[Rainbowfox Ari]

[This Tavern will be filled with various residents from Castledown. Each week, these residents will change, and the state of the weather outside will change as well. This first post is to let everyone know who is here, and what the weather is like. Be warned... Not all of the residents of Castledown are... nice.]

The place wasn't fancy, big or that overly decorated with this or that. It had a very drab demeanor, a very soft color-scheme on the outside. Gray-blue, with dark-blue awnings, little white specs of paint that were supposed to represent stars resplendent on both. On a large wooden sign one of the awnings held, it read "Starlight Tavern" in big, white, hand-painted lettering.

Right now, that lettering was getting battered big-time by a storm that was brewing just off the coast. Jawan was one of the worst places for squalls, and this one looked to be a big one. It wasn't pouring yet - but it was raining pretty steadily, making the ones inside the tavern ever the more glad they WERE inside, and not out in the wind and wet.

One of those inside the tavern was seated at a small round table on the red-carpeted ground-floor. The rickety chair he was in was unpadded, and he was hunched forward with his hand curled around a mug of hot cocoa. His black-green-black hair was slicked down with water, and some of it still dripped from the tips to the table. He was wearing a large black trenchcoat, deep blue jeans, a blue shirt, and a look on his face that was worrying. The glassy state of his eyes told to an illness brooding inside. As did the pallor of his skin - and the heat of it to anyone who passed that close. Also, the fact that he was here without Strages was... damned unusual.

One of the others in that Tavern was sitting alone in one of the booths on the half-deck upper floor. He was leaned back against one wall, sprawled out over the entirety of one of the seats. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with rainbow bottoms, and nothing else. No shoes, no shirt. Generally that would mean "No Service" - but Dustin, the bartender here, was lax. The kid also had tattoos up and down his body, on his arms, legs, feet, and chest. They seemed to be veins and arteries. They ran all the way up to his face, and terminated in a large red blotch that stemmed from the corner of his right eye. He had a stethoscope on, and in his ears, one fishnet-stockinged hand pressing the listening end against his chest, over his heart. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be enjoying it.

Another scantly dressed male was seated at a lighted booth near one of the other walls. He was leaned against the back of the booth with a soda in one hand, and his other on the table. He was slightly tanned. Dry, since he came in first. His blonde hair was streaked through with black, and he was wearing black-leather pants, a pair of boots, and not much else. He had a bored expression on his face, as though he were waiting for something, or watching something in the far-off distance. it was almost like he was frozen, mentally... expecting something to happen, or someone to arrive. Perhaps he was looking for... waiting for... HER.

The last one from Castledown in the place was silently sitting against a wall, legs up, and back against the cool wood, as he rested one arm on his knee, and stared across at the rest of them. He was - in a word - bored. His long hair fell over his face, and his soft eyes softened even more as they looked around. So much potential. For passion. For love. For chaos. Even for death. So much raw talent here. So much that could be harnessed. But he was not entitled to do more than enhance feelings and potential once it came into play.... any more than that... and he would be banned from this body and this world. Permanently.

[ToxicShadow]

Strages

Separation from his chosen true love wasn't something that he was too particularly keen on, but work would always be the second factor dominating Strages' life. It had to be done, no questions asked. There was too much riding on it. With his line of work, things were risky. Being in a mafia, you accepted the fact that you could die any day, any given moment in time. He wouldn't allow himself to be near Aaron when he was given an assignment, thus, there was no other choice except for the two to temporarily divide. Aaron was his weak point and he couldn't afford to have one, couldn't afford letting an enemy know he had one. It was why people like him weren't supposed to fall in love; but he really couldn't help that. Love just happened. He wasn't about to turn his back to it.

Stepping into the Tavern with an unusually mysterious air, Strages was shrouded...in white. A white cloak covered all of his body, the hem just a few inches from the floor along with a large hood pulled up over his head. All that could have been seen past the white covering was the black boots on his feet, and the features of his face. Well, only half of his face, since one side was hidden under a white porcelain half-mask. Even then, his visible eye was thickly ringed with black eyeshadow that transformed into a cross design going down that half of his face. Just all part of the act, the protection of his identity. When your assignment to go 'off' a guy, you didn't want to look like your self. He was just lucky not to have gotten blood on any of the white, save for the matching gloves that he'd already peeled off and disposed of in a trashcan somewhere outside.
Storms were the best of times to kill someone.

