A Darker Side of Midnight (priv.)

[Lion]

Tarquin had kept his eyes on her as a scientist would an interesting specimen, watching and waiting to see what other intriguing actions she would perform next.  His face remained apathetic and set upon her a vigil of mental interest.  He had always been a light sleeper, even when he wasn't trying to be, and so much as a simple grace of hand over him would be enough to awaken him.  When she whirled around after dressing herself to spot his eyes on her, he a small smile touched his lips.

Wordlessly, he sat up in the bed, swung his legs over the edge and stood, ignoring the sheet as it fell from his hips.  Because he lacked that gentle trait of modesty, he had no trouble walking around in the nude in front of her.  He closed in on her, only about a meter from where she stood and spoke, "No, you weren't.  If you did, you would have simply asked.  It would have been as simple as word of mouth."

His eyes raked over her form, noticing the topmost section of her blouse remained open.  Suddenly the memory of him biting off the button seeped into his head and caused him to smile.  When his foot impacted an object small, flat, and round, he bent down and picked it up, examining the button in his hands.  With the smile still on his face, he said, "But regardless I'll oblige you."  He reequipped what clothing he had on the previous night and reignited the candle by the bed.  He carefully lifted the pewter candle stick and carried it through across the room, to the door she was seemed she was about to go through.

The door he opened was to his room, larger and grander than the one he had lent her.  "Come on," he ordered gently, leading her across the room's expanse and straight into a wall that seemed to be simple part of the room's structure.  Carefully, he placed a hand on the stone wall and, after careful searching, he pressed in a frail panel and the section of the wall before him folded inward.  Complete shadow greeted them, but he pressed onward.  He took her down into the depths of what became a cavern, the smell of fresh water welcomed into his nostrils.  Soon, a rushing of water seeped into his ears.  Tarquin stopped his lead when he came before a large pool of glistening blue water, a small waterfall pouring into it.  What he led her to was an underground cavern that was forged there many millennia ago and maintained its beauty in the entirety of its years; the water itself almost glowed, adding to the light of the candle that flooded the room.

"Its not as glamorous as a traditional bath but its functional and available.  You may bathe here."  He set the candle down on a flattened boulder and proceed to step into the water after he undressed himself once again.  The water's cool grasp was refreshing to feel after the heat of the previous night.  He walked further into it and allowed himself to be doused completely by the rush of the waterfall.  "Come in, the water's fine," he articulated, motioning her to join with a free hand as he attempted to maintain his equilibrium with the other.  The pool remained shallow at one end and deepened in a gentle slope where Tarquin floated, reaching to his upper abdomen.

[Anonymous]

Dammit. He is so annoying. Rafaella was very irritated when she followed him through a far more luxurious room than the one she -- they had slept in this night, to a cave-like tunnel, which they entered through a wall that was apparently door. Rafaella was only momentarily surprised when he pushed the stone away and darkness greeted them from within. Keeping one hand continuously on the wall she kept following Tarquin, who was holding the candle that was lighting up the tunnel ever so slightly, until a familiar sound reached her ears. The sound of clattering water, fresh and pure. But not only the sound was beautiful. The image of the source in front of her was striking in it's simplicity, the light turning the water and the falls a soft orange yellow color.

Rafaella's view was brutally disturbed when Tarquin stepped on a boulder where he sat down the candle and undressed himself to step in the water. Very subtle. And of course it was in his intentions that she joined him in the bath, exposing herself once more to him. What is he thinking? That I have nothing left to hide? ... well okay, she had to admit that was true. Apart from the human shame to be naked, there was something else that kept her from undressing. He just wants me to obey him so he can keep his hold over me. Rafaella had seen the force of men too many times, and their enormous longing for power was what she feared most.

And so, her face went stern and she folded her arms over her chest.

'I'll wait till you're done,' she said and spun around to take position a little further back in the tunnel, where she sat down and stared at the barely visible wall opposite her.

[Lion]

"I'll wait till you're done," she had said.

