An Unlikely Participant [OPEN]

[Danyal Brights]

The beach wasn't Danyal's kind of place. Not really. He wasn't a big fan of the sun; not that he hated it, he was just a scout who preferred to work in the dark, or in the shadows, and being on a beach put a crimp on that style most of the time. Hell, half the reason he enjoyed living in the forest so much was that there wasn't a beach anywhere nearby.

That is, until someone stumble through this here cave and thew that right out the window.

Despite his objections toward ocean-based entertainment, Danny couldn't in good conscience ignore such a mysterious appearance. So, he waited until it was dark, threw on a simple tshirt and pair of shorts, let Sally climb up on his shoulder, and headed through the cave. On and on and out the other side, where he found ..

Son of a bitch, it's a beach.

He couldn't help but laugh as he kicked his shoes off, leaving them near the cave entrance, and wandering through the sand, feeling it worm between his toes. "This is too weird." It was crisp and cool outside under the black sky, and he smile upward at the stars and moon. The beach had cleared a bit, with some stragglers hanging around and taking advantage of the quiet surroundings. He decided he could stand to hang around in these circumstances. 

Sally was watching from his shoulder with delight - well, as much delight as the lazy little lizard could muster. Danny jogged out farther along the beach until he found a place he could plop down on the sand. He did so, then lowered Sally on to the sand. She made a small noise, glowed orange for a moment to heat the sand and make a small sand bed, then she lay down and went to sleep. Danyal chuckled, reaching a finger out to stroke along her back. "Glad ya like it, girl." 

[Eveline Delamort]

A week. Eveline had been in the Hollow for a week. It disgusted her. Half of her time was spent at that gloriously red stream, away from the people. She could hardly stand walking among these magic users and not allow herself to kill them. It only got harder the longer she waited. If Eveline didn't find her childe soon... She didn't know what she would do. Some sort of balancing force among her was needed.

Even if she had only been in the small town for a short time, the girl had managed to hear of some strange occurrence out in the forest. In a cave. Or at a beach? She didn't know the place well enough, and people weren't exactly clear about what was going on. Eventually, Eveline made her way to the cave and wandered down far enough that she wasn't in a cave anymore. She wasn't quick to dash out into the sand, knowing beaches were a thing usually bathed in light. When she didn't see any sunlight, however, she took a few tentative steps forward, almost clinging to the walls of the cave in trepidation.

There was a man not too far away playing with some sort of pet. Eveline's lip curled at the site of the thing glowing. Like fire. Still, she should make an effort to socialize, get integrated into this society. Hiding in the wild just didn't have as much appeal as it used to, especially when she was alone for the time being.

The vampire cast a glamour in hopes of making herself more appealing. Her hair turned a fair blond, her irises went green, her skin less pale. And of course, hiding her scar. Using the spell on so many different things stretched it, making it even weaker than usual. Hopefully the light from that rat wouldn't be enough to dispel it. Eveline had on her typical red flannel and black pants as well as a large red flower in her hair. She had taken a fancy to the flowers she found at the stream, and had incorporated them into her daily wear. People didn't seem to like them very much, though. She slipped off her shoes, opting to carry them instead, and wandered forward, trying to catch the man's eye with forlorn expression.

[Danyal Brights]

Danny was content to lean back on his hands, stretching his bare feet out to wiggle in the breeze and the sand, enjoying the night and the scenery. While he generally didn't like beaches, this one quickly grew on him, and he found that he was rather enjoying himself. He even had the warmth of his familiar to shield him from the cold, should that breeze pick up (although it didn't appear to be).

He did indeed notice the woman coming from the cave and on to the relatively empty beach, and he watched her as she walked. She looked familiar. By this time, after a few months of living in the Hollow, Danny had made sure to do his own bit of investigation on everybody; just watching where they went, how they acted. Never stalking over hiding away, just subtly listening to conversations and the like. But he could place exactly who this one was; only that she seemed familiar to him.

"Hey. You alright?" He'd noticed that oh-so-forlorn expression, noting her attire, and nodded his head in her direction. "You look lost or somethin'. Wanna come have a seat? Sally here keeps it plenty warm." He chuckled and reached a hand out to stroke the salamander's back, and, as if on cue, it glowed a brighter orange, shining brightly where it lay in the sand, giving off a nice amount of heat.