Setting down a glass of something he'd just ordered, he took a seat across from Aaron, knowing his fiance...mate..., what ever term one would prefer to use, would recognize him no matter how he disguised himself. A black almost-suitcase was set at his side on the floor, and the mask yanked off and laid out on the tabletop. He leaned across the table to place a hand on the face of the other young man and gave him a kiss in greeting. It was impossible to miss that his body wasn't at it's normal, regulated temperature. When Strages pulled back, his eyes were narrowed, but was more concerned then angry. "You're getting sick again."

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


Balliden "Lie"

A rumor had been going around- the people associated with a certain castle frequented the Starlight Tavern. Ultimately, it was hearing these rumors when she passed around the city from job to job that led to Lie eventually having to drag herself here. She couldn't exactly ignore the fact any longer, that she wanted to find Casey and meet him when she was...her real self. She wasn't quite like her vampiric side. Far from it, actually. But she could recall that more of her true nature had tried to show itself then, back during the time of her 'new endeavors.' Heh. The vampire was gone, for now.
In it's place was a young woman, probably too shy and nervous for her own good. Lie was far from a social creature, unless she absolutely had to be. Having trust in someone was something she could rarely do.

Her enterance was much more mellow compared to the man who'd come in some time before her, making a point to draw even less attention to herself then he had. So...she didn't want to be noticed? No, she just wanted to look from the sidelines. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure she'd find who she was seeking and, if she did, she wondered if she could bring it upon herself to speak to him calmly. There was no held interest, at all, in meeting anyone else. If she didn't find him, she'd leave. There would be nothing more about it.
The problem she faced was that, even among the crowd of motley people who found their way here, she still stood out. Not many people ran around in outfits similar to that of a maid. Lie just happened to like the style and could pass it off as her clothes for work, when she worked. House keeping and party planning- it wasn't that exciting. Her dress was black, save for the white under layers that made it poof out a bit and the lace lining all edges. Over that, she had a sleeve-less bodice in white that had a sort of  V-cut ruffle that went down to the mid of the black skirt of the underlying dress. There was a fairly large ribbon tied around her neck in a bow, and her lengthy black hair had a white headband set into it. All that gave her away for being a Kuhna were the multicolored ears and tails.
Droplets of water clung to much of her form, despite the parasol she'd carried with her.

She moved about the building without looking up from the floor often or making eye contact with anyone. Lie had somehow just managed to venture past Casey's booth without realizing. How blind was she? Eh, she was gonna get herself a nice warm drink to try and unknit her annoying nerves. Making an attempt to calm down, just in case, seemed like a good idea to her. Now, it was just left up to him to recognize her, or her to spot him after her order went through.

[Citanul]

The storm brewing outside had Malkov worried. Not for himself, no, being of Demon and Vampire bloodlines he had immunity to such things as colds... But the little one in his arms didn't.

Brujah curled his body tighter into his big brother's, his flame-red hair standing out against the black trenchcoat Malkov wore. They had only been out for a walk when the soft sprinkling of rain had become a downpour and promised to become much worse. "Go inside?" He asked, half-whimpering as he shivered.

"Right, right... Find a place..." Malkov spoke aloud, slipping into the tavern they had just come upon. A quick glance gave him all he needed to know. A tavern... And from the looks of things, there weren't many here. He carefully opened the door, feeling it shut quickly behind him in the downpour. There had been another to enter moments before, dressed in all white... Malkov didn't see the point in that. He himself was in his black trenchcoat, a blood-red shirt tucked into his equally dark pants... Though the pale grey-white hair that adorned his head was a far cry from the darkness that seemed to radiate off of him.

Whereas Malkov was grim, Brujah was light. His bright blue eyes were almost the same shade as his brother's, but the over-sized three year old was much more curious about his surroundings, still cuddled easily into Malkov's side as he was pulled closer, the dark red of his own clothes standing out against Malkov's black hues.

