Bell had managed to bring them around full circle, ending pretty much where the tour had started, in the hallway of bedrooms. He was glad it was over, he was tired. Not tired in the same sense as humans, but just mentally tired. He was still extremely annoyed, but he had behaved other than some curt remarks here and there. Cade ought to be bursting with pride at how well Bell had behaved himself. He ran a hand through his hair, but when Katerina spoke now, he moved instantly.

Both hands grasped her by the shoulders and he had her back pressed hard against the nearest wall. Anger had replaced that annoyance. "Are you stupid? No you can't hire people! We don't need any more humans sniffing around here." His grip on her shoulders tightened. Any tighter and he might leave bruises. "You can shop, and...cook." That grip did get tighter. "And you won't badger any of the guests into doing your work for you. Understand? This is supposed to be our sanctuary away from disgusting humans." His eyes had narrowed and he was growling a bit. "There wouldn't be fights if idiots would listen to what I say. As for what I do, think of me as head of security." He let her go, and started to move away.

Bell nodded slightly at Usagi on his way towards his bedroom. That jingle of bells following his every movement was almost more than he could tolerate at the moment. He just wanted to lay in his bed and not move. He called over his shoulder as he moved towards his door. "If you need anything, human, don't even think of asking me."

Red had shrugged at Gwen's question. "....Yes..." He didn't seem too sure, but he also didn't seem unsure. He was frowning deeply and he shook his head slightly. "Something happen, can't protect Gwen here." It wasn't just Bell that Gwen could be in danger from now, now it was every non-human that was in this castle. And Cade. Though Red wasn't sure Cade would do anything, unless something crazy happened, but still. Gwen was surrounded by danger, and dangerously close to Red. Far closer than he would want her to be, he would hate to be the danger she needed protecting from. His fists clenched for a moment as he moved through the castle. Just walking with no real destination in mind, too much other things on his mind. He glanced over his shoulder to see if she was still following him.

He felt like he was dying. His stomach and head and spine were alight with a pain that was simultaneously frigid and hot. He gasped and panted, sitting up in the bed and clutching at his stomach and he could feel hot tears on his face.

Nate swung his legs off the bed and shakily stood.

He stumbled to the restroom, grabbing his pants along the way, slipping them on as he went. A few flies buzzed lazily on the door frame.

He pointedly ignored them.

He had no choice really. His vision was swimming as he splashed water on his face, wiping the sweat and tears off his face. That was a bad one. A really bad one. One of the worst nightmares he's had in years.

A sob escaped his lips and he gripped the sink to keep himself from full on crying.

The terror was abating as he moved back into the room proper, clutching head and rubbing his face. He stood in the center of the room, shoulders shaking and vision swimming. Teeth grinding

Terror faded. Anger began to take its place.

He let out a frustrated cry, flies darting off of him as he moved, foot slamming into the coffee table. It flipped, crashing against the stone floor and shattering. The lamp was next, the expensive looking item grabbed and thrown across the room. A frustrated cry became a scream of rage, fingers curling into the pillow (sweat stained and damp) he had been sleeping on moments before and tearing it open, spraying feathers all over the room as he raged, taking what he could get his hands on and throwing it, screaming and raging.

When he was done, his throat was raw and the room was a disaster. His shoulders heaved, breath leaving him in ragged gasps. His anger didn't vanish. It was smoldering, hot under his skin and writhing, like a mass of angry, black wasps.

She stepped quick to the vargulf's side and put a gentle hand on his arm. Gwen squeezed a bit, before letting her hand fall again. "Then I'll just figure something out." The young woman smiled. "I don't want to get you into trouble..." Not anymore then he was already in anyway. Gwen fell silent again, and instead of looking at the floor finally took the opportunity to see the castle.

They were walking by a wall of glass, and inside green bloomed and water ran. The young woman glanced at her friend before stepping into the room and marveling at what she saw. Soft lights illuminated the kois swimming in circles in the pond. She'd never seen anything like it, inside anyway. It almost made her forget what had happened earlier that evening.

She'd barely had time to glance at Usagi before Bell was pressing her against the wall. She absorbed the blow, though it wasn't so hard, as gracefully as she could as to not show any sort of weakness, though she was beginning to realize just how weak of a link humans were in the supernatural world. She'd bit her tongue, only frowning at his words. Of course she wasn't stupid! And she wasn't disgusting either. Katerina clenched her jaw. He was the idiot.

He was telling her it was her job to clean and cook, and his grip was tightening on her shoulders. She couldn't help but wince. Then, he was walking away. The sound of Bells was lost on Katerina. She reached up and rubbed at one of her shoulders. "I wouldn't dream of it!" she'd retorted as he got farther away. She glanced at Usagi with that scowl, though it wasn't meant for him. "He's impossible. He's ridiculous!" she began to rant. "I'm not disgusting, and I'm not an idiot!" she growled. "Who does he think he is treating people like that!" Her shoulders were already darkening in spots, and as her adrenaline wore off, they started to hurt.

