Graham Donovan (_backfire) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-04-17 17:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-10 |
But I know that I can make it, as long as somebody takes me home
Who: Graham, Uli, and Kismet (NPC)
Where: Random coffeeshop
When: 10:30am
Graham needed to talk to Uli. Like ten years ago. And for various reasons, too. He had been meaning to confront his kid sister and let her know that her big brother wasn't entirely human, though ever since the first demon attack, Graham's life had been nothing but a clusterfuck. He didn't have time to sit down and chit-chat with her, even though he wanted to. And now that he finally made his mind on the whole vampire thing, now he really had to tell her what the hell was going on. Graham didn't have intentions of telling everyone he knew that hey, he was getting turned into a vampire, but Uli deserved to know. She was his other half as far as he was concerned and there was no need to leave her in the dark.
Plus there was that voice in the back of his mind telling him that maybe, just maybe, Uli was different as well. And not just in the sense that the two of them were eccentric as fuck. She had to be fae-blooded at the very least, just like him, but was she also an elemental of some sort? Or could that have skipped her entirely? Graham wasn't sure. Well, he would know if she came waltzing in with a toad or something for a familiar. It then made him wonder what exactly his parents were if he had inherited such traits. He could easily see his father being a fire elemental, having the same short fuse as his old man did. His mother... not so much. As much as he wanted to confront them and ask to find out, he knew that would go nowhere fast.
So instead he stuck with just Uli. He had called her that morning when he knew his parents were off to work, and told her to meet up at some random coffeeshop in the area, offering to pay for her breakfast so he could chat with her. He sat by the window, sipping on his second cup of coffee with an egg sandwich off to the side that he had yet to eat. A bit hard to regain an appetite after bumping into Galen. At least he managed to get under the guy's skin. That alone put a smile on his face. Now Uli just had to show up. He held his coffee cup close to his face while peering out the window, not even flinching as his moth familiar crawled around his hand, cooing lightly as she nestled against his warmth.
It had been a tough couple of weeks since Uli had last seen her brother, but she had been learning to cope. Slowly, because learning to cope meant that she had to change, and after twenty-nine years of being downright weird, changing was hard. She was trying to be more open, more spontaneous, more... of everything that she wasn't and knew that her brother was. After his last disappearance, in which she realized that she needed to get to the bottom of the feelings, and just learn why, she'd found herself in the bookstore with Hap, and that had been a trip to the past and a learning experience. Uli needed her brother to know that she wasn't normal. Well, she wasn't, but he needed to know that she was one of them. Supernatural.
So when she'd gotten that call she had dressed, a white shirt with a flowing purple skirt, and went on her way to meet her brother at said coffee shop. She forewent her usual breakfast in lieu of something on the menu, found her purse, keys, and cell phone and was out the door with nothing about ideas of how to tell him her secret. How would Graham react? He was hotheaded, she knew, so it could be a multitude of different situations, he could go from happy to sad to angry in an instant, like their father. She sighed as she guided her car into the parking lot and turned it off. Here went nothing, and yet, it was everything.
"Graham." He wasn't even looking her way. Eying the cup he held near his face, she wondered just how he did that. Piping hot cups or bowls or anything never really bothered her brother, at all. Forcing a smile despite her nervousness, she took her bag from her shoulder and placed it next to her as she sat. What did they serve for breakfast in these kinds of places? Uli rarely even went out for dinner, and that was usually for anything potato. Did they serve potatoes for breakfast? They had to, this was America! "How have you been lately?"
Upon hearing his name, his eyes flicked up while he was in the middle of a gulp of coffee, eying his sister coming on over and joining. As he placed the cup down, he flashed a smile on over to Uli and nodded to her. She seemed to be fairing well, but just because she looked well didn't mean she was well. Graham figured that out about his sister ages ago. The girl was always quiet and kept to herself, unlike himself, where everyone within a hundred foot radius knew what was on his mind. Funny how that worked.
"Hey stranger, long time no see." Because honestly, it felt like forever. Last time he saw Uli, he was picking up his amps and effects units from the house, which was weeks ago. She didn't know anything about the demon attacks or the aspirin overdose or the road trip to New England or the time he had been spending with Jezebelle or any of it. And honestly? She didn't need to know the details of each and every one of his adventures, but at the very least she needed to know what her brother really was and what he planned on being the next time they met. "I've been better, to be honest. Life has been all over the fucking place, to say the least. At least I can slow down and catch up with you, right? How have you been lately?"
