Warm Drinks to Warm the Heart

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

An uneventful day; it was relatively peaceful compared to the usual tumultuous days that plagued the world. Caelumina held copious amount of free time, her friends and acquaintances were preoccupied with their own matters. It was fine for her, as she wanted some time for herself. Lying can become exhausting, more so when the lie, no matter how many times done, was something that she just couldn't accept. Being happy was getting harder for her, but there were times when felt genuinely happy. Sadly, today wasn't one of those times. Despite the fact, she fancied herself as a pierrot-- a clown that puts on a smile and a happy demeanor to keep the sunshine of the world around her. Present on Caelumina's face was a smile, her lips held a smooth and crisp curve, her chestnut-hued irises held a joyful glimmer, as though the worries of the world failed to impede her joy.
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A sad lie, that, but she kept it up despite no one being around her at the present time. She was standing in the street, it was partially busy, with featureless faces passing her by and going on through with their lives-- as chaotic as it may be at times, they still held their lives and enjoyed what little peace they could garner. Caelumina held not the capacity to do that, but she welcomed her respite as much as she could in hopes of not burning herself out. Currently, she was garbed in a black long-sleeved shirt with red cuffs lining the end of her sleeves. Her usual scarf was wrapped snugly around her neck, keeping her warm and cozy. For her lower garment, since she wasn't under the expectation of having to move fast, she wore a skirt. A simple and black one that reached down to her calves. Brown boots adorned her feet, protecting them from the external elements. All-in-all, she looked pretty normal and average, almost blending entirely with the passing crowd.
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She hummed softly to herself, her eyes shifting slightly whilst she panned her gaze from left-to-right. With the excess of her options came indecisiveness; she had so much she could do, yet it was hard to decide just which exactly it is that she wanted to occupy herself with. In the end, she decided that relaxation in the usual cafe was the best option. Footfalls ferried her towards her chosen cafe: Crescent Moon Cafe. The ambiance imparted a certain sensation of serenity within her being, and the warm aroma of coffee stimulated her appetite for snacks. After a brief moment of contemplation, she decided to purchase a simple honey-glazed doughnut alongside a cup of coffee. Caelumina occupied the table nearest to the exit while she stared silently at the door. An elbow had unconsciously propped itself on top of her table, with her cheek resting against the palm of her hand.
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Obsidian-hued tresses tickled the back of her fingers and hand, while some gently caressed the contours of her cheeks. Thoughts streamed through her mind, glossing her eyes away from focus whilst she entertained them. Her thoughts weren't dark, they were simple random ones; like bubbles manifesting out of nowhere, only to pop in a moment's notice. Every second, her mind entertained a thought-- and after another second, it entertained another. In such a way, time slowly slipped freely from her grasp, winding down in an endless spiral where her actions felt subconscious. A hand ferried her doughnut towards her lips, whereupon she took a small bite from it. The sweet taste, accompanied by the fluffy texture, facilitated a smoother task of thinking. And when she followed it up with a sip of her bitter coffee, she felt her thoughts become far more prominent than the world around her. Even the sensation of her hair against her skin felt like a distant past.
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With the fragrance of her coffee and her doughnut consolidating within her nose, she felt her mind drift away-- further and further. She felt not exhaustion, nor sleepiness, but the simple serenity brought on by the plenitude of time and a relaxing atmosphere. Every time the door opened, her eyes focused on the person walking through the door; she'd stare at them for a bit, scrutinizing them deeply out of habit before she'd shift her gaze away. In such a way, she fueled her thoughts further and further. Thoughts about the taste of her doughnut, the scent of the coffee, the sensation of the cup against her fingers and the texture of her snack against her tongue. So many little thoughts with little importance, yet they piled up and became Caelumina's sole source of entertainment and passing time in this. . .peaceful day.
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Regardless, one thing was for certain. She had free time-- enough time that her thoughts could wander and ponder about the smallest of things.

Nathan Beckard

[Nathan Beckard]

920 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

Avoidance and general lack of social interaction had transform into a natural piece of Nathan's life, obvious by the reactions of those he passed. Although not necessarily famous around Lorsette, there were always the few people whose eyes would glimmer with recognition. Those few simply left him plenty of room to pass, some going lengths to drag passing civilians away to utter a swift whisper inaudible to the green-haired boy's ears. Alas, Nathan was unperturbed by the entire scene, it merely meant fewer people to disturb his lonesome little world. A sanction from the concept of loss; the sorrow of losing someone precious. Thus the young man merely kept walking with his hands hidden in the pockets of his coat.

Currently, Nathan wore a plain black t-shirt, arms protected from the slight bite of cold by the green camouflage jacket he wore. The front of the coat remained zipped open, allowing the minor breeze to flow comfortably around his torso. Meanwhile, the silver dog tags bumped against his chest and sometimes cause the sunlight which caused them to glint. They jingled gentle, nothing particularly noticeable unless moved significantly. As of trousers, they were meager black sweats thrown on in a moment of laziness and lack of care. An act of which his parents would have disapproved of considerably, causing Nathan to be drawn to the concept. A pair of heavy brown boots served as footwear, their laces pulled tight and double knotted to assure the long strings would not untie in travel. The usual black fingerless gloves adorned his hands, an accessory that made the young man feel tougher. There was an especially pale sheen to his complexion, a result of having to practically bathe in sunscreen; one of the woes of being a vampire.

As Nathan continued down the sidewalk, a boredom began to brew in the depths of his mind. It was the bane of a lonesome world, a lack of friends and activities to participate in. These moments always brought forth an intense feeling of lonely, to the point of mild sadness. This mild gnawing of sorrow, it compared nothing to loss; it was akin to a mere mosquito bite in the face of a brutal mauling. Either way, the green eyed man needed to discover something the fend off the boredom that plagued him. The area was surveyed, several titles of places that lacked interest were noticed. A few more titles, then finally the man's yellow-green eyes landed on the sign of a location. The Crescent Moon Cafe, a place renown for its baked goods alongside brews of coffee. A toothy grin drew onto Nathan's face, his fangs becoming noticeable as his lips drew away; almost as though his fangs were actors on a curtained stage.

An inspection was made of his pockets, a search to confirm whether or not the young man had some money within his current possession. The phone was discovered initially, tucked away safely within the depths, a little more searching and he felt the crisp touch of paper. With that revelation made, Nathan pushed through the wooden doors, eyes gazing through the crystal clean glass windows. A bell rung above him, a telltale sign of a new presence entering the walls of the establishment almost like a warning sign for further attention. Patrons aplenty occupied the inside of the cafe, littering the main room most of which sat at the various dark wooden tables. The scent of fresh cooking and the distinct aroma of coffee swirled around the room, confined to the walls. It was alluring, drawing the green-haired boy further into the depths of the establish. A subtle glimmer of joy came across his yellow-green eyes, but faded quickly.

The counter was approached and coffee was purchased, the individual behind the counter handing it shyly over. Black liquid swirled in the cup, steam gently rising from the cup. Warmth radiated from the ceramic mug, a pleasant touch to Nathan's cold fingers. It brought back memories of winter ways spent in front of a fireplace where Donovan and him would sip hot chocolate while Teresa drank black coffee. Stories were told, the night spent in peaceful bliss when the two boys would gather around the elderly woman and beg for more. She would obliged until eventually the evening grew late and the young children were shipped off to bed for sleep. Not long after the minor dwelling did Nathan pushed the memories away since nowadays they carried a more sorrowful tone instead of the former happy ones. Instead of pondering further and holding up the small line, the green haired boy walked away to gaze upon the tables. It was a search for an opening, but alas most seemed full of chattering occupants who would easily frown upon a newcomer.

An inaudible, annoyed sigh escaped Nathan's lips, his gazing searching further until resting on a dark haired girl with a red scarf. She sat alone, perhaps raveled in thought or something else. Either way, there was an opening at her table and she lacking any chattering company. Perhaps she would not mind if he joined her? Slowly, the vampire approached the table with his eyes watching the girl who currently occupied it. Nathan cleared his throat to gain her attention. A lip tight grin decorated his face, the edges of his fangs poking out beneath his upper lip.

"You mind if I join ya?" He asked, tone carrying a slight friendliness; scaring her might cause her to refuse him a seat.

- - about the worst of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

Chattering people, the fragrance of coffee and sweets roused Caelumina slightly from her deep contemplation. It was then that she fully realized, that amidst the sea of people enjoying themselves, she was alone. Was she lonely? Perhaps. It wasn't as though she had no friends, but fearful of loss, she kept them away at an arm's length. In the end, they were people that knew little of Caelumina, but was it true the other way around? No one knew of Caelumina's true expressions beyond her usual smile and the joyful spring behind her steps. Yet those were simply her methods of hiding away her emotions, in hopes that attachment wouldn't form should they aim to comfort her or converse with her with regards what ailed her. A faint puff of breath escaped from the clutches of her lips emulating a faint sigh, as a hand shifted towards her cup of coffee.
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Slender fingers wrapped around the ear of her cup, yet before she could take a sip from it. A particular individual had approached her and cleared his throat; she had seen him enter the establishment, but thanks to her contemplation, she did little to actually look at him. Before she could utter something, he voiced out a small question: '' You mind if I join ya? '' His tone carried an aura of friendliness. After a cursory glance around the area, she decided to bob her head in a faint nod and put a smile on her visage. Her lips parted, letting loose of her light voice that carried the same tone of friendliness put forth by the male. '' Ah, I don't mind. Feel free to do so. ''] Following her answer, she lifted her cup of coffee and took a sip from it. The bitter taste sat well against her tongue, perhaps thanks to the warm temperature that it carried.
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For a moment, she opted to remain silent-- with the focus of her russet irises being the male in front of her. The attire that he wore seemed to be rather. . .unique, to say the least. While individually worn, his clothing would seem normal or fair, the combination that he went with made him feel a bit unintentionally lighthearted to Caelumina. He wore sweats alongside a camouflage coat. Yet, due to the lack of familiarity with him, she refrained from addressing the topic. It might be a mistake that she could point out to a friend or an acquaintance, but to a complete stranger? That might just come off as rude. The same hand that held her cup of coffee moved towards her doughnut to lift it towards her lips while her other hand moved to ensure that her tresses wouldn't get in the way of her eating. Rather than take a simple bite from it suggested by the otherwise 'maidenly' movement that she made, she stuffed her cheeks with her-- as though a hamster.
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The pliant texture and the sweet taste made her hum in appreciation, and after fully savoring the treat-- she decided to go through her usual antics of being 'social'. Or well, she'd rather use the term talkative, really. '' Do you frequent the Crescent Moon Cafe? I personally do, yet even then, I can't help but order the hazel-glazed doughnut every single time. It's really tasty and I highly recommend it. '' She paused to give the male time to respond, or perhaps ignore her and end her attempts with striking up a conversation there. It mattered little, she'd most likely stubbornly attempt to continue conversing with him were he to do the latter. Boredom was her greatest enemy at the present time, and rude it may be, she'd rather talk to an individual not interested in conversing rather than continue entertaining her endless thoughts.
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Who knows? The slightest of thought could bring her to unsavory memories. The mere thought of it made her take hold of her coffee once again, and move it towards her lips for another sip. Slowly but surely, she was draining her cup of coffee. Yet even then, she craved for more coffee and sweets-- was that unhealthy? Perhaps, but she'd most likely head to the counter for more. She had no other places to lounge in, and while the park or elsewhere might be available, she'd rather not be reminded of how 'lonely' she was today through the sight of couples on the former place. As it'd be counterintuitive to remain silent there, she eked out a couple more of words from the confines of her lips-- provided the male wasn't speaking at the same time, of course.
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'' Ah. My name is Caelumina, by the way. Feel free to refer to me as Cae since Caelumina is a mouthful to say. '' A faint chortle escaped from her lips to make her seem lighthearted. While she mentioned that Caelumina was a mouthful to say, there was one particular individual that'd always call her by that name rather than a nickname: her father. He had believed that it was, after all, a beautiful name. Quite narcissistic of him since he was the one that gave her that name. Plagued with unpleasant thoughts, she placed a slightly bigger smile on her face, followed by yet another chortle. This time, the chortle was made in lieu of a sigh; she tended to avoid sighing when in the presence of people as it'd essentially hint to what she felt at the time.