Screams from somewhere on the second floor caused Katerina's anger to fade, and she glanced down the hall. What was that?

~~~*~~~*~~~

Cade wiped blood from his chin as he headed back towards his castle. He was merely strolling now, not in the hurry he'd been in before. His power reached out to the castle and while his expression remained indifferent, he felt anger, in two separate places. He was not surprised. His home was meant to be a refuge to all. That usually meant those running, hiding, lost, never anyone content and peaceful. All the more reason he pushed for that peace. He could sense one, clear to him, Bell. A smile tugged at one side of his lips. But the other, that man Nate.

He hurried back to castle now, movements too fast for human eyes. He let himself in the front door, where he stood and reassessed everyone's locations and demeanors. Immediately, in the blink of an eye, he was standing at Nate's door. He opened it. If it had been locked, the lock hadn't seemed to phase Cade in the least. He looked on at Nate in the middle of the room, expression still neutral before glancing around the room. "This was one of my best guest rooms," he said, sounding almost amused.

Cade knew Rose would not have been happy about this. But Katerina, he'd yet to meet. The human girl would certainly not be able to keep up her duties here. But Cade had known that from the beginning. He was eager to see what she would bring to the table here. But Bell had called her a hunter, and if she became a problem and a nuisance, well, he'd simply just eat her. He was contemplating that with Nate, at the moment. He slipped up beside Nate and snaked an arm around his shoulders.

"Tell me," he started in that low monotone voice of indifference. "What has gotten you so worked up, Nate?" He contemplated summoning Bell to handle this. But first, he wanted to hear Nate's story.

Nate didn't even acknowledge the other when he spoke, the only sign he even knew he was there a twitch of his shoulders and his head perking as noise hit his ears. Then there was a presence at his back, solid and real and cold as its arm slid over his shoulders and latched there.

A part of him, raging and fiery hot with static, wanted to attack, bite into the dead flesh of the arm and pull out a chunk. Another part, the part that still trembled and blanched at the vampire's presence stopped him.

It did not stop him from shrugging the arm off with a snarl.

"Fuckin' imaginary bullshit in my goddamn head that's what," he hissed, the sound low and hitching on a tattered throat. "Bad dreams and that stupid shit."

He lifted a hand to rub at his face, pausing to wave away the flies that were crawling over his fingers and buzzing along his face. He clicked his tongue before looking to the red-eyed man, looking him over with a look that could only be described as barely contained contempt.

"Why do you even fucking care?" he questioned, taking a step away out of instinct, just now remembering how close he was to the ancient vampire. To the creature that fed bad memories of tall trees and of dark things moving along cold autumn streets and of bloody puddles in old wooden floors.

His lip twitched and the static that had been building in his ears raised itself in volume and he had to concentrate to keep his vision from tunneling.

(I need to wake Shiki up XD what to do with him...)

Usagi remained quiet through most of the tour, paying attention to where they were going and details. His shadow spread out as they moved through different areas, taking in information as they passed. He did not speak through the tension of the other two, as long as they did not get out of hand, there was no need for him to interject.

The tour soon came to an end, and once more an argument began. He sighed slightly, seemed the two were not going to ever be able to go more than a few minutes without a fight. Bell was annoyed, that was clear, he was not happy about this at all. His way made the girl annoyed as well, which only made the cycle go in a circle.

Finally Bell was saying he was going, Usagi returning the slight nod to him, letting him be and go his own way. When he was gone, the girl began once more to speak seeming more annoyed by the moment still. He looked at her, taking a slight breath. "Seems you two are quite at odds indeed..." the sounds off within the castle made him pause. He then turned his attention back to Katerina.

"Try not to let it get to you...people get stuck in their ways, it is a habit that comes with life experiences.." he gently cupped her chin with his pointer finger and thumb, lifting it so their eyes met. "You can not force someone to change or accept things before they are ready....simply be you and if you will the bigger person. His attitude does not define you.." with that he let her go, turning to walk away himself down the hall.

Cade removed his arm slowly, as Nate shrugged him away, seemingly unphased by the action. So he was seeing things, and having bad dreams. He also seemed to attract an awful lot of flies. Cade's expression remained neutral at Nate's last words, and the vampire merely watching him for a long moment.

Faster than Nate would be able to follow, Cade advanced on him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the wall. His grip was tight around Nate's neck, painful. Nate's feet weren't touching the floor, and red eyes watched Nate almost curiously. "I care," he said finally, in that calm and monotone voice. "Considering you've destroyed my property, and seem to be lacking a great deal of respect."

He sent out a wave of power that caused every fly in the room to drop. Everyone in the castle would feel it, more than likely causing a fear and or anxiety among the supernatural of the mansion. "Tell me, Nate," he finally spat with irritation. "What are you exactly? Aside from a nuisance.... and I hope it's something special, because then I might let you live."

