Ugh. Self Defense.
Eris was thouroughly unimpressed with the rather clunky suits, raising an unamused eyebrow as he looked down at himself. Shapeless, cushioned, uncomfortable, and totally tasteless. Someone may as well light him on fire now, being seen like this in public was an absolute travesty. His beautiful figure was all covered, but for once he was actually slightly more concerned on movement than appearance; how was he supposed to move around in this ugly hunk of junk?!
Rolling his shoulders back, Eris let it go (for the moment) and decided now was as good a time to size up his little grouping. He wished he had gotten paired with a mortal, but he supposed the point of the class was proper self defense; no doubt Monsieur Mustache over there would let him play around too much without having an aneurysm. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he caught a few onlookers watching him, indulging them with a small wave before turning his attention to the female of the group.
Five seven, dark hair, pale, little bulkier than what he was used to, an unmemorable face--he managed to keep his lack of interest to himself, deciding that causing a commotion in every other class he was with was enough trouble for the night.
“Eris Samael, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” He replied, completely neutral in his tone.
Amaris’ naturally icy eyes dulled ever so slightly as the realization hit; she could not escape him. It seemed every class but one so far had featured his irritatingly sculpted face and vexatious attitude, a wearisome thought for the young woman. But after all that, unless the attention loving gnat was acting intentionally thick, he had gone and forgotten her entirely.
While they might not have exchanged anything closely resembling pleasantries, it was incredibly poor taste to not at least acknowledge the commonality of one another’s presence. The battlefield cared little for rank or title, something the man known as Dracion had made quite clear. Still, the airs he was putting on was starting to get rather old.
“We’ve met.” She responded back shortly, brushing past him to secure the protective gear they had been provided. It wasn’t a perfect fit but it was close enough to get the job done, especially if the teacher was as strict on his policies as he claimed to be.
“I didn’t think the rumors about you were true, my condolences Mr. Samael.” Amaris glanced over at the man while she awaited confirmation that they were cleared to begin the exercise.
Her response actually managed to surprise the vampire, the blond raising his eyebrows slightly. So much for not causing any more trouble. The woman was outright offended, but unless she happened to have been in bed with him the week before, he wasn't entirely sure what she was referring to. She claimed they had met and Eris had to take a second to think. Had they? He didn't have the chance to meet and take any names of note just yet, his mind going through a number of names and faces. No, he did not seem to recall, although once he managed to get his own gear on, his eyes darted to the woman once again.
“Have we now?” Eris decided to be direct, feeling he had little to lose by doing so. “You'll have to be more specific on what rumors you've heard, I've heard so many that it's difficult to keep track of what they're talking about from week to week.”
“Indeed, we have. Although at this point, I would much rather you keep my name off of your tongue. I doubt that’ll be a problem for you seeing as you didn’t bother to learn it before injecting your input.” The countess maintained a cool expression, refusing to let her annoyance show in her face. She shot a quick glance to the other member of their group, recognizing him to be the Embraced from her earlier course. It was a great opportunity for him to learn about what he could do with his newfound strength and speed. However, it didn’t seem like he was ready just yet for a hands on lesson.
Ignoring Eris’ request for the rumor she had mentioned, Amaris motioned to the open space they had to spar.
“Why don’t we let our friend here warm up and get situated. Just hand to hand, or would you like to practice footwork as well?”
It looked like Eris was on his own, shrugging at her denying him the chance to know her name. Betsy? Rachel? Abigail? She looked like an Abigail, but the Abigail he knew was currently vacationing with her new husband. Unless she died her hair. Or maybe she was Abigail's sister? No, he usually remembered the women he slept with.
Tapping his chin as he went through the list of names he had heard recently, he gave her an earnest shrug, slowly widening his eyes. Oh, now he understood why she was so annoyed at him. Letting out a small chuckle, he sauntered a little closer to the black haired woman, closing the space between them as he gave her a sultry smile.
“I can't believe you actually followed me all the way here, you naughty minx,” He told her in a low voice, his hand trailing down her arm before snaking around her waist, pulling her to him. “If you wanted more, all you needed was to ask, Isabel.”
A disgusted shudder ran down the woman’s spine as Eris stepped in, the look on his face and the tone in his voice unsettling her in a way she could not describe. Amethyst turned to sapphire as his arm slithered around her waist to draw their bodies together.
“I think I’m going to vomit,” She hissed, fighting the urge to recoil now that the distance, or lack thereof, opened the pest up to an elementary take-down. Sliding her leg around to brace against the back of her opponent’s, she placed her palm directly against his face and shoved forcefully to push his body toward the ground.
