Moonlight Walk Among the Roses

Caterva and Ignis slunk along at Avira's heels as he stepped through the garden. His feet made barely a sound as he walked, staring quietly at nothing, and somehow avoiding each patch of moonlight without pause.

His silver hair glowed in what half-moonlight managed to touch it, and his pale skin was illuminated much the same. But he stayed bathed in as much shadow as he could, leaving the light to be but a halo around him.

It was the sort of eerie sight that would make a grown man do a double take, staring at the strange figure amongst the red and white roses somewhere near midnight. Not that Avira would have cared if anyone were watching him, though he supposed he should have at least worn a proper shirt and not just a wife-beater like he was.

Ignis wound around his ankles and Caterva did the same, once or twice, until they were back on their proper sides again, continuing to tag along with their master as he went further into the gardens.

it was a beautiful night in the rose garden with the moonlight shining down on Alexander and his perculiar black coloured roses. The moon shone perfectly down onto the rose bed, bathing it and Alexander in its soft luminessant glow. his long blue hair blowing in the gentle breeze of the night sky.

Alexander was tending to his roses peacefully and whistling a slightly errie tune. he went on like this for many minutes undisturbed by the presence of an unfamilliar person in the grounds. he did not care, he was too busy tending to what he refered to as his 'little hearts'.

He was kneeling along side the large patch of roses and began sprinkling water gently over each and every rose, every petal so that none were missed.
Alexander was always happy when it came to roses and caring for them, this was his time to relax and be one with nature.

Avira had already noticed the other presence, male it seemed, not very intimidating, someone he could overlook. Avira was not in the business of passing judgment, and so he simply left the other to his roses.

He supposed that, on some level, he'd have to learn to interact with others, now that he lived here. However it had been a very long time since anyone had even looked in his direction it seemed, unless they were a target, and Avira was unsure how to even approach someone. He was far too awkward, and much too shy.

Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back, turning his eyes up to the skies and whispering softly to himself in another language. Immediate, Ignis began purring, and Caterva growled intermittently, to show his own pleased feeling.

Avira's long hair brushed over his shoulder in the wind, which picked up the silver strands and carried them out in a wave of starlight on the dark sky, glittering in the moonlight.

Alexander heard the low purring sound from somwhere behind him.
ah, cats, how cute.
was finnishing off his quiet whistling and had just finished his routine for the roses. once he was done he mearly stod up from the moonbathed rosebed and turned to the source of the puring.

what he saw was quite amazing, two beautiful cats, one balck the other white acompanied by an equally beautiful man.

Alexander stopped to examine the new person now standing beside him and noticed that there was something odd about him.

"Ah good evening. *looks up and down at Avira* are you new? i havent seen you before".

Avira paused in his murmuring to think, still staring up at the sky. It was another one of the moments when he thought far too long about his answer and ended up seeming rude. He would have to break this habit, somehow.

"...Perhaps." he answered in his soft, melodious voice. "I am not often noticed however."

His voice carried on the wind like a whisper, though this was his normal volume. He was used to not being heard or seen, blending into the background despite his odd looks and odder demeanor. It was something he had been trained to do, something he did without thinking.

The other's eyes were still on him, appraising him, or judging him, he didn't care which. Either way he was being looked at, and it made him feel awkward, though it didn't show.

Caterva's single yellow eye turned up to the new vampire, careful and calculating. Ignis, her amber eyes sparkling in the moonlight, also looked at him, but did nothing.

Alexander merely nodded and smiled. this vampire was intresting... his scent was barely noticable and smelt of age and yet youth, as if he was merely a shadow.

Alexander looked down at the two cats and noticed the perculiar eyes.

everyone to their own i suppose. you seem to like solidarity. may i ask why that is?

Alexander kept looking at the cats and the sky sensing that avira found it uncomfortable to looked at.

