Faith, Trust, and Pixie Blood (1+1)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jude pulled the smaller person into a spin; it wasn't difficult. Jude wasn't exactly the bulkiest rockstar on the block - actually, being the only literal rock star on the block, it was possible - but he was weightier than Sansa, at least.

The music was easy to get into; the blessing of house music was that the beat varied, but remained constant and steady enough that one didn't really have to pay terribly close attention to avoid looking like a fool. The dance floor was not terribly far removed from the bar, but the acoustics were set up so that it was still significantly louder there. The bass pounded through the air with strength that was nearly tangible, and despite the club being booked privately, was still relatively crowded with friends, crew, and the family, friends, girl/boyfriends, dealers, and occasional spouses of all the above. Mainly so long as nobody got arrested and didn't put his manager in a pissy mood with PR-fixing, Jude was never terribly concerned about who got into these things.

Sansa, despite being as intoxicated as he was if not a little more, was a decent dancer, and the pair easily settled into a rhythm, Jude playing the proverbial frame to her whirling dervish of a picture.

Personal space was tacked under the bass line on the list of things Jude really couldn't be bothered to pay a lot of attention to, especially when she smelled so fucking good.

He wasn't especially thirsty, but he could practically see the veins below her translucent skin, and when a bit of her hair brushed his cheek in a turn, he felt the way he remembered feeling before he was turned, and there was a bakery on the end of the street where he grew up, and he would walk in the door just as the rolls were coming out of the oven when the air was warm and the aroma of fresh bread filled the shop.
 
San followed him out onto the dance floor quickly, having to focus on her steps due to her fuzziness. She was about to do something she wouldn't normally do. Her sense of panic was gone, and instead, she was in a club dancing with some guy. Marissa wasn't too far off, her friend flirting with other members of the band, then being taken to the floor to dance as well. But her mind wasn't focused on her. No, it was focused on Jude and the way he moved.

She, herself, was a pro at dancing. Countless years of ballet, belly dance, hell, even a few aerial silks classes here and there made her incredibly light on her feet. But she was sloppy in her intoxication, which still meant she was better than most of the girls here. It was sloppy for her. She spun once, her chestnut locks tapping him gently before she faced him once again.

Green eyes fell upon his and the girl took a step back, looking around the club. Her dancing got slower as her body began to burn the alcohol off, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, the whole place seemed too tight, too cramped.
"I need some air."
She said to him, body turning and making her way through the crowd.
 
Jude nodded, wobbling a bit as much from the alcohol as the sudden cessation of rhythm. He watched her slim figure weave away as the crowd closed around her.

Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he found the air felt rather cold - or maybe just empty. God damn that girl had an aroma he could live on, if only there wasn't so much perfume and club smell and alcohol in the way of it.

Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he ambled off in the same direction, breaking through the crowd a minute later and finding the sloshed girl taking deep breaths in the coat room. She was leant against the wall, whether for balance or relaxation he wasn't sure, but he favoured the first.

"You doing all right?" he asked, swallowing past his own dizziness. She muttered something that sounded sarcastic, waving him off. He focused his gaze on her face; she looked pale, even compared to earlier. Her eyes were glazed, she was breathing as if it were important.

"She have a coat?" he asked over his shoulder. The bored looking young man behind the coat check counter glanced at him through his spectacles. There was no recognition on his face. Well, twenty-something male geek was not really his demographic.

"She left a bag." he said, returning his gaze downward. Probably a phone or something on his lap.

"Could I see it?" Jude asked, irritated at having to.

"Nope." he said slowly, not bothering to look up this time.

"I just want to see her address so I can drop her home." Jude argued, turning to face him and striding forward one long step to press his hands down on the counter, as much for intimidation as stability.

The Bored Rude Geeky Twenty-Something clerk cast a long glance up and down the buzzed rockstar before heaving an annoyed sigh and slouching his way to the line of hanging bags and garments. He returned with a small bag, thin and feminine-looking. He put it down on the counter, staring at Jude's face as if weighing whether he gave zero or negative five fucks whether the blond deviant grabbed it and ran.

