This place was nice. In fact, so far everywhere on this trip was enjoyable, even the getting lost part. It was thrilling in a way, not knowing where you are, or what's going to happen. Here, things were unpredictable. It was lovely.

She looked at her watch. She hadn't switched the time on it yet, so it was still running on the time zone from back home. "I know exactly where I am." She announced, happily, looking at him. "I'm in Spain sitting in a cafe with a complete stranger. As for assistance, I needed help two and a half hours ago." She shrugged, the action almost carefree, "Now I'm enjoying life refusing to worry. But if you must know, I was heading here." She grinned, leaning back in her chair.

Pulling out a piece of paper with the hotel's name, picture, and address, she slid it across the table to him.

Aurelio took the slip of paper from the girl, his eyes darting back and forth across the paper. He knew where this hotel was. Unfortunately, it was just outside of his territory. That was Vitas Caton’s part of Madrid. Vitas was known for being cruel and terribly protective of his area. If another vampire was to stray into it, he would immediately be captured and punished terribly for disobeying Caton’s boundaries. How far was Aurelio willing to go for a taste of exotic blood? Pretty far. He was two centuries and twenty four years old. He had never lost in a one-on-one battle with another vampire. He was also unmatched in keeping a low profile. Besides, what excitement had he experienced as of late? It was time to stir things up and cause a bit of trouble. He knew exactly what to say.

“My name is Aurelio Serafin. There, I am no longer a stranger.” Aurelio smiled, almost scintillating with charm. “What is your name, young lady? I can help you with this.”

Aurelio tapped his index and middle finger twice on the slip of paper, sliding it back to her. “I know exactly where this is. I can take you there. And if you are in need of a translator, then I can do that, too. I like to work with tourists a lot, particularly cute girls.” He grinned.

Just then, the waitress, looking somewhat envious of the girl sitting with Aurelio, returned with the bottle of sangria and the tapa he had ordered. She set the plate and bottle down, along with two glasses. She eyed the girl for a moment and left to another group of customers on the other side of the room.

“Ah, excellent. Would you like some?” Aurelio offered, stabbing his fork into a papa brava and dipping it into the chile sauce. He lifted it to his mouth, blew on it a little, and popped it inside. “It’s very good. Are you hungry?”

Naomi couldn't help but watch the man closely and smile when he said his name. He was so... Charming. "Aurelio?" She repeated, leaning back in her chair. "I've never heard that name before." Then again, she wasn't really familiar with any names that weren't American. "

She took the paper back, and smirked when he mentioned, 'cute girls'. "Flattery, eh?" She realized that swooning over this guy would only make her look foolish, like the waitress. So she inwardly calmed herself down and forced herself to focus. "My name is Naomi Deveroux.

Suddenly and out of nowhere, she yawned. What time was it? Hmm.. Probably not too late, but the jet lag from her plane ride here was starting to catch up with her. "Oh sorry." She apologized and then shaking her head at his offer. "Oh, no thank you. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

((Sorry it's kinda short. I'm in the middle of a huge assignment thing and my finals are coming up so things are hectic. My next post will be longer!))

Aurelio nodded slowly, accepting that she did not want any of the tapa. Or, was it that she had rejected his offer to take her to the hotel and be her translator? He was uncertain, but he did not think it possible for her to have denied him, especially in her current predicament…At this hour of night.

She could not very well go wandering by herself at night, could she? As far as vampires or even men were concerned, Aurelio was the least of her worries. He did bear some civility and honor. His centuries of practice at “picking up” women had molded him into a gentleman… Well, a fake one, anyway.

“Lo siento, pero… I do not understand what you are saying no to-- the food or my offer to find your hotel? Forgive me, señora, but I am concerned for you. It is not safe for a young lady to wander the streets of Madrid solita.”

Aurelio spoke immaculate English, but he had been speaking Spanish for a while now. He had to consciously fight the urge to use Spanish words for things, and so the product of this was a liberal use of Spanglish. He hoped that she could understand that much of what he had been saying to her.