~~~*~~~*~~~

Katerina turned her attention half heartedly back to Usagi as he spoke to her again, still curious about that yelling. When he lifted her chin, she turned dark olive eyes onto his. In moments, he was walking away, leaving Katerina blinking after him quizzically. Eventually she sighed.

She hadn't heard anything else strange, so she contemplated what she wanted to do, and what she apparently needed to do. Her stomach grumbled and she glanced at her watch. She supposed dinner would be in order. Katerina groaned. How was she supposed to feed a group of supernatural beings? Would they all eat real food? She supposed she should just have lots of options, including rare meats. She sighed again. She wasn't really much of a cook. Oh well. She'd have to learn if she was going to stay here she supposed. Might as well be positive about it.

Katerina made her way down to the kitchen beside the dining hall. She washed her hands and began pulling food from the fridge and pantry. She was glad to find a few cook books, and was surprised and repulsed to find 'wine' in the cellar, that was really blood for the supernaturals who preferred the thicker substance. A few minutes later, Katerina had things sizzling on the stove and the oven pre-heating. She had cook books scattered around the kitchen with ingredients and dishes.

It looked like a complete mess, and Katerina whined when she dropped a bowl and it shattered across the floor. The guests here would be lucky if they got any food at all, much less something actually edible.

Nate didn't react, couldn't really. He was halfway through a blink when there was suddenly a hand, iron tight and holding him against the wall like he was nothing, pushed against his neck and clinching off his air with a pinch.

He gasped for a few moments, mouth opening and closing as he gasped, body wiggling as he gripped the wrist holding him so effortlessly. Eventually though he stopped, lowering his eyes to the red-eyed man. Breathing was hard, barely manageable.

He didn't answer the man's question, just blinked at him almost dumbly. What was he? Wasn't it obvious? Was this man so stupid? He was human...he had to be.

He opened his mouth to say something, to squeak a response of 'look at me dumb ass what do you think' when his vision spotted, vision blurring and the man in front of him warped. Red eyes became gray and the face aged considerably and Nate was left blinking into the face of the Ancient vampire who had burned Farefield to the ground.

He blinked at him, face going from annoyed and gasping for air to almost afraid before switching back to annoyed, lips twitching. His eyes started to dart around the room, watching as the walls peeled back and leaked...something that he was sure wasn't actually real. He was going loopy from the lack of oxygen.

Feelings began to mix, memories surfacing and playing and he could feel his chest hurting right where he knew it had been breached that night.

He looked back to the man holding him and his annoyed and scared expression melted, going numb as he stared back at his own face; severely marred and stained with something black that leaked out of his eyes, his nose, his ears and his eyes were so blood shot and pale and he could barely see his own pupils they were so small in his eyes, blood on his clothes and under his nails, skin gray and veins apparent.

But it was him. It was a strange and twisted version, but it was him. Greasy hair and all. Realization hit him like a truck and his numb expression became something like resignation; eyelids drooping and mouth forming a line, breath leaking from his nose in a slight huff.

Then the static changed and the red-eyed vampire was back. And Nate smiled, teeth showing, a chuckle growing in his throat.

He opened his mouth, moving his lips as if to say something. Only for the noise in his throat to hitch and for Nate's head to lash forward, a thick glob of spittle slapping against Cade's face with a disgusting splat.

He bobbed his head forward, smile twisting into an indignant grin. With a rasping and strained voice, he said only one thing;

"Fuck you."

((Nate, the King of Bad Decision Making. And strangely vague hallucinations. Basically Nate just fucking doesn't care anymore I guess the stupid sod.))

Bell had heard the scream from somewhere on the second floor, but he didn't care. When he reached his door, he shoved it opened, and then slammed it closed behind him. The jingling vampire went straight for his bed and fell face first on to it, eyes closed as he tried to clear his mind. Just lay there, unmoving and unthinking. The unmoving part was simple, he could do that for days upon days if he really wanted. The unthinking part was harder, all Bell did was think of all the things that annoyed him greatly. Humans in his castle. Well, it was Cade's castle, but Bell lived here too. He should have a say in who got to stay and who didn't, of course Bell didn't care who stayed here as long as they were not human.

A shiver raced down his spine. Cade was here, had released some power, Bell was glad it hadn't been directed at him. His eyes remained closed, and he remained unmoving but now he was thinking of marching right up to Cade and giving him a piece of his mind. The way that man ran this castle was not the way Bell would have run it if it were really his. The humans here ought to be killed immediately or something. Kept as blood dolls or just plain slaves. The vampire didn't get up from his bed, maybe later he'd give Cade a real piece of his mind, right now that would just take too much effort.


Red was frowning, he seemed to be doing that a lot. "Already in trouble." He muttered the words quietly, once Bell was done sulking or deciding on his punishment or whatever he was doing Red knew he'd be in big trouble. Then Gwen was moving away from him, into the sanctuary type area inside the castle. It was a nice place. The vargulf hesitated a few moments before he followed Gwen inside. Just as he stepped up next to her, he felt that power. A slight whimper escaped his throat and a tremble passed over his body for a moment. Cade had returned, and was clearly upset. Red wondered if the other was angry at Bell, it was a likely possibility.

