Nick was not an elegant man on his best of days. So weaving through a crowd of this sheer size, while also trying to keep hold of a hysterical child was no mean achievement for him. Most of the other fellow Magicals were leaving him alone, but he was becoming increasingly aware that it was rather tricky to look threatening and imposing with a small infant tucked into your chest. The man routinely cooed soft nothings at the kid, trying his hardest to think of a place where it would be safe. He was no parent. Hell, his sister wasn’t even that younger than him really. Nick had no clue whatsoever as to what to do truth be told.
Instinct and natural aggression had forced him into taking the child into his custody. But now that those feelings had dampered, Nick was left with an unknowing confusion that made everything quite a bit trickier. Every now and then he’d attempt to stop what he guessed were mortals and fob the kid onto them but none of them were really having it. God he didn't want this kid anymore. He wanted to run, run to the woods again or go check on his family or just, something. Something that wasn’t here. Something far, far away.
These thoughts of something else had managed to distract him. The man was well away within his own head. So much so that he didn’t notice that, a) the child was now bawling loudly, or b) there was now a woman approaching him quite rapidly from behind. She caught up to him, touched his shoulder and Nick’s spirit nearly left his body. He truly leapt out of his skin, child catapulted into the air while Nick, after three lanking lolloping strides, crashed into the ground.
Lavinia screamed. It was as much at the man jumping and tumbling forward as it was that the child was now airborne. She darted forward, faster than nature would typically allow any mortal, and caught the boy. The blond quickly looked down at the man she was now standing over - long, ivory velvet skirt pulled tight against her legs with her stance, one foot near his head the other in the empty space below the crook of his armpit.
“I didn’t mean to scare you!” Her brow was knit in concern and she hurriedly stepped away, the mother with her babe in her arms coming to her side as she placed the child on the ground. The mother took his hand in hers and spoke softly to him to quiet him. The young woman extended her hand to the man on the ground in a gesture, hoping to assist him with getting up.
Woah. This gal was fast. For a moment or two, Nick just kinda lay there, staring. Not quite knowing what else to do with himself, or how to really react to what had just happened exactly. I mean just… Wow.
She was cute.
He gave his head a little shake, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand while he used to other to accept the notion of help speedy gonzales had offered him. God he hoped his palms weren’t sweaty. The man was still shaky on his feet. Wobbling too and fro for a moment before fully regaining his composure.
“Ummm. Thank you, Miss? Mada- Ma’am…?”
Nick didn't really get called Sir very often, so he figured Ma’am was about the best thing to say back. God he hoped she didn’t find that offensive. Nick tried to focus on something, but he was finding it difficult. The Mortal woman looked flustered. Out of breath and trembling. He frowned softly,
“Are you guys ok? Do you need help? Cause I can help if you need it?”
The mother nodded a little but her eyes were raking the shadows and their surroundings, worried something else was going to manifest and attack them.
“I was taking them to the church - the safest place I could think of until dawn…” Lavinia’s eyes drifted down the street in the direction of the church. It was eerily quiet where they stood on the city street, though she could hear things in the distance.
Nick scoffed and batted himself on the head. Lavinia hid a smile at his gentle self-flagellation. Of course, the church! Why hadn’t he thought of that? If there’s one thing evil Magicals can’t stand, it’s gratuitous god-mongering.
Nick nodded his head as he stepped forward. With a silent gesture, he offered to carry the child once more. The woman looked like she needed to conserve what energy she could truth be told. The mother let him and Lavinia watched him. Turning to face the other, he offered his free hand to her, along with a genuine, perhaps a little subdued,grin.
“I’m Nick. I might come across as a little grizzly, but don’t worry. I don’t bite.”
Lavinia blinked at Nick’s offered hand and then registered what he’d meant with it and she slipped her hand into his, shaking a little too eagerly as she said, “Yes of course! I am Lavinia.”
Together they started toward the church. It wasn’t too long before she could spy the bell tower peeking over the roofs.
He almost did something when she hesitated. But then she slipped his hand into his and it was like being punched in the chest. He doubled over a little, hopefully unnoticeably. Ok this was, weird. He’d been standing next to her for at least five minutes or so now. Literally a inch or so away, and yet all that time, there’d been absolutely nothing. And yet, when she touched him. The scent had come rushing over him all at once, almost like a tsunami or something. She smelt like a dog. A wolf. She was… a wolf?
Nick gave his head a shake, trying to throw the feeling off of him. God. Couldn’t get a break tonight, that was for sure. She’d told him her name, but through the smells and the confusion, things got muddled. Nick was at the rear of their little group, yet he needed something clarifying. But god could he remember her name right.
“Latinio- La-lavinda… Vin-Vinnie..?”
His voice was laced with uncertainty.
She heard him stumble over her name and she turned to walk backward and look at him, the fabric of her ivory skirt in hand as she went.