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Nathan Beckard

[Nathan Beckard]

989 words

TAG A DUDE

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

Momentarily, there was uncertainty after Nathan disturbed the girl who appeared roughly his age. Although it was always difficult to discover an individual's age's off of sheer looks considering there were species who ceased aging; himself serving as an example. As he arrived, it appeared the stranger was about to sip her coffee, but was interrupted from the action due to his question. A slight nod alongside a friendly toned voice that matched his own friendliness served as the vampire's response from the stranger. The lip-tight smile on his lips broadened, making the glinting fangs below more apparent; revealing them a majority of the time had long turned to habit. For a few years Nathan had grown the habit, finding it a suitable way to push anybody away who sought his friendship. The attempt was successful considering as time grew on, the people grew fewer.

The green haired man slid into the seat across from the dark haired girl, the mug being set to his right. No time was taken on a thanks, doing that would seemingly make the situation too friendly. A few small moments were spent getting comfortable, but once successful one of the boy's pale hands grabbed the ceramic cup's handle. It was drawn to his lips, a second of hesitation was taken before Nathan took a small sip of the bitter liquid. The vampire preferred to avoid any incidents that involved burning, it was one of the few precautions the green haired man took in life. Once the coffee was tested and there was assurance his tongue would not receive a nasty surprise, he sipped more. Afterwards, his green eyes returned to the stranger across the table, scanning over her facial features. The mid-length dark hair bearing on onyx hue that framed her face, the chestnut coloured eyes and the general contours of her face. In Nathan's mind it a merely another face in the crowd that was merely given time in order for future recognition.

Later his eyes adverted as Nathan placed the cup in front of him, staring into the swirling black liquid and enjoying the fragrance that swirled in the slight steam. For a moment, he focused on the chatter in the room in mild curiosity over what was occurring in the city of Lorsette, that was until his company spoke. An attempt of idle conversation, possibility to create a familiarity between them. Honestly, the vampire had been praying the stranger would remain silent, but naturally prayers were not always answered. While she spoke, his gaze returned to her alongside his attention which was waning as she spoke about hazel-glazed doughnuts. Admittedly, Nathan had never truly been a major fan of sweets unless they were the homemade recipes that involved adding a bit of blood to a mix. As a vampire, the green haired man found it delectable while others may believe it to be rather disgusting.

The question was answered with a shrug. "Not really, just got bored I suppose. Wasn't much for me to do," he answered simply. A mild tone of annoyance entered his voice, which was somewhat unintentional. "Perhaps I will try one then sometime," Nathan responded with a yawn following.

Soon his elbow propped on the table, Nathan's head resting in his open left hand while the right's fingers gently drummed the table's wooden surface. A subtle noise, rhythmic in a way, was made when his nails collided with the wood. Finger drumming was simply a force of habit at times since the sound seemed oddly comforting. There was also a conversation that this stranger seemed determine to create with him. The reasoning behind it was uncertain, but the vampire could tell that he would have to endure every word of it until he left the table. That was, unless he discovered a way to keep her quiet. Unfortunately, his conscious nagged at him, insisting that since this female stranger was polite enough to allow him to sit with her, the least Nathan could do was hold a conversation. Only a few moments were spent in quiet until his fellow table occupant began to speak again, providing her name, which was Caelumina or Cae for short. A slight laugh escaped her lips afterwards, giving her a more lighthearted look.

Keeping a plastic smile upon his face, Nathan replied. "Name's Nathan, or if you're the professional sort, Nathaniel."

There was a lacking of genuine friendliness to his words, years of pushing people away making simple vocal traits difficult to mimic at times. This caused his attempt to be meager, containing a hollowness that was rather noticeable. For a moment he pined for the moments where he could at least properly maintain a mask of social adequacy, but that was long dropped for the present. Acting like a sadistic maniac to a majority of people sparked fear, made them unlikely to consort with him unless of the utmost necessity. A lonesomeness came with it, but it was welcomed by Nathan since it was worth the price; it was a shield from future loss. Nathan noticed how the girl's smile widened, which surprised him, has his pathetic attempt of fake friendliness worked? That was when he heard the sigh that escaped her lips after the chortles, which the green haired man presumed was created due to his horrible attempt at being ample company. However, with that came a chance to poke at the stranger which was taken.

"What? Don't like your company?" Nathan said, a chuckle to his voice and a toothy grin on his face.

Placing people in awkward situations seemed amusing to the green eyed teen, it was displayed on his face. The manner of which he grinned, the entertained glint in his eyes and the fact that his fingers ceased their drumming instantly. The reaction was what he craved, a remote curiosity playing across his face as the vampire's eyes remained trained on Caelumina.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

Boredom. It seemed that Caelumina wasn't alone in being afflicted by its grasp; that worked in favor, as surely an individual plagued by boredom will be looking to eliminate its presence in their lives. But beyond that, Caelumina felt a mild thorn drape over his tone as he uttered those words. Annoyance, perhaps? That piqued her interest, eliciting a faint hum from her in response to his words with regards boredom. As for his mentioning of the fact that he'd partake in the doughnut sometime, hopefully he upholds his word rather than it remaining as a simple polite reply in an attempt to ensure that the conversation flowed normally. Caelumina, while not necessarily a crazed fanatic of the cafe, wanted the taste of the honey-glazed doughnut to be known. Well, that and the fact that it could serve as a great point of conversation for the two of them should they meet again.
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From what she could garner, he wasn't necessarily the social type nor was he interested in holding a conversation. Yet despite noticing those facts from his behavior and his tone (as well as the brevity of his replies), she continued on. At the very least, her stubbornness meant that she'd keep on trying to converse with the individual unless he fully departs from the table. With a hand absentmindedly wrapped around her cup of coffee, she remained silent as the male introduced himself as Nathan. Instead of the 'professional' way of referring to him, she had decided to make use of the name 'Nathan'. A slight comment escaped from her lips in response to his greeting: '' That's a great name, Nathan. It's nice to meet you. '' Her voice still held its friendly tone, ensuring that the words 'nice to meet you' were as genuine as possible.
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It was odd, but despite the smile on his face, Caelumina could easily discern that it didn't feel as genuine as it should be. Perhaps it was due to his lack of friendly tone? Or perhaps was it due to the fact that she, a person that has been lying to herself and everyone around her by smiling and acting happy regardless of her emotions, was starting to be delusional? Hopefully it wasn't the latter case. Before she could further ponder over such thoughts, or even attempt to continue the conversation with the male, he offered a toothy grin and words that inquired with regards her sigh. While normally, an individual might be pushed to awkwardness at that point, she took it in a stride and replied to his question without missing a beat.
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'' Not at all, '' She paused before tracing a finger around the rim of her cup to bring attention to it. Should Nathan look, he'd see that her cup of coffee was nearly empty. To elucidate as to why she gesticulated at it, she continued. '' , I'm almost out of coffee, but I'm craving for more. But I know that if I order more, I will undoubtedly get some doughnuts as well which would result in more snacks. '' An exaggerated sigh escaped from her lips-- all meant to emphasize her next words. '' I might end up becoming fat at this rate. '' It wasn't an actual concern of hers, it was all meant to try and bring a lighthearted atmosphere to their table-- regardless of Nathan's true intentions.
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Following her words, she offered a friendly smile towards Nathan's direction. With her head tilting slightly in curiosity, she voiced a faint question for him. '' If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for your job? '' A cursory glance was given towards the dog tags around his neck. While she could, perhaps, surmise and conjecture from that piece of accessory, she refrained from guessing and instead opted to ask him directly. It'd serve as a means of continuing the conversation as well; all-in-all, Caelumina was being her social self still. Despite the fact that she remained moderately glum inside, she kept a smile on her face. It felt so awkward for her cheeks to be in such a state, for her lips to remain in a curved line regardless of her intentions. None would enjoy conversing with a frowning person, after all. She fully drained her cup of coffee at this point, leaving her with no snacks to munch on or hot drinks to sip on.
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A part of her wanted to stand up from her chair to head towards the counter, but she refrained from doing so as she believed it'd be rather rude to do so without any prior statement. Thus, she waited for now while replicating Nathan's previous action; she drummed her fingers on top of the table while her cheek  rested against the palm of her other hand. The rhythmical noise resonating from the table with each tap served as a means of taking her mind off things for a bit, thus she continued on with it. An odd thing that could be note is that her drumming was terrible and off-beat, as though she knew little of the words 'beat' and 'rhythm'.

