[center] [h1][color=0072bc]Joryldin Nailo[/color] and [color=f7941d]Dakota Brookes[/color][/h1] [sub]Interacting with: Each other [/sub] [/center] Dakota dragged Joryldin off into the crowd, nearly tearing the sleeve from his jacket with how quickly she started. He could tell that the photo wasn’t nearly a good enough indication of just how much energy she had. This was a girl full of vigor, in total defiance to the grim world around her. It gave him a bit of hope.. “[color=0072bc]Woah, slow down! You’re gonna bowl over half the party at this rate![/color]” He laughed a little, amused by the mental image of Dakota plowing over vampire and mage alike. “[color=0072bc]I think the snack table’s this way. Here,[/color]” Joryldin pulled ahead of her and began expertly weaving the two of them through the maze of bodies. Aside from the distracting scent of blood and indulgence, it was little different than navigating a busy city street. Dakota slowed the pace as Joryldin shifted from unexpected passenger to line leader, shifting smoothly through the crowds as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him. Being from a more rural area, Dakota was used to open spaces… seemed they had a while to go yet before they had mastered the art of crowd maneuvering. Trailing behind their new partner, Dakota couldn’t help but smile softly while he wasn’t looking. Something about his mood had shifted, lightened somewhat since the initial moment they met. If Dakota hadn’t known better, the expression he wore in the brief moment during their collision looked as if all he wanted to do was crawl into a corner and cry. Now, however, he was taking the lead on some adventure fueled by the greed of a rumbling stomach. A thought suddenly occurred to Dakota as they neared the snack table, the mage stopping dead in their tracks, gripping the sleeve they held onto tighter. “[color=f7941d]Wait… You can’t eat regular food can you? I’d feel bad if it was just me eating, we should find you something too. They have to have something around here, right?[/color]” The vampire’s tone turned somber at the question, a grim expression all he could muster with his response. “[color=0072bc]Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.[/color]” Joryldin had his fill, but the miasma of debauchery still hung over his senses, and it called to him. A conflicted frown set itself in his features as his eyes returned to a melancholy grey. He didn’t dare overindulge, that would be just as bad as going hungry. Dakota scowled in a way that only an older sibling could. Eyes squinting, the mage sidestepped around the vampire so that they were now standing face to face. Bending forward just enough so that he could not avoid the stern gaze Dakota was making, the youth shot a frustrated puff of air through their nose. “[color=f7941d]I have two younger siblings. Devious little twins that learned to get away with everything. And do you know who they learned it from? Me. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter my friend. Now, are you gonna be honest or am I going to have to pull out my secret weapon?[/color]” It wasn’t really a weapon to speak of, but Dakota had to learn quickly how to keep the ankle biters at bay. Caring for the twins had led to the development of one of the most efficient knuckle sandwiches the world had ever known. While unconventional, and most likely socially unacceptable to use against a vampire… Dakota wasn’t really one to care. “[color=0072bc]Hey, w-what’s this about? I told you, it’s fine.[/color]” In the brief moment their eyes aligned, Dakota was struck with an overwhelming wave of emotion. The entire weight of the struggle Joryldin had been experiencing during the night flowed between the two partners, yet Dakota found themselves unable to look away. Joryldin immediately realized what was happening, and clapped a hand over his eyes. “[color=0072bc]Oh my god, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-[/color]” He descended into unintelligible rambling, bashful pink light leaking out from the cracks between his fingers. Dakota inhaled sharply as the eye contact was broken, almost as if they had spent the entire time holding their breath. There was something familiar about the oppressive aura that covered them both, something that spoke to a darker past. Shaking the fogginess from their head, Dakota stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on the top of Joryldin’s head. “[color=f7941d]No, I’m sorry. I didn’t know… Why didn’t you say something, you’re miserable here. We don’t have to stay.