Tarquin couldn't help but smirk in her direction as turned as sat as far away from him as possible.  Tenacious... he thought discreetly, his grin widening.  As a lover, he was a great admirer of females of the human variety, charmed by them and eager to learn about them.  But the human males were a different story.  They were insufferable and he hated them with a vengeance, claiming to be noble all the while oppressing their women.  The thought itself, because it went against everything he had been raised to believe, was enough to send him into a burning rage.  Only when one is equal with their other may they successfully obtain happiness.  There was no vying for power, as it was with these human males.  It was for this reason alone that burned Tarquin's intense hatred for them.

He considered what it might be that fueled her actions, but every thought formulated remained inconclusive.  Perhaps she was a careless about what happened before as he was.  He often detached himself emotionally from his lovers, though they never knew this, in order to maintain control over himself.  He evaluated the consequences of his actions in separating his emotions from those he consorted with; time after time, he justified he was empowering himself, convincing himself that it was true emotion that made him vulnerable.  By destroying that which made him weak, he sought to strengthen himself.  And yet even after all these centuries, the fear of betrayal never left him.

As Tarquin washed the water through his hair, watching Rafaella through the corner of his eye, he attempted to center himself, to think about what he was to do with the nuisance who had followed him into his home.  True though he decided he was going to keep her around for a while longer, he was unsure exactly how he was going to go about doing so.  Why do you care? he asked himself, questioning his motives.  I don't know.  I sense there is more to her than she cares to reveal and I merely want to learn about her.  He had no intention of asserting himself over her, he truly meant what he thought.  But she was not as malleable as he would have liked.  Yet she had responded well to him before, relinquishing her name of which she guarded so preciously during their first encounter.  Might she lose herself the same way twice?  Tarquin highly doubted that, since, as he sensed her desires, there was nothing particularly prominent at the moment that would allow her to give away more.

But if he tried...

Seeing that her back was still to him, Tarquin stealthily crept underwater, thankful that his undead state did not require him to inhale oxygen.  She would not hear him move through the water like a serpent intent on its prey.  And as the water began to shallow, he remained submerged even as his belly made contact with the soft soil.  Eventually the water came up to the crown of his head and he carefully crept out of it, entirely drenched and his hair dripping.  He made his approach on her slow until he was at her shoulder.  Carefully, he moved his head over her shoulder and asked lowly in her ear, his voice just above a whisper, "Why?"

[Anonymous]

Only fractions of seconds after a drop of water had fallen on her shoulder and a voice had whispered in her ear, Rafaella had jumped up in shock already. She was not expecting Tarquin to be so near all of a sudden, and certainly not with so little noise. Now she thought about it, it was probably because the waterfall overcame the noises he made. So Rafaella stood there, eyes wide and fists clenched, looking at him in surprise.

She got a grip over herself once again after a moment and averted her gaze from Tarquin, dodging the question by answering it with another question.

'Are you done yet?'

Her expression was stern again, hoping that this time Tarquin would answer the way she wanted to and not the other way around. She had been much too forgiving and open than she would have wanted to be. Rafaella saw Tarquin as a predator now, a careful one, one that followed you around first to get to know your routine, analyzing you, studying you, and when the time was ripe and the moment suitable, he'd murder you so delicately you wouldn't even realize he was murdering you until you were practically dead.

On the other side, Tarquin released something in Rafaella that had been hidden for a very long time. Her spirit had been hidden ever since her sisters died before her eyes. From that moment on she had become quiet, drawn back and only trusting herself. Now, she wasn't even sure if it was herself she could trust.

A shiver ran down Rafaella's spine, and to hide it she turned back to Tarquin and stared straight into his eyes, her body still averted.

'Well?'

[Lion]

Tarquin couldn't help but admire her willfulness.  He knew outright that there was more that she wished to keep from him.  And because he was not wont to force it out of her, he would let her have her privacy and she may reveal more to him when she wanted to.  It seemed that the more guarded she became, however, the more she refused to divulge to him, the more intrigued he became with her.  It was almost a natural instinct, to become all the more interested and persistent as she continued to resist.  Still, he would give her what peace she sought and leave it her choice to come to him, should she so choose.

Tarquin returned her stare with the same strength she put behind hers.  He conveyed no hostility in his look and raised his eyebrows her, curling his mouth in a small smile at the same time.  His face closed in on hers a tad, their noses barely a centimeter apart before muttering in a gentle voice, "Yes.  All yours now."  With that he moved from her sight, gathered up his clothes and headed back up the cavern path, leaving the candle where it was in his wake.

