The Academy's Opening Fete

[Idrial]

Maria had arrived shortly after the two young love birds shared their kiss, pausing slightly pondering the reason why the two were out here? Jake seemed out of sorts, wondering what had happened, Maria reached out to the fauna present in the car park. The creatures told her all she needed to know, Ben was running against Jake and that did not please Maria. They even told Maria Sam's ridiculous suggestion to run, it saddened Maria that Sam thought so little of herself, this had to be discussed and soon. Fearing Sam was struggling with everything happening after Jake returned from the war, how bad Sam was struggling Maria did not know and that scared Maria. Sam was good at hiding her illness, but with an outburst like that Maria knew something was terribly wrong. Taking a deep breath she proceeded into the building where Murphy and Jake had reentered, she had to be calm for Jake.

Maria's hair was a yaki style, a popular hairstyle within her tribe. A small, thin gold chain entwined around three of her braids with a juju charm of protection at the end. Gold hoop earrings, her right ear with the Anarch symbol and her left ear with a Yoonir; a five-starred pentagram, beautifully adorned her ears. The chosen attire for tonight was a African gown print in the colors of lime green and gold, large trumpet sleeves pooled elegantly past her waist as she approached Jake. She stopped beside him after coming up from behind, her shoulders relaxed and her hands gently clasped together in front of her stomach.

"Evening Jake. Ben made quite the announcement." Her voice sweet like honey, brown eyes gazed intently at him.

"You do excellent work, my Prince. I am honored and proud to be your Keeper and this bloodlines Saltigue." Tenderly placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile, she did not care who heard.

It seemed everyone only remembered the bad but not the good when it came to Jake, after all, Maria was his Keeper. She has seen the charities he had donated his money to and it was not a small sum, there was good in this man. His tactics seemed violent and brutal to others on the outside, that was the life of a warrior. Maria had blessed many in her time to return from battle unharmed and safe, no Maria knew brutality and Jake didn't come close.

Sam didn't see nor hear Ichabod enter the classroom, absorbed within the flurry of questions that came at Sam. Each one answered in short form, a mischevious twinkle in her eye, they would have to take the class to learn more about the seven major clans. Sam was not about to give away her lesson plans for the semester, she had worked hard and yet she just about threw it all away. And for what? Sam didn't know what was happening to her, this feeling felt so familiar and yet she could not place it. Bidding the party fair well after they all seemed satisfied with her answers, only now noticing Ichabod. How long had he been in the classroom? It mattered not when Ichabod spoke about how the class is going to be popular it made her smile just a little.

"I appreciate that thank you. That means a lot to me, " she stated kindly. "I still want to be a part of the Academy. Even after the announcement," uncomfortable she changed the subject.

"May I ask is there an Alena that signed up for my class?" Sam didn't see the females name on her sign up sheet tonight. Maybe Alena had signed up previous to tonight's opening.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Cain's eyes lit up with hope and reverence at the suggestion that he could volunteer and maybe get access to James' class. His fantasy was alive and kicking once again, returning to the forefront of his mind. It was a cliché but he pictured James striking papers and pens off his desk to make space as a hot and heavy kissing session turned into full-blown sex. Another fantasy quickly followed of Cain hiding beneath the desk and blowing the professor while he lectured to his class, trying to cover up his gasps with coughs.

But above it all, above the fantasy, he actually wouldn't mind learning a few things - though he'd been around vampires long enough that he was pretty sure he knew most of the rules. It would be nice to take a class that he would find easy.

"It interests me a lot, yeah," Cain agreed, nodding along to his agreement and wanting to throw himself at James in an embrace but overly aware that there were lots of people around, though a lot fewer now that the building was open to looky-lous. He wanted to have a nosy himself. "Show me your classroom?" he asked, unaware of the differences between high school and university and thinking of blackboards and desks in rows and columns instead of a podium and small halls that more resembled a theatre.

[pinkroses]

“Hey,” Murphy said with a smile as Ben approached him and he accepted the hug, giving Ben a tight squeeze. He was pleased Ben had come over, it was obvious lots of people wanted to talk to him after that announcement – and they would have wanted to at this event even without that.