[Nathan Beckard]

968 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

Banishing the boredom that tormented Nathan was not necessarily a complex task, although, idle conversation was rarely the remedy. After growing use to his more intimidating persona, the mask he placed upon himself to avoid making connections, had turned small talk boring. There was a time when holding a trivial discussion was an effortless task, but nowadays it was difficult. Dropping social habits completely perhaps was not the brightest idea that the vampire had. In his defense, it oftentimes worked smoothly at pushing away everybody at the expense of poorer social skills.

As his thoughts resided momentarily memories of the time when he had friends, people to speak with and enjoy the long days with, Nathan's eyes gained the slightest glimmer of sorrow and his smile dented, no longer containing genuine emotion. The memories were a grim reminder of his loneliness which was a topic he would prefer not to dwell on. Thus, just as quick as it arrived the look of sorrow faded as the memories were pushed away. Those thoughts were to be buried in the depths of his minds, to be imprisoned and forgotten to make certain the current disguise would not break. Shortly afterwards, the toothy grin returned to his face and once again the green haired vampire's attention was focused on the company at the wooden table. A curiosity entered Nathan's expression, it felt like centuries since the vampire had heard those words. The concept of it being pleasant to meet him had turned foreign and being complimented on his name was also unfamiliar to him.

For a moment, he was baffled and lost for words. "Uh, thanks I guess," he responded quietly.

There was little the man could say on the matter, these sorts of situations were peculiar and oftentimes only occurred during his parent's business parties. Although, even those had faded from his life the moment he heavily started rebelling against his parents, thus resulting in party nights spent locked away in his room. The matter never received a complaint since being the 'lowly introverted son' of the Beckard family did not bother him. Yet, somewhere the vampire missed being told those kinds of things, missed people enjoying a first meeting. Once again the feelings got shoved away, returning to those days was simply not a possibility. Maybe sitting at the same table as Caelumina was truly a horrible idea considering her talkative spirit, but there was still no other locations to sit. Nathan would know, his yellow green eyes constantly surveyed the area as an instinct of being a hunter.

When she responded to his comment on the company he provided, the response possessed no awkwardness the vampire hoped to spark the comment. The bored countenance returned to the green haired man's face for a moment; there has been hope for a more enjoyable reaction, however, it did make his arrogance jump.

"I figured not, I'm pretty good company, eh?" Nathan stated in a smooth and calm voice. "However, if you weren't sighing 'cause the company, what were you sighing about?"

Once again the toothy grin made its appearance on the vampires face, however, it contained a mischievous edge to it now. Perhaps he could discover enjoyment in prying into Caelumina, there was always a chance she was more interesting than she appeared initially. The boredom could possibly get completely banished if he acted a little snoopy in this current situation which would ultimately result in a happier Nathan. A silent prayer was sent out as the vampire hoped that the stranger would not attempt the same nosy behaviors to him. When she mentioned how her coffee was empty and the possibility of getting a second honey-glazed doughnut alongside the chance of getting fat, Nathan chuckled.

"Self-control issues? Unfortunately, that sounds like a you problem," he responded.

A quick glance was taken to his own mug which was still quite plentiful in the dark liquid which swirled inside. The drink contained within the ceramic walls had cooled and for a few moments Nathan watched the still coffee before bring it to his lips for another sip. Once the cup returned to the position it was previously stationed, the vampire's green eyes glanced at his company, noting the smile drawn on her lips. A new question was inquired, this time featuring the topic of his occupation which caused him to grin a tad broader than before. The vampire did enjoy his job after all, it was a method for vengeance alongside a chance to protect the people so they would not feel similar to him when he lost his brother and nanny.

"I'm a hunter for the TRS, been one for roughly a year now," Nathan answered in a friendlier manner. "What about you? It's only fair if you answer the question as well, not isn't it?"

For a moment his thoughts remained occupied with memories of hunting, which was generally happier ones despite the terrors attempting to spark fear in him. It was a distraction, enough of one that Nathan neglected to notice that the strange spared a glance at the shiny tags that hung around his neck. One featured his brother's name and on the opposing side said 'TRS HUNTING DIVISION' while below stated Donovan's unit, which was one, akin to Nathan's. Meanwhile the second tag possessed his brother's age, sex, species, height and weight. The tags were custom made, a little trinket his brother had favored to have. When Caelumina began drumming her fingers, like he had done a few moments, Nathan's attention returned to the company who sat at the table. There was an oddness to her drumming since it was peculiarly off-beat, which was something the vampire found himself noticing quickly. It caused his gaze to drift towards her fingers, watching them drum the wooden table.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

For the briefest of moments; the slightest of flickers, Caelumina spotted an abrupt change within Nathan's expression. His eyes shifted, and his smile seemingly turned into but a faded replica of the previous one. Yet, perhaps due to her lack of familiarity with the male and prolonged exposure to him, she couldn't fully grasp and discern what occurred. A part of her believed that it was naught but her imagination, and she relented to the thought the very moment curiosity slid into his face. Perhaps it really was just a trick of her mind, a slight desire to peer deeper into the individual that she just met. She chastised herself mentally for being selfish and greedy, and most importantly, being rude enough to try and read deeper into him.
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Surprise momentarily manifested on Caelumina's visage, hiding away her friendly smile in an expression of befuddlement. Nathan seemed to be at loss for words, and slightly flustered, with her usual pleasantries being stated. Sadly, she failed to refrain from crafting assumptions, and ended up assuming that perhaps Nathan wasn't the type of person to be said those words to. Was he, in a sense, introverted? But judging from how their conversation was proceeding without any awkward pauses from the male, or any really attempts of cutting the conversation short, she believed otherwise. Or was he simply following along the trail of her words due to the fact that the place was packed to the brim with other patrons, and that he wanted to sit down on her table? Plenty of thoughts swarmed Caelumina's mind; at times like the present, she tended to think too much out of caution.
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Still, the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the cafe eased her the very moment she started to slip into a thoughtful daze. Her surprised visage melted away to reveal her friendly smile, as her fingers continued drumming away at the table. It was bad, and it wasn't getting better in terms of rhythm and beat as moments passed. When she mentioned her reply to his previous question, she had not failed to spot Nathan's bored expression. Was he trying to get a rise out of her? Perhaps. The thought made her internally chuckle. It was an amusing thought to entertain, but she dropped it in favor of continuing her conversation with Nathan. He was right in stating that people with self-control issues held those problems accountable for themselves, Caelumina believed that wholeheartedly but that did not mean that they were the only ones at fault.
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'' A pretty good company, huh. Are you sure it's not because I am a great company as well? '' Caelumina felt comfortable enough to quip slightly towards Nathan. '' And I agree that it is a me problem, but. . .are you sure it's not also the problem of the doughnut for being too good? '' A giggle escaped from her lips. It was slightly childish, but she decided to pin the blame on the doughnut as well. It felt lighthearted to do so, and that made her relax further into her seat. Her finger drumming momentarily paused to allow her hand to settle on top of the table; the mention of self-control problems made her think about hers. A part of her wanted to fully believe that she had none, yet the mere thought of spicy food eliminated such thoughts. If there was one thing that she lacked self-control towards, it was spicy food.
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While musing silently to herself, Caelumina spotted a change in Nathan's expression, specifically when she asked about his occupation. That was a sign that he was proud of his occupation, perhaps it was something that she could talk about with him in great lengths to deepen their currently shallow 'friendship', if it was even proper to call it that. They were merely acquaintances at best yet, but Caelumina wasn't willing to leave it in that state. His answer to her question caused her eyes to widen slightly, it was remarkable of him to be a hunter for the TRS, something that she wasn't capable of becoming -yet- due to her lack of capabilities. She was not a gifted, but a mere human being capable of running fast. Maybe if someday, she could surpass the obstacle of being an ordinary human, she'd be capable of transferring into the ranks of the Hunter branch.
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But more importantly, Caelumina had not failed to recognize the friendly tone in Nathan's voice. That was a good sign, it meant that she could carry on with the impetus to let the conversation flow smoothly. A hum escaped from her lips at his reciprocation of the question, another good sign that he was growing interested in the conversation. Perhaps. '' What a coincidence, I'm also part of the TRS, '' She paused for a moment while adjusting the red scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. '' , however, I'm a Scout in Squad Three. '' Agility and maneuverability were the only things that she had right now, leading to her being best suited to the Scout position rather than the Hunter. Not just that, but her father's words also mentioned that she was great at running.
[break][break]
She wanted to change that someday, for him, her mother and herself. Determination flickered through her eyes for a passing moment before she addressed a matter about his occupation. It was no lie that her interest grew the very moment she found out that he worked for the TRS as a hunter, leading to her having a greater gusto in resuming their discussion. '' You must be a great fighter then, to be capable of becoming a hunter. Is it difficult? '' A part of her wanted to ask his reasons for becoming one, but her nagging inkling believed that she should wait until he brings it up himself. After all, the world was tumultuous and loss was common amidst the society, no matter how peaceful the world around them might be at the present time.
[break][break]
There was another reason why she refrained from doing so, the dog tags around his neck. The name etched on them didn't seem to be Nathan's, leading to her shifting her gaze away from the dog tags and back at Nathan's eyes. Guilt caused her heart to skip a beat, perhaps she looked at something that she should not have. But skilled at hiding her thoughts and emotions as always, she masked the guilt that she felt with her usual smile and a slightly off-beat hum. It might not even sound like a hum with how -bad- it was, it nearly sounded like the blaring of an alarm clock. '' Personally speaking, I'm not a good fighter so I trained to become a Scout instead. It does not help that I'm an average person. '' Without being prompted to do so, she revealed some facts about herself and the partial reason as to why she signed up as a Scout. Average was a word that can easily be misconstrued, but she used it anyway. It might be belittling the capabilities of the ordinary human beings to a degree, yet it was her opinion and she directly stated it as it was. For better or for worse.

[Nathan Beckard]

1,288 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

Caution about showing even the slightest glimpses of emotion had been thrown out the window somewhere considering his multiple failures to hide the small flashes of his underlining mood. Memories were simply too steep a trap, difficult to outright ignore since they always came lurking back like a loyal dog that either licks or bites the owner. Unfortunately, each time a spark of feeling had come across Nathan's face the vampire had not necessarily noticed; it was more so a presumption that it occurred. Yet, the stranger's seemingly infinite smile made the green haired man feel more comfortable. It was a suggestion that she had failed to notice the feelings he may have minimally displayed across his face, thus Nathan matched her friendly grin. Being somewhat forced into kindness from the packed cafe was not the worst scenario and the involuntary conversation proposed only mere acquaintanceship.