“Isabel could do better than this weak game.”
Eris was mistaken, the vampire frowning as he tried to remember a name. There wasn't much time to think as he was suddenly pushed, any protest caught in his tongue as he felt himself fall. Out of habit he grabbed her wrist, hitting the ground with a slight “oof!” and bringing the woman down with him.
Despite knowing she would be less than pleased, he was more focused on trying to remember who he was dealing with. “Not Isabel? How about Joanna? Or Marcy? No, Marcia!” He continued their conversation despite their current position.
Amaris was caught somewhat off guard by Eris’ reflex to nab her arm on his way down, her stance now working against her as his momentum carried her with him. She landed on top of the boy, somehow closer to him than they had been whilst standing. Staring down at him, she raised an eyebrow as he started listing off names. Joanna was a laughable guess, the name not at all fitting in her opinion. Marcy was a bit of stretch too, but it was the follow up of Marcia that had her interested. It was almost as if he was remembering pieces of her first and last name, mixing them together in an attempt to put face to half-assed memory.
“Didn’t give you enough credit. Seems your reflexes are sharper than your mind, keep going. You’re getting close.” She was interested to see how many more names he could possibly roll through before he figured something out… or didn’t. Either way, it might be entertaining to her. In the meantime, while he tried to figure out whatever thought trail he was on, Amaris twisted her grip to brace her arms against his and twist her body to the side. The move risked a pin, but her goal was to curl her legs up between the pair during the shift in weight and use them to push him away from her.
Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, Eris clucked his tongue as Amaris moved, though he couldn’t quite resist the temptation as much as he should have. Tilting his hips towards her, he used the opportunity to bring his knee up between hers, moving with her to flip himself over her and pin her under him.
“A proper hint would be nice,” Eris chided her, shaking his head. “Or where we met, when we met--something other than ‘you’re getting close’ because at this rate I’ll have to go through my entire list of dark haired lovers, and you won’t enjoy that, will you?”
“The assumption that my name would be among any of your lovers is repulsive on its own. Now do me a favor, and get off. You’re far too heavy.” She snipped angrily, driving her knee up toward his groin angrily. Amaris should have noticed his weight when he dragged her down the first time, an oversight that had her momentarily pinned in an uncomfortable position. There had been many a romance novel she had guilty hid away to enjoy that detailed this very sort of scene. Heated banter, rough housing in the dirt, a well timed pin of the woman by the man which inevitably resulted in some sort of moment. Sometimes it was just a look, other times a kiss… for her, a burning sensation at the back of her throat she had only felt before having accidentally tasted her own blood from a wounded finger.
Squeezing his legs shut to prevent her from injuring him in a way he didn’t like, Eris leveled an annoyed look at her. “If it’s so repulsive, why not humor me?” He was insistent on getting something out of her, though he was starting to think dangling her name was some sort of attempt at her getting back at him for--
“OH!” It suddenly hit him,the blonde letting out a laugh before shaking his head. “It seems our paths are destined to intertwine, Sonia.”
The countess returned the shake of his head with a sigh. Clearly the menace had far too much time on his hands, and waaaay too many willing distractions. She felt pity for those caught up in the excitement generated by his fame, a waste of time and energy in the end if no impact could be made. A dull existence really, one she had no interest in partaking.
“So it would seem that I just can’t get rid of you, Airhead.” Amaris said before promptly slamming her forehead into his, the sensation of pain radiating from the middle of her own… She would have to learn to better tilt her head for such a move if she wanted to minimize the damage to herself for future reference.
“Ugh, I thought thick-skulled was supposed to be a figure of speech. Do you have rocks for brains?” The young woman groaned, thoroughly displeased.
Eris winced, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain surged through his forehead. He pursed his lips as it dulled into a slight throb, opening his chartreuse eyes through heavy lids as he eyed the woman warily.
“Uh, ow,” He muttered. “How about we cut a deal before you go hurting yourself? A name, and then I’ll get off. I’d joke that you secretly love the feeling of a strong man pinning you, but I would rather not suffer through another headbutt.” He offered a peace treaty, sincerely hoping that the headache wouldn’t last for too long.
Amaris hesitated a moment, staring back at Eris through slightly watered eyes. Defeat was not something she was excited to admit, but the match up had not played to her strengths. Two roads lay before her, accept the deal and learn from the mistakes she had made or try her luck with an unsportsman tantrum and likely lose anyway.