He watched Ben steadily, seeing that the smile wasn’t quite genuine and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I’m not pissed… confused and surprised, but not pissed,” he said, tilting his head to one side. “And yeah, we need a proper catch up, not just five minutes at all these events. I guess you’ll be doing a lot more of them now.” Murphy hooked his thumbs into his jeans pockets and glanced down. He knew it wasn’t personal, Ben clearly had ambition beyond what they’d previously spoken about with the Academy, but it felt like he was being left behind.

“You’re probably busier than me. So… I can do tomorrow night, or whenever. Just tell me when you’re free.” And hopefully this time Ben actually would, rather than getting distracted by campaigning, Kerr, everything.

“Are you pissed at me?” he added after a moment, knowing Ben would have good reason to be.

*

“Good,” Ichabod said with a warm smile. Sam was one of the most enthusiastic employees they had here and it would be a loss if she’d decided not to be a part of it.

“Oh, I have no idea, sorry,” Ichabod said with a small shrug. “There’s so many people who have signed up for all the courses, I don’t have their names memorised,” he added with a chuckle. “We could look it up tomorrow night though? Who is she? Do you have her surname?”

[Black Philip]

"Okay," Jake said with a grin, happy for the kiss, but sad to be parted from Murphy because of Ben. He made sure they entered holding hands. He wanted people to know he and Murphy were seeing one another. It got rid of the gossip about it if they were just together in public and being mildly affectionate. Of course, he also hoped Ben would be there to see it. He smiled back as they split ways and worked his way towards the registration table. It didn't take long, and he ended up taking less than he intended. He had to make time to campaign, and so he only took three classes; Sam's (which he'd skip when he felt like it), the one on crafting magical items, and Dr. Barrow's.

Pleased with his choices, he was about to head off to find Murphy when Maria approached. He smiled in greeting. He still didn't know her well, but he liked her style. Sam seemed to love having her around, and Lisa-Joe had reported back she was keeping up with all the work of her position. Keeper wasn't an easy gig. He was also appreciative for her other services, and when they weren't in such a public environment he'd ask her for an update. He wondered how her work would compare to Sabrina's.

"Thanks Maria. I hope Sam didn't tell you to praise me like that." He pretended not to love it, but Jake McCloud was a sucker for praise.

"Oh and uhhhh, yeah he did. I was going to call a meeting of the senior staff tomorrow to discuss it. You, Lisa, Benny, and I was thinking of inviting my friend Luke."

Jake had decided to offer Luke the job of sheriff. He was an excellent soldier, had been helping the patrols train, and had the right personality for it. With all the threats coming his way, he needed the role filled. Luke had the drive, nerve and power needed. He'd also consult Murphy of course and Seb as well. Perhaps the former could give some tips for dealing with the press, while the later might know the ancients in town and how to talk to them about voting.

Dr. Barrow walked Cain into the school, still unfamiliar with the layout. He wouldn't ask Ben tonight about the job for Cain. He had enough on his plate. Besides, he still needed to get to know the latest candidate for district leader. "Of course," he told Cain, smiling and leading him towards his lecture hall.

The walk was fairly boring, but quick. The building was busy now, although most people were still in the lobby and not in the west halls. The room had a few people looking, but was otherwise empty. He'd negotiated for one of the larger halls. He had to share it with another instructor, but his class had already signed up a fair amount of students, and he expected to have a full class for both sessions. He'd insisted on a desk for himself, but would use the podium when lecturing. He just knew he'd have too many folders, books, papers and other teacher items to stack on a podium. He sat on the desk, and motioned for Cain to sit next to him. The last of the people looking left the room.

"You like what you see," he said, in reference to the room, but perhaps meant something more suggestive as well. He leaned in close, and if Cain would let him he'd give him a deep kiss. He just couldn't keep his mind on anything else when Cain was near him.

[Trillian]

Ben was nodding until the last question, then he shook his head. "No," he said quietly, "not pissed at you. I don't have any right telling you who you can see."

