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Post by Christian Lecroix on Nov 27, 2009 17:48:48 GMT -5
Christian stared at the television screen.
The baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves was ending in a disappointing run which was enough to make any man grimace. It was exactly the facial expression that was written across Christian’s face when he turned away. With his whiskey in his hand and the other occupied by a slim cigarette stationed over the ashtray, he tapped it gently and finished up the rest of his drink. Placing it upside down on the coaster, he looked towards the bartender with an expectant look. He wanted his total for the evening. Leaving seemed like a good idea at any point since his team was losing and his wallet was running thin on coins.
Christian Lecroix was by no means a poor man. He had spent a year and some change as a vampire saving up his coins that he acquired while feeding on various patrons. All of it had been saved into one of the numerous banks located around the city. When the bartender handed his slip over, Christian nodded satisfactorily towards the total and reached into his leather jacket pocket. He pulled out his wallet and left a ten dollar bill sitting on the counter before he nodded his farewell and spun around from the bar. Slipping away from the main portion of the empty bar, he pushed through the heavy metal door and into the cold night’s air.
As his wallet slipped into pocket, he felt around for his cell phone. After finding what he needed, he flipped it open and stared at the sadistic glowing numbers which laughed at him. It was only one in the morning and he was deciding to call it an evening. Instead, he scrolled through the list of numbers that he had acquired through his time here and stopped on one name that he cringed to think about. Chloe. He had left without word to go see what Piper was up to in Europe. He came back less than a couple of weeks ago but didn’t bother on telling his adoptive sire that he was back in town. He doubted she really noticed that he had gone missing.
As he rounded the corner heading towards the Chinese sector of RB, he contemplated calling her but stopped himself short. With a long sigh, he pressed her name and called her cell phone. Much to his relief, her voicemail had been what he had heard. He left a brief and short message. “Chloe, its Christian. I’m back in town and I’m around the tavern at Walrus and 40th. I was wondering if you wanted to get drinks and catch up…give me a call back.” He snapped the phone shut after finishing his message.
It was only a matter of time to see how her reaction would be. Either she would be relieved to see him alive and in one piece, since he had a tendency for getting into trouble or she would be pissed that he didn’t bother to leave word with her. Either way, he would hear it from her. The best thing to do was to buy her a drink to try and appease her.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Nov 30, 2009 5:55:10 GMT -5
The walls in Chloe’s apartment weren’t exactly thick, and if she thought about it she’d have been certain that her neighbours could probably hear her. But she didn’t care. If she didn’t think about it, it didn’t exist. It would never exist until somebody confronted her about it.
She was currently in the shower. In the corner, settled on the edge of the sink, was her little green nano attached to a pair of powerful speakers. Out of those speakers emanated Muse’s I Belong to You. It wasn’t the original version, but the version included on the New Moon soundtrack. If Chloe was going to be completely honest, she was over the hype surrounding the films. She’d seen them, but now that she was living the reality of vampirism and what she considered ‘true love’, she couldn’t find the time to obsess over them.
And, along with Matt Bellamy’s heavenly tone, Chloe sang along. She couldn’t help herself. She felt she could relate to the lyrics, and when a person can relate to the lyrics of a song, they feel the need to belt it out, and they’re quite able to do it with style, too. At least, Chloe thought she was doing it with style. There’s no way she’d have ever done it in front of anyone else, so no one else could ever give her a different opinion.
There wasn’t much in her life at the moment that Chloe had to worry about. Thaddeus eased her mind about most things; as long as she had him, she was happy. Of course, she felt guilty for hiding her true nature from him and she was a little worried about what the future may hold. But, as per usual, she didn’t dwell on the future.
And though she hadn’t seen Christian in a long time, she knew he was alright. She could tell by the bond they shared. If he was trouble, she’d know. If he was in trouble, she hoped he’d contact her. Yeah, she was a little hurt that he didn’t tell her that he was leaving or where he was going. But she didn’t tell him every single move she made, either.
Even when she left the shower, the steam billowing out behind her, she continued to hum the song even though she’d turned it off. She dressed in the usual—jeans, converses, and a striped red and white hoodie. She went back to the bathroom to comb out her hair and pull it back into a braid. As she did so, she heard her phone in the other room; it dinged twice, like a spoon hitting the rim of a wine glass. It was reminding her that she had a message. She must have missed it while she was in the shower.
