Who: Heather and Nate
When: Saturday at dawn
Where: at the edge of the werewolf enclosure
What: Nate comes to patch up his friend!

Heather let out a horrible howl that transformed into a scream as her body morphed from wolf to human. The shift back was often worse than the shift into beast. She had zero control over her body as the switch took place, and this morning just like every other morning after a full moon, Heather collapsed to the ground. She couldn't help but cry a little, the pain was just terrible. But Heather was a strong woman, and as soon as all her muscles and bones were back in place, she wiped her face clear of the tears and sat up.

Heather was still breathing hard, her heart racing from the excitement of her evening. The shitty part was not remembering much of the exciting stuff! But as she inspected her body, it was clear she'd had a busy night. She had the normal scratches and bruises, and there was blood... though only a small amount of it was her own.

When she felt good enough to move, Heather gingerly hauled herself up on her feet. She wobbled a bit. It felt a little like when you got off one of those people movers at the airport and were suddenly forced to walk on your own at a normal pace. The sensation was jarring and a little unnatural. But after a step or two, you found your footing. She ached still, but she wasn't at risk of falling over.

The damp, chilly morning air caused her skin to shiver violently as she walked from the protected area to where she'd arranged to meet Nathaniel. It wasn't long before he came into view. Heather smiled at him, rubbing her arms in a lame attempt to warm up.

Who: Nathaniel and Starbuck
Where: the main road of Helicharis
When: early afternoon
What: Reunion!

It finally happened. Nathaniel's good black shoes had fallen apart and he owned no spares. Perhaps he was foolish not to have bought a new pair when he had the chance, but not enough money prevented him from it. It was a long shot to go to the tailor's in order to ask if they were able to fix his shoes. He could always ask someone if they'd lend him theirs and the worse case scenario was that he had to rely on his sandals during the winter. Right now, he wore them as he walked from the forest cottage to go to Helicharis. Black socks on his feet, of course, because he couldn't stand white. They stained too easily. Over the course of his professional life, he went through a lot of bleach.

The walk once again was long and tedious and he hummed to himself in attempt to pass the time. Soon enough he found himself on the main road to town and his mind wandered. How was the winter here? Were there frequent storms or --- was that who he thought it was? It was impossible, but no, Starbuck really was right in front of him on the road. "Starbuck?" Nathaniel called out, shoes completely leaving his mind. If that wasn't enough to get his attention, Nathaniel hurried down the road towards him. "Oh my god." He pulled Starbuck into a tight hug, tears prickling the back of his eyes.

He hadn't heard from his friend in ages and part of him feared that he would never see Starbuck again, but here he was. Right now, he really was blessed for such coincedences. The hug lasted a little longer than was appropriate. What the hell, he thought, throwing away all cares to the wind. "I can't believe it," he said once they separated. "How're you? When did you get here? No, wait, on the ship that came here, right?" He grinned. "And you're healthy and in one piece, thank God." He'd worried about his friend's mental well being as well - just one of the thoughts that ran through his mind.

Who: Heather and Nathaniel
When: Thursday night
Where: Nate's place
What: Heather is a crazy person before the full moon!
Warning: Adult content... yeah, you know what I mean *eyebrow waggle*

Heather had been going absolutely out of her mind. She'd tried the whole 'make believe' stunt Mikhail had recommended, but it was gonna take time for her master it. No matter how much she tried to fool her body into thinking she was really in her transformed state running through the woods hunting, the release she felt when that actually happened didn't come. She was all twitchy and driving her family nuts as usual. Heath didn't want anything to do with her in the few days before the full moon, and now that she had less than 24 hours before turning furry, he was especially scarce. She considered going over to Master Wongsa's place, but she was prone to getting into arguments and wanting to punch him on nights like this. Dammit, she'd feel so much better if she could just fight someone... or even fuck someone.

The crazy lady that she was, the second option stuck in her brain, and immediately she went through her mental rolladex, who could she pester? The lunacy didn't have her thinking all that rationally, otherwise she would have realized there was no way in hell Nate would scratch this particular itch. In her current state, she just thought, "ooh! visit Nate!" She also thought about visiting Duncan, Peter, maybe even Vaughn too. Hell, the night was young and she didn't have a curfew. Why not just knock on doors until she got what she wanted.

