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]

[Antonio leaned back to give her space to order, a smirk of amusement on his face he made absolutely no effort to hide. They processed the food quickly, being the middle of the night, and he paid without any protest.

It wasn't until they were driving away, and heading uptown, that he thought it wise to resume their conversation.]

I've lost count. I've lived in the highlands of Scotland, several places across Europe, spent time in Mongolia and what is now China.

[imaginationswoes]

[When food is involved Airy usually has a one track mind. She orders changing her mind mid-order to the chicken tender-crisp meal and then making sure to get extra sauce. With her food in hand she sits back taking a long drink of her iced coke and then unpeeling her sandwich. The first bite is big as hunger sets in. Chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayo fill her mouth as she looks over towards Antonio.

She swallows and takes another long sip of her coke and then continues with her train of thought.]

That sounds so cool. I'd love to travel like that. [She sort of is now but she can't afford to leave the US and getting on a plan sounds like a bad idea unless she's knocked out.]

Where are we going now?

[Another few bites, these smaller and more manageable for her mouth to chew and her sandwich is gone. She takes another log sip of soda and digs through the bag for her zesty sauce and fries.]

[charitaslamia]

It has its appeal, to be sure, but it also comes with a degree of loneliness. [Or that might simply have been him. It was difficult to say, really.

He appreciated the zeal with which she ate her food, even if it was the over-processed muck they served at these places.]

That depends, really. How long has it been since you've slept?

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy doesn't care and as they zoom in his fancy car across town she pops fries in her mouth. After the first one she makes a weird face and then declares that her fries are cold. At which she decides to cover them in the sauce so it might mask the strange texture and taste of cold fries.]

I'm sorta expecting a life of loneliness now. [She says it as an offhanded comment and then changes the subject before she can dwell on her own words for too long.]

Slept? I am not really sure. I've been walking since...[Her phone had lost it's charge and her watch broke so she really didn't know the time.]

Sometime when the sun was rising. [She got chased out of her sleeping place from last night.]

[charitaslamia]

This power is a part of you, Airy. I'm sure you can learn to control it. [He frowns in sympathy at her cold french fries. It certainly didn't sound appetizing.]

I see. Well, if you're willing to continue trusting me, I have a bed.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy finishes her food and the carefully rolls up the bag to keep the mess off his nice leather seats. She looks out towards the window noting the dark tint to the windows. He probably hates sunlight.] A don't know about controlling it...

[A light white star appears in front of Airy and she freaks out, quickly extinguishing it with her hand.]

Sorry...but um... you mean it? What if I set things loose around where you live? [If she could please charge her phone, not that having it could possibly backfire.] Or hurt you... somehow...

[As many excuses as she has the idea of a bed sounds amazing and he's a Vampire right? He can probably handle whatever her imagination cooks up.]

I don't really know what happens when I sleep...

[charitaslamia]

Well, I don't live alone. I won't be the only one around. The bed I'm offering isn't in my room. I have very specific requirements.

[He smirks.]

The casket can be off-putting.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy would have fallen out of her seat if there was room to do so.]

Please tell me your kidding.

[She shakes her head trying to focus on something else.]

Roommate... also vampire? Girlfriend? [She hopes she'd get her own bed not that she's opposed to sharing, she's done that with her friends but with strangers... it's a little weird.] How many bedrooms do you have?

[Her head might explode.]

[charitaslamia]

[He laughs, not a chuckle, but actually laughs, rocking his head back with the motion. She may notice his incisors, though very similarly shaped to a human's, are much flatter, and look to have a blade's edge to them.]

Of course I'm kidding.

[He shakes his head.]

Human, and male. There are three...bedrooms, as it were.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy watches him as he laughs and finds herself relaxing at the sound. She likes hear peoples laughs, as strange as that might be. Everyone laughs differently.]

Cool.

[She pauses with a slight puff to her cheeks.]

Can I see your room? Nothing weird! [She adds hastily.] Just curious about the bed...[Another pause.]

Seriously nothing weird but vampire and beds and... I don't know it's weird. [Him sleeping in a bed is the weird part of tonight's adventure.]

[charitaslamia]

I sleep...in a bed, like anyone else, and you find that strange?

