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Aanand & Leah
Leah was curious.
No-one had actually told her there was due to be a new arrival for what were probably obvious reasons, but that didn't mean it had escaped her notice. She tended to pay attention to the activities of the humans; not that she'd ever do anything to harm them, necessarily, but keeping track of possible prey was an instinct she didn't care enough to try and silence. Besides, it let her know almost immediately when things changed.
For instance, she couldn't keep herself from noticing as a new scent entered the air. An outsider, and a human one, seemingly entering the preserve.
Of course, she was well aware that she would hardly be trusted around any new humans, at least not without Rick or her faerie lapdog around. There was only so much faith you could have in a bloodsucker's self-restraint, she supposed, but that didn't keep her from taking it a little personally. It wasn't as if she'd murdered anyone - not for a long time, anyway - and having enough control to leave her victims alive seemed to her a good enough illustration of her trustworthiness.
Though it didn't help her case that most of them thought she was just a satyr with serious mental issues.
So after some consideration she'd decided it was far easier to ask forgiveness than permission, and gone sneaking through the woods towards the scent as quietly as she possibly could.
“Stopping by to say ‘Hello’? Planning to greet the new guy with a kiss? On the neck perhaps?”
Aanand had been following the woman with a growing sense of amusement for some time now, stalking her with a much greater degree of stealth than she was capable of. While she wasn’t quite as noisy as a bumbling Human, she was still lacking the proper… anatomy for what she was attempting. Goats, after all, weren’t exactly known for their ability to sneak through the woods unheard. Still, the lack of noise Aanand was presently making wouldn’t have been enough to sneak up on her if he hadn’t been aware of what she was. A Satyr? Unlike most of the creatures living on the preserve he was British, and was well aware of the legends that surrounded the creature in front of him.
She could smell blood.
He could shapeshift the blood in his body away.
There was a clear winner in this contest that only one participant was aware was even going on, and Aanand gave himself the pleasure of creeping up right next to her ear before making his presence known. A feat of stealth he was sure would not be appreciated.
It wasn't.
Taken entirely off guard by the sudden voice, Leah just about jumped out of her skin, an involuntary and embarrassing noise that sounded very much like a frightened bleat escaping her as she stumbled forward several steps. Whirling around, there was more fear than fury in her expression, at least until she recognised the figure stood there. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke shortly.
"That wasn't funny." A pause. "And no. Well, maybe, but I won't do the man any harm."
Oh, wasn’t it?
While he didn’t openly voice that retort, the smile on his face said it clearly enough. The type of grin that both defiant, and openly asking to be met with a punch. A sight more common on his female counterpart, but equally fitting for his male self. Changing his feet back from a jaguar’s into a Human’s, he began putting the shoes he had been holding back onto his feet before replying;
“I think losing his lifeblood pretty much fits the exact definition of harm. Or will someone be uninjured if I were to cut them open?”
Leah was starting to find the shapeshifter's expression profoundly irritating. Something about the smugness of it felt designed to rub her the wrong way, though she was well aware there wasn't much she could actually do about it. So instead she settled for a sigh, whatever frustration she was feeling towards him remaining unsaid.
"Not permanent harm, then. I'm a careful woman, he'd get better soon enough." She shook her head, frowning uncertainly as she thought the whole thing over. "Getting caught would be inconvenient, I suppose - they barely trust me as is. Can't exactly help needing to eat, though, and he'd barely even remember it happened."
“Unless Angie’s been neglecting her duties horribly I think you’d be found out pretty quickly, even if he didn’t remember. Blood draining isn’t exactly a traceless act.”
Angie was the name that the Rakshasa always used for Rick, whether the woman liked it or not. It wasn’t exactly that there was any special reason behind it; He had simply lived alongside Humans for long enough that he too had become somewhat of a creature of habit, and he wasn’t going to reverse decades of calling the Ranger by one name just because he was asked to.
“Besides, I’m sure he’d leave the preserve pretty quickly if he knew there was a vampire stalking about- though ‘stalking’ is a generous term considering your display just now.”
"I'm not a damned vampire-- and you try being quiet around here with hooves! It's hardly an easy task." Pouting, she kicked at the dirt, snapping a twig underfoot. He had a point, though she was able to keep away from most creatures purely through smell. The ones that weren't annoying shapeshifters, anyway. Grimacing, she finally made an effort to meet his eyes, speaking sincerely.
"If you must know, I really wasn't planning on biting him. I'd rather not upset the ranger, but I'm allowed to be curious about a new arrival, aren't I? Bloodsucker or not."
As often was the case with his male self the change in mood came swiftly. Perhaps it was driven by the Glaistig’s own shift in tone, or perhaps he had just grown tired of the otherwise playful atmosphere. Regardless of the reason, all mirth and playfulness abandoned him and his hand went to rest on an object- perhaps a sword, or a gun- that was not actually at his side.
“Rest assured, if I thought that was your intent I would have stopped you with something much more tangible than words.”
Claws casually protruded from his fingers as he spoke- although not in a threatening manner, moreso as a demonstration.
“I know your needs but I do also trust you to have as much self-control as I do. After all- by my estimates you’re the older one between the two of us, my lady.”
"It's rude to ask a lady her age, you know." A hint of cold crept into her own tone at that, a sharp-toothed smile shot towards the man before she forced herself to relax. It was hardly a fight she'd win, in any case. "But yes, I suppose I am. Rest assured that my self-control is nothing you need to worry about. Though I suppose the concern is appreciated; it wouldn't do me much good to be thrown off the preserve."
“Good, then let’s get going shall we? I haven’t gotten the chance to greet the new arrival properly yet either, and you may as well have an escort of you’re going to be making that much noise trying to get a peek.”
With that he began to walk past the woman, making no effort at stealth this time, and yet naturally gliding across the forest floor as if it were second nature to him. Not that Human feet in Human shoes were naturally suited for the job, but it was as if the sound of every footstep came from the forest itself, blending into the background.
Of course, he didn’t double check to see if she was following. Sure, he was doing her a courtesy, but it didn’t particularly matter to Aanand if she took him up on it. He was going to size up this new shopkeep and make sure he was no danger to the preserve or Angie. Not that he didn’t trust the Ranger to be able to take care of herself- but it never hurt to be too careful either.
As soon as Aan started moving, Leah found herself acutely aware of just how much louder her footsteps were than his. At least he hadn't stopped her completely, though the implication that she at all needed an escort certainly rubbed her up the wrong way. Still, she supposed it was better than nothing, and he wasn't exactly waiting for her to stop sulking about it.
Huffing indignantly, she followed at a slight trot.
