Who: Dante and Hayate
When: Late night
Where: The Wine Bar
What: A not so usual encounter

The cold shadows of the night were the places that Dante normally roamed. They were his own haven, his home away from home, whenever he needed to stalk his prey. He could function in the daylight - he could seem perfectly normal in the light of day. But looks, as the saying went, could be deceiving, and deception was the name of Dante's game. He played the roles that other people wanted to see in order to ensure his survival. He was an expert at hiding in plain sight; after all, who suspected the man who acted like he had nothing to hide?

Dante found himself 'hiding' at the Wine Bar once more, sipping on ale and eying the women in the bar. Eliza was missing, and her absence reminded him of the times they spent together indulging in their carnal desires. Despite the fact that it was the day after the full moon, and Dante normally found himself calm after its wake, he was unusually jittery. The voice in his head hadn't stopped whispering to him, playing upon the urges that could no longer remain dormant. They needed to be released, and though he had done plenty of hunting the night before, his claws and fangs still thirsted for blood.

He dismissed the impulses for now, submitting to the ache in his bones and muscles that told him he still needed rest. Lycanthropic healing did little for the nights where he was especially rough. He had slept from the moment he returned to his cottage that morning, until the very late evening. It didn't do a damn thing for him. He still hurt, and he was still tired. So why was he even out at the Wine Bar when he should have been at home resting? It was the voice from the dark abyss of his soul that aggravated the itch to do more than just lie around.

The lycanthrope nursed his ale, and ordered a double shot of whiskey to wash it down. The woman sitting at the bar next to Dante kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. Even if he was half-way to being drunk he could still tell when a woman was giving him a once-over. He smiled at her, "You keep staring at me, and you'll burn a hole in my head." The woman giggled, and turned in her seat to face him. Maybe the night wouldn't be a waste if he could go home with this girl and get lucky.

WHO: Hayate and OPEN
WHEN: Late Night
WHERE: The Northern Forest, above Van'taurë Lake.
WHAT: While the wolves hunt, so does the vampire.

As a shimmering, brightly laced silver moon hung in the velvety gray blanket of the night sky, filtering down through the leaves in streams of evanescent light, the silhouette of a unseen figure roamed through the overgrown forest. Out to get his as much as any other hunter at this hour, the prowling beast turned his shining eyes into the darkness and searched for signs of movement past the tangled limbs before his eyes. The soft, whispering rustles of the forest spoke to him, enlightening him of his nature and how it akin to that of the forest dwellers. You are home here, they told him, welcoming him into their fold to hunt and take life as the rest of those predators in the deep jungle beside the mountains. He was never unwelcome in this place, a feeling most accepted by the vampire. Here, he was free.

He was most himself, a sinewy hunter amidst a vast world without the rules and regulations of the human world. Sometimes, he thought, this haven was not so bad after all. It provided him with everything he needed without depriving him of his innermost desires. Everything had a price, of course, and Hayate paid his in the form of constant lies to preserve his place in this haven. An upstanding citizen capable of such horrendous things, he walked freely amongst the people with no sign giving away his true danger to them. Some people may not have liked him, but it was not enough to put a mark against him. Plenty of people disliked each other, and if that was a viable feeling to go by, there would be witch hunts amongst the citizens by now to burn the unworthy of them or drown them in the river with stones.

Hayate had not come here tonight for animals as he once did before. He came for the people living here in their quaint little homes. Fae folk, imps, nymphs, and more resided in the deep forest if they pleased, away from the main city or common residential areas. They had created their own little towns in the forests of Elysium, and Hayate found them fair game at this point. Hunting animals was no longer satisfying. He wanted real prey to feed upon. Having the taste of fresh human blood as of late, he could not bear to return to animal blood. He had learned his lesson, hunting on animals the first few months here. It had made him go mad. With the clarity of mind he received from human and praeternatural blood, Hayate knew he would not return to those previous methods.

