Charlie Burghard (charlieburghard) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-11-28 20:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | charlie, mac |
Tuesday: September/9/08
Who: Charlie and Mac
When: Tuesday night
Where: somewhere on the school grounds
What: a chance run in with the new girl
The sun had set a few hours ago, but between new homework and getting settled in her room, Mac had almost forgotten to walk her boxer whom had patiently waited while she ate dinner and allowed herself to get lost in the library looking for further explanations on her condition. “C’mon Sid.” She urged verbally to the unleashed dog as he sniffed around the same bush for the hundredth time, obviously looking for whatever trace of animal that’d once been there. Zipping up her black hoodie, Mac busied herself pulling her long black hair back into a mess of a bun just so that it was out of her face. “C’mon.” She said with a little more spirit, her hand patting at her thigh just before she took off into a jog, Sid running right after her in fear that she might leave him behind.
Katana strapped to her back, she was still carrying it around despite the comforting words and verbal assurance of her safety offered by the few staff memebers she’d encountered so far. Fortunately no one had demanded she give it up or leave, atleast not yet, for the sake of her continuing to feel safe at all times. Running about in the dark wasn’t something she normally made a habit of, but with no other option when the dog needed out for a while, Mac had dealt with being out in the low lighting of the moon. Her eyes and ears were on alert though, always on alert.
---
Charlie always carried a leash with him when he took Cassius out for their night runs, but it was rarely attached to the dog’s collar. Cassius was loyal and a good listener, but all bets were off when he caught the scent of a dog just like him. He froze momentarily, nostrils flapping as he tasted the air, and then he was off like a flash. “Dammit, Cas!” Charlie bellowed, taking off at a run as well. It was a good thing he was a vampire, because otherwise he’d have trouble keeping up. Sure, he’d been fast as a human, but he was a hell of a lot faster now.
“I’m not chasing after you.. it’s just a fucking rabbit!” At least that’s what Charlie assumed. Cassius never actually killed the rabbits, but he sure as fuck loved to chase them. He was chasing the scent of something else tonight, and when he found it, he barked happily. Charlie wasn’t far behind, and he came running up to see that Cassius had found a new butt to sniff. “He’s friendly, I swear!” Charlie proclaimed as he slowed his pace and strolled up to introduce himself to a dark haired woman and her dog.
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Slowing to a stop at the sound of a male voice and a fast approach of something else, she smiled mildly as she found another boxer running toward Sid. It was amusing and nice to see her dog getting a chance to be social with an animal the same breed. Greenish gaze shifted from the dogs to the man trailing after him. Lips parted to assure him that she was comfortable with the animal, introduce her self... but something caught her off guard. His smell. It was subtle and the sort of thing most humans would attribute to cologne or scents in the air. But Mac knew it all to well, the scent of a vampire, a sweet almost rotten smell that normally went undetected.
Smile fading from her lips, she instinctively withdrew the katana from its place on her back and brought it forward, prepared to decapitate him at any second. Her 5’5” body tensed, in a defensive stance and just waiting for him to dare to lunge at her. Anything that survived on the life substance of other humans wasn’t worth bothering with, a mentality acquired over years of being a snack and entree to one undead in particular. Mac didn’t say a word and maybe she was being a little overly cautious, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
---
Charlie halted, holding his hands up as soon as the weapon was drawn. “Woah.. I’m friendly too. I’m Charlie Burghard, head of security here at the school. And.. I’m unarmed.” He kept his hands in the air to prove that he was not a threat, but Charlie’s eyes were surveying the situation, figuring out what he’d do if she actually lunged at him.
Cassius was not so cautious. His delight over finding a new friend changed, and the dog began to growl at the dark haired woman, backing away from the other canine and placing his body in front of Charlie’s. “It’s okay, Cas. Calm down,” Charlie said soothingly, but the dog was not listening. He was very protective of Charlie, and he smelled hostility.