She skipped toward the object, picking it up, fully expecting to see Thaddeus’s name on the bright little screen. Lately, he’d been the only one who ever called Chloe. He had no other way of contacting her; she communicated with most other people she knew via telepathy. It was slightly creepy, but it was a way of life she’d become accustomed to.
But it wasn’t Thaddeus who’d called her, it was Christian. Despite her slight annoyance at his absence, the way he’d left without a word, she was mostly ecstatic to receive a call from him. She instantly accesses her messages, lifting the phone to her ear impatiently, wondering what it was he wanted.
He wanted to meet. Chloe grinned and hung up the phone. She was already out the door and on her way toward Walrus and 40th when she realised the importance of that address. That was where the halls of severance and binding lay. She stopped in her tracks and frowned, worry creasing her brow. She hoped the address was just a coincidence. She hoped Christian just wanted to catch up, and that there wasn’t anything untoward about his wanting to meet her there.
Taking a shaky breath, Chloe picked her phone out of her pocket and dialled Christian’s number. As soon as Christian answered she forced a reasonable tone into her voice;
“Hey, Christian. I’m close by. Where exactly are you?”
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Dec 2, 2009 16:26:12 GMT -5
He hadn’t recognized the significance of his location.
Unless there had been an exact location that he was predetermined to be at, he didn’t offer his surroundings any merit. Christian remained still at the corner where he had called Chloe from with his hands buried deep within his pockets. Watching the numerous amounts of people pass him by, he quickly picked out the number of vampires that were intermixed with humans. No one had caught his eyes in particular for the possibility of a quick feeding. Though he knew that denying his true nature would eventually lead to bad consequences, he ignored the twinge at the back of his head. Slipping his hand from outside of his pocket, he rubbed the back of his neck in response.
When he felt his cell phone starting to vibrate inside his coat pocket, he reached back inside and retrieved it. Chloe’s name glowed in bright green as he flipped open the cell phone and answered the phone. He grinned when he heard her voice informing him that she was close by. Christian made no quick reason to answer her when he started looking around at the corner where she said. Lifting his chin, he answered her as he started sauntering towards the interestingly dressed woman he knew as his sire. With a smile, he remained on the line as he crossed the street towards where she was standing.
“Hey, Chloe. I see you. Turn around.” He answered as he slowly passed through the intersection when the white hand summoned pedestrians to cross.
Christian closed the distance between them as he thought about the possibilities of how this interaction would turn out. He had hoped since their very first encounter, that it wouldn’t be awkward. The second time they had found each other, he had been very close to his death. With a long sigh, he finally stopped behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder to warn her that he was behind her. Though he would have relished spooking her slightly by poking out from the shadows, he wasn’t in the mood to play games tonight. He just wanted to catch up with the woman that his life was owed to. Christian didn’t think of Chloe as any other woman he had spent a one-night stand with, he genuinely respected her.
Flipping his phone shut, he placed it into his pocket and offered a small smile that showed her that he was glad she was here. For a few split moments, he watched other people pass them by and offer curious looks at to their encounter. He wondered what passed across their minds when they saw a random man meeting a random woman. Well, it was far from random. “I’m happy you showed up. For a few moments, I thought you wouldn’t.”
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Dec 4, 2009 23:05:13 GMT -5
It didn’t take long for Christian to pick up the phone. When he did, he left no room for conversation; he saw her, told her to turn around. She did as she was asked, though there were too many people and she was far too anxious. Besides, he didn’t say which direction he was coming from. So her gaze flicked uneasily over the crowd as she did a small circled, the phone still against her ear as if the sounds coming through the ear piece would help in her search.
Soon enough, however, she felt the light weight of a hand upon her shoulder. She removed the phone from her hand and slipped into her pocket as she turned to face him. Oh, how she was glad to see him, so clean and unharmed! There was nothing romantic about the way she was happy to see him, either. It was the oddest sensation, to feel so connected to someone in a motherly way when the age difference ought not to have indicated such a relationship. Hell, Chloe had an inkling that Christian was actually older than her. But it didn’t change the fact that she felt overtly protective of him—she felt the need, now, to keep him close so that he couldn’t disappear again.