His eyes caught the sight of the fae village ahead through the softly swaying branches, gleams of light from their homes peeking out to him in invitation. He appeared as one of them, and in truth, he was one of them. An altered one of them, but connected to them all the same. Their pull over him remained as strong as ever as memories of his past life became all the more clear to him in past weeks.

The forest had not betrayed his secrets to the townspeople, having kept its promise. "I knew I could trust you," the vampire whispered as his hand pressed against a tree and his head leaned towards the bark, tilted at the neck as he watched the village. A light breeze ruffled his hair, his lips parted as he looked forward with something that looked like longing.

Who: Sheldon, Hayate and Eliza
When: Late Night
Where: The Wine Bar
What: Talking about some recent rumors

It was like there was something new about the Wine Bar in Elysium, something new to offer. If going towards morbid theories perhaps it was the death of Simon Myles. Ever since he was found dead in the bathroom, all Sheldon would hear about was speculation as to who was guilty. Or he would hear people playfully or seriously talk about who might be next. The psychic thought the whole series of events involving the man would have grown old by now, but apparently it was still a hot discussion.

The full moon was on the rise. Sheldon could tell a few restless lycans were scattered around the bar, most of them ordering hard drinks. Their irritation was detectable from a mile away and to spare him confrontation, he just left bottles of their vices at their tables and mostly stayed behind the bar. Less work for him and he enjoyed talking to the people who sat upfront.

For awhile the people at the bar were happily served and Sheldon sat at a corner, bored. He must have closed his eyes for a long moment because when he opened them he saw someone he hadn’t seen before. Some people were just people he served drinks to, but for some reason the new person at the bar struck him as interesting.

He rest his hands on the bar table and asked in his usual slightly friendly tone. “What can I get for you?”

Who: Hayate and Aveira
When: Late at Night
Where: The Tiki Hut
What: A meeting between two not-so-normal vampires . . .

While the setting was not frame for frame like the pounding bass and flashing lights of the clubs he was used to occupying late at night in the city during his old life, the scene at The Tiki Hut caused flashes of remembrance to come back to the vampire. For the two settings were similar enough despite their differences, and the live music was fuller and easier to appreciate than the digital, perfected recordings of modern music. There were no flashing lights, but there were lights. Sheathed, bulbous lamps hanging from the ceiling of the roof over the open dance floor emitted dim light, each a different color of spectrum. The chilly breeze from the lake wafted up to the open dance floor, cooling off its many dancers packed so closely together they brushed against complete strangers and thought little of it.

The bar was close by to the dance floor, as was a small restaurant. All three were open to the elements, lacking walls to enclose them. Having lost most of his interest in The Wine Bar, Hayate found himself intrigued by this new setting established for Elysium's residents. A bar, club, and restaurant all rolled into one and located on the beach. It reminded him of collegiate hangouts. Quite frankly, it was a frat boy's wet dream.

Though he normally kept his appearance in casual disorder or respectable smoothness, he chose a look that leaned in the opposite direction for his venture into the new establishment. His hair was a messy twist of slightly separated locks, the bleach blond color more noticeable with his dark roots showing on purpose for contrast. He wore completely black in the form of slacks and long sleeves to cover himself against the cold air. Not that he really needed the protection, being a naturally cold creature, but sometimes even he could feel a shiver due to the weather.

Hayate sidled easily through the crowd, his keen and observant eyes absorbing everything around him. As far as he was concerned, he was keeping his distance from others and promoting a sense of singular self. So many others danced with partners, connected to somebody's hip or everybody's hips. Hayate seemed more a preying creature amongst the fold, his eyes on everyone and no one. He headed towards a small bar set up right beside the dance floor for the night, nowhere near the size or impressiveness as the main bar, and relaxed upon one of the stools. His arm propped itself upon the bar, his eyes scanning the crowd and gleaming in the dim lights brighter than all the rest.

He was here to watch, and there was a devious quality to his expression and appearance. Even his posture spoke of something else: the detached sense of a predator. Someone who was sure of himself and his position, and he did not need anyone to tell him what he was — he knew.