All the while, Kismet kept crawling around around his hand, trying to get a better look at the girl who had joined them. She had been anxious to see who this Uli girl was and happy to see her master's sister at last. Her antenna's twitched back and forth for a moment before directing her thoughts to just Graham, She looks just like you.
Graham had come for the amps a long while ago, and she remembered what she played for him that day. Whenever he played she always wanted to listen, and she hoped that wherever he had gone and played, that they had listened too. It was one of the few times she knew him to truly be at peace, and everyone should at least get the chance to know what it was like. Uli's eyes roamed, although she tried to make it less obvious than usual. Leaving her shoes under the table, she folded them under her to sit cross-legged. Typical Uli things.
"I have been...," Angry. Odd. Malcontent. "Well. Sorting out, things." She remembered how displeased Hap had been with her speech, and now she chose to try and be clearer, speak slower so that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't slip into one of her riddles. Uli's fingers played on the table, and she eyed the sandwich as her stomach growled. It looked good, and the coffee too. If they were younger she would've just reached out and taken it like any other kid sister, but they were grown now. She knew better than to make her brother mad anyway, as much destruction and disturbance as he could cause to the peace. "There is something that I think I should tell you. Along the lines of how difficult it is to say; knights had easier times slaying dragons."
"There's a bug crawling around on your hand," she announced, low and calm. A moth, maybe? They didn't seem the kind to hang out in a coffee shop at all, so maybe it was just something similar. Perhaps it had come in from outside, whatever the case, Uli doubly kept her hands to herself in case it decided to jump on her hand. She wasn't afraid of insects, well, she wasn't afraid to look at them. Crawling on her skin was a different story.
She had something to tell him? Uli was the type who normally kept everything to herself and almost never had a problem with everything. Then again, if she had to tell himself, something this important, then it had to be massive, coming from Uli and all. She wasn't going to throw a fit over the dishes being left in the sink again or her favorite white shirt turning pink in a mismatched laundry load. No, but she would if the sky was falling and hell was about to freeze over. Thus Graham was all ears.
And just as he parted his lips to say something, a waitress had stopped on by to ask if the new arrival wanted anything, offering a menu, as well. That gave Graham a minute to recompose himself, glancing down to Kismet, who was still eying Uli. At least his sister didn't call the moth "a thing" with massive disgust, like Galen had. The fact that Kismet wasn't flipping out was a sign that she was fine around his kid sister. Nice change of pace, seeing that she had a habit of not liking any of the ladies in his life. Does she not like me? Everyone keeps calling me a bug like it's a bad thing! I am NOT a bad thing! Once again, the tiny familiar's thoughts only penetrated Graham's brain, not wanting to freak out Uli and the waitress. Sighing lightly, he responded mentally to the moth, She'll like you, just calm your shit. She doesn't know I'm an elemental, hence why we're fucking here to begin with. I'll introduce her to you once she gets whatever is on her mind out in the open.
Uli took a deep breath, and got ready to relate all that she knew of her... condition. How would her brother take it? The seconds ticked by, and she kept an eye on the moth as they did. This wasn't going to be easy, especially in a public place. Graham wasn't the type to keep his mouth shut or his voice low just because it would be polite. Graham was the type to blow up and not give a damn just who knew his business. If they wanted to stick their noses into what was going on, he'd punch them and break it. His little sister? She didn't want any of the trouble.
"Oh. Orange juice, and a bagel." Uli declined the menu, shaking her head at the sight of it. "No cream cheese, not toasted. No, no butter either. I would really... like it if you could bring me the juice in one of the glasses you serve soft drinks in." As the waitress walked off, seemingly bewildered at her odd order, Uli turned back to face her brother. He was looking at the moth too, but not with disgust or wonder. She could feel her heart beating in her ears, and though her hands were under the table, she gribbed her skirt to try and steady them. Why was she so afraid? This was Graham. They had stuck together through thick and thin their entire lives, and Uli realized that she wasn't afraid of his reaction. She was afraid of herself and what she felt she might become if she let this information out to somebody so close to her.
