Passing Through

[Existentially Odd]

Normally, the tall redheaded vampire rode around the park - on the streets - on his bike, but tonight he was walking through it to get back to his lovely beast.  He'd been club hopping and the hour was as late as he was replete, his self-satisfied smirk being shone around as he looked from side to side at the apparently-empty park.  Three drinks, two fucks and now he was looking forward to getting back to Will by two o'clock.  Efficiency personified.  He even remembered where he'd parked the bike - in a secure garage - so he was practically batting a thousand tonight!

Hopefully he'd also be able to shower before he had any contact with his roommate, since he never enjoyed the scent of sex on him - particularly after their most recent debacle in that area.  He was still holding strong on the not drinking from the older vampire too, which Indie was pretty sure pissed the blonde off royally, but he liked that enough to not buckle. So far.  He just had to spend as little time thinking about how good it'd felt as possible.

As he passed by a particularly huge tree, he thought he smelled something a little off - kind of like a raccoon had done some territory-humping against the bark or a feral cat had pissed everywhere or something - but he dismissed it once he passed the trunk and the fresh night air was all he could smell again.  He was wearing some well-loved blue jeans, boots, a white T-shirt with a black face-type pattern on it and his black leather jacket, thumbs hooked into the front pockets of his pants.  It had been a good night and he felt happy, thinking about what he and Will might do once he got home and if he dared toy with the man's feelings again.  He'd been well behaved for so long... it was very tempting to contemplate.

[Saccharin]

It was Anna's scent Indie had detected as he passed the giant oak, and it was no wonder, seeing as how she still spent most her waking hours hanging out in its branches, observing the ley-lines that traveled beneath its roots. In particular, there was one branch she favored midway up the tree that allowed her a superior vantage point and was still large enough that she could sit cross-legged on it. She had been there when she first spied the vampire, but had scrambled to another spot in the tree so she could both observe and remain downwind of him as he came closer.

Between his red hair and the devil-may-care way he sauntered through the park, there was no mistaking Indie. Unconsciously, her shapely upper lip twisted into a snarl. The only thing that kept her from dropping out of the tree and onto his head was that he'd been the one to suggest William take her shopping. Her clothes had been threadbare and stained beyond help after months of wear, so a venture to a nearby mall had been much needed... and even appreciated.

Anna's face relaxed and she tilted her to the side, watching him pass under her tree with more curiosity than anger - especially when she caught his scent and all the other flavors it was mingled with. He smelled of alcohol, smoke and sex; all very interesting things on their own, but when combined, nearly intoxicating. It reminded her of the club William had taken her to.

When Indie had passed totally out of sight, she gracefully descended from her hiding spot and followed after him for a ways before she finally announced her presence.

"I have new clothes," she said to his back. And indeed she did.

Instead of a ratty tank top and jeans that didn't quite fit her, she had on a form fitting black shirt and dark jeans that hugged her curves like a glove. Over her shirt was a black leather jacket that could be zipped up, but remained open, revealing that in addition to her shirt fitting well, it was cut to offer a teasing glimpse of her cleavage. She also had on a pair of very comfortable black boots, good for walking on streets but not in the forest. William had promised to find her a pair of hiking boots on their next shopping venture, but until then, she'd make do with what she had.

The only jewelry she had was a necklace with delicate silver chain and a feather pendant, something she'd fallen in love with at the store as soon as she'd spied it. She hadn't taken it off since. She reached up to finger it idly as she waited for Indie's reaction.

[Existentially Odd]

He was startled when she spoke behind him, for he had a little buzz on and he wasn't particularly attuned to his surroundings.  She was also stealthy as hell and scared the shit out of him.  As he spun, he squawked in a most unmanly manner, finishing in a survival type pose, knees bent ready to fight and hands splayed either side of him, palms downward, like he was trying to hold the grass in place with some sort of mystic spell.

As soon as he realised who it was he shifted out of his frozen position and straightened up to his full, impressive height.  He attempted to gain back a little dignity by shifting his leather jacket more squarely on his broad shoulders before his thumbs resumed their casual perch in his pocket tips.

"Oh, Anna," he exclaimed casually, closing the distance between them a little and looking her over as her words invited him to do.  He smiled, highly impressed by the way the clothes outlined her curves and made her long legs seem impossibly longer.  The way she was playing with her necklace drew his attention pretty swiftly and from there... well.  Deliberately, he moved his gaze back to her eyes, not wanting to cause friction between the two of them, for Will's sake and his own (he was in a good mood and didn't want it spoiled).

"You look great," he complimented.  "Will did a good thing.  Now you just make sure you make him spend as much of his money on you as possible," he laughed good-naturedly, his russet eyes twinkling.  "He's way too tight with his money."