The two found themselves a table, Malkov still holding his little brother close, stroking back his hair and making sure he was warm enough while held close. The boy wasn't the focus of Malkov's attention, however. The vampire had his eyes on the man leaning in the corner, with dark hair tipped with some sort of blue.... His aura was strong, but that wasn't what he was going for. No. He had seen that one before, in his dreams... Dreams that his fractured mind didn't need to think of right now, not while caring for the little one.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Aaron looked up as his love came to sit down, and beamed one of those rare smiles at him, eyes a bit bleary. Nodding slightly at Strages' comment on his condition, his hand snaked out, and gripped one of the other's. Tightly. He sought his lover's eyes, and then rested his head against their clasped hands.

"Nothing I do, love.... Nothing I do seems to help at all. I still get sick. I still get weak, even if I'm doing everything right. I eat right now, and exercise to keep up my heart. But everything I do doesn't work... I still get this way. I don't want to do this to you, love... But I don't know who else to turn to for something... of this caliber. You're my one, my only. ... I don't want to burden you, but.... I need help... Badly."

That said, he lowered his head against Strages' hand again, and gave a soft sigh, followed by a hasty retreat from the comfort of his lover's warmth as he fell into a coughing fit. A sip from the mug calmed it down.

Casey didn't notice Lie. Not until he got up to get another drink, passing Beat on the way by. He froze in place when he saw her. Looked. Looked. Looked... then broke his semi-stoic demeanor, and raced to catch her up in an embrace and swirl her around, before setting her back on her feet.

"Lie! Where have you been? I've been worried SICK about you. And all this time, I've been looking for you. Couldn't find you... Found you now, though! How are you? How's life treating you? How are our kids?"

He grinned, and stepped back, just taking her in.

"WOW... It's been so long since I've seen you - I was starting to go crazy. I guess I just didn't realize how much I..." his voice grew softer, and he grew closer. "How much I love you."

Dejar smiled a bit as he watched the one he had called come in. But there was an unforeseen occurrence. In the form of a small child in the arms of the one he had his eye on. An adorable child at that. He exerted a small amount of his power, and attempted to force Malkov to wander over in his direction. As he worked, his eyes glowed, showing that he was more than met the eye.

"Come..." he said quietly, motioning to the small child to approach him.

He always worked in the easiest manner possible. He LOVED children. And the child was directly attached [almost at the hip] to the object of his desire. Malkov.

[Citanul]

Malkov hadn't exactly fel the tug that Dejar put on him, he had merely gone where he felt it safest, nearer to the back fo the tavern and away from the bar. Brujah didn't need to be getting into alcohol, nor did he need the little one wandering off to some of the more interesting residents of this place.

A little startled as Brujah climbed off of his lap, Malkov made a move to stop him, though met Dejar's gaze for a moment. He knew how to read someone's dangerous demeanor... But the obviously powerful man didn't seem dangerous. He let Brujah walk over to him, though watched carefully.

The bright-eyed child smiled and held a hand to Dejar, or rather, he gently curled his hand around one of Dejar's larger ones. "I'm Brujah. Who're you?" He asked, completely unafraid of this new presence, even if he felt stronger than his father. That was Malkov's blood though, not afraid of anything nor anyone, no matter how much stronger.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dejar smiled, and curled his fingers around the little boy's hand. His eyes softened even more, and he chuckled quietly.

"My name is Dejar, little one. You are... Brujah? I have heard of you. Such a brave spirit, for one so small."

He broke away from a moment, and plucked energy out of the air. He molded it like clay, a small form taking shape. After he was done, the form revealed itself to be a small dog, a puppy. Glowing with the energy used to create it, it would ensure that Brujah never would need a nightlight again. With a soft word, Dejar set the new being on the floor, and it bounded over to the young child, wiggling and squirming in that way that puppies do.

"He is yours now, child. His name is Nhevi - which, in my language, is Energy. Take good care of him, and he will take care of you."

Finished with that, he turned to the older brother, and held out his hand again. "Come?"

[Citanul]

The flame-haired boy smiled brightly to Dejar, happy when the other took his hand. He nodded. "I am Brujah..." He giggled as he watched Dejar pluck energy from the air, watching him curiously.