Jude opened it up far enough to see what seemed like the world's thinnest plastic wallet; one of those card-holder things. The topmost card was photo ID. He had to squint to make out the address, but the street was familiar to him.

"Bruce!" he hollered, replacing the card in the bag and looping it over Sansa's worryingly-co-operative shoulder.

"BRUCE!" he reiterated, hollering into the club. Tyrell poked his way in, stumbling as if the crowd had expelled him forcefully.

"What're you yelling about?" the angular manager asked, raising an eyebrow as he took in the scene.

"Get Bruce I'm going home."

"It's barely one."

"I'm going home and I'm dropping her off on my way, get Bruce."

"Bruce went home after driving you here; I'll get Leslie."

"Don't like Leslie." Jude observed, leaning against the wall next to Sansa, the wood obstinate against the back of his head as he closed his eyes briefly. "Always leering when he thinks I'm not looking."

Tyrell had already disappeared throgh the doorway. A moment later Leslie strode through, and Jude followed, looping his arm under Sansa's shoudlers. She mumbled something offended-sounding, but seemed more sleepy than sick, which put him a bit at ease.

"Oh, Tyrell! Hey Boss!"

The man appeared like magic. Had to ask him how he did that; he was supposed to be the supernatural one.

"Her friend, the um-" Jude snapped his fingers twice in the air, as if flicking away the wrong words

"The ginger, fuck, what-"

"You want her to come along?" He was going to fire him if he kept up that attitude; he could practically taste the smirk in his voice. No he wasn't, the man was too good.

"Yeah."

"She disappeared a while ago; with your stage manager I believe."

Jude laughed, picturing it. Well. Greg would take care of her. For him though, an excuse to call it early, go home, watch some TV and pass out by himself for a change was attractive.

Of course he'd mourn the loss of that scent the second she was out of the car.

The drive was relaxing, and the hum of the motor nearly put him under. They pulled over on the street in front of Sansa's house; a nice enough looking place from what he could see, which wasn't much. Leslie took a break from uneccessary rearview-mirror glances to start to get out, Jude told him to stay.

He pushed the door open with his boot, having unlatched it, and walked around, appreciating the warmth of an early September evening as he pulled open the door on Sansa's side. He looped his arm under her shoulders, and together they walked - well, he walked. Well, he made his way, to the door. He rapped twice, waiting anxiously. She didn't weigh much, but he wasn't brawny at the best of times and drinking always made his muscles sore at a point. Besides, holding her up like this, her head was tipped back, stargazing, and he could see her pulse throbbing in the smooth space of neck under her jaw.

He gulped, ringing the bell. Nothing.

There was nothing in the mailbox, and it took some maneuvering, but once he managed to lift the rug, a familiar bronze gleam revealed a key rewarded his efforts. The door swung open; it was as dark inside as it was silent. Sansa seemed to have regained some life on her native soil. He released a good part of the support on his arm as she looked around and took an unsteady step inside, leaning against the wall and pulling at her shoes. She wobbled.

"Can I come in?"

She looked at him, impossibly bright eyes gleaming, seeming to gather up what drops of moonlight made it past the awning and concentrate them in two pools on her face.

"What?"

"Can I come in. Not to stay."

She shrugged, which was good enough, and he stepped in as she kicked off her other shoe and headed for a doorway within arm's reach of the entrance.

An electric light switched on and she seemed to cringe at its intrusion as she headed toward a cupboard, pulling it open with a bit more force than necessary and reaching greedily for a bottle of familiar clear fluid near the top.

"Not so quick" he checked, grasping her wrist gently and closing the cupboard despite the burning stare and scorching obscenities she muttered as he tugged her away.

She wouldn't tell him where her room was, and he didn't feel like trying to explain his chaste intentions in asking; he was too drunk to articulate and she too much so to be convinced anyway. In fact the second she seemed to realise his proximity she jumped back as if she'd been pricked.

A couch was easy enough to find though, as was sitting her down on it. Settled on the cushions, she leaned against the armrest, tucking her feet up under her and wrapping one arm against a bright green, squashy-looking pillow. There was a throw cover on the back of the couch, he pulled it over her as her eyes closed.