[Saccharin]

Anna watched Indie's reaction with a bemused expression, puzzled that she'd been able to get a rise out of him. Typically, vampires weren't as easy to sneak up on as humans were, but Indie seemed pretty oblivious. In the future, she'd have to make it a point to be noisier when approaching him, since his senses didn't seem to be working properly.

She settled in as Indie talked, sliding her leg forward slightly and putting most her weight on the other, causing her hip to thrust out. The hand that had been twisting the delicately wrought silver pendant fell to her side, and for lack of a better place to be, slid into a pocket with her thumb hooking into the belt loop just above.

"I have everything I need," she pointed out, her dark eyebrows dipping low. "What else is there?" It was a question she'd posed to William as well, when he'd suggested much the same the very first night they'd reunited. She wondered if Indie would give her a more sufficient answer than her sire had.

[Existentially Odd]

Her question had him raising his eyebrows and opening his mouth as if to answer... but he was too surprised to do so, immediately.  He'd really made the comment as an attempt at an inside joke about Will, trying to promote some more positivity between them over a mutual interest they had - since there was nothing else the two of them had in common! - so when she called him on it, he had to think fucking fast.  Or look like a stranded goldfish.

"Ummm... well... if you have everything you need, start working on the things you want.  You know, your wishlist.  Fun stuff!" he grinned, giving her an encouraging nod.  He was already trying to think of a way out of this conversation, seeing as he was cocking it up.  He just didn't know how to speak with her.  He'd some to the conclusion that he didn't have anything against her once Will had calmed down and they'd started hanging out civilly, so there was no point summoning vicarious resentment.

All that left him with, though, was a sense of unease that Will might get mad at him for talking to her alone and a conflicting desire to tell her he'd love to see all the clothes she'd had her sire buy (and maybe even what she looked like without them).  That was definitely out of bounds, though, he knew Will would hit the roof if he started coming onto Anna, so he wasn't sure how the fuck he should be acting.  He loved women, enjoyed exploring their every thought (and every inch of their skin, usually) but this was a vampire chick - Will's vampire chick, no less.  What the fuck was he supposed to do with that?

So, awkward conversation ensued and he did a lot of goofy grinning at her while he hoped she'd thank him for that pro tip on what to demand next from her sire and let him continue on his way with no harm done.

[Saccharin]

No, his answer wasn't any better. They both talked of things she should want, but beyond basic necessities like clothes and shelter, there wasn't anything she wanted. She knew it hadn't always been that way, though. As a human, she'd enjoyed collecting things on outings to turn into works of art or to adorn her clothes with. She'd been vain at one point, concerned with her appearance and surrounding herself with beautiful things. But nearly a hundred years of being forced to hide her existence from those she guarded had made a minimalist out of her.

Things were changing for her, however. She'd purchased a necklace that had nothing but aesthetic value, and it was a sign that she acknowledged things were different now. She had a home - a permanent home - that could function as a place to store things, rather than a place to take shelter. William had suggested she make it more her own, an idea she'd shot down as ridiculous at the time because she'd had no concept of how differently she lived from everyone else. Now that she was willing to assimilate, she didn't have anyone but this relative stranger to talk with.

"What should I want? What fun stuff?" she asked plaintively. "I sit in that tree-" she gestured at the giant oak "-and I don't do anything. I don't know what else to do."

[Existentially Odd]

He quirked an eyebrow at the tree, as if imagining her sitting in it every night and appalled that that was all she did.  He looked back at her with an expression of horror stealing over his face.  "That's all you do?  Every night?  You don't do any thing else?" he queried.

When she simply looked back at him with those large dark eyes of hers and nodded a little self-consciously, he felt like he shouldn't be making such a big deal out of what she did do and accept the responsibility of showing her instead what she could be doing with her time.

"Okay, let's start simple," he told her grandiosely, stepping up beside her and spinning so that he was facing the same direction as her and could throw a companionable arm about her shoulders.  He'd quite forgotten the combination of smells coating his person up 'til that point but when his hand landed on her upper arm and she turned ever so slightly to look at it, he imagined it was because her excellent sense of smell had picked up that, not more than half an hour ago, at least two of his fingers had been inserted somewhere he didn't want to discuss with her.

Damn, he wasn't used to hanging with vampire chicks!

Immediately, he dropped his arm and took a step away from her, clapping his hands together and rubbing them as if he was coming up with a master plan, even though his smile and the little laugh he gave showed that he was feeling slightly uncomfortable at this point.  "Sorry, I... hey, great leather, by the way, do you like to ride?" he asked jovially, his words rushed because his brain wasn't able to get past the thought that she could smell a whole lot of fun on him and he was pretty damn determined he shouldn't be addressing anything along those lines with her.  Not even in casual, friendly conversation.  He said the first thing that sprang to mind instead but he wasn't even really listening to her answer so much as watching her for any further reactions.