Midway through her 'snack' (which looked like enough food to feed a dragon, the meat definitely rare, bordering on raw), she ran to her room and started to attack her closet, looking for something sexy to wear. Seducing was definitely possible when you were dressed in faded old jeans and a stained t-shirt, but it was easier when you wore something slinky that showed off all your assets. For Heather, that meant showing off her legs, boobs and shoulders. She found the perfect dress, one that her mom absolutely HATED but it had served Heather very well over the years. She wasn't gonna half ass anything in her effort to get some lovin' tonight.

Her hormones were definitely out of control at the moment. Maybe all those months she'd been anti-social were to blame. She'd felt just as horny before each of those full moons, but she wasn't so crazed that she would have hit on a total stranger. Now she had victims friends! Friends she'd need to apologize to severely... later. Right now she wasn't thinking all that much about how inappropriate her behavior was, instead she focused on making her hair look all sleek and sexy and putting on a bit more mascara.

When she was finally done getting dolled up, she slipped on her high heels and a thick wool pea coat (what with it being cold outside). Ready to go, she trotted off to Nate's place first. It was a pretty good trek, and that gave her plenty of time to think, but she chose not to. At one point along the way, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned she saw nothing. Probably an animal. She'd find the furry thing again tomorrow night, and then he'd be sorry!

Nathaniel was likely to be sorry he'd ever met Heather, considering the predatory look in her eyes when she knocked loudly on his door, "Nate... it's Heather!"

Who: Zach and Nathaniel
When: Late Morning
Where: A guard tower in the Southwest of Elysium, along the main road.
What: Zach is feeling curious and a little defiant.

It was freezing, and Zach crossed his arms as he tried to brace himself against a new gust of wind. He had taken himself out to wander along the road that led out of Helicharis and towards the infamous entrance where many of them entered into this place. On either side of the road, the occasional guard tower cropped up. Each was immensely huge, looming over the road from far up in the cloudy sky above. Zach could see some guards at their posts. Some of them looked down at him from time to time, noticing the wandering boy. Most of them recognized him, though, because of his grandmother. No one came down and asked him what he was doing or why he was wandering this way towards the gate that was off limits. Maybe he wasn't close enough yet for them to say anything.

Closer and closer he drew to the gates until he veered off the path and walked towards one of the guard towers. It was tall; tall enough for him to crane his head back all the way and hear it crack as he tried to the see the roof from below, but even then he couldn't really see it. He heard lately of the ships coming in from abroad and wondered if they really had to stay in here. If people could travel, couldn't they leave the so-called borders of Elysium and walk beyond this place? Still, there were laws and warnings against it. They weren't sure what was out there or what was going on. This is a trial, and it was mostly by water. It was safer to do things by water, not by land.

Zach ambled into one of the entrances to the guard tower and began to make his way up the staircases to reach the top. He came out here because he didn't think anyone else would be out here, but it couldn't have always been true. After all, guards were out here doing their jobs. Why wouldn't others be out here from time to time as well?

The guard tower was mostly empty aside from a few guards. None of them said anything to him, though some of them nodded their heads briefly in greeting. Guard towers weren't off limits if people wanted to explore them, and so Zach kept walking until he reached the topmost floor with a roof. The room was wide and filled with walls that seemed a little pointless. There were turrets and singular, small towers above this section. Zach's final destination was up there, but for now he approached one of the windows and looked out at the world below.

He hadn't realized how high these guard towers reached into the sky. Everything looked so small below, and maybe the slight ache in his knees from all of that walking should have been a clue. Zach didn't really notice it, though, not with so many other things on his mind.

Who: Heather and Nathaniel
When: Friday night
Where: Tiki Hut!!!
What: drinking and fun times

Heather was bored with her book. Bored with just about everything in her bungalow. Fuck, she needed a TV, stereo, computer... ANYTHING! Something fun to kill time. But she had none of the above, major bummer. She did have some booze though, and when the boredom finally got intolerable, Heather decided to crack it open and play a few drinking games... uh... with herself. Damn, not nearly as fun alone, but her brother wasn't around, and she didn't think her grandpa would be up for shots tonight, though the dude could seriously hold his liquor!

