Downtown
Towering skyscrapers make up the majority of buildings in Downtown Dallas. The area isn't entirely comprised of concrete jungle, as the historic West End isn't that far off, offering buildings that have been converted into trendy lofts or two-bedroom homes. The streets are generally busy here, both vehicular and pedestrian traffic as people make their way to and from the office. Despite the size of the downtown area, one can easily walk anywhere be it the grocery store, the pub, or a small restaurant.
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It's a warm Texas night to be sure. It might be a bit more pleasant wer it not so humid, but the stars are twinkling - the sky is at least a pretty sight to look at that tops off the massive buildings nearby. Crowds filter from bar to bar, and Ella appears to be among them, but not /with/ them, exactly. With her phone firmly clutched and pressed against her head, she strains to listen to what the person on the other end is saying. "Monday? At two? Yeah sure, that works, as long as you send out word that the class is cancelled tomorrow. I don't want a bunch of angry students batting curled up yoga mats at my head." There's a pause, followed by a laugh on her end before she clicks the phone shut. The blonde is dressed up enough where it looks likely that she intends on hitting up one of the many night-life establishments in Dallas. Or something equally as enjoyable. Now briefly /not/ surrounded by a gaggle of people, she pauses in front of the aquarium, inquisitively peeking inside.
—-
Aislin certainly doesn't mind the nightlife. It helps with business if she somehow manages to find someone who wants her to perform for them. But tonight is a night for relaxing, and she doesn't carry an instrument with her. The redhead strolls calmly down the street and almost walks right past Ella, but that little voice inside her head that says, 'Hey! You know that person!' causes her to blink and stop. Aislin takes a couple steps back and gives Ella a warm smile, waving to her. "Evening," she calls, starting to walk towards the blonde.
—-
"I have found that it is becoming necessary to go further to the Sierra Madres."
The night brings out many types of people, particularly on a summer night that is rarely seen in Texas; non-humid. Couple pass, families.. teens that travel in groups..
A figure moves down the street with another, his pace slow, unhurried. If one were to take a good look at the blonde as he passes under an electric light, the white shirt partially obscured by a black jacket is stained with a dark substance. In hand, a stained handkerchief is now ignored, and as he walks, is placed in his pocket. Marius' face is.. mostly clean, streaked with pink that he hadn't really gotten to disappear completely.
"It is unfortunate that there is very little in this city that I can truly enjoy."
—-
"It's the wrong era for you, brother," James replies, walking casually beside his old friend. He reaches into his pocket and wordlessly pulls out a handkerchief of his own, passing it to him. At his heel are his two wolfhouds, unsurprisingly. The pair are each on a sturdy leather lead that hangs loosely in James' free hand, but the leads are slack, the animals keeping pace with their master without the need for such outward signs of control. Still, city ordinance requires it, so the three comply.
"This country, in this era, particularly — though, I suppose the same might be said of any of the colonies." He chuckles at that. Yes. North America is still a collection of colonies in the Londoner's mind. Probably always will be.
"The problem with the borderlands is that they're too accessible. Not to mention the fact that, since the Revelation, opposition has been far more militant." Mexico definitely doesn't have the same legal tolerance America does.
—-
Promptly swiveling on her heel, Ella turns to face Aislin as she is greeted. "Hey, evening," she says with a broad grin. "What are you up to this evening? My 8 o'clock class in the morning was rescheduled, which means I am free to enjoy the evening. For once." Taking in a deep breath, her shoulders rise and fall noticeably as she does so. As the two gentlemen pass by, her gaze first settles on the dogs. "Beautiful, huh?" she lightly nudges Aislin with her elbow. She then turns to regard the men, passing them both a polite smile. Her expression shifts to one of concern, though, as she notices the mysterious stain on Marius' shirt.
—-
"Stay up late and sleep in," Aislin says, lips curving into a grin of amusement. "Have a few drinks and enjoy yourself, hm?" She turns over towards the pair of men and the dogs as she's nudged, eyes studying the furry creatures briefly before nodding. "Very much. Don't have time for pets myself. I live vicariously through other people in that regard." A grin is cast in Ella's direction as she leans against the wall near the aquarium, the concerned look caught and considered briefly before she leans over to whisper quietly to the girl. "At least one of those two is a vampire. Met him at the fireworks." The voice doesn't carry beyond Ella, but those with acute hearing might pick up on the softly murmured words.
—-
"You cannot say that does not make it all that much more satisfying, now can you?" He's all for futile attempts against him, the vain efforts to stave off a horrible, bloody death. Marius' gaze is set to the path that is him, watching the lambs that bleat and wander in his path; always on the Hunt, even when technically satiated.
"Ah.." The second handkerchief is taken, though he's not all that sure how much good it will do, now that the blood has dried in its smears. "I think you are right, sadly." To find perfect spots is getting more difficult once Africa is left behind. "So, you see why I remain in the city; very little challenge on this continent, unless I move further south." He daubs a part of his cheek and offers a hint of a dangerous smile, "And one day—"
Of the many lambs on the thoroughfare, Aislin is recognized, even if she took offense that he'd completely ignored her. The expression remains, though it's an odd mix now; cold, dead eyes, his face still as the grave.. and the hint of a smile leaning towards the.. not very pleasant. Echoing, or rather, parodying, Marius' tones remain low, but carry an oddly singsong tenor, "Both of those are lambs, though one bleats a little louder in indignation when ignored."
