[center][color=f6716a][h1]N I C O M A N I A C I[/h1][/color][/center] [hr] [color=d3d8e3]The day had come. Nico quaked as he tightened his pinch on the invitation’s paper until it bore permanent creases. Finally, a chance to engage with the people of Black Iris had appeared before him; he questioned none of it. Why would he, if he could just let the hype consume him, ignite a flame in his heart as it beat out of control, and pump so much energy throughout his body that he would not be able to sit still? Though that’d be a bit of a problem, as he would probably fall to his death, given that he had been perched on the edge of a tall building’s rooftop. Or maybe he won’t - he was a vampire after all - but he wasn’t about to test that. He gazed at the moon with fists held up and an exuberant and determined smile; a smile he would not have been able to force down even if he wanted to. Alright, it was time to go. He somersaulted off onto a neighboring roof a few feet below him; one could say that was excessive but to him, it was the natural action to perform when anyone was as excited as he was. After a couple more downward hops and leaps, he made it swiftly to the ground. Nico normally preferred to be in high up places - it felt safer, and calmer; he’d be far away from everything, and everyone, but he could still see all of it - however, street signs were not made for roof hopper, and he had no clue what the establishment was supposed to look like either. Crowds often made him a bit stressed; he’d actually love to meet new people, though the members of the Society hadn’t been particularly welcoming. It doesn’t matter now. He hadn’t given up yet, not even remotely. Upon that thought, he quickened his pace. [center]✦[/center] There it was. Nico paused in front of the old hotel; a jolt of anxiety froze him in place. But, why? It wasn’t as if the building’s worn-down appearance had bothered him. ...Right. Humans would be in there too - he could even sense them. Even though he knew he had his fill of their blood earlier that day so his bloodlust was at its lowest, he didn’t trust himself; he couldn’t trust himself. Nico gritted his teeth, his hands curled into unsteady fists. What if he accidentally... No, this way of thinking was useless at this point. He took a deep breath and stared up at the moon again with a quivery smile. It’ll work out, he was sure of it, and besides, he’d regret it all the way to his deathbed if he’d left now. And with that, he put on his aviators - it was basically a mask - secured his muzzle over his mouth, and opened the door without any more hesitation. [center]✦[/center] Holy shit. Perhaps he should’ve expected as much given the invitation was from The King himself, but even still, he doubted he would’ve been prepared anyway. There were...so many people, all packed into one room, and the plethora of noises, scents, and movements quickly overloaded his senses; he stood in front of the entrance agape. However, before he could process his environment much further - and become one with the furniture - the sound of the door’s creak behind him prompted him to move out of the way. Sadly, the lost young man knew not where he was supposed to go after that, he just felt he had to keep moving. It hadn’t been too difficult for him to not slam himself into another guest so far, but he knew he shouldn’t prolong this for much longer. In that moment, a scent grabbed his attention and held it so tightly, he couldn’t breathe. [i]...Blood.[/i] It wasn’t a small amount either, so it couldn’t have been a shallow cut. No, if someone were to have been injured enough to produce so much blood, there would’ve been more of a disturbance. Where was it coming from? Another room in the building? No, it was definitely still in this very room, though not anywhere near him. Where is it? [i]Where is it?! Where...is…the...[/i] [i]...blood…[/i] … …! Nico snapped back to reality with a harsh gasp. The intense urges that were about to consume him began to fade away bit by bit, and he let his shoulders relax as he took a few desperate breathes, like he had been drowning moments before. Once he was able to calm down enough to collect his thoughts, it dawned on him. This was the first time he was able to fully break out of his bloodlust mode; granted it hadn’t overtaken him yet, but he was still ecstatic about it anyway. Why this time, though... It was then when he realized, he must’ve bumped into someone in the midst of his hysteria...and that someone was probably the man staring at him at that very moment - a very, very tall man with dark blue hair. [/color] [color=f6716a]“Oh! Hey! Sorry, I think I just ran into you. My dumb ass wasn’t watching where I was going,”[/color] [color=d3d8e3]Nico blurted out without a second thought, his tone brisk and cheerful; he nonchalantly held out his hand and grinned, even though the stranger wouldn’t have been able to see it.[/color] [color=f6716a]“I’m Nico, by the way!”[/color]