"Oh no, your fine, and thank you for the offer. I was saying no to the food." She laughed lightly, "It's funny. Your the one mixing in the Spanish, but I'm the one that's being unclear. I'm sorry." She stretched slowly, and tried to shake the drowsiness from herself. Stupid jet lag. If it hadn't been for the crying baby on the plane, or the snoring guy 3 seats down from her, perhaps she would have gotten to take a nap on the way here! Well... She doubted it. Despite being a petite girl, airplane seats were uncomfortable no matter how big you were.

"Why are you so concerned for someone you barely know? In America, that would be considered suspicious." She joked, knowing that it would. But the culture here was so different. She didn't know how many people tried to help her, even if she did fail miserably at understanding them. One woman even offered her lunch so she could take a break from walking. She almost wished she took the lady up on her offer earlier.

"Hmm..." She looked around and then let her eyes fall back on Aurelio. "This place isn't too bad. Besides, if I got killed, I can't say I wouldn't be content. I started a new adventure. It's exciting. Thrilling. Even if I have no idea what I'm doing and my feet are killing me. Now, if I was still back home, I would have regrets and wouldn't be as fulfilled, ya know?" She shrugged, smiling again. She put her face in the palm of her hand and leaned against the table. One of her policies was to live everyday like it was her last, and she did. Or tried to. She couldn't even remember how many times she spent the night in a homeless shelter because she lost all her money, or danced in a thunderstorm. It was fun. Who cares about the material things? She enjoyed life and didn't need anything but a pair of good shoes and air in her lungs.

Aurelio’s eyes sparkled with mischief. So she had agreed to his offer! In anticipation of the taste of her blood and possibly some conflict in Vitas Caton’s part of the world, he stood, scooting his chair back as he did so.

He took out several large bills and smacked them down on the wooden table, to pay for his food and drink barely being touched. He would have grinned more widely, if not for the fact he was attempting to hide his inhumanly-sharp canines, and held his hand out to her.

“Well then, miss. Shall we be off to your hotel, then? It is still a ways away from here, and if we do not leave now, you will not have the strength to walk there. We could take a cab, but… I assume that you would rather not. Why would you have been wandering around on foot otherwise?”

Her words had ignited a spark in him that he had not felt for some time. Excitement. A foreign girl, whom he rarely got to sample as they typically did not wander into his territory like this, the slums of Madrid. Risk, from offering her assistance and wandering into Vitas Caton’s land without permission…

And on top of it she professed she wanted to live, really live, with excitement in each day… Even if it meant she could die. Aurelio Serafin could work with this...

Naomi blinked at his sudden movement. "Aren't you going to finish your food?" She asked, confused as to why he would just jump up without really touching the meal he just bought. "I don't mind waiting..." She trailed off, raising her eyebrow.

"Why are you so eager?" She wondered aloud, standing up as well. Patting down her blouse, she cocked her head to the side. "Thank you, though." Naomi was happy to be escorted by such a handsome guy, but she had to admit, he was acting a bit strange. 'I'm just paranoid.' She reassured herself. This guy had been nothing but a gentleman, but then again... Isn't that what killers wanted her to think???

Rolling her eyes at herself, she smiled. "Never mind. Let's go."

((Sorry. I got to go. Would've made this post longer.))

It occurred to Aurelio that his behavior must have seemed strange to the girl. He had suddenly leapt up from his food and told her that they needed to leave. He could hardly contain his excitement, but then, Aurelio tended to be impulsive. When someone lived for a ridiculously long time, they became very imprudent. In fact, they tended not to think long on things. Most consequences would not affect him much in the least, and so he did not hesitate when it came to action. For a human, however, they would think him odd for not thinking things entirely through. He laughed at her suddenly, when a flicker of suspicious came across her features.

"Are you worried?" he asked with a chuckle, putting a hand over his heart. Vampire hearts did not beat more than twice every thirty seconds. A random fact. "I swear to you, I am not a murderer, chica. I m just excited to hang around with an American girl. I don't see them much, you know?"

But I am a vampire, and I am going to drink your blood. Later...