Though he wasn't afraid of the dark, Brujah happily watched the puppy and turned to pet it softly, watching the wiggly little puppy. Obviously, he'd never had a lesson on not taking things from strangers, but this one made him feel at ease. "Nhevi..." He tried out the name, picking the pup up gently and holding it. "Thank you Dejar!"

While Malkov watched all of this there was a bit of doubt in his mind. This man's aura was much stronger than his fathers... But he was good with Brujah, he knew the boys name and... Well, thath e woudl make a fine warrior some day. There wasn't any hesitation as Malkov stood and walked over to Dejar, though he had more of a question in his eyes than his brother had.

"What sort of God are you?" He knew that none other than a God would be stronger than Caine, and even then... That was a long-shot. This man, Dejar... He was certainly interesting, and Malkov overrode the voice in his head that told him not to trust the new presence. If he had gone so far as to invade his dreams to get him to come here, then he must have something important to say.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dejar watched Brujah for a few moments more, before turning to the brother, and standing. Oh, but he wasn't... standing... per se. As floating a bit off the floor. He settled back down, so that he was flat on the wood, and reached out to lift Malkov's chin with his fingers. He was gentle - but insistent, and lifted the boy's eyes to meet his without really having to try.

"I... my dear boy... am the God of Passion for a planet you will soon get to know very, very well. I am on Evelon as... well... a bit of an experiment. And as of this moment...." he drew closer. "You are mine."

And with that, and no hesitation, he kissed him. And it was probably one of, if not THE, most passionate, wonderful kisses that Malkov had ever received. And it said without words.. 'I'll take care of you' - as easily as if Dejar had spoken those words himself.

[Citanul]

Brujah was luckily enthralled with the energy-puppy, too much to pay any attention to the other two. He stuck somewhat close... Though on occation strayed over by Beat's table, luckily having enough sense not to knock into the other's chair. Instead he was happy to just play with the puppy, running around and chasing him.

Malkov on the other hand had his full attention on Dejar, bright eyes carefully looking out from his pale curtain of hair, which he pushed back... About to speak just before Dejar pulled him into the kiss.

For the love of the Gods... There was a slight resistance before Malkov gave in to the comfort that Dejar offered, for once the random voices in his mind agreeing - this was his mate. There was no use arguing with a God anyhow... But what Dejar offered in his kiss was something that Malkov couldn't deny that he wanted.

As for being mated to the God of Passion... Well. That offered its own set of perks. Easily melting into the kiss Malkov just barely pressed a hand to Dejar's chest, almost as if making sure that this was real. ...There were instances where he had a rough time seperating his dreams from reality... And now that Dejar wasn't a dream, he needed to make sure that he was truly there.

[ToxicShadow]

To say that Strages was worried was an understatement; it was always more much then a typical fear that he held for his love.
When Aaron pulled away in his fit of coughs, Strages stood from his seat and dragged his chair, and other belongings, around the table in order to sit next to Aaron rather then across from him. In addition, he pulled off the cloak draped around his own self to place it around the other young man. In which, it was relieved that all of Strages' clothing beneath the white was black. Black pants, black shirt with long sleeves, black shoes. It all kind of just molded together. He wasn't worried about fashion at the moment, so it was nothing over the top like he usually received from the theater.

It was such a shame to know that many efforts were wasted when it came to Aaron's health. He wouldn't often say it, for fear of upsetting the other, but it often even made Strages feel...incompetent. No matter what he ever did, as well, the illness that plagued his fiance never ceased for long. He wasn't accustomed to feeling all but helpless. The only thing he really knew was that he'd never dream of leaving him. It wasn't an option. Ever.
So what if what he said next seemed like a corny line out of some romance novel? He was sincere. "Anything. You know I'd do anything for you." Did he need to say it? Perhaps so. He took Aaron's hand in his, knowing there was only so much he could do for him without a professional medical knowledge. Perhaps...there was some other factor that could be included in this? Or maybe that was just a false hope.
Exactly how sick was Aaron this time?


