"Would you care for a kiss...?"

[Mandy]

Her keys jingled in the usual fashion as Mandy Lynn struggled to manipulate the lock securing her flat just right in order to pop the troublesome bolt on her door. She would have to have someone from the maintanance department come and replace the blasted thing this week, what ever would she do if she were in mortal danger and needed to get in all at once? "Ha HA!" she declared when at last the lock gave way and the double ply, fire door swung freely open on its hinges.

  She flicked on the light.

   "I wonder what trouble that little hair ball has managed to get himself into tonight?" she mused with a wink and playfully dragged Kerr in through the door. He followed without protest, closing the latch behind them at Mandy`s polite direction. Once again, it felt really wonderful to be home.

  "Artemis..." she called out, her tone suddenly unduly sweet in an attempt at inticing the kitten to reveal itself. "Puss puss puss...here kitty?" She made kissing noises with her lips as she led Kerr through the small plain of her apartment and back to the sofa they once occupied together a couple nights before. Her eyes scanned the furthest corners of the apartment (most of which were all visable from nearly any vantage point available in the tiny space) but the little beast was no where to be seen.

   She sat, imploring Kerr to join her with the slightest tug of the wrist and a deeply warming smile. "Hmmm...I wonder where he could be?" He settled in beside her, his own eyes glancing across the carpet floor. This was a little disheartening. The very thing Mandy had been so excited to share with her companion had become something of a "no-show". Hopfully he was just curled up and sleeping somewhere. Hopfully....he wasn`t hurt.

   Her worry began to grow as time passed with no signs of Artemis anywhere, what if he was trapped somewhere! She scratched her nails along the side of the sofa, peering all around them for any indication of the kittens presence, alas...nothing. "Artemis! Here kitty kitty kitty..."

   A tiny meow issued from beneith Mandy`s bed. Oh thank God. Her eyes lit, her palms patting the tops of her lap to encourage her tiny pet to emerge. "Artemis..." she clicked her tounge as most cat owners tended to observe when calling their felines, "Here kitty kit-" She suddenly froze, her words falling short and her eyes, nolonger reflecting the look of relief. Instead, she wore the distinct impression of utter and complete horror. Kerr followed her bewildered gaze.

  The kitten, Artemis had appeared from underneathe Mandy`s bed, his little golden eyes darting this way and that...distracted as young cats that age so often were. He toyed for a moment with a stray thread hanging from the knit blanket dangling from the matress, his spirits obviously high if not entirely highstrung! He heard mandy`s kissing sounds and came to attention as she patted her knees. How curiously his gaze shot over to them, as though this were the first time he had noticed that they were even there...and thats when it happened....

  He came out from under the bed to go to her.....one of Mandy`s white and Pink polka dotted bra`s dragging carlessly behind him. Was that Kerr snickering?

 In a wild flash of material, she sprung forth from the couch and collapsed dramatically to her knees on the floor, making an attempt for the undergrament (the root of her newest found embarrassment). Artemis (startled as he was by the suddenness of her actions) took off running, the polka dotted bra following recklessly in tow. Had it been a scene from a program on the televsion or an unfortunate event occuring to one of her friends...Mandy might have almost found the situation funny, as it were now however...it most certainly did not amuse. At least, not her.

   Exasperated, she passed a look over to Kerr...whom at that very moment found Artemis launched directly up into his lap. And Good God, that damn bra had still not fallen off....

[Existentially Odd]

It took Kerr a while to recognise what the item of clothing actually was - and then he was as embarrassed as Mandy was. He was certainly not in the habit of sighting women\'s underwear every day and it had been centuries since he\'d had any contact with it at all. Underwear had never looked so skimpy or... polka dotted... in his day, either. Adding to his shock was the kitten\'s surprise landing in his lap with the garment in tow. First in his thoughts was the notion that that frilly piece of material, whose job it was to cup Mandy\'s... erm... was lying across his lap; second was the fact that the animal hadn\'t run from him.

Instinctively, he grabbed the kitten in his hand, his lightning reflexes faster than it’s juvenile speed, and held it aloft. To his dismay, the bra fell from the cat’s tail and remained draped across his thigh in the same instant that Artemis decided to notice that he was not exactly a natural visitor. He suddenly became a wildly rotating ball of fluff, hissing and yowling like a true alley cat as his little body spun madly in an attempt to disengage itself from where Kerr held it around the middle. His sharp claws shoved against the smooth, cool flesh and his little teeth attempted to gnaw their way through his thumb.
   