[He laughs again, less loudly this time.]

I don't see why not.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy's smile is a mixture of embarrassment and a sheepish grin.]

Yes?

[Isn't it strange?]

Cool~

[She wonders what his house looks like or where he lives. She's used to houses but she supposed it'd be an apartment if it's in the city. Airy glances out the window and searches the streets.]

How far is it?

[Not to say that she's getting tired but she's getting tired.]

[charitaslamia]

[He chuckles.]

Very well, then. I grant you permission to tour my bed chambers.

[He shakes his head.]

Not too far, by highway. We're going to Manhattan.

[imaginationswoes]

[It's weird when he says it like that but oh well.]

This is my first time to New York.

[Which means she had no sense of direction. Instead of asking about it she digs through her backpack and pulls out a map. The large piece of paper stays mostly folded in her lap as she tries to find out where she is.

One glance at a passing street and she finds them on the map and follows their path.]

Found us.

[She's proud of herself.]

[charitaslamia]

[He nods, smiling.]

Bravo. [And it's not even the least bit sarcastic.]

You're very trusting, you know. You're exceptionally lucky to have made it so far unharmed.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy looks up at her driver and shrugs.]

I'm usually pretty good at reading people. I don't trust everyone but I do trust you.

I sometimes get really bad feelings about some people and those feelings are never wrong.

[Or they haven't been yet but realy Airy is just lucky.]

...should I not trust you?

[charitaslamia]

Most people would typically frown on a creature that feeds upon them, but I'm not a monster.

[He shrugs also.]

Of course, a monster would say that.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy's expression grows more serious as she inspects Antonio.]

Do you kill people?

[She decides it best to be direct. If he needs something like blood donner then she doesn't really see what the problem is. People eat all sorts of things to survive. They just happen to be at the top of the food chain.]

Personally I've met more people monstrous than you.

[charitaslamia]

[Do you, she asked. He hadn't, for more than four hundred years, unless his life was threatened.]

No. At most I drink...a pint or two. It can leave you weak, but it wouldn't kill you, unless you were anemic. Of course, that as a smell. I wouldn't feed on an anemic.

[He nods.]

the cruelty of man is a sight to behold.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy shrugs, she doesn't see anything wrong with it then.]

Why do you ask?

[Maybe if he asked his food first? I mean... people give blood all the time. Though if he's trying to be discreet that's probably not a great idea. Really as long as he isn't hurting anyone good then it's okay.]

[charitaslamia]

People in this age are much more tolerant than they have been in ages past.

[There's a weight to his words that defies a short length of time, and his expression darkens, but to one of sadness rather than anger.]

People now are slightly less likely to kill what they don't understand.

[imaginationswoes]

I don't think that's it.

[She doesn't mean to sound insensitive and she quickly attempts to retract her words waving her arms around.]

What I mean to say is... people are still afraid of what they don't know. [Which is something that has Airy worried.] But because of movies and media people feel like they know vampires and things like that so they are less afraid of them.

Honestly, if I hadn't talked to you before you told me I might have had a different reaction. By the time you told me I already decided I didn't care because you were a nice person.

[Who bought her french fries which made him awesome in her book.]

[charitaslamia]

Yes, a fear of the dark is a part of every human. It keeps them safe in the sun, but they don't, as often, drag "monsters" out of their sanctuaries into the killing light of day.

[He shrugs.]

I suppose I have science to thank for that. Rational thought tells them things like me can't be real.

[And he smiles at that.]

Thank you.

[imaginationswoes]

[Airy watches him and notes that, yes, sunlight will hurt him. He hadn't really said so before and she tries to keep the thought of sunshine away from her mind so she doesn't go creating the sun in the car while traveling down a highway.

Due to her efforts to not focus on it, she started focusing on something else and in her lap sat a little puppy that barked at Antonio with a gleeful chirp sounding more like a bird than a dog. The dog also had a pair of wings that formed out of white feathers.]

Ah sorry... [About the thing in her lap.] I can promise that I won't drag you into the sun at least.

[Airy doesn't even have the strength to drag him.]

[charitaslamia]

[He blinks at the creature in her lap before turning back to the road.]

I'll hold you to that.

Do you often think of winged dogs?