He glanced at Kerr's back, who he knew disliked Murphy and wouldn't mind telling Ben not to have him as a friend. He didn't really understand Kerr's jealousy of Murphy... though he did know why it had flared recently, because of the agreement he'd made to sire his friend.

His best friend. His only friend, really, not counting Kerr or Ichabod or those related to him by blood.

"Tomorrow night's good," he said, then remembered that Samuel was dropping in at ten, but he didn't want to keep putting Murphy off. "How about seven? The Academy is finally finished so... we can talk about the deep stuff."

Again, he nodded, feeling awkward and unsure what to say. "This isn't my element, you know? People. Crowds."

Oh, yes. He was going to be a fantastic District Leader.

[pinkroses]

He felt a little wave of relief as Ben said he wasn’t pissed at him, although there was still that look on Ben’s face which made Murphy feel wary.

“Seven works, that’s great,” he said, although he almost did a double take when Ben said they could talk about the ‘deep stuff’ as the Academy was finished. Fuck. This was either actually going to be a discussion to move stuff forwards, or it was going to be Ben letting him down because of Kerr, his running for election, Jake.

He swallowed hard and gave a smile, hating feeling like this with Ben. There had so rarely been this kind of tension between them and it felt so weird. He didn’t know where he stood and it sucked.

“You’re doing great, no one would be able to tell. And you’re going to have to get used to it now,” he said, reaching out to touch Ben’s arm gently, hoping it was a reassuring touch. “Just imagine them all naked, isn’t that the advice they give?” he said with a chuckle.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr felt foolish as Astrid listed off so many more benefits to enhancing blades than he'd imagined. That was his problem, of course, not hers - his lack of imagination. It was difficult to push himself outside the barriers of his own vampiric disciplines and magic had been something the twins had dabbled in, so he'd always avoided it. They'd made him uncomfortable enough in other ways without terrifying him with their chanting and muttering as well. That had been centuries ago, though. It was definitely time to embrace his ignorance and do something towards lessening it.

When Astrid thought at him, Kerr picked it up because he was so intently focussed on her. Her thoughts were also powerful. She was powerful, despite her youthful appearance, for she'd picked up on his magical addition just as Sabrina had; instantly and effortlessly. He wondered if magic could do something about that, or if it even mattered. Would it always pique the interest of magic wielders but, like Astrid had, they'd be too polite to ask about it? He wished he understood it better.

I do but I don't really understand it. Do you want to see it? he asked her mentally even as he smiled and addressed her final comments verbally. "I like listening to you ramble. You're very knowledgeable and the topic is fascinating," he smiled at her. "I'll definitely sign up for your class - it's on before both of mine every Wednesday, so I have to be here anyway. I'll just come a little earlier and ensure I have some fun to start my night off, listening to you, before I'm forced to listen to myself for the rest of the night."

He pulled a face, going briefly cross-eyed and sticking out his pierced tongue, grabbing at his throat as if he was suffocating at the thought of listening to his own voice for hours on end. He lowered his hands and went back to smiling a second later, his eyes twinkling conspiratorially at her.

~*~

Samuel was so excited by his lucky break that he raced out to the courtyard on a high. Expecting to see Dreki somewhere, his pace slowed only after he'd unknowingly walked straight past the mortal. By that time, Sam had spied Kerr standing before someone's table so he headed towards him, hovering at a respectful distance until such time as Kerr broke away. Then he'd grab him. He danced from foot to foot as he waited, playing with his hands, his back towards the main Academy building.

~*~

Owen moved with the crowd. Once the majority of them dispersed from the front, he moved into the building with them, ensuring none of them were messing with any of the furniture or getting up to anything in the classrooms. He was opening and closing doors to check each room, planning on talking to Vincent about Ben's crazy-ass announcement as soon as he got near him (he could feel his husband wasn't too far away). Had he known that shit was going to go down?

He opened the door of one of the lecture halls and found two guys kissing on the desk at the front of the room. Still hanging onto the handle, Owen adjusted his handsome face into a stern scowl, his free hand casually gripping the arm hole of his vest as he cleared his throat very loudly.