Conveniently, Lie hadn't been holding her drink when Casey spotted her and snatched her up as he did. She'd barely managed to turn her head when she found herself swept up into someone's arms, spun, and set on her feet once more. Hardly enough time for her to freak out and shout, which she would have done otherwise. No, instead she stumbled backward when on her feet, heart accelerating in speed from the surprise. She felt around frantically behind her with a hand, it coming across something nearly level with her waist. A stool- she leaned back against it for support.

Her eyes sought the person who'd come at her, fully prepared to either punch someone in the face, or make a run for it [whichever instinct took hold first]. But instead her eyes went wide and her mouth nearly agape; if it wasn't so improper, it surely would have. Her body was trembling gently- a combination of a great many of things. "I-I..." 'Come on! Say something! ...No, no. I can't!' But it was Casey, who she'd been looking for. She wanted to see him again, and here he was. Like she predicted before, she'd be afraid when she saw him again. He'd once gave her assurance that she had nothing to fear...

Rather then running away like her feet almost wanted her to do, Lie suddenly ran forward those few steps to throw her arms around him tightly like she was afraid he'd vanish again. Ears were back against her head.
"It's you... It's really you!"
Wait...He'd been looking for--and he--the kids--he went crazy? No, no, no. It took her a moment to make sense of everything he'd said. "Love...me...?" Her grip loosened on him a bit, and she pulled back enough to look at his face directly, to find that she couldn't. Her eyes suddenly shot down and away.
She loved him too, though, didn't she? She wouldn't have gone through all this trouble otherwise...but... "I-I didn't think you...you really...could." You know, just out of the circumstances of how they met, it didn't seem practical that someone with his...occupation fall in love.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Aaron smiled over at his love, and lifted his hand to rest on Strages'. He coughed a bit, and leaned, resting his head against the one he loved, against his shoulder. Eyes closing, he spoke softly.

"There's a specialist. I looked him up. Called him. He said I may have a curse, and he'd have to examine me to make sure. But... I don't want to go alone. I'd be scared to go alone. Please... please come with me?"

His voice was tired, but the feeling was sincere. His hand curled tighter over the other's, and a few tears trickled down his face. He was well and truly scared, and only his Strages would make things better. Shivering a bit, he curled fully into Strages, and tried to calm himself down, and relax.

"What if I have a curse, 'Jes? What if I can pass it on to you? What if they can't remove it?"

Casey moved his hands to her arms, and looked her deep into the eyes, pulling her close, and touching her forehead with his. So very close right now. His kind smile genuine, and his touch gentle. He shook his head a bit.

"Not supposed to..." he said quietly. "But I did. I fell in love. With you. And here I am with you."

He stroked back her hair from her face, and looked even deeper into the other's eyes. "I want you with me. I want to protect you. I want to stay with me."

Dejar curled his arms around Malkov and purred softly at him, just like a giant cat, the vibrations all throughout his body. He bent his head, and nibbled at his throat.

"Mine..." he whispered softly, stroking his hair. "Mine. Forever, if you wish."

He leaned forward, and pressed his nose to Malkov's, so close that he could feel the god's soft breath against his skin. And his heart beating fast beneath his ribs.

"I can give you anything you want... anything you desire. Anything you need. Just ask me. Just ask..."

[Citanul]

The soft vibrations through the man's body had Malkov smiling and watching Dejar carefully, content to keep close to him. His head tilted to its own accord, a hand tenatively coming to stroke his cheek gently.

"Forever is good." Malkov smiled and watched Dejar leaning in, trusting him enough not to pull back, the soft breath on his skin smelling sweet. He could feel the blood beneath his hand rushing, Dejar's heart nearly pounding. Ah, how he wanted to drink from him... But he certainly wouldn't. That was a much more intimate action than he wanted to show in this place.

"Just don't leave." He murmered, blue eyes watching Dejar's, looking into his eyes. "Don't leave me with Caine." He loved his father, but he didn't want to be alone with the man anymore.

Brujah was still distracted, pausing and picking up his puppy as he tilted his head at Beat. He was weird... Lookit those colors! Tattoos, he thought was the word. Unless it was just paint? The three-year old smiled and watched him for a moment. What was he doing with the metal-thing?

[ToxicShadow]

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way..." Strages agreed fully to going with Aaron, only trailing off softly at the end. It was true- he wouldn't. When he held very little trust in anyone it made perfect sense that he was especially concerned when it came to the welfare of those he loved. He would have been upset had he not been invited to go, honestly.

