In need of.... [Sophia]

[HIROKI katashi]

Sunset had just past barely half an hour ago and already Hiroki was wandering the streets of Rome. In one hand, he held a bottle of cheap red wine he had snatched from his latest victim. She had been on her way home from who knows where, carrying the bottle of wine in her hand just like he was now. He had been waiting in an alleyway, merely people watching and she had appeared. It had only taken him a minute or so to spot the broad and only a split second to decide whether or not her life was worth taking. Unfortunately for her, he had thought so.

With a crooked smile, he turned on his heel and walked down a narrower street allowing his legs to carry him where ever they pleased. There was no particular destination in mind. All he wanted to do was find some place to sit and enjoy the bittersweet alcohol he had stolen. Not like there was a point to this. The alcohol wouldn’t do much but make him thirsty again; for blood of course, not more wine.

Inhaling softly, he tilted his head back to examine the darkened sky above him. Other than the bright moon, the stars could be seen but they were faint and there were a few clouds rolling north, with plans to conceal the moon behind them. He loved the nighttime. Perhaps a little too much. Every so often he’d miss being able to walk under the warming sun but hey, there were other ways to warm himself other than standing under the one thing that could kill him instantly.

He lowered his head back to look ahead of him as he continued on, shaking the bottle in his hand a bit. Finally he spotted the perfect place to just sit and enjoy himself. Down the street he had chosen were many outdoor cafes with tables and chairs lined up along the side of the buildings. He chose the first vacant table he came across and slipped onto the small chair, placing the bottle of wine atop the checkered sheet draped table. The vampire couldn’t help but let out a soft snicker as the frigid fingers of his left hand grazed over the red and white cloth. So cliché

he thought silently to himself.

Rather then popping the bottle of wine open and pouring himself a drink, he drew his attention away from the table and looked out towards the street. Grey orbs watched as people tried their best to scurry down the narrow path without bumping into one another or anything for that matter. His eyes jumped from one face to another in hopes to find someone interesting. Part of him wanted to spend the night alone, as usual, but then another part wanted to experience something different.
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[Sophia Marie Eden]

Sophie had been all over the world, or just about, but nothing reminded her more of home than Italy. Okay so it was a far stretch, but she wasn’t going to go to Germany and get the home sweet home feeling either. Well, not as much as Italy anyway. She had been traveling around for a few years now, never staying put in one place for very long before she desired to experience another culture. After all what did she have to keep her in one place? Exactly. She knew no one, and those she did befriend and vise versa often kept in touch, but she wanted a real reason to stay; she wanted someone to tell her to stay, but so far, no one had. They were all understanding of course, and wished her well, but they didn’t catch her subtle wishes. Was it foolish of her to feel wanted? Yeah, it probably was. This wasn’t like her.

Sophie shifted her position against the bark of a tree where she nested, her hood clinging to the rough bark for only a moment before it fell back. She tugged at said garment, trying to pull up the sleeves so her shoulders weren’t completely bare, but alas, it was futile. The neck cut off around her shoulders, exposing them and the straps to her plain black tank top. Granted it was autumn, but o well, the sweater she wore was made out of wool, so she wasn’t very cold, if anything she was a little warm. Her thumbs and fingers poked out from the edges of her cuffs, playing around with the large button on the front of her shirt while she drifted off into her thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed that it was late, not to mention the fact that the sun was down. Wow, she thought about leaving, but she didn’t want to go home yet.

She felt, restless to say the least. It bothered her because she was never restless, and thinking about why she was possibly restless wasn’t helping anything. Grah, dang it! She hated mind traps, they were trippy. Sophia slowly got to her feet, scanning over the darkened canopy of the trees with her own light green eyes before she brushed herself off. Her pony tail draped itself in a curly curtain along her shoulder, while small ringlets fell over her face a little. Man did she fall asleep or something? She wasn’t sure, but if so it was a very nice nap. Her hands patted off her dark blue jean pants, and with one final look at her makeshift sanctuary she walked out of the pathway with the sound of leaves crunching underneath her black flats. Once she got back to the road, she crossed the street.

She heard a mob of younger people chatter among themselves, and swiftly moved across the street to avoid them and wrapped her arms about herself. Large groups of people often made her nervous, but she shook those thoughts aside and walked against the slight breeze, her hair flailing out behind her in slow wispy tendrils. Okay now it was starting to get cold. Hmm, a hot beverage to go wouldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe she was near a cafe of some sort. Although she had been here for a few days, she hadn’t done a lot of exploring ever since she had found the field that lead out into this pseudo-forest, so she wasn’t sure where any of the cafe’s were. It was almost sad since Italy was the main cafe scene, but o well.

