You'll Find Beauty, in the Toughest of Places

[tigs]

((You're insane XD 'not of best quality', she says. Bah! All your posts are great, silly thing ^^))

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and ducked her head down as she began to walk beside him. Her breath was becomming quicker, ragged in her throat. She'd pushed herself to a dangerous point, and even now, it took so much self control not to run off and lunge at the first visible food source. But she remained in silence, only nodding her head to what he spoke, and bothering with nothing more.

"Excuse my silence." She said quickly, biting down on her lip and then going ice cold with sudden fear. She withdrew her teeth quickly, praying there was no blood. It would be embarassing to be driven into a feeding frenzy, in front of the elegant and sophisticated Puppet Master.

She had to learn control, after all, she was almost an adult. But she knew little about being a lady. How to act and look proper. Ladies never lost their cool, always acted right under the circumstance, and knew how to accentuate their looks. Some work silks and satins, others wore jewelry and precious things. She remembered a glimpse of the intruder...

Her hunger was beginning to devour her mind, train of thought was often interrupted by the sickly scent of old, dried blood. Not to her liking, but still, it was blood, and she was lusting after it powerfully. The sound of crying came from up ahead, and in one of the old, dirty buildings a mother scurried around a grungy kitchen, her baby whining consistantly. She could make it all better.

Without even a notification to Jien, Sabi headed towards the door, slinking in the crack with the ease of a feline, leaving the door still and silent. She inched towards the chair in which the child was lain on, and then the mother pulled a drawer too far, and old, rusted silver clattered to the ground. She took the moment, and lept. Her fangs latched onto the neck of the child easily, and much like a vampire, she drank. A sample or two of meat was taken, enough to keep her small form going, but it was the blood that she enjoyed. She took a little too much, and left the child basically drained.

The mother began her hysterics and came after Sabi with a knife. Not wanting to bother with the woman, she made a leap for the door. It was best to figure out the location of her companion, and so she stopped outside and looked around as the woman wept and screamed. Perhaps she, too, would be taken care of.

[Vyn]

Kujien strolled in docile silence beside the young kit. Such a self controlled little thing. So in possession of herself and yet so close to collapsing into bloodlust. It was admirable. He would enjoy her company in his cast. With each step he heard the depth of her struggle in the quickening of breath in her throat.

"Of course." He commented smoothly, without complaint or attempt to force conversation along. After all, he was a gentleman and gentlemen were not the sort to distress a lady. At least, not purposely.

As Kujien walked, he kept his pace in stride with the smaller form beside him. She would feed first tonight, it was more important that she slake her lust before it consumed her, Kujien understood this well.

When at last their opportunity came, it sounded in the sound of a distressed infant. The young human's wailing grating on Kujien's sensitive feline audits. A slow smirk touched his muzzle but the Poison Puppet Master merely seated himself a few paces away from the door, watching from the alley as Sabi fed.

When the time came that she would join his cast, Sabi would enjoy Leto's company. They were both vampire's of a sort after all.

And then Sabi was fleeing back into the alleyway and Kujien had his chance to hunt. A sly, venomous smile slid onto his muzzle as the Puppet Master slid by Sabi and into the home of the distressed mortal woman.

"Such a pity...such a pity..." He cooed out, his words notably soothing the woman until she swiftly realized another demon had come for her, or her child's, blood. "Why don't you sleep as well?"

Kujien's soothing facade slipped and shattered with ease as he lunged forward, easily bringing the distraught mother to the ground. Her child would bleed to death after Sabi's attack, it would be best if the mother went as well. There'd be no more crying in this filthy place, at least, not for a while.

When Kujien had satisfied his hunger he pulled back, entrails spilled upon the floor without care as the Poison licked his lips and glided back toward the door and the awaiting Sabi. Even as he was licking off the final flecks of blood, Kujien emerged into the crisp night and the filthy ally, greeted by the sight of the beautiful Blood feline.

"Much better, don't you agree?" The feline stretched languorously before tilting his attention down to the younger feline. "Now, I believe we have matters to discuss?" A smooth smile had touch his muzzle, unusually friendly for the narcissistic feline, but he was in a pleasant mood.

[tigs]

His gentlemantly understanding was almost obscene. Never had she encountered one with the patience to endure her calculated silence. She was an odd example of a Blood, but she couldn't really explain why.

This being the first time she emerged into the open and joined the company of another, she wasn't yet accustomed to speaking a lot. Besides, why waste breath on unimportance? She only asked the necessary questions, and gave the shortest and most simple answers possible.

She also realized he was pacing himself for her. To be expected, but it was still a little shocking to find one so proper and with such interesting looks. On the edge of her adult years, she was beginning to posess the eyes of a fully grown female. She could assess looks, and could find someone handsome, as she did Kujien.