"I... my-my mind." The words were stuck in her throat, and she looked down to avoid Graham's eyes. She just so happened to be staring at his cup. It looked so painstakingly hot. "Something is... different, with my mind. I can feel emotions... other people's emotions. Like the waitress, I know she's displeased, I can feel it. Somebody in here is really happy over something. You're worried. I'm not proving my point. Here it comes. I'm an empath. I feel what other people are feeling." Did he hate her now?
Graham honestly had no idea what his sister was about to confide to him about. Maybe it had to do something with the family. Maybe she had an illness. Or maybe she had a love interest in her life. Shit, Graham didn't know, but whatever it was was eating away at Uli enough to make her nervous around him. And she had absolutely no reason to be. Graham was the one who stepped in and punched people in the face when they teased her too much. He was the one who always took the blame when their fun and games went too far. Even now he was going to be there for her.
Finding out she was an empath, though? That threw him for a massive loop. He only knew that was a psychic ability of some sort due to Autumn having a minor case of it. She always knew how he felt or if he was lying. Uli seemed to be the same way since she pinpointed his emotions without hesitation. Then his mind began to whirl about with things, like if their parents were psychic at all along with the elementalism. Was Uli an elemental, too? Graham was so confused and had trouble initially forming his words, but eventually he set his coffee down on the table and spoke.
"...really? You're an... empath? Holy shit, this is crazy... Do the rents know? I mean, has this been like, an on going this? Have you-" He paused for a second, struggling to say his words, because he knew the answer would have scared him to some extent. Sighing, he finally spat it out. "Have you always known how I feel?" The two of them had always been close and Graham always experienced a variety of emotion around her. Happy over yet another perfect test grade. Sad that some girl stood him up on a date. Angry that his parents were being douchebags yet again. Watching him go through all those emotions was one thing, but feeling them? God, he didn't even want to know how Uli felt those few times he brought a girl into the house.
So he didn't want to throw her out of a window or punch her in the face or throw his hot coffee on her. She smiled warily, not sure if this was just a wind up, but it was her brother. If he hadn't flipped his shit already, there wasn't going to be any of that happening anytime soon. The smile grew the more the wonder emanated from him. He wasn't angry at all, he was curious about how far back it had gone. To tell the truth? She couldn't remember when it had first started, she might have just dealt with it her entire life until her teens when she could finally separate what she truly felt from she knew was from outside influences.
"They don't know. I don't think I can trust them. As far as I can throw them. I believe that's a simple enough expression." He was scared. Probably because he would suddenly be embarrassed over all he had done when he thought that everyone else was in the dark. "Yes." Graham's face disappeared behind the waitress' arm as she placed a glass in front of Uli. The orange juice swayed dangerously close to the rim, seeing as the woman had filled it with no ice. Perfect. Uli pulled her lips taut in an almost-smile and reached for the straw as the waitress left again. "Except when your were in the coma. I was scared. You left town awhile ago too." Uli paused to swallow down some juice. "I try not to mind what you're feeling when you're not around. You deserve your privacy. Just because we can view something all the time doesn't mean we should."
Having someone be completely aware of his emotions their entire life was unnerving to say the least, but it was his sister, so perhaps it wasn't that bad...? Graham wasn't sure what to make of it. There were a myriad of questions to be asked, like what exactly she felt and when and so forth. Then his thoughts slammed into a brick wall when she mentioned that he left town. That was not something he was expecting to hear from her. Last time he had talked to Uli in person was several weeks ago and he knew for a fact that he never confronted her before he and Rigby skipped town for a while. So how could she possibly know? Did her empathy extend out far enough so that she could feel his presence or something? Oh fuck... Now that he thought of that, his heart rate picked up while a finger tapped anxiously against the side of his coffee cup.
Graham didn't like jumping to conclusions that quickly, but he couldn't help but worry about that tidbit. If she could feel his emotions from that far away, then she was able to feel all those personal moments, like when he and Jezebelle killed off a random, innocent man or when he and Saoirse fought weeks ago or when he and whatever girl he was with at the time shared an intimate moment or when- Fuck... what would happen when I get turned? That was something he didn't want to put Uli through. Graham was aware that vampires were dead creatures, so what would Uli feel? Would it feel like she was dying, too? Would she continue to feel his emotions?
