"Being one of a kind isn't so nice as one would think," Gabriel mused. "I imagine life is boring and lonely is it not?" He was very curiously watching her and the faint look of surprise in her eyes. He wasn't sure quite how to ask though without overly prying so he said nothing.

"Oh, that's… interesting," she replied, taking her order from the counter as it came up, and taking a sip from the espresso. Oh, and it was good. Small talk was never easy, least of all when she wasn't quite awake yet. "I wish I could teach my boss a bit about managing a database. We get things done, but the filing system…" Granted, she was no expert herself, but going digital was an ongoing project fueled by instruction books and a measure of desperation.

That's when she noticed her fangs. They were delicate, needle-sharp teeth, gently curved and not particularly huge or menacing. But they were definitely there, where her human canines should have been. The legs came naturally enough, but not the solid tongue or the human dentition. If he'd noticed the lapse, there was nothing for it, and he clearly wasn't mundane, but she took a moment to focus, bringing back what she'd be wearing for the rest of her working day.

Zaria shrugged, "I don't mind actually, I have my family and I'm not an outcast for being different. It just makes adventures into life a bit more fun since I'm no tsure which nature will be stronger..." she was still looking at him trying to figure out why a dragon would not invoke her blood lust, everything evoked her bloodlust.

Tait blinking noticing the woman fangs, 'vampire?' he though mentally though not sure, her graceful movement certainly didn't belong with a vampire. He didn't say anything to her about it though. Though he was sure his facial expression had probably given away that he had seen it. He grinned at her, "Programming isn't too hard once you know the basics, I could show you and your boss sometime if you like. Where do you work?"

"Hm," Gabriel said. "Then you are lucky. I have not seen another like me in some time. I'd go visit my parents, but these days, its hard to fly long distance without anyone noticing a large dragon." He had been born overseas in one of the less populated parts of the world where mountains and flowing rivers were the norm. He often wondered why he left. Dragon nature to fly the nest he supposed. "you are acting strangely," he finally said with a sigh. It was a rather blunt thing to say, but he was frankly curious.

"I think it's mostly because I just don't care," Zaria said, shrugging. "As long as I can be entertained by something, I'm good." She looked at him and nodded, "I know I am," she stepped moving them farther away from people, "It's just I've never encountered a being that didn't activate my blood lust with their scent, yet you don't."

Damn. He'd seen the fangs, that much was clear. On the other hand, he'd said nothing. Which was good, because Anya was an amateur when it came to anything but the most basic hypnosis. She could do power of suggestion, but beyond that… Well, that was cobra territory, especially with other arcanes.

"Just a few blocks away, on Chestnut," she replied, immediately kicking herself for giving the street name, thankful she'd left out the actual address. "What is your consulting fee? We may need to take you up on that." Another sip of the espresso. Was it almost gone already? She had half a mind to get back in line and order another before getting to work. There was still a bit of time for that. She checked her teeth again. Normal teeth, solid tongue. Good.

It seemed like it would be another sleepless day, as the headache didn't allow sleep to come, and Maximillian, restless as he was, got up and tore through his house. He needed to find something, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he put it. It had been years since he'd seen the book, and of course it had never been put back in the library. A heavy sigh escaped the man as he sunk down in a huge leather chair, rubbing his temples. "Damn, I ought to give that hippie a piece of my mind..." he grumbled. As he had been laying in bed, he had contemplated the idea that those green monsters, the ones he caught on all his various cameras, had to be the work of the hippie. He was always making strange creatures, so it wouldn't surprise him. But this was too far, he didn't have time for all this mess.

"You really think that he did it? I mean, sure, he's made some crazy things, but those... they're just chaos." The voice came from behind him, and Maxmillian grimaced as Johnson moved closer, the heels of polished loafers clicking on the marble floors, echoing through the library. "I think you know better than that, Maxi. You just want them to be his problem." Johnson continued as he sat down in the chair across from Max. The man had to be in his early 30's, older than Maximillian, with a natural tan, and brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. His eyes were a dull grey, and his features sharp, he looked human enough, but he exuded something... inhuman.