“Of course I’d come!” She exclaimed, horrified that he should have such a low opinion of her that he should assume she’d ignore his summons. It’s not as if she had much else to keep her occupied—but even if she had been at work, or with Thaddeus, she would still have come. She’d have called in a replacement or closed the doors; she’d have told Thaddeus she had to meet with someone important. She wouldn’t have dragged Thaddeus along to meet Christian as it was a relationship that she wouldn’t be able to explain. She didn’t want Thaddeus getting jealous for no reason at all. Besides, Christian was a good looking man—what was there to not be jealous about?
She briefly wound her arms around Christian to embrace him in a welcoming hug before pulling away; there was nothing intimate in the gesture, it was simply a gesture of glee that Chloe couldn’t rightly contain.
Once she’d pulled away, however, she lightly and playfully punched Christian in the shoulder. “Where the hell have you been?!” She asked, though the amused tone to her voice and the smile on her face gave away the fact that she wasn’t annoyed or angry—she was only happy to see him, and curious and intrigued as to what reason he would give for his absence.
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Dec 5, 2009 17:35:11 GMT -5
Christian returned the brief display of affection towards Chloe as he leaned down and wrapped his arms around the upper portion of her back. For a few moments, he found a small comfort that had long avoided him but he wondered if it was caused by the simple fact that someone missed him. He smiled gently as he pulled away and let his arms fall loosely to his sides before he felt a light punch come to his shoulder. He grinned lightly as he studied her reaction to seeing him for the first time in a couple of months, but was relieved even more to find that she didn’t look angry or annoyed with him.
“Well, I actually had quite the interesting time. I had unfinished business to settle with her but that’s all over with now—but after that, I took some time and traveled. While I was in Europe, I decided that looking for Piper would be a good idea. I haven’t heard from her in awhile and when I second-sighted her, she was sleeping.” He explained, leaving out the details where he was thrown out of a window. “At least I know she’s safe but I didn’t disturb her. I figured she would come around when she felt ready to.”
He would have explained more to Chloe but where they were—in the public eye; he left out some other parts that could have exposed them as anything else. Christian’s eyes wondered around the intersection for a moment when he saw the flickering lights of the tavern flashing. He gestured towards the bar before questioning her. “Care to get a quick drink? I don’t want to keep you out all evening, but I figured it would be a good way to catch up. What do you think?”
There was a long moment where he wanted to know what had happened recently in her life but he figured if it was truly important, she would tell him. There was nothing overly different about Chloe but she seemed happier than usual. He could have guessed there was someone in her life but he didn’t press the matter unless she was willing to let him know. As Christian turned towards the bar, he offered her a hand that was nothing more than a friendly gesture. This had been the same event that he had done as a gentleman when the first night they spent getting to know each other.
“It will be my treat.” He offered.
Christian waited for the white hand to return to view before he crossed the street again to go to the tavern. A group of young looking kids were standing around outside trading lame jokes and passing around what could have been questionable. It was sure not a cigarette from the smell of it but Christian remained silent. He would not scare them tonight with his badge, he was focused on catching up with one of the important people in his life.
As he held the door open for Chloe, he walked in behind her to the smoky atmosphere that hit him. He didn't dislike the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol but he wasn't sure if she would mind. He sighed in some disappointment before making a face in the bartender's direction. Turning his attention back to Chloe, he offered a small apology before offering to take her to another location of her choice. "We can go somewhere else if you want..."
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Dec 17, 2009 8:40:57 GMT -5
As soon as he started Chloe was confused. Unfinished business, something to do with her—Chloe didn’t know who ‘her’ was, and it seemed no explanation was forthcoming. She thought that perhaps he was talking about Piper, but it was in his next breath that he spoke of going to Europe to try to find Piper.
Chloe had also thought about Piper over the past few months. Piper had gone away and not told Christian where she was going. Christian had gone away and not told Chloe where he was going. It would have been slightly amusing, maybe, if she too had decided to go away and not tell Toshiya where she was going. Not that she believed Toshiya would have noticed, anyhow. Seppuku, on the other hand...