His rambling thoughts left him speechless for a while, though he snapped back to reality once he realized he was staring with his jaw dropped slightly. Fluttering his eyes, he flicked several strands of black hair out of his face, then looked back to Uli. "Ok, back the train up. All the fucking way. You... knew when I left? How?! I never fucking told you I was leaving and-" He paused when he realized he was raising his voice at his kid sister and refused to upset her. Pfff, she probably knows I'm not angry because she can feel my emotions and shit. Heaving out a massive sigh, Graham took a sip of coffee before going on, doing his best to be calm. "Let's try that again... how did you even know I was gone?"
Uli didn't know how exactly, that was a matter to be explained by a scientist or somebody that had total control over what they felt with their ability. So she stayed silent for the time being, stared down, away, enjoyed a sip of her orange juice. Where should she begin? Where could she begin that wouldn't freak him out worse? What if he thought she was constantly invading his privacy every chance she got? In her eyes, it was more like extra feelings bubbled up to invade her own privacy whenever they got a chance to grab hold. The random emotions she picked up at any given time were small potatoes compared to some of what she had felt from Graham over the years, and the last couple of months had been a testament to her own sanity.
"I actually have been thinking a lot about this one. Think of me as a cell phone tower, and you are the cell phone." An example he wouldn't really like from the get-go, but it was the best she had come up with. "The closer you are to me, the stronger your signal is. You would be maxed right now. If you went outside and began walking away, you would fade. If you went beyond about fifty feet then I start getting bits, and nothing is really all that clear. It's easier to not pay attention unless you feel something really strongly. I knew you left because at a certain distance, it just becomes a haze and nothing really comes through. When you went to Chicago, it was as the ocean feels at night to one who has been living around it all their life." She took a deep breath. Uli never talked that much, ever, if she could manage it. Graham needed answers though, and she wanted him to remain comfortable with who she was. "When you were in the coma, it shut off. It was like I was raised listening to static noise from televisions my entire life, and then somebody turned the tv off. It was terrifying."
Uli didn't like reflecting on that time period, and she was sure it was much harder for her brother so she tried to skim over it. But seriously, you couldn't skim over something that big. Trying to pretend it hadn't happened was just denying a part of her brother's life, and she accepted him entirely, even if unsavory things had taken place over the years. It was only fair in her eyes. He'd stuck up for her and looked out for her for years when she was constantly picked on, and if she couldn't accept that he had messed up when he accepted her for who she was, then what kind of sister would she be? She was weird, odd, out-of-place, and as long as she was Uli, then she was going to accept everything Graham threw her way. Even if it was drugs, or the way he got so interested in women, or his nomadic tendencies. Uli had felt them all, and they didn't phase her. It was just who he was.
Her description initially threw him off guard, leaving Graham even more puzzled than he was initially, though as she continued to explain, everything made sense. So she had always been able to feel his emotions no matter what; it just depended on how close she was to him at the time being. Then she mentioned his two weeks in a coma and Graham instantly felt his heart drop. That wasn't exactly a memory he wanted to recall and from the looks of it, neither did Uli. He never meant to scare his little sister, but it was hard not to when she could pick up every single one of his emotions. Granted she probably didn't know the reason for each and every one, like why he was riding on an euphoric high after blowing up the car several days ago, though it was still there.
And for some reason, Graham was ok with this. If there was one person who was to have a front row seat to experience his emotions, the best person was probably Uli. Not because he wanted her to experience all of them, but because she was the only one he trusted with them. Squirming in his seat to try and sit more comfortably, Graham took a sip on his drink before speaking up. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that back then. Hell, sorry you have to put up with me now. I... I didn't mean to put you through any misery, Uli. I didn't know." Then again, she also didn't know about his elementalism or his decision to finally be turned into a vampire. That was something he had to tell her whether he liked it or not. He figured his kid sister wouldn't appreciate a whole night where it felt like she was dying for no reason.
Silence loomed over him while he struggled with his words, wanting to pick what he said carefully. Saying that he had an affinity for fire followed by planning to be turned into a vampire the next day wasn't really on par with being able to feel emotions. "You know, you're not the only one with special powers and shit," Graham spoke slowly, carefully. His fingers trailed along the lip of his coffee cup, watching Kismet crawl around his hand while twitching her antennas. Taking in a deep breath, his eyes flicked on back up to Uli, "...right?"