The young woman shivered. It felt like someone had stuck a piece of ice down her back. Gwen shook her head and moved to the pond. She stuck her hand into the water, and watched as the koi fish gathered round, hoping for food. "It's about time for supper ... I could cook something for everyone. Maybe then they wouldn't be so angry to have me around." And she knew the vargulf liked her food. He'd wolfed it down earlier. That had been her supper, but she didn't mind cooking supper for everyone else and not eating anything.

Regan settled against the rich blankets with a sigh. The walls, flowered and metallic, reminded him of another time. The dark four poster bed, intricate in detail, made him feel at home. Just when he was about to take advantage of that feeling, laying back his head against the goose down pillows, a scream made him sit upright. The vampire swung to his feet and crossed his arms. He could go and see what had made Nate scream, or he could stay.

The sudden surge of shiver-worthy power decided Regan. He waltzed through the halls of the second floor and headed straight for Nate's room. Without knocking or announcing his presence, he stepped inside and surveyed the damage. The room was a mess, and so was Nate. There were dead flies scattered across the floor and where they had come from, Regan couldn't even guess.

Then there was the castle's apparent owner...

"What the hell's going on in here?" Blue eyes darted from one man to the other as Regan stepped forward.

Isabella, at this point, closed the door and put a finger to her chin.

"Hm should I look for more-"

The fairy's thought was interrupted by a wave of some sort. She could not identify what it was, but it sent a shiver to her spine. Her wings began to flutter a bit and goosebumps are beginning to form on her skin.

"What is going on?" she murmured.

The blonde was looking around curiously and noticed that the red-head from earlier came down the hall in went in a room. Then she heard the words he said.

"What the hell's going on in here?"

An expression of worry washed upon Isabella's face. Her footsteps began to head to the room, but she shook her head. She felt that it was not her business, so why get involved. Instead, she decided to get away from the general area. The blonde slowly walked down the stairs with a sigh.

Keira Heffernan

Appearance: Keira is a 23 year old, 6'3", shape-shifter/shaman. Her auburn hair is waist length with beads and feathers braided into it. Her normally hazel eyes will change color depending on the forces she works with. She has a bunch of piercings in her ears, a pierced left eyebrow, and snake bite piercings. She has tribal tattoos on her back and down her arms. She dresses in layers, usually baggy cargo pants, tank tops with cool designs on them, zip-up hoodies, boots, and a jacket if it's cold. She has a magpie named Bevan and a raccoon named Rowan that come with her where she goes.

Powers: As a shape-shifter, Keira can change shape into various animals when she feels the desire or need to.
As a shaman, she can manipulate nature a little. She gets along with and can communicate with animals. Mostly, she uses her power to heal others, and create herbal medicines.


Keira was wandering through the woods, gathering herbs and enjoying the scenery, when she broke through the foliage to see a green house, a hedge maze, and a flower garden behind a castle. She can sense a bunch of powerful beings inside. "What to do," she mumbles to herself. A magpie circles her head once before she raises her arm and it lands on it, and a raccoon climbs up out of her huge hiking backpack.

"You two watch my stuff," she says and the magpie flies off her arm and onto a nearby branch as she pulls off her backpack. She sets it and the raccoon down behind some bushes. "I'm gonna see what's in the castle. I'll come back in a little while." The magpie caws at her from her perch and the raccoon stands up on it's hind legs and chatters at her. She pauses in what she's doing and listens. "Nah," she responds with a grin. "I'll just shift into a cat and take a look. Everybody likes cats." The bird ruffles its feathers indignantly, and the raccoon growls for a moment. She pulls off her jacket and hoodie revealing tribal tattoos on her back and arms. "There's dangerous beings in there. I don't want you two getting hurt, or caught in something you cant handle, so I'm going alone."

She crouches down and shifts into a small, ginger, tabby cat. She wiggles out of the clothes on the ground and runs around the grounds to the front door. She looks around to see if anyone is looking before shifting back and cracking the door open. Keira shifts into the cat again and slinks through. Keira sniffed the air and caught a whiff of cooking food. she followed her nose to the kitchen to see a human standing over a broken bowl. She meowed, and moved forward to sniff the bowl. She sat before it and yowled again, swishing her tail behind her.

Instantly, Cade released Nate, grabbing one of his arms before the man's feet could even touch the ground as he snapped him to the side effortlessly. There was a sickening cracking sound as Nate's body continued spinning, while the arm Cade held remained behind him, in a disfigured angle. Cade used the arm to wipe the spit from his face, and red eyes turned on Regan.

"It is none of your concern," he said in that monotone and impassive voice. Cade didn't really seem bothered, he wasn't even trying very hard to harm Nate. The man was just so, fragile, compared to a being like himself. When his cheek was clean, he released Nate, though he used that power to keep the man frozen in place. No matter how he struggled or tried, he wouldn't be able to move. With just a tiny surge of that power, Cade could even stop Nate's breath.