While a great many of people may have been shaken up by the possibility of being cursed or knowing that the person you loved was, it wasn't anything that was going to scare this man away. A commitment, he'd already made it, rather or not the two had officially tied the knot; it was made long ago.
With a gentle hand, he brushed the tears from Aaron's cheeks and pulled him as close as he could within the strange confines of their chairs in reassurance.

"If they can't remove it..." He pondered over it only momentarily, "nothing will change..." Aaron would either stay just as sick as he was now, or get worse. The less brighter outlook would be that he would die and, while Strages would be likely to want to waste his life, he knew what he'd really do rather then sulk...There were ways to reverse the effects of death, especially in this world. He'd do whatever he had to... "Someone in this world- or even another -should know something about your condition." Even if this specialist he was talking about didn't. Were there others similar to him? If he wasn't mistaken, he could recall that Ente said Aaron was similar to Benji...
"I'm not at all concerned if it can pass to thee. It won't change anything, in my eyes." Yes, he truly would rather get sick then to be without him. He leaned in, lips close to the other's ear, whispering, "I'm not going anywhere. Not without you."


As much as she tried to keep looking away, it was impossible for Lie to do so. She found herself staring back at Casey, into his eyes. Soon, tears welled up in her own. Not tears of sadness, but those of happiness- one emotion that wasn't often felt to this capacity. At least not in her own life.
With a renewed burst of enthusiasm, her arms were thrown around him again, this time his neck. She briefly buried her face into his shoulder, just wanting to stay like that for a moment. By all means, her body was still shaking from everything, the fear, the excitement, the joy. It was all just a mass of emotions that the young woman wasn't used to feeling all that once.

"I don't want you to leave again..." She finally murmured, pulling back to look at him once more after she got past the great feeling of just needing to hold onto him, to be that close to him.
She'd been scared of this, terrified of the moment they'd meet again, so she felt a little childish for having felt so. A little...ashamed, even. Lie didn't want Casey to see all of that though, because it wasn't as important. What was important was this.

A shaky hand was placed against the side of his face, followed by a partially hesitant kiss.

"I-I love you...too. I want to stay...with you." Loosing him again, that wasn't an option she was about to consider. That was one thing she was more then sure about.

[GrayGriffin]

[I assume this is open to anyone?]

[Human form]

The war was over...but what now? Curse the rain...her mechanical components were already slowing down. The girl sighed as she ducked into an alleyway, sheltering near...a tavern? Well, there seemed to be no other shelter, so she carefully stepped in. It was an okay place, with nice bluish colorings, and speckles. Starlight Tavern...she had read that outside. A nice name, wasn't it? Seeing how most of the other occupants were occupied with others, she walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, grateful for the rest, glancing around with her orange eyes.

It seemed that most of the people around here were couples. Except for a younger boy who was happily playing with a puppy, and a young man with...vein tattoos? Personally, she thought it was bad taste. And the stethoscope-she doubted he was a doctor. Reaching into her pocket, she reminded herself that her pocket medical kit was still there.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Terra was going into a tavern! And Sophur and Dinner had told him to watch over her! Oh dearie dearie! What would they say? He had to stop her somehow!

He slid down the side of the building, his bells extending special miniature suction cups to stop him from crashing. These bells were state-of-the-art-all sorts of surprises hidden in them. He reached the tavern quickly, then curled himself up and rolled in, hiding under a table so that he could observe.

Oh dear! So many bad people! Sophur and Dinner had told him to watch out for people like these-people who wore too little. He had to get Terra out of here somehow.

There she was! She was watching, a bit curious. Oh no oh no oh no. How was he going to get her out? For that reason, why did she come in? To hide from the rain? A human body must be pretty vulnerable...it got wet and uncomfortable so easily. He supposed he could understand a little-it wasn't fun for him either. But there were good places to hide! A tavern was a bad place! With bad people in it!