   Kerr blinked up at the kitten – held around his eye level – in horror. He should have let the animal just rest on his lap; things were much better when that was happening. Why, by the name of every sacred God, had he indulged his instincts and made a grab for it with bare skin? Mandy would surely notice something awry now!
   
   At the thought of her, his gaze locked with hers and he fell victim to yet another stupid urge; he dropped her beloved pet from a height that was certainly on the excessive side, for a feline so small. Artemis landed with a little thud of bone contacting hard floor and skittered away at a speed that defied tracking. Kerr didn’t see where he went; he was too busy staring at Mandy, his eyes wide and expression shocked.
   
   “He… doesn’t like me, I don’t think,” he told her hollowly, the bra blazing a bright trail of colour across his black slacks forgotten. His left hand was still held in the air, where it had been when he’d dropped the kitten. He couldn’t seem to lower it, to unfreeze, until she spoke.

[Mandy]

At speeds matching her previous dismount from the sofa, Mandy arrived at Kerr`s knees and without so much as a second thought, took his hands into her possession.

  "Oh my God...are you alright?" She implored with concern, her fingers quickly searching Kerr`s pale flesh for any damages. She was relieved to find nothing, his skin unscathed and aparently whole. It was amazing, considering how distraught Artemis had so suddenly become in his grasp. She visabley sighed her relief at his lack of injury, and shook her head.

   "I don`t know what could have gotten into him. I`ve never seen Artemis act that way before." Her confussion was thick, but with the knowledge that Kerr remained unharmed, she was able to divert her attentions to the kittens well-being. "Here kitty kitty...." she began her call once more, climbing to her feet. She gave Kerr`s hand a final reasuring squeeze, then released him to search out her frightened pet. Hopfully, the fall hand not caused him any harm....

  She found him within seconds, cowaring under the shelter of her bedside table, his back hair standing stright on end. "Whats gotten into you, Artemis...here....come to mama..." Mandy pulled him from the concealing realm of her furniture, embracing the small ball of fluff and fur close to her heart in a soothing fashion. "Come on now...be a good boy, clam down for me." She ran her fingers down the length of his back and cuddled up against the whiskery reaches of his face. He appeared to be alright, certainly no brakes or sprains that she could feel. "There there...everythings just fine." It took some effort, but before long, the kitten had at last clamed down some.

  "Lets try this again, shall we....."

  She crossed the span of carpet from her bed to the couch where Kerr still sat frozen in place. He seemed apprehensive about her beinging the cat back for a second introduction...as the first had gone oh so well to begin with. No, she was sure that her kitten was well behaved, and if it was strangers that he feared, well, then she would just have to beak him of such an unruely habit. After all...it was a possibility that Kerr may become a regular visitor to her home, she couldn`t have these two at odds with one another if such a thing did come to pass.

   She cupped Artemis within the security of her left arm, leaving her right free to do as it would. She had a plan....

    Quite unexpectedly, Mandy lifted her unconfined hand and used it to stroke the side of Kerr`s cheek, running it down the slender column of his neck, and acorss the front fabric of his lappel. "There..." she crooned softly, her eyes passing back and forth between her tiny charge and Kerr`s still features. "See...he`s not so bad once you get to know him." The kitten struggled to get away, but was held effectively in place by means of Mandy`s rather ingenious craddleing methods. And the more he struggled the more hypnotising her voice seemed to become. The kitten may be stuborn...but she was more so.

   Her attempts continued on like this for the better portion of 12 or 13 minutes, her cause never faltering, her voice never loosing its edge of serenity. By the 15 minute mark, the kitten appeared to have either conceeded to her relentless motives or drifted off in a slumbering state....his eyes lightly closed, his body, loose and relaxed. A smile touched Mandy`s lips.

   "Thats better." She whispered and made a motion to Kerr with the kittens limp body, offering him another chance to hold the tiny animal...if he so desired. Hopfully, he would not be too fearful of Artemis after his startleing attack earlier....

