White Rock Lake
A reservoir, White Rock Lake covers 1,254 acres and was once used for a portion of Dallas' drinking water supply. Now that it's use as a water source has been supplanted, the area has become one of the favored recreational locations in the city. The forested shoreline is dotted with numerous small cabins, fishing piers, and sailboat docks.
The lake is surrounded by White Rock Lake Park, which is home to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Running through the park is a 9 mile trail designed for hiking, running or cycling.
Though swimming was banned here back in the '50's, it is still a popular location for area teens who generally enjoy the more deserted areas, using the beautiful backdrop as a makeout spot.
It's just round about ten o'clock, and the park has been buzzing with people and noise and the smell of food all day. But the sun has since set, and the heat of the day has cooled to a balmy summertime warmth. Families and singletons have traded the water for the shore, the benches and the grass for the trails, and most everyone is sitting, talking and laughing, as they wait for the fireworks to begin. And when they do, they start off with a bang. Literally. No small bursts leading up to the really big ones. No, the Mayor is going all out, and it shows.
—-
Mignonette has settled herself onto her blanket, which looks as thought it might have had more than one person sitting on it, if the indentation on the grass is anything to go by. But whomever she might have been with, has since wandered off. And for her part, the small woman is spreading out, hogging most of the empty space for herself, a bag of kettle corm in her lap, fresh popped from a vendor that's been at the park all day.
—-
With a blanket over her own shoulder, Aislin walks out towards the lakeside and looks around. Fireworks are big and flashy, and the sky is a rather large canvas. She isn't terribly concerned with finding a good or bad place to sit. The redhead eventually finds a spot near Mignonette and sets the blanket down, giving a warm smile over towards the woman as she plunks down to enjoy the show. "Evenin'," she greets, setting her purse down beside her.
—-
As the 'bombs bursting in air' begin their display, much to the pleasure of the children, even if they do hold their hands over their ears, anyone who is even the least bit familiar with the form that settles himself against a tree, his arms crossed before him, would be surprised to see him here. Cold, dead blue eyes rise to the sky as the colours begin to expand in their violent explosions, and Marius watches, hearing the breathers around him exclaim in pleasure.
With every second, the bursts come, and lowering his gaze once more, the vampire looks over the gathered as a shepherd over sheep.. or would that be wolf over potential prey?
Yes, and yes.
There is one slightly off that he recognizes specifically— the seer. No move is made, however, as he watches another approach, with an obvious mark— to his eyes, anyway. Like the bright colours in the sky, he can see the mark of another..
—-
Mignonette's attention moves across, to the woman setting down her blanket, a friendly smile coming in answer to the one given to her, "Good evening to you, Happy Fourth." She does have to raise her voice a bit, to be heard over the explosive sounds of the light show going on above their heads, not to mention the strains of the 1812 Overture being piped across the water, but it still has its familiar cajun lilt. With her blanket set the way it is, she's not quite in a position to catch sight of the german standing a bit away from the gathered crowds, but it wouldn't take but a slight shift in the way she's sitting to change that.
—-
Marius is, for the moment, completely unnoticed by Aislin. Even if he did receive a passing glance from the woman, there's nothing to indicate that he's a threat or an ally. Just another person in the crowd as far as the Irish woman is concerned. Aislin settles down comfortably on the blanket and leans back on her elbows with her legs stretched out in front of her, looking up towards the sky as it illuminates the beachside. She times her speech carefully, letting her words travel between most of the loudest bangs. "I don't feel so bad now, sitting by myself. You don't mind if I join you, do you? Fireworks are more fun with someone else anyway, I find."
—-
Noise.. the music, that is. Marius doesn't know the piece and doesn't care to. His musical tastes lie a great deal before that, with lute and hautebois. The sound of the explosions are more to his taste, whether or not the bright colours are part of it. He can smell the gunpowder in the air as it drifts across the lakeside, an instant reminder of the field.
Straightening from his lean against the tree, the vampire begins to stroll slowly, crossing the distance over ground between himself and the now pair of women sitting on the ground. With each multi-colour burst, those in attendance reflects a hint of the shade found in the night's sky.. and the vampire is no different.. greens, blue.. red..
Stopping at the edge of the blanket, the vampire pauses, then, "After this is concluded, I would have you contact me."