Instead, he used it to toss the man aside, like a rag doll, though the debris of the room he had previously destroyed. Cade was too curious about this one, to kill him yet. And for that, Nate was lucky. Cade moved to exit the room casually. "Clean this mess up," he said, "It smells like dinner will be ready soon." That emotionless tone and expression was almost eerie, as always. He only paused momentarily beside Regan to send the man a sideways glance, and then in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

He was standing in Bell's room, watching the other. Bell wouldn't have even heard him enter. He shook his head at the purple haired vampire. Always so dramatic. "Nate," he said simply, to get Bell's attention. "He needs to be watched," he said passively. "He's destroyed one of our rooms, and he is quite disrespectful for being a guest in our home," Cade said, referring to the castle as theirs. He crossed the room to stand by Bell. It was probably quite surprising that Cade had let Nate live at all, but he didn't need to explain himself to anyone. Still, he seemed lost in thought for a moment longer than he would have liked.

Finally he turned away. "Dinner will be ready soon. Will you be joining us?" Cade asked. "Your best friend will be gracing us with her cooking skills," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. "We have another visitor," he added, picking up on the female who had entered. He was also quite surprised at the lack of common courtesy most of these creatures held. Didn't anyone knock anymore?

~~~*~~~*~~~

In the kitchen, Katerina huffed, staring down at the broken dish with a large wooden spoon in her hand. She was wearing an apron, messy as it had become, and had something smeared over her cheek. She looked completely out of her comfort zone. Cooking was obviously not her thing. She turned her head left and right, searching for a broom when she heard a small meow.

Katerina looked down to see a little ginger cat. "Oh," she said, kneeling down to blink dark olive eyes owlishly at the animal. "I didn't know there were any pets here," she said in that light Romanian accent. She reached out to scratch the cat behind the ears, and smiled. "You're cute," she said. "Are you hungry?" She stood and moved to the stove to take the lid off of a large pot. She stirred at it and smelled it, and grimaced. "I don't think any of this is actually edible," she mumbled to the cat.

The girl sighed. "It's not really my day," she said. "Your friends here are a little out of sorts," she said, assuming the cat already lived in the castle. "I don't know how Rose kept up with this place. I'll never be able to do it on my own," she groaned. Then, she blinked at the cat again for a moment. "I'm talking to a cat," she whispered. She must be out of sorts herself.

Eyes closed, and Bell had finally begun to just relax. Though he was still thinking of Cade, or rather, of how to word exactly what he wanted to say to Cade, when that very man said something from within his room. Those eyes snapped open and Bell sat up with a cacophony of jingling bells, a sound that made Bell grimace at himself. Startled. That Cade. He could sneak up on someone looking right at him if he wanted. Bell's lips turned down into a frown. "It's your own fault, letting humans stay here." When Cade called Katerina his best friend, Bell grimaced again. "She's the stupidest human, and the most dangerous. She's got weapons, she'll probably kill us when we sleep." He was scowling, almost pouting.

"And something should be done about Red's new friend. It's not good for him to spend so much time with a human." Bitterness and a bit of jealousy was in that voice now. Bell stood, his eyes on Cade. "It isn't fair to the rest of us, some of us are here to escape humans, not get all buddy-buddy with them. They'll take everything from us if given half the chance and you're welcoming them in with open arms." Barely controlled anger was bubbling up now. "And to answer your question. No. I won't be joining you and your human friends for dinner. Neither will Red, I'm taking him out to hunt tonight." Bell turned away from Cade, moving across the room for a change of clothing. All he was wearing at the moment was pants.


Red shook his head slightly, he didn't really think cooking for a vampire was the way to make friends with them. Especially Bell. "Someone already cook." He had sniffed the air lightly, catching the scents of something cooking. He couldn't quite identify what it was. Did it matter if it was edible or not? Other than Gwen and Katerina, the vargulf wasn't sure how many of the rest would even eat cooked food. He would occasionally, but for the most part he preferred to hunt his own dinners. Still was something unidentifiable by his nose alright for the others to eat? "Maybe Gwen help in kitchen?" His nose wrinkled slightly, and he made a face. "It not smell good."

It was a blur for Nate, the world spinning and cracking as the red eyed man dropped and spun him around by his arm. He wished he could say he didn't scream. But he did, loud and cracking as his throat shredded further. It was shrill and laced thickly with pain.

His fingers twitched sickly as Cade wiped his face with it, the arm itself twisted and ugly from the brutal abuse. He was panting heavily when his wrist was released, left to be held there by that unseen power. He barely registered Regan's presence, the ringing in his ears and the pain in his arms tightening his awareness to his body and his pain alone.

When he was thrown, tossed aside like a piece of meat, he didn't scream. He slid, rolling through feathers and ruined furniture before he came to a stop with a thud and a squelch against the far wall.

He lay there, breathing wetly as his body shuddered and spasmed with pain. He watched numbly as Cade left, eyes sliding over to Regan when the older vampire stopped next to him.