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr - who had been almost as lulled into a state of relaxation as the feline in Mandy\'s arms had been - was startled out of his contemplation of her touch and her features when she at last signalled to him that he should take the little cat from her. He shook his head a few times, holding up a hand between them and shaking that, too.

"No, no he looks far too peaceful. You hold him. I don\'t want to disturb him again. As much as I like cats, I really should have told you that animals rarely like me. I think they sense that, deep down, I enjoy admiring them from afar, but being up close and touching isn\'t really my thing," he informed her bashfully, his hand dropping to rub nervously along his thigh. His thumb roved reflexively along the length of his index finger as he did, feeling where the numerous tiny cuts had been just a short time ago. He was grateful for the minor size of them; he hadn\'t bled fully and they had healed long before she\'d even got to him because of their minor nature.

Kerr leaned back into the couch, aware of his posture; he didn\'t want to seem closed to her - couldn\'t ruin that cool demeanour he was attempting to project - so he resisted the urge to fold his arms. He really didn\'t want another crazed display of animal-senses-undead-and-goes-nutty, though.

His other hand began to fidget, moving to his leg to rub also, and that was when he contacted the bra. So entranced by her had he been, he\'d completely forgotten that it was there. Like a lifeline, he grasped it and held it toward her instead. "You might want to do something with... this," he mumbled, feeling awash with gratitude and embarrassment in equal measures. He managed to maintain a steady line of eye contact with her, though.

[Mandy]

Her face fell....the red returning to it`s place of former glory in her cheeks.

"Gimme that!" she half joked, half demanded out of embarrassment and as calmly as possible, snatched the wiry underwear from Kerr`s pale grasp. The kitten stirred, but only a little. It seemed that if they were to visit wholeheartedly, she would need to "tuck" Artemis away in bed for the night. Finding that all was mended between the pair (for the moment), she felt no compunctions in the deed.

  Bra in one hand, kitten in the other, Mandy rose for what she hoped would be the last time from her love seat next to Kerr and with all the tenderness of a mother fitting her child in for the evening, laid Artemis upon a plush kitty bed found to the right side of her night stand. The bra on the other hand...was tossed aside...then kicked back under the mattress from wence it first came.

No harm...no foul right...

But where were her manners this evening?

"Aye me...I got so caught up in things, that I forgot to offer you something to drink...." Mandy rushed into her kitchen and threw open the fridge. "I have coffee, tea-" she lifted a half empty bottle of red liquid and gave it a small shake, "...some form of berry fruit juice..."

[Existentially Odd]

A drink.  Hmm.  Well, as long as it was liquid, he was fairly safe, just not particularly used to... indulging... in bodily functions, so to speak.  Still, that was probably expected, so he\'d better just grit his teeth and bear it.

"Tea would be great," he sang out, then cleared his throat, looking about himself to judge whether he looked comfortable or not. He felt... awkward, even though things had settled. At least the kitten had proved a distraction from potentially disastrous topics of conversation arising. He glanced at it, sleeping in its little bed a few metres away. Perhaps he should have held it again.

[Mandy]

Should she have mentioned that it was cold tea? Sun-tea, as her Godmother always used to call it, a childhood favorite made out on the deck or porch and steeped by the warming rays of the sun. It always brought back fond memories of family and summer nights chasing fire flies. Yes, cold or at room temperature, it would be nice to share.

Mandy filled two medium sized glasses, then joined Kerr at his side.

"I hope you don`t mind....it`s cold, but the taste is good, I promise." she offered Kerr one of the glasses, smiling hopefully. "I do hope you like sun-tea."

She took in a large swallow of the strong beverage, grinning from ear to ear as it splashed down her throat and filled the cavern of her otherwise empty stomach. A simple pleasure. Hopefully, Kerr would not find the liquid too bitter.

[Existentially Odd]

His smile became somewhat more forced as he took the beverage and sniffed it.  "Sun tea?  I can\'t say I\'ve ever had the pleasure," he told her truthfully, and took a tentative sip.  It tasted odd - as any liquid that didn\'t have DNA inside it did, whenever it entered his throat - but he gave Mandy a steady look as he commented.  "It\'s fine," he said simply, licking the moisture of it from his lips as he moved the glass to his right hand and rested it upon his knee.

