PopeAlessandros

This, That, and The Other Thing ~ PopeAlessandros x Jiskastya

No problem. I have a partner that replies once a month, if I'm lucky :P You're fine, don't worry, I never lose interest when my partner is good and the story is moving in the right way for my senses, which ours is :P Oh, and if you don't have a time for replies, but can get on :P could you tell me if the changes work for you, so I know if I have to do any more editing :P

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Kuro hums once more, this time at the close proximity coupled with the feeling of Aoba's hands on a bit of his more sensitive flesh. 'I wonder if this is what they call a healer's touch. If so, I'm starting to understand all those stories of patients falling in love with their doctors' He tilts his head to the side cutely. 'That is in essence what I’ve done, save the actual love part. More, I've fallen in lust and fondness with him. This kind of healing feels very intimate without the healer realizing that particular fact I think' He lets out a faint sigh at the evident worry on the angel's face, the thought of not being told the truth obviously disturbing even if it no longer matters. In truth, Kuro has a good idea as to why angels are kept in the dark about certain things, however he us reluctant to share his hypothesis at this point.

Remembering that Aoba mentioned wanting to read the book, he scoffs slightly. “If you wanna read the book, just ask for a copy from the old man next time he's here. I'm sure he has plenty of spare copies in his line of work.” Moments later the angel pulls back, finished with his work, and Kuro's eyes fall to half mast, a warm smile on his lips. As always after being doctored by the younger male, he reaches up and takes hold of the angel, slipping his fingers into the short slick hair just above the back of his neck before leaning in and placing a kiss on a pale cheek. “Good job, Little Mouse.” he murmurs. Rather than letting him go right away however he pulls back a few inches so he can look into the other's eyes, the look in his eyes of pure fondness.

In a soft warm voice he adds, “I'll be here. . .” His hand flexes slightly, sliding down to the back of his neck as he presses his forehead to the smaller male's. A moment later he's pulled back and is heading inside to check on the job Aoba did putting the groceries away, leaving his ripped, bloody clothing out in the dirt.

As he begins checking over things, Dani meanwhile decides to wander over to play with the toy while his brother's not around. He overheard much of what they talked about, and while he has no idea what 'book' they were talking about, it was clear from the tones and inflections that Kuro has a very large head start. 'Why is the runt so appealing, huh? Is it just because he's been with the toy longer? No, can't be. The better demon always wins, time has nothing to do with it!' It has as of yet to cross his mind to any large degree that what he knows of the world and how it works is, while not wrong, skewed and runs almost fully to how demons work, saying nothing of humans and especially not angels. Bouncing over he sits down atop his brother's discarded clothes and looks up at the angel with a curious look in his eyes.

The Rebel Vampire

Humming softly, feeling a bit better than he had right after waking, Alexi dries his hair a bit before wandering away from the pool he used to bathe himself in, just across from the one Erik used the in the night. 'Well, he looked to be in a much better mood this morning. I am glad. It goes to prove that sometimes civility can get through to the civilized. . .Or that sometimes really foolish things lead to success. Either works for me in this case' He chuckles at himself, dropping the wet towel down on the tiles before looking over his collection of robes. Alexi knows he can get a little excessive, the robe collection a prime example of this, however he can not find it in himself to deny his collectors instinct.

After a little deliberation he grabs a black, sleeveless one, silken in texture, and bordered in golden thread woven into text from an ancient culture. Embroidered into the back is a large serpentine dragon, making the robe look less like a bath robe and more light something one might see in an old kung fu movie. After tying it on, he twirls once, admiring the flow and glint of the piece of clothing before heading for the door leading to his room.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, the elder Vandros makes his way to the private dinning area, the smell of the food making his mouth water even after his rather filling set of dishes the night before. He did not sleep well, which may be a part of what is making him so hungry. Well, that mixed with the worry he seems to be constantly feeling these days. As he takes his place at the table, to the right of the head of the short table, he flips open is phone and scrolls down to Joseph's name. 'I know he's going to see my dear brother this morning, and he's more likely to actually read a text, so. . ..' Pulling up the text screen his fingers fly over the keypad. -Please tell Alexi I'm not leaving for work until I've seen him, so it will be his fault if I'm late. Thanks.- After clicking send he begins digging into his meal, the servants peeking in on him, a few with smiles as he makes it quite obvious that he is enjoying their cooking.