The vampire supposed that was acceptable for the time being, he could always scare her off should he run into Caelumina again. It was a matter of not getting too involved and should there be a chance of friendship, Nathan would simply have to jump ship and do something despicable. That seemed like an excellent concept and it had been years since the green haired man had been given the chance to participate in idle conversation. The brown ceramic mug was brought to Nathan's lips again, allotting himself a small sip of the bitter liquid. While he sipped, he noticed that dark haired girl had once again began to drum her fingers, the rhythm getting even worst than before. After his cup was settled again, Nathan spared a glance at the girl's drumming fingers in wonder of how she could not maintain a basic rhythm. It came naturally whenever the vampire would begin drum his own, yet, somehow Caelumina had managed to make her finger drumming a rhythm and beat lacking mess. There was a mild wonder of how exactly she managed to do so, which was mostly created from the green haired teen's arrogance.

As the drumming progressed, Nathan found himself becoming mildly annoyed by the off-beat notes. It was an odd little thing that was bothering him, alas, the green haired teen was finding it incredibly noticeable and was unable to ignore the finger drumming. With each tap his irritable nature got pushed, and only after a few moments of the drumming encore he felt the need to say something.

"By the way, you are seriously bad at drumming your fingers," Nathan stated bluntly. There was an annoyed tone dripping from his voice as the vampire spoke. "I don't understand how you can't maintain a rhythm, it's so easy."

There was a feeling of necessity in mentioning the horrible finger drumming. Partially was because it annoyed the male teen heavily while the other reason was simple his outspoken behavior. Stating his opinion about something was almost instinct to him, even if the opinion was invalid. After making the statement, Nathan shifted positions, opting to straighten his back and stretch his arms again before crossing them in front of his chest. The dog tags gentle jingled, each bumping into the other because of the wearer's movements. By the end of it, they lazily floated above Nathan's crossed arms, patiently awaiting the next set of movements. When Caelumina responded to his comment about himself being great company, a slight chuckle rose from Nathan's throat at the display of witticism. Following the quip was a blame placing on the doughnuts being too delicious which caused the vampire's laugh to increase in volume.

"Hmm, I don't know. The honey-glazed doughnuts might not think you're a good conversationalist if you are going to blame them for your self-control issues," Nathan responded, slight hints of sarcasm in his voice. It was a playful comment, which were a rarity for him to make unless he knew it would push somebody's buttons. "But, I suppose you're decent."

The smallest chuckle proceeded after his little pieces of teasing. This conversation was beginning to amuse the vampire, but naturally he would not inform his company or anybody else of that. Although, his laughing might have given away what he would have preferred to keep confidential under any circumstances. When the topic of his career came into play, Nathan noticed how Caelumina's eyes widened even though it was only slight. The reasoning behind the reaction was something that the vampire had difficult pondering. Some would consider them heroes in a way, however, people tended not to widen eyes at him; which was likely due to his sadistic actions towards terrors. It made Nathan threatening opposed to the image of a chivalrous hero with the intention of merely doing good even at the sacrifice of their own life. The concept of being considered a hero was far fetched to the vampire and just downright unlikely.

Which, admittedly, bothered him to a minor degree since his brother was always considered a hero, a brave knight in shining armour while he remained the dark knight only doing good for vengeance to some. Another momentary sheen of sorrow covered his eyes and a slight crack in his grin, but Nathan recovered quickly. The green haired man returned to listening to what Caelumina had to say as she stated how she was a scout in unit three.

"Ahh, unit three, eh? I'm in unit one myself," Nathan stated in response. Relenting this sort of information was not a bad idea after all.

A slight grin remained on the vampire's face, it was pleasant to speak about his occupation. There were few terrible memories not to mention there was a feeling of pride and that he was assisting to stop the epidemic. When his great fighting skills were mention, Nathan smirked as his arrogance took over. Naturally, he enjoyed hearing such compliments considering his high confidence in his fighting skills. That was when the vampire was asked about the difficulty, which actually caused him to ponder for a moment. Donovan had taught him prior to his death and Nathan's joining of the TRS.

"Well, I knew a bit before I signed up, so I was prepared," he answered. There was a slight uncomfortable tone to his voice; the vampire was praying that Caelumina did not push about where he had learned.

It was easy for Nathan to note the shift in her gaze, a glance at the silver reminder of his brother's sacrifice and his reason for fighting. The dog tags gave him his steely determination, his reasoning to refuse to give up no matter what condition he was in during a fight. Now he just had to hope that the dark haired girl would not question him about it, but in case she did Nathan was preparing a lie or something. Shortly, she began humming off beat, but the vampire ignored it as he pondered a way out of a question based scenario. When Caelumina began to speak about her reasoning behind joining and did not ask him about it, Nathan felt slightly relieved. Alas, the relief did not show on his face in order to keep up some portion of his disguise.

"You're really that bad?" Nathan stated with a chuckle. "I'm guessing the self-defense training for scouts was just a blast for you then."

Hints of sarcasm was placed within the second sentence as the green haired teen hoped that perhaps a little joking around would avoid the question being asked. The way Nathan sat possessed some tenseness, although, it was not overly noticeable considering he attempted to fend it off. Another wish was sent as the vampire hoped that the questions would not continue having a chance of revealing what he kept confidential.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

The atmosphere completely shifted; it became far more relaxed and comfortable, and Caelumina easily discerned the reason behind it. It was no longer one-sided, their conversation became something that the two of them seemed invested in and interested in maintaining. Nathan's friendly grin made Caelumina's smile grow a tad bit more genuine. No longer was it a plastered mask that dammed her emotions from flooding into her visage, but a simple window that revealed the innocent happiness she derived from their friendly conversation. It made her feel at ease, relaxed even, and she revealed this by losing all the tension that may have built up in her frame. Her back rested against her chair while she paid complete attention to Nathan, this time intently maintaining eye contact rather than rudely breaking it by glancing here and there.
[break][break]
While relaxing and seriously drumming her fingers against the table in a futile attempt of creating a beat and rhythm, Nathan pointed it out-- albeit in a snarky way. His words caused her eyes to widen slightly, and her cheeks to flush a faint pink in embarrassment. But it was soon replaced by her cheeks puffing out as though a hamster, and in a slightly childish way. Her eyebrows furrowed, she wasn't necessarily good when it came to creating music or anything pertaining to it-- even just a beat. No, she was not just not good, she was terrible at it. And she knew that completely. '' It might be easy for you, but not to me. I'm just not good when it comes to creating beat. Just that. I can sing well, you know. '' She may have been unnecessarily defensive, to the point of being suspicious, but she just had to put that point across.
[break][break]
It was true though, she was bad so she ceased from doing it mainly to prevent causing Nathan complete distress from the sheer destructiveness of her finger drumming. His chuckles made Caelumina felt more at ease; he was enjoying their conversation, perhaps as much as she was. It turned from a simple distraction from boredom to something that she was really invested in. And the fact that he was enjoying it meant something. His friendly quip made Caelumina release a chuckle of her own; touche, that. '' They won't. . ! They know they're delicious enough to destroy someone's self-control. '' She paused and mumbled the remainder of her statement. '' Everyone knows it's the food's fault. . . '' Despite her statements of denial, her lips curled back into their usual smile with a brighter glimmer this time, her eyes twinkled with the signs of enjoyment; she was having fun with their back-and-forth quips. An elbow moved to prop on top of the table while her cheek rested against her palm once again.
[break][break]
Black tresses interwove with her slender fingers, making them seem like the sea and the shore as the two met with every rolling wave. The dog tags no longer captured Caelumina's attention; like her, Nathan surely has his own share of secrets, and despite the fact that he may have been hiding it, she could discern that he felt a bit relieved with every moment that she refrained from questioning him with regards his past. From her social intuition, she believed that it'd be better for her to refrain from asking anything about Nathan, unless it is a light topic or he opens the topic himself. The latter of which might be completely rare, if not impossible, during their first meeting. But that was fine, Caelumina was intent on befriending the individual in front of her. Albeit judging from his previous demeanor, it might be harder than she expected. Regardless, the fact that Nathan mentioned that he was enjoying her company in a roundabout way (by complimenting her as a decent conversationalist) made her puff up in confidence slightly. Not too much that it was apparent, but enough that it could be discerned.
[break][break]
'' Unit one, huh? And you knew how things would go when you signed up? I wish that was the case with me too. . . '' Once again, her cheeks puffed slightly. The reason behind her words soon revealed itself when Nathan brought up the topic with regards the self-defense lessons. Like a balloon, she deflated with her lips parting to release the breath that she used to puff her cheeks with. Alongside the action, her upper body slumped on top of her part of the table in defeat. Memories of the self-defense lessons passed through her mind; it was grueling and very hard. It was no lie that Caelumina was bad when it came to physical battles and the self-defense lessons usually ended up with her being the last one to fully grasp the concepts behind the lessons. Still, that isn't to say that she failed in grasping self-defense, as she managed to pass and have enough prowess in the aforementioned area to be capable of fending off a single terror. Probably.
[break][break]
'' It was 'fun'. '' She placed a sardonic emphasis on the word 'fun' while lifting her head up to look at Nathan. Wow, Nathan had black streaks over his body-- not. Caelumina slid a hand to part the tresses that covered her vision before sitting up straightly once again. '' I'll get better at it someday. '' While her words sounded like the words of an avid procrastinator, Caelumina meant it when she uttered those words. Ever since she enrolled in the TRS Academy and graduated from it as a full-fledged scout, she continued with her training and she felt herself improving steadily albeit slowly. Simply because she was a human being without any special abilities did not mean that she planned on remaining as someone incapable of defeating terrors. The desire to do her best still dwell within her. '' Hmm. Say, '' She digressed slightly in hopes of deepening her 'connection' with Nathan. '' , do you mind if I ask for your number? ''
[break][break]
It was a casual statement meant to try and gain some means of contacting him. Regardless of his response, Caelumina wouldn't be too affected by it and simply digressed as fast as she did so. This time, however, she regarded the topic that she previously simply touched on. '' I think I'll grab some doughnuts either way. Do you want some? '' A smile crossed into her face as she offered Nathan the opportunity to taste the 'glorious' doughnuts that she praised not long ago. She was in the mood for some alongside another cup of coffee, and since she had some extra pocket money and nothing to spend on, she wasn't too adverse to spending more for a great snack.

