Trash Panda

~Bonsoir~

Nice! We've studied that a lot in my classes. Which building materials are renewable, ways to use less energy in maintenance, etc. Environmental design is a huge part of the program at my university, since a lot of people here care about protecting the earth. I really like it too.

~Bonsoir~

Sounds like a plan xD Gotta make the world better somehow, haha.

I really like the buildings that incorporate green spaces and gardens on the roofs, since big cities tear up so much plant life.

~Bonsoir~

I relate to that. I want to get my LEED certification (Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design) so I can create green buildings ^^ The construction industry produces a huge chunk of the waste on the planet, so I want to help reduce that as much as I can in the projects I work on.

~Bonsoir~

That's great! Hopefully you can find a job with environmental science that you like just as much :)

~Bonsoir~

That's pretty impressive. Did you enjoy working on it?

~Bonsoir~

It is, but there aren't very many architecture firms in the city, and none are hiring new interior designers that I know of. I do have one prospective lead for a job, but it's with a firm that hasn't been established where I live yet. They're trying to set up an office here to design hospitals and schools. I know the head architect, but if it doesn't work out for them, then that job will go down the drain too. It's just a waiting game in the meantime. 50/50, really.

That sounds like a fun job! What kind of documentary did you work on?

~Bonsoir~

As a silence fell over the room, Vail wondered what was on Victoria’s mind that had caused her to go quiet. She looked complacent enough, laying on the chaise lounge. It was strange for him to see his prey in such a calm state, especially when she was still in her assailant’s midst. Her peaceful features made him relax as well, and he leaned into the cushioned backrest to get comfortable while he waited for her wound to begin healing from the bite. As much as he enjoyed conversing with her, he found the silence to be soothing and didn’t feel the need to interrupt it. Instead, he let his own mind wander as he cleaned her blood from his chin and jaw.

After his close call with Peter that evening, he was starting to ponder how long he would be able to keep his meetings with Victoria a secret from the rest of his family. He had no intention of breaking off their pact before she died, which probably gave him at least thirty more years to feed on her. That was a long time to hide the deal they had made, and his father had already almost discovered him within the first week of it. He winced at the thought of telling the Hygrace clan head that he had let himself become so addicted to Lady Crest’s blood. He would never understand… Although, really, Vail wasn’t sure if he would have supported it either if he stood in Peter’s shoes. He knew he was being reckless, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d already been ensnared. There was no undoing what had been done.

Such as my agreement to kill Spencer, he reminded himself, absently letting his gaze drift over Victoria’s smooth legs. His end of their deal was still unfinished, but he wasn’t sure how to go about completing it. He’d never gone after one of his own before. The only vampires who attacked other vampires were the Wynters. He tapped his index finger contemplatively against Lady Crest’s waist. If he wanted to do this right, he was going to have to get into the mindset of a group he disliked more than anyone else.

Deciding he might as well tell her what he’d come up with since their last encounter, Vail cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking,” he started, turning to meet her gaze, though he doubted she could see his eyes. “If I’m going to help you get rid of Lord Spencer, you’ll need to do something for me.” He kept his voice close to a whisper as he spoke. It was unlikely that anyone would have found them and eavesdropped on their conversation, but he couldn’t help being cautious when he voiced the murder of his own kind. His hushed tone had more to do with his guilt than his fear of being caught.

“Your fiancé has just as sensitive of a nose as I do. If I get even remotely close to him, he’ll know. So,” he shifted slightly on the lounge. “I’ll need you to bar his senses, so to speak. If you wear a strong enough perfume or even nick your finger so it bleeds, he should focus on you instead of me. Then I can get close enough to help you in whatever way you need me to.” He shrugged, using nonchalance to mask his discomfort with the plan. “Does that sound like something you can do?”

~Bonsoir~

Yeah, that's what I've heard from my friends who tried to get into that field. My sister-in-law was working toward a degree in art for a while but then switched to esthetics because there were no jobs in art. She's a lot better off now :)

By media do you mean graphic design (digital art)? That field is really cool too.

I have no idea if my degree will pan out to a career or not, just because the city I live in doesn't have very many jobs at all. Luckily, my husband is an engineer here, so we're doing fine right now. I just want a job of my own too, because I need something to do with myself xD

~Bonsoir~

Everything about the moment was like a drug to Vail. His senses were overwhelmed by Lady Victoria—the taste of her rich blood, the smell of her pheromones, the sound of her breathy voice, the touch of her soft skin, even the sight of her bare flesh. No matter which perception he relied on, he enjoyed the sensations that came with it, and he sank into all of it like a shot of cocaine. He could tell she was enjoying herself too, perhaps just as much as he was, judging by the rapid pounding of her heart that he could hear inside her supple chest. Somehow, knowing that pleased him. He liked being able to draw these strong reactions out of such a beautiful woman with just a stroke of his fingers, and he relished the control he had over how the encounter was to go at all.

As Victoria brushed her leg against his side, Vail shuddered excitedly. He wasn’t sure if she was toying with him or if the motion had been involuntary, but it was enough to get his own heartrate up. He let his hands fall away from her wrists—she seemed calm enough that he didn’t have to worry about any sudden outbursts—to instead grip her round hips as he drank the blood that seeped from her waist. Though he had made the deal with her to feed on her essence, he couldn’t help that he liked the other perks that came with it. Having such an attractive Lady at his mercy appealed to his primal side in a way that mere hunting couldn’t by itself.

If he was honest, he wanted even more of her, but he restrained himself from pushing. She had agreed to give him her blood, nothing more. Besides that, there was a part of him that was leery of getting attached to her beyond his draw to the drug in her veins. If he let her get closer to him outside of their predator-prey relationship, everything would just be unnecessarily complicated. She was a human, a mortal whom was destined to die when her brief life faded. He didn’t want to risk growing intimate with her and opening the door to any complex emotions that would make him more connected to her than he already was. It was better if he let his addiction to her remain solely with her blood, so their inevitable part would be easier to bear.

When the flow of her wound finally tapered off, Vail lifted his head, tracing his lips with his tongue to collect some of what hadn’t reached his mouth. Even though he had just fed on her three nights ago, her essence was just as satisfying to him as it had been the last time. He shifted on the lounge to sit upright, letting her slender legs rest across his lap. His gaze swept over her again as he followed the curves of her body, and he rested his hand on her midriff to help her slow the blood that still trickled from the puncture wounds he’d inflicted.

Despite his hesitation to get close to Victoria, he was letting her in more than he realized. The more time they spent together, the more comfortable he felt around her. There was even a bit of protectiveness that had begun to build up inside of him. As selfish as it was, he wanted her all to himself, both to feed on and talk to as he pleased. He didn’t yet realize the depth of his attachment to her though.

~Bonsoir~

That's very cool. I'm currently getting my BS in Interior Design with the intent to go into construction :)

What made you pick environmental science after coming from an art field?