As for the other woman? Of no account…
—-
"Oh no, I don't mind at all. I think my cousin went off looking for that redhead he's been hound-dogging all day." But now that she's agreed to let the other woman join her, she does scoot over. She is, however, polite enough to grab one of the paper plates she has left in her picnic basket or sorts, and pour out some kettle corn, so that it can be shared, "I'm Mignonette, by the by." But the breeze wafting over the grassy knoll where she's sitting brings more than the smell of spent powder, a voice also, that causes her to turn in its direction. The face is familiar, the man not one she'd soon forget, if the canvasses at her home have anything to say about it. She does, not, however switch to the german he used when he last spoke to her, and she matches his english with hers, "I am afraid I would not know how. I do not even know your name," though with his hearing, it's likely he at least knows her, now. Her first, if nothing else.
—-
"A pleasure to meet you Mignonette," Aislin says, smiling over towards the woman. "My name is Aislin." She too shifts over a bit on the blanket so she can properly chat with her new beach-mate, accepting the offered kettle corn as its handed over towards her. Aislin's green eyes then lift to look at Marius as he moves over towards the blankets. An eyebrow perks on her face as she gives him a visual once-over, studying the man standing not too far from her now. "Hello to you, too," she offers, head tilting curiously.
—-
After parking the harley back in the parking lot, Abbey is wandering her way along the paths looking for a good spot or perhaps someone she may even know to watch the fireworks at. Now and then she pauses to peer up at the sky, watching the fireworks as they exploded within the dark night sky. She smiles at the sigh and then glances back in front of her as she notices some people down the way. Humming a soft tune to herself she moves forward, heading closer to where Migs, Aislin and the other just happen to be. It will take her a few moments to figure out there is someone there that she knows.
—-
Marius' expression is impassive, dead neutral, his eyes echoing the lack of anything that lie behind them.. other than cold. At Mignonette's admission of not knowing his name, the vampire simply inclines his head once. There is nothing in his tones that would suggest the easy, 'nice to meet you' of breathers.. simply, an offering of information. His voice is low, the close-clipped accented words definitely german-sounding. "My name is Marius. There is but one who will know of any certainty where I am, or when she will see me next to pass a message on. That is Dr. Bethany Brooks."
His gaze moves to the other, Aislin, and simply… stares before he returns to Mignonette.
"If you search Mary's, or Medieval Times, you may find me." Or she may not. "However, I would speak with you then."
—-
"And you, Aislin." Mignonette will never be one to forget her manners, despite the fact that, the world being as it is, the man standing, well, let's be honest, looming over her should, by dint of being amongst the mostly dead, should get the majority of her attention, "Thank you for sharing your name with me. I will look for you in those places. And only use Doctor Brooks as a last resort." She is a lawyer, after all. And not terribly inclined to make use of go-betweens who can both be intercepted and compromised. "As you like. I will make every effort to contact you as soon as the fireworks have ended." He did say after, right?
—-
Aislin frowns as she's pointedly ignored by the man, dismissed like she isn't even there. "Are you always this rude, Marius?" she asks, looking somewhat insulted by his behavior towards her. The redhead mutters softly, something not in English, and likely not very nice. As Mignonette deals with the vampire, Aislin munches on the kettle corn that was given to her, effectively silencing the muttering for the moment.
—-
Abbey catches sight of both Migs and Aislin the closer she gets, the third is someone she doe not know and would rather keep it that way seeing the scent she gets. "Hello Mignonette, Aislin." Is offered with a friendly tone while she smiles and waves to them now that she is in speaking distance. Her pale gaze drifts towards Marius as she catches the question from Aislin.
—-
"I will be expecting you then."
There is nothing else to keep the vampire where he is, other than the obviously insulted.. lamb. It is to Aislin, then, he turns, his expression of death. "You do not wish my attention, lamb. And the unnecessary bleating is unbecoming."
Marius turns, then, to depart their company even as Abbey appears. His gaze falls upon her, and while his expression remains stock still; stony, he does cant his head ever so slightly. It isn't often that he is in the company of one..
"Like lambs," he muses softly, and moves out once more across the grass towards the access road from the park.
—-
"I find," Mignonette offers, as Marius moves off, "That when they're less than civil, it's usually for a reason you're better off not knowing." Mignonette, though, lifts a hand, as she catches sight of the redhead, not the same one Alexandre has been chasing after all day, coming towards them, "Abbey, I didn't think you'd make it." Overhead, the fireworks continue to light up the night sky, bright and beautiful, sparkling against the water and making the sky, just at the far end of the lake, look as though it goes on forever.