Straightening, Jude looked around the dark room. His vision was blurred, but fortunately the lack of lighting was not an issue. One of the few-and-far-between perks of his condition.

The living room was connected to the kitchen, and while he tried to keep snooping to a minimum, it took a few cupboards before he found a tall plastic tumbler and filled it with tapwater, leaving it on the end table within her slender arm's reach. As he set the drink down, her arm fell from the pillow listlessly, hanging out over the small space between couch and floor, palm upward.

wrist upward.

He swallowed, running his tongue over his suddenly very dry lips.



"Home. Now." Jude ordered, scooting into the backseat and lying across it, not bothering with a seatbelt. Lelsie pealed off into the street. Bruce would have made him buckle up. Maybe he didn't hate Leslie quite so much.


At home, Jude didn't bother with any semblance of dignity, pulling off his boots and leaving them directly in front of the door, and peeling off the rest of his clothes down to his shorts on the way to his room, leaving them wherever they fell. He landed on the bed face-first, the fabric-softener-scented sheets greeting him coldly. It must be later than he thought, the heat was off already.

He set his phone down on the nightside, groping for the charger. Its light was entirely too strong to be justifiable, but he squinted at it, scrolling his way through messages until he found Wayne's number. Wayne the stage manager. Wayne the one Sansa's friend had gone off with

Hye boss plz make sure 2 get ur new 'friend" s # 4 me

He looked tiredly at his typing. Whatever, he couldn't be bothered with spelling at this point. One edit needed though;

Hye boss plz make sure 2 get ur new 'friend" s home # 4 me

Sending the message into the ether, he let his heavy eyelids shut, and was dead to the world for the next nine hours.
 
Last edited:
San tried her best to get to where she needed without any interruption. The drunkness was nearly gone; the buzz that fogged her brain and blurred her eyes was only barely there. But a night of being on high alert, of trying to drown out what was going on in front of her, of dancing with the enemy left her exhausted. She was detached from the Earth, much too long for her. The energy simply wasn't there. She couldn't absorb anything through this concrete floor and thick soles of her heels. But right now, she was mainly claustrophobic. Her back hurt because of the wings that remained pressed against them painfully. It had been too long since they were let out.

When Jude entered in the room behind her, the fae groaned at the question, responding with a sarcastic 'better than ever!' and waving her hand in his direction. Hopefully he'd leave. But then again, maybe he'd ask the dork behind the desk for her things. Glowing green eyes cast up in his direction from under her lashes as she leaned against the wall, supporting her petite frame with one arm while the other played with the hooks at the front of her corset. It would be simple. Just unhook them and fly away.

But it wasn't that simple. It was never that simple. Especially when vampires were involved.

The exchange between the boy and Jude made Sansa smirk, trying her hardest to breathe deeply and evenly. But yet again, that stupid corset. Why had she let Marissa convince her this thing was a good idea, again?

When the young man finally scoffed, rolled his eyes, and retireved his bag, San could do nothing but sit there and watch as the vampire pulled out her I.D., inspecting it, then putting it back. His raised voice made her head hurt when he called out to someone, and the face that appeared then suddenly disappeared again meant nothing to her. When a familiar cold arm looped around her again, San attempted some kind of sarcastic comment. But it came out without much emotion. Which didn't even matter any more.

The ride was quiet, which the fae was thankful for. She wasn't much in the mood for talking. Just sleep. Maybe a little bit of moon bathing. She had work tomorrow, and without absorbing some sort of energy, San would be more useless than wet bread. Of course, the moon would probably end up turning her hair a little silver, along with the gold in her eyes.

As the vehicle came to a halt, Sansa turned her head to watch the rockstar exit on his side and appear on her own side. His arm once again hooked around her, warmer than he had been. Or maybe she was just a little bit cooler. That was a possibly. Her kind were like flowers. They would wither and die without the necessary ingredients. AS the two moved across the yard, she reached a hand out and brushed her fingertips across the bushes and trees that surrounded her home, inhaling sharply each time at the sudden rush of energy that rippled through her body with the little bit of contact.

