by cocogerber13 » Tue Jun 04, 2019 10:31 am
Xander//human, hunter//location: Ember, castle//tags: Kenji, Aralynn, Alejandro/Adrien
The human hunter gave a shaky breath as he realised that he was being ignored for the moment, snapping his mouth shut firmly after he had gave a quiet sigh of relief. Luckily his bow included himself facing the floor, so his informal mishap went unnoticed. Hopefully.
Though staying on one knee with his other as the resting point of his arm, Xander could not keep the stance for very long and slowly peered up at Kenji’ face when there was a moment of silence. For the first real time, the man could detect the other’s confusion and perhaps a hint of betrayal. He quickly silenced his thoughts at this discovery. He was particularly good at such observations with forest animals he hunted, so it was entirely plausible that Xander had overanalysed the situation. He would still keep his faith in the general’s confidence he had shown him in the dungeon below.
As Kenji gave his take on their situation, the civilian moved his eyes to focus back on the ground. His concentration was fully on the story as the vampire told it, finding his own learnings matching up accurately to both his own testimony and the plan Kenji has briefed him over during their escape. This was a man that would keep his word, even if he wasn’t human.
Speaking of not being human, the man tentatively looked up again as he recalled the suspicious character beside the queen. He was no advisor that he knew of in his limited kingdom knowledge, and the way he was dressed certainly drew him apart from any normal noble, guard, or staff. Xander trained his attention on the man in question. Kenji appeared thrown off by his appearance, and the ranger was quite sure that the others’ eyes had changed ever so slightly in hue. This made his own features crease in concern as his crouch had already begun to resemble that of his occupation waiting to let an arrow fly.
Of course Xander had no intent to attack anyone or present himself in a threatening way, so his silent observations stayed just that- observations. Plus his lack of bow and ammo would hinder any surprise attack he hypothetically could have had up his sleeve. Figuring these thoughts would make him accidentally say something he didn’t actually mean, Xander’s eyes shifted over to the queen. She already had a bond with Runemeth’ military commander, and was reasonably worried for the safety of the heir the two of them had defended. The brunet grew slightly more interested at the mention of the two that had galloped off on horseback. They really didn’t know how they were doing at the that point, and that factor caused Xander to give an alarmed side-glance to Kenji. They were all leaving their fate up to chance now? He cared for his people’s safety, but if the assassins were so quick as to arrive and leave before the royal guard showed up then they were certainly skilled enough to catch up to Akira.
Xander attempted to control his breathing as more concerns crossed his mind. They would find them safe and sound, someone of Akira’s status plus whoever Jessica was more promising than most in that kind of situation. Instead of dwelling on it the hunter slowly stood up to join the rest of those talking (bc his legs were tired haha).
Just as Aralynn’s gaze finally rested upon him if just for a moment, Xander felt glad that it was one of slight sympathy at his and Kenji’s sacrifices. This gladness was nearly replaced as he heard her next words to him. It was yet another threat to his head, and though a reasonable caution the accusation still stung the man’s pride. As if to make is worse, the first part was said as if he were not even in the room. Xander did not visibly react to it aside from his lips at a hushed mutter of, “even if I wanted to lay a finger on him I couldn’t.”
At the mention of an apothecary and a private room Xander seemed to perk up a tiny bit and once more looked over to Kenji questioningly, then back to Adrian and then to Queen Aralynn. He supposed it could’ve been predicted with their responsibility to one of the kingdom’s heirs, but it was a surprising offer nonetheless. The commoner wondered if he should actually speak up with his gratitude , though decided that a mere nod of thanks would suffice.
———
Theo//vampire, civilian//location: Ember, castle?//tags: Ren, Ruby, Akihito
Theo continued to watch the prince, a new curiosity piquing his interest. Surely there were numerous questions floating about Akihito’s mind, especially with the emergence of the vampires’ existence. Then again, the concept of a ‘vampire’ was coined from him as soon as Theo had exposed himself as a talking dog. Just how much had the royal known of them before that? It appeared as if the darker-haired man had questions of his own, however he valued them more private matters and thus wished for an ensured solitude before he asked them. For now, the black and white cat merely graced Akihito with a perplexed glance of his own.
Then, at the heir’s request, Theo dipped his head. “As you wish. Guess I was too heavy of a cat for you.” He winked, then stood and hopped down from his perch in Aki’s arms. There was a quick survey of the scene to make sure no one was about as the transformation started. At first it seemed to begin as a normal cat shaking out their pelt- and as fast as the procedure took place, there was still a noticeable difference as Theo grew in size. The dark, shaking, four legged mammal grew taller, his head, tail, and paws gradually shifting until they resembled the features of a wolf. Or more namely, a Belgian Shepherd with a few white hairs upon its head.
The ‘new’ Theo let his tongue hang out of his mouth as he regarded Ruby and Ren with a tail-wag of farewell, a small whine erupting from his throat as he moved to touch noses with a hand of each. He hurriedly returned to Akihito afterwards and even trotted a few steps ahead of him. It was safe to say there were a lot of obvious scent trails that lead to the main door of the castle. Theo’s ears angled to whatever noises sounded nearby and decided that they would be safe to talk for a moment. “Garlic... is a new one. I don’t personally care for it since it throws off my tracking abilities, but taste-wise I don’t think it’s necessarily bad.” He woofed, stopping at the gate to scratch his ear with his foot. “Um, invitations into places are also a misunderstood stereotype- that’s mostly because a lot of us are old fashioned and actually polite. Sunlight obviously doesn’t damage us too much, just makes it easier for us to get sunburns.” The dog thought aloud as he spoke, adding other details and wondering softly if giving this information could risk his future survival. Then again, knowing such things could also help someone who could be attacked by vampires. This thought in mind, he continued.
“Yes, a stake in the heart could kill anyone, even a vampire. Honestly don’t know why this one’s a thing specific to vampires considering pierced internal organs are dangerous anyway, but eh. And yeah, silver kinda gives me an allergic reaction. It was mostly a rash around my neck when I found a cool silver necklace, but if it stays on long enough I start smoking. This actually brings me to my next question- how do you know so much about us?” His voice quieted as he stepped into the keep. Though he strayed only a pace in front of Akihito, he stopped and stared back to Akihito for his own question. Before he could answer though, his nose rose into the air and he stiffened. Without an explanation Theo raised his hackles and stuck his snout to the floor. The fur on his back stood up as he realised of the two vampires’ entrances into the keep.