It was another question that had Avira pausing for far too long. He looked down at his cats quietly, watching Caterva's swishing tail, a little bit agitated, but not ready to strike. This was better than usual at least. He seemed ot be learning not to attack on sight in this place.

The wind whipped at Avira's hair again, and without thinking he caught the silver locks to stroke back behind his ear. He really didn't like when it got all unruly on him.

"...I suppose I am simply used to it." he said after what could have been minutes. He wasn't really paying attention.

Avira mentally cursed his own answer, knowing it was hardly what the other had been expecting or hoping for. He was inarticulate at the best of times, and utterly incomprehensible the rest.

Somehow he felt nervous. Around Lilim he hadn't quite been at ease, but at the same time she was very young and not at all threatening. He wasn't sure what to make of this vampire, and moreover, he wasn't sure what to make of how he was acting either. Most people gave up speaking to him after....ten seconds or so.

Alexander waited patiently for his reply. when Avira did finally reply it was short... something Alexander wasnt hoping for. -hmmm hes not very talkative maybe hes into more....physical communication.-
Alexander looked back at at him and looked into his eyes, smiling darkly.
"i am puzzled how you can blend in when your that...beautiful, its quite envious really."
He takes a small step closer to Avira, trying to show no signs of agression.

"

Avira didn't mind the other coming closer. He was just as able to rip someone to pieces at close range as far away. It was the words that made him react.

Avira Revenwyte was not an expressive person in the least, and yet a single compliment could make the stoic vampire not only go poppy crimson in the cheeks, but avert his gaze, dare we say it, shyly. He was terrible with compliments. Horrible. Awful.

Caterva looked amused and he was tempted to lightly kick the cat (read; nudge with the toe of his shoe. Barely.).

"It is easy to do if you know how." he said evenly, voice still steady.

At least for now.

Alexander noticed the smalled movement in aviras foot but passed it off as nothing. being a seasoned fighter he knew how to defend himself. plus the blushing made it easier to discern that it was not a agitated twitch.

Alexander moved closer still now smiling fully, his pearly white teeth glistening in the moon light.
"I see, hmm so supose you wanted to stay unoticed here... could you have past me by without me noticing? or would your lovely hair and plainly cute cats give you away?"
Alexander was now within touching distance of avira.

Avira's inner voice was screaming that agh oh god this guy was too damn close get back get back get back. He was standing firm however, swallowing down his own nerves. Always stand your ground. And so he did.

"I have little reason to hide here, but if I so wished, yes, I could have concealed myself." he said.

The blush disappeared as quickly as it had come, and his head turned, morning glory colored eyes staring calmly into the other male's. He wasn't in the business as coming off as anything short of deadly and probably very bad for you. If whoever this was thought they'd be getting close without some struggle, they had another thing coming.

On that matter, Caterva and Ignis started circling his feet again, thoroughly miffed that someone was so close.

Alexanders eyes lit up as eye contact was made. he noticed the tension coming from avira but did not care. this person was...desirable and Alexander had not felt real lust for a long time.

"beautiful eyes,.... everything is ...beautiful...tell me, what do you think of me?"
A sly grin appeared on Alexanders face .

Caterva made a low growling sound, which minorly translated out to (in the kindest terms) 'that you are much too close to my master and get the hell back or else blue eyed cretin'. Or something like that.

Avira however, only cocked his head to the side slightly. Oh how to respond. He could be a brat, he could be stoic, he could be....something else entirely.

Anything to distract himself from the blush blossoming on his pale cheeks.

"......Should I be thinking something?" he answered in his calm, even voice.

Perhaps not the most solid of answers, but it was an answer nonetheless. Not a very good one but still.

Alexander smiled at this as his eyes flashed atthe question, ignoring the cat and then chuckled.
"well... do you find me..threatening? or..."Alexander moved a hand up to aviras cheek wanting to touch it.
"something else?"

Again, Avira's brain screamed that agh almost touch no get it away. But he ignored his brain; again.

