Andromeda Orchid | Lone Vampire | Mentions:

Duffy (Indir.) Lucian (Indir.)

She lingered near the service bar, her hands pushed into the dark leather jacket, half to keep them out of the way and half to avoid people touching the cold skin. Her head tilted slowly to the side as she perused the menu that was listed above the heads of the staff, idly skimming along the items. She had no intention to eat there, her meal from the previous night had satisfied her for now.

Andromeda took a small glance around the shop, trailing her gaze across the other customers. The scents were too strong in here for her to pick out any particularly tasty smelling individuals, which was a blessing. It had always been a struggle to resist her urges, she couldn’t escape the coaxing desire to relive her first meal. She had made improvements, forced herself within proximity to humans to adjust herself. For the moment, she thought she was doing rather well for herself. Only on occasion did she find herself salivating over a human.

She paused on a man as he ordered at the counter, her blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly at his back. He smelt a little..different. That wasn’t the word she wanted but it was the one she settled on. As he turned away from the counter, Andromeda jolted to life and snapped her eyes away to avoid being caught staring. Her spine straightened like a rod had been shoved down it, staring straight ahead of herself.

Andromeda didn’t really mingle with many people in the town, it wasn’t exactly safe to have human friends. If they happened to catch her on a bad night, she couldn’t guarantee their safety. That’s why she lived alone, spent most of her nights aimlessly wandering around the forest or sitting blankly in front of a book or the TV. She would be honest with herself, it was a sad existence. But she supposed it was what she deserved, being what she was.

“Andromeda!” The barista called out from behind the coffee machine as they slid her cup onto the counter.

She took quick short steps towards the service counter as her name was called out loudly above the mumbling chatter. She slipped her hand around the cup, enjoying the warmth that spread through her palm. She pushed a smile to her lips and offered a thank you.

Turning away, she held the cup in one hand as she brushed past the other people waiting for their drinks and food. Of particular note, the man she had been staring at before.

“Excuse me, thank you.” Andromeda piped up as she slipped past him, she caught his eyes for a moment before she had made it past him. Her free hand opening the door, she stepped back out in the brisk air. At least now she could go and grab her meagre supplies and scramble back home. That or she could potter around a little more.

Andromeda lingered out the front of the cafe, watching as the traffic began to pick up a little. Her head turned to look down the street, almost doing a double take as in the distance she saw a rather brightly coloured man practically jumping out from a large store with bags adorning his arms. Well, he looked…exuberant.

Preferring to avoid too much excitement, Andromeda began to walk casually down the pavement in the opposite direction. Lifting the take away cup to her lips, taking in a mouthful of hot chocolate. A soft hum of satisfaction came from her throat as it warmed her.

Faelin Kelly | Pack Werewolf | Mentions:

Corrie, Jaedyn, Ikaris (Dir.) Saul, Ikaris (Indir.)

Faelin had almost finished his small serving as the others spoke, watching as Corrie took up a position and began to eat. His head lifted in slight surprise as Saul’s rather hasty departure and offered him a small smile as he left along with a dip of his head. He was always off doing something, the poor man never rested.

His attention was brought back to the remaining group as Corrie began peppering her questions. Faelin swallowed the last mouthful of mushrooms and placed his cutlery on the plate gentle, barely a sound was made. He waited patiently for Jaedyn’s excited voice to flood the room, paying attention dutifully. After a moment, he parted his lips to speak, his voice a world apart from Jae’s.

“The winter chill is getting to my bones.” His gruff voice chuckled gently. “My age is showing.” It was a mild joke, but whether or not it would land he didn’t really mind. “I think we need a general trip into town, we’re running low on some things.” He lifted a hand and began to count them off on his fingers as he went. “Bathroom cleaner, paper towels, uhm I think I saw that the kindling for the fire is low too.” He rambled on a little, gradually getting lost in his own train of thought, a slightly puzzled look coming across his face. Did he need more floor cleaner too? He was about to turn and check in the cupboards when he heard a subtle sound from down the hallway.

Faelin’s eyes sharped with attention as he looked towards the kitchen door as a figure drifted by, his head cocked to the side. Ikaris was home. Clearly he had not spent the night in his bed, whether or not he had been out risking his life or had simply fallen asleep beneath a tree was still to be determined. However, from the way he avoided the obvious chatter in the kitchen, Faelin would likely favour the former. He didn’t comment on his arrival outloud but the fact that Saul had already departed made him a little nervous. What if Ikaris needed him? Ever the worrywort, Faelin was completely distracted when Jaedyn’s voice piped back up across from him. In fact, the poor man almost leapt out of his skin as he heard the voice. His eyes darting back to meet the expectant gaze, from the tone alone he knew that he was about to be asked to do something. Could be good, could be bad, he never really knew when it came to Jaedyn.

Faelin’s surprise subsided for a slightly amused smile at the dramatic manner of asking, he reached his hands behind his back to untie the fabric of the apron. Hooking it over his head and folding it over his forearm, he offered a small nod.

“We can go now, if you’d like.” He gave a small gesture to his plate. “I’m finished, I won’t need anything else.” Perhaps his small sizes were responsible for his lean lankiness. Faelin did steal another glance towards the kitchen door, his eyebrows stitching together. Then he began gathering a plate of food, moving swiftly to shovel a portion of each item onto the porcelain.

“I may just check on something before we go. If that’s okay.” Faelin wasn’t really asking as he set the apron down on the kitchen counter and dipped his head towards Corrie as he skirted his way around to the door. “I won’t be long, I’ll meet you out back.” He shot another small smile towards Jaedyn. He did like the bright young man, he brought a certain lightness to every situation which, when you are a man such as Faelin, was welcomed.

He slipped out into the hallway and made sure to keep all the food on the plate as he walked steadily towards where he could scent Ikaris was lurking. Though, ever the subordinate, he did lightly tap his knuckles on the door frame before he stepped into the room hesitantly. It took him a moment to find Ikaris, slumped into the plush pillows with his eyes half lidded. Faelin felt a jolt of concern coursed through him as he registered his leader’s appearance. He looked exhausted and not only that, he was hurt.

Faelin stepped a little more heavily into the room, almost forgetting the plate in his hand as he bent down to get a better look. His eyes wide as he tried to assess whether or not he needed to chase down Saul.

“Ikaris, what happened?” His voice was soft, kept barely above a whisper. He knew how Ikaris didn’t like the attention when he was hurt, or even slightly inconvenienced. Faelin didn’t want the others from the kitchen to come charging in, the situation would become far too overwhelming. Not only for his alpha, but for himself.

Carefully, Faelin crouched down and held out the plate, slipping it onto the couch beside Ikaris. “I brought you some food, but I understand if you don’t want to eat anything.” His hand went straight back to his body. Clasping his hands together in front of him with his elbows balanced on his knees, he was almost eye level with him now, slightly lower.

“Do you need anything?” Faelin couldn’t help asking, offering his aid. He knew about the struggles that his leader faced, years of living together revealed a lot over the time. He never pressed for more information than what Ikaris was willing to give him, Faelin would never overstep like that. He would simply offer companionship and a shoulder to lean on if it was desired, if not he would remove himself. That was how it often played out, especially in the past, when Ikaris would come staggering home belligerent. Faelin thought that things were improving, but from the looks of things something had clearly interrupted that steady improvement.