Glancing up, Hayate's eyes locked with someone else's through a sea of faces. For some reason, she stood out to him and caught his attention.

Who: Mitsuko and Hayate
When: Morning
Where: The Cafe
What: Mitsuko's first day on the job

Mitsuko felt a thrill of excitement as she picked up the tray of coffee. Today was her first official day working at the cafe.

For the past few weeks, she had been training. She hadn't required that much instruction on how to serve food. She had done it several times before over the course of her life. But she knew her reputation of being a little flighty was fairly well known. Perhaps he wanted to make sure she was serious about the employment.

She was most definitely serious. Mitsuko was actually excited. It felt like she had been drifting for a long time. But now she had something to do, somewhere to go every day. It was definitely a change and it was one she was looking forward to.

She looked down at herself and let out a giggle. She was quite pleased with the uniform Kazuki had made for her. It was a sweet little maid's uniform in black and white. She had accessorized with thigh-high stockings and an apron around her waist. With her ears and tail, it looked like she had just stepped out of a manga.

Mitsuko carried the tray of coffee to a table of young men. She smiled flirtatiously as she set each cup down. "Here you go," she said brightly. "Please enjoy."

"You're new here," one of the men said. "I think I would have remembered you."

"It's my first day." Mitsuko winked at him. "But I'm going to be around here a lot more if you want to come visit."

She turned with a flip of her hair to take care of her next customer.

WHO: Hayate and Chris
WHEN: 8:30 PM
WHERE: Hayate's Cottage
WHAT: The vampire still needs blood.
WARNING(S): Mature situations between an adult and young teen.

Despite having gone on the hunt the night before, Hayate's thirst for blood had not been entirely quenched. In the process of healing, it called for more than the usual dosage merely needed to keep the vampire sated from day to day. Cold blood had not helped subside the thirst. Still, it was there, lingering beneath the surface as he watched Chris from his seat in one of the sitting room's most comfortable chairs. His eyes followed any of her movements quickly, the soft pulse of blood ringing in his overly sensitive ears. He could hear her heart pumping from where he sat a few feet away.

His senses were only so overly developed when his craving for blood was overwhelming. Fingers twitched with an unnatural speed of no human. Drink, whispered a quiet, seductive voice from the corners of his mind. Go, it urged softly, echoing like a faraway bird call in the sky of a foggy early morning. Take what you want . . .

Hayate slowly closed his eyes and rolled his head around on his shoulders. He reopened them and found his eyes fixed on Chris's neck, the beating pulse underneath the skin beckoning him to pierce it with his fangs. Hayate's tongue ran across the front of his teeth, passing over his sharp canines. The blood of a drunken man had not been enough to quench the thirst, nor had the nearly frozen blood of the medical pavilion. Hayate only just barely realized in that moment the way in which he stared at Chris like she was a meal; it was the beginning signs of what usually ended in an attack.

Heart pumping faster inside of his chest, Hayate's tongue grazed over his lips to moisten them. He would have to act soon. The longer he waited in an attempt to draw it out or hold it off, the worse it would become. The fingers of one hand clenched into his fist, a motion barely detectable. It did not appear as if it was clenched on the outside.

What are you waiting for? spoke a voice, hissing inside of Hayate's head.

Who: Logan and Hayate
When: Night
Where: Logan's Room / Dreamland
What: Dreamwalking Hayate

After his talk with Zach, Logan made it a pointed to Dreamwalk Hayate. He had promised Zach he would try to get to know the man better. Besides, his dreams would reveal his inner intention. Things that Zach and Chris didn't know. Dreams were where people let their guard down. Hayate seemed to be a guarded man and Logan needed to break through that defense.

In between spending time with Mitsuko, Logan had been working on a drawing of Hayate. He required something to focus his mind on the person he wanted to Dreamwalk. While his memory was very good when it came to features, he had only seen Hayate twice and he had looked different both times (where someone got peroxide in Elysium was beyond Logan). He also wanted to make sure his mind didn't mistake the man for Zach.

