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Post by jarahamee on Jan 30, 2018 20:55:03 GMT -6
The small stairwell to the coffee shop was covered with half-melted, mostly trampled sleet. An inviting winter sign hung over the door. Ru was not sure if he found it inviting or just the smallest bit gross to have so much trampled slush in his proximity, after having spent over a year in relative solitude. Being out in public, and not hunting, was new to him, and he looked forward to relaxing and not worrying about feeding. Indeed for the first time in a very long time, in more ways than just in a cup, Ru was full.
His feeding had not been pleasant. It was cold and the familiar feeling of warmth, life and a heart's blood pumping was all but gone, but the feeling of fullness and strength remained. He would need to feed more often to become stronger, but he was also not entirely sure he wanted to become a strong vampire. What would all of that mean? To be able to fight? To have powers? He did enjoy shape-shifting to bat so that he could fly, and becoming a shadow to slide under doors. This was something he found inherently pleasing, but otherwise, otherwise, he could have lived without being immortal. It was all water under the bridge now, in any case.
He pushed the door open, and walked inside. Some of the people within gave him a good stare. He had to admit, he was different-looking. Wearing a fitted black suit, with patented leather shoes and slicked back blond hair. He probably looked like he was either going to a late night Opera, or he was out getting a date somewhere. In truth, he was doing neither; these were the clothes he had taken with him when he fled his Masters' demise. His pale hands were gloved and folded one over the other.
Ru walked to the front, pasted all the people trying or not trying to hide their stares, and ordered himself a black coffee. The smallest edges of nervousness crept back into him as he felt all the eyes upon him. He ordered black coffee and stared at the cakes with longing. He knew that he would never be able to eat them again, but they sure did look pretty. He then scooted to the side to wait for it to be done, and studied the people around him.
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Post by kilnarak on Jan 31, 2018 3:35:34 GMT -6
It had been a long day and half the night before Ari was free to head home. Most nights lately he would hurry back, the dark streets making him uncomfortable. Nearing three months later, he was finally beginning to get over that, to function normally again. He wasn't comfortable on the city streets at night, but he was more confident in his spells to keep him unnoticed and hidden from potential threats. Tonight he was comfortable enough to make a stop on the way - it would make him later in getting home, but a warm drink would be nice on this cold night, and maybe he would get a danish too... They'd be cheap, probably, since they'd be a day old... Maybe he would get a couple, and bring them back to the Bunker.
He was careful not to slip on the icy snow-stuff on the stairs up to the coffee shop, half hopping over it to reach the doormat in front and wiping his feet before entering. A wreath of bells was hung on the door, and they jingled as he opened it and stepped inside, bringing a quirk of a smile to his lips with the pleasing sound. It was warm inside too, though not enough to be stifling, and that was nice too after the cold night outside.
He quickly trotted forward into the line, seeing that it was fairly short, and found himself behind a skinny, fancily dressed blonde man. His aesthetic was nice - eye-catching - and Ari wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off something like that on the day-to-day. He just wasn't that cool. It wasn't long before the man stepped forward to order, and once he was done it was Ari's turn. He stepped up to the counter and offered the girl behind the counter a quick smile. "Hi. Uh. I think... that hot peppermint mocha? And um. Three of those danishes? The cheese ones? It's fine that they're not fresh..."
He paid, then accepted his paper bag of danishes before he stepped aside to wait for his drink to be done. He was pocketing the change and not really watching where he was going. He didn't realize the pretty fancygoth was right in front of him until he walked into the man's shoulder. It was only a little bump, but it startled him and he stepped back quickly, already flushing with embarrassment. "Shit! Uh! Sorry! I wasn't looking..."
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 31, 2018 13:55:44 GMT -6
Ru was handed his coffee the moment before he noticed the man on the trajectory to bump into him. Admittedly, he noticed long before it happened, but like most people who observe situations but play no part, he simply allowed the collision, wondering if it would actually occur somewhere in the slower parts of his brain. The vampire's shoulder was well-hidden in the pad of his jacket and took the impact well, pushing his body forward. He changed coffee hands as his brain unhelpfully told him 'this might spill.'
It did not. Ru focused on the person who bumped into him, and realized this being was not a human like the others here in the shop, but was also quite alive. Definitely not a vampire. He studied them with sudden focus, his greyish-blue eyes lighting up, and he tucked his free arm into his jacket. A super, but one that he did not think meant him any harm. From his previous experience, that was a rather rare occurrence. He eyed the creature, but had no clues as to its talents. Instead of fretting for once, he focused on the power of possibility, and smiled just a little.