"I was just having a snack, anyways," he continued, waving his hand as though brushing away the importance or oddity of leaving his food nearly untouched. "I was mostly just thirsty but... if I drink a lot, it does not impress the girls, no? I left enough money, the cook will not be angry... Now, come, I told you that you will be too tired to walk if we do not get going."

He smiled charmingly, to reassure her. And his smile was generally irresistable. "And you still haven't told me your name, hm?"

Naomi shrugged, and felt herself release the bits of tension that was beginning to wind up inside here. "Only a little bit..." She grinned and then went to stand next to him, "I haven't told you my name?" She laughed, "Oh, sorry. I'm Naomi."

Starting to walk towards the door, she gave one last look around the cafe, wondering where the crazy old lady went. Something about that woman intrigued her. Why would she shout at such a nice guy? Aurelio was being nothing but sweet! She wondered if the old woman had a conflict with him before or something.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, "What's so special about Americans?" She asked innocently, "They're just like Spaniards, except they speak English. If you really wanted to escort someone, why not the waitress? She's practically in love with you."

Naomi felt very... free, in a way. She was almost excited to finally be getting somewhere today. She already lost her luggage by accidentally leaving it on a street during her crazy adventure to the hotel. She practically kicked herself for her forgetfulness. But who cares? By tomorrow, it would be light out again and she'd be able to go shopping. That was the thing about Spain, there was a shop on every corner!

"Naomi!" Aurelio echoed, his eyes dancing. "That is a pretty name! It suits you." He flashed his pearly whites; not enough to show his fangs, of course. He reached around Naomi and held the door open for her, bowing a little. "Ladies first, yes? Oh, and, Americans are more interesting than Spaniards. I am around Spaniards all the time, day and night. I want to talk to some else for a change, you see?"

He followed her out of the door, letting it fall closed behind him. He started walking, assumming that she would follow him in the right direction. They would have to take this street down to the next and turn right...Walk for a while. Then they would be back on a main street that would lead them to the location of the hotel. Luckily it was not too far off. Of course, it took much longer to walk there than it did to drive. He hoped that Naomi was in good shape otherwise they would have a problem. She already seemed fatigued from her flight and the aimless wandering from before.

"Also, that waitress has liked me for a long time," he lied. "I go to that cafe a lot, and I guess she gets distracted by me whenever I come in. She's sort of weird. Anyway, remember that old woman? She yelled at me because she does not like the effect I have on her, making her less efficient and all. She was much better tonight, though, than she usually is. Usually she will not leave me alone." Aurelio forced a laugh. "It must be because I was sitting with a girl this time."

Naomi couldn't help but smile at his compliment. Heck, despite being able to ignore his charm some of the time, the man had skill. She'd be foolish is she possibly thought she could resist him completely. Besides, what harm could a simple compliment do? "I'll be sure to tell my mother thank you." She noted playfully, and walking out the door.

As she followed along side him, she couldn't help but enjoy the scenery. The tall, twisting buildings of Spain; the quaint cafes. It was the perfect mix between historical and modern. Simply amazing. Taking a deep breath, she looked up, spotting a few stars, but not many. Glancing behind her, she could see the cathedral's looming towers far in the distance. She was planning on going there tomorrow. It was said to be lovely, and a perfect representation of catholic religion. She herself wasn't known for being very religious, but she was raised with a belief in God.

Sighing happily, she turned her attention back towards Aurelio. For some reason, she just couldn't imagine him having any religion. In fact, when she tried to picture him in church, she found it nearly impossible. Trying to focus on his answer about the waitress, she nodded, slightly distracted. "I suppose." She trailed off, thinking.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Do you have a religion?" Suddenly, her eyes widened. What possessed her to ask something like that?? It was completely rude! "I'm sorry! I don't-," She bit her lip, "I mean, I was just-, everyone here is raised Catholic, or something. I was just curious. I'm sorry!" She repeated, "You don't have to answer that! It was obnoxious for me to ask that."