After several rounds of whiskey alone, Heather decided she needed to go in search of company. Question was, who? She considered visiting Duncan, seemed like he'd be a good drinking buddy, but she didn't know where he lived. In fact, the only person whose house she'd been to... was Nathaniel's. Looked like Nate would be her victim!

After changing quickly into some jeans and a cute red top appropriate for 'clubbing', she pulled her hair out of its ponytail and messed with it a bit until it looked cute and threw on some lipstick and mascara. Heather wasn't one for lots of makeup, just enough to accentuate her better features. Deciding she looked good enough for some partying, she headed off to Nate's place, which wasn't a short trek by any means, but it was a nice night, so she didn't mind.

When she arrived at his door, she hesitated briefly before knocking. Shit. Voe might be there. Heather really didn't want to interact with the creepy vamp chick. Hopefully Nathaniel would be the one to answer the door. She knocked.

Who: Nathaniel, Voe and party guests! Seating arrangements!
When: seven o'clock
Where: Nathaniel and Voe's forest cottage
What: the dinner party.

Nathaniel checked that the chicken was cooking nicely in the oven and estimated that it was going to be ready in about ten minutes, which would give the guests plenty of time to arrive for the meal. A combination of excitement and nervousness rushed through his veins, but he managed to keep it contained under a mask of a cool face. He set the table with good china and the fine silver utensils Voe had let him borrow, as well as proper and ornate wine glasses. How on earth did she manage to bring all of this with her? Some questions were better left unanswered.

He walked back to the living room where Dione sat on one of the sofas - he'd picked her up at her house and escourted her back to the forest cottage, making idle conversation along the way. "May I get you anything to drink while we're waiting?" he asked. "Wine, maybe?" He had no idea if she drank alcohol, so perhaps he should offer an alternative. "There's also water or tea." Not so many options, but it was better than nothing. Idly, Nathaniel ran a hand through his newly shortened hair. Voe had helped him cut his hair and he'd trimmed his beard for the occasion, so he didn't look half bad... if he were to pay attention to appearances as such.

At first when Nathaniel told Voe about the dinner party, she was skeptical. He hardly seemed like the type to host such a gathering and might not have the ability to do so. He was her ally, though, so he had to prove otherwise to her. All doubts vanished from her mind when he told her that he invited Janus. Another opportunity to see him again made anything worth it and she decided to help him as much as possible. This meant providing glasses and utensils and even helping him cook (namely, telling him when the food bubbled and was about to burn).

And then there was this strange woman that Nathaniel brought home as their first guest. She had haunting silver eyes - because she was blind, Volcano told her - and reminded Voe of a moth she'd seen fluttering about in the bomb shelter in which she grew up. That would be her name, she decided, and let Nathaniel keep the woman company while she hovered between the kitchen and making sure that everything was truly elegant and perfect. She smoothed the skirt of her dress, checked her hair in the mirror and made sure that her posture was perfectly straight. Now all they had to do was wait for people to arrive.

Who: Duncan and Nathaniel
Where: by the cafe
When: evening
What: Meeting!
A/N: a thousand apologies for it being so late!

Amazing how a goal like hosting a dinner party could suddenly give days purpose. Nathaniel had never planned one before and doing so now made him nervous, thinking about everything that needed to be done. He told Voe what he wanted to do, and unsurprisingly she offered her services to make the dinner party lovely and elegant (especially if Rion was invited). She was going to make the event rather unusual, but he preferred not to think about that just yet. No, he needed to decide what meal to prepare and what he'd wear. A good suit was easy enough for him to decide upon even if the food was not.

He had no idea if his friends were vegetarians, had allergies, or what was appropriate for such a fancy occasion. The latter was an unusual topic to research in the library although he'd do so anyway just as a precaution. He needed to think and in order to think, walking always helped. There were a few hours before the curfew, plenty of time for him to walk to Helicharis and come back to the cottage. Why the town? He wasn't sure. It was a location he knew how to travel to quite easily without thinking too much and thus he could let his mind wander.