That was something Chloe needed to tell Christian about. There had been several changes in this family, and Chloe needed to keep her childe updated. Whatever the case, Chloe was glad Christian was lenient on Piper and her disappearance. It gave him some idea about Chloe’s own state of mind at that very second. She understood that people needed their space. She was just glad to have him back.
There was another Chris that she couldn’t bear thinking of, because he’d failed to come back. She doubted he ever would.
Chloe shrugged her shoulders when Christian suggested they go get a drink. She could think of plenty of other ways that they could catch up, but she was never the kind of person to disagree, or cause a fuss. She was quite happy to go with the flow and do what other people wished to do. Of course, if she was deeply resentful of the idea she’d let it be known. Tonight, however, it didn’t matter where they went—everywhere, bar a rollercoaster ride or a movie theatre, would allow them to talk and catch up.
They stepped into the smoky bar and Chloe sighed; she loathed the suffocating atmosphere created by cigarette smoke, though the rest wasn’t all that bad. Her gaze drifted to the edge of the room, then upward.
“No, it’ll be alright Christian.” She said, leading the way toward the stairs and into the upper half of the establishment. There was another bar up here, in the corner. Chloe glanced fleetingly around the place before spying another inconspicuous door in the other corner, nearby the toilets.
“You go get us some drinks... meet me upstairs.” She said, gesturing with her eyes toward the roof. “I’ll have a cider.” She told him, squeezing his arm lightly before striding toward the inconspicuous door; she assumed the patrons weren’t allowed up on the roof, but she honestly didn’t care. If anyone chose to oppose them... well, she knew that she and Christian, combined, could pack a fair punch of charm.
The door was unlocked, and didn’t set off an alarm. It only showed how dodgy the place was, but it worked for Chloe’s purposes. She tripped up the narrow staircase and finally emerged on the roof; the air was clearer up here, and the stars more visible through the smog.
Yeah, that was more like it.
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Dec 25, 2009 22:09:17 GMT -5
“Alright.” Christian nodded.
He didn’t argue with her when she made up her mind because he knew that it was no use. Though he had never had gotten into a major argument with her before, he knew she would be a hellion. Christian imagined she would have argued her point until she was blue in the face. He smiled at the fact before watching her disappear towards the door roof access and he ventured towards the bar. When he reached the counter, he leaned forward and ordered his personal favorite—straight Jack and Coke while he added on the Cider that she wanted. The bartender only grunted his response before wandering off to go make the drinks and Christian’s attention wandered to the television. To his dismay, the highlights for the earlier game with the Braves and Tigers were playing across the screen.
When the bartender returned with two drinks, Christian reached into his wallet and laid out a simple five without saying a word. They exchanged the drinks for the money as he gripped both in his hands before he left the counter and smoky atmosphere. Christian made no attempts to hide where he was venturing off to as he opened the door and ran up the narrow staircase, taking two steps at a time. He silently thanked that he wasn’t clumsy as a human but the enhanced abilities made it easier to maneuver without tripping. Pushing open the roof access door, he saw Chloe standing out in front of the view.
“Beautiful.” He commented as he approached Chloe with her drink in one hand and his in the other.
When he came within a close proximity to her, he offered a smile as he placed her drink on the ledge and leaned against the concrete. He faced away from the city as his gaze focused on the other portion of the place before he gazed down at her. Christian studied her for a moment as he swigged a drink from his glass. When he swallowed the liquid, pure fire to the average human but to him, it was simply water. “So, I believe we have some catching up to do.” Christian commented as he watched her facial expression at his statement. It was very obvious that things had not advanced very much since she sired him but he hoped it would change.
“Chloe, the reason why I didn’t tell you where I went was because I didn’t want you to think the wrong thing.” He started, as he traced the rim of his glass with his thumb thoughtfully. “I went to find Marjaan. It was simply the fact that I did love her at one point and we left things—complicated. Well, I found her and let’s just say—that relationship is done and over with. And I want to move on from that—hopefully with you remaining my family that I do have…”
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Dec 28, 2009 4:19:09 GMT -5
Chloe took the drink thankfully, lifting it to her lips to take a mouthful of it, allowing the cool liquid to smooth its way down her throat. The cider tasted like a very weak version of beer. Chloe hadn’t ever really liked beer, though figured she ought to start for the sake of her heritage. Cider was just as good, however. And it was sweet. Chloe had always had a sweet tooth, and that didn’t change even though she’d changed her species. Twice.