[Nathan Beckard]

1,344 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

The formerly grueling conversation that initiated the idle seemed the gradually changed. What once was merely a nuisance began to possess a sense of charm to Nathan as he found himself enjoying the word exchange. There genuine gaiety in the entire interaction, which felt foreign, but pleasant to the vampire. Although, it would naturally have to end someday since allowing a friendship to grow was an act of idiocy in Nathan's eyes; especially in a world sorrowfully rich in loss. Those emotions of the world standing still followed by the feeling of a piece of like shattering as realization dawned that somebody would no longer be included in life. It grew into a painful sting, like a thorn piercing through the heart. Avoiding those types of feeling at all costs was a necessity, plain and simple. The pain of loss simply stung too much, it was unbearable and Nathan was certain he had to elude the very possibility of ever being launched into the emotional spiral.

That was when his thoughts began to focus on the current affairs of the conversation. Perhaps he was enjoying this too much considering the way this trivial conversing began to drag feelings of happiness that were oftentimes buried. The very manner they spoke suggested the possibility of friendship, considering the playful quips and now smoothed and comfortable reactions and responses. It shortly transformed into a mental battle as the vampire debated whether or not he should simply say goodbye and leave the table entirely. Yet, this joyful conversation held a gravitation as the thoughts of fun gave reason for wanting to remain a participant. A little indulgence in being social would not hurt, right? It was merely a task of keeping things masked, his past and the emotions memories roused.

Another chorus a chuckles escaped Nathan's mouth as he watched Caelumina's eyes widen, cheeks tinting a shade of pink. The laughter was quieter, until he watched the girl's cheeks puff up. The countenance of her face was simply too amusing to the green haired teen, thus, his yellow green eyes remained trained on her. There was one thing for certain, Nathan had no regrets criticizing her horrible finger drumming skills. If only he could stop laughing enough to fish his phone from his pocket and snap a picture, however, that could also anger Caelumina more. Gradually, the vampires laughter turned to a quiet snickering as he listened to the dark haired girl's defensive rebuke against his snide comment. When his company stated that she could sing, Nathan's face began to favour a lip tight smile. His posture was shifted again, propping his elbows onto the table, hands picking up the ceramic mug that still held his coffee.

"Oh really? Care to demonstrate sometime?" Nathan asked, an entertained glimmer in his eyes.

There was far too much enjoyment being placed into this conversation and the vampire was simply blinded by it. It was akin to a whirlpool that was bringing him deeper into the waters. Alas, participating was simpler now that green haired teen felt more relaxed with the interaction. A small sip was taken from the brown liquid, he merely preferred allowing the coffee to last longer, although, it was getting below half now. Hearing Caelumina's second blaming of the food, stating that the food itself knew it was delicious, therefore, making it the honey-glazed doughnut's fault. It sparked another round of laughter from Nathan, although, it was only slight. When they thought of the perfect argument against it, the vampires eyes seemed to light up.

"Buuuut the food doesn't have a choice, but to be delicious. The bakers force it upon them. How could you blame the poor helpless food?" Nathan said, adding in some sarcastic sorrow to his voice. Further emphasis given as the vampire pretended to wipe a non-existent tear from his eye.

Proceeding his "dramatic" display, another bout of snickers escaped Nathan as he attempted to remain quiet. When his eyes glanced at Caelumina, he found that she appeared to be enthralled in the trivial conversation as well. It was pleasant, to be participating in a conversation where the other person was equally enjoying themselves and not possessing that fearful looked due to the threats that would commonly roll off his tongue. A bright smile, a glimmer in the eyes, it was a spectacle to the green haired teen; completely and utterly bemusing due to lack of witnessing. Alas, it would never be enough to change the keep away method solely because spouting threats at those who attempted was near nature; with the exception of moments that gave him little choice or the times his subconscious nagged against it too heavily. This situation being the latter had slowly transformed into more. When the mention of his prior knowledge before joining the TRS hunting division, it possessed a somewhat questioning tone to it. The vampire's gaze drifted off, adverting it solely to possibly make his voice a little more incoherent at the moment.

"Yeah, someone taught me," he mumbled vaguely.

For a few moments, Nathan remained silent as he attempted to fend off the memories of his training. There was always the aspect of fun to it or cruelness should Donovan feel the need for vengeance over some stupid brotherly quarreling. It would mostly consisted of telling Nathan to run full speed at a wall and attempt stop before hitting it, he called it 'control training' while the younger vampire insisted it was punishment. Easy to say those were days filled with bruises. A glance was taken towards his company, Nathan shortly reverting back to the friendly attitude he managed through the interaction. Seeing her look defeated over the mentioning of self-defense training caused the green haired teen to begin chuckling again. Setting his mug down, Nathan straightened and merely allowed his hands to rest flat on the table's smooth surface. He listened as Caelumina made comments towards her self-defense training alongside stating that she would improve. A toothy smile crawled onto the vampire's face.

"It was really that bad, eh? Sounds like you could use a tutor or something," Nathan suggested.

The suggested was sound and sensible, he had Donovan as a tutor of sorts and now he was a horror on the battlefield, in more ways then one. Even the so-called 'control training' assisted him in some ways, although, admittedly Nathan did still have a horrible tendency of crashing into things. An expression of shock came across Nathan's face when the dark haired girl asked for his number. Nowadays, nobody asked unless they desired to block it to assure the sadistic hunter would never speak to them via phone connection. It was an oddity, another foreign concept entering the lonesome world he created. There was uncertainty, this could possibly mean friendship and Caelumina being a scout screamed danger. A silence came over the vampire for a few moments, a hesitation as his mind debated.

"Uh... are you sure you would want my number?" He replied, a slight tone of nervousness to his voice.

The awkwardness in his words suggested possible shyness, which was mildly embarrassing to the vampire. Nathan was by no means shy, yet, he was making himself out to be a flustered teen. Upon the mentioning of Caelumina heading up to get more doughnuts and a offer to fetch him something, Nathan shook his head.

"I'm fine. Plus, I think I would prefer having good self-control. I don't think a fat hunter would be overly useful, eh?" Nathan answered with a chuckle.

There was more to his reasoning to decline, which was that it always felt wrong to have other people purchase anything for him. Nathan had a well-paying hunter job and not to mention wealthy parents who cared little should he use some money to purchase something; perhaps as a meager way to make up for missing all the important things. Either way, it was easy to say that the hunter had a preference to not allowing others to use their hard earned cash on him, a spoiled rich kid.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

While Caelumina wasn't necessarily a loner and tended to be friendly and social enough to have a copious amount of individuals to converse with, she tended to keep them at an arm's length and hide away her emotions. Oft times, she'd enjoy her time with them, but there was always the looming thought of feeling some form of loneliness even amidst the companionship present with them. Yet this time around, she was completely enjoying the conversation, to the point that her thoughts strayed away from the usual lonely thoughts, that when she heads home, she'd be alone once again and by herself. That wasn't the case right now, and instead, she could only enjoy the friendly atmosphere and lighthearted tone around the two of them.
[break][break]
In fact, it has even reached the point that Caelumina's lying nature had receded to the point that her emotions were on her sleeve; her smile was genuine due to her intrigue in the conversation. Her eyes were devoid of their usual sad gloss, and instead, held the glimmer of ebullience. When her father died, a part of her died with him, and when her mother followed after him, so did another part of her. Yet those felt like the distant past at the present time, truly it was a welcome reprieve from the assailing loneliness that'd tide her over in no time were she allowed to think silently by her lonesome. It was why, despite her fear of loss, she surrounded herself with her friends-- as she was simply reminded of her accumulated losses with each time she remained by her lonesome.
[break][break]
Regardless, she remained at ease with her lips curled in a bright smile. Nathan's statement about a demonstration of her singing 'prowess' caused Caelumina to release a meeping sound followed by a hand shifting to hide her face behind her scarf. Her eyes shifted away in an effort of trying to digress the topic, but she decided to reply to it anyway. '' Well. A demonstration would be. . . '' She mumbled the latter portion. '' . . .bad. '' Her bravado about her singing voice melted away, she wasn't a great singer-- if even average. She was terrible due to how bad she was when it came to discerning tune, melody and rhythm. But it served as a great way of passing on turns during karaoke hangouts.
[break][break]
Following her response, Nathan brought up the topic that it wasn't the doughnut's fault that it was so scrumptious and tasty. His rebuttal was sound, to the point that Caelumina had no choice but to relent on her insistence that it was the doughnut's fault. Was it really her lack of self-control that resulted in her gobbling them up with every visit she paid to the cafe? Thoughts rolled through her mind, a funny subject to try and deny, but that was all thanks to the lighthearted tone of the conversation at hand. '' Oh! '' An idea crossed into her mind, and as though a lightbulb lit up, her eyes widened and she stood up straight. A victorious smile crossed into her face, a nearly innocently childish expression taking over her countenance. '' Then it's the baker's fault. '' Even now, she refused to relent and allow her hunger to be the root cause of it all.
[break][break]
His vague mumbling clued Caelumina in that the informant that provided him information seemed to be a heavy topic. Conjectures were easy to formulate, but out of the fact that she believed Nathan had already seen too much and experienced too much, she respected his memories and experiences and refrained from formulating any conjectures. A rather sentimental and emotional action from her, albeit internally it may be, but that was how she was. Instead of addressing his mumbling, she regarded his statement about needing a tutor. That felt like a slight blow to her pride, but she knew that being prideful about things that she knew she was inadequate in would just result in dire consequences in the future. More so in her line of work. That gave her an idea that killed two birds with one stone; they could further their friendship and help one another out.
[break][break]
'' Yeah, I think so too. Maybe you could tutor me and help me? '' Her head tilted slightly at her request with her obsidian tresses following the movement of her head; it caused her locks to caress the contours of her face momentarily. '' That's only if you're up to it though, and whenever you're free. '' She didn't want to impose too much and take up too much of his time. If there was anything that she didn't want to do, it was to depend too much on an individual that she just met, as much as she wanted to befriend him further and escalate their current bond from mere acquaintances to actual friends. Not to mention, judging from her assumed social cues, he seemed to be indirectly offering his assistance, albeit it might be a different case with Nathan. Caelumina wasn't sure, hence her questioning tone rather than an outright statement.
[break][break]
All of a sudden, Nathan seemed to have turned bashful despite the casual tone in her asking for his number. Question marks appeared within Caelumina's mind; what was the reason behind it? Perhaps he wasn't used to being asked for his number by a girl with how the cliches often end up with the male asking for the female's number? Surely not. She shrugged her shoulders mentally and simply replied. '' Sure. I don't see why not. It'd help a lot too. '' A hand slid inside her pocket to pull out a nearly diminutive phone from within. The phone was protected by a pink casing, and had rabbit-esque ornaments dangling from one end of it. She tapped the phone's screen a few times and typed her number on it before placing it in the middle of their table for Nathan to see. '' Here's my number. ''
[break][break]
Caelumina remained calm in her offering of her number, a sign that she was rather used to giving it out perhaps. She wasn't necessarily the type to refrain from giving it to people that she knew wasn't a simple skirt-chaser, and judging from Nathan's attitude, he was anything but. She believed that she could find a friend in him, and the other way around. His next words were with regards the offer for doughnuts, his jesting words and chuckle caused her cheeks to puff again. A chubby hunter would be slightly funny and cute to see, and her thoughts didn't help her at all with how she envisioned a chibi hunter swinging from tree to tree before stabbing a terror with a sword. It caused her pouting lips to spread in an amused smile, followed by a faint giggle parting her lips. '' Wouldn't that be cute though? ''
[break][break]
She paused at her remark, then envisioned herself becoming chubbier. That'd be a bit bad for her, more so due to her occupation as a scout. '' I don't think I'll become chubby myself though. '' She tilted her head in idle thought while an index finger tapped her chin and her brows furrowed in contemplation. '' My daily training ensures that I burn off any excess calories and maintain a fit body. '' Then she paused. '' I. . .I think anyway. '' Finally, she relented and decided to refrain from getting more doughnuts and a new cup of coffee. For now. '' I think I'm good with one doughnut, yeah. . .aha. '' A nervous chuckle escaped from her lips.
[break][break]
'' That reminds me, Nathan, '' A nearly unnoticeable pause dotted her statement after she stated his name, it rolled off her tongue rather smoothly. '' , I've been meaning to ask but. . .are you certain that wearing sweatpants with a camouflage jacket is a nice fashion thought? '' She was genuinely curious, and she found the current ambiance in their conversation comfortable and friendly enough to ask. If it was his fashion sense, who was she to judge? But to her, it felt a bit funny and perhaps clumsily cute. Who knows?