—-
"I'll give you unnecessary bleating," Aislin mutters again as Marius wanders off, gaze following him briefly before returning her eyes to Mignonette. Apparently she's too annoyed to be particularly intimidated by the man. "Hi Abbey." One hand lifts to wave to the other woman as she greets her. "Doesn't mean that being rude is necessary. Tends to draw more attention than being nice, y'know? Be nice and people don't think twice. Be a dick, and people dwell."
—-
Abbey watches Marius a few moments, her gaze narrowing at his talk of lambs. She would rather vampires not call humans lambs thank you.. Humans arn't meals in her book. She offers no nod back to Marius and merely lifts her head as he turns to leave, keeping her attention on him until he is far enough away. Hearing Migs she looks back to her friend and offers a smile. "I wouldn't miss it. I just had to tuck Dakota away in his kennel and then find a parking space which took longer then anything else!" She looks to Aislin and offers a smile. "I have to agree with Aislin on that one." Her gaze turns back to the fireworks. "I'm glad I didn't miss them all at least."
—-
"Well, I imagine it depends on how intimidated they are by you. And he strikes me as a man who could be very intimidated. Still, he is intriguing." If for no other reason than the fact that he's so clearly not trying to mainstream, as many of the vampires in Dallas are. "I couldn't get Kirill out from under the bed. 125 pounds and he's terrified of the sound of firecrackers. And this was just the little poppers the neighbourhood children were letting off. Some guard dog he turned out to be. Come and sit." And she scooches again, to free up enough room for Abbey to have a seat.
—-
Aislin sighs and munches on her kettle corn, setting the plate down when she's finished it. "He was still a dick," she muses, shaking her head. "Met so many nice people. Why do nasty ones always have to make things miserable?" She sighs and flops back down on the blanket, reclining on the ground and looking up at the sky. "I don't have any pets, so I didn't have to worry about any of that stuff. Just by myself at home. Of course, I don't spend a lot of time at home, so that works out."
—-
Abbey hums softly and smiles while looking to Migs, she thanks her while sitting herself down on the free spot. "Ya.. Dakota though the world was ending. I feel bad for him but.. He'll need to get use to it.." "Sam is watching him, seems he got into a fight with his wife over something so he is staying at the garage tonight." She looks to Aislin and nods slightly. "Pets arn't bad to have around.. But just depends on how everyone thinks I suppose."
—-
"My father always used to say that if you coddle them, they start to associate being scared or acting like they are with getting more attention. So I just left him with some water and a bowl of food. Which is pretty much what I did to David too." Well, alright, she left the doctor at his office at the university with some takeout and a bottle of ginger ale, but still. "Well, I suppose they want to see if they can make us as sour as they are. But I don't pay them any kind. Especially not his kind. Who can say how they think?"
—-
"How who think? Men or assholes?" Yep, Aislin's still oblivious to the fact that Marius was a vampire. Nothing was there to give it away! He didn't show fangs or anything obvious like that. She squints a bit at Mignonette, confused by her assessment. Her gaze flickers back to Abbey and she grins a bit. "Remember… I like other people's pets. I don't have time for one of my own."
—-
Abbey smiles at Aislin. "True.. I'll let you borrow Dakota when ever you like." This said with a playful tone. "An that is true Migs, coddling them just means there keep doing it over and over knowing there get the attention." A glance is offered to Aislin at the men or assholes comment and she tilts her head slightly before peering at Migs.
—-
"Assholes. Most of the ones I met think it's their moral imperative to make people miserable." If no one comments on the actual mostly deadness of Marius, Mignonette certainly won't be the one to. "But I'll give him a chance. He may be a potential client, and you know the firm never turns away new business."
—-
Abbey hums faintly while letting her gaze follow after some fireworks in the sky while she listens to the pair. "Ya well.. Anyone with fangs is an asshole in my book.." Abs tends to tell it how it is, no reason to sugar coat it at all. "That's true Migs.. But I would be very careful around that one.. I got a bad vibe from him." Wolfie senses tingling.
—-
"Thanks," Aislin tells Abbey with a grin, chuckling softly. "I'll keep that in mind if I need a puppy-guard or something." Mignonette's response draws a louder laugh from the redhead, her nose wrinkling slightly with amusement. "That's true. Assholes are usually out to make people miserable. Not going to argu… wait, what?" Aislin blinks a few times and looks up at Abbey at the revelation of fangs. "He was a vampire?" She blinks again and shakes her head a bit. "Not all vampires I know are assholes." No immediate terror or fear at this revelation, apparently.
