[center]
[h1][color=f7941d]Dakota Brookes[/color][/h1]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=0072bc]Joryldin[/color] [@Jade Blades][/sub]
[/center]

Standing off alone in the night’s crisp air was a young figure, neck craned up to stare at something in the inky darkness. The youth seemed out of place in their surroundings, goofing off outside despite being dressed to the nines. It was clear that this person was expected at an event of some sort, gauging from the suit they were wearing, but it didn’t seem like they were in any particular hurry. A dress jacket had been haphazardly draped over the back of a nearby bench, all but forgotten by its owner as they continued to focus on the sky. 

Dakota’s eyes narrowed to a strained squint as they made a few adjustment with a device in their hands. At first glance it might have seemed like a run of the mill RC helicopter remote, but a closer inspection would have revealed tampering of the design. After a few moments of fiddling, a small green LED lit up near the top of the device, static buzzing in an earpiece that was placed on the left ear. A triumphant grin lit up Dakota’s face as specs were read off in an electronic voice in their ear, listing off height and geological location before tapering off into even tones.

“[color=f7941d]Seems like my range of motion has been increased, but the rest can’t quite keep up with the distance yet. I’ll have to see if I can fix that…[/color]” The words weren’t really meant for anyone, simply observations rattled off to the empty universe. It was a habit they had picked up after spending days on end around machine projects instead of people. Keeping eyes on the skies, Dakota locked onto a small drone buzzing around above the area. There were a few smaller lights on the device but they weren’t nearly bright enough for what Dakota needed, another note for modification made to the silent night.

Too preoccupied with the drone, Dakota failed to notice that the start time for the party had come and gone. There was just so much to do still; more tests to run, notes to be made… Dakota could feel the excited twitching of their fingertips, the sensation that drove them to tinker with their toys. Driving the drone back down with their left hand, Dakota extended their right arm out so the device had somewhere soft to land. A quick flick of the pinky shut the controller off, the small lights blinking out one by one as the drone came to a complete stop in the palm of their hand.

“[color=f7941d]Not too bad. Still a lot of adjustments to make, but I think we’re making good progress.[/color]”

“[color=gray]Well that’s good, but aren’t you forgetting about something deary?[/color]” Dakota spun around to face the voice, locking eyes on an amused looking elder woman. Eyes widening, Dakota flipped their right wrist around to face them, staring at the tiny lines ticking along the watchface.

“[color=f7941d]Oh crap![/color]” Dakota blurted out, taking off down the street with electronics in hand. They made it a few yards away before halting and turning back, zipping by and snagging the suit jacket before running off once again; the elder woman watching all the while.

“[color=f7941d]I’m late, I’m late, I’m late…[/color]” The youth stuffed the electronics into whatever pockets they would fit into, slipping the jacket on as they ran toward the main event. By the time they made it to the guards, the lights had dimmed and a voice could be heard addressing the group of students. Red faced and very out of breath, Dakota wheezed their way through an introduction and ‘inspection’, pulling their hair back into a clip but keeping most of the front loose. Accepting an envelope from the dissatisfied looking guards, Dakota straightened their bowtie and shrugged off the jitters before setting a swift walking pace toward the festivities. 

By the time Dakota arrived, the woman on display was already saying something about a growing society and the peace they had created. It didn’t seem like they had missed anything important just yet, allowing Dakota a moment to sit back and catch their breath. Looking around the darkened courtyard, it was almost as if their tardiness had gone completely unnoticed. Each and every person around them seemed entranced by the presenter. There was something familiar about the woman, something right on the tip of their tongue...

A hand slipped around Dakota’s mouth before they were able to blurt out the name of the princess, the sound muted by the cupped appendage. Standing behind the excitable youth was a tall figure dressed similarly to them, eyes locked on the princess as if what they were doing hadn’t taken a single shred of focus. Inhaling deeply through their nose, Dakota tapped the hand lightly to signal that they were now in control of themselves, the grip releasing their face before stepping away.

Dakota was still finding it difficult to sit still, ears tuning in to the rest of the welcome speech while their eyes roamed the crowds around them. Having grown up in a non-magical household, Dakota had never really been heavily exposed to vampires. Obviously they had known about them growing up, it was difficult not to, but regular humans and vampires had very little reason to interact per the treaty that protected them. On occasion, schools would bring in Mages as guest speakers to talk about the importance of various things… Dakota had never really paid much attention to what they were actually saying, mind always wandering off on random tangents.

Here, however, every other figure was a vampire… A real, sharp toothed, blood sucking vampire. The thought shot an instinctive shiver down the youth’s spine, though not so much out of fear as it was anticipation. One couldn’t help but to wonder at whether or not being fed from actually hurt. Interviews with paired mages were usually toned, skewed in the vampire’s favor. It was theorized that different people had different tolerances to the bite of a vampire, dependent on bonds and personal threshold for pain. Dakota wasn’t sure how much of the data had been meddled with, and personally couldn’t wait to gather information of their own.
Shaking their head to clear the jumbled thoughts away, the mage felt a subtle shift in energy coming from the long forgotten envelope in their hand. Upon receiving the paper, Dakota had tried to peel the seal from the paper but had been met with resistance beyond immediate comprehension. Now, however, it seemed as if the contents within were attempting to escape their confinements. The envelope had been torn open before the princess had taken her leave.

Inside was photograph and a letter containing several important details. The most important to Dakota was the address of where all of their belongings had been sent to. Going so long without certain tools had begun eating away at their patience, the anxiety building up within them over the short amount of time. Alongside the housing information was also a name, presumably belonging to the photograph that had been attached. 

“[color=f7941d]Joryldin? What the hell kind of name is that?[/color]” Dakota mused aloud, stumbling through the name of the one that was to be their partner. The name interested them less than the picture however, something about the image capturing the attention of the mage. There was something about him that was rather cute, in a dark sullen sort of a way. His hair was the dark grey of impending storm clouds, his expression giving him the appearance of staring longingly at something far in the distance. It was an expression that tugged at a deep corner of the youth’s heart. 

“[color=f7941d]Could have been worse I guess… Now, where is he? I need to go make sure my stuff all made it in one piece.[/color]” The ambient noise raised in volume now that the presentation was over, the voices of students returning to conversations they had been in the middle of previously mixing with those belonging to newfound partners. Already the pairs were forming leaving Dakota on their own near the back of the crowd. Glancing around the now enlightened space, Dakota caught sight of someone who looked slightly familiar.

It had only been a brief moment, but it had been a flash of grey just like the kid in the photograph. A long shot for sure, but it didn’t hurt to follow it just in case. The ever shifting crowd delayed the mage’s approach, throwing them off course several times in their attempt to track down the vampire they were charged with keeping alive. Using a small burst of stored up energy, Dakota made a final push to force their way through the crowd in what was hopefully the right direction. Unfortunately for Dakota, the coast had not been as clear as was previously assumed. Upon escaping the masses, Dakota ended up running head first into another body.

The impact sent Dakota reeling, the young mage tripping over their own feet in an attempt to balance. Managing to avoid a total wipeout, Dakota caught themselves on their hands and knees, just relieved they hadn’t fallen in a way that jeopardize the electronics in their pocket. After a moment, as if just remembering where they were, Dakota’s eyes snapped up to meet the person they had run into trying to escape.

“[color=f7941d]I am so sorry, I didn’t see you… Oh hey! You’re Joryldin aren’t you? I’m Dakota![/color]” Scrambling to their feet, Dakota lunged in and wrapped their arms around the pale boy in an uninvited embrace. 

“[color=f7941d]Nice to meet you at last. I was worried you had wandered off without me.[/color]”