Yet, he stopped part way up the path and said, "If you need anything, just let me know..."  He proceeded back up the path and left the trap door open.

Once again in his room, Tarquin dried and dressed himself, tucking the tails of his white button-down shirt into his black jeans.  Though the darkness of the crypt did not bother him, he lit the chandelier candles that hung in the center of his much larger room, light spreading like wildfire.  He fixed up the bed in the room he had lent to her, reigniting a few more candles in there too.  As he did so, he felt the heat exude from his finger tips; the remnants of his old Hellion self, to produce and control fire.  He frowned as he examined his hands, careful not to become nostalgic.

Instead he returned to his room, striding across floor with such elegant ease, and proceeded to the third and final room that made up the crypt's structure.  Unlike the two other rooms which served as bedchambers, the third became something of Tarquin's personal room of knowledge.  It was about as roomy as the one he had prescribed to Rafaella except bookcases lined every wall of its stony complex, laden heavily with authors throughout the ages.  A few cases stood at the center and away from the few armchairs in a far corner as well as the piano that resided by them.

There were few other activities that Tarquin enjoyed in his plentiful time, reading and playing music were only some of them.  Carefully, as if trying not to disturb the beautiful silence that hung in the library, he stepped in and touched the bindings of the books lovingly.  Despite having lived for a considerable amount of time in this building, he hadn't yet read all these wonderful tales.  He looked up and round him, thinking and visualizing all the books he did read and when his eyes rested on the piano, he walk towards the dusty object, no longer paying any heed to the books.

He pulled out the pianist's chair, sat and proceeded to play.  Nothing came to mind as his fingers pressed the keys with a will of their own.  He played with his heart in his fingers and his soul in the music they produced in a beautiful rendition of 'Nocturne' in C minor.  He closed his eyes as the music poured out from within him, becoming apart of him and representing him all at the same time.  He continued playing as the rest of the world faded away.

[Anonymous]

... Err... what?

Did he just agree without further complications to leave me alone to wash? One eyebrow raised, Rafaella watched Tarquin as he walked away through the tunnel, his strides certain and fair. She could not make sense of him. Had she been wrong then, was he not one of those men who exclusively wanted power?

She blinked and then turned around to face the source. Rafaella stepped onto the flattened boulder, the same one Tarquin had just been standing on, and undressed completely. She sat herself on the boulder and first washed her clothes in the clear water. Squeezing them out thoroughly, Rafaella spread them out on a different boulder after which she lowered herself in the water. It was cool, but she was used to that.

Rafaella walked straight to the small waterfall, where she went under and soaked herself and her hair completely with the clattering liquid. Closing her eyes, she let her breath escape her lips and her body relaxed completely. She needed to clear her head and organize her thoughts.

Allright. Last night I followed a vampire into his domicile, after which he made me lost in his labyrinth and subsequently seduced me, which I did not mind, oddly. So I slept with a vampire who probably doesn't even care how I feel about it, because he surely doesn't find it a big deal, sleeping with a woman, after all these years he must have been alive.

Rafaella's eyes shot open again and she lowered her arms when she realised that she did care. No no no no no no no, not gonna happen, Raf! Put him out of your mind! she said to herself. Her experiences with men were not positive, in fact, most were quite negative, and now she would allow herself to be influenced by one? That was not going to happen. Rafaella straightened her back and stepped out of the water again, a determined look on her face. She was leaving, and there was no way Tarquin was going to stop her. She squeezed the water out of her hair as much as possible until it stopped dripping. Well, at least for the moment.

Rafaella looked at her clothes. They were still very wet, she couldn't quite put them on and leave in them. In nature, that would have been a different story, but here... no. She recalled what Tarquin had said. If you need anything, just let me know. A smile appeared on her face. She did need something. Quickly, she put on her underwear and her wet blouse and walked back through the tunnel, her feet bare. A beautiful sound reached her ears, a sound she had never heard before. It was musical, fluent, and rhythmical. Rafaella pushed through the 'door' and followed the sound, entering a room she hadn't noticed before. There she found Tarquin, his back turned to her, sitting behind what looked like a large wardrobe with black and white buttons on them. Surely that wasn't making the noise? But as his fingers pressed the buttons the music went on, and Rafaella caught herself holding her breath. It was beautiful.