He thought he saw something else near Regan, cold to look at with a void for a face. He swore he could hear it laughing.

A cough racked his body, drawing his attention away from the man he had come to intimately know, forcing him to concentrate on the painful heat in his mouth and in his back and consuming his arm (broken and bent the hand should not be facing that way). Blood was leaking out of his mouth, thick and sticky and bubbling with each breath.

He must have bitten through his tongue. He wheezed as he lay there, listening to the rushing blood pounding in his head and the distant not-laugh of the void-face thing that had vanished from Regan's side, if it was ever really there at all.

Through the pain and the blood in his mouth, he felt his lips curl upward and his eyelids begin to droop. It took him a very long time to realize the not-laugh was coming out of his throat, wet and choppy and filled with thick fluid.

Usagi had returned to his room for a bit, unpacking his bags a bit. Since he was going to be staying awhile, might as well. He would have other things brought in as he needed them. So much was going on, the shadows were a buzz with activity. He placed a hand to his head with a sigh, flipping himself off from them for now. His own shadow becoming little more than a mere circle around his feet. Thank god for learning to control them. When he had first been starting out, he could not flip it off, so it would have been unbearable. He looks at the door for a moment. Placing a book on the bed, he moved over to the door now, opening it. He thought about going back to the library later, so that he could begin finding something to read other than the book he had brought with him.

He walked along, as he got closer to the stairs, the smell caught his nose. He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of disgust crossing his fae. What was going on? He shook his head, moving down them, his curiosity perked. Moving to the kitchen, he saw Katarina and some feline. His eyes moving over it, it seemed that it was not what it seemed. He did not say anything, catching the end of her words. "Perhaps I may be of assistance...if it is allowed" he says, Cade having not given him really any direction or orders for their agreement of him remaining here and working for and with him. He walked over, kneeling to pick up pieces of the broken bowl. He tossed them into the trash, before turning to look back at her once more and the cat. "Another set of hands is useful, if I am able to help, you merely need to ask" he gave a warm smile.

_____________________

Shiki stirred, he had been resting for a bit now. Rolling over to his back, he placed an arm over his eyes. For a moment he laid there. The scent reaching his nose a bit later though made him frown. Blood. He glanced down at the door, wondering for a moment what was up. Slowly pushing himself up, he figured he shouldn't lounge around forever. He was slightly thinking of looking for that man again. The one who had spoken to him earlier, the vampire. He had known what he was, he wanted to know bluntly if it would be a problem. The other had told him to mind his manners, but that did not tell his feelings on the matter of what Shiki was. Many had mixed feelings, and he wanted to know if this man's was going to lead to trouble for him.

Standing from the bed, he walked to the door. He ran a hand through his hair, yawning a bit as he stepped out into the hall. Where to find him? He sighed, oh well. If he ran into him, he ran into him, he was not going to hunt the man down. It would not be to hard for him though. The second smell to reach him was of....was that supposed to be food? He glanced down the hall, scowling a bit. Smelled more like someone was burning something. He covered his mouth and nose for a moment with a hand. It was times like this that heightened senses could be a burden. Ugh, he shook his head, before slipping his hands into his pockets and walking down the hall.

Keira thought it odd that there was at least one human in this house when she could definitely sense vampires, but let it go for now. She heard a scream faintly and twitched her ear toward it. When the new guy walked through th door and offered to help cook, she gave him a sniff and trotted out in the direction she heard the noise. She could faintly smell blood and followed her nose toward it. She darted up the stairs and down a hall to an open door to see the situation in the room. The unconscious man on the floor looked like he needed immediate help. She looked from him to the vampire for a moment before thinking, 'to hell with it.' She dashed over to the man on the ground and shifted back into a human, choosing to ignore her nudity for the moment. She checked him over and places her hands on either side of his head. She closes her eyes and a soft green glow envelopes him as she works to heal his injuries.

Gwen nodded and pushed up her sleeves. "Of course." She liked cooking, and she was relatively good at it too. "I just hope nothing catches fire before I get there." The brunette smiled a bit at that, and walked faster. It was really more of an almost jog, and explained why suddenly she was standing at the kitchen.

She eyed the big pot, and looked between Katerina and the stranger. "Hey I was wondering, do you need help in here? I can cook. Just ask Red." She looked around for the redhead. Without him around, she knew she'd fall into a panicked mess.

Regan stepped into the room the moment Cade had wakled past. The other vampire exuded the kind of power that warned anyone away from angering him, except Nate apparently. He shook his head as he knelt at the other man's side.