"If you knowing beforehand meant that you wouldn't enjoy your life to the fullest, then I would rather you not know. What happened was unfortunate, but you're alive, and that's what matters to me." Not the other people. She didn't care how many other people had been injured then, because they weren't her brother, and therefore they were outside of her realm of caring for. Life dictated that she should care for them, and that she should have been more than merely sad about the incident, but Uli was weird, and so she didn't follow all the rules. "I don't want you to think twice about doing what you want to do because I feel what I do. If anything, you can tell me in advance so I can find something to occupy myself with."
As Uli finally closed her mouth and took a small reprieve, she tried to shove what she was feeling from him into the background. Sometimes it helped her to know the little blips here and there while they intertwined with the two or three big emotions, but right now, she figured if her brother wanted-- no, needed to lie to her, she wasn't going to get caught up in how he felt about. It was the easiest way to keep herself levelheaded and expect whatever was coming next. He hadn't said anything, but the silence between them hinted at it, and so she braced herself for his words.
But what he said didn't make any sense. She knew that there were others out there with abilities like hers, and people out there with abilities that made her look completely human. Some people were animals, some people were undead. There were mermaids, and ghosts, and all things-- the look in his eyes said something else though. Graham couldn't be different too could he? Uli's mind began to race, to look for signs of whatever it is he could be, but she didn't know enough about the supernatural races to pinpoint anything. "You have special powers?" The mismatched pair of earrings she was wearing-- one was a large wire star, and the other was a fish-- swayed back and forth against her as she moved in surprise. "Is that moth a... familiar?"
Uli had a point; Graham probably would have held back to some extent if he knew his kid sister could feel every damn emotion that he felt. That wasn't unnerving at all. No point in doing something about it now, especially when Uli more or less acted unfazed by the whole thing. If his sister was managing with it at this point, then so could Graham. Whether or not he could always give her a heads up each and every time something was going to happen was a different story, but he certainly would try.
Then she to ask him about what he truly was, which was fine, seeing that Graham was getting to that, but the second Uli questioned about the mother, that instantly gave Kismet the liberty to talk as much as she wanted. The moth perked up and began to flutter around the table as she gladly decided to answer the girl's question, Of COURSE I'm his familiar! You don't see moths just hanging around coffee shops all day, now do you? "Kizzy..." And don't you think I didn't see you eyeballing me before like I was some kind of pest, missy. "...Kizzy..." I know you're his sister and all, but he's MINE. I'm not going to let you take all the attention away, you know. "Oh, for the love of-" So get used to me, because I plan on sticking around for- "KIZZY." WHAT?! The mouth landed on Graham's nose and stared him down for a moment before he sighed and replied, "Can you calm down?"
After a tiny groan, she beated her wings against his face before nestling into his black hair, purring contently as she did. Graham rubbed his eyes before looking back to his sister. "This is Kismet, otherwise known as Kizzy. She's... my familiar, which makes me..." He choked on his words a bit, not realizing how hard it was to explain he was a fire elemental. Pausing for a second, he then briskly whipped out his pack of matches and lit on up. Graham then crumbled up a nearby napkin and placed it in his palm before chucking the match along in the pile. As the napkin roared up in flames for a while, he let it linger in his hand, not flinching for even a second. If anything, his eyes remained locked onto the burning fire he created, watching it gradually die down into a pile of black ash in his hand. Brushing off the remains on the table, his hand remained unharmed. "Fire elemental," he explained, his words softer than normal. "At least for now."
The moth had a name, and was fluttering about on a tirade about Graham's attention and how Uli couldn't monopolize on it. Better yet, it wasn't really talking at all. Though there wasn't any real way for Uli to discern if the moth's-- Kizzy's-- mouth was moving in speech, she could hear her in her head. Graham's brief frustration flicked on in her mind too, and Uli looked past the fluttering insect at the table in a moment of realization. Kizzy's thought-speak occurred toward the front of her head. Emotions she picked up from other people worked like headaches somewhat, but usually were centered farther back. Kizzy's rant made what she felt from Graham diluted, hazy at best. What could this mean?
"Kizzy." Uli bowed her head toward her brother's familiar. "Nice to meet you. I apologize if I looked at you that way, but I bore no ill will. Even if you weren't his familiar, I would see that you go the respect that all living things deserve. I am the rock sitting by the river as life passes me by." So much for making as much sense as she could. While Graham's conversation enabled her a little more power over words than usual, being aware of Kizzy sent her back into her shell somewhat. She would warm with time, but for now it was rigid, formal speech again. "What does that make you?"