[Saccharin]

Anna didn't mind the smell of his hand. It was a sweet yet musky scent, unique to the woman he'd most recently been with, not at all something she'd consider unpleasant. The thing she did mind was that he'd put his arm around her in the first place. He was presumptuous, this man who ignored her personal boundaries, treating her like they were dear old friends instead of the near strangers they actually were.

The muscles in her shoulders had tightened instantly under the weight of his arm, but before the rest of her body had a chance to follow suit, he'd pulled away and she began to relax. Clearly, he'd sened that she wasn't comfortable with the contact and taken steps to remedy it.

Good for him.

When he mentioned leather, she removed her hand from her pocket and then pulled the collar of her jacket over, turning her face into it and breathing deeply. She loved the smell of leather, even if there was an underlying scent of the dye used to make it such an impossibly dark black.

"What do you mean, ride? Horses?" she asked, folding the collar back to its proper shape. Even though Native Americans were commonly depicted as expert horsemen, she'd never really learned to ride. She'd instead learned to rely on her own two feet rather than four hooves, because they weren't attached to a creature that'd kick and bite if looked at the wrong way. If his idea of fun was horseback riding, then she'd insist he make another suggestion.

[Existentially Odd]

He snorted laughter at the mention of horses, pleased that she hadn't commented on how he smelled.  Maybe she didn't recognise it?  He got the impression she hadn't fucked anyone for over a century, not even herself so... maybe she had.  Could people forget what sex smelled like?  He'd start suspecting she was a virgin right about now, if he didn't know she and Will used to do the bucking pony quite a bit, back in the day.  It was hard to believe she hadn't done it since, but he was getting that impression regardless.

"Nah, not horses, motorbikes.  That's where leather does its best work, on the back of a speeding bike.  Have you been on one?  I could take you for a spin if you like?" he offered and then wondered what the hell he was doing.  So much for getting home to Will before two... but how awesome would it be to come home smelling of Anna?  It would do his housemate's head in!  Especially if he could get the scent of her and sex mingled on him - which a bike ride would definitely do.  Damn, he was an accidnetal genius!

[Saccharin]

Anna knew of motorbikes, but only because she made it a habit to dive into the minds of any mortals passing beneath her tree. A few of those had been carrying odd hunks of plastic and she'd forced them to think about their use, because try as she might, she couldn't figure out what their purpose could be. She never would've guessed that they were helmets, meant to keep their brains contained should they ever smash their heads into the pavement while riding two-wheeled machines. Did Indie wear one when he was on his motorbike, or was it even necessary? As far as she knew, damage to a vampire's head would be like damage anywhere else on their bodies - it would heal almost instantly with the help of blood.

As much as she knew about the contraptions, though, she'd never had the chance to ride one, and she admitted as much to Indie. "Never been on one, no," she said, shaking her head. But did she want to? That was the real question. She glanced back at the oak tree. Another night in it would be as comforting as it always was, but that wasn't what she needed right now. It was excitement that she craved, and by the look on Indie's face, she'd find it on his bike.

"But I want to," she said, and smiled widely at him.

[Existentially Odd]

Indie returned her smile instinctively, only subliminally aware of how much nicer it made her look and his response to it.  "This way then, m'lady!" he invited, making a grand sweeping gesture towards the other side of the park, where his bike was being held, in secure parking.  He set off walking, ensuring that she was by his side and making idle chatter as they went.  "By rights, we should both wear helmets but I didn't bring any tonight, so I'm afraid you'll be rolling the dice a bit, but all you have to make sure to do is hang on and, if you don't like me going fast, I'll slow down.  I don' wanna' freak you out or anything, so make sure you let me know where you feel comfortable," he encouraged her.

He really hoped she'd like speed as much as she did, because it was the biggest thrill he experienced every night (given that he was no longer in touch with Reed and his crew and his days of adventure-hunting with rich boys from all over the world were done).  He spent the rest of the walk to the parking garage explaining what would be expected of her as far as balance, leaning into corners with him and shifting her weight appropriately went, describing the physics of things in his own terms and answering any questions she might have had.  She seemed to be taking his words very seriously and he appreciated that.  He was actually looking forward to this ride now, mentally planning out the best roads to take her on for curves and straight stretches where he could open up the throttle.

When they reached his bike, he slung a long leg over the seat and got himself comfortable before he kicked back the stand and looked at Anna.  He'd only recently upgraded to this bike, it was a new Yamaha model in deep red with some nteresting ghostly/skull type decals on the faring.  He'd been tempted by the black, too, but had decided to try a different colour scheme than blue or black for a change.  On this model, there was only a very minimal pillion seat for Anna to occupy but the whole thing was shaped so she'd be draped over him while he was draped over the engine.  He was pretty sure she'd cope.

"Climb on," he encouraged her, absently patting the seat nudging the small of his back and pointing out where her pegs were to assist with the climbing process.

(Continued in 'In The Depths')