"...Don't worry about it.. It's nothing. Are you ok?"
The young vampire stood there watching the shapeshifter, unsure what to do next. His inherent social awkwardness was shining through again, he knew, but there was nothing to do about it now. Though his outfit was meticulous, he seemed just the slightest bit submissive in his body language as he tried to assess the damage without being overly obvious about it. Ru looked down at his feet as he awaited their reply.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 1, 2018 19:27:19 GMT -6
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm glad it didn't spill!" Ari smiled back at the man nervously, taking another half-step back.
"Oh, but... you're okay too, right? I mean, I don't think I hit you that hard and nothing spilled so... Uh. I mean sorry, still. I... I should have watched where I was going. It's just... late, you know? I guess maybe I'm tired or something..." He caught himself, realizing he was pretty much babbling, and awkwardly glanced aside, combing his fingers back through his hair. "Sorry," he mumbled again, flustered.
He was glad that they called for him at the counter, and he offered the fancy-dressed pretty-man an awkward little wave before hurrying to the counter to get his drink. He was so... bad at this, ugh.
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 2, 2018 21:27:22 GMT -6
Ru smiles at Ari. This was a polite young super, whoever they happened to be. Perhaps...perhaps they would like to become friends. Or maybe this person just wanted to be out of their way. He had a hard time telling the difference sometimes, but he had decided, maybe they could strike up some conversation. He switched hands and carried his coffee towards Ari, carrying himself on several broad steps towards them. He had made his decision now, and he was going to follow through with it.
"...Nothing to be sorry about. I'm Ru. Do you come here often?"
He neglected to say, this was the first time he had ever been to this coffee shop. He had been visiting all of them to see if he could pick out a favorite, but so far, nothing had illuminated itself to him. This place was nice, the coffee was acceptable, but there was perhaps something else he would have preferred. Or maybe the baked goods could have been a little prettier, but that was not a big factor to him anymore since he could not eat them any longer. Instead he poked his gloved fingers together and his mouth formed a thoughtful line.
"I am pretty new to the city, I'm just trying to become...more familiar with local places."
He smiles just a little awkwardly. Putting himself out there was a new experience for him, but he needed some friends. He wanted to do things right, if he could.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 2, 2018 22:47:41 GMT -6
Ari was a little surprised that the other man followed him when he went to get his coffee. He took a sip of the minty-chocolate drink, glancing up curiously at the other man as he introduced himself. When he lowered his drink he offered a smile, briefly flashing his teeth.
"Glad, then. It's uh, nice to meet you, Ru. I'm Ari. And... well not too often, but I stop in sometimes on my way home. I liked the name," he chuckled a little, then after a moment's thought, lead them over to one of the little tables to sit. He had meant to head right home with his coffee but... well, he could afford to hang out a little while. He set the bag of pastries on the table and cupped his hands around the thick paper cup the coffee was in, enjoying the heat of it on his hands.
"New here, huh? I've um. Been here a couple years now? I think it's been that long. It's... It's a nice city. It's a little weird sometimes, but uh... well I guess I don't regret coming here." He glanced down at his cup, absently rubbing at the waxed paper. Certainly, he didn't regret having met Marchelute... and Raine... and Sarkany... and Cyren, and Vik, and... Well. He regretted having met Malthiel a little, sometimes - or at least regretted how he had met the Boss. He fidgeted with the drink a moment, thinking, then glanced up abruptly. "Oh, uh, sorry. I zoned out. Um. What do you think so far?"
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 2, 2018 23:32:18 GMT -6
"Thank you. I uh.." He paused and tried not to say I named myself and instead smiled and fought back the sensation of a blush. Even though he was unable to form one, he still felt it somewhere in his mind. He looked down at the other and eyed their sharp teeth for a moment before settling down. He then took a drink from his own coffee, his very sharp white teeth flashing for just a moment. His pale, well-shaped lips did not leave any waxy smudge on the lid of the coffee. He was, in fact, quite clean-smelling and appearing, with very little oil.
"I like it. It's...peaceful and nice. Different, but I don't know if that's just me, or something else."