She couldn't put anything together, and so far Graham kept his mouth shut will he fiddled with a napkin. Really, of all the things to do. He was obviously intending to burn the crumpled thing with the match he was holding. Couldn't this wait? Uli felt his hesitance, but pushed it aside quickly. She wanted to know, and she couldn't recall any other time she had ever been so excited to hear somebody say something. The napkin went up in flames, and she felt focused, drawn in, exhilarated. Then she realized that she wasn't feeling those things at all, but Graham was so enraptured by the flame it was like she was him for those few seconds. He was a fire elemental, and everything from their childhood and even ten minutes ago made more sense. Chicago made more sense. Graham's dislike of cold water made sense, and an almost subtle cosmic joke made sense too.
A moth. Really? "For now?"
Yes, a moth. Not something Graham was proud of, but he had no choice but be attached to her. Familiars were lovely like that. I'm his familiar! I watch over him and help enhance his powers, Kismet added while fluttering her wings for a second, then went back to nuzzling into Graham. He, on the other hand, didn't look so amused by the concept, but it was the truth. Besides, there was a much larger question at hand than what exactly Kismet was, and that was what exactly Graham was... or was going to be soon. Not exactly something to be discussing over breakfast, and speaking of which, he had yet to touch his sandwich. Taking the liberty to indulge in at least a few bites, he took the moment to collect his thoughts and finally give Uli a somewhat acceptable answer.
"You know, life hasn't really been the same for me since I was released from jail," he started, leaning into the table while holding his coffee cup. "I mean, I know that's the consequences of that bullshit, but I still get pissed off looks now and then. Shit, I can't even imagine the kind of hell this town put you through while I was gone. And I've tried to atone for the fucked up shit that happened, but it's really not enough. People don't forget shit like that, even if you're trying to do something better, and-" He cut himself off, feeling his heart flutter as he recalled the memory. "And somehow, I don't fucking know how, but I've managed to finally find someone who won't run away from me."
Thinking of Jezebelle made Graham a bit flustered, even more so when he thought of their joint murder together. That was a thrilling enough experience to makes his insides feel exhilarated all over again. He paused for a bit while he lingered on those memories, then continued. "I think I've finally found my little niche in this world where I can be myself and not get ridiculed 24/7, though it comes at a price." It always did, thus was life, though trying to tell his sister that he was going to become a vampire was easier said than done. Whether this would be a good thing or bad thing was beyond him at the moment, but he had to just spit it out. "...I'm going to die as a fire elemental to be reborn as a vampire, Uli."
Uli wondered if Graham was aware of the joke the universe was having with him at its choice in his familiar. To top it off, Kizzy was just as loud and rambunctious as her brother was, and even though she was an insect, she was staking claim to him. She supposed that a relationship was possible, but she also knew that her brother enjoyed women, their figures, their faces, their entirety, and so she doubted Kismet could ever truly win him over. Besides, from what he was saying, it seemed like he had found somebody. A smile possessed her lips as she listened to his words.
"People will always be the same. But I made a name for myself amongst my peers so nobody has done anything especially bad." Not like they had done to their parents at least. Sure, people suspected that Uli might blow places up too, and they had certainly made the jokes, but nobody had done anything beyond that. Simply knowing that she had a brother that was capable of it scared them off. "You're not a monster, you know. It was bound to happen sometime. She's lucky." Lucky because once Graham let you that close, he wasn't ever going to let you down unless he had no choice in the matter.
Taking a sip from her orange juice, and watching Kismet for a moment, Uli began to wonder what the girl was like. There was a feeling of happiness racing through her that she attributed to this woman, and she couldn't help but think that she must be amazing if her brother felt like that about her just from the thought. Had she known that he was thinking of murder, she would have quickly wished that she wasn't telepathic. Thankfully she wasn't, because all of Graham's thoughts might have driven her crazy if she was connected with them all the time.
But the feeling she assumed was from bringing up the thought of the girl slipped away quickly and was replaced again with uncertainty. He couldn't really be saying to her what he was saying. "Graham." Hopefully out of sight, she pressed her nails into her palm, completely sure that she was dreaming. But the pain made her stop before long, and she looked over her shoulder to see if anybody had heard what he had said. "You cannot be serious. This is some kind of joke right? Is it April and I've been out of contact with things for so long that I haven't noticed? What do you mean, 'reborn'?"