"I don't have time for all your crazy theories, about the underworld sending forth demons and what not. They're just another stupid creature created by that damned hippie. And I'm going to go have a talk with him about all this nonsense." With that, Max stood up, making his way to his room to straight his clothes, buttoning just three buttons on his shirt, rolling up the sleeve just three times, and all of the other various routines, in just three times. He made it seem natural, but to him, if he didn't do it, he simply wouldn't be able to make it through the day. It had become second nature, living with being obsessive compulsive, though one day it would be his downfall, as if something didn't go right, he wouldn't be able to function.

With his routine done he made his way down the corridor, glancing at the packaging that the hippie had sent over. He grabbed it, wondering if it would really work. He had tested other things that the hippie sent over, and they didn't kill him, they actually worked, so he took it upon himself to try them, perhaps this headache would finally go away. Hopefully this didn't kill him. Putting on his sunglasses, before the daylight made things any worse, he opened the door. The sun still made him wince, and he contemplated going back inside, but... there was so much to get done. And none of it could be done until those imps were taken care of. Feeling rather lazy he cut across his yard, walking through the well manicured lawn, and working around the bushes, then it was just a matter of making it through the crazy garden on the other side.

Gabriel walked with Zaria, staying close still. "I suppose that would be very strange," he said, even more curious now. "Dragons are born of ancient magic, half of which has been forgotten, so who knows the reason." He also wondered if this whole conversation was just a way of entertainment for her. He was one to believe that everything was for a reason, and entertainment wasn't much of a reason in his opinion.

By the time Ted's neighbor finally, after all this time, made an appearance, the letter had been repurposed as mulch and the hippie unicorn was kneeling among his technicolored lettuce patch, gently relocating insect pests. He'd grown a better home for them elsewhere. No pesticides on his farm. It was organic, after all, and trendy local restaurants paid top dollar for it. Which, naturally, went right back into saving and diversifying the earth. It was a living.

He rolled back into a crouch, and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead using the hem of his baggy tie-dyed t-shirt. The day was early, but he could already tell it would be a hot one. Come midday he'd be working in the relative shade of his orchard, if all went well.

The dog would have left the jam, a brilliant swirl of purple and glow-in-the-dark blue, on Max's doorstop not so long ago. Ted wondered if he'd tried it already, and then realized he'd neglected to send a loaf of homemade flax bread along with it. Farkleberries went well with flax bread. They had a sort of magical synergy. Besides, Ted had made that bread the night before. Totally fresh!

Ted didn't sleep much, really.

He stood up as Max loomed, his long hair swinging in a messy ponytail over his shoulder. "Hey, man, good to see you! How long has it been? Dude, you have to get out in the sunshine, you know that? It's good for you! Hey, did the painkillers work out for you? All organic, no additives. I mean, you hole yourself up in that fort of yours, you have to be in pain, right? If not, it's a good trip, anyway. Not addictive, though, I wouldn't poison you, man. So, dude, you're Max, right? I'm Ted, it's great to finally meet you in person!" He offered one grimy, soil-caked hand for a shake.

Tait looked at the woman before him wrestling with his nice personality and common sense. "How about I give you my business card and let you have your boss or you call in? I can't quote directly." Tait said, as he pulled out his business card,"I'm Tait by the way."

"You don't understand how odd it is. I've never been around any who I didn't want to drink their blood. It makes for very uncomfortalbe conversation unless you are around another vampire." Zaria shrugged, "Humans are the worse." The way she said humans was with absolute disgust, "For such annoying creatures, they have such tantalizing blood."

Gabriel frowned. He was rather fond of humans. they were chaotic at times, but they had an amazing potential to do good. and they were unpredictable rather than boring like some other arcane species. "Perhaps it is fate," he said simply. "Though I can hardly agree on your opinion of humans. I take it you only like them as food." This time he was the one sounding a bit disgusted though he wasn't as blatant about it as Zaria.