“I’m not one to miss an opportunity to learn, I’d like to figure out where I went wrong. But I can’t do that from down here.” She exhaled slowly and tapped his shoulder to be released.
“Amaris. Amaris Marivaldi, we have three classes together. A pleasure to make a proper introduction.”
The countess? No wonder she was so uppity; at least now Eris could tell why she was annoyed. His expression relaxed somewhat before making due on his promise. Choosing to stand in case she decided to take a last second swing at him, Eris dusted himself off. Now, how should he go about this? Civil? Catty? A mix of the two? Something resembling neutral? For the moment, he didn’t have any reason to be wholly antagonistic--at least, not yet. He offered his hand, pulling up the countess to her feet.
Reaching into his suit, he managed to pull out a handkerchief before offering it to her, free hand gesturing to her eyes. “Getting a little red, there,” He informed her. “Countess Marivaldi, and here I thought nobles preferred to watch things from a distance as opposed to getting down and dirty like the rest of us grounded to the earth.”
Amaris dusted herself off once she was back up on her feet, accepting the handkerchief gratefully to clean up the small trails of blood attempting to drip down her face. As she dabbed gently at her face she gently shrugged her shoulders at Eris’ comment about her fellow nobles.
“I suppose you aren’t necessarily wrong, I can think of a few that would match your expectations. To be perfectly honest, there are many things that I much prefer to observe at a distance… but you can only learn so much from a book. You see how well theory did me in a warm-up tussel against you. Some things require hands on experience.” She glanced down at the now stained handkerchief with an apologetic expression.
“Thank you for this, I can have it cleaned before returning it to you if you’re not opposed?” She asked, before glancing around the space. A couple of the other groups were still at it with their private matches.
“Looks like we might still have some time left too, fancy another go? Grappling is clearly not my strongest skill which means there won’t be much for you to learn from me. How about we switch up the style some and try again?”
What a tempting offer. As fun as it would be to put Amaris in her place again, Eris figured leaving out their third member would be in poor taste. He adjusted his sleeve as he let out a small hum of thought, his free hand motioning to the handkerchief. At least she was a little more open now, even if he felt she went on longer than needed. For now, civility.
“Return it at your leisure,” He waved the concern away, focusing instead on her proposal as he looked over at their third member. An unfamiliar face, although he didn't see him in Mortal Psychology. Dark haired, pale, looking like life itself deprived him of every joy. Turned, Eris assumed; no late entrance like the Astorio and every other freshman vampire had been in that class, so he was certain his assumption was correct.
“And who do we have the pleasure of meeting today?” He asked in what could be seen in a friendlier tone.
Luckily, Joyrlidin had already had plenty of time to gush and freak out about the fact that he was sharing classes with Eris Samael of all people. When the actor finally introduced himself, the fledgling was able to refrain from squealing like a valley-girl and act in a somewhat respectable manner. “Joryldin, Joryldin Nailo.”
The turned youth returned a small, tired smile, the most he could muster after the night he had thus far. “I’m a huge fan of your work; but, well, who isn’t?”
Eris’ expression turned into one of genuine surprise, lips forming a small ‘o’ as he registered the name. There was only one Nailo he was aware of, though as far as he knew, it was a woman with a heavenly voice, not a young vampire. He didn't resemble her in the slightest, either, a few ideas popping up into his head as he tried to figure out the connection. If interesting enough, he'd make sure to try to keep this one close. Still, as much as he liked to finagle around, he would be more direct this time.
“Nailo as in the Nailo? Have you any relation to Widow Nailo?” Eris asked, his interest piqued.
“The one and only.” Joryldin let out a chuckle and averted his eyes down to the concrete. “We watch your films all the time.”
From piqued to outright captivated, Eris had to admit that there was hope for this class after all. He nodded slowly, taking a second to examine Joryldin. So he was related to Widow Nailo after all, but just as he noticed, he looked nothing like the woman. As far as he was aware, she didn't have any children, at least not since the death of her husband. His eyes narrowed just a touch, a small chuckle escaping him as he smiled at Joryldin.
“I'm flattered, really,” He replied with complete sincerity, eyes flickering to Amaris for a second. “Being in such company is always a treat. Now, seeing as how we're supposed to rotate, what do you say to a slight partner change?” He motioned to the countess.
“Sure thing.” The fledgling yawned, and rubbed his right eye with a thumb. “I could use the exercise.” He took a moment to look at the other sparring groups. The almost gladiatorial aura of the arena had him feeling melancholy from the moment he walked in. “Want to use weapons, or no?”