Instead, he fixed the new vampire with an unimpressed stare. It was going to take more than that to even get him to give his name over.

"At the moment questionably puzzling." he quirked a brow. "Or were you hoping I'd say something along the lines of attractive or interesting?"

Avira slipped his hands into his pockets, neither leaning towards nor away from the hand by his cheek. Caterva and Ignis, being ignored, gave up their pacing and instead took up opposite places on either side of Avira's ankles.

Alexander smiled at this and brushed aviras cheek gently. "ah...so it is true..."
Alexanders left arm glowed slightly from under his coat.

Alexander smiled again a new shade to his eyes, this one darker and stronger.
Images flashed through his mind of time gone by, memories but not of alexanders or aviras.

"hmm puzzling is aceptable although yes attractive would have been perferable"
He started to play with his long blue hair.

Avira twitched, minorly, raising a hand and brushing the other vampire's aside.

"You would do well to not attempt to peer into my head." he said coolly. "I detest when others attempt to do so and I promise you more pain than you can imagine should you presume you have the right or talent to do so unnoticed."

He was aware that that had not been an intrusion into his own mind, but nonetheless, the capability, or perhaps the interest, had been too close to the surface to allow him to relax and leave that unspoken.

Calmly, he turned from the other and looked to the sky instead, pretending to remain both nonchalant and uninterested. He was interested though. Vaguely.

The wind tugged at his white hair and he watched it idly flare against the dark night sky.

Alexander sighed and then chuckled again. "is that a promise?" a sly sadistic smile on his lips.
"no I do not possess the ability to read your mind, nore do i have to. I cannot presume and so i do not."Alexander now started circling slowly around avira.
a voice in Alexanders head laughing -he does not know, he cannot know hahaha-the cool night air with its gentle breeze came to a stop. the air, the trees were all still.

Avira was less puzzled now, more growing irritated. He was not, repeat, not, the prey. Not now not ever. He was always the predator, less he were trying to fool you into thinking he was not.

He did not enjoy being circled like a tasty dish. Whether this vampire liked it or not, Avira wasn't going to just stand there and be intimidated.

In less then a blink of the eye, Avira was gone, as were his cats. They reappeared some yard away in a tree, sitting calmly on one of the boughs. Avira looked down at the vampire and quirked an eyebrow at him calmly, daring him to think he had the upper hand.

Alexander smirked and casually followed aviras path before stopping and looking at him in the tree.

ooo so fiesty... i like it. tell me avi, do i scare you?

his voice deep and laced with dark intentions.

Avira gave the vampire a withering look.

"No." he answered dryly. "Not even relatively."

And it was true. Then again, fear was not an emotion Avira necessarily even possessed anymore. He'd thrown it away with most of the others. There was no point to it, little had scared him to begin with.

"And if you are trying to intimidate me." he added. "That's not working either."

Alexanders head cocked to the side slightly awww... your no fun

A small blur split from him but alex didnt seem to mind.

he was smiling and that was all he did now, staring unblinkingly at avira.

Avira gave him another withering look, calmly assessing whether or not to simply beat this guy up and move on with his life.

"Just what are you trying to accomplish." he asked, voice growing slightly irritated. "Other than perhaps making me rip your eyes out."

Caterva hissed, tail coiling around Avira's wrist, telling him to stay steady. Avira did as told, quietly just watching the other vampire.

A small whisper came from behind avira.
no, just seeing if your as good as they say you are

The image of Alexander still standing under the tree smiling, the breeze returning to the leaves but not blowing the images hair.

Avira didn't even twitch. He just sat there calmly, not dignifying the real vampire with his gaze.

"Your games are tiresome." he said idly. "Afterimage and duplicates are uninteresting to me and easily seen through."

Case in point, his image and the cats remained where they were, then suddenly blurred, and were gone. Avira reappeared in another tree ten or so feet away, the cats still beside him.