First Date (Tag M-)

[daywalkingblade]

The black muscle car rumbled into the gravel parking lot of what looked to be a bar/saloon in the middle of nowhere, upstate New York. The place was south of Rochester by about forty miles. Above the entrance, a tacky red neon sign read "The Roadhouse". There was no one hanging around outside, but thee were several cars and motorcycles. It was pretty quiet for what one might expect of a bar, at least from the outside. As the car pulled to a stop, Blade glanced at his passenger. This was going to be...interesting. She was too pretty and far to classy for a place like this. Hell, she was probably too stunningly beautiful to be in this car with someone as rough around the edges as Blade. But here they were. People would notice as they went into the bar, but nobody would say anything. Of that fact at least, Blade was certain.

"We're here. Stay close, and order whatever you want. The food's actually pretty good, and the drinks are better. Once I get some information on where to find some suckheads, we'll be out." He flashed a little bit of a toothy grin. "Guess you could say this is the closest to a "date" portion of this outing as we'll get."

They both pushed their doors open and stood up out of the car. The parking lot remained silent. Hunters and mercenaries were probably inside drinking quietly, enjoying a bit of peace. There were the occasional loud, rowdy drinkers - usually the mercs - but most just wanted a place to rest and get information before the next big job. Also, most didn't trust the night enough to be drunk out in it. Blade knew the bartender inside. A good woman by the name of Ellen who really knew her shit. It was why he liked coming here. Of course, he knew the bartenders in most of the Roadhouses around the country. It was a bit of a chain, but not in the corporate sense. When a place was named "The Roadhouse" in some back country nowhere, it was a kind of secret sign to all hunters and some mercenaries that this was a safe haven and a good place to exchange information and get jobs. They were also neutral zones. Any who dared cause any trouble in these kinds of places was blacklisted, and that was as good as being fired in this line of work. In some cases, it was a death sentence because it also meant no assistance in any job ever again.

"You ready?"

Comments

[daywalkingblade]

"Mmm..."

This kisses and the nibbles feel good. It's a different kind of connection from what he had with Whistler, but it's still a connection. And he hasn't felt any kind of connection in a long time. There's a comfort here. A flash of light catches his eye, and he looks over to see the moon gleaming off a cluster of ice. His eyes return to her and his eyebrows raise, but he smiles.

"Well that's a first. Good thing we went outside." His turn to grin.

Of course, that brought back thoughts of the house. What would he do with it? Standard protocol was to burn it down, leave no evidence. But it was so isolated and off the beaten path. Part of him wanted to just clean it out and have it as a place to call his own. Sure, he'd be gone for months on end hunting and staying in shitholes in various cities, but it'd be nice to have a place that was untouched by the suckheads. Well, untouched by any suckheads after this bunch that he and Maeve exterminated. Something to think about, at least.

But later. For now, he caught the sadness that looked older than she did in her eyes. Those were old eyes, he just noticed. No less beautiful, but where her mind forgot, it seemed her eyes remembered. He lifted a hand to hold her cheek, concern evident in his own.

"Hey, Maeve, what's the matter?" She'd caught herself, but not in time for a hunter that lived or died by how quickly he perceived things.

[cold_as_snow]

"In a few different ways, really. Both the first and the going outside." She smiles slightly glancing over the ice that's much slower to melt than the first frost. Well, it certainly brings an entertaining element to the possibility of fairy rings, didn't? She explains some of it in exchange for the connection he made without knowing. "Though I think being outside is part of why it was possible. It's different here than in the city."

The ease of that moment strains just slightly. Small lies hurt, big lies feel like they can kill. What would answering 'nothing end up being? Take too long and it's clear that there's something bigger she's holding back. Tell a lie that hurts, and he'll notice it this close. She picks her words carefully. "Just a moment when something fell into place. Not all the almost memories and realizations are beautiful. None of them are worth ruining this moment."

There. Not a lie at all.

[daywalkingblade]

Blade listens to her talk, glancing between her and the ring of ice. That was some kind of natural power she had there. It lent credibility to the idea that she was a queen in a previous life. If this was her when she lost some control in her pleasure, then when she had full control it must be a sight to see. Again he found himself glad that she was one of the angels. He was glad of that in a few different ways, of course. The thought made him grin a little.

"You know, I was going to torch the house. Then I thought I might keep it. But on second thought, maybe you should. You clearly ain't meant for the city. Maybe you can find more of yourself here."