Sophie knew she had exchanged some left over American currency for Euros, but where had she put it. The moment she started to come into view of a cafe she rummaged through her pockets until she felt a few slips of currency brush against her finger tips in the back pocket. With a small smile she saw that no one was outside. Perfect. O, what time was it? Bah she didn’t keep a watch, but just as she was about to take a table her eyes flicked up from under her lashes, and caught sight of an Asian man seating himself. Sophie bit at her lower lip a bit. He certainly was attractive, but there was something almost off about him. Thinking such thoughts, the young woman tilted her head subtly to the left, staring at him with intrigued and curios green eyes. “May I help you, Miss?” Sophie blinked and turned her gaze away from the other man, and unto the waiter.

“May I have a moment, please?” She answered softly, her accent apparent in her words. The man nodded and gestured for her to take a table before he disappeared with empty trays under his arm. She moved across the court and took a table that was somewhat near the mysterious man, but not enough to where it was obvious she was watching him.

[/color][/size]

[HIROKI katashi]

A nearly inaudible scoff left the vampire’s ashen lips as his eyes returned to the tall bottle seated before him. To his disappointment, there wasn’t a single face that sparked any sort of interest in him. It was something he should have seen coming. It was rare for him to actually find someone, or something interesting nowadays. Being nearly two hundred years old, it seemed he had seen everything that there was to be seen. Pity; he was beginning to think that he had lived far too long to live anymore. Oh stop, you’re beginning to sound like Taro.

Taro had been his mentor, the one he looked up to, his sire. He had been the first of many to leave Hiroki behind to fend for himself. Taro had grown tired and bored of living and had decided to simply give up. Suicide was nothing but a cowardly act to Hiroki but he had to admit, the idea sounded quite appealing at the moment. Now he was beginning to feel rather pathetic.

Nearly being swallowed in his hopeless thoughts, Roki quickly blew away the cloud filled with pessimistic brainwork and turned his attention to the woman who had seated herself a table or two across from him. He immediately took note of her eyes. They look just like-[/color]

“Good evening sir, is there anything I could get you? A glass for your wine perhaps?[/color]” The young waiter looked down at the vampire intently, his chocolate colored eyes drifting from the man’s face to the bottle of wine then back again. It was apparent the young boy was impatient. It was either that or he was for some reason, nervous to speak to Hiroki.

With lips pressed tightly together, Roki flicked the tip of his tongue against one of the back of his fangs in annoyance while allowing his eyes to narrow towards the woman seated alone. “Just a glass for my wine, if you don’t mind.” It didn’t take long for the waiter to nod and retreat back into the building beside them. Silently he began contemplating whether or not he should join the young matron or to remain where he was and wait for her to come to him. Perhaps it would just be best to wait. He did notice that she had been looking over to him first. Did she find him just as interesting as he found her? Roki hoped so.

Soon enough the waiter scurried back with the glass the vampire had asked for and placed it before him with a smile. “Is there anything else I could get for you sir?[/color]” With eyes now set on the wine glass, a sly smirk crept onto his pale lips as his frigid digits wrapped around the neck of the wine bottle. Using his freehand, he popped the cork off with ease before carefully pouring the dark red liquid into the cup. As he did so he nodded towards the woman a few tables down.

“Give this glass to her, will you?” It could have been a bad idea or a way to lure her to him. He was hoping it would be the latter. He set the bottle back down as he slid the glass across the table closer to the waiter. The boy gladly took it and made his way over to the green eyed beauty. Roki sat, watching in wonderment as the glass was set right in front of her.

“This is from the gentleman over there.[/color]” Standing awkwardly, the waiter nodded towards Hiroki before slinking away, leaving the two alone outside.[/size][/color][/font][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

She knew staring at strangers was rude, and she didn’t do often but, for some reason she couldn’t help herself. The man was intriguing, almost familiar to her eyes, like she had seen him somewhere before. But where? Sophia couldn’t remember, nor could she place her finger on why he was familiar to her. It would’ve been embarrassing if she hadn’t known him prior to this, then simply walked up to him and asked him if she knew him. Now that would be rude, especially if she did know him and he had to tell her that they, in fact, do know one another. Sophia was normally good at remembering people, even slight acquaintances.

