New York || Day 1

[imaginationswoes]

[Running is the current plan but it isn't going well. She's constantly getting lost and she's reminded again and again that she's never been out of her small town alone. She misses her family and her friends but more than that she is really missing a warm bed. Her feet continue forward, the tall buildings towering on either side of her. It's impressive, as far as cities go, but its to close together.

To much can go wrong.

She must of made a wrong turn because Airy finds herself walking along a very shady part of town. Winter is setting in but she thinks of warmth and she manages to keep herself heated. She has a backpack around her shoulders and it looks like she's wearing a uniform: white button down, green pleated skirt, black jacket and a matching tie. It's most definitely giving some of the people here the wrong idea.]

Shit.

[Airy whispers softly under her breath, a puff of white leaving her warm lips. When she spots two men pointing towards her she runs. Her feet fly across the street and she's about 75% sure they weren't following her. Mist descends on the area and Airy one again curses under her breath. She's only getting more lost at this rate and running around New York after midnight isn't on her to do list.]

Comments

[charitaslamia]

[Most nights would not find Antonio in such a section of town. He harbored no concern for his safety, he could outrun any criminal who would think to mug him and hear them long before they were in range. No. Simply put, this neighborhood smelled. Still, it being so far from Manhattan made it a perfect hunting ground. He'd already satiated his hunger for the evening, and the lethargy that accompanied a full belly would be blamed for his not noticing the girl running swiftly across the empty street until she'd nearly made it to the opposite alley.

The sudden mist was another distraction, but the intentions of her pursuers who appeared suddenly was even more plain that the sudden appearance of the mist. Most chivalry may be dead, but it was alive and kicking in Antonio, and he could move faster than human eyes could follow when he really wanted to.

He was between the alley entrance and the men two seconds later, moving just since the shadows of the place, his vampiric eyes shining like a cat's in the low light from the street beyond the alley. The men came up short, clearly startled. There was something there they couldn't see.

And then it, whatever it was, growled. They turned, deciding it seemed that the girl wasn't so easy a victim as they'd thought.

He turned his attention back to the alley, to the shadows, and listened for a heartbeat that was surely racing with all the running she was doing.]

[imaginationswoes]

[It takes seconds for the mist to evaporate and vanish as if it had never been there at all. Airy has her back pressed against a wall and she is trying really hard not to imagine what gross things might be on it because that would backfire horribly. Bright green eyes look over at the new stranger, her face framed by dark brown and her brows furrowed in a worried expression. She takes a small step forward, not trying to walk closer but to get away from the wall of the alley. Her exit further down is blocked by crates and after everything that has happened there is only one thought that skitters through her mind.

Damn hes hot. This is weird.

Airy fidgets awkwardly, her heart still pounding frantically in her chest. Her nerves won't settle down even with the handsome stranger standing at the end of the alley, maybe because he's blocking the way out.]

Umm... [The worst thing about being lost and nervous and in the dark is that Airy's imagination runs more wild than usual. Behind her she hears a growl in the darkness and bright yellow eyes matching Antonio's move forward. A black panther moves from the darkness behind the lost girl. At first he's a shadow but with each second he becomes real. Airy turns quickly and stumbles backwards towards the Antonio.]

Oh Crap! I'm sorry.

[She falls, her foot hooking on some stupid piece of trash. The ground is not soft but Airy tries to force the creature to go away. This night is just a world of sucking.]

[charitaslamia]

[First and foremost, Antonio is a man of reason. There is no logical explanation for a panther stalking the streets of a low-rent district of the Bronx, and yet he could smell the musk of its fur, its growl thundered in his ears.

He stepped forward to stand between this new adversary and the girl he'd recently saved from the human predators. His species were the true apex hunters of the world, if what he's mother had taught him were true, but staring down those yellow eyes, he didn't feel particularly apexy.

Nathaniel was right. He was a pretty lame vampire.]

Perhaps you should run.

[imaginationswoes]

[A heavy breath escapes Airy's lips as Antonio moves to stand in front of her. This is way more complicated than that. She glances at the panther which of course still has it's eyes on her.]

Yeah... don't worry about it. [Her voice rings like a soft chime though there is no mistaking the nervousness in her tone that's slowly rising into fear.] It'll disappear soon.

[She hopes.

The creature roars, sharp teeth gleaming in the soft moonlight. Deciding to follow the cute strangers advice she turns and runs back down the way she came. Hopefully there isn't anyone out on the streets because she's really done with surprises.

As she runs away the panther jumps, only it passes right through Antonio's chest and vanish. Without the girl it's like it wasn't there at all.]

[charitaslamia]

[An illusion? But if so, quite a powerful one. It fools all the senses, not only one.

Still, she'd run, again, clearly not understanding this neighborhood could be dangerous at night. He turned in the direction in which she'd fled and called. His voice was quiet, but it carried down the rest of the corridor.]

