The worried look on Axelia's face brought an amused expression onto his own. Aro's grin widened when the girl laughed. That sound was so pure, unburdened by self-conscious worries or doubts. Well, maybe more self-conscious now. Oh, yes. There was the blush. The two of them met gazes.

Mathys didn't worry about what was going through the Moon Guardian's mind. Instead, he merely inspected the way her cheeks and neck lit up with a flush of pink. It was cute. The women on Mars didn't go for the "cute" look, so this was a welcome change. Axelia was obviously no warrior, and that put her in a whole new light. It was a different way of viewing a female, really. Instead of viewing a woman as a challenge, or an obstacle to either avoid or overcome, Aro could see this lovely creature as something else. Axelia was sweet, where Mars women were not. She was dainty, and small - quite the opposite of his own people! Not to mention, her feminine features stood out more than the women on his home planet....

Aro blinked himself back to the present when Axelia extended a hand to help him up. He almost laughed. Noticeably. Reaching up to accept the offered hand, the guardian allowed the "lesson" to be taught. There was no way in all the planets that Axelia would have been able to help Aro to his feet unless he REALLY tried to get up without help.

With a slight grin, his hand engulfed Axelia's - and then a light tug brought her down beside him, nearly forcing her to tumble over him in the process. This time, Mathys DID laugh. Always the troublemaker, he was.

"Like I want voices in my head," he said with a sigh, finally sitting up. Aro stood, and offered a hand of his own to help Axelia to her feet. "They'd better have a silent setting."

Unaware of his feline stalker, Aro glanced toward Crim's door. Mercury's guardian had arrived while Axelia had been talking. Slightly narrowing his eyes in the other male's direction, Mathys sobered slightly. "We should get your friend's attention. Don't want to keep all of his guests waiting."

((I can have Aro notice the cat, if you'd like. haha, I figured he shouldn't ... but might if he weren't distracted by little Axel. ;)))
-

Blood. It stained his hands, and was spreading from the still form before him. Dimly, Cer could recognize the alley from the night before. Dimly, he could hear Ren calling for him. Instead of backing away, the guardian of Venus found himself standing still. The dead human was staring blankly back at him, his face contorted in agony.

This death wasn't natural. This death was full of hatred and pain. As Ceridan tried to pull his hand away, the dead man reached out to grasp his wrist. Gold eyes widened as Cer felt his heart quicken. Unnatural. The man's lips moved as though to speak, but he rasped painfully instead.

He felt it. Ceridan could feel the emotion and hurt in this creature. It burned him like frost would, spreading from the touch and through his arm and shoulder. It hurt.

Cer's gold eyes couldn't leave the dead man's face. Not even when the creature suddenly began to laugh ... and certainly not when the man crushed the guardian's wrist with such incredible force, it semed to shatter.

Ceridan didn't MEAN to wake up as forcefully as he did. It was the dream. It was always the dreams. Emotion lashed from him, spreading through the house like a brush of frostbite without leaving a trace behind. He was the source of a mental and emotional storm, and it was getting the best of him. Gold eyes scanned the lavish room quickly, seeking signs of trouble.

As unsettled as he was, it wasn't even a possibility to reign his emotion in as he left the room. Cer didn't look twice before leaving the guest room behind and stepping into the kitchen. It was calmer there; more soothing. The guardian looked like his hackles were up, if he'd had any. Even worse were the flits of emotion that spread through the house like wave after wave of winter air.

Leaning against the nearest counter, Cer wrapped his arms about him and shuddered. Was it cold? It felt cold suddenly. With another shiver, the youth glanced around. It was difficult to send out the pulse that would alert him to the others' presences. Where were Ren and Rune? Sleeping still?
-

This was what she was meant to kill?

Vi watched in silence as two companions ate and drank on the other side of the glass. "Death" had been watching for a few minutes now. She'd been drawn by their presence - it was how they moved, how they walked ... and how they felt. There was an underlying current with them that was dead within the humans. Like an extra bit of glow to a candle, perhaps.

Leliana's lavender eyes stayed locked on Vetra and Ger'Jar, unblinking as she observed them. She could kill them both. Vi could send a volley of blades through the glass, shattering it and sending everyone into a panic. The sounds of their screams would fill the morning air, and Vi would savor the fresh scent of blood.

But it was foolish. She could only see two unusual people. She wasn't even sure if they were Guardians or not. Vi grunted in irritation, a faint clicking under her cloak showing her agitation. It took a bit of concentration and will to calm herself. The woman slowly stepped away from the window, backing off until she could sit at the bench. She looked strange here on Earth. Her cloak and hood were too suspicious, and made her stand out. That was made obvious when a child and her frightened mother stepped past, entering the food supplier's building.

Vi's lavender eyes narrowed. She needed to get out of sight. The sun was making her too obvious, and it was starting to hurt her eyes. Standing, the Union death-dealer slipped into the shadows of the building. This wasn't the place for her attack. Not yet. Not so soon.

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