She shifted her position on the small cushion of the chair, her legs brushing against the cool iron legs before she folded one over the other. What could she order to distract her thoughts with? She didn’t have much money with her, so she probably couldn’t get dinner. O well, she had food at home to cook. Mmm pasta sounded lovely. Her long slender fingers rested on top of the plastic of the menu, her light green eyes studying the text which was in Italian. Damn her life. Her brows furrowed in mild bewilderment, having trouble translating something on the menu. She blinked away her problems and turned the menu open, watching as the dim lighting reflected off from the pages (which were also laminated), and began to scroll down the list of wines and beverages. Wine? Her tongue began to feel tart from the word.

Sophia fancied wine quite a bit, but never got the chance to drink it despite the ironic fact that her home country was a major brewer of it. Perhaps a small mocha would suffice for now. After all she could always come back if she wanted, and she had a slight feeling of doing so in the future. Her eyes wandered back to the rather alluring male that sat a little ways in front of her. Her heart sped up a bit when their gaze met, but the brunette merely lowered her eyes back to her menu. Okay that was embarrassing, but it only sparked her interest more. So he was looking at her too? Sophia fought back the flush that threatened to paint her checks, pursed her lips, and waited for her waiter to come back and take her order. The woman pondered taking another gander at looking at him, but she wasn’t sure.

Once she closed her menu her waiter appeared. “Are you ready to order now, Miss?” He inquired, this time in English. Sophia smiled politely at the man, and nodded, handing him her menu. “One small mocha, please.” She answered. And with a small nod of his head the older waiter passed a younger one. Huh? Sophia heard the popping of a cork and looked back toward the Asian man, and saw him nod at her. O my. Sophia lost the battle with herself, and so, her cheeks turned a light shade of rose red. She had no idea why a perfect stranger, a handsome stranger at that, would send her a glass of wine. Was it spiked? She didn’t know. No no, that only happened in the USA (or so she thought dun dun daaa). Her fingers traced the rim of the glass before she looked back toward him.

The Greek tourist finally lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. Mmm, delicious. She savored the taste in her mouth before she took another sip. He certainly knew his wines. But now she couldn’t just drink and dash, she had to thank him. O crap. Sophia lifted the glass with a polite smile, and nodded her head. There was no way she would go to him, or well, not yet anyway.

[/color][/size]

[HIROKI katashi]

Hiroki was thankful for the hustle and bustle that went on on the street right beside them. If it weren’t for the constant chattering between other mortals and the sound of shoes brushing over the stoned floor, he would have gone mad listening to the young girl’s heartbeat who sat a mere yard or so away from him. The sound would more than likely stir up his vampiric thirst and cause him to attack the girl rather than get to know her. He had to admit though, she was absolutely adorable. So much that he just wanted to eat her up.

Pervert

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he narrowed his eyes back towards the busy walkway not wanting to make the woman uneasy by him staring at her like she were some sort of dish. Not that he needed to look to her to know what was going on. His ears followed the sound of the cup being taken from the table and caught the sound of the wine, swooshing from the glass to the girl’s lips. A smile couldn’t help but creep over his pale lips as another sip was taken. It was clear, she enjoyed it.

Slowly, he turned his attention back to her just in time to catch her lifting the glass and sending him a polite nod. He returned the favor by nodding right back. Curling his cold fingers around the bottle, he lifted that up and began pouring himself a drink into another cup the waiter had brought out to him. To his disappointment the woman he had given a glass to hadn’t joined him. He immediately assumed that she was shy rather than thinking the worst. The worst being she wasn’t interested in speaking to him.

Being the gentleman that he was, he simply sat there, waiting but of course turned his attention elsewhere. Anywhere but her. Like his mother had told him when he was growing up; it was rude to stare. But no matter what he found himself looking at, the urge to return those grey orbs to her bright green ones emerged.
[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

She had to admit that the constant distraction of people passing by the cafe was a blessing. It relieved her of feeling nervous and it helped clear her head. Okay well, she was also happy that no one had bothered to crowd around cafe, she wasn't sure if she could handle that. The woman subconsciously shifted her chair away from the crowds a little, the metal legs scraping against the pavement for a moment before she re-situated herself, her hands fixing her wool sweater, then graciously sweeping through her hair. There was a very handsome man that seemed interested in her. Not only that but he had sent her wine, not to mention returned her stares. So, she was fairly sure he had a small interest in her. Her lips touched the rim of the glass once more, taking another sip.

If anything made Sophia want to purr like a kitten, it was wine. Now she wasn't a drunkard, she rarely drank wine, so when the man had sent her glass she couldn't resist. It wasn't like she gulped it down and demanded for more, o no, she knew how to drink wine. Wine was made from grapes, the fruit which had been in high demand in Ancient Greece. Only royalty were allowed to eat grapes and drink its juices. Upon even remembering the stories from when she was little she shivered in delight with a small smile. Greece certainly was a mystical place, too bad she would never go back to it. It wasn't as if Italy wasn't as mystical; every place had it's own web of tales and fables. Sophia had always been enchanted by the supernatural-- myths, legends, fairy tales. Everything.