As Jude moved about trying to find a key, Sansa stood leaning against the doorframe, eyes closed with her head resting against the wood. Eventually, though, the familiar sound of a door unlocking echoed through her ears, and with a sigh, she stepped over the threshold, tugging at the shoes that constricted her feet. As one fell to the floor, she stumbled, ready to close the door on the vampire that stood, watching her.

"Can I come in?" She heard the voice, but didn't seem to register the words as her glowing green eyes fell upon his. Come inside? Was he serious? Or did she not hear him right?

"What?" He took a breath, and spoke again.

"Can I come in." He started. "Not to stay." So then why did he want to come in? To eat her? To pounce on her and drain her of every drop of blood in her body? Or maybe just to make sure she was okay? He had driven her all this way without trying anything. Shrugging, the faery stepped to the side and let him enter.

The home was pretty plain. The furniture was comfortable, a large L-shaped couch in the living room. The walls were filled with pictures, butterflies of all shapes and sizes on display for the world to see. Different ferns sat around in random spots, giving the home a jungle vibe, exotic flowers and various foliage. Finally, Sansa moved into the kitchen, blinded by the light that suddenly filled her eyes. Lips moved to silently form an 'ow,' but of course, nothing came out. If he was going to stay, then she needed a drink, but as he hand grabbed for the liquid, she felt his skin around her wrist, taking a moment to register how close he was. Her voice spoke irritatingly, glaring at the vampire as he pulled her, trying to get away from his grasp. Not that it was a tight one, of course. But when he jumped back, he let go.

After a quick discussion that went 'where's your room?' 'I don't have one,' he sat her down on the couch, legs moving under her and her head leaning gently against the armrest. She was tired. That much was easy to see. Sansa listened to his footsteps, moving this way and that through her home, and for a moment, her brain nearly shut down, arms relaxing and falling against the floor. But as the door shut, the faery leaned up suddenly, looking around. A glass sat on the coffee table, the only reminder she had that Jude the vampire rockstar had been in her home. She had survived the night.

Sansa moved quickly to the window, looking out just in time to see a pair of tail lights disappearing around the bend. With a groan, the faery's fingers moved, unhooking the corset and letting it fall to the floor. As the large iridescent things unfurled behind her, San released a breath of relief, hands clasped in front of her, covering her exposed chest from the darkness. She pulled off the rest of her clothes as she made her way to the door, looking around the outside world before emerging into the night. Wings fluttered out around her as she stepped into the moonlight, absorbing the energy as her bare feet dug into the tall grass. Laying down, Sansa closed her eyes and fell asleep.

---------------------------

"Miss Ravenwood, what happened to your hair?" A small child looked up at her curiously, hand moving to play with the silver strands. She'd slept a bit too long in the moonlight, and unfortunately, the girl didn't have the ability to bathe naked in the sunlight at the moment. The faery smiled and kneeled down, shrugging.

"My hair is magic. When I go in the moonlight, it changes to this. And when I go in the sunlight, it changes to brown." She loved little children, loved seeing them. They all had this sense of wonder and magic, willing to believe in anything. He ran towards the rest of his class, laughing and ranting about how Miss Ravenwood was magical. It was art time, and each and every one of them was coloring something different. Amy was coloring a purple cat. Johnathan was making a dinosaur, and Alie was drawing a winged creature. "She's so pretty, Alie." San said to her with a smile.

"It's you!" The little girl wiggled her finger, silently asking her teacher to come closer. When San leaned down, the little girl whispered in her ear. "I think you're a fairy princess." With a chuckle, San leaned back, looking around the classroom secretively before leaning towards the first grader.

"You might be right about that. But don't tell anyone." Alie nodded enthusiastically, holding a finger up to her lips.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Some parents were beginning to show up to pick up their children, others were being gathered for the school bus. Soon enough, she'd be able to go home and fix her hair.
 
Last edited:
I DON'T FEEL LIKE DANCIN'
WHEN THAT OLD JOANNA PLAYS-

Jude groaned, groping desperately for his phone as the telltale ringtone resounded through the apartment

When his long fingers closed around the offending device, he swiped on the screen about ten times before he realised it was a phone call, not a text.

"Hello?" he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Did you just wake up?"

"No, I always sound like this" he retorted, running his free hand across his face and rubbing his eyes.