[Maxpphire]

He still stood by the entrance, with a look on his face that seemed to signify he was deep in thought. He rubbed this thumb up and down on his Coffee thermos, as he stood there, staring off into the abyss, not really focusing on much of anything. He was having a tough time dealing with the crowd today, which was unusual for his anxiety to manifest in such a way. As a teacher he generally was good at crowds and getting attention when needed. He wasn't sure why today was so different, he hadn't felt this way when he left the house, or even at the beginning of the ceremony, but when it came time to sell more people on taking his class, his chest tightened and he felt like he was trapped. He began to walk away from the building and towards the diner that was open right near there, he figured getting a cup of something would at least distract him enough and allow him some reprieve.

"You know coffee worsens anxiety, right?" said a voice in his mind that he didn't want to hear right now. His neutral, mildly stressed expression turned to one of annoyance. He didn't even bothering responding to Dr. Hofflan, he wasn't even sure if he wanted more coffee or if he was going to get that. "Suit yourself." Hofflan said before his presence seemed vanish from his mind. He was thankful for that, that he had been mostly unbothered by Hofflan since their last visit, however their last visit ended rather volatility. He had a newfound fear for Hofflan, but also a newfound worry for Emma. His most recent visit wasn't even a doctor's visit, but he was simply called there to visit her. His last doctor's visit he didn't quite remember and that had also bothered him.

He made it to the diner and after a small wait he did get a refill on coffee in his travel mug rather than something else, they simply asked if he wanted coffee and he nodded, he didn't verbally tell him, but it was good enough. He started to walk back to the the Academy, mentally calming himself as he walked, before he continued. He was thinking of even leaving early. He had made his way back to the courtyard and stopped. He closed his eyes as he took a sip of the still hot coffee, and let the wave of warmth from the drink encompass his chest. It was calming, almost as if an internal hug. He wanted a night to forget all his problems, he then remembered how when he first met Sam, that he was able to, even if only for a bit. He decided he would send a text, maybe they could meet up or something at some point soon.

"What are up to?" He sent, not realizing that Sam was also at the event. He started to make his way back towards the building so he could go back to his perch and talk to the students that stopped by. He did leave a stack of syllabi on the table he had set up inside for those to grab while he wasn't there, as well as instructions on how to sign up online with a QR code that would bring them right to the correct webpage to do so. He felt a certain set of nervousness after sending the text, not even sure if Sam would respond.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Cain followed James into the large room and was surprised to see that there were steps leading down to the front of the room, where there were two desks on opposite corners and a podium in the centre. He could imagine James standing behind it, delivering his thesis or notes or whatever it was called. Maybe it was simply called a lecture. He felt embarrassed and overwhelmed that he'd never finished high school and now he was (dating?) seeing a professor. The kind that came with a doctorate. He felt humbled.

When they got to the front and James sat on the desk, Cain grinned and joined him, nodding shyly at the question and eagerly locking lips with the sexy professor. He already had a semi and they'd barely done anything. The idea of other people looking around the building maybe catching them in a compromising position...

They didn't even get that far before someone cleared their throat. Cain flinched away and stood up, his hands linking together in front of his groin like he was just standing casually instead of trying to hide the lump in his pants. His eyes widened when he saw the guy was someone in authority with a uniform to match. He recognised him as the guy standing next to the door when the ribbon was cut.