[/color]” “[color=0072bc]Yeah, but you were so excited… Who am I to drag you away from an awesome time?[/color]” Dakota couldn’t help but to laugh at his response, a proper deep gut laugh that left them bent over with cramps. “[color=f7941d]I think we’re both a little too considerate for our own goods. We’re gonna get along just fine.[/color]” Righting their posture, Dakota swiped the tears from the corner of their eyes before flashing a mischievous grin. “[color=f7941d]How about this, a happy medium? Do you want to see why I was so late?[/color]” He didn’t like that smile on her face, it was the sort that meant trouble was on the horizon. It wasn’t as if he particularly minded a little rule breaking, after all, he was no saint himself. But since finding a home with someone so ridiculously kind, he had found himself making attempts to not be the cause of said trouble… Nevertheless, it seemed trouble always had a way of finding him wherever he went. “[color=0072bc]Hmm… Alright, I’ll bite. What’s up?[/color]” After a moment or two, the accidental pun dawned on him, and Joryldin covered his face. “[color=0072bc]Did I seriously just say that?[/color]” “[color=f7941d]There is absolutely no point in having pointy teeth if you aren’t allowed to make a dumb joke about it. Own that shit. Now, come on.[/color]” Looping their arm around his, Dakota snagged a small plate of unidentified snacks from the table before dragging Joryldin off to a less populated corner of the courtyard. Looking around cautiously, Dakota placed their food aside carefully and pulled the small drone out of their jacket pocket. Holding it out between the two, Dakota inspected the machine to be sure the fall from earlier hadn’t damaged any of the important parts. Her partner patiently observed, not making a peep. Finding everything to be intact, Dakota slipped the controls from their other pocket and flicked the switch to life, the small drone whirling to life in the palm of their hand. Gently tossing it upward, the drone dipped a foot before correcting itself, ready to be directed by the device in Dakota’s hands. Reaching into the smaller breast pocket of the jacket, Dakota produced the earpiece they had been wearing earlier, adjusting it to preference on the left ear. “[color=f7941d]It’s got a little ways to go before its complete, still a few features I want to add but I think it’s turning out alright so far. I want to get it to the point where it doesn’t necessarily need direct supervision or manual direction. Hence the earpiece… So far it can only tell me where it is though, but I’ll get it eventually.[/color]” “[color=0072bc]You made this yourself? That’s awesome![/color]” Joryldin’s eyes shifted back to an excited gold, and he paced around the little floating machine, inspecting its construction. “[color=0072bc]How’d you pull it off? I don’t think I recognize any of those parts.[/color]” “[color=f7941d]You like? The main body was just your average helicopter toy I got for christmas when I was younger. I never liked how limited you were with those though. So I started taking apart older toys and dead cell phones to use their parts… This is version nuuuumbeeeer…. six! Yeah, this is the sixth version, and so far, my favorite. It’s a lot more responsive than the original and capable of flying farther from its remote, both height and distance. Eventually I’m going to install a camera and an auto pilot feature so I can mess with people from a safe distance.[/color]” Joryldin stifled a laugh, pressing his knuckles up against his teeth to keep quiet. “[color=0072bc]Oh geez, I see why you wanted to keep it a secret. You’re gonna drive people crazy with this thing, aren’t you?[/color]!” “[color=f7941d]That’s the plan.[/color]” Dakota responded with a grin, laughing a bit as they set to powering the device down. Once the piece had been properly tucked away, Dakota turned back to Joryldin. “[color=f7941d]So what now? Did you want to take a look around the grounds or something?[/color]” Joryldin took a look at his watch, and his eyes slowly drifted to a muted crimson. With a sorrow filled sigh, he gave Dakota an apologetic look and said, “[color=0072bc]The sun’s gonna be up in a little while, so I’ve got to go. I’ll meet you inside I guess.[/color]” The boy turned to make his way toward the dorms, not able to get very far before Dakota was at his side. Haphazardly stuffing food into their face, the mage walked silently beside the vampire as a silent protest to him wandering off on his own.