But he was satisfied with his drawing. There was also the matter of catching Hayate when he was asleep. It was difficult to pinpoint a specific person you wanted to dreamwalk unless you knew their sleeping habits.

As Logan laid back on his bed, fingers slipping over the drawing he'd done of Hayate, he could feel himself drifting. His eyes fluttered shut and he began to slip away into dreams. Dreams of the enigma of a man Chris had befriended.

Who: Hayate, Faye, Chris, and Guards
When: 10:20 AM
Where: Town Hall
What: Answering the summons. In other words, Hayate plays the wounded puppy routine.

After Hayate received a sudden letter at his door last night, he found himself immediately opening it to read its contents. With his fingers curling tightly into his palm, Hayate crushed the paper in his fist. All of this time he spent trying to make his stay in Elysium last without a single mark on his name, and that blonde bitch went public with the incident at their cottage. Gears began to turn in his mind, searching for a solution to the problem. His wounds had not yet healed, and he sought no treatment for them, allowing them to heal on their own.

Hayate knew if he showed up with the wounds, a bandaged face and limp leg, he would receive sympathy. It was only self-defense, he would tell them. He wanted to believe Kaiya did not have the backbone to step up and say anything like Faye was saying. After all, Kaiya's name was not in the letter. Faye went alone, and it was his word against hers. Kaiya wished nothing more than to distance herself from the experience. He knew her type, and he knew she would keep her distance and hold her tongue for fear.

Chris asked to come with him, not wanting him to travel alone. Having someone on his side helped him look good, and Hayate conceded to letting her come along. He brought with him a makeshift cane in order to lean his weight onto his non-injured leg and off of the one with the deep knife wound. Half of his face also remained bandaged, even though he had the ability to illusion away the wounds. Why make them go away when he needed them to prove he had also been attacked as well?

With Chris at his side, Hayate left to make his case and prove his innocence. If Faye had not sliced half of his face open in the first place, he would not have done what he had done in retaliation. The walk itself did not take long as the pair reached the entrance of Town Hall. Given all of the evidence on his side, Hayate believed they would listen to him.

His calm words were better than the ravings of a tempermental fae.

Who: Hayate [Narrative]
When: Late Night
Where: The Wine Bar
What: Hunting for blood.

It was filled to the brim with drunken fools on this particular night. Hayate was lucky in that respect. No one would notice if he slipped out of the tavern not far behind one of these imbeciles. With so many faces, it was easy to get lost in the middle of it all. He was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. His dark, short and dark. The cut on his face illusioned away. He never hunted under his normal guise. Here in Elysium so far, no one had noticed his escapades, not that he had committed very many at all. He only hunted once or twice, and he only stunned them. Hayate drank just as much as he needed and nothing more, and they woke up the next day no better for knowing. Two puncture marks on their arms or shoulders looked more like an accident or anything. After all, they were so drunk. How would they remember otherwise?

There were times when it felt like a medieval tavern in this place. Tonight, it felt more like it was part of a big city with the amount of different faces and ways of dress. Hayate spotted a normal man, one who had been here since before he arrived himself, causing a fuss over some woman. The vampire eyed him carefully and listened to him. It wasn't very interesting, but it didn't matter. This man was inebriated beyond any reasonable amount; it made him the perfect target for Hayate.

Hayate waited until the man stopped his complaining before he stood up and made his way throw the crowd towards him. No one was watching. No one was paying attention. No one knew any better. Hayate followed the man until both of them were out of sight.

Tonight, he was going to get the blood he needed that the blonde fae had taken away from him.

Who: Hayate and Chris
When: 3:00 AM that morning.
Where: Hayate's Cottage
What: Waking up to discover frightful truths . . .

When Hayate finally awoke sometime in the early morning hours, so early they might as well have been considered in the dead of night from the day before, he first registered the ill feeling of his body. The antidote had killed the garlic in his system and saved his life. The second thing he noticed, only moments within of the first, was a liquid clogging his throat. He coughed up the blood and turned his head to the side, staining his bedsheets with the blood inside of his mouth. Where did it come from? What was it . . .