“La-vin-ee-ah,” she watched his face as he struggled with it but then gave a little twitch of her shoulder. No one in all her years had given her a nickname.
“Vinnie works,” she told him. Her eyes then darted away from him as her eats picked up the clamor of something that sounded rather large nearby. Her eyes then moved over to the mother and then to Nick as she quickened her pace and said, “Let’s hurry.”
It wasn’t too long before the red doors to the old church greeted them. A few steps lead from the city’s sidewalk up to the doors and she gently ushered the mother and babe up them.
“You’ll look after him, too?” Lavinia watched as Nick put the child down and he darted up the stairs toward the church. The mother nodded and held her baby a little tighter.
“Yes, we’ll see what we can do in the morning, I suppose, though if every night is going to be like this…” She shivered and then turned to go inside the church. Just before she opened the door, she turned back to Nick and Lavinia and cast them a smile.
“I’m not sure what you are or what is going to come of any of us now, but… Thank you,” she told them and then went inside.
Lavinia turned to Nick with a little smile which then shifted to a soft look of concern. She said, “I saw, you know. What you did for that child. It was no small thing, standing up to Legionaries in that way.”
Was she blushing? She’d bowed her head to look at the palms of her hands as she spoke, but color tinted the uppermost parts of her cheeks. Maybe it was the cold.
“You may not have made friends of them,” she reminded him and her green eyes darted up to meet his, brow furrowing just a little.
Nick waved to his original kid as he disappeared into the church. The kid didn’t wave back, but that was ok. He smiled back at Vinnie too, in an equally shy-unsure fashion. And that’s when she gave him… a compliment?
He shuffled from foot to foot awkwardly, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. She was wrong though. Well, he thought so anyway. It was a small thing, just helping that kid. He could have walked away just as easily. But then again, he didn’t, he supposed. Ugh. I don't know. It was a weird thing to think back on for him. Despite it only happening a few minutes ago, the whole scene felt fuzzy and blurry to him. He couldn’t quite remember it properly, things had happened so quickly.
She had a point with that last bit though. Nick scoffed.
“Pfft. Yeah… you got that one right.”
He sighed, hand fidgeting routinely at his side. He shrugged and grinned lazily at Lavinia,
“My lady beckons me,”
With a heavy effort, Nick slouched down onto the ground, and perched upon one of the church steps. He hunched over on himself in an attempt to shelter his lighter from the breeze that whistled through the air. His words came out as a mumble when he spoke, pushed past his cig awkwardly,
“So if you don’t mind me asking, What are you exactly? Because if you’ll pardon me Miss,”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, a smug cheeky grin failing to hide itself on his face,
“You smell, well, weird.”
Existential dread gripped Lavinia’s core. The embarrassment rooted with such a blunt statement and the
adorable way he’d asked what she
was was beyond what she could keep her calm about. If she’d had a soul, it probably would have fled her body. Instead, blush from below the chiffon collar of her blouse flooded up her porcelain throat and face and she turned her face just slightly away in an effort to hide it. It wasn’t often one caught her off her guard like this; perhaps it was the chaos of the night or perhaps it was
him.
“S-smell… Weird…” She whispered, stammering in her soft accent, though the words were heavy with trepidation.
Perhaps, she considered, the were at the beginning of the attack this evening was confused by her scent as well. Was something wrong with her? Was is some
onething she ate? Lavinia always acquired sustenance from the blood bank, so how could something have been tainted? She pushed the thoughts aside for now. It took a few moments to collect herself, but finally the blond ran a few fingers through her hair, pushing back some stray strands, and turned back to him.
“I am vampire,” she said, though it wasn’t a bold statement. It was the same way someone else might say, “I am late” or “I am Canadian” or “I wear glasses.”
… Ok. Had anticipated a reaction. Still didn’t expect the one he got, but hey ho, what the heck. Nick felt bad honestly. He’d asked what he thought was a simple question. Clearly she was a magical, and hopefully she’d figured out he was too (I mean he practically spelled it out for her in that pick up line… Oh god. Maybe that was a bad opener in hindsight). So he was just making conversation. The question was a casual one in his opinion. Yet here she was, redder than a herring.
He stumbled up to his feet, rising quicker than he thought he was going to. Oh. Ohhh. OH!
“A vampire?!”
He wasn’t even trying to hide his emotions anymore at this point honestly. He took a single step back. Just the one. You could see the thoughts ticking over in his head. Eyes practically glazed over in concentration. And then finally. After a decent minute of silent consideration. Nick spoke,
“Woah,” And then that stupid idiot grinned. “I’ve never met a Vampire before… Woah. Oh wait! How old are you?”
She was afraid he was going to turn away from her as he had the witches. The step back didn’t help and then he finally spoke. And asked her how old she was. Her mouth dropped open in what her mother would have called a very undignified manner and if she could have turned a deeper shade of red in the process of blushing she would have, but she was at capacity.