Cain looked at James, not knowing what to say - if he should apologise or not, or if they should just excuse themselves and go somewhere else. He could feel his semi deflating.

~~~

Digital had returned all the equipment back to the security office and storage room where it had come from and headed back upstairs. A lot of people were congregating in the courtyard for some reason. He saw Samuel off to one side and moved a few steps towards him.

"BOO!" he shouted, then cackled.

[Black Philip]

Their kiss was too brief, but it didn't take vampire senses to hear the throat being cleared from the other side of the room. James parted lips with Cain, and was amused by his friend's startled reaction and posture. The Brit had a much more casual disengagement, and looked more like they got caught behind the bleachers then did anything especially wrong. He used his hands to hop onto his feet, Cain filling him with new energy. He looked at the interruption and saw one of Mr. Samson's security people. He was a good looking chap, blonde hair and a strong body on him. Clearly this man had important business to conduct, like killing buzzes, but he'd made it his goal to meet everyone on staff tonight, and so he took a few steps forward and spoke clearly but not loud.

"Terribly sorry, but look at him. Can you blame me for wanting to give him a peck from time to time?"

His dark passenger whispered things, little morsels of the soul. Father-lover? Betrayal? More BEN? Of course it wasn't too clear, but Dr. Barrow was interested. There was a story here. There was pain. His annoyance at being interrupted was overwhelmed by his professional curiosity and he looked at Owen like he was going to eat him. An ear to ear smile overtook his face. He motioned for Cain to come stand next to him, hoping he'd have an opinion or two about their guest. He turned back to Owen.

"Come say hello. My name is Dr. James Barrow, and this is Cain. I'd like to make your acquaintance if you don't mind."

[Saiketsu]

Her suggestive smile in his direction at first caused his eyebrow to raise, not fully grasping her meaning until she thought too loudly abou performing certain acts. Damien looked around briefly, nervously before fixing an intense gaze on his human companion, who had not stopped thinking about them pushed into some dark corner of the building, frantically exploring skin. The idea was enticing and part of him wanted to play along - she hadn't led him wrong in their foreplay yet - but the prospect of being discovered dissuaded much of the desire he had never experienced before her. But it also added a new level of desire to the game as well. Damien tried to ignore the thought, unsure of himself and the acceptability of his newfound desires.

"You are going to get us in trouble," he said quietly, a touch of his fixation for her edging his stern voice. He held her gaze like he did when they were alone - fervent and acute - before looking reluctantly away. She had caused a stir in him, but he was determined not to let it show in such a public place. Damien smirked crookedly at Rachel, allowing the amused look to remain as he took her arm and steered her in the direction of where he would be teaching.

"I haven't seen the really any of the building, but Ichabod did say that both of my classes are supposedly in the West end." He lead them there with the help of the signs and casual brushings of the surrounding minds. The room was the first on a corner and a copy of the schedule was posted outside of the door. He opened the door for Rachel and stepped in himself.

It was lecture hall like the ones he had always imagined - though significantly smaller than the kind he had seen on television. The room was just under fifteen feet high by his estimation, clean and new - never used before. For all he knew, they were the first people to ever step foot in it. The stadium seating of dark blue theatre-esque chairs rose in six staggered rows sharply away from a single level, sealed linoleum floor polished to a high shine. There was a desk about ten paces from him, simple and smart, made of what he assumed, was some kind of composite board. Beyond that there was a podium with thin microphone, just wide enough to stand at. There was a whiteboard on the wall which, based on its sheer size and lack of seams, seemed to double as a projection screen. Sure enough, Damien's eyes traced a projector hanging from the ceiling pointed at the wall.

He forgot Rachel for the briefest of moments as he observed the new space with lost excitement - and a swelling sense of nervousness.

[The Cedar Witch]

Astrid looked up sharply when Kerr’s voice answered what she assumed would have been a private thought, and reflexively her mind recoiled from him, as if preparing to ward against an invasion.  A fraction of a second to her, and visible to others as only a flinch.  Of course, that was a vampire thing.  There was no danger here--it wasn’t an invasion or attack.  Startling, yes.  It certainly made her consider for the first time that she should be careful with her thoughts around them (maybe even create some sort of protective barrier to block such reading).  Before moving to this city she didn’t have to really worry too much about that sort of thing.  And her only experiences with another presence in her mind--aside from her own family during rituals--had been...less than pleasant.  But she could sense the friendliness from him, and she felt instantly foolish at her (over) reaction. 