[Nathan Beckard]

1,532 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

There was genuine emotion in Nathan's smile as he eased back in the wooden chair, returning into the crossed arm position he found preferable. The smile lacked the usual attempt to display the fangs, which had somewhat retracted to bring comfort to the vampire's lower lip. They did tend to prod at his lower lip whenever the green haired man spoke. Although he would deny it, Nathan felt invested in the conversation he was having with Caelumina. A feeling of joy came with conversing, making it feel as though the male teen had gotten dragged out of the shadows of his mind for a few moments. Away from the sorrows and the bitterness that had long tainted the positives what friendly exchanges once possessed.

It was charming, and Nathan wanted to maintain the emotions that flowed through him while he sat in a moment of bliss. For the usually sadistic hunter, it was odd to be conversing with another person for a long period of time; usually he scared them off by now. Yet, the green eyed teen lacked the intent to scare her off, or at least for the moment. In a way, Nathan was indulging his sociable side with trivial discussion, which was a rarity. Little thought was given towards the notion of loss's harsh stings of pain, resulting with the concept being pushed away. Certainly a small amount of social self-indulgence was not a sin? The laughter started again while Nathan watched the dark haired girl hide behind her scarf, her gaze looking away from him. Clearly her singing was not as good as she stated it to be. A playful smirk came across the vampire's mouth, an amused look caught in his eyes. He wagged his finger, giving another little chuckle.

"Tisk, tisk, Cae. It's not nice to lie," Nathan teased.

The vampire was still snickering after his teasing despite it being from bursting Caelumina's bubble about her horrible beat keeping. Although, Nathan himself was a horrible singer, or at least in his opinion, thus resulting in him merely mumbling lyrics so the words were incomprehensible so nobody had difficulty commenting should they walk in during those moments. However, his company did not need to be aware of his horrendous vocal skills; especially since it personally embarrassed him when people heard his singing. He simply lacked the voice to make the songs sound proper and excellent when he sang them. Avoiding singing in front of another individual was the best solution, however, that was not overly difficult given the fact the vampire pushed people away. Which, he supposed, was useful for making certain nobody heard his dreadful singing voice.

Patiently, the vampire waited for a response on where Caelumina could possibly place the blame. Honestly, Nathan thought he was victorious and it was even portrayed on the grin that played across his lips. An entertained glint remained in his yellow-green eyes, containing the slightest hints of certainty. He leaned back towards the table, propping on elbow and allowing his head to rest in it; although, part of him wanted to change position when he smelt the sunscreen. The fingers of his free hand curled around the ceramic handle of the brown mug, his index finger gently tapping the cooled surface. That was when an 'oh' entered the air, followed up by an excellent rebuttal which caused Nathan's eyes to widen and the victorious smile to be wiped from his face. His company was definitely clever in this game of quips. A few moments passed as the vampire's face turned to thought, trying to delve into how to respond, however, all led to something that allowed Caelumina to lay the blame of somebody else. Thus, the vampire decided to attempt a different approach, the smile reappearing.

A dramatic gasp escaped his mouth, possessing an obvious lack of realism. "You dare blame the innocent, hard-working people of Lorsette?" Nathan stated, placing a sarcastic amount of sorrow into his words. "They worked hard to provide you with something you would enjoy, and you repay them by blaming them."

Shortly, the vampire's dramatic display was followed up by a long series of chuckling. The way the words escaped his own mouth humored him, thus Nathan could not help, but to burst into a small laughing fit. For a few seconds he tried to suppress it, but only achieved failure as his laughing outbreak got a little louder. Nathan was clueless to why his snickering turned rather loud, but presumed it was because he was genuinely enjoying the conversation. Speaking with Caelumina was easy especially did not nose around in his business or ask him accent questions involving his painful past. In fact, she seemed to cued in and was able to notice when a topic was not up for discussion, which made the conversation more pleasant. The conversation reached the concept of tutoring, where in a way Nathan had offered, although not intentionally. Upon the mentioning of him being a tutor, Nathan's face held the countenance of bewilderment. He felt uncertain, both over accepting the task and over the fact that he was being asked to tutor somebody.

"Me?" Nathan began quietly, hesitating as he thought a bit. "I... guess I could. I don't do much else other than hunt and train."

There was mild embarrassment in basically admitting that his hobbies only really consisted of hunting. A majority of people did plenty more, meanwhile, Nathan almost always found himself hunting or training with the exception of the few occasions he took walks, played some video games or watched TV to pass the time. It was a rather saddening thought; his parents were wealthy and he could do plenty and yet his day consisted of some casual tasks after hunting and training. That was when the conversation progressed into the phone number situation, which held more now. Having Caelumina's number would make it easier to plan tutoring days. Silently, the vampire watched as the pink phone was brought out with rabbit decorations, which gave him something to comment on.

"Can I just point out, I find it kind of funny that you are a scout and you have rabbit decorations on your phone," Nathan stated with a chuckle.

Although it was not overly funny, Nathan still found himself releasing a slight chuckle. A few moments later, his hand fished into his pocket to grab his phone which had a plain red case. His attention returned to Caelumina when she placed her phone on the center of the table, the screen displaying her phone number. The vampire unlocked his phone, going through the usual means of entering a phone number. Once finished, he sent a message to Caelumina's number, a simple 'hi' to complete the number trade before returning it to his pocket. When his yellow-green eyes spared a glance at the dark haired girl, he found her rather calm about the exchange, suggesting that she was, by all definitions, more sociable than him. That was when her cheeks puffed out again, causing Nathan to be sent into another snickering fit. Although, it was not due to any hilarious thoughts of chubby hunters fighting terrors. Upon the mentioning of it being cute, Nathan crooked his head to the side and shrugged.

"If ya say so," he said simply.

When she began speaking about her training, the vampire listened intently to assure he would receive a vague idea about her training regiment. If he was going to tutor her, he needed to know what exactly he was getting into. It was pleasant to hear that it allowed her to maintain a fit body, it likely meant Nathan would not have to work to hard making her body stronger should it be required. When she mentioned not heading to the counter to get another doughnut, Nathan gave her a small clap.

"Good job, you're learning self-control," he joked. It was followed by a chuckle. "Maybe you won't have to blame doughnuts or bakers."

The topic of his meager fashion choices was brought up, causing Nathan to look at his poor excuse for an outfit. Alas, instead of acting self-conscious or flustered, Nathan simply began to laugh. He never truly cared much for appearances, thus the concept of doing a horrible enough job to result in being informed made him laugh.

"Cae, the one thing you should learn about me, is that I wake up at noon half the time and throw on the first thing I find that's clean," Nathan responded with a chuckle. "I don't really care much for clothes most the time."

There were natural, those few moments when it was a requirement to appear pleasant. Most of those occasions involved the parties his parents would have at the house where he would be forced into some uncomfortable fashion piece to be taken downstairs for merely a minute or two before retreating to his room. As he began to dislike his parents, Nathan always attempted to disturb them with his horrible fashion choices; or any choices in general. The more they hated it, the more the vampire enjoyed it since it became a game of boundary pushing and revenge over years of neglect.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

What a comfortable and pleasant meeting.~[break]