—-
"He was." Since Abbey let the cat out of the bag, she confirms it. "I've met him before, though, and made it out the other side without giving a pint, as it were." As one of the few lawyers accepting vampiric clients in the city, Mignonette tends to have a bit of a milder approach to them, "No, but neither are all humans. They're just as multifaceted as we are."
—-
Abbey won't go into detail about how she knew he was a vampire, though as she spends a good amount of time avoiding them she learned how to pick them out, and not by scent alone mind you. A faint ah escapes her and she looks to Aislin. "Well. Yes, he is one.." Is offered with a soft tone as her cellphone suddenly rings.. She takes it from her pocket and glances over it. A faint sigh escapes her. "Seems I need to go help Sam with a call out on the road." One thing about the 4th of July accidents still happen. She stands up and pockets the phone before turning to leave. "You guys enjoy the rest of the night alright?" This questioned as she starts to walk towards the parking lot.
—-
"Huh. I really need to figure out some way to tell," Aislin muses with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "Maybe I'll ask one of them that actually enjoys my company." She watches Abbey leave then looks back to Mignonette. "And no, I'm not a little treat on the side for one of them. We actually talk about stuff, believe it or not." She shifts on the blanket and tucks her hands behind her head, crossing her ankles. "So who was he, anyway? Other than his name, can't say I know anything about him. Never seen him before."
—-
"Well, if they're not trying to blend in, it's easier to tell. First thing to look for is breathing. They don't, as a general rule. And when they do, it's too perfect. Most of the time. No hitches or gaps, like you have with us, when we're speaking. They don't move, either, fidget, twitch, do idle things with their hands." All of which are common unconscious human actions. "Some are better than others at disguising it. Plus, their skin colour. All of them tend to be pale-ish, even the dark skinned ones, but some are deathly pale, if you pardon the pun." Overhead, the fireworks are slowly coming to an end, marked not by the cessation of the explosions, but by their apex. At Aislin's defense of her relationship with vampires, Mignonette shakes her head, "I never said that you were. I have quite a few clients who are vampires, and we have good working relationships." As for Marius, well, "I have no idea. This is only the second time I've ever met him. And the first was at a cemetery, so not much of a clue as to what he does or who he is."
—-
Aislin blinks as Mignonette actually gives her a rundown, falling silent and listening to her advice. All things that she more or less knew, but it's difficult to actually notice. "I hadn't actually considered those things. They're all true, now that I think about it, but not something I've pointedly looked for in the past." She looks back up to the sky as the explosions intensify, nearing their end. "I don't work with them. I just… talk. They have such interesting facts and insights. Centuries of life will do that, I suppose. And I imagine you'll soon find out what it is that he does, seeing as how he wants to talk to you about something-or-another."
—-
"They're still new. Most people wouldn't know how to spot a vampire in a crowd, because we've spent all of our lives living with other humans. Before vampires came out of the closet, there was no reason to look for someone's breathing. As humans, we all breath, we take it for granted. If someone is pale, we just assume they're ill. We don't notice body movements, because they're so natural to us, it's normal to see them. Now we have to look for a lack of them. And some of them are very good at blending in, so it's not always easy." Mignonette looks up, as the last of the fireworks fill the sky, "Well, I'm a lawyer, so I suppose it's just natural that I do. Like calling to like, as some would say." But as the sounds of explosions fade to echoes, Mignonette nods, looking back over to the redhead, "Sooner rather than later. I don't imagine I want to keep him waiting. Feel free to stay and use the blanket, it's a great spot. Alex will be by after a while, I suspect."
—-
"Good point," Aislin agrees with a slight nod. "It isn't something I look for because I've never had any reason to do so. Now I do. I'll have to keep that in mind. Thank you." She sits up as the fireworks stop, stretching her arms up above her head and rolling her shoulders a bit. At the offer to use the blanket, Aislin offers her another smile and a nod. "Thank you. I'll probably be heading home. Not a far walk, and there are lots of people milling about right now, so better to go now than wait for later. Again, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mignonette."
—-
"It was good to meet you too. Just leave everything here. I'll call him and let him know to pick up everything." Hopefully he'll show up before the crack of dawn, and if not, well, it's only a basket and a blanket. She's taking everything valuable with her, "Have a wonderful rest of the holiday, Aislin, take care of yourself." And with that, Mignonette steps away from the blanket, heading back to join the stampede moving to their cars.