Perhaps that was why the man had caught her interest. He was certainly handsome, but the way no one seemed to mind him, or even look at him interested Sophie. Her gaze was ensnared as were her thoughts. Normally she didn't react to men like this, but he certainly was an exception; a work of art all on his own. Her eye lids fluttered a bit whilst she glanced down, her teeth clenching her lower lip shyly as she tried to fight back the flush in her cheeks. Sophia wasn't really the type of girl to flirt, much less have anyone flirt with her. Wait was staring and buying someone a drink flirting? O, well, she supposed so then. Ahahahahah. Wait, what? Okay so, then she definitely had to at least say something to him. She was interested, and so was he. There was only one thing to do. Converse with him.

He seemed like a gentleman, anyway. Her teeth finally unclenched her lower lip, her rouge still it's dark red color. She set the glass back down after staring at the wine a bit, and with a clank she realized she was still wearing her bangle-like bracelet. The way it formed shapes inside of it reminded her of a church with stained glass windows. There were lovely churches here in Italy, some of which she planned to visit eventually. But, she figured she could use some company, if wasn't bold of her to ask him so soon. No, she would talk and get to know him more before she planned to ask him anything of the sort. She didn't mind-- she didn't like to rush things. Okay, it was settled then.

The woman donned a smile, left a few Euros on the table for her mocha, and started to walk toward him. What would she say to him? She began to ponder the many things she could say aside from thanking him for the wine. Her thoughts were so focused on the man and speaking to him, that she hadn't noticed the group of drunk people until someone knocked into her. Sophia let out a small gasp and staggered back, her bracelet falling from her wrist and rolling toward the man's table, finally stopping until it hit the toe of his shoe.

((outfit - click))

[/size][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

It was more than obvious that the woman was fighting with herself to either approach the vampire or to just stay where she was. Hiroki was quite amused, watching her from the corner of his eye as his head was turned towards the street to make it seem as if he were far more interested in people watching than rudely staring at her. It had been several years since a woman intrigued him like this. As if she were some new shiny toy that he just had to get his cold hands on. He knew exactly what was tugging at his attention though but the past wasn’t worth thinking about. Not now.

Eyes drifted from her face, to the street before him, then down to the half filled glass seated in front of him. It was only seconds ago that he had poured himself a drink and he had already forgotten all about it. He no longer had the desire to drink the wine anyways. There was something else he wanted to taste. Something else. First you’re thinking like a pervert and now you’re thinking like a starved animal.

It was such a bad habit of his to look upon women as if they were nothing but something to eat. A meal. It couldn’t be helped though. He was a vampire after all.

Suddenly the sound of money clanking against wood pierced through all other sounds, causing him to look up. To his surprise, the woman stood from her seat and headed towards him. Finally, she was doing what he was hoping for her to do in the first place. Not like it mattered. He would have eventually gone up and approached her after finishing this glass of wine. That was his second plan anyways which wasn’t turning out so well seeing that he hadn’t picked up his drink even for a little sip.

Shifting in his seat a bit, he sat up straighter, pulling his hands off of the table top and placing them gently on his lap. His eyes danced over her as she sauntered towards him but it didn’t take much for his attention to be tugged elsewhere. He heard them coming from a mile away; the drunken hooligans that nearly threw the girl off the pathway. With a scoff, he stood swiftly, watching everything as if it were happening in slow motion. At first, he had kept his eyes locked on the young boy that had knocked the girl off her course then watched as the loose bracelet flew off her dainty wrist and onto the floor.

He bent down and quickly swooped the piece of jewelry off of the ground before he moved behind the girl, stepping in between her and the table beside her. He, of course, had moved too fast for any mortal eye to see. It was somewhat out of character for him since he had never done anything to risk being exposed but now, he could careless. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder to stand her upright again before she staggered back while his other hand gripped the bracelet tightly.

“Are you alright?”[/font][/size][/color][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

The waiter came back and saw that she had left money for her mocha, but he stared after her like she was a dead woman walking. Although he didn’t know what the man was, he could tell he was someone dangerous. He scooped up the Euros and put them in the pocket of his apron, set the mocha down, lowered his head and rushed back inside. The group of drunk people began to grab seats at the cafe, some swaggering around others with nearly empty bottles and fags lit. The smell was unpleasant to the woman, but by the time she realized someone had bumped into her, her gasp had left her mouth, and she was trying to regain her footing. It was if time slowed down; her long curly dark brown locks slowly curled from around her shoulder to her face, her facial expression plain while she recovered herself. Within the time it took for her long lashes to cover her vibrant green eyes, the man had moved from his seat.