His chuckle and finger wag were preceded by a laughter, which piqued Caelumina's desire to get back at him. With her eyes burning with resolve (more like interest in the subject, actually), she decided to turn the focus of the singing topic from herself and to Nathan. Surely from his comments, he'd be a great singer, right? Well. Regardless of his answer, she was sure that it'd be a great thing to hear; after all, were she to find out that he too was by no means a marvelous singer, then she'd invite him to hangout in karaokes sometimes. Maybe they'd get to laugh at one another's voice. But were he to say that he was great at it, then, well. . .welp. '' Well, what about you then, Nathan? Are you a good singer? '' There was a certain intensity in her words, she wasn't going to let him weasel his way out of her question or divert her focus through another topic. Proven further by the fact that she leaned forward slightly, furrowed her brows and stared at him directly in the eye. There was no escaping from her questioning about his voice!
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Sure, her voice wasn't necessarily great and it was bad. And she sucked at following the tone, rhythm, beat and melody of just about everything but that did not mean that she had no hope for improvement. Right? Well, Caelumina's own understanding of herself had her knowledgeable of the fact that she could perhaps never be great at singing, as her singing tended to cause an awkward silence to fill the air whenever she does so, which happened far more often than she'd like. Despite its frequency, she could never brush off the pain of hearing the awkward laughter and claps of her friends before they'd pass the mic to another individual. Those scenes, in particular, caused her to puff her cheeks slightly once again. Was he a comrade in this aspect too? Or perhaps he was an enviously great singer.
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Regardless of his answer, Caelumina relented in her intense staring after a good chunk of time passed. She relaxed and placed her arms on top of the table with her fingers tapping her sleeve-covered forearm. No, she wasn't trying to make a beat, she knew better than to continue making the obnoxious rhythm that she clearly was bad at. Nathan's next quip, however, captured her off-guard. W-what? Was she actually blaming the innocent yet hardworking people of the Lorsette. The lighthearted tone made Caelumina's reaction lighthearted as well, she played along with it by taking the role of the guilty criminal. Wide eyes filled with mock shock and parted lips that failed to even sputter incoherent syllables functioned as her facial expression, then she completed it with the stereotypical regretful motion of taking hold of her hair with her hands and looking down. '' W-what have I done?! '' It was time for her to relent. She accepted her 'crimes', her 'sinful deeds'. With a feigned downcast look, she admitted one thing: '' F-fine. . .it's my own lack of self-control. I mean, it's just so good. S-so what. . ?! ''
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Devoid of any diatribes, Caelumina went to the perfect backup plan. Fierce acceptance. Were there a bowl of doughnuts in front of her right now, she'd be shoving doughnut after doughnut into her mouth, so she was thankful that she actually didn't go through her actions of purchasing more doughnuts. While a doughnut or three could be acceptable for her, a great amount of doughnuts would actually be something that she'd fear later on. She wasn't as conscious about it as other females, but she'd rather not be a humongous Scout. That'd be hard on her job, she won't be capable of running lightly should she end up engorging too much on sweets. Nathan's reaction to her request of him tutoring her caused Caelumina to blink a couple of times. He seemed slightly uncertain, so she remained silent until he finished saying what he had to say.
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The fact that he mentioned that he didn't do much but train and hunt made Caelumina nod a couple of times. No longer was that going to be the case, as she had intruded into his life. Now her goal was to make him a social butterfly. Probably. Either way, she planned on hanging out with him and, at the very least, helping him with staving off his boredom should it accumulate every now and then. After all, she enjoyed hanging out with him so future interactions held a lot of promise for the two of them.'' That's great. Maybe after our first training session, we can hang out and head to the nearest karaoke. '' She grinned. Mischievously.'' I want to hear your singing voice after all, and I'll let you hear the melody that can terrify the terrors! '' Was that a thing that she should be proud of? Surely not, but Caelumina was proud of her bad voice either way. Probably.
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'' Hey, it's cute, '' Caelumina defensively took her phone and embraced it to her chest as though preciously holding the rabbit accessory dear. She even smiled before continuing with her statement, making her next words all the more 'vibrant' per se. '' I still like cute things, you know? I saw it while headed home one day and I immediately went: 'I have to buy it. No matter what.'. '' She paused having seen Nathan's simple and ordinary (see: bland) phone. It was just red. Just that. No accessories. Nothing that made it look great. A hum escaped from Caelumina's lips, she still remembered the shop where she purchased the strap accessory so perhaps she could purchase another for her newfound friend? That'd be a great opener for when they next meet, so she committed it to her mind. She refrained from stating it though, it felt like it'd be a great surprise for him.
[break][break]
The message that he sent to her phone caused it to vibrate and release a plain jingling sound. In no time at all, she opened her inbox and registered the sender's number on her contacts with the name: Nathan. Simple and concise, just like his message. Speaking of his message, Caelumina tilted her head and stared at her phone's screen for a long time. It really felt lazily written, if she'd say so herself, so despite the fact that the male sat across of her-- she typed her own 'lazy' response to say the least. 'boop.' was sent to him almost too swiftly, as though the thought of sending the message had come to her even before she received Nathan's message. Following her lackadaisical message, she slid her phone back into her pocket and placed her arms on top of the table once more with her focus intently on the male.
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His noncommittal response to her statement about a chubby hunter being cute made her tilt her head as well, with her obsidian-hued tresses sliding towards one side once again. An eyebrow lifted up slightly; was his imagination different from hers? She could already see how cute a chubby hunter would be. But that might be just her flowery imagination at the time, she knew that something like that would be disadvantageous to the person as they needed to move fast and lightly on their feet. While entertaining her thoughts, Caelumina was forcefully snapped out of her reverie by Nathan's joke. It was a direct hit! '' H-hey! '' She puffed her cheeks once again, like a hamster defensive of its hoarded food. '' I-I'm not blaming the snacks anymore, '' Just then, the perfect retort came to her in a flash of insight. '' , besides, you'll know what I mean if you taste it yourself. The snacks here are really good. ''
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'' N-noon?! '' As though thoroughly flabbergasted by the fact that Nathan woke up at noon, Caelumina half-stood up from her position with her eyes wide. It caused the nearby patrons to look at her due to her abrupt 'shout', which prompted her to flush slightly and mumble a series of apologies. Following her outburst, she sat back up and cleared her throat. '' But what about the chores? And fixing the bed, as well as the other morning-related stuff. And the breakfast too. '' Living by herself made Caelumina fear the thought of waking up at noon, as it'd mean that chores would pile up and that she'd spend a longer time doing them. Her surprise probably made her question too much, so she swiftly aimed to rectify her words by digressing, or rather, returning to the topic of his clothing.
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'' Hmm. I suppose sweatpants are comfortable. I mostly just wear whatever strikes my fancy, '' She paused then puffed her chest up in slight pride. '' , I can be pretty fashionable sometimes too. Probably. '' It was a hit-or-miss with Caelumina when it came to her fashion sense, sadly. After all, she tended to keep her scarf on most of the time. Sometimes, she'd even keep it on even when wearing formal attire, which often made her stick out like a sore thumb. '' But well, I suppose the most important thing is comfort. '' She nodded her head alongside her words before resting against the backrest of her chair. There was one other thing that Caelumina refrained from addressing vocally. It was the name that referred her with; a part of her had expected the male to make use of the more formal way of saying her name at first due to her first impressions of him thus when she heard him say 'Cae' for the first time, she found herself smiling brighter and bigger.


[break]
Nathan Beckard

[Nathan Beckard]

1,768 words

@shelpies

BY MINNIE OF GS

Mostly it is loss that teaches us,

The friendly bantering was enjoyable, bringing the realistic smiles out of Nathan as he sat across from the dark haired girl. It was delightful and sparked feelings that had remained hidden upon the death of his precious brother. Laughter seemed to spill out frequently, which was something the vampire had long missed the feeling of. Despite several other tables being newly opened, the green haired teen found himself lingering around the table that Caelumina occupied. Although, his cynical thoughts could not help, but wonder if he was merely a stave for boredom and nothing more. That despite the expressions of joy written across Caelumina's face she was motivated by her own interests. There was some usefulness in befriending him, like his battle capabilities and the fact that he could further her knowledge in combat.

The thoughts made Nathan feel guilty for thinking horrible things about this girl who had treated him with kindness and entertained with witticism. Alas, the male teen simply could not dismiss the concept bringing a glint of guilt into his yellow-green eyes which resulted in the dropping of eye contact. He wanted to avoid being questioned about it, if that was possible, which gave him reason to maintain a friendly grin on his lips. The pang of guilt was unable to dent the grin, being pushed away from reaching anywhere other than the eyes. When Caelumina inquired about his own singing capabilities with an intensity to her voice. A single glance up caused him to notice she leaned closer, clearly she had no intent of allowing him to brush off the question. The slightest hints of red touched his cheeks, Nathan had always been particularly embarrassed about his singing voice; the fact his brother had mocked him for how terrible it was only contributed to his embarrassment. When it came to singing his brother had always stated that he sounded like a dying whale.

"I... uh..." He crossed his arms, glancing away from Caelumina. After a few moments he relented the truth. "Okay, fine, I can't sing either. You happy?"

There was thorough belief that there was no possibility that Nathan's voice could ever improve. No practice had been taken to remedy the horrible singing situation either. Donovan had also made it difficult to ameliorate his voice since the moment his brother noticed the green hair teen singing, a flow of mockery would be launched his way. Gradually, the concept of shying away entirely from singing was the only method to end the constant embarrassment, which brought forth the beginning of his lyric mumbling; nobody could mock him if they were clueless to what he was singing. Trying to undo the mumbling appeared to be an impossibility, it only reminded him of the various other voice comparisons his brother had made. In response to the thoughts, Nathan's cheeks flushed a little redder in embarrassment. Revealing the sound of his horrendous voice was something the green haired teen never desired to happen. For the time being, the vampire stared into the depths of his cup while he waited for the red tint to fade away.

When Caelumina reacted to his statement of blaming the hard working people of Lorsette, Nathan began chuckling again. Clearly, she had not expected the response. Watching her play the role of the guilty criminal caused him to snicker more as she shifted into the stereotypical expression and position, hands holding her hair and eyes downcast. Shortly, she began accepting the blame which caused a triumphant smirk to appear on Nathan's face. With the guilty glint banished, the green haired teen looked back towards the dark haired girl with amusement playing across his countenance.

"Well, somebody needs to learn to control herself or else she will get sick from eating too many honey-glazed doughnuts once day," Nathan stated with a chuckle. The male teen continued poking, he simply enjoyed teasing too much. "Let me guess, you are really tempted to go back to the counter and get another one, aren't you?"

Some emphasis was placed in his words, an attempt to continue teasing her. The vampire enjoyed watching people react to his poking, it entertained him, however, this dark haired girl made it more enjoyable by firing quips back at him whenever the opportunity revealed itself. Most would have probably wrote him off as a mean bully then leave to avoid further teasing; they were likely the more sensitive people. When it came to Nathan, his self-control was perhaps decent at best since like all individuals he had his moments. Although, those oftentimes involved something related with the pastries that possessed those hints of blood. Thankfully, Nathan could defend his own addiction to the pastries since he was a vampire and needed to use his abilities. It was more or less an excuse that held hints of proper reasoning to it. Naturally, the vampire had no plans to inform Caelumina of his own lacking in self-control in certain topics.