[Eveline Delamort]

If that pest kept lighting up, Eveline's glamour would definitely drop if she got too close. She had to focus to keep her features from contorting into a nasty glare. Although she paused in her step at the glowing, Eveline did manage to keep her cool. A century of 'life' did lend itself to some self-control. Sure, Eveline may show a good deal of impulsiveness, but she could control herself when she wanted to. When she was focused on more delicate things like seduction.

And what a worthwhile seduction this cutie would be! Such a handsome man. Courteous and friendly, too. He would be good for a fun night, that's for sure. Eveline gave a small smile and shyly tucked her hair behind an ear as she approached him. "Not lost, just... lonely." It wasn't a lie, but Eveline was using it for all the wrong reasons. Of course she wanted her companion back, and this one would be no substitute. But hopefully it would get him to invite her closer. Eveline sat down with unnatural grace and closer than necessary to her new friend. "That's a cute..." Damn, what was that little imp, "Lizard?" Eveline didn't mean to make it sound like a question, but she didn't know what to call the offending demon, especially if she was trying to be nice. "You called it Sally, right?" Very pointedly, Eveline was getting as close to the man as possible while trying to stay as far away from the thing as she could. Her gaze flicked up to his eyes and right back down. Hopefully these machinations would come across as endearing and 'cute'.

[Danyal Brights]

Sally's scales started dying down a bit as she dozed off to sleep, though she still gave off a fair amount of warmth, like a small space heater. Danny watched Eveline approach with a raised eyebrow - she was moving awfully carefully, it seemed, which was odd in a beach party setting. Although Danny himself frequently kept that attitude, so it was hard to judge.

"Hah, well, loneliness is easy to come by with such a varied group of weirdos around here, right?" He chuckled a bit and sighed. "It can be hard to find people you share interests with. But, hey, not to worry." He looked down at the snoozing Sally, nodding and grinning. "Yeah, she's a recent acquaintance. My Familiar, actually. Sahalazrad the Inferno Salamander." He shrugged and looked back up at her, smiling warmly. "Not a big reptile fan, eh? Heh, don't worry, she doesn't bite. I don't think."

[Eveline Delamort]

It was hard not to throw glares toward the little creature this man seemed so fond of. The thing simply clashed with Eveline. No similarities. It played with her weaknesses. Sure, it hadn't purposefully offended her--yet--but the mere possibility was a threat. Though it was giving off more than its fair share of heat, Eveline didn't feel any warmer. She never felt any warmer. She doubted her body ever felt different from a corpse on ice. Nonetheless, she cuddled up to the stranger, slipping an arm around his and just pressing nearer.

"Sounds like you speak from experience. Don't know many people around here?" Good, no one would miss him, then. Yet Eveline found herself pitying him for the presumed loneliness. She certainly didn't like being on her own, so why wish it on another? Because the vampire was out for herself and wished any mortal ill. Because she was evil. It was all too clear to herself that she would need help if that were ever to truly change.

[Danyal Brights]

In the short time that Danyal had known Sally, he had become quite attached to the little creature, and considered her to be an extension of his own self, as if somehow the magic inside of him called to that egg in the forest and brought them together. So the sour looks that Eveline was giving to his familiar were starting to annoy him. He reached a hand out to stroke her warm scales; scales that would burn anybody else, but were harmless to his own skin. When she cuddled up to him, he stiffened and stared at her with a look that mixed awkwardness and mild annoyance. "Um. Are you cold?" Even asking caused him to shiver - the woman was damn near freezing!

"Sally can help with that." He wrapped both hands around Sally and brought her into his lap, stroking her along the spine. At the touch, and without opening her eyes, Sally started glowing bright orange from underneath her scales, bathing the both of them in light and warmth. Danny didn't know what to say to the awkwardly forward new person, and he certainly didn't trust her, so he was content to focus on the familiar for now in lieu of conversation.

[Eveline Delamort]

Insidious intentions or not, Eveline was trying to make a friend. She might mean to kill or maim or simply use the man at her side, but that's not necessarily how the night would play out. Eveline needed a friend more than she needed a meal. No, the pair didn't seem to fit together all too well--okay, not at all. Him, a pleasant man trying to make a living in a new town and she, a century old vampire known for her bloodletting. How could they ever get along? How could any mortal get along with a vampire?

A little too quickly--but apparently not quickly enough--Eveline pulled away and tried to keep the creature at bay, "No, that's really not ne--" She wasn't able to finish as her eyes fixed on the increasing light and she felt her disguise dissolving away. She was tensed. All too ready to run. Still she hesitated. Hesitated long enough for the man to react to her true appearance. Probably attack her. That's what people did with vampires, isn't it? Attacked them? Her kind wasn't exactly known for their friendliness.