She felt the cool brush of her bracelet slip over the skin of her wrist, and then her palm, then finally her fingers as it went flying off her hand. It wasn’t a very big shove, but just enough to throw her petite frame off course. Sophia wasn’t just flesh and bones, though. She had toned muscle in her arms and legs, and even her stomach, but it still didn’t very much to move her. She was thankful she hadn’t worn anything with heels, because of her luck they probably would have snapped under her. Her flats shuffled three times before someone finally moved behind her and stabled her, just as she was about to collide with another table. Then as if some great master of time had snapped their fingers, time went back to normal, leaving Sophie’s hair to whip around a bit before it settled on her shoulder, her lashes parted and allowing her to stare blankly at the cement. She felt a cold but gentle hand on her shoulder, so she slowly craned her head back to look at who had caught her.

Had he said something? O, he asked if she was okay. Sophia turned to face him, her eyes ensnared by his own blue ones. She blinked and looked to the table he had been only a moment ago, a puzzled but curious expression taking residence on her face. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she was too overwhelmed by her curiosity that she hadn’t noticed she was touching his arm. “O um, yes. I am, thank you but,” She replied, curiosity obvious in her every word; she studied him with her eyes some more before she finished. “You got to me so quick.” Sophia explained, trying to put the pieces together. Her eyes searched his blue ones, searching for some sort of answer she thought she would find in his eyes but, she looked away and moved away from him. “I meant to thank you for the wine and, introduce myself.” She spat out, her accent lacing every word elegantly, as she tried to shake away certain thoughts.

The Greek woman offered her slender hand for the man to shake, but when she noticed that her bracelet had fallen off, she looked down and began to search for it. O no, where had it gone? It had been a gift from a dear friend back in Greece, it even had her name carved into the inside in Greek. Sophie bit her lip, but when she turned back toward the man she saw that it was in his hand. The flush crept back into her cheeks, as her eyes slowly looked back into his.

[/size][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

For a few moments, his hand remained placed on her shoulder as if she were going to fall back again. It was that and he was getting lost in the warmth that engulfed his frigid hand. Almost so much that he wanted to embrace her; hold her until he felt completely warm again. Until he felt human. But that was impossible. Hiroki knew it. Not only would it not warm him entirely, it would more than likely scare her away ruining his chances of figuring this woman out.

“Uh…” was all he managed to let out as she thanked him then went on about him being so fast. How was he going to explain himself now? He decided he wouldn’t. Not unless she pleaded for him to tell her the truth which was likely. Women weren’t creatures that gave up very easily. Roki learned that eventually but the hard way. “Good thing too.” he started as he reluctantly removed his hand from her, letting it fall to his side. Meanwhile he still held the bracelet absentmindedly in his opposite hand. “If I hadn’t, you would have banged your side pretty hard on this table.” His tone was soft and melodic; inviting. It was one of the many things that came with the ‘vampire package’ though. His voice was supposed to be used to lure prey in but more often than not when he went out to hunt, he remained silent throughout the process.

She explained why she had moved from her seat, reminding Hiroki about the wine he had given her. Pressing his lips together he gave her a nod in agreement, to assure her he was listening while his eyes traveled from her wavy locks, light pink lips, and his favorite; her eyes. They drew him to her and for reasons he was unsure of. Not at the moment, anyways. He was determined to find out why.

“Well, I’m pleased that you enjoyed the wine I offered.” As he spoke, he offered a smile then parted his lips to speak again but was cut short as her eyes darted from his face to the floor. She was looking for something. But what? Ah, the bracelet.

He had forgotten he was even holding it but she quickly took notice to it.

Holding the unique piece of jewelry up, he looked it over, turning it to its side to examine the fine decorations. He recognized the patterns but couldn’t quite put a finger on to what it was or where it could be from. “Ah, I believe this belongs to you.” Without a second thought, he took hold of one of her dainty hands and carefully slipped the bracelet onto her wrist with a grin. Giving the jewelry a light tap with his index finger, he took hold of her hand once more and lifted it up to his cold lips, placing a kiss on the back of it.