As Nathaniel walked, he thought about what it would be like to have all the people he knew in the same room. Would they all get along? Voe was a different case, but the others were probably nice enough to easily become friends. He hoped so, anyway - he wanted Dione and Marit to have a conversation at least, and Umeko as well... That was going to be an interesting conversation. Walking into Helicharis, Nathaniel stopped by the cafe and wondered if he shouldn't sit down, to watch people pass by to help him plan even more. He chose a chair and sat down on it, leaning back and resting his ankle on his other knee. How about a nice roast? He could make a roast...

Who: Heather and Nathaniel
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: the combat gym
What: an introduction!

Walking from the bungalow to Helicharis was a mildly lengthy trip, but running managed to cut that time in half... especially for a fast woman like Heather. The wind licked at her skin in a pleasant way, flowing around her somewhat aerodynamic shape (translation: curvy). It also caused her pony tail to whip about, and when she finally reached the combat gym, the tie holding her hair up was threatening to fall out.

Heather paused once inside, catching her breath from her warmup and took to taming her mane once more. It wasn't the prettiest ponytail, generally sloppy, but since her hair was so thick, slick and straight, it didn't look too messy. Hell, she really didn't know how it looked, because Heather wasn't about to bother with a mirror. She was training, looks didn't matter.

Master Wongsa had been so lucky to not have to deal with a high-maintenance woman. Some fighter girls really did care too much about their appearance, and it impacted their performance in a negative way. They worried about messing up their faces, which made them cowardly in the cage. Heather's face was still perfect, but it wasn't for a lack of charging opponents. She went after them, holding nothing back, not caring if for the rest of her life she was ugly as a result. No. She was a winner as a result. Just not anymore.

Now she was here... not competing. Although, considering the state of the world, she doubted anyone was fighting for competition these days, so it wasn't like she was missing out on anything. Hopefully the world would straighten itself out again in time, and she and her family could return to their normal lives. At least this life was finally starting to feel somewhat normal. She'd adjusted, as had her parents and grandparents. Heath had no trouble fitting in. That guy was extremely adaptable, and Heather was sure he enjoyed the bounty of beautiful and interesting women in this safe haven. So did she, she'd just not done more than look at any of them... yet.

Completing her warm up routine with some stretches, she finally approached the bag to being a series of jabs, keeping it simple to start. A few kicks with her shin, then a series of knees to the bag followed. Today, she trained without Master Wongsa. He only met with her three times a week now that she wasn't preparing for competitions. That was ok, he had his own family to tend to, and she sorta liked training without someone barking orders. The solitude could be nice too, but she soon discovered she wasn't alone.

Who: Rion , Voe and Nathaniel
Where: Rion’s cottage and the Abandoned Elven Palace
When: Just before sunset and into the night
What: Rion meets Nathaniel, Voe and Rion go to the palace

Slowly, since having met Voe, Rion had become like a different person. Like, because he really wasn’t a different person. Something in their connection had slowly managed to dust off the guilt and lack of confidence from him. It wasn’t as if those feelings were gone forever, they were still there, but they were now below the surface and at least for now, Rion was able to breathe again. He felt more like his old self, happier and younger than he’d felt in the last year, perhaps even in years. He was now much more relaxed and open to the company of others than he’d been in awhile; he simply felt happy.

Rion didn’t know what laid in store for him, now that his relationship with Voe had breeched the platonic level and taken a turn for the possibility of something more. He hadn’t seen Voe since they were intimate but judging by her letter, her feelings were rather strong, and it seemed as though the time they’d spent together was possibly more than a passionate impulse. He was excited about her, about them; whatever that was to mean.

He’d just gotten off work a few hours ago and got home in time to shower and straighten up a few things around his cottage before Voe was to arrive. His hair was pulled back and he’d shaved, though probably to Voe’s chagrin, he was wearing his ensemble: jeans and a t-shirt. Rion made sure he’d blown out all the candle before he left the house. He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to lock the cottage behind him before slipping the key into his pocket. He sat down on the front step of his cottage and pulled out his father’s knife and has thousandth attempt at what was supposed to be a small kangaroo.

Who: Nathaniel and Umeko
When: mid-morning
Where: the medical pavillion and in Helicharis
What: Meeting again.