Ignoring the blood for now and the woman, Regan lifted Nate up and adjusted his neck to try and help him breathe better. Then the vampire busied himself with rigging a splint for Nate's arm. He ignored whatever curses or pain filled noises the other man made as he worked. Once that was done, he turned to Nate's mouth and used his fingers to delve inside and find out why there was so much blood. That really should have been the first thing he'd looked at, but ... he was flustered and not thinking quite straight. It had been such a long time since he'd been around to see anyone he'd spent some time romping with get hurt.

When he figured out it was the type of wound his saliva could help with, Regan spit on his fingers and rubbed the wound with it carefully. "You're an idiot. Don't you know when not to get someone angry?" Regan let out a frustrated sigh.

When he noticed the glow the woman created, he was suspicious. The vampire watched, wary of any ill results o her actions.

Nate's body was pliant as he was manhandled, awareness distant as his arm was rearranged and his mouth probed. His breathing was a hissing mess as everything swum past, wet and hot in his throat even as his tongue tried to knit itself back together.

Through the spittle and blood still leaking out his mouth, a black substance joined in, hot and sticky and almost like tar. Dark rivulets in the deep red behind his lips.

He let out a hitching not chuckle as the other berated him, his lips twisting into the facade of a smile. "Hhhh...hhh-ad t' h-appen...." he hitched, voice catching on his shredded throat and mangled tongue.

It was when he finished, when he closed his eyes and leaned back his head because sleep kind of sounded nice, that he felt hands on his head. Soft and delicate and calloused on the fingers.

His eyes cracked open and he just stared at the rather naked woman. Something stirred in his chest as she touched him, concentrating on something. He would realize later it was agitation.

Now he only knew that it caused some sort of sickly glow that seemed to do only that; glow. Something shifted in his arm, bone trying to snap back in place, twitching in his flesh and caused him to wince and hiss sickly in pain.

(Nate's Beat Up Slur Translation: 'Had to happen.')

Keira heard a hiss of pain and sent a calming wave through the injured man to dull the pain. She made sure to check for internal injuries and heal those before she pulled back her hands with a sigh and the green glow faded. She opened eyes that were fading from a glowing green to her normal hazel. She smiled down at her patient and remembered she was naked with a man in her lap. She blushed and looked around grabbing a torn bead spread off the floor to hurriedly cover herself. She looks between the two males. "So.... do people get injured here often?"

Deep red eyes watched Bell with amusement, as they usually did. When Bell was done, Cade merely replied, "I like humans, Bell." As if he really needed to explain himself. Cade hadn't always liked humans, he had gone through spells of hatred and spells where he couldn't care either way. But at some point, something, or someone rather, had changed that.

"You're stronger than any human," he continued passively. "And with no offense meant to our newest housekeeper, I don't think she's a very good hunter." He paused for a long moment. "I hope she's better at house keeping," he mused. Though by the smell of dinner, the girl wasn't good at much of anything, so far.

After another moment, Cade cocked a half smile. "Are you afraid Bell?" he asked, suddenly beside the purple haired vampire. "Don't worry," he said, caressing Bell's jaw with a gentle thumb. "I'll protect you," he whispered, that hint of amusement lingering in his voice, teasing.

He stepped back then. "If you wish to ditch dinner," he said, voice and expression unreadable once again, "fine. But I've instated a new rule," he said as he headed for the door. "No more feeding from the village," he said simply. "That goes for everyone here. The villagers are becoming wary. The last thing I need is a crowd at my door with torches and pitchforks. Do you understand Bell?"

Cade didn't even wait for Bell to respond. He'd opened the door, and in the next moment, he'd simply vanished.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Katerina blinked owlishly as the cat sped away. She turned to look at the stove. "It... doesn't smell that bad... does it?" Then Usagi was entering the kitchen and offering to help. If she's been any less of a person she'd have thrown herself around his ankles and cried in joy. "Usagi, yes!" she said, sounding exasperated. Then Gwen was entering. Tears really filled her eyes then. "You guys," she started. "You're lifesavers."

She waved her wooden spoon towards the stove and oven. "I have, no clue what I'm doing," she admitted. The kitchen was a disaster. "But, I can learn?" she questioned at Gwen. Perhaps she could take some notes while Gwen worked. If she was going to have to do this more often than not, she had to start learning sometime. If she was really lucky, maybe Gwen would just volunteer for that portion of the job.

When Gwen started towards the kitchen, Red began to follow her. Quietly, but rather content. He was doing his best to not think about Bell, or how the vampire would punish him. When they entered the kitchen, Red gagged slightly and whined softly. The smell was much worse in here than it had been in other parts of the castle, but that should've been expected. When Gwen said she was a good cook, Red nodded a bit to agree.

Soon though that kitchen door was opening, and in stepped Bell. Red tensed for a moment, then relaxed. The vampire didn't look angry, and even the sound of his movements hadn't sound furious. That bell sound, it had a way of telling what kind of mood Bell was in, if one knew what to listen for. He seemed annoyed, but that was nothing unusual. Red watched him, a bit uncertainly.