So there she stood, in the doorway, her hair sticking to her face and her blouse creating a small pool of water on the floor. She didn't even notice. Rafaella let her head rest against the doorframe, the music flowing through the room, filling up her mind completely and temporarily taking away the sorrows that had taken over her thoughts. She just stood there. Listening.

[Lion]

So absorbed was he in the music that his fingers produced that he did not hear Rafaella as she entered the room.  It was almost as if his fingers danced amongst the keys, conforming together as one then separating to play their own part then coming together again.  He allowed for the music to grab his once dormant emotions and drag them out into the light, allowed his hands to be filled with an odd mixture of happiness, anger, compassion, hatred, and all other configurations of feelings.  The felt his hands warm with the strange swarming of feelings and let them control him and flow through him at the same time.

Now the tune seemed much less fundamental and all the more personal, as if a theme song to his former life, his loss, his mission, and all of the changes that he endured during that time.  When the finals notes left his hands, exited his soul, and the music stopped, he opened his eyes and let out a great sigh, before placing his face into his hands and wiping away the emotion from his face.  Despite having a great appreciation for music of all kinds, he held a special place in his heart for pieces like the one he had just played.  Shaking his head vigorously and cracking his knuckles, Tarquin stood from the pianist's chair and turned in Rafaella's direction with his head down.  Only when he pulled his head up, seeing her before him did he jump in surprise and fall back down into his seat.

"Damn.  You scared the shit outta me," he muttered, laughing and smiling at the same time.  "Err, I'm sorry.  Excuse me, but I didn't know you were watching."  It was only then did he notice how wet she was.  He wiped the grin from his face and asked genuinely, "Um...  Did you need something?"

[Anonymous]

Rafaella was sorry when Tarquin stopped making music. It had been so beautiful. He jumped back in shock when he noticed her, falling back in to his chair.

"Damn. You scared the shit outta me," he said. "Err, I'm sorry. Excuse me, but I didn't know you were watching. Um... Did you need something?"

Still impressed by the music and sort of lost for words, Rafaella cleared her throat and tried forming a proper sentence.

'Err, I'm sorry, really, I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't want to be a nuisance... I wasn't spying on you or anything.. Oh, never mind,' she concluded nervously. 'I was actually wondering if you - if you had something dry, a blouse or something that I could put on while my own clothes are drying...' She realized her teeth were clattering (is that how you say it? Sorry O.O) and firmly clenched her jaws together.

This wasn't how Rafaella had imagined telling him she was leaving soon. She wanted to say it, but the words just came out differently than she had them in her head. Now, the words she'd wanted to say earlier had completely vanished. Rafaella blinked a couple of times to clear her head again, but it wasn't very useful. It seemed like Tarquin had put some kind of spell on her, and while on the one side it scared her, on the other side she enjoyed it. This was so not like her.

[Lion]

"Nuisance?  Hell to that nonsense!" Tarquin replied, laughing.  "It's no problem really.  I'll get you something to wear."  Stood and walk toward the entrance of which she inconveniently blocked.  Luckily however she left just enough space for him to squeeze through the narrow door frame.  However he stopped when he passed through the door and heard her shivering slight.  "I guess its colder in here than I thought.  Come on, let's get you into something warm."

He pressed slightly on her shoulder to grasp her attention toward his direction before leading her to a great mahogany armoire that rested across from his bed.  "You can have a seat if you want," he conveyed, pointing to a chaise lounge to his left.  After opening the doors and revealing the assortment of clothing within, he shuffled through the objects in search of the right articles of attire for her to wear.  In a short period of a few minutes, he pulled out a black, button-down shirt, much like the one he had donned on himself and handed it to her.  He was about to close the sturdy doors of the armoire when he noticed that almost the entirety of her was wet.  Wordlessly, he resumed his hunting and pulled out a pair of matching slacks and clean underwear.  While it was men's clothing, he was sure she really didn't care.  He handed them to her and didn't close the armoire until he pulled out a large, wool blanket, softened with use.

"This should do," he finished, smiling again as he handed the first two items to her.  The blanket he decided to wrap around her shoulders to better ease her shuttering body.  Suddenly his brows furrowed as he sensed something from her.  Curious, he inquired, "Is something troubling you?"