Nathaniel shut the door of the forest cottage behind him and started to walk in the direction of Helicharis. Ever since yesterday when Voe received a note from Janus, she'd become so dreamy and smily that it was impossible to ask her to do anything. He took matters in his own hands and had decided to head to the medical pavillion to restock their blood supply. Finding himself in a situation where he was hungry and acted upon that scared the life out of him (no pun intended) and he wanted to make sure that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

There was one small problem with going into town and the medical pavillion - namely, a woman named Umeko who might want to ask him to go with somewhere. Maybe he misread her intentions. Yes, that had to be it. He pushed those thoughts into the back of his mind as he continued walking. Walking was good for the health, he had to admit, but there were days when he was especially lazy and missed his car. Not that he'd used his car in months no thanks to being a vampire (or an undead bloodsucker of the night, but that sounded odd).

Did anyone else miss the comforts of the modern age? Surely there had to be several people who did; it had been so ingrained into people's everyday lives that it seemed unlikely people would just stop being lazy or reliant on technology. After a little while, he reached the outskirts of town and headed to the large building of the medical pavillion. Walk casually into the place, he told himself, blood bank's over there, all I have to do is head towards the blood bank, get what we need, and go. He moved to the room where the blood was stored and stood with his hands feeling shaky in front of the cabinet. So much blood. He couldn't bring himself to call it food.

Lord. Nathaniel suddenly remembered when he fed upon someone for the first time; the rush of blood all over his hands, the look of horror on the man's face as he slipped through death's door... Something warm gushed onto his skin and he broke out of his thoughts to see that somehow he'd taken a bag of blood, squeezing it so hard that it burst. "Shit," he cursed, so out of it that swearing seemed the least of his problems. He tossed the empty bag into the bin and searched the room for a cloth to dampen, wiping a portion of the liquid off the floor. The cloth was soaked, so he had to go to the sink in order to squeeze out the blood and wash it. The blood running into the drain brought back even more awful memories - Nathaniel gripped the edge of the sink hard enough for his knuckles to whiten.

Who: Everyone!
Where: Just outside of Helicharis at the Festival Grounds
When: 6 PM till ??
What: Autumnal Equinox Festival - It's the first day of Autumn!

ooc: To join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The past week had been nothing but preparations for the coming equinox that would herald the new season. It was a happy time for the forest creatures as they were the ones that spent hours on end setting up the grounds for the joyous celebration. Wooden lamp posts lit with orange flames bordered the area as well as throughout the entire festival grounds. Each attendee was greeted with a flower garland for their head, neck, or wrist if they desired one.

Fairies had decided to attend this festival as well because of the bright colors that had attracted their attention. There were bonfires all throughout the festival as well and they added warmth to the cool night air. The fiery glow that came from each pyre added a comforting feel to the entire atmosphere, and there were many fauns and fae dancing around each one in a happy manner. They were singing songs and laughing joyously as they pulled passers-by into their happy circle.

Musical fauns played their instruments as they marched through the festival. Fae and fairies flew around the traveling group, singing and humming to the music that resonated in the air. A large stage was set up for those who wished to perform in front of a large crowd be it with singing or acting or any other sort of talent they possessed. There were shows held as well, particularly by those who possessed magic and wished to entertain the crowd for an hour or tow.

Food and drink tables were set up nearby to feed the many attendees with whatever they could think to eat. And wine, they couldn't forget about the wine! There were scantily clad fae handing out the intoxicating liquid to everyone with a free hand. The wine this year was extremely potent and anyone with a weak constitution would no doubt get inebriated with just one cup.

The southern part of the festival held the games geared toward the young or simply the young at heart. Barrels were available for those who wished to roll down hills, piles of leaves were created for those who wanted nothing more than to jump and play in them. Colored sparklers were handed out freely and there were even pegasus rides for anyone who wanted to soar through the skies. There were contests here as well, simple ones that had participants bobbing for apples and fruits and curious prizes, searching for toys in piles of hay, and even pinning horns on a wooden faun.

Contests were set up again as they were just a month earlier. Archery contests and wrestling matches, potato sack and three-legged races. There were various game booths set up as well, such as knife throwing and ring tossing. There was even an area set up for pie eating contests and a Dwarven ale contest where participants could try to out-drink a dwarf.