Zaria looked at him strangely about the fate thing but said nothing. She was silent for a moment before she said, "No I don't really like humans." she said, softly, "They are rather droll and insipid if you ask me. So I guess you could say they are purely a food source. Though I don't drink from them often, it's hard to explain and they don't always take to the vampire mind-control. I actually try to stick to animals... "

Bright colors hide bitter poisons, was the mantra that echoed in the back of her mind as she too accepted the card. It was less a hard and fast rule -- there were exceptions all over the place -- than a reminder to be wary of the surface. Great beauty and charisma could so easily be a trap. Or a warning, if you knew what to look for. Anya wasn't sure that this was either, but, well, step with caution when bright colors find themselves in your path. She would know.

A telltale hint of salt had entered his personal bouquet in any case. Subtle, and difficult to fake though the presence of nerves could also mean multiple things. They couldn't stand here all day, though, while the world flew by and the coffee gradually got cold.

"Thank you, Tait. I'll call you later, if I get a chance. Oh, and, um, Anya. Nice to meet you." She shifted her drinks to one hand and offered the other for a shake. It was a business connection, nothing more, not a trap. Right?

Tait took her hand and shook it, smiling cordially the whole time. He then picked up his order and began to walk out the door. A little bit disappointed that he couldn't figure out what Anya was, he figured she was probably a rare type. He turned back still smiling his typical friendly smile, "It was nice meeting you, I hope to hear from you later."

Gabriel wondered just what about his statement had gotten him that look from Zaria. He decided she probably didn't believe in fate. He only thought about it for a split second. the conversation was coming easy so he could talk even when thinking. "Oh, they are hardly dull! Humans are always doing the unexpected. I'd almost think that bipolar is in their nature because of their chaotic nature...and yet, they can be incredibly orderly. You just have to know where to look." He was however, very happy to hear she typically drank animal blood. it seemed so much less harmful. he knew he shouldn't care less about the animals world than humans, but it was true. he did.

"It was nice to meet you, too, Tait. I'll call," replied Anya, friendly but carefully neutral, and wished she knew what he was. And whether she could trust him. Naga weren't terribly rare among the Arcane community, but they weren't terribly magical either, not like some. And they generally made a habit of keeping their heads down, following the rules and staying out of trouble. It wasn't always easy, or even possible, just necessary for the survival of the species. Granted, they had more to fear from the Mundanes, but ancient habits were hard to break.

In a fast, rather sinuous motion Anya reached the door before Tait, and opened it for him. His hands were full, and she had much less to manage. And hopefully things would be less awkward that way, considering they'd be walking in the same general direction for a short distance. Assuming the address on the business card was correct, at least.

Zaria gaped at him for a second, "But they have no magic! And they always seem to be busy just worrying about nothing. Seems a stressful way to live to me." She noticed his appreciative look when she said she she drank from animals and grinned at him. "Yeah I may be me, but I still just feel weird drinking from other humanoids. I blame the elf in me."

Tait grinned at her and walked out the door and was pleased to see a surprising lack of people on the road, good he could ask. "So this may be rude, but I was wondering you are obviously not mundane, I saw your fangs earlier and you move so un-human like." He grinned at her, "I'm Arcane as well, a dreamwalker, though an outcast of my people." Tait seriously hoped she wasn't offended by his question, he was just so curious.

Oh, so it wasn't just the fangs, then. Anya sighed a little as they strolled. Fangs could be hidden, but the supernatural sense of balance was harder to conceal. Some of her people hid it better than others, and clearly she needed to seek one them out for lessons. She considered lying, but a Dreamwalker... She'd heard stories, horror mostly. (Not that she wasn't a creature out of a horror in some circles.) He'd be able to get into her head, anyway, wouldn't he? See through whatever tale she chose to concoct. The subconscious could not lie.

