Log: Belated Birthday WHO: Anna & Andrei WHEN: Last night (06/05/14) WHERE: Near the edge of the woods
Andrei had fed, Andrei had showered, Andrei had dressed up in a summer coat. The night was quiet and still, the moon not yet risen. There were stars sparkling in the sky. Andrei was quiet as a shadow as he glided through the woods, running over the forest floor and jumping over fallen trees.
He could smell her. Faintly, on the wind. Maybe she had changed shape, gotten smaller, but he could smell her. She was in the woods, as always, at night. He was a hunter in the woods, a predator, but she was of the woods, a creature born of them. This was her kingdom, her stomping ground. And yet, not only could he smell her, he could also feel her. He had fed of her, and now, he could feel her blood reaching out to him.
There she was. Dancing. Andrei paused to watch her, to admire her, before he stepped into the clearing. He aimed for an old branch, hearing it crack and announcing his presence. Behind his back, he was carrying something wrapped in foil. "Hey."
---
Anna turned on the spot and looked at Andrei, shining with her own magic aura that she carried with her at all times, dimmed only by the daylight and certain emotions. She tilted her head and offered him a small smile, embarrassed at having been caught enjoying the evening air and the woods that were slowly waking from their winter sleep. They were still sleepy, clinging to the last vestiges of their winter rest before having to join the world again.
At least he hadn’t surprised her or snuck up on her. That was something that did startle her a little. Unlike before, though, she kept a distance between them, eyes watching him carefully and seeing that he had one hand held behind his back. Curiosity pinged in her chest, what was that?
“Hey yourself,” she greeted with another small smile, lacing her fingers together in front of her, her large wings giving a half-flutter, the movement barely causing a wince as she’d been stretching them for a couple of hours by this point. “Whatcha got there?”
---
She was pretty, Andrei thought. Especially like this, fae-like and in her own element. She looked like she was home. Maybe that was why Lily was so against her. Anna’s beauty was innocent and natural, while Lily’s looked raw and predatory. Natural opposites, and Lily didn’t seem like the type to tolerate competion.
Andrei grinned coyly, biting his lip. He looked down at his feet, before looking at her again. “Forgot your birthday,” he drawled. “Got you a present. You want it?”
---
"How did you know I had a birthday recently?" Anna asked, since her other friends didn't know, she hasn't told anyone because she hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it. Besides, Trent and Ashton had been busy doing their... Thing and before she knew it, three days had passed and Trent had ended up in the infirmary.
She did look surprised, though, and tilted her head, rocking curiously up on the tips of her toes, fighting her urge to go closer.
"What is it?"
---
“There’s a calendar in the school directory,” Andrei said. He’d been in detention, and he’d had to wait outside of Ms. Menides’ office. And, well, he was curious, and that calendar had just been hanging there, so…
Andrei smiled, making a show of keeping the present hidden behind his back. “It’s a present.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Come closer if you wanna open it. I swear I won’t bite.” He grinned in what he thought was a reassuring manner, but his fangs were showing.
---
The smile did little to reassure Anna, however the promise that he wouldn't bite coupled with her curiosity over the gift he was hiding behind his back had her hopping a few steps closer, large blue eyes watching him carefully.
"What is it?" she asked, biting her lower lip and hesitantly moving forward into his space. "You promise not to bite me?"
Behind her, her wings fluttered again, showering the ground in fairy dust that caught the light.
---
Behind him, Andrei was holding a fragile looking present. It was wrapped in silver foil, and had a plump, round bottom with, tapering out of it, a thin, long something, all of it concealed by the wrapping paper. Inside it, there was a potted flower: one long stem, held up by a thin piece of reed, that blossomed into an entirely black orchid. He presented the gift to Anna. “I promise not to bite you,” he said, meaning it. He wasn’t happy about it, but he could accept it. Anna had been cool about this.
Didn’t mean he’d stopped playing games. Instead of stepping closer and giving her the present, he simply nodded and offered it to her.
---
Anna bit her lower lip as she moved that little bit closer, rocking on her heels as she stopped an arms length away from the vampire. She trusted him when he said that he wouldn’t bite her, but that didn’t mean she was about to throw herself forward into potential biting reach. After all, he’d managed to do something to her the first time they’d met properly which had totally messed with her head and she didn’t want the same thing to happen this time. Besides, Trent and Matt would be really mad at her if she ended up getting bitten again. Maybe Ashton too- but- but she hadn’t- he hadn’t come to see her, so she supposed he wasn’t ready yet to be okay and wasn’t ready to face his problem.
She reached out, curling her fingers carefully around the fragile gift, the silver foil rustling, even underneath her delicate touch.
Her eyes were soft, as was her smile, as she looked at Andrei, carefully taking the gift and sitting down on the floor to unwrap it from the foil. She started at the base and worked her way up to the delicate top so as not to damage it, and the ever-present glow that she carried with her pulsated in delight as the gift was revealed.
“Oh, Andrei,” she said, looking up at him before she got to her feet. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She smiled widely and reached out, curling her fingers around his wrist before she decided that he’d promised - and it wasn’t a good thing to break ones promise and he wouldn’t do that to her anyway, would he (?) - that he wouldn’t bite her, so she curled her arm around his neck and hugged him.
---
“It’s a black orchid,” Andrei explained. He had bought it at Nazar, though he did not like the store. It was minded by witches. He had a special distaste for two of them: flaky, flighty creatures, hiding behind their mantras of ‘blessed be’ and their Earth Mother and whatnot. The third one… The third one wasn’t that bad. He was a quiet sort, one who understood the value of letting the customer be king. He didn’t bother Andrei, and he had pointed out the flower to him. It had cost him a pretty penny, but it was worth it. Worth this.
He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling her scent. He could feel her blood pulsing underneath her skin -- it seemed to be more lively during the night. He could feel his fangs wanting to come out, but he fought the urge. Instead, he repeated what the shopkeeper had told him: “They only blossom in the moonlight. Don’t put them in direct sunlight, and water them twice as a week. If they like you, they might live as long as you do.”
He broke the hug, looking at her with a grin. “You like it?”
---
Anna leaned back when Andrei broke the hug and gently detangled herself from the embrace to pick up the flower again, her touch delicate over the stem. She was radiating happiness and sheer delight at the gift that she had been given and the obvious thought that had gone into it. She pushed her fingers through her hair and drew the plant closer to her chest, as if she were guarding it like a precious treasure.
“You- this is a really thoughtful gift, Andrei,” she said softly, “Thank you.”
---
“Ain’t no thing, babydoll,” Andrei said, obviously pleased that his present had been received so well. He was preening, which looked odd on the usually so sullen vampire. He gave Anna a little bow, and then said: “Well, ain’t you gonna go and take it home? I’m bettin’ you get some place where it’s gonna look real nice.”
---
“I know exactly where I’m going to put it in my room,” Anna said with a nod of her head, fingers caressing the plant stem again carefully, still cradling it against her chest. “I’d better go put it there now, keep it safe.”
She rocked back on her heels, wincing a fraction as her wings retracted into her back, wingbuds opening and closing in a discomforting manner that flickered across her face before she returned her attention to Andrei.
“Thanks, again,” she offered, rocking forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek before she nudged his nose with hers. “See you around.” And with that, Anna turned her back on the vampire and headed towards the edge of the woods to take the gift back to her dorm room. She felt pleased by the interaction; Andrei hadn’t tried to bite her or anything and he’d been… sweet. Kind even. That made Anna feel happy.