There were a few moments of silence before Christian started to speak—yes, they needed to catch up. Chloe was curious as to what Christian had been up to and why he had been away, but she was also excited to share her own news.
Marjaan—a woman whom Chloe had never met and whom she could not judge because of it. Of course she felt possessive of Christian and probably would have jumped to the wrong conclusion had he told her he was going to find his former sire. She’d have suffered bouts of self-doubt and low self-esteem. She’d have assumed she wasn’t a very good sire, and that Christian regretted his decision to ask for it.
It was better that she found out now, after he’d come back. He assured her the relationship was done, over with. But that he had loved her. Chloe smiled, wistfully, before shaking her head.
“You can’t help who you love, Christian. If you want to love Marjaan, I’m not going to stop you.” She said. Chloe was a romantic, at heart, and she would not get in anyone’s way where love was concerned. Well, if someone were trying to steal Thaddeus from her she might get in their way. But if it didn’t directly concern her or her own heart, she’d leave things be.
“And in a bid to move on...one way to help to move on...you know you can talk to me about anything, right? If you’re in doubt, or if you want someone else’s opinion to help you decide something, my ears are always available.” She assured him. She may have been younger than Christian, but she wanted to offer her support anyhow. She had to show that she could act like his sire somehow, however.
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Dec 30, 2009 20:49:07 GMT -5
Placing his whiskey glass down on the ledge, he left a little alcohol so that he would have something to soothe his nerves with if things became too complicated for him to discuss. Christian leaned against the ledge and crossed his arms over his chest comfortably before looking to the side towards Chloe. Tonight, he would give her his undivided attention because she deserved nothing less from him and there was nothing that would disrupt their private discussion on the rooftop. “Chloe, I’ve already moved on. It was also proven that night that she didn’t feel the same and it was best we go our separate ways.” He added on, keeping the distaste for that evening from his tone.
“The only thing I want to do now is start over. My past is done with and this is a chance for my relationship with you and this family to prosper. I feel I haven’t been around enough to make any sort of progression…that too will change.” Christian smiled lightly, looking towards her drink as he eyed it curiously. He wasn’t really sure what he had ordered for her but he did it without asking the reason behind it. Perhaps he would question her at some other time about the drink.
“Now, I believe there have been some changes to the family?” He inquired, perking a curious brow as he leaned in slightly.
Whatever had changed, he was willing to accept what came along with it. He already knew that he wasn’t severed from her or else she would have said something up front about it. She would have let him know even if he was gone from the city. At least, he hoped she would have done that. Christian was quite curious to hear what was going on in her life since he had been absent for some time of it. For some reason, something did seem different about her. She looked…happy. For lack of a better term.
Despite that notion that popped up in his mind, he was happy for her that if she did find someone. He didn’t know why but another feeling resided to this sudden thought as well. If there was a man in her life that she was involved in romantically, things wouldn’t change between them. He looked at her as a close friend and mentor (in some ways) but he was strangely protective of her now. Though his looks didn’t betray him, he still wanted to know if he was on the right track.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Jan 1, 2010 2:40:51 GMT -5
Strange, the seriousness with which he spoke. For a second or two, Chloe was bitter. He wanted his relationship with this family to prosper, and of course she was grateful for his intentions. But she’d rarely ever saw Toshiya, and was quite certain her former sire had other things to keep him occupied besides family. Elektra was sleeping. Seppuku was around, though Chloe wondered whether he’d ever purposefully seek her company. It was her low self-esteem fuelling her bitterness.
She didn’t allow her bitterness to show, however. The serene smile remained plastered on her face; whatever the state of the ‘family’, Chloe had Christian here with her now. If all else failed, at least she could help them to tend to the relationship between them. At least she could strengthen that bond.
And anyway, in her opinion, such a relationship shouldn’t be an obligation. What would happen would happen. If he wanted to spend time with Chloe, he would. And vice versa. And she did want to spend more time with Christian. Perhaps he could be her confidante. Perhaps she could share her problems with him, and he’d help to sooth her frazzled nerves.
But she was getting ahead of herself.
“Yes. Your grandsire is no longer Toshiya. Your grandsire is Seppuku.” She told him. That was only major news regarding the family, she thought.
