A Very Merry... [Cosmo/Open]

[Adair Noble]

Adair stretched her arms over her head as she kicked the sheets from her smooth legs. It was one of the things she loved about being a vampire—her hair had stopped growing. Luckily enough, she’d waxed her legs the day before she’d been turned. They would, for eternity, remain smooth, and she’d never have to worry about prickly-ness again. Another perk to being a vampire? Well, as soon as she woke up, she was awake. Sleep was simply a way to recharge. She was not groggy, nor did she have a headache, nor did she feel lethargic. No, instead she was ready and raring to go, even though she had no specific plans.

And she was hungry. That small hitch was something that always had to be taken care of first. She needed something to eat.

So she sauntered toward the bathroom where she showered, the scalding water failing to bring a red tinge to her skin, like it normally should have. It rolled off her skin in rivulets, the same way water might fall from a marble statue. After she’d dried her hair and fixed her make-up, she made her way toward her closet. The clothes piled on the floor as she tried to decide what to wear, as was usually the case with Adair. She never knew what she wanted to wear. She decided, after she’d eaten, she’d go to the shops and blow a heap of cash on clothes. It was nearly Christmas. Most of the shops stayed open later to appease the last-minute shoppers.

She finally decided upon a loose-fitting shirt, white jeans, and a silvery coat—very Christmas-y, indeed. Before she left the house she checked for Kabel. He was not there. He’d probably already left for the evening. Adair shrugged her shoulders—the boy was allowed a life of his own, and she would not interfere.

The house that Chastity had bought and that Adair had inherited was close to the centre of the city. She did not have to walk far to reach the more populated areas. As soon as she got there, she disappeared down the nearest, darkest alley, luring a handsome stranger behind her. Five minutes later she emerged alone, her cheeks flushed pink where before they’d been a flawless white, an extra hundred dollars in her pocket. It would buy her a mighty fine outfit.

The ground was covered with old snow, all sludge and mud. The air was crisp, and from somewhere in the distance Adair could hear the sound of carols. A children’s choir, no doubt. She pushed her hands into her pockets and began the process of window shopping...at least until she found a shop she liked.

Truth was, aside from Kabel and Robyn, she hardly knew anyone else in this city. Her life as a vampire had been very sheltered. It was about time she started making new acquaintances. She wondered where that girl had gone... she’d met her not too long ago. They’d killed a bowling alley attendant together. Kael’rah, that was her name. Perhaps she’d run into her again. Perhaps she’d find her on purpose...

Maybe later.

Right now, she was distracted by a glittering in a nearby window. It was not a new pair of shoes, or Chanel’s new jacket. No, instead it was a sword. A perfectly polished thing with sapphire jewels in its hilt. The shop was a knives store, dedicated to selling all kinds of knives and sharp implements ranging from simple kitchen knives to the smallest camping knives. But this sword... it was no doubt meant to hang on someone’s wall as a decoration. But Adair imagined using it against the next hunter she encountered... and by God, she wanted it. She glanced down at the price tag and recoiled. The thing was far more than she was willing to pay right now.

A scheme starting broiling in the back of her mind... and she reluctantly pulled herself away from the window to continue her tour of the busy street.

[cosmo]

A figure dressed in the finest attire that money can buy. Laiden with assets to make an impression on a stranger's eye. Today he wore a grey shirt and black jeans, a more casual look than he was used to. Cosmo wasn't really into fashion or anything, but he still cared about how he looked. He had decided to venture out into the city today, since he had been hauled up at home for the past few days.

On his way out, he left a note for Mrs. Chema, his live-in housekeeper. It simply said that he was going out and didn't know when he would be back. Though he didn't really need to leave a note, Cosmo decided it would be better to do so than risk the elderly woman having a heart attack from worry. He had to learn to stop disappearing for days on end.

Cosmo headed out to the stables where he kept his motorcycle. He lived in an old chateau, manor, whatever you wanted to call it. It seemed strange to live there now, but when he had taken possession of it, it had been a much different time. He was in his two hundred's now probably, and though he felt old, he knew he was still young compared to some of the other vampires who were centuries upon centuries old.

Yet he looked to be in his early twenties, the perfect age range to be turned. The funny thing about Cosmo was that he had never actually been turned. But supposidly 'born' as a vampire, or something with vampiric qualities. Even he didn't know what he was yet. So until then, he considered himself to be a vampire, and was quite fine with that.