"It is two in the afternoon"

"Thanks I was curious." he winced at the pitch of her voice.

"What do you want, sis?"

"I need you to pick up Lionel today, I can't."

he opened his eyes halfway, squinting at the ceiling. "I don't remember you asking me to babysit today"

"Oh yeah, that too. Can you watch him til seven-ish? I've got a meeting it'll probably run late."

"I do things you know." he objected, irritated more at the lack of acknowledgement that today might not be the one day his schedule wasn't packed than at the concept of hanging out with his nephew.

"Clearly. That's why you're sleeping at two in the afternoon on a Thursday."

"When's he get out?"

Jude sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed as his sister hurreidly relayed directions. He checked the time after hanging up; it was a quarter to two, just like her to round up.

A shower and a toothbrush did wonders to remove the grime of sweat and the stale taste of last night's vodka, but did very little for the aching pain in his head. He took two tyelonol and prayed to whatever god would listen they would kick in quickly.

Running a comb through his white blond tangles, he pulled his hair into a slim ponytail and examined his image via selfie mode. The shower had smudged last night's stage makeup across his face; the eyeliner was nearly down to his cheekbones. With a clean face, he threw on a Nirvana T-shirt and a pair of loose jeans and found last night's coat on the floor. Fishing his wallet out of the pocket, he made it out the door by half past two, more proud of himself than he probably should have been.

Lionel's preschool wasn't terribly far from his apartment, but Jude didn't really drive that often anymore, and when he did he preferred to err on the side of caution. Honestly getting driven around was his favourite thing about what he did, after the money and the time on stage. He breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled into the school parking lot, having to park on the curb as the regular parking spaces were full of parents.

Jude never worried too terribly much about being recognized when he was out and about; especially not in a setting like this. The kids were too young for his music, and the parents were too old - usually. In any case, it was amazing the difference stage lights, makeup, and leather could make on perception. In the light of day, Jude mostly just looked like a young man with an especially pale complexion, and white-blond hair grown long. From his presence here, he was probably assumed as either a relative - accurate - or a young parent still clinging to the punk life that got him into that spot.

The door chimed shut behind him, tapping gently on a painted bell.

"UNCLE ISAAC!"

If that kid got much taller, his hugs were going to start knocking the wind out of his gut instead of just buckling his knees. Jude chuckled at the use of his birth name; Jude was technically speaking a pseudonym, one his blood relatives refused to use, but he heard his proper name so seldom that it was starting to sound vaguely foreign.

"Hey bud" he greeted, ruffling the kid's dark hair as he unplanted his smiling face from his jeans.

"Where's mom?"

"She had to work, so we get to hang out for a while."

Lionel's smile faded as he processed the information.

"We can get McDonald's for supper later."

"Yay!"

He chuckled as the kid threw his fists up in the air and spun in a circle.

"Where's your stuff?"

"It's - uh -" he looked around, thinking "It's in the classroom!"

Jude trailed after the kid, leaning against the classroom doorframe as he made a beeline for the blue and red backpack hung up on a kid-level hook. He glanced around the room where a couple of parents were still rounding up kids and shoes and socks and special toys, and froze, his grey eyes widening as they fell on a familiar figure.

"Miss Ravenwood my uncle's here!" Lionel was grinning excitedly, tugging on Sansa's skirt and pointing to the off-duty rocker with his free hand
 
Last edited:
Sansa was busy talking to parents, answering questions on the progress of one's child, when the next PTA meeting was, tests, things of that nature. Nearly all of the students were gone, save for the couple who tended to stay late. She sat at the short table, stringing colorful macaroni on a string when a familiar face raced through the doorway.
"Lionel? What'd you forget?" Her eyes looked about, trying to think of what she forgot to remind him to get. But when he reached the hooks, she smiled as his hands gripped the colorful bag. "Your uncle? Where's your mom-"

She'd never met his uncle before. Well, not in this teacher-parent-student setting. Her heart dropped at the form standing in the doorway. Her stomach turned and the girl took a step back, swallowing hard. This room reeked of her. And not her perfume-adorned self. The natural, fresh fallen rain, sage, and roses self. The girl was having a hard time breathing, but a tug on her green skirt brought her back, looking down at the raven haired boy quickly.