The difficulty she had dancing around what had seemed to be wrong for a moment just underlined how big the issue probably was. It also highlighted the importance of not pursuing it further. She was right, no need to ruin the moment. He perfectly understood the need to keep some things private, and he wouldn't push her on the point. If she wanted to mention it, she would later. If not, she wouldn't.

"Guess they wouldn't be. But it's okay." His hand caressed her face once more before it fell away. "You'll sort through them, Maeve, and figure out who Maeve is. That's what's important."

[cold_as_snow]

Maeve smiles back at him, considering his thought and offer. She certainly wouldn't mind the escape, but there's a reason she always returns to the city. Something in her wants to stay where there are so many people so close, even with all the risk and toxicity that it exposes her to. She could take his offered house, and stay for a time. She'd enjoy it, and find some answers, but time would call her back. New York called to her.

"As much as I want to agree with you, I think the house is better in your hands. A quiet place for the time between hunts. If you take it, and need someone to check on the place when you disappear into the hunt, I think it could be good for me."

Maeve assumes he trusts her that much instinctively. The moment he let his guard down completely something changed. That isn't why she assumes. Something about the night has reminded her of what it was when she used to have duties. A time when she was trusted because there was no other choice. That may not be the case anymore, but she walks away knowing she is still capable though she is a child compared to the woman she was. That is no small victory.

Her smile is small, but sincere this time. "Complicated still seems to be the forerunner on that particular definition."

[daywalkingblade]

He nods. Keeping the house is fine with him, although he is surprised that she wouldn't want it. There must be a reason, something going on in her mind, but he must trust that its a good one. No reason to argue the point. The rim of ice should be proof enough that this woman he has just slept with is a free spirit in every sense of the term, not just the metaphorical kind. She might not remember it, but she's a force of nature. Hadn't he felt a little of that? He had. It was a good thing he wasn't the type to want to tame any woman, let alone a woman like her. But it was also good that she wasn't the type of woman to want to tame a man either.

"Yeah. I like that. But you should check on it while I'm here, too." He smiles a little.

The truth is, he does trust her. Not completely, no, but as much as he trusts anybody. Also, as much as he trusts anybody with an unknown past that could come back to bite any number of people including her in the ass. Thing is, Blade doesn't trust anyone completely, and hasn't since the old man. But he trusts enough.

"We can be complicated together, every now and then."

[cold_as_snow]

It is good that they are who they are for the moment. Too many ties would force her to break them, and the only possible exception to that rule had decided to break the ties himself. Something waits in her, but that something needs time. A day, a week, months, years? A century? It's impossible to tell other than that anyone who expects too much in the meantime is all too likely to be disappointed or hurt.

"I didn't want to assume that I was welcome where I might not be." There's a clear teasing to her voice as she says it, but an honesty, too. She will take the connections that Blade offers, but will not make any unwelcome demands of him.

She looks down at him and presses a line of kisses along his cheek before catching his lips. "Sounds like a good plan to me. We can explore the fun side of complicated when that happens."

[daywalkingblade]

If Blade was a man who thought more deeply about the things that did not matter to him, a man who thought beyond what was directly relevant, he might understand the sadness that he had seen in her moments ago. He might ask if there was a part of her that was still married to her crazy redman on some level, no matter what he decided to say or do. It was perhaps fortunate for them both that he was not the type to think in those convoluted circles. Taking things at face value, taking her at face value, was what was best in that moment and any other. Maeve had decided to be his for an evening, and perhaps several other evenings in the future, and that meant a lot to him. It was all that mattered, and the insane mercenary never entered his head at all, for better or for worse. He knew she was a recent ex to someone, and that was the end of it.

"After tonight?" He chuckled. "Yeah, you could say your welcome any time. Any time. And anywhere I am."

He returns her kiss, a smile curling at his lips. "I think I like that. I might fear for any who experience the less fun sides of your complicated, though. You really fucked up some suckheads back there. Should thank you for the help with that, too."

[cold_as_snow]

It's the same sadness, but it's a very different sadness. Part of her wants to bind and be bound, but there's something so very dangerous about that possibility. She isn't ready to be that person yet, or to risk pushing him away as completely as the act would by its very nature. She wants to hold on to something for a while. Something as good and comforting as this connection she found with a hunter who might regret it one day. Maeve hopes not, but it's difficult to tell with her current state.