He threw on a black leather jacket before putting on his helmet, which he didn't really need, and mounted the motorcycle. In five seconds he was already out of the stable and heading out the front gates, speeding down the gravel path through the woods where his home was and towards the city.

Cosmo wondered for a moment, as he entered the city and sped down its streets, if he should stop and feed. He didn't need to, since he had just feed within the week. But there was a small burning sensation in his throat now, and with a sigh he pulled over at the curb and parked his motorcycle.

As he took off his helmet, he picked up a scent that stood out from the rest of the crowd. After a moment or two he realized it was vampiric, and feminine, a woman. He himself smelled like musk, according to Kaelrah. Each vampire had their own scent, though he couldn't make out this one's.

It didn't take him long to put a face to the scent. It was a beautiful blond woman, with eyes two different shades. He wondered for a moment if she would pick up his scent as he just had her's. Setting his helmet down, Cosmo slowly got off of his motorcycle, curious.

[Adair Noble]

Adair tried to focus her attention on the new line of clothing in the specialty store in front of her. She stared at the fur-lined jacket and imagined how nice that fur would feel against her skin. She stood so close to the shop window that sooner or later, her face might very well have bumped right into the glass. But the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end. It was the spine-tingling, instinctual feeling one sometimes gets when they feel as if they’re being watched.

Adair adjusted her eyesight a little so that instead of staring at the jacket, she was staring at the glass in front of her, and the reflections of the street and the multitudes of people behind her. She took a single step backward so that she could perhaps assess the scene better. But it was no good. The Christmas decorations scattered along the street reflected in the glass and made it hard to discern any particular face, let alone what direction the faces were looking. She sighed, and finally turned to glance over her shoulder; her gaze flicked lazily back and forth over the milling crowds until finally settling upon a face that wasn’t moving.

It was a casually clad...well, she was reluctant to call him a man. It was a casually clad guy standing beside his motorcycle, and he was watching her. Adair narrowed her eyes at him, wondering whether she ought to have known him. She did not recognise the face, but the scent, at least, was unmistakable. It was only familiar insomuch as it told her that he did, in fact, have something in common with her. He was a vampire.

It didn’t faze Adair much. The city was teeming with vampires. It was not such a big thing to cross paths with one every once in a while. She didn’t understand why he should be so curious about her. So she simply blinked and offered him half a smile before turning away, her attention returning to the jacket in the window in front of her.

She remembered an encounter she’d had not that long ago with another male vampire. She’d not learned his name, but it was an unforgettable occasion. A shudder ran down her spine as she considered trying to repeat the scene, instigating it with this stranger of a vampire who insisted on being so interested. It was so vivid—Adair had lured two humans out into an alley along with a fellow vampire. Instead of snacking on one of the humans, however, the other vampire had instead snacked on Adair. And it wasn’t altogether unpleasurable, either.

But no, no... she couldn’t do that.

She laughed to herself before continuing on down the street, glancing over her shoulder one more time to ascertain whether she’d gained herself a stalker.

[Kimberly McQueen]

The mission proved to be more difficult than she would have liked.

It wasn’t the fact that she was constantly being chastised by her own sire for taking so long, or the fact she was wasting precious time, or anything to that nature—she simply liked it here. This place was proving to be somewhere she could find herself coming back to more than she admitted onto anyone else about. Tonight, Kimberly simply wanted to spend some time outside within the city limits wandering around, following humans to how they normally spent their holidays. Extravagance was one thing she could use to describe how the city looked with all the flickering Christmas lights and garland wrapped around every street pole and outside shops that stayed open late—in hopes for business. With a smile, Kimberly had started out the evening at a local coffee shop, reading the Ravenblack Bite and sipping some sort of Vanilla Chai Latte and now she was browsing random shops, looking for anything to spend her money on.

Though she saw a few pairs of clothing that would serve her some good since she would be here, they were no use to her once she went back to Europe. Her conservative ensemble would come back out of the closet where they were currently hanging in. Tonight, she had stepped out in a rather simple yet chic outfit which consisted of a pair of blue jeans paired with a white long-sleeved empire-waist shirt underneath a white belted coat with a fur-lined hood. Her hair had been straightened and tucked underneath a white beanie. Her need to wear any kind of cosmetics was non-existent due to the perfection of her skin. It was the one thing she did relish about being a werepyre in day and age. Humans were so hell-bent on looking perfect that they slaved away for hours behind a mirror, bought expensive creams and worked their bodies to the point of exhaustion. She did none of it.