Then, he tasted the familiar sweetness of youthful human blood. He swore he had tasted this particular blood once before. Chris, his mind said before his mouth, and Hayate realized he was lying in a bed when he had passed out in the bathroom. Quickly, he sat up despite the dizzy feeling that blurred his vision temporarily. However, the room came into focus, though it was still dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but his hands moved across the bed. There was nothing there. Finally, he could see and still he was all alone in his bedroom.

Or are you? whispered a voice.

Hayate's head swiveled around until he saw a body on the floor. Alarm rang inside of his head, and he dashed off of the bed, a shock of pain shooting up his leg. Hayate gritted his teeth and bit back on the pain. It was true he could heal quickly, but deep wounds were painful even for a vampire. Still, he moved off of the bed and fell beside the figure on the floor, catching her scent before he ever saw her face or hair.

( He smelt her blood, piercing the air. )

Who: Hayate [Narrative]
When: Late Afternoon, after this thread.
Where: Hayate's Cottage
What: Garlic poisoning bites . . . or burns, actually.

His sight was blurred, eyes burning at the corners of his vision. The slow burn of before picked up its pace and had spread further throughout his body. Loss of blood did not help the vampire's current physical condition; in fact, fresh blood would have helped with the poisoning, but his destination was not for the cold, preserved blood in his kitchen. First and foremost, he needed an antidote to fight off the garlic in his blood. It was possible to die of an allergic reaction, though Hayate had only received minor garlic poisoning before in his life and always through eating human foods. It was a large reason why he had stopped eating any at all. Never had he received garlic directly into the bloodstream, though he knew without a doubt in his mind that it was worse than ingestion.

He staggered through his own home, racing up the stairwell to the second floor as fast as he could manage with the agony in his leg, both from the stab wound and the garlic poisoning. Across the floor, towards the bathroom. Hayate grasped the counter with both hands, staring down in the sink as he felt his throat begin to seize up. Breathing was harder. His throat was swelling up, closing in on itself. He would die of suffocation if, if—

Hayate tore open the mirror cabinet above the sink and knocked most of the contents into the sink. He grabbed for a small syringe in the back and opened it, fighting to see what he was doing. Then, he rummaged through the sink and looked at what was left in the cabinet for a small bottle the size of his thumb with a clear green liquid substance inside of it. He found it, snatching it up and stabbing the small syringe into the bottle, filling it with the antidote.

Looking up at the mirror, Hayate stared at himself for one moment. He was nothing but a blurry, bloody face surrounded by a haze of smoke. Finally, he stabbed the syringe into his neck and injected himself with its contents. His vision didn't return to him with clear precision, but he pulled the empty syringe away from his neck.

For a brief moment, Hayate stared forward into the mirror at himself. Then, his mind swirled into darkness as he collapsed, his body falling onto the hard tiles of the floor below.

Who: Hayate, Kaiya, and Faye
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Kaiya and Faye's Cottage
What: A clean cut is not always possible to achieve.
WARNING!: Violence not for sensitive readers (as some of it is against women).

Hayate sat down on the sofa, having been invited into the faes' home by Kaiya herself. He folded his hands in lap and looked down at them first. It was important to get this over with as soon as possible, and Hayate did not want to waste anymore of his time with the dark-haired fae. He glanced up, meeting her eyes across the distance between them. He could tell something was cooking the moment he walked into the house, but he expected to leave before anything went wrong or the other fae noticed anything should she be around.

He was merely here to break it off with Kaiya, to end it once and for all between them and remove himself of all ties with the fae. It brought back to him the plan he had originally contrived so long ago to maintain sanity as long as he was held prisoner in this place he had previously considered a hellhole, this haven. This sanctuary. The utter idea of this place was laughable, but that wasn't the point of why he was here. The pretend game with Kaiya had lost its shine.