He then swivelled his body towards her, sitting on his left, more fully.  His left arm found its way to the back of the love seat in much the same way it had in the lobby, but this time he lifted his left knee onto the seat of the couch, his right leg splayed out to the side in a gangly sort of way, toes wriggling within the smooth black finish of his expensive leather shoes.

"So..." he began, then found himself lost for words when she smiled at him.  "Uh... what time do you work tomorrow?" he managed, sounding dull and impersonal to his own ears.  Inwardly, he cringed.

[Mandy]

She blinked...

"Oh...well...I`m off for the next few days. So I don`t have to work tomorrow night." Her face lit up as a sudden idea filled her head. "Hey, perhaps you would still like to do something with me though. I mean, something more than just walking me home, and visiting in my apartment?" There came a pause. "Or maybe you would rather get together during the afternoon? It`s up to you, I`m pretty flexible either way...I mean, if you would like to go out with me some time tomorrow, that is."

Mandy secretly scoffed at herself for sounding so desperate, God...would he notice?

Oh!

Her eyes drifted down to her right hand. It was now resting comfortably upon Kerrs leg....she must have reached out for him in her excitement, and hadn`t even realised that she`d done so. Truly, she prayed that he didn`t mind her constant need to touch, even though he never spoke on the matter with her ever.

[Existentially Odd]

"I can\'t do that!" he blurted out, not giving himself time to think about it. He blinked rapidly, realising that the thinking part would have to come now or he\'d look like a complete fuckwit. "I..."

I\'ve told you that I don\'t work because I\'m so suave and rich, I get to live off my wealth. So I\'ve told you, in essence, that I have nothing whatsoever holding me back from spending time with you 24/7... oh, except for the fact that I\'m a vampire who must stay away from the sun, or the alternative, more insulting notion that I don\'t want to spend time with you 24/7, which is not true...

His mind raced like a rabbit ahead of a slavering pack of greyhounds. What had he done? Why had he boasted like that the first night they\'d met? So what if he\'d never considered they\'d ever meet again when he\'d said it, he should be better prepared for such eventualities! What could he say to make this right now? Only one thing came to him, and even then he hesitated to bring it up...to bring those feral bitches up. But it was his only chance at keeping Mandy at arm\'s length throughout the daylight, without making her feel like he didn\'t want to be with her. Which he did. Very much, it seemed, considering the lie he was about to spill, the topic he was about to broach.

The worst part was that with Sawyl back, they\'d find out about everything he said here, too.  He put that horrid contemplation aside for later attention; he couldn\'t allow such thoughts to sway him now, when there seemed no other choice.

"I c-care for someone during the day, you see. Twins. Uh... conjoined twins. Their... heads are," he made circling motions with his right hand around the crown of his head - then stopped when he realised that, in his panic, he still held his glass of sun tea, "joined. They need assistance with... things. They\'re... friends of mine... in a manner of speaking. That\'s why you\'ll generally only see me at night. When they sleep. They sleep alright alone. All night long.  So I can get away for a while, then. But uh... only at night, unfortunately. Pretty much as soon as the sun sinks, though. Sorry," he finished with as cheery an apology as he could muster, feeling like he was flushing with embarrassment. There was still blood in his system from his feed the night before, so he very possibly was blushing.

It was only half a lie, really; he did have to help the demon women with their food and occasionally with getting about the place (though their furniture was all specially modified and they were strong enough to do everything for themselves, given that their bodies would never fall prey to human frailty). Yes, it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible, even if not telling everything, he figured.
   
   "But hey, as soon as it\'s dark, I\'m all yours. If… if you like," he offered and, in keeping with his smooth, coolheaded image, he hastily slurped at his drink for want of something better to do.
   
   Unfortunately, he ingested too much too fast and spilled some over his mouth and down the shirt he’d taken so much care with laundering for this evening. Luckily, it was only a dribble, as soon dried as it was spilled, but it did leave a very obvious line from his chest down to his abdomen. He brushed ineffectually at it with the hand not holding the dangerous glass of liquid, and told the potential stain; “Fuck.” With a shrug, he looked back up at Mandy, wondering if she did, indeed, wish to meet up with him sooner in the next evening. It then occurred to him that he was obviously rattled, for he\'d made a major mistake and sworn in her presence. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at her, cursing a lot at himself... internally.