As Kimberly browsed through the shelves of a local shop, she ran her fingertips alongside the wooden edges, though careful not to receive the splinter in the process. The shelves had been neatly stocked with all the most current and up to date weapons from her time to the present. She nodded in deep appreciation for the pride of the traveling shops that picked up every 72 hours before moving again.

Coming towards the end of one shelf, she found herself looking at another housing Sprint potions and Vials of Holy Water. Without hesitation, Kimberly gripped three of the vials and placed them into a small carrying case before continuing on. It wasn’t until she reached a set of handcrafted daggers that she stopped completely.
Picking up the set of three, she opened the flap and smiled when she saw the glint of the gold-inlay hilts with their simple design. It was nothing overly extravagant but she could appreciate the craftwork that had been put into it. As she closed the flap, she added it to her small inventory.

Minutes passed as she finally decided that she had already spent enough in one shop and the night was extremely young still. As she paid her final purchase, Kimberly thanked the shopkeeper before heading out into the cool night’s air. The crisp scent left a rather pleasant feeling as she turned to one side to see a rather attractive blonde admiring the same sword that had caught her eye to begin with. There was nothing strange about seeing another immortal wandering the streets here—but it was interesting. Immortals roamed so freely here that at first, she had been thrown off and did not know what to expect or how to react. Lately, it was becoming easier to accept.

“It’s the very last one. You should get it.” Kimberly commented as the blonde reluctantly left the window and passed by her as she was coming out of the store. “It’s beautiful and one of a kind. Such a waste if you didn’t get it.”

Though she had initiated a conversation with a complete stranger, she knew they were not alone. The city was teeming with immortals, so another aura approaching was not such a surprise. What was intriquing was the youth of the male.

[OOC - I caved in.]

[cosmo]

He knew that this was a gathering place for immortals, such as himself. But having not been in the city lately, and only knowing a few people, running into another immortal became much more interesting to him. Especially when it was not during his feeding time. That was of course, when he had met Kael'rah, a beautiful newborn.. well ex-newborn now.

Yes, he thought of her often, though he still could not decide what role she played in his life now. Cosmo felt very protective of her, and he also knew that she hated the fact that he still considered her a newborn. It was hard for him not to though, she seemed so human to him.

Cosmo himself, was still considered a younger pire amoung others. He was just over two centuries old, and had hardly any powers. It just had not been his main priority at the time. But now, as the thought of siring dwelled in his mind more and more, it seemed he would have to go on a power spree soon if he wanted to be able to support a newborn childe.

Something to consider however, was his species. He was born with vampiric qualities, not aging, drinking blood, everlasting life, etc. However he grew up as a human child did, stopping now, around his twenties. Cosmo was still figuring out what exactly he was. But now he had a better idea, and knowing that Kael'rah wanted to help him was calming during this stressful process.

But just recently, he had stumbled upon something, something that had not been there before. He now pocessed a tattoo on his chest, where his heart would be. It was still there of course, but it no longer beat. It was about the size of a large sticky note (pardon the bad comparison). The tattoo was a black heart with an arrow through it, just like Cupid's. Except his was Black.

And that was when it had been decided, that he was The Black Cupid. It fitted the story his adopted parents had told him, about 'coming down from the heavens'. Cheesy as some might have found it, he was the black cupid. And the angels made him their Black Cupid, because he was meant to kill love. Now whether or not this would become true, was entirelly up to him.

Cosmo's thoughts left that of his past, as he saw the blond 'pire glance at him over her shoulder and then gave him a small smile before continuing on with her window shopping. It was obvious that she thought he was stalking her or something. Great. Cosmo thought with a sigh as he kicked the kickstand of his motorcycle out and walked onto the sidewalk.

Just then, another scent hit him, that of another woman. As a matter of fact, she was speaking to the other vampire, the blond. It seemed to be something about something they had both seen in the window. Also, as he picked up her scent, she seemed to pick up his, musk. Cosmo was hesistant about approaching the two, especially with the blond thinking he was stalking her. Yet, he had nothing to lose, and nothing but time to spare. Besides, it was not his nature to be afraid of women. "Doing a bit of window shopping ladies?" He said as he walked over to them, stopping with a foot or so's distance between them. His Italian accent clung to every word, yet was not so thick that he could not be understood. His electric blue eyes looked first at the darker haired woman, and than at the blond, before glancing back at the sword. "That would definitely come in handy in a fight. Not to meant it's easy on the eyes." Which meant handsome, not plain like most of the other swords in the shop's window.