The witch smiled apologetically as he continued to speak, and even managed to laugh at the silly face he made. 

“Thank you.  I’m looking forward to seeing you, then.”  With a warm smile, she lowered any defenses that had been reflexively assembled and met his eye.

It is like a beacon.  I am very interested in learning more.  Light glowing from behind a closed door.  A keyless lock.


***

Yes, she was a fucking trouble maker.  And completely unashamed about it.

Rachel grinned devilishly but said nothing more on the matter, swept away in the attention he had fixed so intensely on her.  That had been slowly becoming one of her many favorite new things.  She hugged his arm close as he led them to the classroom, looking mostly down at her feet but glancing up every so often.  Being seen with him at an event, officially as his, was giving her nervous flutters when she thought about it for too long. 

When they reached his classroom, she watched him look around more than she looked at it herself.  His reactions were infinitely more interesting than the new shiny room they were in.  She released his arm so he could wander if he wanted to.

"You're super cute right now--are you nervous?"  Rachel asked quietly.  The years living with him had made her very in tune with the subtleties of his body language and facial expressions. 

[Existentially Odd]

Guilt washed through Kerr when Astrid tensed up. It was subtle but he could tell he'd surprised her by invading her thoughts. His mind... buzzed for lack of a better description and he thought she might be going to repel his mental overture. Then she smiled and chuckled tolerantly at him. He relaxed, appreciating the gesture. Inclining his head in acknowledgement of her verbal response, he gave another mental one instead of speaking. He'd have preferred not to push his luck on that front but the topic they were discussing was best kept as private as possible.

I'll tell you what I can. Perhaps you'll do the same? We'll find a time soon, I'm sure. Until next we meet, it's been lovely making your esteemed acquaintance.

The head inclination worked well with his farewell, however it wasn't as thorough or dignified as he'd have hoped because a sudden yowl behind him had him spinning reflexively to see what was going on.

Samuel had been absorbed with staring intently at Kerr's profile when his phone pinged to tell him he'd received a message. He pulled the device out of his pocket, smiling when he saw it was Dreki. He looked around, wondering if the blind man was nearby but he couldn't see him immediately so he looked back at his phone.

They'd texted each other off and on since their night together but he hadn't committed to reuniting with the mortal. He was nice and everything but Sam was too busy getting his life on track to think about spending any extra time with someone he still viewed as a casual distraction. Well, more of a casual complication. Mortals were, by their very nature, fleeting moments in a vampire's timeline - even ones that smelt delicious and were divinely willing in bed. Dreki's life was even more difficult than his and it was a lot to contemplate getting wrapped up in.

Samuel had just started texting back when some lunatic in a kilt jumped at him and screamed in his *face. To his eternal embarrassment, he let out a loud yelp and juggled his phone almost to the ground before he caught it and straightened up. By that time, Kerr had taken a few steps over and was frowning at the muscular vampire cavorting nearby.

"Digital? What are you doing?" he asked, linking arms with the cackling Malkavian and attempting to rein him in. That was when he noticed who'd let out the yowl (he'd been sure it was a woman). "Samuel!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Kerr! Hi!" the Southern vampire enthused, thrusting a hand forward to shake his ex-boss' hand - only to realise belatedly that his hands were all wrapped around the-- wait, had Kerr just called the other guy Digital? He looked from him and back to Kerr, unsure which he should be addressing now. He pulled his hand back. "Uh, I was just talking to Ben about coming back to work at the Chambers for him. For you both? Anyway, he said Digital found my database. You're Digital?" he asked the other vampire, smiling at him.

"The Luminary," Kerr corrected, dragging Samuel's attention back.

"I... didn't think you were, any more?" he frowned, wondering if he'd offended Kerr by not using his old title. He pointed at Digital. "Or did you mean he's the Lum-"

"No, not me. Or him. The building. It's no longer the Chambers. We renamed it The Luminary," Kerr explained, his voice petering out as he realised how awkward it all sounded. "It's a... sort of ironic, kind of cyclical homage and - we thought - appropriate sort of tribute... thing," he finished weakly. "Luminary means leader."