As her companion had dissapeared into the house, she knew that he had taken her offer of the wailing mother, and a part of her was flattered at this. After all, she was well aware that he could have declined and found his own meal just as easily. His comments brought a surprisingly emotive laugh, though she blushed at her own enjoyment of his teasing.

She sat up straight and arched her back, avoiding the grungy wall behind her. Her eyes came back down to find Jien standing before her once more, so she promptly got up and took a step towards him. Her movements were much more calculated and yet relaxed, and her general demeanor had switched from that of a stone gargoyle to the casual, somewhat sociable, lady.

"Yes." She said softly, without smile, though she tried to display somewhat of natural emotion in her voice. Movement drew her eyes, simple as that, but it was sufficient to say that they lingered on the curves and muscle of the Puppet Master who seemed to be getting comfortable.

"Hm? Oh yes, sorry." Not a blush nor smile, but again the amusement registeed in her voice. "Go ahead." She did a short, half-bow of her head, knowing that he would probably like to speak what he'd been thinking.

[Vyn]

Kujien's stance as a gentleman was not one that came naturally to him, in fact, it had been quite strained at first. In his youth he'd been far too headstrong, too emotional, to be a proper gentleman. Alas, with the passing of that stage of himself, he lost far more than he had gained by retreating into this cold, narcissistic shell.

The emotions he displayed now were usually false, though rare occasions brought out a true smile or a lapse in his usual wall.

Now, however, was not one of those rare occasions. In fact, it was all just calculated warmth in which to make others feel comfortable and, upon noting the youths reaction, it faded slightly until nothing was left but his usual silken charm and that smooth, feline grin.

Kujien liked her calculated silence, her emotional reserve. Most Bloods were too headstrong and impulsive for his taste, and she was delightfully different.

"I won't beat around the bush with this... I believe you prefer a more precise form of conversation, and so: I would like you to join my cast, Akaesaibi."

[tigs]

She delighted in his understanding of her perverse strangeness. She talked so little, and lacked so much emotion for a Blood, but it was a blessing and a curse. Most didn't take the time to understand, but really, that wasn't much of a curse. She did just fine on her own. He seemed so distant at times, only her eyes spoke the curiosity that her mouth was too proper to vocalize.

His secrets were his secrets surely, but so intriguing she could see his mind being, if only she could see inside it. If only he'd give just a little piece, she might even trade some of her own story in return. She hadn't been in the routine of speaking long enough to get it all out, however. So it remained with her alone.

His emotions seemed so forced, they couldn't be real. But if so, could he feel at all? She still had some semblance of 'humanity', and she honestly didn't want to become so cold and inhuman as to loose it. Though human she was not, the term still applied.

When she thought she might give in to her surely blatantly obvious curiosity, he spoke first. Definately a relief, he proved again his understanding by being so straight to the point.

"I appreciate it." She started, considering the question carefully, which had definately caught her by surprise. Want or need? She guessed he wanted her more than needed her, but she might just turn out to be worth more than he origionally had imagined. At least, she felt that way.

"I would be honoured." A simple, but truthful smile crossed her face, like a flickering shadow, but the importance was that it had occurred, not that it was gone.

[Vyn]

Kujien's detachment gave him more room to study others, from the emotions in their gaze to the small language their bodies spoke. It was a helpful talent, worth the time it took to learn. This bebe fascinated him in so many ways, allured him in ways most females would not. Perhaps it was how similar she was to himself, so in control of her emotions, and yet she did so without being as dead on the inside as he himself was.

He envied her.

Her ability to control her emotions without giving up that bit of 'humanity'. It was what he craved, but he had lost that a long time ago and had given up the hope of regaining it between then and now.

Yet as his hollow eyes scanned her young frame, his gaze came to rest upon hers and he found a new hunger there. Curiosity? He wouldn't doubt it. She was youthful still, and the young deserved to be curious. But of what? Surely not of himself? He was charm personified, a silken voice and a gentleman's manners...but he wasn't a great mystery.

So he presented his proposal and awaited her answer, inwardly wondering what sort of curiosity she harbored of him. As he watched her, his curiosity was growing with her own and he found himself as curious of her mind as she was of his, and as the seconds passed his usual reservedness around this female was fading. He didn't guard himself so heavily, and yet nothing outwardly seemed to change.

He remained the empty husk with the gentleman's smile and the silken voice, but the pleasure he displayed at her acceptance was more genuine than it had been in such a long time.

"Wonderful." The word came out in a smooth pleasant, purr. Silken as always, but lacking the usual venom. Momentarily his gaze flickered to her smile, and one as fleeting as her own touched his muzzle before it vanished as well. "Its an honor to have you, young Akaesaibi. I have found very few as suiting to my tastes as you are."