Grey orbs moved from her hand up to lock with her eyes. “I’m Hiroki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”[/color][/size][/font][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

Sophia was beginning to give into her wild thoughts of him being some sort of fairy tale, or myth for that matter. No, mythological creature suited him better. He had gotten to her so fast, and instead of providing an excuse or an answer he merely made into a tale of luck. O well, Sophia wouldn’t mind knowing, or not knowing. He was a gentleman, and he seemed sweet and kind to boot. It wouldn’t matter to her if he was some sort of phantom that streaked the moon lit cobblestone paths, or some sort of shifter who lost their form to the full moon. All that mattered to her was that he minded himself, and hadn’t attacked her on sight, nor did he spike the wine (which was a bonus). God damn he was gorgeous. She felt like she paled in comparison to him; it was strange because she had never seen a man with such, ethereal looks. It seemed as if angels would sin by sneaking a mere glance at him. Wait whoa, she was getting ahead of herself.

This man was handsome, but he was no god among mortals. Sophia shook her thoughts away and gathered herself, her mind coming back down to reality. This man had gotten to her within a blink of an eye, and his skin was cold to the touch. Werewolves normally were very warm, or so she assumed, so that meant he was the other sort of phantom creature. No, to call him a creature would be a sin. It didn’t fit him. This man was an immortal then? O and his voice, so melodic and warm, soothing. She felt completely at ease around him, although she was still a bit nervous to speak to him. Shaking those feelings aside she smiled as his hand slid from her shoulder, making her nearly shudder once more. A strange yearning seemed to hover around them, seeming to pull them closer, but she remained where she stood. She couldn’t quite explain the invisible pulling sensation, but it was starting to fade away. The woman was able to get ahold of her wits, and tamed the blush in her cheeks.

She was about to inquire about her bracelet, but the group of hooligans began to howl and chant “kiss her, kiss her” before cackling and going back to their business. Sophia smiled brightly, the blush seeping back into her cheeks ten fold. She murmured something in Greek and covered her smile with a hand. But she couldn’t help but laugh a bit. Drunk people were very amusing, especially when she hadn’t really seen a lot of drunk people in her life. But here in Italy? Really? She thought the people were supposed to be refined and casual, not drunk, loose, and acting like wing men. She pulled at the folded cuffs of her wool sweater, a habit she often did when she was nervous, and returned her gaze back to the man who held her bracelet. “It’s Greek,” the woman explained, noticing he was studying the foreign lettering along the inside of the bracelet. She shifted a bit as a cool wind blew into the cafe, gently pulling at her curled locks.

For some reason she found herself watching the way the wind played with the man’s hair and ruffled his dress shirt slightly. It was calming. Nature always had calmed her, ever since she was little. His voice snapped her out from her reverie. What belonged to her? O her bracelet! The smile only brightened when he took her hand and slid the keepsake back on to her wrist. “Thank you.” Came her soft voice, the bracelet giving a soft gleam as he tapped it. The brunette then felt her heart flutter as he took hold of her hand, and while her eyes traced his movements she felt like they were the only people around for miles. She found his name to be enchanting, just like his entire stature and demeanor had been thus far. She gave a small nod of her head and curtsied a bit. “I’m Sophia.” But sadly, the enchantment was invaded by crude drunk howling, this time in another tongue she was grateful she didn’t understand. It still made her laugh nonetheless.

[/size][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

Greek. He should have known but he couldn’t have known. Greece was one of the few places he had only visited once and for a short period of time. He couldn’t remember the reason behind him not enjoying his stay to such a beautiful country. He’d have to retire to his journal later and attempt to find out why or when it was he last went. Nearly getting lost in his own little world yet again, he shook his head slightly as he gently released his hold on her hand. He hoped that his icy touch hadn’t caused a spark of fear in her. It was something he couldn’t help. Feeling so cold that is.

The drunken chants going on behind him caused a smile to play at ends of his lips. Kiss her? They had just met for God sakes. But the thought of having his lips engulfed with warmth by hers didn’t sound like a bad idea at all. Hiroki was friendly but not that friendly. Also, he was wary about getting that close to another mortal again. The last time he had allowed himself to do so, he ended up heartbroken.

“Sophia” he repeated, testing the name out for himself. “Beautiful name. Suits you.” Again, a smile was offered before he motioned for her to head back to the table where he had left his bottle of wine and untouched glass. He wanted; no, they needed to get away from the small crowd that had gathered a table away from the one she had originally seated herself at. The cheers and chants were beginning to get to Roki, irritating him quite a bit. He was never one to cause a scene but if it was necessary then well, he would do so.