What an odd question for a stranger to ask suddenly. Aurelio regarded the girl with a neutral expression on his face. He wondered if she would turn out to be one of those Jesus freaks that come to other countries and attempt to convert people to their religion. She had not come across as anyone of the sort, nor did she now, though. Aurelio did not see harm in answering her question, particularly since it was irrelavent to his existence as of a few centuries prior to now. He smiled at her, laughing. He did like to laugh. People were put at ease by laughter, if it sounded warm enough.

"Mi religion? Pues, no es una pregunta muy dificil. I was raised Catholic, si. But certain things happened to me, and it seems a bit silly for me to to think very much of it now." He watched his steps for a moment, watching one foot fall before the other, and then the other in front of that foot. It went on. He assummed she was asking, perhaps because she wanted to visit a cathedral. Spain had lots of them. "If it is a question coming from whether or not I would be willing to go with you to a cathedral tomorrow or whenever, do not worry. I will go anywhere."

Aurelio returned his gaze to her face, friendly as per usual. He was perpetually smiling. Even as a vampire he was not particularly angsty. He considered everything to be a sort of game to him. "In fact, if you wanted to visit some Muslim sites as well, I would also not mind. Moorish tilework can be very beautiful. The palaces, the mosques... Madrid is full of history, even in the most unexpected places." He winked. Including in me...

Naomi grinned sheepishly, "It just sorta popped in my mind... The question, I mean." She shrugged and then stretched, "You don't have to do that. I mean, you probably got plans or something. Tourists aren't that important." Looking down at her shoes, she took in the detail of the small design on her flats, briefly distracted. The feeling of the cool wind brush against her skin made her look up and she gave a small shiver. Despite it being hot most of the time in Spain, even the cold could creep in when you least expect it.

"So, Aurelio..." She trailed off, rubbing her hands together and then turning around to face him, successfully walking backwards, "What things do you Spaniards do? Like, for fun..?" She cocked her head to the side, a natural curiosity showing across her features. For a moment, her expression held almost a childlike innocence as she waited patiently for his answer.

"I mean, everything here seems so... old fashioned, or..." She trailed off, trying to find the right word, "Old." Smiling, she quickly added, "At least to me. This is your culture, right? It's like, a part of you? Unless you come from another country and moved here..?"

As she was asking this question, her heel caught on the edge of an uneven cobblestone and she stumbled backwards, almost falling. Catching herself before she hit the ground, she started to laugh. The sound was sweet and had a gentle ring to it. "Oops." She chuckled at herself, something she was good at (life wasn't as fun without laughing at yourself), and continued to walk backwards. You'd think this would be strange for Naomi to keep doing something that could cause her to get hurt, but she did it none the less. Humming softly, she decided to fill her escort in, "I'm bound to fall sometime before I leave. Might as well have fun before I do." A light grin spread across her face.

((Didn't know what to write. Hope this is okay.))

Aurelio noted her multi-story hotel looming over the buildings across the street, mentally noting it was not in the best location of town, vampires aside. He might have to keep a stricter eye on her than he'd initially thought. In addition, he did not announce the hotel's presence immediately, thinking that it might be best to prolong the conversation a bit to make her more comfortable around him for the time being.

He listened to her question, nodding a bit in recognition. The charming smile never fleeted from his slate complexion. "It depends on the Spaniard, Miss Naomi. Are you asking about the general interests of the Spanish majority, or my personal hobbies?"

Aurelio fell into step with her, slinging his hands deep into his pockets with a casual air. "The general Spanish population enjoys things such as the running of the bulls or the matadors... Soccer games... And good food." He laughed a bit, his voice clear like a bell. "Whereas I like going to see the flamenco dancers and while I have a drink of sangria."

Substitute 'sangria' for 'sangre'...

As Naomi stumbled backwards and fell, Aurelio's arm twitched, and he stifled the reflex to snatch her back up to her feet. It would have been the proper thing to do, but the speed at which he'd have done so would've been inhuman--he'd have done it in half a second--so he opted against it. Instead, he held out a hand for her and beamed.

"Careful. We wouldn't want you to hurt your leg at the start of the trip. We have a lot of walking ahead--comes hand in hand with sight-seeing."