~*~*~*~*~

“Good morning Joseph!” Alexi says jovially, doing his best to appear as well as he can, however a moment later he's handed orange juice and given a silent order to drink it. His smile turns sheepish and he begins sipping at it while walking over to his bed. Sitting on the far side from the door to the room, the side Erik can see clearly from his own bed, the slave owner looks to the elder and gives a nod. Downing the rest of the drink quickly he sets the glass aside on the nearest bedside table and settles so that Erik will be able to watch the entire process. 'I have a touch of his trust now, I do not want him thinking I am trying to hide anything now' His eyes ghost over the vial and looks up to where he'd left it the night before. 'Seems he does not trust me enough to not swap it out even when I am passed out, but, no matter' He lets out a sigh, craning his neck around as he hears a phone going off. 'It is not mine, that is over here, and Erik does not have one' He smiles, suddenly recognizing the text tone. 'Oh, hah' He stays silent, his arm out and waiting.

When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

Seishu lets out a happy purr as Enasi's shifting rubs him the right way and he can practically feel Rasha's amused and aroused gaze at the sound. The guardian smiles up at the shorter male, the sight of his fangs reminding him of many recent events and he releases Enasi only reluctantly. A wicked smile crosses his lips as the little critter is places atop his chest, the reason behind his sudden freeze quite evident to the Nightmare Guardian, and he reaches up to pet the cat in non too innocent a manner. 'Ah, young horneyness, how I know it well. . .' He chuckles, turning his attention to Enasi while giving the little guy a short break.

'Hah, guardian sandwich. He definitely liked that' Pretending for a while to ignore the increasingly turned on cat on his chest Seishu looks to the door with a grin. “I smell. . . .Something sweet and tasty, with a touch of something I'll enjoy.” Rasha turns to the door, doing his best to not respond too obviously as Seishu goes back to playing with his fur in that none too innocent manner. A moment later the door opens and Rue comes darting in, and completely without asking, charges in to snuggle between the two guardians. Inui climbs on the bed with a little more restraint, sliding up on Seishu's other side, eying the little dream as he doesn't seem to be paying any attention to anything really.

Cho bounds in moments later with trays balanced on ever possible surface and the little ones giggle as he wanders over with a bright, “Good morning!” before handing out the plates. Seishu shifts slightly, moving Rasha to his lap, and takes his meat laden plate.

“Mmmm, bacon, ham, sausage, steak, and for something different, fish chips.” He smiles at the cook who, if possible, lights up even brighter at the sight. “Thanks Chocolate.” Cho bows deep, somehow not dropping the remaining plate in the process. He sets those aside as Crios walks in. His kit is tucked into one sleeve, keeping his hands free to carry the tray of drinks he was not too difficultly conned into carrying when they met in the hall. Rasha uses his claws to bring bits of his food up to his mouth from his plate, set in front of Seishu's now crossed legs, licking his paw clean after every bite. The cook saunters over to Crios after the doctor sets down the tray and hands him his plate, setting the remaining three to the side for those who will show up later before passing out the drinks.

The Rebel Vampire

You are welcome, sorry it took so long, I hope you have fun making reply.

Of Steam and Souls

Tatsuki can tell the man before him feels very strained, even without having to resort to his powers. He keeps his expression calm as the young innkeeper squeezes out a thank you and rushes off with very little explanation. His head tilts to the side after he dips his head in a little bow as the man leaves, but as he follows his departure with his long seeing gaze he notices that the youth does not actually go to the kitchen, but instead to his bedroom. Not wanting to be rude he withdraws his gaze and instead begins walking. He's not quite sure where he's headed quite yet, but he gets the feeling that it's the right place to go. While he walks, he thinks.

'Well, he is most definitely still bothered, and I have no idea by what, but I do know that my being around him is not helping. However I also know that breaking all contact with him will make him most likely think that I am the one who is upset, so. . .I have to find a happy medium if I really want to get him to calm down and talk to me again. I think. . .Offering for him to join me at meals. . .And I am still going to be cooking dinner with him. . .Start small. Learn things. Do like the good spirits do and get to know the person I am interested in through human means' He chuckles lightly at the thought of imitating the good spirits, but as he comes to a stop and realizes where his feet took him he smiles softly, a fond looking coming to his eyes.

His eyes scan over the room quickly, checking the surrounding area as well before going to work. Using his magic it takes less than five minutes to put together a small plate of food for the innkeeper, setting it on the corner of the prep table with a little note under it with 'For Shigetoshi-kun' written on it. He looks over his work, the cool sandwich with thin sliced meat and light dressing cut into triangles and arranged around a small bowl of a mixed fruit sauce, little apple bunnies in the spaces between the slices with little dollops of peanut butter in the remaining spaces on the plate for scooping up with the apple bunnies before consumption. His head whips around and he spots Shigetoshi coming. With a warm smile he pours a cup of cold milk and sets it next to the plate, putting the jug away, before stepping through a tear, vanishing from the room just before the youth comes in.