[148, 1]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

There was something to be said for the barkeep being able to read minds. Heck, there was something to be said for the barkeep having mental prowess in general. He set down the glass he'd been polishing, hearing thoughts that.. really, really irked him. It wasn't as if he didn't notice a giant squid-like being slithering in, and sequestering itself under one of his tables. A soft growl arose in the back of his throat. He excused himself from behind the counter, and walked immediately over to the 'hidden' creature, bending down to talk to it.

"You can take your negative thoughts, and GET. OUT. I won't tolerate that kind of thinking about my establishment. Also, the sign on the door clearly states that animal forms are not allowed."

He stood, and found the other who had come in. While he wasn't as angry with her, deriding one of his best customers - no matter how little it was - just didn't sit right with him. He wouldn't kick her out... not yet... She had yet to do anything. BUT... animal forms were not allowed in the tavern, and perhaps she could get the one that had snuck in... OUT.

"Excuse me, Miss. I believe that your friend under the table did not read the sign that said 'No Animal Forms'. If you will please escort him, her, or it out, I would highly appreciate it. And... if you would... be aware that I can read minds. Please refrain from disparaging mental commentary on my clients. The one you were thinking was in poor taste is Beat. Those 'tattoos' really aren't. They are part and parcel of his skin, and he has no choice but to bear them, as they are his real veins and arteries. He cannot pick up thoughts, but as he CAN pick up emotions, I would suggest you not think badly of him again, lest you upset him. You are welcome here, as long as you can think, act, and speak civilly."

Malkov had nothing to fear from Dejar leaving, and a shake of the god's head told him so. His hand came up, and stroked the side of his chosen one's cheek. The hand that met skin was almost ice-cold. Dejar was ill, and that was a fact that was pretty obvious to most. But even more so to Malkov. Since Dejar had now let his guard completely down around the vampire, he could likely hear his heart thundering, struggling. If he hadn't had the support of the other, he would have fallen over.

"Don't worry." Dejar whispered softly into Malkov's ear. "I will never leave. Never. You are mine. Mine. My chosen one. The one I will grant anything they desire. That dream was anything but, my love."

He smiled, and pulled back, shaking a little, looking deep into the other's eyes. Half-lidding his own, he leaned forward again, and pressed his lips gently to the other's. Pressing more than love into him. Pressing power. If Malkov could reach into the wellspring of magic Dejar had just given him through the kiss... he could do anything, even hold Dejar's laboring heart in his hands, if he so felt like it.

Casey stroked Lie's hair, arms curled around her protectively. Leave? Hells no. He would never leave her again. The breaking of his heart had effectively put a stop to those thoughts the very first time she left in the first place. His hands were gentle as the slid to her shoulders, and rubbed there. Calming.

"I will never leave again. Not without you. We are.. meant to be together, if you believe in fate. If not... then call it love, if you want." He smirked a bit. "I prefer to call it the 'I can't live without you' syndrome. Completely incurable."

After the small speech, he laughed, and gave her a nice warm hug, just savoring her in his arms. No, he'd never leave again. Not her. And they'd stay together. A team. Lovers. Inseparable. Especially since he'd divorced himself from his work. WITH Sanchino's permission of course.

"I left that job behind, Lie. Left it behind so that I could find you. Could be with you... Come live with me? I'm using my savings to pay for an apartment in Medicai City. It's not much, but I can get into the college next semester, and finally learn to be something USEFUL. I still have money left over, and the life isn't bad at all... Say you'll come?"

Aaron relaxed at his mate's words, and snuggled deeper into Strages, curling himself further. Strages was his world right now. Strages and the pain. His savior, however, was his mate. And his mate seemed to chase away all the pain. Or at least make it more bearable.

"I've arranged for us to stay at an apartment in Medicai City while the doctor looks at me... It won't be just us... But we'll have our privacy." He nodded his head toward Casey. "It's him. I rented the other half of the huge apartment with him. So he'll have one side, we'll have the other. The doctor said I'd need to stay close for the tests and stuff..."

Sighing lightly, he felt relieved that his partner was going to be with him. 'Jes knew just how much doctors scared him, even WITH his fetish and all. the warmth started to seep back into his body. Both from the drink he was slowly sipping, and from the heat Strages' body was granting him under the cloak. He was glad that his mate was coming with him. Perhaps they'd be able to figure out what was preventing him from getting healthy.