She really can't resist the urge to kiss him after that. He should laugh more. She wants to make him laugh more. It suits him, for all it looks to be something he's not used to. "I will certainly keep that in mind for the future."

That is a necessary think to consider. How dark are her dark places? How much will she exercise that particular need and desire? She doesn't intend to indulge more than the occasional impulse, but it might not always be a matter of choice. It might not even be a matter of choice occasionally. "It was a good exercise to see what I'm actually capable of."

[daywalkingblade]

His hands tangle in her long red hair again as they kiss. It's a good feeling. Holding her close is a good feeling. Still being inside her as he softens is a good feeling. There are just so many good feelings tonight. It's something he could get used to, if he allowed himself to. But if he did, he might never return to the hunt again. Then all the human deaths to vampires from this moment forward would be on him. It wasn't exactly something he could deal with. That was his own sadness, but fortunately his eyes were closed as he kissed her. No need for her to see it.

"You do that. And your remember one thing for me. It's something I've learned over my life, and it might help you quicker than it helped me. You're capable of whatever the fuck you want to be capable of. Nothing more, nothing less. You get to choose. Not your memories, not the people who remember you, not even the people you let into this life like me. You. If you remember that, everything else just falls into place."

[cold_as_snow]

She runs her fingers over his cheek as the kiss ends, wondering if this island of good feeling is a chance to escape and rest or if it's a distraction. Blade is a knight Templar for a new world, with all the costs and obligations. Whatever they said at the time about devotion to God, there was a certain mercy to a level of abstinence. Nothing to miss when the fight demands everything they have. In the end, it's his words that save her from that line of thought.

This is a thing that she needs to do. This moment with him, and near him, loving some part of the man for a time under the moon, in the wild, is enough. Her needs and wants from others are very simple things so far. Time might change that, but she hopes not. This place is so much more beautiful than the pain from the moment before.

"I think that his the best advice I've gotten about this life so far."

I somehow knew that would happen eventually. Have a bit of surreality in your RP!

[daywalkingblade]

He smiles, nuzzling into her touch. "Glad to hear it. You don't want to be capable of darkness, then don't be. Maeve is a new person. You might have some...side effects...from your previous life," he nods to the ice around them, "but hey, you want to be human? Then be it. If you don't, then don't. I won't judge. I'll just be here waiting for you when you want to visit."

Of course, "here" was a relative term in his world. Despite that, he was pretty sure she could find him if she wanted to. He'd given her his number, for one thing. For another, one of those side effects was that she was a magical woman. They'd shared a bond tonight with the names and the lovemaking. It might not be permanent, but it probably was a beacon of some sort.

"Just be Maeve. And maybe try to help me take my own advice." Because this knight templar desperately wanted to make himself capable of slowing down and enjoying the good moments in life like this.

Somewhere in your head DP is dealing with the body switch somehow, isn't he?

[cold_as_snow]

"I doubt I'll be able to manage human, so that is exceptionally good to hear." She lets her fingers trail further along his jaw before stopping to just cup the side of his face in her hand. "Because I would be very sad not to be able to come and visit you while I'm still working to figure out who and what I shall be."

She kisses him slowly with a banked but definite desire that contains a promise in itself. Maeve wants to explore his body and him again. With time and thoroughly. More than just a night. "I shall do my best in that endeavor. It will probably take time, though, you are a stubborn man."

Yeeeaahh...whooboy.

[daywalkingblade]

"Honestly? Wouldn't be fair of me to expect human out of you. Wouldn't be fair of me to be with a human. Cause I'm not, and you're not. So you visit all you want, Maeve."

The desire is like a breath on the flame which had gone down in him with the afterglow. The fire sparks up again a bit, but it is more at the promise of future nights than the desire to push the night here further. He didn't want to kill this afterglow any time soon. Hell, he figured that he'd be fine if it was dawn that chased them out of this field after a pleasant nap in each other's arms.

"Yeah. I am. But I'll give you this. I'm not already planning the next hunt in my mind. Right now, you're all there is for me. You're it. And that's nice."

Poor DP, bad, bad timing.

[cold_as_snow]

"So then we will find a way to be comfortably other than human together when we are together. After all, we both make it look good." For all the humor in her eyes, she clearly means it. A pleasant chance to brag about herself and compliment him on his appearance while drawing her fingernails lightly along the back of his neck. Playing with his hair and enjoying the warmth of his skin.