---
A smirk tugged at the right corner of her mouth. She’d met “friendly” vampires before as well. Not a single one she’d run into yet in her lifetime had been worth the wasted space. “Unarmed?” She questioned with a slight cant of her head to the side. “Can you take the fangs out?” The sarcasm in her tone was painfully obvious. No matter what he said, nothing could make her feel safe knowing he could easily kill her within minutes. Taking immediate notice of the other dog’s change in demeanor, Sid sat himself calmly in front of Maria. Mellow by nature he knew the teeth only needed to come out on her command. Gripping the handle of the Japanese sword, Mac tried to calm her nerves, the rapid pace of her heart beat knowing the more adrenaline that flowed the more obvious the rush of blood in her veins was.
Taking a step back from him, bothered by the fact that such a place would see a vampire suitable for security. He was objectified by his blood lust alone. “That sounds safe...” She commented, not backing down from her same fighting stance, still unconvinced of the nature of his personality.
---
Charlie didn’t know this girl, so he had no idea what he needed to do to convince her that he wasn’t a threat. But he knew they had a new student on campus, so his mind tried to access whatever he could remember of her file. “Maria?” Charlie wasn’t the only one to process new arrivals on campus. He delegated duties to Adam from time to time, since the man was so damn responsible and eager to help. Now Charlie wished he’d been the one to greet this newcomer. Under a professional setting, she might have been more apt to trust him.
“I don’t know what I need to do to prove to you that I mean you no harm, so how about you tell me?” One thing was for certain, he didn’t like knowing that a student was carrying around a weapon like that, especially since it was all to clear in her stance that she knew how to use it and probably had cleaned blood from the blade many times in the past.
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"Mac." She corrected him, gaze never leaving his face, watching every movement, every twitch of muscle. Realizing now, especially as he spoke that she was over-reacting a bit, Mac eased in her stance, lowered the sword to her side. "Just stay there..." The distance between them would have to serve as enough insurance for now. Slipping the black back into its casing that hung over her backside, Mac put the sword away and stood normally.
She was still more than ready to reach back and take it out once again if need be. Her bright gaze in the dim lighting watched his mouth more than anything else, weary of any sign of his fangs and/or a change in demeanor. Maria had definitely used that sword several times, though unfortunately she’d never used on the man it’d once belonged to.
---
Charlie’s posture relaxed when the weapon was no longer between him and Maria, or Mac as she preferred. “Sorry, Mac. Your file didn’t say anything about a nickname preference.” Though maybe it should have, because doing just about anything that made her more comfortable seemed like a good idea since she appeared prone to overreacting.
“Like I was saying, I’m Charlie. This is Cassius.” Charlie was more at ease now, and Mac seemed to be as well, so Cassius had put his butt on the ground, but he was still watching the woman very carefully. “He’s really protective, but he listens to me, so he won’t do anything.”
---
“I’m not worried.” She commented on his reassurance that his dog was nothing to fear. Even if Sid wasn’t equally as willing to jump in line for her, Mac was confident that she could handle herself, even against a dog. Two years without a run in with a single vampire and the one place she goes to for protection is chuck full of them. No matter how hard she tried the notion alone would always leave Mac feeling uneasy with this place.
There was no need to lie and claim it was nice to meet him. It wasn’t. Her disdain for his kind had been made obvious. Slipping her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, she looked down at Cassius for a moment, usuing him and him alone as the only assurance that Charlie wasn’t entirely just a blood sucking fiend. The dog wouldn’t be so loyal to a master that fed from him. Or so she hoped.
---
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t worried about Cassius, but if Cas got pissed, decided to lunge at her, and she did something to hurt Cas, well, then they’d have problems. Charlie didn’t let anyone fuck with his dog.
“So.. you’re new. From Chicago, right? I read your file, but I don’t remember much more. We have a few other students from Chicago. Frankie and Vinnie grew up there. You should introduce yourself. I’m from Los Angeles. I came here to work security because there aren’t a lot of jobs suited to a vampire lifestyle, plus, my niece is a student. She’s a shapeshifter.” Charlie figured the only way to set Mac’s mind at ease was to tell her about himself. Maybe then she’d trust him.