This was what he was fearing. Having his kid sister completely disapprove of his decision wasn't really ideal in his mind, and he had a feeling that he would go through with it either way, but if Uli could feel his emotions when being turned, then she had to know. It simply made it harder for him to explain, seeing that it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to say, 'Oh hey, by the way, I'm going to more or less die tomorrow.' And even then, Graham didn't know all the details that were in the fine print of being turned into a vampire. He only knew the basics.
His stare was intense as always while looking at Uli. Not once did he flinch and crack a smile or roll his eyes or anything. Graham was dead serious and it was evident in his expression. "Why would I be joking about this, Uli? You're not joking about your empathy shit, or at least I hope not, so I have no reason to joke about this." He sighed for a moment to rub his eyes, searching for his words, then continued. "I mean just exactly that. Vampires are undead creatures as opposed to us, who are living. You more or less die when being turned, thus my fiery affinity will die with my humanity or some shit like that. I really don't know more on the details about it, but... if you can feel whatever the fuck I feel, then I at least want you to be aware of what's going to happen."
Pausing for a moment, Graham slumped back into his seat while bringing his coffee up to his face. For some reason, this was far more mentally exhausting than he planned it to be. He didn't mean to worry Uli or upset her or anything, but she was the only one who never questioned a single thing he did. He could always go to her when everyone else wanted him to rot and burn in hell. If she didn't accept him now, then he didn't know what to do.
Graham's hard look was enough to tell her that he was completely serious. For the first time in her life, she had actually doubted what he said was the truth, but in this case, how could she not? To die and be reborn as a vampire, just after she learned that he was a fire elemental, was odd. He himself must not have known very long at all, and she felt like she was playing baseball and the pitcher had thrown two balls at once. The first idea was easy to accept, the second had completely caught her off guard, and she knew that she was hurting him by doubting him.
"I'm sorry." She muttered, poking her finger into the ring of condensation around her glass. Graham had always been against water, they had burnt so many things, blown up her doll that one time, and even now, that cup of coffee was still moderately hot. Her brother loved fire, and if he was giving all of that up? "She must be one of the most incredible people that you have ever met. Vampires aren't so flame retardant. When is this happening?" She would thank him for the heads up later, because for the moment, she needed the facts. Would she be able to go through feeling like she was dying? The actual question was something a little more like, would she be able to survive feeling like she was dying?
"And you better come see me when it's all set and done. I want to see what it's like. I don't think I've ever seen one." Uli hoped that being uncharacteristically enthusiastic would make Graham feel better. "In the night, if you have to. I don't know all the specifics, but I guess it's time to figure them all out. Kizzy will be with you as well, I assume? I wonder what she would experience." As her earrings dangled with her movement, she adjusted her seating to counter his slump. "Is there anything else that I should know?"
True, vampires weren't flame retardant, but that wasn't going to stop Graham any time soon. He was just going to be extra careful in the future. But aside from his fire immunity, it wasn't like he was missing much. He could still make fires and explosives without needing to be a fire elemental. Besides, he had found out about what he truly was only several weeks ago. No harm done in his mind.
And there went Uli making him all sorts flustered again, though this time around his heart raced far more rapidly and he swore that his face was burning up faintly at the mention of Jezebelle. He had never thought of her like that until Uli went off and said those words. The vampires truly was something else, though he never thought of her exactly like that, though now that Uli planted that into his mind, there was no turning back now. "Tomorrow some time, I don't know fucking when," Graham replied, steering quite clear of the comment about his future sire. "And I honestly know just as much as you at this point, but... the least I could do was give you a heads up, right?"
Meanwhile, Kismet was burrowing even further into Graham's hair, obviously not liking this idea. She didn't know what was to become of her, thus kept quiet on the topic. Though something else grabbed a hold of her attention. Something horrible that made her twitch about in Graham's mess of hair. The moth then flew out from her master's hair and to the window, crawling about it anxiously. Something's not right. We shouldn't be here.