As his time became more and more consumed with Chris, Kaiya fell to the wayside in his mind and in reality. He no longer had interest in keeping up the game he had started with the fae. It was best to end it now, so she could not possibly cause trouble with him and Chris later. ( The last thing Hayate wanted was trouble added to his pristine name. )

Who: Hayate and Zach
When: Noon
Where: The Café
What: Hayate doesn’t like having his motives questioned.

Hayate was enjoying his lunch with a simple cup of warmed blood and a magazine at one of the tables at the café. He heard whispers of a funeral, a funeral he had not bothered to attend since he did not know the man, nor did he care. It was an odd thing to note, but Hayate had never attended a funeral throughout his whole life. What did another dead body mean to him? Nothing, murmured a pleasant voice somewhere in the back of his head. He flipped another page in the magazine as his eyes passed over the words he was reading to himself. The vampire minded his own business until a sudden voice spoke very close to him.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” said a young man’s voice, the words tinged with exhaustion.

Hayate looked up as he closed the magazine in his lap. It was the young boy, Zach. His . . . great nephew. The phrase was new for Hayate, and it tasted strange on his tongue whenever he thought about it. He did not even have to speak it for the odd flavor to appear, a bitterness spreading across his taste buds. “Oh, you have?” Hayate inquired conversationally, wondering why the boy was even looking for him. He needed to find a new place to spend his off hours aside from here. The boy knew he liked to come here, and Hayate was doubtfully going to find peace anymore now that the boy knew of his most common ‘hangout’ spot.

( Curiosity brewed beneath the vampire’s calm features, and he placed his magazine upon the table. Something bothered the boy, and Hayate sat up straighter in his chair. He waited for Zach to speak. )

Who: Zach, Hayate, Kelsey, Lucinda, and Alicia
When: Evening
Where: The Kitano's Cottage
What: A family dinner.

With everything going on with Zach, he hadn't heard back from Hayate since their last meeting that didn't go so well. He thought it was unlikely he'd hear from the man again after that, so Zach sort of pushed him out of his mind. Tonight, he was over at his parents' cottage for a family dinner. He hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary. They were all here, and they were going to help set up the table and cook tonight's meal. Together, they were going to enjoy it as a family.

However, as Zach was passing through the living room, he heard a knock at the door. "I got it!" Zach called out, hurrying over to answer it. He wanted to make sure no one else came running but him. When he opened the front door, though, the last person he expected to see standing there was Hayate. Zach gaped for a moment like a fish out of water before closing his mouth. "Hey," he said, obviously caught off guard. "What're you doing here?"

( “Your father invited me over to have dinner with you,” he said after a short pause. )

Who: Dione Castel and Hayate
When: 7pm
Where: The Wine Bar
What: The blind girl finds a piano.

It had been a typical night in for the twins, ie Dione came home and settled in one of the front room chairs to avoid that thing called human contact and Dexter who patently refused to leave her found himself wondering how exactly to deal with one more night stuck with a sibling who preferred being a shut in over anything to do with other people. Honestly, it was getting on his very social nerves. One of the things he had found out over his days in Elysium was that he could actually walk away from Dione without disappearing into that odd netherrealm kind of place that he went to sometimes but could never quite describe. It was like the world in negative, everything in black and white, but the blacks were where the whites should be and vice versa. It was all very odd, Chopin played backwards. Still beautiful but in that haunting way which told you something wasn't quite right. Either way, he'd decided that while she was locked up and alone, he'd go explore. It wasn't as though he needed sleep. It was during that time of exploration that he had come across what he felt was the very thing to get his sister out of doors and interacting with other people again. It was just too easy for her to stay in and he wasn't having it. She was going to go talk to people, even if he had to drag her.

( It's a surprise )

*italics*=Dexter speaking.

Who: Chris, Hayate, Charlie, and Logan
When: Around 2 PM
Where: On the way to the forest cottages
What: Running into friends along the way

Chris hated that she had to leave Hayate so soon, but it was time for her to go back to her cottage in the forest. Emily would have been worried if she didn't come home, and Chris didn't want that. It was the reason why she wasn't going to tell Emily about her little abduction; there was no point in worrying the healer especially since Chris was safe and sound. But the girl wasn't taking any chances this time around, and had asked Hayate to walk her home.