The mentioning of hanging out after their first training session caused Nathan to stare into his coffee again, his mouth wearing a frown. Karaoke seemed like an enjoyable idea, but the vampire had two reasons for not desiring to accompany Caelumina to this karaoke night. First, his singing voice was likely deadly and his brother probably just grew immunity to it over time, end of discussion there. The second being his severe dislike of getting close to people, this was perhaps already developing to far. Due to his subconscious he had treated her kindly, which was starting to become something the vampire regretted. He had opened the door a bit and that door was supposed to be locked, bolted and barred shut for all eternity. Alas, he needed to find a more suitable time to push her away, perhaps after she improved in combat. The least he could do was provide some lessons in order to make it less likely for a terror to destroy her in a combat scenario.

"Uhh... no thanks. I'm not one for that kind of stuff," Nathan began. An awkward laugh proceeded as he avoided eye contact. "Besides, I have a voice that is probably deadly and I would prefer not to be taken to jail for mass singing murder."

There was a flinch in response to the awkwardness in his voice, there was really no proper way to explain 'I would probably wave a knife around at your friends cause I pretend to be a sadist since I hate getting close to people,' without sounding like a complete monster or having the dramatic retelling of his past. It gave Nathan a reason to leave the sentence as it was and perhaps allow her to believe it was merely shyness keeping him from accepting the offer instead of the grim reality. The defensive taken towards his comment of her phone made Nathan laugh, he merely found the coincidence uncanny. A scout, who conveniently has to run swift, having charms of a fast animal on their phone. Perhaps not the most humorous display, but it had caused the vampire to chuckle slightly.

"I just thought it was a little funny that your a scout and you have rabbit charms," Nathan said with a smile. Then he continued with another quick quip. "Oh? 'I have to buy it. No matter what' you say? I hate to break it to you Cae, but it sounds like your lack of self-control broke out again."

Nathan leaned back in his seat, checking his phone when it the screen flickered on and displayed the message (he preferred his phone to be silent). A simplistic message, likely a mere test to make certain they were connected. There were several other messages, consisting of his parents demanding his location. The vampire had honestly forgot they were home. Instead of messaging a quick location, the green haired teen ignored the messages and shoved the phone back into his pocket; they could yell at him later. The response to his bit of teasing over blaming the doughnuts and bakers caused Nathan to start laughing again, his gaze returning to Caelumina. Her cheeks were puffed up again, and despite the numerous times it occurred, Nathan still found it funny. Perhaps he should have kept his phone out, then the vampire could have had a picture. When the dark haired girl complimented the snacks, Nathan offered her a shrug before sipping the remainder of his coffee.

"Maybe someday I will risk my own self-control for one," Nathan chuckled.

The expression that crossed Caelumina's face upon the mentioning of him waking up at noon made him chuckle. Servants allowed him not to possess the average teenager worries like chores which resulted in days spent asleep for long hours. A few moments after her outburst, he noticed people staring, causing the vampire to feel slightly uncomfortable. Eventually, people looked away and continued their own trivial conversations. A few moments were taken to allow Caelumina to finish talking about chores before he shrugged again. A slight hint of joy was wiped from his face, the sentence involved talking about his parents.

"My parents are wealthy people, so the servants around the house worry about that kind of stuff. Gives me plenty of time to sleep in for a long time, unless I have to hunt in the morning," Nathan explained.

His voice lacked luster despite how incredibly lucky he was to be growing up in a life of lavish. The vampire simply could not muster the enthusiasm since the thought was accompanied by the fact his parents were never around. How could he be pleased by something that took the one thing he had desired most as a child? All Nathan had wanted was for his parents to be around for the holidays, his birthday or attend a sport game at least once, but they could not even accomplish that. When the conversation transitioned back to fashion, the green haired teen appeared more comfortable. As she mentioned being comfortable, Nathan nodded in agreement at the notion.

"Of course, if you're not comfortable it just makes moving around awkward," Nathan responded.

When it came to formal wear, Nathan had always noticed how much the clothing restricted his movements. The restriction annoyed him, only causing him to wonder how annoying it would be to fight a terror in the clothing. For a moment, the vampires yellow-green eyes glanced up to find Caelumina smiling at him and soon found himself smiling back. Something was telling him that pushing the dark haired girl away was going to be a more difficult task than he originally thought.

- - about the worth of things.

[Deleted]

[nospaces]

The glint of guilt was not ignored by Caelumina, her observant eyes witnessed its manifestation into the hues of his irises-- and it was further emphasized by the aversion of his eyes that he executed. Concern momentarily crossed into her heart, plaguing her with thoughts as to what she may have done to facilitate such negative emotions within Nathan. Yet the thought was discarded the very moment the male decided to respond to her question with regards his singing talent. Perhaps that was the reason that he felt guilt? Because he teased her for her lack of singing talent? Somehow or the other, Caelumina could not believe even her own assumptions or thoughts, so she simply chose to disregard the thought and instead decided to place a hand in front of her lips-- as though hiding a smile of sorts. It was all meant to poke at Nathan in a friendly way, but then a thought crossed into her mind.
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'' Hey, then maybe we could continue with that karaoke outing. Although it'd just be the two of us so no one can complain about our voices. '' A chuckle escaped from her lips after her joke, the thought of two terrible singing voices producing a cacophonous noise in an attempt to create some form of music seemed to be so amusing and entertaining to her. Albeit there was one thing that popped up in her mind at her offer; doesn't that seem like she was asking him out on a date? Awkwardly, she averted her gaze and tapped an index finger on top of the table whilst a faint blush dusted her cheeks. Now she felt awkward and embarrassed, as though she made things worse. Following a deep breath, however, the thought was once again discarded from her mind. Surely she was the only one assuming that, right?
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She chose to believe that, lest she loses her cohesion in the conversation. His chuckle towards her admission of 'guilt', per se, as well as his statements caused Caelumina to slightly puff her cheeks in response. She had already played the role of a guilty criminal, however, so acting huffy and defiant once again would just make her seem like a sore loser. '' I just can't help it sometimes. . . '' A mumble of a response escaped from her lips before she rested against her chair and glanced at the direction of the counter-- control, Caelumina, control. Lest she'd be proving him right. A form of defiant nature momentarily formed within her, mainly as a result of their friendly quips that have been completely causing the smile on her face to steadily grow far more ebullient than the usual.
[break][break]

All of her composure, however, was shattered the very moment Nathan pointed out the fact that she was really tempted to grab one. That caused a bright red color to coat her entire visage-- ears included. In hopes of hiding away her flustered and flabbergasted expression, her hands shot towards her red scarf to veil her surprise behind the cloth. It took her a couple of moments to regain her composure, and upon doing so, her arms folded in front of her torso and her gaze averted from his direction. '' Not at all. '' For some reason, she didn't sound as convincing to even herself as she thought she would. It eked out a faint puff of breath from her, an 'indignant' one that easily revealed the fact that she was actually figured out with regards the topic really easily.
[break][break]
However, his answer with regards her previous offer caused Caelumina's head to tilt slightly. He seemed to be acting awkward, and perhaps he was misunderstanding her offer? A hum escaped from her lips, she seemed to be insistent on this one-- mainly since she believed it'd be a great time between the two of them. That was when it hit her; he mentioned there being a mass singing murder, so perhaps he was under the assumption that she'd be inviting some of her friends? A smile crossed into her visage whilst her elbows propped on top of the table once more; in an attempt to try and clear the misunderstanding up and insist on her offer, Caelumina uttered her response in a slightly challenging way. '' Mass singing murder? Well, it'd just be a duel between you and me, Nathan! Or. . . '' She puffed her chest up smugly, complete with an equally smug smile. '' Perhaps you think my singing voice will end up sounding great after all? ''
[break][break]
Fat chance, even Caelumina knew how bad her voice sounded when it came to singing. Oft times, she'd even cause her echoes within the shower room to sound so terrifying that she'd always feel the temperature of the water go down by several degrees. In Celsius. Meanwhile, his mention of the fact that he found it funny that a scout had a rabbit accessory caused her to hum in contemplation; how will he view a Hunter with a rabbit accessory? A part of Caelumina started to think as to what color would suit Nathan's rather bland and lackadaisical phone. She decided to opt with a black bunny, the one with the eye patch and a tongue poking out in a smug look. That seemed like it'd fit Nathan, and it caused a chuckle to escape from her lips randomly-- naturally, she did not try to play her chuckle off, as that'd seem far more awkward.
[break][break]
'' L-lack of self-control, you say? Well. . .who can have self-control when it comes to cute things? '' This time, Caelumina unexpectedly did not deny the fact that she lacked self-control with regards cuteness. That was true, and she accepted that fact. Cute things tended to be swiftly bought by the female, most of the time leading to her half-regretting the choice due to the lightening of her wallet soon after. But most of the time, the regret tended to disappear whenever she held the cute thing close, so she easily abandoned all concept of self-control with regards such things. '' You really should. Maybe next time? '' functioned as Caelumina's response to Nathan's mention of potentially risking his self-control for the doughnuts. It was something that she highly recommended after all, and she even reiterated the fact with an index finger pointing up, like a die-hard fan insisting on a fact. '' They are really great. Perfect alongside a cup of coffee. I think you'll like them, Nathan. ''
[break][break]
Following her insistence and recommendation, Caelumina offered a soft smile towards his direction. Then came his statement of the fact that he seldom performed house chores due to his wealthy parents. Most of the time, people'd talk about their parents with a tone befitting of their relationship with them. Those in great terms with their parents tended to praise them highly and talk with a higher and more chipper voice, yet Nathan addressed the topic and regarded them with an almost too bland of a tone. That clued Caelumina in to -not- talk about them at all, unless the male decides to open up first. As for her? Well, in the impossible situation where she'd talk about her parents, it was highly likely that she'd talk with a downcast voice and depressed smile. The thought caused her to close her eyes momentarily to block the emotions out from revealing themselves on her eyes.
[break][break]
'' I agree with that wholeheartedly. But sometimes, I have to put on fashionable clothes. '' Caelumina seemed oddly proud of the fact. Well, she remained to be a female with a healthy interest in looking great after all. '' -- But if I could, I'd lounge around and go to places on just my pajamas. They're comfortable and relaxing to be in. '' Albeit she'd rather be comfortable, so she tacked those words on before bringing up another topic. '' By that way, do you like the color black? Or green? '' At first, it'd seem like a random and spontaneous question, but Caelumina was actually thinking about her gift for their next meeting. It'd be bad to give him something that he didn't like the color of, after all.


[break]

Nathan Beckard

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