On second thought…

Slipping his arm across her back, placing his hand on her side, he pulled her away from the tables and began walking in the opposite direction of the drunken fools. For one reason or another, he had a bad feeling about staying where they were. “Perhaps it would be best that we go elsewhere.” he attempted to explain as he walked hurriedly, dragging her with him.[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

Greece wasn’t exactly a fond memory she cherished, but more like suppressed or, ignored. True most envied and inquired about why she hadn’t stayed in Greece, the purely beautiful and interesting as well as historical country. Sophia had her reasons which she rarely shared with people these days, so it was left a mystery to those who knew her. They usually only asked why once and stopped when she didn’t supply them with an answer, but a small smile. Although the two didn’t notice, the man who had bumped into Sophie had been staring and watching them, taking the occasional swig from his bottle (the contents most likely some sort of alcoholic beverage). Rather than make himself known he merely ran his tongue along his sheathed canine teeth, a secret desire tucked away inside of his mind. But, Sophia was preoccupied with her interesting and charming company, Hiroki. His touch certainly was cold, but it only added to the excitement that stirred within her.

She wanted to know more about him, where he was born, what he liked and enjoyed, just anything. He had won her full attention, and she was starting to slowly open up to him. Sophia was friendly by nature, but she was also cautious. Who knew what would happen with her new friend, he very may try to rip out her throat when she least expected it, or try to do some unspeakable thing. But, so far she doubted any of the above would happen-- he was cautious too, it wasn’t hard to tell. She found it a positive quality, though. He had only known her for a few minutes now, so he really didn’t know what to expect. She mused at the thoughts of her being some sort of run away convict who escaped the states. It simply wasn’t in her to harm another living person, bugs sure, but they didn’t really count. Speaking of people, the group that loitered around her old table began to grow in number, which unsettled her quite a bit.

Sophia moved closer toward Hiroki subconsciously, biting her lip as her gaze drifted back to the mob of people. She caught one of them staring and instantly broke her gaze away. Okay, that was strange. Upon hearing him utter her name then compliment her, gave her a sense of ease once again. For some reason his voice always, reassured her in some odd way that everything would be alright. That there was nothing to worry about or to be scared about. It felt extremely nice. Sophia slowly began to lower her guard around him, and let her body relax some more. She merely offered a sweet smile instead of words of thanks, feeling she had said that too many times already. She nodded at him as he gestured for her to join him back at his table, but then the cheers and howls returned, making her feel uneasy this time. She dared another shy look from over her shoulder at the group, finding that the same man had been staring at her.

Jeez, she didn’t think she was stare worthy, but apparently she was in Italy. But perhaps he was staring for a different reason. Okay, that thought created a shudder from her body and she quickly looked away again. She honestly did not want to think about being someone’s meal. But when an arm slid about her back, she felt a rush of security but also excitement, recreating the soft rose red hue in her cheeks. O crap, she kept blushing around him but smiled shyly, but she couldn’t agree more with him. Big crowds often did Sophia wrong, and she usually ended up a sobbing mess. Her thoughts brightened when she remembered the field she had been in earlier, that lead to the Villa Borghese; a very beautiful and serene garden. “Come, I know a place.” She said happily, moving in front of him playfully before she took hold of his cold hand within her own, now pulling him across the street. However they didn’t notice that the man had broken away from his group long ago, now stalking in the shadows, planning to shadow their every move.

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[HIROKI katashi]

This uneasy feeling come not from the entire group but from one particular individual. He had been sitting silently, babying his bottle of Brandy as if it were a bottle of water. Disinterested in the group of belligerent group around him, he stared. His dark eyes were locked not on Hiroki but on the petite woman who stood beside him; looking at her like she was something to eat. He then realized that the gawking man was not one to be underestimated. Just like himself, the stranger was a vampire.

The thought of scooping her up into his arms and bolting from the area to get as far as his legs could take them crossed his mind but just like before, he feared scaring her off by his actions. To his surprise her pace quickened and now she was walking in front of him rather than beside him. He allowed her to take his hand into hers and willingly followed as she led him across the narrow street and through the crowd of people. Something in the back of his mind had told him to keep his eyes set in front of him; Don’t look back

, but he couldn’t help but do just that. Immediately he noticed that the eerie man had vanished.

A scoff escaped his lips, under his breath as he turned to glance at the girl leading the way. The warmth her hand gave his was comforting, but not enough to take his mind off of the other vampire. Now he was beginning to kick himself for associating with a mortal. More often than not they were much more of a hassle than they appeared to be. This was how he felt when he was with his wife, Naomi. He had fought against countless immortals to keep his beloved safe. Most of the time he didn’t mind at all because it was a thrill but his wife on the other hand soon grew tired of having to constantly look over her shoulder. It amazed him how others couldn’t simply leave him be. It was as if he were a magnet, attracting all of the undead to the mortal he affiliated with.