Family as close as they were always knew how to evoke certain feelings from their siblings, and Uli wasn't so particular in not manipulating that. It was because she didn't so much have to ask, she could prod until he thought about it and see what she could pick up. Way better than waiting for his thoughts to walk that way. Also, steering his thoughts that way herself pretty much guaranteed that he was doing just that. Otherwise she took his exhilarated feelings of murder and translated them into happy feelings about a girl. Not so nice to mix up.
"Thank you for letting me know. I'll find some way to get through it." She had better find a way. Uli didn't really feel like feeling as if she were dying anytime soon, and her connected empathy didn't exactly give her a choice in the matter. Maybe the internet would have answers. Hopefully the internet had answers, she wouldn't have enough time to seek out anybody to ask. "If you're actually having it happen to you, I'm sure that I can make it through. Like a farmer that's having his livestock attacked at night." Hopefully he could make the connection.
Uli rose her glass to concentrate on finishing her the juice, smiling and placing the glass back onto the counter when she was done. This wasn't exactly what she had pictured when he brother had extended an invite, but it was nice all the same. She felt good to get her secret off of her chest, and in her reverie, didn't notice Kismet's silence. The moth did seem like a talkative creature, but she didn't know her well enough to actually recognize that she wasn't speaking anymore, though she did turn her attention to the window when the insect landed there.
It definitely wasn't how Graham wanted to spend his morning, but it had been a while since the two talked and... well, that was how the cookie was going to crumble for the time being. Graham couldn't just sit back and not talk about, even more so now that his sister's empathy, especially towards him was now out. He simply refused to let that go unnoticed. While finishing up his sandwich, he was ready to say something in reply to Uli's comment about the livestock and all, though something else was grabbing his attention. Averting his gaze from his sister, he eyed Kismet beginning to tweak out against the window, beating her wings like crazy as her voice boomed into his head.
Graham! They're back! The demons! They're here! RIGHT NOW. We can't be here, it's not safe! We need to go now. Come on! WHAT ARE YOU SITTING THERE FOR!? The moth flew away from the window and began to circle around the fire elemental's head, and for once, he actually listened to her. Graham had fought a demon twice now. Twice. Neither were pleasant experiences and both times included someone had cared about getting hurt. He refused to let Uli be a victim of that. He would put his own life on the line before a demon even thought about hurting her. Standing abruptly from his seat, Graham whipped out his wallet and tossed down a twenty, not entirely caring if that was double of what both their meals was. With that out of the way, his attention went back to Uli, intense eyes piercing through her. "We need to get out of here and get you back home. I'll drive you back if I have to."
No matter how odd the morning had went, and the secrets they had divulged to each other, Uli thought that it was a definite good time. Any breakfast where there parents weren't was also good too, she had learned early on in life. Plopping her purse onto her lap, she kicked her feet back and forth underneath the table. If she were an empath, and he a fire elemental, what were their parents? Could they have shared their abilities through blood and genetics? Their father was a bit like her brother. But their mother didn't seem the type to be a fire elemental, or psychically afflicted.
Demons, Kismet had said demons. Some other stuff about them being back and the two of them needing to move, but mainly, Kismet had said demons. Uli had luck on her side the last time, but last time she had been safe at home. Right now she was out in the open. One of the rare times she actually did leave the sanctity of home for something to eat and this is what happened. Demons happened. "Drive. I will come back for my car later, but-" Her eyes shot through window, and she looked back and forth. She couldn't spot anything, but she had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach about what they could do to her head. She slipped out of the seat to stand, taking her brother's hand out of fear. "If I drive and I feel one of them..."
Graham didn't even let Uli finish her sentence. The second she offered to let him drive, he was already by her side with a hand on her back to lead her on out. He was still that overly protective big brother that received detention on numerous occasions back in high school to stand up for his sister. Didn't matter if it was the school bully or a demon - no one was going to lay a finger on her.
Once outside, he led Uli on over to his Chevelle, being the typical gentleman and opening the door for her and all. He remained quiet until he slipped into the driver's side. "Well, let's hope the rents aren't home, because I'd rather deal with a fucking demon than that line of bullshit." And now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense that his father could perhaps be a fire elemental. Explained why the two exploded in each other's faces that one night after he was released from prison. Once Kismet was inside, Graham rolled the windows on up and rolled on out. He didn't care if he was speeding or not, seeing that he had every intention to get Uli back home safely. It was the least he could do for her.
Besides, they were brother and sister, after all.