"Lionel, why didn't you tell me that your uncle was him?" She said the last word with a little more disgust than normal. He had, after all, made sure she got home safely the night before. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that." The statement directed more at Jude than the small boy in front of her. Lionel looked over his shoulder at his uncle and smiled.

"This is Miss Ravenwood. She has magic hair that changes with the time of day." Not quite, but close. Sansa chuckled, brushing her long locks behind her shoulder. Ruffling the little boy's hair, she stood from her kneel and looked at the vampire, trying her best to fake a smile. Which was quite honestly pretty convincing. But she couldn't help her heart as it pounded like a hummingbird's wing.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jude." Her voice was soft as she watched him with her silver kissed green eyes.
 
"That's not his name" Lionel giggled, looking between the two adults "

"Hey, I don't go telling people you're not superman" Jude feigned offense, dragging his mind back to the conversation as the scent permeating the room registered in his still mildly aching brain. It was like walking into an early spring that you could devour; he felt his mouth water and became painfully aware that he hadn't eaten in any sense since four pm the day before. He forced himself to focus, and straightened off the doorframe, stepping forward to meet his nephew and extending a hand to his teacher and concentrating on the conversation.

"Nice to see you again; Sand - no, Sansa, right?" He did his best to offer a smile that didn't expose his sharp canines. "Jude's fine but he might be less confused if you call me Isaac" he added, smile turning a bit awkward. One of the downsides of having a two-sided life.

"Miss Ravenwood plays music too!" Lionel interrupted eagerly, whipping back to the Faery to explain "Uncle Isaac plays guitar!"
 
That's right. He had a stage name. AKA Jude.
"That's okay. My last name isn't really Ravenwood." She said to Jude with a shrug and a half smile. The little boy looked up at her.
"Then what is it?" Looking down at him, the fae held a finger up to her lips and winked.
"Now that's a secret."

When Jude, er, Isaac spoke of how the child wasn't superman, Sansa gasped, looking positively shocked.
"You're not superman? Now here I was, convinced that you were." He leaned towards her and with a smirk, winked as he whispered to the teacher.
"That's just what I want him to think." Just as she had done, Lionel held a finger to his lips and exhaled a 'shh.' Sansa nodded understandingly and giggled.

"Oh, he plays guitar, does he?" Lionel nodded with a big smile.
"Miss Ravenwood can play pretty much anything. She's played us the harp, the violin, what's that big one?"
"The cello."
"Yeah, that one! She's played us all kinds of things! And she sings to us too. In all kinds of different languages."
"Mainly Gaelic."
"But what's the other one?"
"That's a secret too, Lionel." The girl chuckled.
"You should come to McDonalds with us!" The child looked between the two, hope filling his big eyes. San didn't say anything at first, just watched him.
"I guess if your Uncle Isaac is fine with it, then so am I." Although she would prefer to sunbathe, food probably wasn't a terrible idea. Besides, he'd had enough chances to kill her last night. And she doubted he'd kill her in front of his nephew.
 
"The more the merrier" Jude answered warmly. Although his mental response ran more along the lines of "sure, fine, invite her, invite your mom, invite the whole damn block just get me out of this room!"

He would have called it suffocating, but the air wasn't heavy; it smelled crisp and clean like an orchard after a rainstorm. It was like having water held just out of arm's reach after crawling through the Sahara. McDonalds, Andy's Steakhouse, hell, the dumpster sounded like an attractive meal; he couldn't remember the last time he felt so hungry.

Fortunately, no sooner was the invitation past his lips than Lionel gave a cheer, pulling his backpack on and grabbing San's hand to lead her toward the door as his bemused uncle fell in step.

"What kind of stuff so you like to play?" He asked. Her musical talents came as a surprise; he couldn't recall her mentioning it last night. Usually if someone could play even 'smoke on the water' they brought it up.

The coat room wasn't a lot better, but he could at least breathe without inhaling hunger pangs. Lionel plopped himself on the floor to pull on his shoes, and Jude dug out the keys in his pocket.
 