Please, wait. This area's dangerous this time of night. [A brief pause.] And there's a seemingly good chance you could be attacked by a phantom panther.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy has no idea how she heard him but her feet came to a stop and she turns. She chews on her bottom lip trying to think of a way to explain but then realizes that she has no idea how to without sound absolutely insane. She closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath to steady her nerves and calm her heart.]

Ha, yeah, phantom... let's go with that but hey, if you aren't around me then you won't be attacked. [That's looking on the bright side, of course, Airy isn't 100% sure why she's talking to this stranger.

Yes, he's cute but that's a really stupid reason to talk to someone she doesn't know, after midnight, in the middle of a strange city.]

And why are you out here? [Being all creepy and cute all at once... well he isn't very creepy, the street is creepy but it's being in a creepy place that's creepy.]

[charitaslamia]

You were responsible for that panther? [A mage, then? He'd heard rumors that magic was increasing again, as it was in the older days, but that was all they were, rumors. At least...until now.]

...I could ask the same thing of you. You don't look like a working girl.

[imaginationswoes]

Sort of... which means: yes. [Airy has no idea what this new power is but she hasn't been able to control it since it's started. In some places she's found people who know about it but in big cities like this people just pretend it doesn't exist and that nothing is wrong.

She swallows a lump in her throat feeling her lips and throat dry from the effort.

At his last comment her lip curls under slightly and she stares in disbelief.]

I'm lost... and broke. [It isn't as if she hasn't entertained the idea of selling 'stuff' for money but with her current 'run away from everyone' plan that probably won't work out.]

[charitaslamia]

[He frowns at that, concern for her quickly winning out of his own better judgement. At least until something more disconcerting pops into his head.]

I see. Forgive me. My name is Antonio. And you?

[imaginationswoes]

Forgive you? [For some reason that confuses her though it might just be because it's late and she's hungry. She's used to traveling at night and then into the early hours of the morning since less people are out around those times but she still needs to eat and she's having trouble remembering her last meal.]

Oh, do you want my full name or... right. Airy or Ariana but please don't call me that. Just Airy is fine.

[She has no idea why she's still talking.]

[charitaslamia]

[He offers her a gentle nod of his head.] Yes. I didn't properly introduce myself. [And some manners die harder than others.]

[He inclines his head as he speaks.] It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Airy. [A very familiar sound catches his ear, though, and his concerned frown returns.] You're hungry.

[imaginationswoes]

Yeah, pleasures all mine... but you know people don't usually introduce themselves when they meet in a dark alley in the middle of the night. [Books have told her that those are usually creepy stuff or awkward staring. Now she's going to stare awkwardly.]

[The moment only lasts a second because his last comment makes Airy's bright green eyes widened.

How does he know that?

She doesn't remember her stomach grumbling or any other strange noises coming from her abdomen. Her palm lightly presses against her stomach and she cringed.]

It's that obvious?

[charitaslamia]

I chased off the muggers. Do you think I was only eliminating my competition?

[He smirks, just trying to breeze over his misstep.]

I know an all-night diner not far from here, though not a part of this neighborhood.

The next morning

[fausvampire]

[Saturdays were awesome. Saturdays were the day after a long week of working. It's funny. When he'd become an actor, and had actually started getting roles (even if they weren't that amazing), and thus had started getting paid to be an actor, he'd never imagined he'd be a 9-5 guy.

...the problem with your acting role being an atual 9-5 guy was that you had to...be at the office then.

But Saturdays meant freedom. Saturdays meant no alarm clock. Saturdays meant a full pot of coffee and possibly morning cartoons, they meant cereal and cold milk and...

...did that note actually say that?]

There's a girl in the guestroom? Seriously? [Nathan makes an annoyed sound in his throat, sets the milk back down in the refrigerator, and heads back up to his bedroom to put pants on.

Then he sets about actually making breakfast. On his day off. For someone who wasn't even his guest.]

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

[When Airy wakes she's happy to see the room in a normal state. She stretches her arms above her and shakes her head after a fierce yawn. Her fingers quickly try to smooth out her hair before she crawls to the edge of the bed and dips her fingers into her bag to pull out a hair brush. She doesn't want to leave the covers just yet and so she brushes her hair but stays within the warm covers.

Antonio is asleep so she isn't too worried about running into anyone and the fact that he has a human roommate completely slips her mind.

Bear feet whisper lightly across the floor as she finally stands and moves around the room. She makes the bed feeling a little bad that it's in such a state and then pulls at her backpack. She's still in the shirt she's slept in as she steps from the room and searches for a bathroom.

Airy hears the sounds of food sizzling as the pungent smile hits her nose. Her stomach growls in a loud groan at the smell and she freezes. Airy remembers and she realizes there is a stranger just down the stairs who's cooking something that smells really good but she needs to put on pants and find the bathroom.