Ru leaned forward and looked into the hole in his coffee, as if trying to stare into it like a mirror. He was not sure what he thought of anything city-related just yet. Everything was so new here. If anything, he found it all very different. It was a safer-feeling city, with less outward hostility, but was that because this was the truth? Or was it because he was finally free of the grasp of other vampires? He did not know.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 4, 2018 0:21:51 GMT -6
Ari blinked as the other man thanked him, a little confused a moment until he realized: Ru had thought he meant his name, though he had actually meant the name of the coffeeshop. That was... well... it was an interesting name! but... well, it was a bit more forward than he intended to be. His cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment, but he didn't correct the other man, instead nodding a touch nervously. He glanced down, taking another drink of his coffee to hide his blush.
"Mm. It uh. Usually is. Peaceful, I mean," he trailed off a little uncertainly. It was peaceful... at least when there weren't strange organizations hunting his mate, or weird soul-scarring nightmares... He fidgeted a little, took another drink, then glanced up. "Where uh, where are you staying? I used to live... well, near that big park in central?" In that big park in central... "I... live out near the woods now, though... but uh. I know a couple good places to eat. Cheap, right? But still tasty. There's this Thai place that's really good..."
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 4, 2018 22:46:43 GMT -6
Ru looked at Ari thoughtfully, and thought absently I wish I could still eat as he listened to the other man talk about his favorite place. It wasn't very often he had strange young men asking him so many questions, but maybe that was to his benefit today. He was not really allowed to socialize as a vampire before, so now he had the time and space to do this with Ari. And Ari seemed really nice! He read the flushes and the embarrassed body language, but he did not know what they were worried about. They had been perfectly friendly and kind this entire time. What could he do to ease their worry?
"Since...I'm new, would you mind showing me around?"
He asks, settling down next to Ari. He had a friend in Officer Telmore, but that was more of a professional relationship between the two of them. Though he felt...optimistic about the bond between the two of them, he could not say he had the feeling of invitation into Telmore's private life. But this was something else, a friendship between two normal people. And he had to say, he kind of liked it. It was...something new and rather pleasant.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 5, 2018 17:54:26 GMT -6
"Oh! Uh. Yeah, I guess I could. It's a little late though, probably a lot of places are closed... But uh, some might still be open..." Ari glanced aside at the other man, smiling slightly, then he busied himself with finishing off his coffee. He still had the bag of treats but... they'd be okay for a while, right? So long as he didn't squish them or forget them somewhere...
"There'd probably be more places open during the day, you know? But uh. The mall might still be open for a little while more... And there's some clubs downtown..."
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 6, 2018 2:00:25 GMT -6
Ru got up carefully and seemed excited at the prospect of a new friend. He even smiled a little bit; though the expression looked a little awkward, it also seemed at home on his features. He curled his arms across his body, holding the warm coffee close to his heart. He was almost finished with it, and it was just about the limit as to what sorts of things were just non-food-like enough for him to ingest. Now if he wanted to feel the sensation of drinking coffee, he would have to feed from someone who had just had a drink. He was not willing to break all the rules just yet.
When Ari said that most things would be open during the day, he looked a little bashful. If he could, he might blush, but right now, he simply looked a little awkward. He simply does not seem to be sure that he could say what he wanted to tell Ari. He paused, trying to decide whether he should trust him or not, and then settled on a thought. If this was a deal-breaker, then he was sure, the rest of his existence was going to be as well.
"Well uh, I can't be awake during the day, but I can do whatever at night. If you...feel up to a mall. Or uh, a nightclub, we can go. I haven't really been to any nightclubs for a long time."
His awkwardness returned full force, and he stared into his coffee again, this time, straight down into his own arms. The vampire did look very...well, vampire but maybe he was just very into the Gothic subculture thing. He had the thought: Maybe he was just overly obvious, but it had worked for him when he had to rely on hunting and feeding on his own. Maybe he should try something else. He frowned.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 6, 2018 23:16:09 GMT -6
Ari glanced up at Ru as the other man stood up and... all but hugged his coffee to his chest, smiling as if he had just been given a gift. It was a little odd but... well, it wasn't too odd considering the other sorts here - and Ru seemed rather benign. Besides, it wasn't like he was especially good at this 'social' thing either. He offered a little smile up at the other man, then got up as well, slipping out of his seat and stretching.