“One! Does not! Ask a lady! Her age!” She snapped at him pointedly. She huffed, “Rude!”
Nicks eyes widened, and he shrank back in obvious unease. He’d gone from taking long lazy drags from his cig, to puff puff puffing away at it faster than a steam engine. Eyes darted hither and thither and what he really wanted to say came out as an incomprehensible mumble and barrage of murmured apologies.
“I’m-i’m so so so-sorry. Oh god. I um- I’m sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that- to say that at all! Actually. I er…”
He coughed, though it sounded forced.
“I um. I never really liked Buffy I guess so er… you’re safe from me at least,”
That last part had been an attempt at humour, although he didn’t know how well placed the joke was in hindsight and consideration of their current situation.
“Buffy…?” It took a moment for the modern pop culture reference to sink in but it did eventually and she sputtered a giggle.
“With the way that show treated the supernatural, none of us should have liked it,” she said and then looked up to the church and it’s heavy red doors and the bell tower that rose into the night. She looked contemplative and then her eyes drifted back to Nick.
“You’re were, right? A, um,” she thought back a moment. “Grizzly?”
He sighed and then forced a grin on to his face.
“Yup. That’s me. A brutish bear.”
She blinked and furrowed her brow a little, but said nothing.
He took a very, very long drag. So long in fact it finished the cigarette. Stubbing it into the brick wall of the church, a clear sooty mark now scraped into the brickwork. Sighing, he pushed himself away slowly from the building and began to casually saunter back down the path towards the street. It still sounded pretty hellish out there. He looked to the girl,
“What are you going to do now? Do you have like ummm, family...still? Here? Or.. I dunno, friends or something, I dunno?”
He felt awkward asking her anything. She must have been so smart, I mean, she certainly looked it. And there he was, asking her childish questions like this.
It was something of a reflex that she fell into step beside him. She gave her head a gentle shake at his question and peered down at her hands, one hand’s fingers laced together with the other’s as she walked.
“No, nothing like that,” she said. “I’m on my own here. There are few of my kind that live the way I do, so that in and of itself is isolating.”
Vinnie put her palms together and glanced at him curiously as she said, “You?”
For a moment or two, he didn’t answer her question. Nick was just looking at her, thinking to himself. This woman must have gone through so much of her life alone, and he had blundered asking a question like that. He shook his head, both in response to her query and to rid himself of distractions.
“Nah. They’re all back in Washington. ‘Cept for Paz- my sister. She’s somewhere in Wisconsin last I heard.”
Suddenly his paced slowed, only by a half-step or so, as a thought dawned on his. A slow lazy grin spread across his face, and playfully, he gave her shoulder a small shove.
“Maybe we’ll have to just band together and make a pack of our own. Stick together, form a team, I dunno,” Nick said.
The blond furrowed her brow thoughtfully at the proposition, it’s underlying implications missed by her all together and she slowly started to nod.
“You know, that’s not a terrible idea. We don’t have Ultra-Force - that’s why the Legionaries have grown as bold to attack like this,” she gestured into the night in a little motion and continued, “There’s safety in numbers, that’s a concept as old as time.”
The gears were moving on this subject, that much was clear, her hands pressing her palms together now, the ivory and blue ruffles of her blouse sleeves along her wrists bouncing softly with her movement and the strides she took while walking. An amused little expression came across her features before she smiled and asked,
“Do you have a cave we’re going back to, or…?”
Nick proceeded to then walk into a lamppost. It was rather fair to say, that that particular comment had indeed, caught him off guard. He swore and cursed, raising his hands to cover what he had no doubt would become a lovely little bump on his forehead. Crap, she was still right there. He was meant to be a deadly predator, a vicious hunter, killer of men. And she’d just seen him walk into a lamppost. Nick laughed awkwardly, hopefully that would break the tension nicely.
“HAHAHA. I MEAN. HAHA. WOAH. LAMPS AM I RIGHT?”
He looked at her for a solid minute. She held his gaze. Her mouth hung open, astonished.
“Tell no-one. Please.”
She’d raised her hands in surprise and they hung in the air cautiously - she didn’t want to grab him, for fear of his reaction to that.
“Are you ok?” She breathed the words, taking a slow step a little bit closer to him.
He looked down at her.
“Yeah. I think I’ll live,”
His smile turned small, and just a little bit shy.
“Um, I have a room that I’m renting from a friend, we’ll hide out there for a bit? Maybe just, ride this wave out until it all calms down for a bit?”
“How millennial of you,” Vinnie teased and nodded, and they were off. She subtly made sure he didn’t walk into any more lamp posts and they kept a keen eye out as they went; the city was still teaming with Legionnaires; of that, she was sure.
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