[Mandy]

She took in a sharp breath of air through clenched teeth (startled by Kerr`s seemingly unintentional slip of the tongue) and repressed the sudden urged to giggle. He said the "F" word....

Her reaction was the byproduct of an unfortunate habit formed while attending grade school, back when teachers were in the business of punishing those whom uttered things that ought not be said. Oh to relive the days when the most perilous thing that anyone could do was to whisper a swear word out on the vicinity of the school yard. Such bravery! Such rebellion! Alas, while those days may certainly be long and gone, Mandy still felt a quite, little rush of forbidden excitement when overhearing a well placed obscenity...it had simply come as a bit of a surprise to hear her precious Kerr say such a thing.

He stared blankly at her, his demeanour rather resembling that of a deer caught in the head lights of an oncoming vehicle. How utterly sweet that he should appear far more surprised at his utterance than she! He had no reason to feel embarrassed though, after all, they were only human.

As something of an after thought, her gaze managed to pull away from Kerr`s deeply troubled eyes and drift down to the slightly discolored dribble on his shirt. It didn`t look all that bad really, and it was doubtful that the liquid would leave any permanent marks...assuming it received attention as soon as possible. She smiled. So much for staying planted at Kerr`s side for the remainder of the evening. Who was she kidding....it was her pleasure to assist him.

"Hang on..." she began, hopping once more to her feet and purposely crossed the room. She had just the thing.

The cupboard above the sink contained a large variety of dish towels and cloths, most of which had been knit for her by an elderly lady at the end of the hall (sweet old thing that she was). Perhaps with a dab of water and a little persistence, it would be enough to dilute the tea colored stain from the front of Kerr`s shirt? At the very least, the presoak would make it simpler to launder the garment once he got back home. Or maybe....he would just consent to let her wash the shirt for him there? Hmmm.

She pulled the cupboard open and gasped as a small mountain of dish clothes came spilling out into her arms. There came a scramble to catch them all before they could hit the floor, a futile battle that was soon to be lost. Sigh. Now that she was entertaining on a more regular basis, there would be a definitely need to reorganize and straighten up her apartment. Couldn`t very well have things toppling out onto her companion`s head if ever he were to venture within a cabinet or shelf. Just one of many projects on the docket for her scheduled time off.

Mandy selected one of the rags from the pile now littering her counter top and dampened the tip. For now, this mess would have to wait. Instead, she abandoned the heap of material to the kitchens mercies and sped her way back to Kerr`s side, pausing (only in brief) to pull her jacket from around her shoulders and lay it across the backing of the couch. How easy it was to forget even the simplest of things when distracted by someone who entranced you so completely. She turned her body to face him.

She desired to continue their conversation...to ask him more about the strange "twins" he`d mentioned prior to the spill as never before had she heard of such an abnormality among humans. But this was one of many questions still floating carelessly through the caverns of her mind. If he were willing to share, she longed to know so much more...what was it that prevented him from meeting her the other night, how did he learn to use his psychic abilities in order to read minds, what did the man back at Risk mean by a \'mark on her wrist\'...So many questions, and none of which (she was almost certain) he would likely feel ready to address with her tonight. Perhaps it would be better to hold off...just a while longer? An inquirey about the twins might not be completely out of line (after all...he brought them up in the first place), but there was no point in totally destroying what remain of their evening together by prying into unchartered territories.

Best to stick with the matter at hand.

"May I?" she asked, presenting the knitted square of fabric before him.

[Existentially Odd]

He couldn\'t help but frown and wonder what was going through her mind (given that he was still too exhausted to look for himself, it made it that much more intriguing), that she could ignore his revelation about the twins, not comment on his offensive language and blithely focus only on the fact that he\'d dribbled tea on himself. He got the feeling that she was choosing what to respond to very selectively. This was an admirable quality; he liked very much the fact that hers wasn\'t an obtrusive personality. Surely she must want to know more, yet she never pestered him, merely waiting for the information to be handed out willingly. She was so remarkable that he noticed a swelling warmth within as he watched her.
 