[Anonymous]

Rafaella let herself be taken to a big closet, where Tarquin found her a shirt much like his, underwear (men's underwear, but she couldn't be bothered by that) and a blanket which he wrapped around her with something that Rafaella interpreted as care. Tarquin and care? No way. You could hardly say it in a single sentence. Vampires didn't care. Why the hell was she even here still to begin with? In a vampire's house, under continuous threat, because if she left, would he still be so nice to her, or would he be mad and attack her for that reason? If she stayed, then what would happen?

Rafaella didn't realise her face was showing her emotions until Tarquin asked her if something was troubling her. She stared at him for a moment, hesitating if she'd speak her thoughts out loud to him, if that would be wise, but she thought it negative and managed to create a smile on her face.

'No, nothing at all. Thank you for the clothes and the blanket... I guess I'll go put them on now...'

She was a bad liar, and she knew it. Which was usually why she spoke so little. Rafaella smiled once more and then quickly turned around and walked away, going to the room where she -- where they had slept in that night, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for a while, eyes closed. A soft groan escaped her lips. Why was this happening to her? In nature everything was so simplified, there were no complicated emotions and situations, at least none that included bloodthirsty vampires... Although, Rafaella had to admit, Tarquin hadn't proven himself bloodthirsty yet. She was probably just exaggerating. Taking a deep breath, Rafaella walked over to the bed on which she lay the clothes Tarquin'd given her and undressed. Then she quickly put on the black clothes, looking like she was wearing way too big black pyjama's. Whatever.

She completed buttoning the shirt and picked up her wet clothes from the ground, taking them with her to the next room.

[Lion]

Perhaps one of Tarquin's greatest follies was his self-pride.  And one of the greatest things he prided himself in was his exceptional self control.  There was hardly a thing that he did that he did not give consent to, even his hunger.  Once satiated, he wouldn't need to feed unless he absolutely had to in a primal state.  It was only in these moments that the animal in him would be released and he would kill without a second thought, savoring the screams and death of his victims.  He was only dangerous when absolutely pushed to brink of anger and control.  This was the point of him at which he reverted purely to rage, madness and destruction, calling upon the pent up emotions within him to seek only death.  The point where the Hellion and vampire became one.

Fortunately, his self control was always around to keep things in check.

Tarquin held the blanket still in his hands as he accepted her answer for the moment and watched her skip off to the room opposite where he stood.  He kept gazing in her direction, curiosity besting his better judgment.  'No, nothing at all. Thank you for the clothes and the blanket... I guess I'll go put them on now...'  He couldn't help but smile at the way she kept avoiding him, it continued to nag more at his interest.  He knew she attempted to lie to him.  She made it all to obvious the way she dodged his questions.  While he could not read minds, he could read the secret desires or emotions pertaining to them and, in her mind, he felt a momentous fluctuation.

Apart of him wondered what this may or what had caused it.  It wasn't like he cared much though, he was merely curious and that which nagged at his interest often pulled persistently at him until he solved the mystery.  She was proving quite a mystery to him with her guardedness and attempted feigns.  While it seemed she wanted to free herself from his attention, little did she know that she was only making him want to know about her all the more.

Tarquin disappeared from sight for a moment while she dressed herself, rummaged through a small cabinet with an assortment of dry goods.  A few bottles of wine, and simple foods that still smelled and tasted fresh.  He quickly grabbed a few slices of what venison remained, an apple, and a wine glass.  He fit them all on a silver tray that was also within the small cabinet, filling the glass with ordinary liquor instead of one of his own make, and placed everything on the low-legged table that rested between the chaise lounge and other furniture.  It was a common misconception that vampires only drank blood to satisfy themselves.  

After setting everything up on the small table and drinking a glass of the wine for himself, Tarquin took a grateful seat on the chaise, allowing gravity to slump him down.  He took the final seconds to prepare for her entrance before the door was thrust open and she appeared in completely black attire.  He almost failed to suppress his laughter as he realized he handed her only black clothes.  However, he didn't find it a problem at all in looking at her.  The clothes, though slightly larger than her frame, suited her almost as well as her own did and he couldn't help but admire genuinely in them.