He travels back to his room, hoping his little gesture will be taken well, and with a sigh he goes back to gazing out the window. The cool air helps to calm his thoughts, the chill bringing shivers to his skin and not for the first time he is glad of his natural tolerance for extreme weather. 'While this isn't bad at all, Alaska being far worse than this, and that is all the time, I can see many of the locals thinking me perhaps a bit mad to be sitting here, enjoying the breeze' Somewhere, a pleasant chime rings out, signaling time for lunch, and Tatsuki wonders at how lost in thought his can get, not having noticed the time passing during his idle thoughts. With a faint sigh he makes his way out into the hall, thanking the stars that the girls are nowhere to be seen, and with a warm smile seemingly permanently stuck on his lips, he makes his way to the dining area, slipping into his place at his table by the door.

We'll take the low road.

Amano does not show the slightest sign of disappointment when he gets no reaction from the demon, instead smiling a little wider and scooting carefully over so he can grab his breakfast tray. Moving over to his desk he sets it down next to the newly organized papers, the sight of which make his stomach turn. He feels the gnawing doubt once more coming at him in waves and a part of him laments that Illiendi refused to play along with his little trickery. 'He could of at least looked disappointed, then at least I could have had some other thing to worry about. It would have split my worry. Now all I can do is think about trying to deal with father. . .' He lets out a long sigh, biting his lip as his hand comes up to caress his brand.

'I can do this, I will do this, and I must get that through my head and get my thoughts together before I face him, or else this whole plan is going to have a very messed up beginning!' His fingers slide over the mark, taking strength once more in the knowledge that Illiendi will be with him, he will have back-up, and with a final calming breath he looks to the demon with a smile. “I shall eat and look over the notes once more, then I will be down. Thank you Illiendi.” With a light nod he dismisses the demon and takes a seat at his desk. He is careful not to get any of his breakfast on the papers, reading and eating at the same time with surprising ease. It does not take him long to finish with both, and not knowing what else to do with it, Amano scoops up his plate and begins heading down to the dinning hall.

As he passes the hallway leading to where his eldest brother and his wife stay he comes to a stop, spotting his sister-in-law peeking around the corner, her gaze locked on the door to the dining hall. The woman is slight, and beautiful, barely into her child baring years. A fine catch by any measure. However Amano knows she is not the type his brother likes all that much, having married her at their father's insistence rather than out of any personal want for the young woman. 'Poor Liddia. . .Curzon does not deserve such a nice girl. . .' Thought hey have spoken little, Amano recalls knowing her in his younger days, having defended her from various mischief makers and pickpockets around town, as he would do often for many of the girls and boys in town, and when they did speak she always spoke to him kindly.

Eventually she feels his eyes on her and she snaps around to look at him. He smiles at her warmly and she smiles shyly back. He is about to ask what she's up to when he figure it out on his own. He cringes at the loud bellowing laughter coming from the dinning hall and watches with a faint sadness as Liddia retreats down the hall back to her and Curzon's bedchambers. He lets out a long sigh as another bellowing laugh comes from the far side of the main hall. 'Looks like father made a good deal or some such. He is never this happy unless this be the case. Well, that serves me just fine. With him in such a good mood, it should make him easier to deal with' With renewed energy he makes his way over to the door leading to his destination.

Just as he reaches it a servant comes running up from behind. Without a word he hands off the tray, not wanting his father to see him carrying it around like a servant himself, and opens the door politely for the servant to enter first. The youth gives a slight bow and Amano recognizes him as the newest kitchen staff, training in to help out when their oldest cook gets fired in a few months. While Amano feels for the old man, and he himself would never fire someone for getting too old, the young noble will not miss this bits of eggshell in the omelets that send his father into a rage when he crunches into one. The old man has trouble with his hands from a life of labor and the little white flecks evade his notice far too often. With a calming breath Amano walks in and closes the door quietly behind him.