Bell was pulling a shirt out to wear, more or less only half listening to the other, when he suddenly found Cade right next to him. He turned towards the older vampire, anger flashing in his eyes for being called 'afraid'. Before he could respond, Cade was caressing his jaw with a thumb. He shivered and made no response. That man's touch, Bell loved it and hated it all at the same time. He couldn't resist Cade and the other knew it. Then Cade was moving away, and mentioning some new rule.

It irritated Bell, this was a great set up. Meal was two seconds down the road, and now they were forbidden from eating at the all you can eat buffet. Bell understood the need for the precaution, he really did, but that didn't make it any less annoying. Of course, Cade was gone before he could reply. "Fine! Be that way, you jerk." He halfheartedly shouted the words at the empty space where Cade had been.

A few moments later, Bell was fully dressed. A black t-shirt with some metal band logo on the front of it, and black jeans that seemed almost a little too tight for him. Leaving nothing to the imagination. He was stepping into the kitchen and grimacing at the scent. "Tch. Even I know how to cook." He glared at the humans, though a bit more animosity seemed to be aimed at Gwen than at Katerina. He glanced at Red, but for the most part he glared at Gwen. "Red, here boy!" Bell gave a slight whistle, as if he were calling a dog. Though, technically he was, the vampire turned on his heel and exited the kitchen. Red had seemed to perk up visibly when Bell called to him and whistled, the vargulf was practically bounding as he moved to follow the vampire.

Regan kept his eyes on the other man, keeping watch and politely away from the woman's nakedness. It wasn't that he didn't want to look, it was simply so rude he didn't even consider it. "I have no idea how things usually are. I've only just arrived." He nodded at Nate. "And I think he has too."

Nate was going to need another shower. The man just attracted dirt, grime and blood like a magnet drew metal. He smoothed some of the man's hair from his face absentmindedly. "So what brings you both here?" He looked at Nate, and the woman too now that she was covered.

She clamped her lips shut to stop from saying something horrible. Instead, Gwen walked forward and grabbed the pot by the handles. She made a face as she walked to the trash, and dumped it all inside. The same fate awaited the things in the oven. "I think I should take care of the cooking from here on." She went looking around the kitchen, and had her back turned when Bell walked inside.

Gwen had a plan in mind when she saw Bell for the first time, saw Red waltz off to follow the vampire. She took a deep breath and clapped her hands. "Katerina, could you wash the dishes? And ... " Gwen couldn't put a name to Usagi. "Would you mind peeling about a dozen potatoes, and cubing them?"
She took a deep breath and tilted her head towards Bell and Red. "You guys culd show us where all the food is. We don't know, really."

((Right, I hope my post is okay.))

Cade had beat Bell to the kitchen and was standing at the door to the cellar, going unnoticed, easily. Katerina had nodded to Gwen, "Dishes, right. Easy peasy. Anyone can do dishes." And the olive eyed girl was washing. Finally he stepped out of the doorway and into the kitchen as Bell exited. He slipped an arm around Gwen's shoulders, surely startling her as he had gone unseen.

The deep red eyed man steered her out of the kitchen behind Bell and Red who had just exited. "Bell," he said, waiting for the vampire to turn around. Cade's eyes shimmered with amusement. "Take Gwen with you," he said, refraining from smiling, though he wanted to. This would surely get under Bell's skin, and Cade loved doing that.

"It's only fair that she learns how things work around here, how her newest and best friend hunts, don't you agree?" He was absolutely not up for disagreement, and the power surge he sent towards Bell would make sure the purple haired vampire knew so. "Go on Gwen," he said, gently ushering her towards Bell and Red. "I'll help Katerina and Usagi in the kitchen," he said in that unreadable tone.

As he turned to go back into the kitchen, he winked at Bell. "Happy hunting," he mused.

Usagi gave a light smile to Katerina, watching her for a moment. Then the other female entered the room, and she was giving out orders. He raised an eyebrow when the words were directed at him. "Usagi" he said, giving her his first name before nodding to the slight order. He was not sure if he should be listening to her at the moment, but he did not desire to begin an argument. His eyes then turned to look at Bell and his wolf for a moment as they made their exchange of words.

For a moment he pondered saying something, but the other seemed to be annoyed enough as it was. Having himself closed off for the moment from the shadows within the house, he did not sense Cade there or coming. His eyes flickering over as he heard his voice by the door. He watched it for a moment, before turning his attention away and back to the task at hand. Potaoes were easy enough to handle as well, so he would have no problem dealing with them.

____________________

Shiki moved along, unsure of where to head, or where to find this man. He sighed, slowly decending the steps. His eyes on the room around him, there was not much to look at at the moment. No one was around, which was fine with him. His eyes flickered towards the kitchen's direction. He caught the scent of that man from earlier...the vampire. He began to head there, needing to speak to him as well anyways. However, neither were much for words, so it might have been harder than he thought.

He sighed, pausing though after a moment just inside the hall. He frowned, hearing another voice. The other scent reaching him. It was that man,...the one who had engaged him on the stairs before. He was telling the vampire to take someone with him, and happy hunting. He then vanished into the kitchen. He looked at Bell for a moment, remaining where he was. They were planning something...wernt they.