She didn't know why, but San half expected the vampire to tell his nephew, in a kind manner, that she couldn't come. What was it, disappointment possibly?, that he said she could come. But no matter. The fae was drug out of the classroom and followed behind the child, glancing back at Jude as he followed closely. When Lionel sat down to pull on the shoes that were supposed to be on his feet, she looked down at him, then towards his uncle at the question. What kind of music did she play.
"Well, not exactly your style. More classical. I sing a lot of songs my mother sang to me when I was little. Lullabies, I guess. She was killed when I was young. It's kind of my way of remembering her and my sisters."

When Lionel stood up, he raced ahead of the two, nearly dancing around the car.
"What about you? You can't be all grunge, metal, rock and roll. You've gotta have a soft side hidden somewhere under those fangs." The girl smirked at him, glancing his way. "Also, if I'm coming with you, I'm going to need to ride in your car. My house is just through the woods that way." She said, pointing. "I tend to walk here in the morning." True, it was a good distance. But not on the back of a doe or an elk. Or when she was flying through the air.
 
Jude smiled, relishing the decidedly less appetizing air outside as they stepped into the late afternoon sun. "It's definitely my preference," he admitted in response to her statement on his professional sound. "But I've got a weakness for acoustics, I grew up on folk music with a little Elton John, Eagles, mom was a big Beatles fan, too." He pulled the passenger side door open, pulling the seat forward. Lionel scrambled in, doing his buckle up without being asked and bouncing his sneakered feet against the bench, impatient to leave.

He pulled the seat back into place and gestured for Sansa to enter. The car was decent; a middle-class sports car, but a sports car all the same. Jude had had a weakness for Mustangs as long as he could remember; the car had been a compromise between something he actually liked, and something low profile.

"You should play guitar for miss Ravenwood!" Lionel piped from the backseat, leaning forward to peer between the seats
 
Last edited:
She loved the feel of the sun against her skin, closing her eyes as the warmth filled her. She sighed lightheartedly, innocently as the girl let the energy from the sun fill her to her core. It didn't take long for her hair to begin changing and with a sigh, she stepped into the vehicle after the seat was put back in it's original upright position. sure, she wasn't back to her normal brown-hair-green-gold-eyes yet, but she was getting there.
"Good to know that your parents had good taste in music." Sansa smiled at him, but it quickly faded as Lionel's voice sounded from the back. "I've heard him play."
"Really?" His eyes sparkled. "Then you should play something for him!"
"Or we could play something together." It was more of a joke, but Lionel took it serious, and all of a sudden he was bouncing in the back seat, clapping his hands. "Lionel, I wasn't...." But there was no turning back, now.

She didn't order much from the fast food place, some chicken nuggets with honey, french fries, and a caramel sundae. When their food was out, she made her way out to the play area and watched as Lionel ripped his shoes off and went to dive up the stairs.
"Lionel, eat something first, please." He froze mid-jump and ran back, shoved three nuggets in his mouth, then ran off again.

"What are the chances." She started, taking a bite of her sundae. "That one of my students is your nephew. You're either really good at stalking, or really bad at being a vampire." Sansa chuckled softly, looking up at him sitting next to her.
 
"Don't know, I was always terrible at maths." Jude said easily, chomping down on his burger. He kept one eye on the dark-haired preschooler as he ate, but didn't wory too much. Lionel was a well-behaved kid. He didn't see his nephews as often as he would like considering how often he was on the road, but when he did, Lionel mostly just wanted a willing audience to his chatter while he entertained himself. . Hunger was indeed the best appetizer, but the Golden Arches Dinner Club was still not exactly what he was craving. Still, it would see him through til Jo could pick her son up, then he'd take care of the other thing.

He frowned a bit at her last remark. "What's that mean?" he asked, glancing sideways at her and biting back a 'supposed to'.
 
San giggled at his almost offended question, shrugging at his response. "Oh, nothing. Just that you picking up your nephew is a really good excuse to come find me. My smell must be really..." What was the word she was looking for? English was too difficult for her. "tantalizing to you." Was that the right word? Yes, good enough. She took another bite from the ice cream, watching the small boy play with the other random kids who were roaming about, screaming playfully, inside. Her eyes remained stuck on the small humans inside.
 