A Bloody Murder

Rei nods in calm acceptance as the prince turns down his offer. He is unofended, though he does lament the chance to learn something new. The amusement of such learning would have been quite satisfying, or so he presumed, but it has been denied, and he accepts that without a second thought. He returns the youth's nod with a slow blink and settles into standing and waiting for the boy to finish playing with the hounds. Knowing that simply standing still and watching would look weird to the rest of the staff, humans finding such things odd, he moves over to lean against the corner of the castle closest to the kennels. He is close enough to defend the prince should he need defending, one hand on his dagger while the other goes back to playing with his pocket. The feeling of the rough cloth against his thigh amuses him and he slides it around, messing with the sensation.

His thoughts never leave the prince however, the openness of the area making him a bit vulnerable, however the assassin knows that if he starts trying to interfere with the young man's life, he will likely lose his job. 'I can not count the times those in my group would come back, cursing and screaming about losing a job because that insisted that their charges be more careful. It would take a good assassin to get him here however. I will just have to be better' While never really thinking about it, Rei knows this way of thinking could be taken as arrogant or at least pompous to a point, however he has never lied to himself about his limitations. He knows he has them, he knows he's not the best, however he's also never been tested against any other assassins after taking out the ones who killed his parents, and even after meeting a few others in his years after that, they all fell far below his skills.

The dogs piled atop and curled around his charge draw his attention and once more he wonders what it would be like to be liked by animals, however that thought soon passes as the young man stands and hops over the fence around the kennels. He pushes off the wall, ready to follow him should he be leaving the area, however he grows once more curious as Alessandro fetches a pail of water. As he drops it in with the dogs then turns to approach the fae, Rei drops his hand from his dagger, the closeness giving him plenty of time to draw should he need to. He ignores the eyes staring at him from various places around the grounds, all the servants seeming to have some great interest in this new oddity, and instead focuses on his charge as he drops some information, and instruction, them immediately moves off towards the castle tower.

He listens as the prince tells him about the tower, and uses his own talents to begin assessing the building. 'I did not leave the building during my first run through of the palace. I should scope out the grounds more thoroughly tonight. Perhaps, as the prince suggested, I should have him escort me on this venture however. Out here, there are many more factors to take into consideration' At the foot of the tower a thick door made of hard wood stands open presumably to get a decent breeze moving through it to keep the place fresh. A servant with a broom stops in her cleaning to bow as the prince passes, flinching back as Rei looks to her curiously. He tilts his head, but forgets about her a moment later as they begin ascending the stairs towards the top of the tower. His hands come up, stretching out so that he is touching either side of the stone stairwell. His magic trickles out, unseen, taking in everything, assessing what it can while they move further and further up.

The Rebel Vampire

Not long after sunrise Alexi wakes slowly, the activities from the night before taking their toll in the form of various body aches and a pounding headache. He whines much like the petulant young man that he is and shifts under the covers, rolling about and stretching in an attempt to get his blood flowing properly, and work the kinks out of what feels like every joint. 'If Joseph comes in and sees me looking worse for wear, he will try and refuse to take my blood, I just know it. I would rather not have to order him to do it. After all, I am just beginning to win Erik's trust. . . .' At the thought of the rebel leader he smiles fondly, stifling his noises a bit as he finishes his stretches. Once he is sure he won't be moving like a cripple when the head slave shows up the younger Vandros throws the covers back and stretches one last time.

Slipping to the edge of the bed he stands up carefully, testing his balance before trying to move. His eyes seek out his captive, the light he used to read allowing the human to see fairly well despite the just-woke-up blurry vision. He smiles warmly. “Good morning.” he murmurs, shuffling past the second bed in his room and making his way to the bathroom for his morning bathroom stuff. He smiles at the sight of the still full bath and tries to imagine what it would look like to see the rather filthy vampire captive bathing. He wrinkles his nose a bit as he realizes just how filthy his tub now is, however he shrugs it off quickly and shuffles over to the privacy stall.

~*~*~*~*~

“If he's been captured. . .”

“There's no way he could have known. . .”

“That traitor! Thanks to him Erik was. . .”

“We have no proof he's been captured. He may be dead somewhere. . .”

Adrian bits his lip, keeping his thoughts to himself as he makes his way through the encampment. The rumors and suspicions flying all around him have been going on since their leader vanished on the night of the raid. The young drow, having been needed at the camp that day had been forced to stay behind even if he'd wanted badly to go on the raid with his idol. True, he's only a low level fighter within the resistance, but none the less he felt he could be of use. The dark elf pauses, looking over to a litter of werewolf children who seem oblivious to the plight all around them as they play fight under their mother's watchful eye. 'Some of the only children born free. . .' He says a silent prayer that this sight will become more and more common in the future before continuing on his trek through camp.