"Well... if you think it\'s necessary, certainly. I have stain removers at home that should take care of it, but if you think it should be attended to quickly...?" he mused, willing to hear her opinion on the matter. As nice as it would be to have her dabbing at his chest with a moist cloth, he could also see the value in simply removing the shirt and handing it over, so that he could watch her while her attention was elsewhere. He wasn\'t too concerned about the shirt staining, in reality, but it did offer some interesting alternatives to conversation.
 
How odd, that his clumsy spill should lead to his thoughts heading in entirely different directions.

[Mandy]

It would have been a gross understatement to say that Mandy had received a wave of excitement at the prospect of touching Kerr`s chest, it was more like a jolt.

She smiled (as always she was so prone to do) and leaned over him, tenderly beginning the business of clearing the stain.

Through the material of his shirt and beyond the knitted weaves of the rag, she could feel that his chest was firm...very firm. He obviously took wonderful care of himself. She truely admired that in a man for so many she came in contact with (at work in particular) most certainly did not take pride in their health nor appearance. God...he smelled so good too....

A shiver ran down her spine as she became of aware of Kerr`s eyes upon her. He didn`t seemed to have any compunctions about staring at her, even in close proximity such as this. It was distracting to say the least. Attempting to ignore his gaze she suddenly noticed that her endeavor to remove the mark had in effect, only served to make the smear worse. She paused, her brows furrowing with concern before making a second pass at the dampened fiber. Gasp! She was only spreading it more!

"I...I don`t understand, it`s just regular tea! It shouldn`t run like this!" she said with abashment, placing her left hand on her hip, the other, to her temple. What to do, what to do? It would be horrible if the beverage had ruined Kerr`s lovely shirt for good. Perhaps she should...but no. He would never agree to it....would he? Mandy shifted nervously on the cushons.

"You know, I think that I might have a T-shirt that would fit you....I mean, if you would like me to take care of the stain now...before it has a chance to set that is...."

[Existentially Odd]

"Whatever you think is best but... don\'t worry about another shirt," he murmured with a shrug. Leaning down, he placed his glass on the floor to the side of the couch - where he shouldn\'t be able to kick it and add insult to injury - and then straightened. He began casually unbuttoning his shirt, thinking only that he was about to be questioned about his body art, rather than his body.
 
In fact, he considered his body of little interest to anyone. Where he\'d been tall and a little portly as a mortal, once he was turned the extra fat he\'d carried as a sign of how well off his family were seemed to evaporate overnight, leaving him just as tall but rather more slight. His flesh had moulded itself to the muscle he\'d developed while working his land, his every movement shown as those muscles worked beneath the surface of his pale flesh. He realised that it was entirely acceptable, in these modern times, to display the well-toned physique he\'d inadvertently garnered in undeath but he had never got used to losing his protective layer of body fat.
 
He had little choice in the matter now, however. He pulled the long tails of his shirt from the top of his pants and withdrew his arms all in one swift motion, balling the fabric absently and holding it out toward her. He felt her gaze on his torso and waited patiently for her to notice the proffered shirt. From the front, where she sat now, all she would be able to see were his painted upper arms and the swirling brown curls of his body hair. He wasn\'t overly hairy, though there was a noticeable coating over his pectorals - it petered out towards the hollows beneath his collar bones - and a strong line of hair marched down the centre of his stomach from his sternum to his belly button. Another patch of brown fluff was spread across the firm ridges of his abdominal muscles, before it disappeared in a strong, dark streak beneath his belted waistband.
 
His tattoos had been a hark back to times hundreds of years before he was born even when he was young; Celtic in nature, they\'d been applied in the traditional woad, meaning that his skin was tinted more blue than the modern green ink - generally used in tattoos these days - tinted skin. In style, also, were his tattoo designs similar to what might have been seen on a tribal chieftan in the thousand or so years before Christ was credited with birth.
 
His upper arms down to his elbows were coloured in blue, a thick braid filled with intricate knotwork designs travelling from the outer edges of his collar bones down to his elbow. To make the braids stand out, they were the only artwork to be seen there. It was done in relief, so that his skin was coloured blue with woad and the pattern showed up via the unpainted flesh between. The braid decorated the length of his triceps, contrasting the blue bulge of his biceps handsomely.
 