Last edited:
Jude choked on a fry. Coughing and spluttering, he gasped for air, slammed one fist into his too-narrow chest, and breathed again.

"Don't do that." He said, turning to face her, his tone low and level. "Don't joke about that, and especially don't ever bring that up in front of Lionel."

He took a calming breath, straightening. Intimidation was not going to help his case. It was true her scent was driving him up a damn wall; he'd nearly put a fist through the plastic bench they were sitting on when she sat next to him instead of across the way. The moment he got to go home and down a unit was officially going to be the best moment of his day no matter what else happened between then and now, but damnit he was doing his best to handle himself and being taunted didn't help.

"What I mean is." he explained, doing his best to soften his tone "If you could stop treating me like an explosion waiting to happen, I'd appreciate it." He reached for his drink, throat still a little sore from the momentary asphyxiation. Less than a minute later, Lionel slammed into the table, reaching for a mittful of fries and demanding to know whether he would be allowed to play guitar with them later
 
Sansa was shocked to say the least at his sudden outburst, as quiet as it was. "It wasn't a joke. Your kind wiped mine out nearly eight centuries ago. I'm just surprised you have this much self control, considering how young you are." Finishing her ice cream, Sansa moved away and stood, throwing away the little trash she had. Slipping the nuggets onto Lionel's tray when he wasn't looking, she returned and sat at the opposite end of the rockstar. "You can't blame me. After seeing my whole family torn to shreds, having their blood sprayed across my face, all because it was a sport to vampires to drain us dry because of our blood, I can't help but be skeptical of your kind." Her voice was just as low as his, her seriously dark features disappearing and replacing with the sweet smile that normally adorned her face when the child returned. She didn't directly tell him what she was, but if he knew anything about the butterfly wars, which very few had even heard of, let alone knew anything about, then he'd know.

At the child's question, Sansa looked at Lionel, then to Jude. "What say you, captain? Will he be joining us at our jam session?"
 
Jude's eyes narrowed at her initial statement; her kind? Humanity was nowhere close to being 'wiped out', no matter how many renegade vampires there still were out there. And then it hit him like a wave; her light weight, her thin limbs and long fingers, her changing hair for christ's sake.

What colour there was in his pale features drained with every detail she spat, her words burning like acid against him, associative guilt sinking into his bones. He didn't get a chance to respond before his nephew returned and he was under questioning again.

"I don't see why not," he said. "Assuming you still - I mean, if you'd rather I just take you home I get it."

Lionel whipped his head side to side, trying and failing to read the expressions of the adults as he scrambled up on the bench opposite them, leaning over the table
 
She watched the array of different expressions float across his face before something clicked. All of a sudden, he was paler than normal, watching her with guilt in his eyes. Of course, he wasn't directly to blame for the war. She's have to apologize for the comment later.
San smiled at Lionel, then looked to Jude. "If I wanted to leave, I would have already." Just as long as he didn't try anything, they would be fine. "So, shall we go?"
 
Relief passed over him and the fraction of tension that had crept into his shoulders relaxed as he nodded in understanding. Draining the last of his soda, he stood up, sweeping the containers and napkins from the rest of the meals onto the tray.

"A'right" he agreed, dropping the tray off on top of the garbage bin on the way out.

The car felt quiet despite Lionel's steady stream of chatter, so Jude turned on the radio after dialing the volume down to a level that wasn't likely to startle his guest or deafen his nephew.

let's waste time
Chasing cars
around our heads

Humming along as the quiet melody moved through the cabin, he pulled backward, and merged onto the the street. They could go straight to his place then; he paid e-damn-nough for it that they woudlnt' get any noise complaint, and anyway his guitars were there.​
 
She followed the two as they exited the building, making sure Lionel was secured in his seat before she sat down. She felt the silence as if it were some monster gathering around them, responding to Lionel absently. As the music came on, she did the same as Jude, humming along softly. Then, something occurred to her.
"Do you have a harp, or a violin or cello at your place? If not, we need to stop by my house." Either way, she wouldn't mind. Of course, it would be a bit difficult to fit a harp in the back of this car. She could, of course, shrink it with magick.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.