“And Elektra is sleeping.” She frowned. She was unsure as to the reason why Elektra was sleeping, but Seppuku guarded her body well, and Chloe had no doubt that she was safe. They would all be there to welcome her once she decided to wake again. As far as family went, that was everything.
The only other news she had to share was that of Thaddeus. But she knew that if she brought the subject up she would start gushing and blushing like some infatuated school girl, and she would not embarrass herself in such a way willingly. So although her heart picked up in tempo when she thought of the bright-blue-eyed man, she kept her lips shut.
She sighed, and took another swig of her drink. She wondered why she didn’t order a bailey’s and milk, as was her usual habit. The cider was refreshing, but perhaps a little too thin for Chloe’s tastes. Perhaps it was due to her significant change into a vampire that made her tastes so precise—made her crave the thicker liquids, rather than those that were not entirely satisfying. She shrugged the thought away.
“So you’re here to stay then, hmm? What kind of trouble you think we can stir together?” She asked with a devious smirk, before shaking her head. She? And trouble? The two didn’t mix.
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Jan 2, 2010 20:06:09 GMT -5
“That is some news indeed.” Christian remarked.
Uncrossing his arms from his chest, he reached behind him to finish the contents of his whiskey glass before it would go to waste. As he finished it, he replaced the glass where it was and let out a satisfied yawn. Christian was in no way tired but after drinking, he always felt content enough to want to find a bed somewhere and sleep. Tonight was not about what he wanted though, he had a lot of lost time to make up for with Chloe and that was his primary focus this evening. As he listened to her speak about Elektra, he said nothing. Personally, he still had not met the woman but knew she was important to Seppuku, which was the only reason why he cared.
When Chloe questioned him if he was staying for good, he chuckled and leaned either way for a few moments before looking at her again. “I have no reason to leave.” Christian smiled. Though when she questioned about making trouble, Christian couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It had not been directed towards her but at the simple fact that she wanted to cause trouble. Shaking his head, he brought a hand up to his forehead and slipped it through his loose locks of ebony hair. “Remember the last time trouble found me? I think I was on my deathbed or damn near close to it. I still do remember asking you why you were in that part of town anyway…”
Christian trailed off his statement before he noticed that he was out of whiskey and she was going to be running dangerously close to empty. They had only gone through one drink and she already wanted to get into some kind of mischief. “Want another drink?” He questioned, as he grabbed his glass after looking at her expectantly. “Whatever you want…”
It’s not that he didn’t want to spend time with Chloe but he had just returned from Europe and whilst he was there, he managed to gain some enemies. Christian didn’t want her getting caught up in that kind of life that he promised to escape. That’s why he never told her about the homicide cases he took on regularly as a under the radar employee. Though it was apparent that the news announced him KIA months ago before she adopted him. “I’ll be back up…”
Before she could get a word in edgewise past what drink she wanted, Christian disappeared from the rooftop to the stairwell. He descended down the stairs and into the main portion where he received several stern looks. Christian ignored them as he advanced to the bar counter to reorder the drinks from earlier but the bartender was busy with some little number in a black dress at the other end. As he leaned onto the counter, he looked over his shoulder towards the door. As he witnessed the door open, in that moment, he wished he was dead.
“Aw…Hell.” He turned, looking away as he dropped his head down lower than his hunched shoulders. Now, he needed make it back upstairs without being noticed to get Chloe out of this place before trouble really did find her.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Jan 21, 2010 6:59:37 GMT -5
He told her that he had no reason to leave. But he did not list the reasons he should stay, either. It made it sound as if he nothing to sway him in either direction. That if he had a reason to leave, he’d do so without a backward glance. But why should it have bothered Chloe as much as it did? It wasn’t as if she ought to be reason enough, right?
She slapped herself internally for her self-loathing thoughts. Hadn’t he just got done telling her that he was sticking around to make the bond between them stronger? Surely... she had to just keep thinking of that.
She laughed as he prompted her to recall the last time he’d gotten himself into trouble. She did recall. And she remembered fussing over him like some mother hen, telling him that he shouldn’t be running around in the derelict part of town. She could have told him, teasingly, that she’d been the one to save his life, and that she could do so all over again if the situation required it. Hell, she would do so all over again if the situation required it.