For awhile Airy stands there silently trying to figure out what to do. Before she can get out a word a random slinky begins to expand and contract down the stairs. Perfect. After a long painful minute of deciding she calls down the steps but attempts to remain out of sight while hoping he hadn't noticed the slinky thing.]

Excuse me? [Her voice is light as it moves through the air. She doesn't remember if Antonio mentioned his roommates name.] Where's the washroom?

The next morning

[fausvampire]

[The coffee pot beeps it's announcement of brewing completion, which happily for Airy's sake masks the sound of the slinky coming down the stairs to Nathan's completely normal human ears.

Of course, he's also half asleep still, so that's probably helping. He turns his head toward the stairs when she speaks, but he doesn't turn from the food he's cooking.]

Uh, it's across the hall.

[He points above him, indicating the area of the landing across from the stairs. And then he yawns.]

Good morning, Mystery Girl.

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

[With a soft flash the slinky is gone and Airy is running across the hall to the bathroom. She moves quickly trying not to be seen while trying not to think about anything in particular.]

Good Morning. [She slides into the bathroom and then pokes her head out again.] ... random guy making breakfast down stairs.

[Airy ducks into the bathroom then and closes the door. She's quick in the bathroom, brushing her teeth while pulling her long dark hair back in a loose clip. She pulls on a pair of black short and a light blue tank. Her usual white button down gets tossed over her shoulders but remains unbuttoned as she pulls on her socks and boots. She finishes brushing her teeth and then quickly packs things in her bag.

She wasn't planning to stay here for long and while she had a feeling Antonio might argue; he's not here.

The door opens and Airy moves down the steps looking over at the stranger who was cooking something that smelled really good. She has to stop being controlled by her stomach but it's hard when you're forced to smell sizzling meat and coffee.]

So... hi, I'm Airy. You're...?

[Gorgeous... my god is everyone in this apartment a damn model? That's not fair. Without realizing it Airy is staring as she silently decides who's more attractive.]

The next morning

[fausvampire]

[He looks over, now with a fresh cup of coffee, and cream and sugar set out for his unplanned houseguest, in his pajama bottoms and tank top.]

...way to make a guy feel underdressed, Airy. [He smiles and motions to the coffee pot.] Nathan, but I can be "Random Stranger Who Cooked you Breakfast" if you want.

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy is trapped between surprise and embarrassment.]

I'm sorry. I could go change back into my pajama's but it's just underwear and a T-shirt. [She might be turning a little red at that so she switches to surprise.]

Making me breakfast?

[She blinks.]

I didn't think I'd stay that long. Antonio was nice enough to give me a bed for the night.

[Don't think anything weird... don't think anything weird.]

The next morning

[fausvampire]

[He raises an eyebrow at that.]

Tempting...but inappropriate. I'm supposed to be a good host or something. And yeah, some of this is yours. I'm watching my figure.

[He gives a shake of his head.]

Tony saying you can stay means "as long as you need to". He's...a pretty private guy. He doesn't just open his doors to anybody. [Because it's sort of hard for him to do that, given his...nocturnal habits.] But, uh, if you're going somewhere, where?

[Nathan's got a hunch that answer is nowhere.]

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy moves over to the counter and takes up the seat at the end. She lightly drops her bag to the floor and rests her elbows on the counter before putting her chin in her palms.

When he mention his figure she can't help but look at his chest before dropping her eyes over to the food that's searing in the pan. She can't figure out if he's kidding or not and so she lets the comment hang in the air before finally answering his last question. It appears as if she's thinking pretty hard about it.]

I don't know yet.

[She's still figuring out where.]

I don't really know where anything is.

[However she has a map in her bag which is good enough for her.

By this point she's very proud of herself for keeping her imagination in check. Except while the food cooks her mind begins to wander. There is a slight breeze filled with the fresh smell of cut grass and greenery. It reminds her of the weekends when her father would cut the grass and her mother would make breakfast. Birds appeared around the kitchen chirping softly.]

Re: The next morning

[fausvampire]

[Even though he was half asleep still, something brought his attention to the birds and the cut grass and he looked around, growing more confused as he took things in.]

...so...you see the birds, right?

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy bites her lower lip as she turns towards the refrigerator which has a particularly happy blue bird chirping at it's top. Yeah... she sees it.

The smell of fresh cut grass fills her nose and she realizes that her attempts at being discrete has failed.]

Not anymore...

[She forces the birds to vanish and the smell to receded so it's just sizzling meat and eggs filling the kitchen.]

Sorry...[Guess Antonio didn't tell him.]

The next morning

[fausvampire]

[He turns from the stove top, spatula still in hand, and points toward the refrigerator with it, eyebrows raised.]

So...was that magic? Real magic? You do magic?

The next morning

[imaginationswoes]

I guess?

[She sounds a little unsure. It's the only magic she's ever seen either and she's only met one vampire who is currently asleep upstairs.]

I can't really control it. [She admits lamely.]