The weather was nice with clear, blue skies above them. It wasn't terribly cold out, but Chris had decided to wear her favorite brown sweater anyway. Coupled with a faded pair of jeans (with rips along the knees), her sneakers, and her hair in a ponytail, she was a vision of teenage loveliness. Hayate was carrying her bag for her, and they were walking down the road from Helicharis toward the forest cottages.

Chris smiled over at Hayate, and she took the occasional glance over at his hand. She wanted to ask if they could hold hands, but she wasn't sure if that was okay. They had kissed the day before, not a little kiss like at the festival, but a grown-up kiss. A French kiss. They kissed a lot, but then they had stopped. But they had kissed. Did this mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend? Chris had never had a boyfriend before, but she always thought that sharing a kiss meant that people liked each other. She knew that she and Hayate were friends, but was it more than that now? It was all so confusing!

"So," she said drawing out the word. "Thank you for walking me home. And, thank you for carrying my bag for me." She tucked a few stray strands on her hair behind her ear and smiled brightly at the vampire.

Who: Hayate & Chris
When: 4:13 AM
Where: Hayate's Cottage
What: The lion and the lamb play with cards — and tattoos.
WARNING: This post contains sexual overtones between an adult and a young teen. It is also contains bloodplay.

Ever since they had awoken from their long slumber to make up for the past two days, Hayate made sure Chris received proper food to eat for an early breakfast the next day. Again, he cooked the food himself, trying his best to remember how to use human things like stoves. Certain appliances created for modern day people were beyond Hayate's comprehension if he had no use for them, and a stove was one of those things he simply had no use of. However, with a new visitor to his house almost every other day, he was beginning to find use for his cupboards, freezer, and fridge. He stored human food in them for the young girl whenever she came over to visit him. The kitchen was no longer a barren wasteland, but filled to the brim with whatever foods he found that he thought she might have liked. She ate her breakfast, and he drank the blood taken from the medical pavilion after warming it up.

With all of the lights out and only a few candles lit to see by, Hayate and Chris sat at the kitchen table to play a game of cards. Chris suggested the pastime, and Hayate knew card games and saw no reason not to participate. After all, she couldn't play them by herself. Her happiness was strangely important to him, so he found a deck of cards in his house and brought them out for the two of them to use for their games.

Though it was still nighttime, all of the curtains upon the windows were drawn shut. Hayate's suspicions would not give him peace unless he had absolute and complete privacy, locks on his windows and doors, and curtains closed at night. Sometimes he even kept them closed during the day, but he wasn't often home during the day unless he had a reason to be here. It gave him peace of mind, which was enough for the vampire. As long as prying eyes could not spy inside his home, Hayate was able to relax and not worry about the outsiders of Elysium looking into his life. Those were such things the vampire did not, under any circumstances, appreciate very much from anyone — whether they were like him or not. People were nosy, and sometimes they were too nosy for their own good.

Hayate looked over the top of his cards at Chris. She sat directly across from him at the table, a scrunched and thoughtful look upon her face. A crook appeared at the corner of his mouth as he smiled slightly, wondering what cards she had received in her hand. Were they enough to beat his, or hand she landed a poor hand? So far, he had won two games naturally, but the third he had failed on purpose to give her a win. However, it didn't mean Chris couldn't get lucky at some point and find a win all on her own.

Who: Chris and Hayate
When: Evening
Where: Hayate's cottage
What: Reunion - aka: Have you ever seen Hayate being more adorable?

There was something nibbling upon Chris’s hair, tugging at the blonde strands as if it were searching for a hidden treasure of some kind. It was enough to bring the girl forth from her forced slumber. She stirred, her body shifting against the tree trunk that she was leaning upon. Chris let out a low groan, and whatever it was that had been chewing on her hair had been scared away by the sound. Her eyes opened slowly, lashes moving up and down until her vision came into focus.