---
“I was found in Chicago. I’m not from there.” She kept the information she volunteered limited. Unsure of how far Tanaka’s reached spanned, especially with other vampires, she had no idea if he’d be here within a week’s time to drag her back to Japan. Her voice was low, well controlled and carried the smoothness of a smoker before any permanent damage has been done to the larynx. “Are they vampires, too?” A brow rose up with mild curiosity. Mac only wanted to know so that she had a list of people to avoid entirely.
There was no need to go about tempting fate whatsoever, especially in regard to freedom or her life. An attempt at some sense of normalcy was what she coveted most and hopefully, she’d find that here. Blood suckers aside.
---
Charlie didn’t know shit about other vampires. Outside of this school, there were only a few he had met, and he’d killed the worst one of them. It was still painful, existing without his sire, but the world was better off without Val in it. He hoped she was rotting in Hell. It was the only thing comforting about the idea that all vampires went there to burn.
“Vinnie and Frankie? No, they’re fire users. Frankie’s a sprite, and Vinnie’s a mage. They’re nice, although Frankie’s a bit on the neurotic side.” Charlie was willing to forgive her for it, because she had a good heart.
“So... do you have a problem with vampires then?” At first he thought she was just freaked out by a strange man running up to her, but based on some of her comments, he realized she was probably more nervous about his race.
---
“The piece of garbage who I belonged to for three years was a vampire.” She left it at that. There was no need to get into detail about having to be at his side at all times for meals or the torture she’d endured when refusing to scream to torture his enemies. Sympathy wasn’t something she wanted whatsoever. Although her hydrokinesis had allotted her the gift of rapid healing, it hadn’t meant that faint scars still lingered long the sides of her neck. Fortunately the fast she learned to close the wounds the less visible they were. No one ever noticed unless up close, the small indications of past vampires bites in the form of slightly discolored skin.
“I just don’t see the point. You’re dead, not fair to go around stealing the lives of others to sustain a half assed existence.” Shoulders were shrugged as she said, rather nonchalant about the way she challenged the existence of the entire race right in front of him.
---
“Oh,” he said softly, his expression turning somber and sympathetic, regardless if she wanted it. “Well, then it makes sense you wouldn’t care for the rest of us. I can’t say I’m fond of all vampires either.”
As she went on, Charlie felt the need to defend himself. “I don’t steal lives. I protect them. And I don’t think it’s fair that I was turned, but I deal with it, and I’m trying to make the best of it. Being stronger and faster helps me keep everyone here safe. You shouldn’t judge us all based off one bad example. Be cautious, because that’s natural, but you should give other vampires a chance to prove we’re not all bad.”
---
Mac took note of his tone of voice, choice of words, he was trying just like the other staff members to be sensitive to student needs. A quality she understood but didn’t care for in the least. Her smirk immediately returned as she let out a slight sarcastic laugh at his words. “A cuddly vampire, then? Is that what you are?” The idea was ridiculous.
She wouldn’t buy what he was trying to sell her even if it was on sale. It wasn’t in a vampire’s nature to go against everything else’s nature to survive. She knew when it came down to it all of them would succumb to their instincts above all reason and logic.
---
“No. But I choose to not harm others. Having fangs... is hard. I can’t say that I don’t have certain cravings. I do. I just don’t indulge them, at least not to the extent that anyone really suffers. It’s possible to feed without causing harm, and there are people who enjoy helping vampires.” Maybe that was a foreign concept to her, especially if she’d been enslaved by a vampire, someone who likely fed upon her against her will.
“I mostly drink bagged blood, but my wife is teaching me how to feed responsibly. In fact, she’s teaching all the vampires on campus, only with the permission of volunteer donors, and it’s supervised.”