He once more overhears a group whispering about their leader being captured, being enslaved, and once more he bites his lip. 'Even if he was captured, there is no way he would ever bow to the will of his captors! He fights for our freedom!' Most of the camp are of like mind when it comes to their leader Erik, and already some have begun talking about having a funeral. Even if he was captured, he would be dead soon, not allowing them to keep him alive to potentially harm the rebellion. Adrian curses aloud drawing the attention of a few filth covered refugees, however he falls silent as he slips out of sight into his sleeping area. Stepping over the few already asleep for the day he curls up in his own dark little corner of the Hodge-podge structure of metal and cloth and settles in for the day. 'He would never betray us. . .Never. . . .No matter what. . .'

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

His brows furrow as Aoba dusts himself off, the distracted tone worrying him slightly. 'Did he notice and want to handle it on his own? I know Aoba doesn't really get upset, just put out, so why. . .' His concern turns to amusement as the smaller male pulls him forward, then down on to the steps, by the front of his shirt. 'Well, he's learning that I don't need to be treated so delicately, which is a good thing, I suppose. I don't see it as a bad thing, so I'll think of it as good for now' He smiles warmly at the other, tilting his head to the side once more. He stills however, shifting his head as Aoba begins hunting down his scalp wound. He suppresses a purr, not wanting to sound like Dani after talking about the small demon's intentions. However his eyes do close to the warm feeling pooling in his stomach and hums softly.

In the corner Dani pauses to look over at the noise. 'Telling me off for it, then he goes and. . .Well, he's not exactly like me, but still it's obvious. What, does he plan on falling in love? He can't do that! It's not possible. Love is silly. That kind at least. I know Issho says some loves is important, but that's just silly too. I don't love my siblings, I just don't kill them, that's affection enough' With a huff he hops up on the porch rail and flutters off to play quietly with the turkeys, still not trusting himself not to accidentally kill the chickens.

Kuro glances over as Dani flies off, Aoba so focused on his face seemingly not noticing the demon flying past. 'He is so dedicated. It's cute' He'd opened his eyes when Aoba was done with cleaning up the wound on his crown, wanting to watch the angel as he works. That intense look in his eyes, those smooth controlled movements. A part of the demon really admires what Aoba does, and a part of him wonders if one day he could be the local doctor or something. 'That would make him happy, wouldn't it? I know he could only do it for one lifetime, but then we could move, send all the animals to a new farm, maybe one closer to a town, and he could take up a job as a young doctor again, and I could look after the animals, and. . .' Realizing his thoughts are running away from his Kuro sighs, his gaze once more focusing on the angel before him.

His head tilts to the side, honestly a bit confused as to why Aoba is confused, but the question is quickly followed up by a query about the rest of his injuries. Flexing his body a bit he winces at a pain in his back and without hesitation he pulls of his jacket and shirt, turning to the angel can tend to the eight inch long claw marks running across his back. The scars from what happened up in heaven are still there, now permanent after soaking in the pools in hell the wound healed fully, but unlike angelic medicine, the pools do not heal scars. There are not too many, however the big ones that had been covered in the false flesh are bright white and well defined against his lightly tanned flesh.

Shifting into a comfortable position he raises his voice ever so slightly so Aoba can hear him even clearly with his back turned to the smaller male. “Remember that book I told you about? The one that says relations between two males is bad? Well, it's not all bull. A lot of the values in various places are real, and one of those has to do with marriage. That is a holy mandate that demons actually often use to their advantage, the power of it. . .Well, you don't need to know that.” He trails off for a second before speaking up again. “And actually, I said nothing about marriage, just love.” He chuckles, then falls into a serious silence. “Pops. . . He told me once that God keeps a lot of the truth from you angels, but I'm just starting to figure out what he meant by that.”

Once his back is healed he turns to look at Aoba, gesturing to a short slash across his chest, most likely caused by one of Dani's wing claws. “Down in hell, there is a book that contains all knowledge, and a few times, Pops let me take a look at it. He said angels are not allowed to know certain things. Something about shaking their faith. I have to admit I was more interested in the book that listening to him talk, so I may have missed a few things.” He smiles sheepishly. “Don't worry though, I'm sure it's nothing you have to worry about any more. After all, you're down here now. . . .With me.” He knows that what he just said is probably not the best way to put things so he quickly adds, “And if they ever drag you back up there, they'll most likely do a brain wash thing to cleanse you of all the taint, so you'll forget it all anyways. . .” He can not hide the touch of sadness in his voice, and he looks away, closing his eyes gently against the pain.