But then he’d changed the topic—drained his glass of its contents and offered to run downstairs to get them another round. Chloe had no objections. She was quite willing to settle in for the night, to get stupidly drunk if they so wished. Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d got stupidly drunk. The idea started to appeal to her.
She told him that she’d have another cider, if he didn’t mind. And she fondly watched his back as it retreated down the stairs.
If she was not mistaken, she thought she detected a small amount of turmoil in this childe of hers. There was something he was not telling her. Something that he did not want her to know. She hoped that, in the coming hours, he’d open up to her. If they could not be honest with each other, than she did not see the point...
She sighed and turned her sight to the view of the city. She lent idly against the ledge, head resting in her palm as she contemplated this life of hers. But, as always, she was a restless creature. She could not sit still for long without something to occupy her hands or her mind. How long had it been since Christian had left? Had he ditched her, left without her? She frowned, again trying to swat away the self-loathing thoughts that continued to batter at the forefront of her mind.
But whatever the case, she decided to go and look for Christian. Maybe he needed help with the drinks?
She slowly meandered down the steps and, to begin with, she thought that he might just have left. She couldn’t see him near the bar, not at first. But she did finally catch sight of him near the end, head bowed as if he were trying to hide from someone. The notion was ridiculous, Chloe thought, and she picked up her pace as she made her way toward him.
As she reached him she glanced in the direction of the barkeep, who had yet to serve Christian. He didn’t actually look as if he were serving anyone. He was just chatting up a girl in a black dress. How rude!
“Maybe we should serve ourselves, hmm? He’s certainly not going to serve you if you insist on hiding from him.” She teased as she sidled in next to Christian, bumping his waist with her own hip, grinning like a fool as she tried to find his face beneath his hand.
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Feb 2, 2010 8:20:12 GMT -5
Christian remained still with each muscle underneath his flesh tightening up at what kind of exposure tonight could bring for him. It was the last thing he needed to deal with but the one thing that crossed his mind first was Chloe. Though she was quite stronger than him in blood, he started becoming rather protective of her because of his own nature. He would have given his life for her if the situation required him to do so but he would have never admitted it to her openly. While Christian started formulating a plan that would end in his favor, the air shifted in presence, an all too familiar one that he wished that would not have come down. This time, he didn’t mask his disappointment when Chloe descended on him in a matter of moments.
When he felt the slight bump against his hip, Christian let out a long sigh of discontentment before raising his head from his hand. He did not outright acknowledge her presence as his body remained facing straight towards the counter, staring vacantly at the bottle of Jack Daniels among the other assorted liquors he wished he could have tasted tonight. Bringing his hand to his chin, he smoothed out the trimmed goatee which occupied the bottom of his face before the idea came straight to him. If there was anything Christian had been successful in, it was making a situation appear to be what it was not. Some called it manipulation, but he called it their ‘survival tactic’ for the evening.
In one smooth movement, Christian leaned in slightly towards Chloe while wrapping an arm around her slender waist. He leaned in so that she was pressed against his side where he could whisper the situation into her ear. From the outsider’s version, it looked like a man hitting on a beautiful woman but he was merely playing up the charade. Christian dipped his head into her neck next to her ear and tightened a hold on her so that she would not start thrashing around and ruin the charade. “Don’t fight me. I haven’t lost my mind just hear me out before you beat me down for doing this.”
He hoped that the reason and the severity of his tone would calm her enough to listen to what he had to say. “The men at the door are holy hunters--crossbreed between holy man and hunter. They are the same men who tried to kill me that night you saved my life.” Christian kept his voice low as he remained as close to her as he had been for the last several minutes. He was using Chloe as a shield until he could guide her towards the back door. “Now, in order to pull off getting out of here alive, I need to you just play along. Act like you do like me?” He grinned lightly at that moment but made sure she didn’t see it. “I’m going to guide us towards the back door so that he don’t set off any alarms and so they don’t recognize me…I don’t want you to be exposed. I would never forgive myself if something happen to you…”
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Feb 3, 2010 7:10:56 GMT -5
There was a sharp intake of breath as Chloe scolded herself for not telling Christian about Thaddeus. If she had, her wayward childe might think better about holding Chloe this way, hand around her waist and lips close to her neck, her ear. There was an urge to retaliate, to push away without hurting his feelings, and it was probably a good thing that she took a few moments to dither over which was the best way to react.