[Anonymous]

Rafaella entered the room and immediately felt Tarquin's eyes being drawn to her. She could almost kill herself for blushing slightly, but luckily she lived on for an unknown time because she knew her tanned skin almost completely concealed the redness of her cheeks. A smile appeared on her face involuntary, which would be another reason for suicide, but Rafaella decided it was not good enough. Her eye fell on the table where a silver tray was occupied by some food, under which apples and wine, and it was only then that she realised how hungry she was.

'Err... I will be right back,' she said to Tarquin and disappeared in the cave again with her clothes before he could say something. When she came to the end she spread out her clothes on the boulders near the source, and returned to Tarquin. And the food. Rafaella was just about to sit on a chaise opposite Tarquin as something fell on it. Dust. Puzzled, she looked up at the ceiling, where a crack let through more dust. She was just about to ask Tarquin why it was doing that when they heard an awfully loud, creaking noise, followed by the sound as if the entire mansion had collapsed on top of them. The impact was bigger than Rafaella expected, the ceiling shuddered and Rafaella sank through her knees, protecting her head with her hands in case it (the ceiling, not her head -.-) came down.

In reality, only the west wing of the mansion had slightly given in on the combination of the weight of all the branches that laying on top of it and its original weakness of walls. It was the corner standing right on top of where they sat right now. When the trembling and the noise faded away, Rafaella stood up straight again slowly and asked incredulously (and unnecessarily):

'What the HELL was that?'

[OOC: Sorry about the way too dry comments in between... odd mood. Dry mood. Whatever xD Sorry if it bothers you! Oh, and I had some troubles finding the right words to describe the partial collapse of the mansion -.- It just didn't come out right the way I wanted, just like you're doing a french oral essay and you know you know the words, but they just don't appear in your head. Mouth. Something like that xD So if you have any suggestions (I think it's kind of crappy -.-) please do let me know and I'll edit it.]

[Lion]

[The commentary doesn't bother me at all.  You're the writer after all and are free to insert a note to the reader to better explain something you feel needs explaining.  So it's quite alright.  ^_^  Don't worry, I know what you mean about wanting to describe something but it becomes exceedingly difficult to find words.  (not sure about the French oral essay thing though O_o)  Nonetheless I think the scene was executed nicely.

I would have said something like: "Abruptly, there was a great tremble that reverberated through the ground like sonic boom.  Following it was the blatant creaking noise of wood snapping.  And it sounded like it was coming from...directly above them!"  Or something to that extent.  You can change it if you like, but really I don't see anything wrong with it.]

IC:  Through the rampage and cacophony of the storm, Tarquin remained stock still in his seat as dust was emitted from the ceiling.  He shut his eyes tight to keep the dust from getting into his eyes and then forced the particles that managed to get into his nostrils out with a swift puff of air.  As the particles stopped flowing from the resilient and sturdy crypt ceiling, he peered upward and cursed, "Fuck..."

Looking back at her, he answered bluntly.  "Looks like part of the ceiling caved in from the west section of the mansion above.  Don't worry though.  It seems from the racket that it gave in only slightly.  But nonetheless, I'll have to make repairs as soon as I can."  He shook his head before getting up from his seat and making his way across the room, back to library area, and quickly returning with the gauntlet equipped on his right forearm and dragging out a weighty chest virtually without much effort.  He stopped hauling the chest when he pulled it a short distance from the library's door frame.  Swinging the top open, he soon revealed a numerous amount of tools; from hammers to hacksaws and various other useful items.

He rummaged through the contents of the chest, pulling out a large hammer, several nails of dangerous length, and few other items and placing them side by side.  He stood and strode over to where Rafaella was.  "I'll have to wait until the storm's over, though.  It would be too dangerous to go up there now with all the lightning and rain."  He then sat down on the chaise lounge beside her.  "I'm sorry about the meat.  Damn dust.  But," he said as he grabbed the apple and began dusting it off on his clean jeans, "at least the apple is still good."

When it was clean he handed it to her, gazing at her with eyes that sparked with interest.  "Tell me, where are you from."  It may have come off as a little strange to witness him treat the cave-in like nothing, but that was Tarquin for you.

[Ehh, not the most remarkable thing I've written.  But whatever, I guess. ~_^]

[Anonymous]

Rafaella watched as Tarquin meddled with some dangerous tools and brushed some dust of her newly acquired clothes. She accepted the apple and took a bite from it. She didn't really care about the meat, she didn't like that kind of meat anyway.