For a moment, he considered in his head ‘How much trouble would I be in if I scratched up a famous actor’s face?’ but he quickly realized that he could probably chop Eris’ nose off and it would look like nothing happened mere moments later, so he wasn’t worried.
“Eager, aren't we?” Eris tilted his head, wagging a finger at the turned vampire. “Hand-to-hand for the moment, as instructed.”
Eris turned away from Amaris and took a few steps, rolling his shoulders. The boy's eagerness did stir something in Eris, the blonde swiping his hair out of his eyes as he placed one hand on his hip. He wanted to know more about the boy and his relation to Widow Nailo; there was a story there, that's for sure. But for now, a little tussle would do.
“Alright, then,” He put himself in a proper stance, chartreuse eyes bright with anticipation. “Show me what you can do.”
Joryldin’s crimson eyes darkened slightly as he watched Eris’ teasing finger. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh, but it quickly turned into a small smirk. “As long as you promise not to run off crying when I beat you, Sunshine.” The fledgling’s posture was much less refined, but there was something simple, feral, and dagnerous about his low stance.
Eyeing Joryldin warily, Eris subdued the smirk threatening to break through, forcing himself to focus. Okay, time to see what he could do. Keeping himself low was smart, at least, though Eris decided to keep going with the direct approach, closing the gap between the two and taking a swing at him, a simple right hook. Joryldin deftly ducked it, and backed away in the same motion. Clucking his tongue, Eris was a little more aggressive with his next move, this time swinging with his left, though he followed it up, not wanting to let him slip out of range again.
The Turned, while weaker in almost every way, gave a vicious response. As Eris swung for his side, Joryldin turned to step to the side, and simultaneously grabbed the Pureblood’s wrist. Joryldin yanked Eris’ arm in the direction it was already punching, sending the celebrity stumbling forward. A sharp boot to the ass put Eris flat on the pavement. “How’s that?” the Turned freshman asked with a little smirk. He held out a hand to help Eris up, and asked “What’s the win-condition again? I’m pretty sure one punch from you would have me writhing on the ground, but if the old lady in Vampire Biology wasn’t just talking out of her rear end, then we could both just keep going at this forever until we got hungry.”
Welp, there went a bit of his dignity. Shaking whatever possible dirt there could have been out of his hair, Eris pulled himself up with Joryldin's hand, taking a moment to undust himself. Underestimating the boy was a mistake on his part, though it didn't stop his amusement breaking through. Turned after all; though there was another difference between them. “What, you get lucky once and then call it?” He joked, brushing his hair back. “At least let me try to regain my honor.”
The Turned was starting to thoroughly enjoy himself. “Sorry, I plan on making you eat dirt at least a couple more times.” The layers of sarcasm in his voice made him sound like a proper coy vampire for a moment. “Not gonna lie, I’ve gotta be careful. I wasn’t joking about you probably being able to take me down with one punch.” Joryldin took a different stance, almost like a trained boxer, but again with a more loose and feral posture.
Eris gave him a slight shrug, letting his arms drop. “Oh, I don’t know about one punch,” He admitted, taking his own stance. Once again the pureblood rushed in, albeit this time, he went in straight for the metaphorical kill; he dropped down, and swung his leg out, nailing the dark haired vampire behind the knees and jumping up as he toppled over. “But with a kick, yeah, I can do that.” He grinned, putting his hands on his knees as he raised his eyebrows at him.
Joryldin blinked a few times. He was ready for a second round, and then he was on the floor. There was no in-between.The depressed red glow in his eyes slowly began to fade to their natural blue. He chuckled lightly to himself, but in mere moments grew to proper laughter. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that felt personal.” He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.
What a good sport. Eris nodded in approval, giving Joryldin a small shrug as he held his arms out. He couldn’t quite resist the urge to tease him just a touch, though. “If it were personal, I promise we would be having way more fun and have way less clothing,” He winked.
In an instant, Joryldin’s grasp of the situation shattered. He had zero clue how to come back from that. Eris Samael giving him a comment like that!? What the hell was he supposed to say?! “Uhm-O-Ok? Glad there’s no hard feelings…?” Were he still human, Joryldin would be bright red in the face.
Eris’ grin grew, though he wouldn’t give any further comment as he instead enjoyed Joryldin’s expression. Between the adorable turned vampire apparently under Widow Nailo and the uppity Marivaldi countess who he had apparently met before (he would need to confirm that at some point), at the very least he couldn’t complain about a lack of entertainment in this class.
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