There were a few tart replies she had in mind. Why would he be losing his mind? Was she not desirable? Of course she knew it was not like that, and it made her smirk. But she did not say it. Instead, she waited for his explanation, turning to him only slightly with a arch to her brow.
There were philosophical discussions that she could have started, too, as to how one could possibly be a cross breed between a holy man and a hunter. But she supposed he did not mean it literally, but metaphorically – they were men who adhered to religion and yet chose to hunt down those they considered ‘demons’. She had a piece or two to say to them, too, as she always did. They were people, and had feelings and morals too. They did not deserve to be hunted down like criminal psychopaths.
But she would go with the flow, here. She’d duck for cover if she was told.
And when he finally finished with what he had to say, Chloe offered him a wan smile and a mischievous glint to her eyes. She lifted a hand to run her fingers along his cheek, tilting her head to the side.
“Oh, but I do like you Christian, else I wouldn’t be here. “ And then her smile was gone, and she glanced surreptitiously over Christian’s shoulder to get a good look at the men he was talking about. They stood out like sore thumbs, and they were perusing the crowd, no doubt looking for their target.
“Righto. They don’t know what I look like, and I can keep it that way. What you need is a distraction.” For although Christian considered himself her protection, Chloe was a steadfast believer that it was the other way around. So she extracted herself from Christian’s grasp and took a few steps away from him—enough so that if attention was brought to her, he would just be a faceless bystander.
It was then that she let loose a banshee-like screech, and in a flurry of air flying clothes, she was no longer a woman but a tiny little fox. She assumed the shifting process would be grounds enough for these ‘holy hunters’ to consider her a demon. A definite demon. Tongue hanging from her mouth and bushy tail wagging, Chloe shot a telepathic message in Christian’s direction before bolting for the door;
”You go out the back door, pretty boy... I’ll lead them around. Best to get them off your tail, eh?” She did not doubt Christian’s ability to kill hunters, and though she knew that she was leading him into a small amount of danger, she also had good faith that the two of them, together, could handle it.
She shot between the legs of the hunters before they had gathered their wits enough to realise what was happening. When they did, they took off after her, as planned. They may not have found the target they were looking for, but they had found something equally interesting. Chloe made sure that she was always in their sight, though she zig-zagged in the traditional fox-like manner to avoid any bullets they may wish to shoot at her.
Soon enough she was rounding the corner into the alley that the back door would exit out onto, and she was hoping that Christian had got there in time...
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Post by Christian Lecroix on Feb 8, 2010 23:18:31 GMT -5
“Well that’s good to know”
Christian lifted his chin from the curve of Chloe’s neck when a grin crossed over his lips at her comment. The proximity of their closeness could have been perceived as how he wanted it to have been but it was anything but. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a very beautiful woman but it was his perception of her that made her different in his mind. She had grown closer to him in less than a course of a year than any other woman had in an entire lifetime.
Before he could object to her plan of making herself the bait, she had already slipped from his grasp. Christian tossed a glare in her direction as he watched her in action. Within the course of a few minutes, he heard the high-pitched scream resonate from her as she changed into a small…fox? For a few minutes, Christian remained rooted to his spot behind the counter as he watched her disappear towards the front door. She could shape shift? The question lingered in his mind for a few more seconds before he heard her telepathic message.
“Right then.” He whispered.
Watching the holy hunters taking the bait rather easily, a smile crossed over his lips as he walked out from the counter towards the door. Though Christian wasn’t too fond of the idea that Chloe had put herself in harm’s way, she must have thought he was going to intercept her. Which he was going to do indeed. Without second thought, Christian bolted towards the alleyway for easy access to the back door to help his sire out. Gaining speed, he vaulted around the first corner and jumped over a pile of trash bags that had been blocking him. By the time he reached the second corner, he heard the hunters trying to find where Chloe-fox had disappeared to.
Stopping dead in his tracks, Christian reached behind to the small of his back where the holster locked his weapon at. As he withdrew the weapon, he cocked back the hammer to his 9MM and held it up before he would venture out to face them.
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