Even though her eyes were startled and panicked as the irises turned red, he would probably notice the fangs first. They always did. Of course, 'they' were usually her victims, and she would take great pride--and a good deal of fun--in showing off the sharp teeth. But that's simply not what she wanted here and now. It ruined her seduction plans, destroyed any hope of getting on good terms with this man, and with that any possibility of leading a quiet life in the Hollow. The scar on her neck appeared at the same time as the rest was revealed, the red points stark against her paling skin. The contrast was only deepened as her hair turned black instead of the light blonde. Run. She had to run. Soon.

[Danyal Brights]

Despite the fact that Danyal was a knowledgeable scout who had been all over the world, he'd only had one encounter with a Vampire before; those suckers (no pun intended) were damn good at hiding. And his brief encounter ended in broken bones and about a month of bedrest. That was years ago, however, and the occurrence in front of him didn't click at first. The light bathed over Eveline and her appearance changed dramatically, which made Danny ponder just what the hell was going on. Instinctively, he tried to put his hand inside his jacket, then remembered that he wasn't wearing one. Dammit. NEVER leave home without weaponry, Danny. You're smarter than that. "What the-"

His eyes moved over her body and face, studying every inch of the slowly-changing woman before him. His eyes were, to nobody's surprise, drawn to those fangs, and everything fell into place in his mind. Vampire. Blood sucker. Murderer. Almost invariably up to no good, and possibly dangerous to the entire Hollow. Any thoughts of friendship or familiarity started to melt away right along with her disguise. "What the hell is going on?" From her fangs and lips to her neck, and the hair cascading down, shifting from blonde to black, his eyes took in what was happening. "What is this? What are you doing here?" His eyes shot back to her own eyes, narrowing, trying to study her, decipher what she wanted, how she was going to react.

Without thinking, his hands moved down to Sally and he gave her a gentle shake to awaken her. Her eyes blinked open slowly, and she looked around, up at Eveline, then Danny, taking in what was going on around her. Danny knew that she was his best offense if it came to that, although he certainly hoped it didn't.

[Eveline Delamort]

Eveline still looked like Eveline; her glamour wasn't so powerful that she would unrecognizable. Nothing she couldn't achieve with some make up. Okay, a good deal of make up--but the point is she was the same girl that had been talking to this lonely man on the beach. The only difference was that he now knew her secret.

Still appearing panicked, because she really was panicked, Eveline flinched as he drew the fire creature closer. She couldn't help it: vampires as a rule were weak to fire and sensitive to light. He was using that against her now. She wasn't welcome. Eveline scuttled away on the sand, her expression hard to read. She wasn't so scared anymore, and anger was starting to surface. Mostly, though, she looked apologetic. But that didn't really have a place on the countenance of such a monster, did it?

"I-I'm..." She was what? Sorry? No she wasn't. She had every intention of killing this man, whether it be tonight or in a few weeks after he had entertained her enough. Disappointed, perhaps? That her ruse had failed? That wasn't quite it, either. It's not as if any explanation or apology would fix this, anyway; the man was already making assumptions about her, and they were probably true. Without finishing her thought, Eveline was up and running faster than any mortal could. There was a chance for the man to stop her--kill her, even, if he had the right spell--but the vampire knew he wouldn't want her to stay. Who would want such a creature as company?

[Danyal Brights]

The Nightwatcher barely had time to react any further before Eveline was on her feet and running. He hopped up to his feet as well, but he wasn't sure what he was intending to do. He couldn't go after her; she'd probably tear him apart. But then, had she even done anything wrong? Did Danny even know what her motivations were? He could assume pretty safely, to be sure, but he had no way of knowing concretely, did he?

He sighed and lifted Sally to sit on his shoulder. She really had no idea what was going on, and so the light died down and she went back to sleep, resting her head on his bare skin. "I --" For a moment he tried calling after her, but she was already gone. Danny was lost. He had no idea what to do.

But he knew that his beach time was fairly well ruined. It was getting cold anyway, and he didn't want to wake Sally up to spread her warmth again. Perhaps he'd bring it up with someone else in town. Try to get the vampire in to talk to some of the others in the village, to see what her intentions here were. It was dangerous to have her here, but then, wasn't that what the normal people out in the world said about the Mages and Wizards that had been forced to live in seclusion?

Danyal had a lot to think about, and he wasn't sure that he was happy about that. So, he walked back to his shoes and slipped them on, then went back home.





(( Aaaaand thread done, I suppose! ))