His words make her want to curl up more closely with him, and nap. Or stay awake. She feels so alive and aware at the moment. It's the night, and the touch and the time with someone who doesn't want her to be anyone but herself as she is a the moment. "Sounds like I've already won quite a victory, then."

And the guilt! He's trying to leave her to be her without interferance!

[daywalkingblade]

"You can say that again." He grinned, but he was serious too. Of course, he was more enamored of her own appearance than his own, but that was likely to be expected. He nuzzled along the side of her face and kissed her neck a little.

"And you have. Just as easy as that, too. Now all you gotta do is tell me you don't have anywhere else to be and we can enjoy the rest of the night right here. I could stay like this for days, but guess I can settle for hours if you can."

She has feelings about that. FEELINGS.

[cold_as_snow]

"We've already settled the only thing I had planned for tonight. There's no where else I really want to be right now. So let's take tonight together. If you don't mind that I seem to be the cold around here."

Given how she seems to settle into him, Maeve appears pretty confident that she will continue to be welcome in his arms. He is, after all, the one suggesting they stay there all night long. Besides, she wants to enjoy the time under the stars.

Oh dear...that may mean more hard conversations for him...

[daywalkingblade]

"Don't bother me. You might've noticed, I'm a little cold blooded myself."

It was why her body didn't feel as chilly to him as it might to someone else. His basis of comparison was his own body, and she was a little chillier than that, but not much. She did not, however, remind him of a vampire. Her chill was alive in ways they never could be. It was the difference between the cold of a corpse and the sharp chill of a brisk northern fall night. That kind of chill that made you just feel alive in ways that nothing else for the rest of the year could.

"I really like you, Maeve." It was obvious, but he wanted to say it anyway. Love was entirely too fast and it would be an arbitrary thing to say right now. It wasn't a lofty ideal for him like it was for some, so it wasn't that he didn't want to cheapen the word -- he just was very truthful and blunt, and would not call something what it wasn't. At least, not yet. Who knew what the future would hold?

That would require a conversation.

[cold_as_snow]

"I can't say I've been up close and personal with enough people to make a comparison. Though I do find you quite comfortable." Her fingers trace lazy patterns on his back, finding the way he feels under her hands when it isn't a matter of need. It's soothing, something she'd like to feel time and again, but that might get too comfortable. Too much like expectation. No, one night at a time, and happy in that night.

"I like you, too, Blade. Very much." The honesty of that is just as clear, if perhaps slightly more nuanced. She has liked other people since she woke, but of them, she's fairly certain he's one of the ones, and one of the names she will actually remember for some time. That matters to her.

You say as I see a post from Maeve on the board!

[daywalkingblade]

"Well, you might get the opportunity to. You're a beautiful woman. Can't say I wouldn't be jealous if you did, but one night doesn't give anybody a right to that kinda possession. Hell, several nights don't either, but some people get pretty...well, you know."

It brought to mind the question of how he felt about her long term. That was an interesting question for one so mired in the present. His smile is genuine as she traces patterns on his chest, and he kisses her forehead several times, but it is also thoughtful. She's still finding herself, and he might not be in the future she finds. And he is not one to settle down in one place, and that might be problematic. At that moment, his thoughts mostly echo her own - one night at a time, and happy in that night.

"Hey, you never asked my real name, even though you know I have one. Not that I don't appreciate it, but gotta ask...why not? Most people would think they had a right to know, now. Like it would make them special."

She had to speak up, of course.

[cold_as_snow]

"I have a hard time imagining another person's follow up would compare to this, at the moment, but I'm glad we can both agree on that. There's a difference between understandable jealousy and possessive behavior. I'd offer the former rather than the later should the occasion arise for you as well."

They can work together, a little at a time to figure out where they're going on this one. It almost sounds healthy, which is something of a surprise considering the individuals involved. But maybe a little breath out of their lives and city was doing them both a little good.

"Because demanding a name would be...wrong. You told me Blade, and I'm glad to call you by the name you offered."

And he had to respond. I don't think he'll ever not love her somehow.

[daywalkingblade]

That brought a real grin to his face. "Well, thanks. That's a nice boost to the ego." He's quiet for several moments, and in those moments her ex does come to mind. Somehow, he knows that has to be far more complicated than over for her, but he doesn't care. If that ever came up, they'd deal with it.