'The apple's good. Anyway, is it still storming that badly outside? I figured it had gotten less...'

She took another bite as her dark eyes penetrated Tarquin's. Suddenly there was an odd noise on the floor, and before Rafaella could look around Zorro had jumped in her arms. She had totally forgotten about him last night, but apparently he had found his way back to her. She grinned when she cuddled him and held him tightly, thinking that it was good racoons did not talk.

'Sorry for forgetting about you, mate,' she whispered in his ear, and he licked her hand to let her know it was ok. Rafaella was smiling when she looked up at Tarquin again. Her smile faded as she contemplated her options. She gave a shrug and made her decision.

'Can I help you rebuild the house? I mean, after all I've taken advantage of your hospitality and there should be something in return... apart from -- well, from -- oh heck, you know what I mean,' she finished her sentence irritatedly by her own embarrassment.

'So if there's anything I can do... '

[Lion]

[I was beginning to wonder where the little raccoon went off too.  Interesting that he's named 'fox' though.]

For some reason, he couldn't help but gaze at the small animal both curiously and menacingly.  Despite his appreciation for nature, Tarquin never did like raccoons.  He knew from personal experience why they were sometimes called 'little bandits.'  However, Rafaella seemed to like the critter so he would let the animal stay for the time being.  Unless it crossed him in some form or another, he would leave the small creature be.  But that didn't mean the prospect didn't irritate him any less.

Tarquin merely nodded at her comment about the food, only slightly irked at the fact that he didn't have that much more to offer her in terms of a meal.  He would have to add hunting as another Must on his list of things to do.  He merely remained silent in the face of her words.  "Well, that you may," he said smiling in near laughter.  He knew all too well what she meant when she spoke about repaying him.  But he quickly continued with the subject of the house.

"Without help, the job would take me at least the better part of year.  I'm glad you offered before I had to ask.  We'll start as soon as the storm finishes.  I suppose that's one of the only things I hate about residing in this area: the weather just sucks."

[*shakes fist* Damn you writer's block!!]

[Anonymous]

'Err... I guess so,' Rafaella said vaguely. Her mind was on other things. The better part of the year on his own?? Which means I will be stuck here for... how long?? She managed to surpress a loud DAMMIT and to hide her anger with herself. Why the hell did she just say that? WHY did she offer to help him when she had just decided to leave as soon as possible (read: as soon as she had FOOD)? Now she was stuck here for she didn't know how long. Rafaella realized she was squeezing Zorro a little bit too hard and dropped him on the ground, where he remained around her feet.

Quietly, Rafaella finished eating her apple, still standing. It was not that she had any plans in the near future that were in the way of her offer, but it was the fact of being stuck in this forest, in this labyrinth, with a vampire under one roof rebuilding a mansion that was as old as the Earth herself. Rafaella thought of the possibility of spending the nights at a tavern in a nearby village, but the problem was that there was no inhabited land for miles and miles away. The possibility to break her promise and just leave was one that didn't even occur to her mind. Rafaella Dirado kept her promises and when she'd started something, she would finish it.

So she sighed. There was no way, at least no honorable one, to get out of this. She would be stuck with Tarquin the coming few months. The remains of the apple still between her index finger and thumb, she turned towards Tarquin again.

'Where can I put this?' she asked, holding the finished apple up for him to see. Zorro tugged her pants, which she ignored. Rafaella caught her own hand trembling slightly. Quickly, she lowered her hand again and concealed her frustration. Waiting for Tarquin's reply she shifted her weight first to one leg and then to the other, impatient suddenly.

[Writer's block? O.o The fact that it isn't as long as usual doesn't say it's not good...]

[Lion]

[Oh, I wasn't talking about the length.  That's immaterial to me.  I was more concerned with the fact that I had nothing better to write nor any more to add to the crap that I had written.]

Tarquin couldn't help but wonder just how bitter the prospect of staying here was making her.  He had to be completely honest with himself: he didn't want her to stay here any longer than she did, but with a broken roof and promises already made, there was little that could be helped.  True his life had come to be rather monotonous over the years with the exception of occasional excitements.  He killed to feed, sometimes for pleasure, purchased supplies with what stolen money he had, slept when needed, studied, and enjoyed trysts with lovers that would be dead within days.  But sometimes he would come across chance encounters such as Rafaella and though her departure was planned for as soon as possible, or so either of them desired, it seemed he had taken a smidgen of interest in her as well.  The evening of passion shared between preceding this unfortunate event certainly intrigued him.