Chris let out a gasp and sat straight up from her position. She looked around, surprised that she wasn’t surrounded by four walls or darkness. What was she doing outside? Not that she was complaining! It was just… odd. She was sure that her escape attempt would have landed her back in the forest prison; instead, she was outside. Out in the open. Free. A smile began to forum upon her face and she let out a disbelieving chuckle. How absurd was it that she had been held captive for two whole days only to be released without any other consequences? Again, she wasn’t complaining in the least! The young girl was glad that nothing more had happened to her, but she couldn’t help but wonder why she had been taken in the first place.

Sighing, Chris finally stood to her feet, and picked up her bag that had been left beside her. She could find her way back to the forest cottages from where she had been left, but she didn’t want to go home. She wanted to see Hayate – that was her original destination, after all. She started off toward the town in an easy jog. Walking would have taken too long, and she was anxious to get to Helicharis as soon as possible. Once she had arrived she made a bee line straight for the vampire’s house. It was funny how she managed to keep her emotions under control up until that point, but the moment she saw Hayate’s cottage in the distance she felt tears welling up in her eyes.


( The long road home... )

Who: Hayate [Narrative]
When: Sunset
Where: At the barrier of the werewolf enclosure.
What: Looking for Danté.

Remaining at a fair distance from the gathering of the werewolves, Hayate sat high up in a tree and paid close attention to them from afar. The added height helped to aid his eyesight — eyesight both superior to that of humans and even more alert at night than in the day. Being nocturnal creatures, vampires developed a fine and precise vision in the darkest hours. However, it was sunset and not quite dark, and the twilight hours could sometimes be the hardest to time to view anything with perfect vision. Fading lights conflicted with him, not quite providing the best of environments.

Still, he could see the werewolves gathering and being checked for their numbers. Those in charge of Elysium knew everyone’s abilities and powers, backgrounds and biological nuances, and they kept up with each and every person of all the species. Not keeping up with them would mean letting people with dangerous abilities go unchecked, and they couldn’t have that, now could they?

Of course they couldn’t.

Hayate watched each of the werewolves as they were checked. Their names were accounted for and their numbers were counted to check the total of them. It was such a precise and careful way to run things, and terribly convenient for Hayate. It allowed him to see Danté when they brought him into the fold.

There he was amongst the others, the wolf who had taken Chris. Tonight, he would be confined to the forest with the rest of the werewolves, kept away from Chris’s hiding place — wherever that was in Elysium. Hayate had yet to find it, but perhaps tonight his search would not be in vain. Without having to worry about Danté moving her or changing things up on him, he was free to look for her without having to worry about the wolf.

It was the perfect time to find her, if he could succeed. Hayate alighted from the tree and landed graciously upon his feet, heading back towards town and to his cottage.

Tonight, he would find Chris.

Who: Hayate [Narrative]
When: Late Night
Where: His cottage, the Planck's cottage, and various wanderings.
What: Where is Chris?

Thoughts swam virulently in the vampire’s head when Chris had not shown up as her note had designated. It was not like her to be missing when she said she would be present at a certain time. Before she sent her note to him the other day, Hayate had not expected company for the week. Occasionally, he visited others when he felt up to it, but there weren’t any plans to have someone over at his place. The only person who ever came to his home was Chris. It was devoid of other footprints and company. No traces of visitors ever marked his home unless she had slept in his bed and left her scent upon his pillow or forgot a sock at his house.

Hayate stood up from his chair and paced around the quarters of his sitting room. She would have been here by now. Running agitated fingers through his hair, he snatched a black coat from near the doorway and left his cottage in search of her. If she was not here, then she had to be somewhere else. He wanted to know where. His desire to know could have been steeped in obsession—or maybe it might have held an ounce of true concern for her safety. Was he capable of concern? Slamming the door behind himself, he disappeared into the night and headed for the Planck’s cottage.

( “ . . . Missing something?” )