"Oh? Uh, well okay." Ru's sleep schedule was a little odd, although his brain didn't immediately scream 'vampire' at the thought. The Boss wasn't a 'daytime' person either, and he wasn't a vampire (though he employed them). Maybe Ru had a night job? But he said he could do 'whatever' at night so... that didn't sound like he had a job. Ari shrugged a little. "Which do you feel more like? It'll be a little bit of a walk either way... Lucid and REM are close. They've got food, and also a club for dancing and stuff." He had just come from there but... well. If they went there, maybe he could bum a free drink off of one of the bar-staff.
"Well while you decide, uh. I'm gonna step out a minute. I should call home and... you know, tell them I'll probably be late." He offered Ru a smile and a pat on the arm, then took his bag of pastries and stepped out the door. He shivered a little - the coffeeshop had been warm, but it was cold outside - and he took out his cell to dial the bunker. He shifted his grip on the phone as he heard it pick up on the other end. "Hey, um. I picked you up some sweets," he smiled as he spoke. "Yeah. But... I'm gonna be a little late. I met a... a friend, so we're gonna hang out a little while. Yeah, it's fine. You'd know if it wasn't. I just wanted to tell you... Mm. Ah. L-Love you too..." He still blushed a little when he said it, and immediately felt embarrassed for blushing at a voice on the phone. When it clicked, he turned off the screen and put it away, then glanced back inside and waved to Ru to show he was done with his call.
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 7, 2018 2:33:44 GMT -6
Ru waited as Ari placed his call, shifting his feet ever so slightly, looking rather like some kind of strange bird, or perhaps a bat, with his streamlined figure and flowing sleeves and tailcoat. His shoes shined brightly like beetles even in the poor lighting of the coffee house, and the yellowish tint made his skin look more sallow than it likely actually was, but either way, his skin and hair seemed to blend together in a pale blur. His eyes were not particularly dark but they were darker enough to be distinct in his elegant features. When he noticed the wave, he waved back and stepped outside to meet Ari with a few strides.
He stepped in close to talk, but kept a distance of a few feet between the two of them.
"If you have a preference, I will be happy to go. I don't mind a walk. It is nice to walk around late sometimes."
Ru seemed a little dreamy as he spoke of the night walks. There was a strange sense that perhaps previously he did not have the freedom to walk around alone at night. He did not seem to be uncomfortable at the idea of the cold, and this street was reasonably safe for humans, not to mention other supers. The vampire took another sip of his coffee, and seems to savor the taste, taking in the feeling of warmth as if he could absorb it through his skin and clothes.
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Post by kilnarak on Feb 8, 2018 3:51:27 GMT -6
Ari crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his fingers under them to conserve heat. He smiled at Ru when the other man stepped out, then indicated with his chin which direction they were walking in.
"I don't really have a preference but... I mean, we can head to Lucid or REM. They'll be open later, anyway. With my luck, the mall would be closing right as we got there." He flashed his teeth in a quirk of a smile, glancing from Ru to the sidewalk ahead. He wasn't too worried by the dark - at least not in this part of the city. It was away from the brightly lit streets where things could get dangerous.
"So uh. Mm. Where are you from? Since you said you just got here?" Ari glanced aside at Ru a moment, taking in the other's cool pallor on the cold night. Wasn't he cold? But he didn't seem it. Ari sniffed and freed a hand to quickly swipe his cold-flushed nose before hiding his fingers under his arm again.
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 10, 2018 3:39:30 GMT -6
Ru seemed to read the gesture easily and joined Ari, trying to match his stride with his own. Despite being of similar height, his lanky build seemed to lead to him needing fewer strides to cross the same swath of space. Like someone unused to safety, he stared out into the night, alert but thankfully not actively afraid. He did not seem cold in the least. Though he was wearing several layers, it was a very cold night.
"Maybe Lucid?"
He offers, not sure about the mall right now either. If it was closing, he was not sure if he would like to see it. He was not sure about the bar either but he did want to do something at least a little social with this possible new friend. He wondered if other supers were out there hunting in the darkness. He chose not to think about it too hard.
"I came from two cities over, in South Key. I uh...traveled by taxi but I was not sure where I was going. I did not have a cellphone."
He sighs and plays with his pocket. It was a good thing to think about getting next but maybe it would have to be a simple cellphone for the time being. He didn't know if he could afford a cellplan with data, and he wasn't sure long-term how he would be able to afford anything. He looked at Ari, the fellow looked happy enough, and seemed to be enjoying his company.
"What do you like to do for fun?"
The question seemed more sincere than loaded.
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