His chest was not marked at all, the colouration instead continuing across the back of his shoulders and down to his tailbone from the hairline at the back of his neck. There was a range of different patterning to be found amongst the blue, there; most significantly - and perhaps ironically - a large Celtic cross in the very centre of his back, its arms twined with beautiful braiding and knotwork weaving in and around itself, symbolic of the connections of life. Around the cross were some labyrinthine designs that were meant to complement the cross and show the paths of life\'s journey (unfortunately none able to show the sharp twist his life had taken when he became kindred), in both step and key designs.
 
He was aware that Mandy was unable to see all this detail, as yet, but he would turn willingly, should she request it, and explain as much as he could remember about what was there. Even as this thought arose, however, was the realisation that he didn\'t remember much at all and would be able to tell her very little.  It had been a very long time since he\'d had it done, and almost as much since he\'d even given his markings much thought - let alone attempted to look at them in a mirror. He suddenly realised that he would have to be careful not to move in front of any mirrors with her nearby, until she knew.
 
Until?

[Mandy]

Her eyes gleamed with sudden amazment as Kerr`s shirt became liberated from his torso, but it was not necessarily his toned physique she was in awe over.
 
   "Oh wow!" She gasped, sliding up along Kerr`s left...his crumpled shirt instantly forgotten.
 
His tattoo`s were absolutely stunning!
 
    She reached out in a manner reflective of a child curiously hoping to make contact with an ever elusive butterfly and touched his skin, tracing her fingers along one of the many twisting knots gracing his upper arm. Such detail...she could not recall having ever seen a more beautiful pattern or remarkable display of body art before. A funny little smile toyed at her lips as Mandy became engrossed by the designs, her eyes roaming almost seductively over the plain of Kerr`s skin.
 
 It was quite the sight to behold, what with the vibrant blues contrasting against his exceedingly pale flesh. The results were dramatic (to say the least) and all entrancing.
 
   "They`re beautiful." she whispered, her touch straying shamelessly across his shoulder and beyond...did they continue upon his back as well? She was impressed to find that they did, and oh, how much more elaborate was the work on his reverse! She secretly weapt at the thought that she might never have seen this wonder tonight were it not for Kerr`s minor tea accident and her failed attempt at cleaning the spot. Funny how things always had a way of working out, even in the face of the seemingly unfortunate.
 
   She applied a gental pressure to his arm (hoping Kerr might turn his shoulder to allow her a better view of the amazing patterns on his back) and was rewarded as he wordlessly abliged. He twisted at the hip, facing out toward Mandy`s \'room\' area and the small sleeping kitten curled up within it`s bed. Hopfully, she was not being entirely out of line, coveting his body as she so obviously did now, but she was powerless to resist. Call it human tendancy to touch the things they fancied most....
 
   "Kerr! Your a walking work of art!" she declared, marveling at the beautiful celtic cross tinting his skin. There came a sudden desire to rush over to her bedside table and fetch a sketch book. Something as handsome and unique such as this simpley cried out to be captured on paper...then perhaps acrylics for color?  It would be a fantastic project, one that would hold her interests in full, no doubt.
 
   Strong as her wanton to draw from him may be, she eventually decided against it...for the moment. Their time together was limited by the late nature of the hour....no point in wasting it on her own artistic fulfillment. There would be other moments occupying other dates for such creative activities. Instead, she struggled to commit the pattern to memory, her eyes narrowing in order to soak up as much of his tattoo as humanly possible. So beautiful...
 
Several silent moments passed before she suddenly remembered herself....and his soiled shirt.
 
   "Ahh! Forgive me!" she laughed, tearing her eyes from his bare skin. "Here I intended to take care of your shirt and find myself totally side tracked!" Mandy finally took the garment from Kerr`s possession and stood, her cheeks turning a pleasant shade of pink. She had been so enthralled by her companions artful markings that until that very moment, she had not noticed how attractive his physical form was. The pink shifted to a flaming red as her eyes (against her will) drifted to the \'treasure trail\' of fine hair leading down his navel and beyond the waist of his pants.
 
    "I better get this washed up!" she blurted with embarrassment, turning abruptly on her heels and making for the kitchen sink in great haste, lest her painfully handsome companion notice the focus of her stare or the vicious blush now attacking her cheeks.