—-
Were he human, James would flash Marius a smile. But, he's not. So, his blue eyes glitter, half-hooded with satisfaction. "Of course, not," he says in answer to the question. "Sport is sport, after all. It's just a shame when it's everyone's sport." He prefers not having to share his hunting grounds with just anyone. Apparently, he's somewhat elitist, for a commoner. At least in this matter.
Both the vampires and the dogs have sentsitive hearing, though James only pays the two women any mind because Marius points them out. His dogs, however, pull a little on the lead, going, as dogs will, to sniff after them as they pass.
Of course, the dogs are big. Their heads come to the lower portion of James' ribs, their shoulders to his hips. They do appear friendly, this is true. But there are people who will cross the street rather than try to maneuver around them.
James' head turns toward the women as the dogs take an interest in them. He slows some, disinclined to pull them along.
—-
"If nothing else, I'm going to enjoy sleeping in for the first time in.. a long time." Ella murmurs to Aislin with a wink. "But I have to run the desk tomorrow night. So it goes." Waving a hand dismissively, she lifts a foot and presses it back against the wall behind her. Sliding the phone into the small black clutch hanging from her wrist, she looks a bit delighted as the dogs pause. "I can't afford to take care of one. The moment I do, though.." She doesn't look particularly phased as Aislin shares a little tidbit of information - she merely nods her head, expression unchanging. "Evening," she greets the two gentlemen, mainly because she and Aislin seem to have grasped the dogs' attention. "I was just telling my friend how beautiful they are," she explains, nodding toward the canine pair.
—-
"Fortunately, most of my work tends to be either in the afternoon or the evening, so I get to sleep in all the time," Aislin tells Ella, giving the girl a bright grin. "It's kind of nice. Of course, when I do need to get up early, it tends to be a bit brutal. I like evening work better than morning work." Her eyes shift over towards the massive dogs as they move over towards her and the blonde, and Aislin blinks a few times. They didn't look -that- big from a distance. She's only mildly intimidated, and only for a moment before she blinks and recomposes herself, eyes lifting from the dogs to flit between James and Marius. "Hey," she greets, another smile coming to her lips. "Enjoying your evening, I hope?" One hand comes out for the canines to sniff if they get close enough, allowing them to familiarize themselves with her.
—-
Marius slows his pace, if that was possible, for the dogs to make their acquaintences. Soon enough, the dogs will want to continue on, so there is no silent 'complaint' from him. The still, mostly clean handkerchief remains in hand, unused for the moment. He can easily sense the flicker of intimidation in the rise in heat of the lamb, the speeding of her pulse before she makes the attempt to quell those fears. Marius isn't fooled for a moment.
"It goes well."
Now, the smile fades, leaving behind that impassive, stony facade that is the hallmark of vampires that simply.. don't care to make anything 'easier' for the breathers they now share the streets with.
Closer to the women, now, it can be seen that the dark liquid staining the shirt is thick, turning to brown.. almost looking like a deep coffee stain, only for the smudges that remain on the vampire's face.
—-
The dogs take several moments to sniff the women. James makes no move to stop them; they show no indications of hostility. "Good evenin'," the Londoner greets, expression neutral. His eyes still glitter, however, raking up and down each of them in turn, noting fine details as easily as the dogs might. He does incline his head slightly in aknowledgement of the compliment to his dogs. He is rather fond of them, himself, after all.
Most dogs don't take well to vampires. These, however, appear quite comfortable in their presence.
"They are fine animals," he says simply.
—-
"Most people want to take a yoga class before they go to work. Which means I work before they work. I love the work, but.. if only most people wanted to take it /after/ work. Or even during their lunch break. It pays for rent, ramen, and the occasional drink though, so I shouldn't complain." With a shrug, Ella inclines her head politely. There's a slight shift in her body language, as she gets the nerves one has when meeting a new person. "Glad to hear it," she murmurs, as Marius shares his opinion of the evening. She does not reach out to pet the large pair of dogs, but she does smile an affectionate, dimpled smile.
—-
The brief moment where Aislin's pulse spikes passes easily enough, her heartbeat once more slowing to a more steady pace, the momentary hitch in her breathing fading away as though it was never there. Once the dogs have caught her scent, her lips tug up into an almost fond smile and her fingers shift to rub between their ears, a slightly more bold gesture than Ella. "I've never seen dogs this big before. They are lovely." Her green eyes lift to Marius and she gives him a slight nod. "That's good. There are all kinds of things to do during the evenings. Do you have any plans?" The question is directed to both men, her gaze flickering between the two.
—-
Marius cants his head slightly, the action bringing a slightly quizzical note to his bearing, even if the lack of expression remains. "James, do we have any plans?" Before his friend can respond, however, he asks a second, follow-up question, this time, to Aislin. "Do you have something in mind?"