[OOC: The more the merrier, mademoiselle]

[Adair Noble]

[OOC: You two ought to read properly. Adair’s actually at least three or four shops down from the sword shop by now. But I’ll play along.]

As much as she tried to distract herself with other pretty things, Adair couldn’t get the image of the glittering sword out of her head. It plagued her so much so that she forgot about the vampire who could be a stalker. Stalkers were easy to get rid of. Or, at least so far she’d not had one that was professional to keep a proper tag on her. Her steps subconsciously brought her back to that weapons store; she glanced up at the name of the place and realised it was one of those tedious stores that insisted on shifting around all the time. She cursed inwardly. It meant that she wouldn’t able to come back to this spot the next night, or the night after, in order to get her sword.

It was an inner struggle. She had eternity, right? And she hadn’t needed any such weapon before now to slay a hunter. She could manage with what she had. And the shop...it might move, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to find it again. They were tedious to find, but it was possible.

It was just as she’d made up her mind and was determined to walk away from the store, once and for all, that a brunette addressed her from behind. Adair swung to face the person who spoke to her. The woman was undoubtedly an immortal, much the same as Adair. Though there was something decidedly different about this one. Adair couldn’t put her finger on it, and she wasn’t so concerned to waste thought on thinking about it..

This woman acted like the devil on her shoulder. She urged Adair, tempted her, and crushed Adair’s former resolution. Well, thanks.

It was only because this woman seemed to be of the same age as Adair, and had the same inclination toward fashion, that Adair immediately felt like she could converse with her without any awkwardness. In fact, she was just about to do so when the two of them were interrupted by another; Adair glanced toward him, and realised he was the guy from the motorcycle, whom she’d promptly forgotten.

It was nice to be able to see him close up, and Adair certainly could appreciate the prettiness of his features. She had an affinity for pretty boys. She had a vague plan that she’d like to fill her near-empty house with pretty boys. But this one... well, he was already a vampire. He was of no use in that department.

“Well, it’s all well and good that it’s the last one. And I’d love to turn window shopping into shop shopping. But the price of that there implement of death is far beyond the current size of my wallet.” she confessed, dejectedly. Her proper British accent clashed with the lilted Italian accent of the pretty male.

Adair had never been shy, and striking up a conversation with two complete strangers outside of a weapons store was not an odd thing for her to do. But they were, indeed, strangers. And thus she would not admit to them her former plan of taking that sword from that store without paying for it.

[Kimberly McQueen]

Don’t let there be silence.

Kimberly’s mind screamed as she offered a casual smile to help urge on the blonde to answer the comment she had made. It seemed she would have been comfortable enough because of the whole immortality likeness but sometimes even that shied others away. Before she could offer another comment to help along the conversation she intended to have, the musk of the male grew stronger than it had been before. It only meant that he was approaching their location and in that instance, her muscles tensed and she was on guard. It was nothing that he did personally but it was her weird reaction to situations until the other party stated their business.

“More shopping than window…” Kimberly admitted, holding up several smaller bags with her recent purchases from the beginning of her spree.

His accent was thickly laced with the Italian heritage which made her move to think that he was older than she had pegged. She listened to him speak about the sword in the window—the very object of their desire and what had started this whole situation to begin with. Kimberly followed suite when she looked from the blonde, to the Italian male, and back on the sword which glinted when she looked. It mocked her for not purchasing it but she had no reason to buy it—though money was not scarce in her wallet or bank account. Kimberly’s attention turned back onto the blonde when she spoke about not having enough to purchase it.

“What if it was a gift? Would you accept it?” Kimberly questioned, slightly tilting her head as she looked towards her.

So there it was, a rather odd trio of people standing outside a weapons store discussing the very last sword available. There was an Italian, Brit and Russian. Though her accent wasn’t as strong as it had been, it could still be traced if people knew how. “And where are my manners? I’m Kimberly…and you are?” She questioned, opening the floor towards the blonde and the pretty boy.