Fireworks exploded periodically throughout the night and the gleeful sounds of the festival echoed all around. Elysium was a joyful place tonight as citizens celebrated the equinox beneath the near-full moon.

Who: Marit and Nathaniel
When: a little before Zane and Amada's wedding
Where: the way leading to the beaches
What: Nathaniel hesitates to attend the wedding, but fortunately finds some company in Marit.


( Just a simple touch-- )

Who: Umeko and Nathaniel
Where: the freshwater lake
When: mid-morning
What: Nathaniel goes swimming.

Nathaniel awoke early that morning and trudged to the kitchen groggily as he usually was without his cup of blood for breakfast. Running a hand through his hair, he went to where they kept the blood and fetched a glass. At first he was hesitant about sharing the cottage with someone else, especially a woman (how improper!), but Voe told him she was also a vampire and had no ulterior motives. So far living in the same house with her was all right because they were rarely in the same place at the same time. Today, she was already in the kitchen, drinking her blood in a chilled glass like she had done every morning. "Good morning," he said as he walked to the table and sat down on a chair by it. Voe replied with her usual larger-than-life tone of voice and they finished their meal in silence, heading off in separate directions.

He decided to head towards the freshwater lake, which was near the water bungalows where Marit said she lived. He still hesitated to actually visit her, but being in the same area would be good enough for now. The weather was better than he expected and once again he was grateful for the magic surrounding Elysium to protect his skin against the sun. The sunshine was something he missed from his traveling through Europe and he might as well take advantage of it. Taking off his shirt, trousers, shoes and socks, Nathaniel stood in his boxers before starting to wade into the lake. The water felt so good against his skin and he dived in once he was far out enough into the lake. He swam for ten minutes or so before he decided to wade around in waist-deep water. For once, he was able to relax a little.

He was more comfortable alone now, even if that meant the possibility of him returning to his dark thoughts. There was nothing to remind him of the past here as he was surrounded by trees and water under a beautiful sky. If he wasn't plagued by grief, he might have even hummed to himself. Nathaniel sighed, though this time it relieved him more than anything else.

Who: Nathaniel and OPEN
Where: the medical pavillion
When: late afternoon
What: Nathaniel arrives.

Nathaniel stared at the ceiling. There were fifteen cracks and thirty-seven bumps on it and he'd nearly memorised the shapes of each crack and what patterns the bumps formed. He lost track of how long he spent staring pointlessly upwards, but it must have been a while because the light in the medical pavillion's room changed ever so slightly. The past several months forced him to be watchful of the hours and the sunlight as he could not travel during the day. It made for slow travel and he was not able to appreciate the full beauty of the sights in Europe, the towns he visited. His travels, however, were not for leisure. It had been very important for him to find his sire and stop whatever horrible things he and his gang of vampires were doing, but now...

Now he was here. Stuck. Unable to do anything about Christopher. Part of him was so restless that he could hardly stand to be in a room for an extended period of time, but if he left this place, what was he going to do? He'd rushed off recklessly without a plan and that was a surefire path for disaster. So he was grateful he'd been found and saved from the disgrace of being homeless and feeding off of animals. Not much about that had changed so far. He still had nowhere to stay and he wondered who he needed to ask to find lodgings in this place. If there was no availible space, then he'd suffer having a roommate. It was doubtful anyone would tolerate a brooding vampire ex-doctor like him, that was certain.

He finally sat up straight on his cot and looked around the room. The medical pavillion was fairly large...large enough in which he could get lost. Nathaniel slid off the cot to stand on the floor for a moment before beginning to explore. His experience in medicine made him curious about what kind of facilities the pavillion had and he needed to find out to appease his sanity. What if this place was not sufficiently equipped to handle its different patients? Nathaniel wasn't sure he could tolerate it.

Walking into another room, he spotted some medical tools lying on a tray, no doubt waiting to be put away and he picked up one of them to inspect it. Not bad, thankfully. Nathaniel left the tray to survey the interior of one of the cabinets. It seemed to be sufficient, but a little out of order. He started to sort the materials inside the cabinet in alphabetical order. Once the doctors here saw how easy it was to find things once they were alphabetized, surely they felt the need to continue the system.