His gaze moves to Ella, her whispered words bringing something of an appearance of shyness. "You are afraid of them, then.. big brutes, they are.. but calm." Now comes the instruction, his softly spoken words in clipped, accented english. "Reach and pet them."
It's back to James, then, Marius' attention moves, "What say you, brother.. have we time before we give in to our slumber to accompany these lambs on their journey or shall we depart with the intention of remaking their acquaintances at a later date?"
—-
The dogs seem happy enough to accept Aislin's attention. Their tails are up and ears pitched forward. James stands patiently at their heels, their leads still held loosely in one hand. He scrutinizes Ella with a peircing gaze, ears rising at the sound of her heartbeat. He allows the ghost of a smile to touch his lips when Marius suggests they join the pair.
"We've as much time as you'd care to take, brother," he replies easily, switching his gaze to Aislin, taking her measure as well. "Did you, then, have plans?" he asks the women.
—-
"I had planned on going to Absinthe to get a drink. It's been a long day of answering phone calls and hearing bizarre questions." Ella explains, waving in the bar's general direction. "I'd be happy for the company," she notes, her words directed toward all three. Marius receives a slightly surprised look at his request, but the blonde takes it as permission to do so. Reaching out a delicate hand, she scratches one of the dogs behind an ear, grinning in amusement. "We used to have a beagle, but ah, he was.. much smaller, clearly." Straightening back up, she self-consciously smoothes her hands over the slight folds in her dress while waiting to see if anyone else is interested in going.
—-
Aislin stares a bit at Marius and his rather… verbose nature. Her eyes blink a couple times, but she doesn't speak what she's immediately thinking. Instead, she simply scratches the dogs' heads lightly and considers the question of her own plans. "Well. I was thinking of getting a few drinks myself. Just ran into my friend here while I was walking," Aislin says, nodding briefly towards Ella before looking back to James and Marius. "I guess you could come if you wanted to. I'm not sure if your furry friends are going to be allowed inside, though." The last is spoken with a touch of regret, a small inflection to her voice as her gaze drops to the happy canine in front of her.
—-
Marius' attention moves back and lands squarely upon Ella, and for a long moment she is studied, or rather, stared at with cold, crystalline eyes. His words are still quiet but easily heard by the small gathering as he addresses James, his eyes still on the breather. "What say you? We meet the lambs at the Absinthe?"
Addressing Ella, and as a matter of course, Aislin, now, he inclines his head briefly, "You will, of course, forgive us if we do not drink with you." If he's noticed Aislin staring at him, there is nothing noted, or said about it.
—-
James shifts his stance some. The animals pull back from the women, coming to heel behind him. "Is there a patio?" he suggests. "I've yet to have difficulty with the dogs outside." Though the chances are he could 'sweettalk' his way past anyone that objected to the animals within any such establishment.
He turns to regard his friend, however. "Let's not forget, though, that there is at least one more thing we must attend before dawn." He doesn't say more than that, however. Marius knows full well what he refers to.
—-
"I think there might be a patio," Ella offers, though she lifts one shoulder in an unsure shrug. "I'm not entirely sure, though," she admits very quickly thereafter. Seeing that Aislin is game, as well as the others, her smile brightens - even while Marius stares at her. Perhaps she doesn't notice. "Of course not," she replies in a friendly manner. Drawing her clutch up to her chest, she turns to Aislin quickly before looking back to the other two. "We'll see you there, then? I imagine we'll be at the bar." Or at least her voice indicates that's where she /wants/ to be.
—-
"Not everyone drinks," Aislin says calmly, her shoulders lifting in a bit of a shrug. She manages the self-control to not add the word 'alcohol' to the end of that sentence. "Sometimes just sitting and enjoying someone's company is enough. Or just learning more about them." Her hand lifts from the dogs' heads and she brushes her hands off a bit as she looks to James. "A patio? I don't think so. But I'm not entirely certain either. Sitting outside isn't much of a problem, but there's there's that whole 'no drinking in public' thing that I don't want to get in trouble with." Aislin looks over to Ella as the other girl turns towards her and she lifts one arm to hook elbows with the blonde as though they were long-time chums. "C'mon. We'll meet you two there. If you decide you want to come." She gives both James and Marius another light smile and looks to Ella, tipping her head towards the street.
—-
There's always something that interferes with the Hunt, and sadly, that which James reminds him is simply one of those things.
While Marius doesn't immediately react, there is a 'ah' in his voice as he straightens, and inclines his head. "Just so. Then, it must be." He stops short of apologizing, however, for their inability to 'catch up' until potentially much later, and instead, "If we are not able to attend, I am certain we will run into each other again."
Turning to his friend, his identified 'brother', he takes a step forward to continue on his path, on their path. "On to our business, my brother.. and if there yet remains time, we will return and search for our companions."
—-
James inclines his head to his brother. "I haven't a doubt we'll meet you again," he tells the women. A promise? Who knows? "But, I suppose it will have to wait until later."
He doesn't seem to have a problem with that. But, then, it's hard for a human to tell what he really thinks, given the neutrality on his features. The dogs, however, are already turning to follow the other vampire. James, thus, takes his leave as well, following Marius toward whatever their current business may be.