Still, there were more pressing matters at hand.  A leaky roof would not be a good prospect in a house that was almost as old as he was.  Suddenly he felt the storm outside lessen, the rage outside winding down from a torrent to a much gentle pattering of rain.  Well, it seemed now was as good a time as any to at least place a tarp over the woodwork to at least keep the water out.

Tarquin grabbed the eaten apple from her hand nonchalantly and tossed it into a small waste basin in a corner with almost unbelievable precision for the object resided a long distance from where he stood.  "The rain's subsiding," he said, heading back towards the large tool chest.  "I think it might be good to start working now.  The roof will be a little slick but you can trust me not to let you slip." he pulled out two oldened toolbelts, worn with age and use with several items already tucked away safely in their straps.  Out to the side he pulled out an incredibly large tarp whose size he suspected would be sufficient enough to cover the length of the wound in the roof.  Judging from the sound of its snapping woodwork, it couldn't be too large.

After quickly putting on his boots and offering her his leather jacket to better keep out the rain from pummeling her, he headed towards the gates that led to the upper floors of the old Martin Manor.

[Anonymous]

Rafaella took the jacket Tarquin passed her after putting on her own boots too, and immediately threw it over a chair nearby. Like she wasn't used to rain. She imagined it would be a better idea if she put on her wet blouse and jeans anyway, because the clothes were going to get very wet and probably dirty anyway.

'Wait for me, okay?' she asked and walked away to the other room again. Only a few minutes later she returned, dripping almost and changed into her own clothes again. She smiled broadly and followed him towards the doors after Zorro had jumped on her shoulder, trying to suck the water out of her blouse. Apparently he was thirsty.

'Perhaps it is a good idea for me to get some food from a village after we've done this?' Rafaella inquired. After all, she at least was going to need some eatable food. Her stomach was rumbling (is that a word?) already...

[BLEH. Sorry for the crappiness and the ultimate shortness ... feel kinda odd, hope my next post is better. Sorry sorry...]

[Lion]

['Rumbling' is a word. :) ]

Tarquin glanced nonchalantly down at that jacket she tossed on the chair.  It seemed as though she didn't want it.  "Very well," he said quietly to himself and tossed the jacket over his own shoulders, he was only trying to be hospitable but she didn't want it, then so be was all he could say.  He waited patiently for her to return only to find her back in her dripping clothes.  He managed to stifle a laugh in his throat but not in his face as he smiled in amusement at her.  Shaking his head he moved towards the gate and unlocked it, tossing the chains to the side in a resounding clank on the stone ground.

When her voice caught him, he looked up at her and listened to her request.  After thinking about it for a moment, considering whether it was a good idea or not for her to enter civilization, he nodded, concurring, and said, "Good thinking.  I'll go with you when we finish."  He knew that she was starving after the virtually worthless food he had offered her.  He knew also that she might travel to the village and lead a group of raiders to Dagon Field--and that would not do.  Of course, such a thing was dishonest but according to him, it never hurt to take precautions.

[Anonymous]

Following Tarquin outside, Rafaella sighed internally when he said he'd go with her to the village. She was hoping to get some time on her own to think things over, to prepare herself for what might happen in the coming few months. This hope, just like the hope of getting away as soon as possible, was condemned. With feeling the raindrops fall on her face, Rafaella looked around her more carefully and noticed that it was one of the most irritable kinds of rain: not too hard, not too soft, but just enough to make you wet and chilled to the bone. Zorro on her shoulder let out a soft noise and jumped off to run back into the manor.

Increasing her speed a bit to keep up with Tarquin, Rafaella asked him where they would start making repairs, as he had called it. Looking up at the tall house, Rafaella hoped she wouldn't have to get on the roof. Her boots were good for climbing trees or travelling uneven paths, but for something slick and straight they were unfit.

[Ooc: Sorry, I don't think this is a good post... just couldn't think of anything else =P Hope you can do something with it, though. Didn't want to make you wait any longer.]