"Don't think many could follow you well either. Not only are you just instinctively good in your new first time, but...well fuck. You come with explosions of ice. That's pretty fucking spectacular."

Her answer about his name is pretty well satisfactory. She'd already done well in not asking him for it. Whatever reasons she had now were just gravy, but he still wanted to know them. Demanding a name would be wrong. He agreed with her there. But...he'd tell her. She'd earned that trust.

"You're right. It'd be wrong. It ain't my name. But I'll tell you. It's a part of who I was, so I guess it could be part of the getting to know the guy you slept with phase." He paused. "It's Eric. That's what they put on my birth certificate. It's who died when I..." His eyes crinkled. "Before Whistler picked me up off the streets."

Re: And he had to respond. I don't think he'll ever not love her somehow.

[cold_as_snow]

"Glad to offer it." The big wink she offers him is probably more than a little gratuitous, but his ego deserves the stroke. Especially if it makes him grin like that. Of course, the quiet isn't quite the same reward, given that he look like he might be considering something unpleasant, but she can leave that in his head for the moment.

It's her turn to grin. "It seems that I have some really remarkable muscle memory, I must say. Though that last one was a bit of a surprise. I'm not sure if that's a frequent thing or just something that happens when I'm really, really enjoying myself."

She tilts her head slightly, thinking that there was something not all that dissimilar about his transition from Eric to Blade and hers from Mab to Maeve. Well, except that his had been brutal and tainted by the way he saw himself. Still, there's a kinship.

Her voice is soft, respectful. "So you honor what Eric could have been the memory by keeping the fight as Blade. Thank you, for telling me that." And with those words some of the tension of his thanks disappears.

[daywalkingblade]

"My ego'd like to think the latter, but for your sake I hope it's one of those things you can learn to control. Flash freezing your bedroom probably wouldn't end too well." He had to smirk at the thought. Zero to Wintry Wonderland in the space of time it took her to have an orgasm. That would surprise someone. Hell, it'd surprised him, but he was far better at taking these kinds of things in stride.

The smirk fades to a bit of a soft smile as she mulls over the name that used to be. It isn't completely accurate, as he doesn't tend to think about what Eric could have been; he thinks about what Eric was. But he doesn't want to talk about those dark days. That kid had been a monster, and he had never been able to decide if he was worse than the vampires or not. That kid had been like a baby rattler - all of the poison and none of the control of the adults. Baby rattlers would bite several times in self defense instead of just one controlled burst, and he had run around killing who the fuck-ever because he was just one big ball of instinct to feed. So the kid had caused more damage, once upon a time, but vampires did it more knowingly. He guessed it was a tossup as to which was worse.

"You're welcome." She was allowed to romanticize the potential, though. Nothing wrong with that. He never could, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy seeing the situation through her eyes from time to time.

((Is your PB the same as the actress in the new Clint Eastwood movie coming out? I saw a preview for that and was like "I THINK I KNOW HER!" But I want to make sure...))

[cold_as_snow]

"Burst water pipes, messed up walls and electrical. It would be a disaster. Hmm, it has potential." She isn't just teasing. The thought of being able to create distractions and upset little or big things at the right moment could be extremely useful at the right moment. Especially if one of the hunters from earlier in the evening figured out something she didn't want them to.

There are things to that she could definitely understand. There were moments when she overreacted in response to instincts that belonged in another life that sometimes seems like it yawns underneath her in an impossibly deep chasm. She's so dangerous in so many ways, and tonight shows that many of them have nothing to do with her physical possibility.

She rests her cheek on his shoulder after he says she's welcome, and turns her eyes to the stars. "Have you ever spent a full night under the stars before?"



((It is! I have hopes for icons.))

[daywalkingblade]

"Guess it does, depending on what you want to get out of the situation."

Power was power. He had all of the strengths of the vampires, and he used it for good. She had all of the power of a fae queen in there somewhere, and she could choose to do the same. He hoped she would. At the very least, he hoped she wouldn't use it for evil. But then, he thought himself a good judge of character, and this woman wasn't evil. She was gentle and kind, except when it came to defending herself or her own. That was admirable.

"Yeah." He couldn't help a wry smirk. "But not quite like this. Not when I wasn't working. This is nice."

(It should be a treasure trove of them!)