"Oh! Right," Sam grinned, nodding as he turned to look at Digital once more.

*not his actual face, just close-ish to it

~*~

Owen felt incredibly uncomfortable when the doctor asked him to assess the kissability of his partner but he did his best to keep his face impassive. He straightened away from the door and dropped his grip on his vest as the vampire grinned wolfishly at him. It made Owen feel uneasy but he knew the guy was on staff so he'd be seeing a lot of him. No point making an enemy out of an older vampire.

When formal introductions were made, Owen did a double take, staring at the mortal with wide eyes. How many Cains could there be in the city, especially hanging around in vampiric circles? It wasn't a common name and Owen remembered the first time he'd heard it - when Ben told him all about Kerr's obsession with a mortal named Cain. Owen had thought, Gee, does he have a brother named Abel? to himself (but hadn't said why he'd been grinning at his own wit) and the same joke occurred to him just now.

"Cain?" he asked in startlement, stepping into the room to meet the couple inside it. "Kerr's... " Cain? he'd been about to ask for confirmation but stopped. Then he realised he had nowhere to go but straight ahead after dropping that name. "... downstairs, have you spoken to him?" he enquired as casually as he could - except he didn't wait for an answer, he turned to the doctor instead.

"Evening Doctor Barrow. I'm Owen Harper, Head of Security for this campus," he introduced, holding out a hand to shake the Englishman's. He was watching Cain for his response out of the corner of his eye, feeling flustered but highly curious about the mortal that had wrecked an entire masquerade ball and brought a leader to his knees.

[Maxpphire]

As Dreki had approached the doors he could have sworn that he heard a yell in the background that sounded like it could have been Sam's voice. He turned around when he heard it, trying to use his eyes to scan for any familiar shapes, but it was impossible for him and his incredibly basic eyesight in such a crowd. He sighed as he made his way inside and back to his table, sitting back down, greeting the students, hiding his anxiety of the night behind a smile and being pleasant to the others who stopped by and asked him about his class.

While he had texted Sam on and off in the past, he never blatantly asked what the Vampire was currently doing before tonight. It was mostly of "How's life going? Find a Job yet? Still ok on Hotel Money?" and he did his best to keep the facility and his hardships out of their conversation by usually replying that he was fine, and he didn't really ask to see him again as it seemed that Sam was busy most of the time so he did his best to be non-invasive, but still kept in touch. He enjoyed Sam's texts and he was always excited to get one back, in essence excited that it felt like he was making a connection with someone, anyone outside of the facility and it gave him hope at the very least of having friends if nothing more and somewhat of a life outside of their grasp. He took a sip from his coffee, mostly lost in his thoughts between visitors to his table. If Dr. Barrow was sent by the facility to watch him, that would complicate things even more. He was already terrified of chasing Sam away at even being as friends, given the facility's grasp into him. He had felt like he was being distant to an extent to keep Sam safe.

Hofflan was aware that someone else was gaining importance to Dreki and that he didn't care for just Emma alone anymore, but he wasn't sure who. He did laugh at the notion that Dreki thought Dr. Barrow was part of the group, but figured it best to let Dreki believe that for now. For fun he might even perpetrate the idea to make it even easier to control Dreki when needed, however a wrench could be thrown into that if this person that Dreki has been trying so hard to keep away from it all knew who this Dr. Barrow was. He would pop into Dreki's headspace every once in a while just to keep tabs on the event and what was going on. After all, he had plans he needed to keep up with, and knew that Dreki would be key in those plans. Particularly if Ben did manage to take the Central District away from Jake.

[Malkavian Riddler]

Digital grinned at Kerr, his gaze moving between him and his reunion with the Book Master. They had an amusing conversation about the Luminary which Digital giggled over. He waited for a pause in the conversation before saying: "Did you see that San Choy Bau didn't show up tonight? She has a couple of her dragons in the crowd, though. Dragons and Luminaries used to go together, but not anymore!"

~~~

When Owen stared at Cain and mentioned Kerr, his mismatched blue eyes widened. Neither vampire in the lecture room would miss the way his body suddenly tensed. He adored Kerr, he really did. He knew the attraction was mutual and that if they'd met under different circumstances, they could've had something good. But there was no point wishing for something that never was and would never be.

After the handshake between Owen and James, he replied: "Thanks, but he's really busy and I'm -" with James? "- not important."