She kept her voice low, in case of passing Mundanes. "Naga. Eastern Coral. I hope the fangs didn't..." If they had, this conversation would not be happening, she reminded herself, and shook her head. "They like to, um, reassert themselves when-"

The ground shook. Hard. The noise of the explosion came from some blocks behind them, beyond the coffee shop, and traveled like a shockwave past them. Anya reflexively grabbed Tait's shoulder, not to steady herself but him and his burden. "What in..." Her fangs were back, and she flicked her tongue, long and forked now because he knew and nobody else on the street was paying attention to her. Yes, the blast had definitely come from behind, but the couldn't taste any trace of explosives or gunpowder in the air. Just the faint, lingering scent of scorched zucchini.

Heather was still smiling when she heard the explosion. She could see Samuel standing by the oak in the middle of the park, he looked troubled. She sprinted towards him yelling his name, when he eventually heard her across the wide expanse of the sports field he looked up, rather surprised. "Sam, did you hear that?!" Heather cried out when she got to him, he stepped back slightly, startled by Heather's urgency. "I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, unless you count that huge truck that went past about a minute ago... Man, that was loud!" He said, a slight hint of impatience in his voice. "Hetty, calm down." Hetty was his pet name for her since Grade 5 when nicknames were cool, Heather was a hard one to shorten but they eventually worked around it. Heather grabbed Samuel's shoulders and stared him in the eye, "That was no truck Sam, I was on the road a minute ago." she said, realisation dawning on Samuel's face "Wait... What? Oh God!" he cried, grabbing Heathers hand and running towards the road, "Which way?" he asked, and they started running towards the coffee shop.

"you don't look hard enough!" Gabriel insisted some more to Zaria. "Human's aren't magical, but that's what makes them so different." He didn't have time to respond to her other statement, though he would love to continue this talk later, because he heard a faint booming sound. He paused in their slow walk and turned to face the sound, still not quite sure what it was. He hoped Zaria with her elf side would be able to tell exactly what it was. by now they had walked a decent ways away from the shop area and were nearing a neighborhood district. "Hey, do you hear that?"

Tait was intrigued by the fact that she was a nage, and was about to ask her more about that, along with make sure she didn't judge him by the horror stories of his people, but as soon as he opened his mouth he heard a loud explosion, which caused him to jump slightly, then he felt her hand on his arm and jumped a bit more. He looked at her, "What was that?!"

Zaria didn't exactly agree with what Gabriel was saying but before she could say anything she heard a pretty loud explosion that caused her elf ears to twitch. Her heightened vampire nose twitch and she made a confused face, "Burnt Zucchini?" she asked, "I'm not entirely sure what that was."

Gabriel frowned. "Burnt food? that's....odd. do you think something bad has happened?" he asked Zaria nervously. He was staring into the distance, suddenly afraid that others might be in danger and it was just unthinkable to ignore such a thing. He didn't know if Zaria cared, but he did. He took a step towards the direction the sound had come from. "I think we should go investigate.

Zaria nodded her head and wrinkled her nose, "That's what it smells like." she looked at Gabriel and raised an eyebrow, "Why go check, what is their problem is their problem." Though she had to admit she was intrigued enough by this dragon man that if he went, she'd follow just out of curiousity.

Anya flicked her tongue again, just to be sure of the direction the blast had come from. It still tasted vegetable. "I don't know! A restaurant? Are you okay?" Not that he seemed fragile, but it seemed like the thing to ask. People were milling out onto the sidewalks, and sirens were quickly drawing close. There would probably be bomb squads. Feds, even.

She pulled out her cell phone, flipped it open, and dialed. "Hi, this is Anya… Yeah, there was some sort of explosion. I'm fine… Are you sure? Okay, I won't take long. Your coffee… Right. Microwave. See you soon." Her boss, who delighted in looking into things, wanted to know what was going on just as much as anyone else, but had too much work to leave. So she could be his eyes and ears this morning. And tongue, but he didn't need to know that.

Speaking of which, normal 100% human? Check. She glanced over at Tait. "So, want to check it out?"

Tait raised an eyebrow at Anya with her question, "I'm fine, are you?" He looked over at her and nodded, "Yeah I'd like to check it out, I want to make sure no one is injured." He then looked at the coffee in his hands and sighed, "But I realy need to get this to my work..." he trailed off, conflicted.