---
She gave a nod of her head, obviously attentive to what he had to say though it didn’t seem like he’d changed her mind. Tanaka had been enough of a vampire experience for her to sustain several lifetimes. “I just don’t like the unpredictability is all...” She left it at that, not really wanting to discuss it any further. Though in truth she found herself not walking to talk to him anymore either.
Regardless of his kind nature, Mac didn’t trust him. It went her gut and everything in her to suddenly collapse the walls she’d built and make nice with a blood sucker. Though deep down she was relieved to hear that there was a system for keeping them fed and hopefully at bay.
---
Charlie sighed and nodded his head, able to sense that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with her during this first encounter. “I understand. There are a lot of people I don’t trust either.”
A thought occurred to him then. Anytime he talked in depth about being a vampire, he was reminded of Val. The sadistic bitch was always on his mind, but he actively thought of her at times like this. “The vampire who hurt you... is he, or she, still around?” The idea made him nervous. He didn’t want some other psychotic to show up. “Maybe if you could give me a picture... we could try to make sure nothing happens. My sire showed up a while back,” he admitted, though he wasn’t able to continue. Discussing it was still so hard. He looked down at his feet, shame and loss and defeat flooding his system.
---
Greens watched as his tone and demeanor changed, shifting at the mention of his sire. Avoiding any opportunity for the two of them to relate or share in even the tiniest moment, Mac shook her head at his question. “No.” She lied through her teeth and it might have just been apparent in the way she looked away. Mac didn’t have a photograph of him to provide anyway. Their relationship hadn’t exactly permitted to many photo ops.
She didn’t want anyone looking out for him or any mention of his existence in case it might somehow lure him here. It was safer that he not be mentioned at all, he’d never find her hear and she was sure of it. Fingers anxiously fidgeting inside the pockets of her hoodie, Mac forced herself to keep a straight, bold face.
---
Charlie could tell when he was getting the brush off. “Right. Well.. there are a lot of members of my security team who are not vampires. If you’re ever worried about your safety and don’t feel comfortable coming to me, you should go to one of them.” Charlie was used to people viewing him as a monster, well, as much as anyone could ever get used to such a thing. His self-loathing wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past, but he doubted he would ever be able to shake that feeling inside that he was something terrible at his core.
“I should get back to my run. There’s a girl named Cassie here... she often brings Cassius outside during the day. Maybe you could bring your dog over to see them sometime.” Cassius would enjoy it, and Charlie doubted Mac would be willing to arrange play dates with a vampire present.
---
Maybe, just maybe if Mac had any new as to the true character of Charlie, she could and would put the vampire thing aside. It could easily be shadowed out by something better. But at the moment she couldn’t even begin to fathom such a possibility. She still didn’t know just how to handle the situation with vampires on campus. She could avoid people like Charlie and even other students... until she was forced to interact with them. And then where would she be? It was evident that she really had no choice but try to accept them and trust them, as much as she loathed the idea.
“Yea, sure, thanks.” And awkward end to an awkward conversation, she’d made nor decent formulations from any of it other than she needed to make a point to be back inside by sundown. It wasn’t safe out at night and she didn’t want to be held responsible stabbing a vamp or some other idiot that might try messing with her.
---
Stabbing anyone on campus would be very bad, because Charlie would be forced to deal with her, and he wasn’t forgiving toward those who lashed out violently. He was a nice guy, but safety came first, and he’d show no mercy if someone threatened the students and staff.
Charlie gave Cassius a quick scratch on the head and whistled. It was time to go. As he walked away, Cassius followed close by, looking back only once at Mac and her own boxer. Charlie didn’t bother saying goodbye or ‘it was nice meeting you,’ because it really wasn’t, and he doubted Mac would care. He’d be keeping an eye on her, but also would make a point to give her some space. She didn’t like vampires, and Charlie wasn’t going to do anything to provoke someone with a weapon like that, though he would be talking to Hope about it.