Not wanting to ask questions, or speak for that matter, he continued to follow Sophia quietly. He of course, remained alert at all times, listening to the sounds around them. All that could be heard were various footfalls from the mortals that surrounded them and the occasional whispers about him. He had to admit, he stuck out like a sore thumb and he absolutely hated that.

“S-so where are we going?” Great, he stumbled over his first words since he was a tad bit nervous. It had been a while since he last fought another bloodsucker. Quickening his own pace, he moved to walk right beside her rather than behind her. “Sorry for my stammering. The group back there made me quite uneasy.” With a frown, his dropped his gaze to the ground in disappointment.[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[Sophia Marie Eden]

The stray immortal had made it a habit of his to stalk the foreigners. It was always so much fun when they tried to hide, but didn’t know Rome well enough to escape him. And this woman wouldn’t be any different, well he supposed the other vampire that joined her company would be a small set back, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Perhaps he was being foolish and uncredited the man, he, after all, had successfully made a mortal woman lower her guard. Then again, come to think of it, he hadn’t seen the other immortal around Rome before, much less Italy. O well, this would prove to be even more fun than he expected; it thrilled him.The group behind them was still merry, even in their drunken stupor, the occasional howls of god knows what echoing into the midnight skies. Soon after they began to sing some sort of foriegn song that seemed to match the tune of a Britney Spears song. They were horribly off key, and some emptied their stomachs before singing again.

Sophie only hoped that the stranger adored nature just as much as she did, but she had a good feeling that he would enjoy the garden. It was peaceful, quiet, and there were normally no crowds during the night. Not to mention there was a full moon tonight, and a clear star dappled sky above them. It almost seemed like a corny romance novel, but luckily she didn’t think like that. Sophia was a simple mind who enjoyed simple things. She noticed that he seemed nervous, but she merely smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze. Sure she was nervous too, and she was certain that he knew that, but the garden would help that. Granted it was breathtaking in the day, but it kept to it’s standard of beauty even when the moon shined. She enjoyed the carp that swam about the waters, making ripples sparkle from the beams of light the moon provided. She was starting to grow calmer as they passed through the field, her feet graceful.

Upon hearing him stutter she slowed her pace until he was beside her. “Do not worry, I feel the same way,” she answered softly, a small hint of a laugh in her tone, aside from her accent. She glanced down at their hands entwined together, and couldn’t help but flush once more. She then slowly let go, and skipped on ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, seeming like a happy child. “Welcome to the Villa Borghese!” She called back to him, pronouncing the title of the place almost flawlessly. Well, Italian was close to Spanish and so was Greek, so it wasn’t very hard for her to pronounce things. As she reached half way through the field she turned to look back at the cafe, noticing that someone was missing, but she couldn’t put her finger on just who, so she shook it off and continued down until she reached the “Temple of Aesculapius” structure that looked over the small lake. Ah, this was much better, but it was slightly more chilly down here.

Sophie suppressed a shudder and rubbed at her arms, only to turn around with a smile before she turned back and leaned against the railing, looking over the lake. So far this had been her favorite place; she had been here earlier before she went to the cafe. Her vibrant green eyes stared down at the water, watching the fish swim quietly and serenely in the cool water below her. And just like earlier, she felt completely relaxed.

However the man shadowed them, using the dark cover from the willow trees to make his spot. He sat perched across from the temple, his eyes glowing a soft sadistic red. He made sure he was out of sight, but he felt his mouth fill with saliva as he stared at the woman, but his eyes went to the other vampire after a moment. It was clear he had his guard up. So he didn’t want to share his meal then? Fine. He would be more than obliged to take it from him.

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[HIROKI katashi]

Feeling the calming warmth that radiated from her hand slowly leave, he looked back up from the ground and watched curiously as she slipped away from him with her hands now locked with one another behind her back. It wasn’t until then that he took a moment to survey their new surroundings. He had been so caught up in his worries to notice where it was she had taken him. Despite the fact that Roki had traveled to Rome a few times before, he hadn’t been to such a beautiful place such as Villa Borghese. The small garden was breathtaking. It shocked him he hadn’t noticed it before.

He inhaled softly, taking in the sweet scent of grass as well as moss within the murky waters. Laced in the breeze that passed through was of course, Sophia’s sweet aroma which he loved, immediately. He was almost tempted to move back to her and hold her close just so he could bask in her sweet aura but that would be just plain awkward; not for him but for her. Snapping himself out of his little daze, he followed the invisible path she had made, his pace slow as he walked. He was being cautious. Perhaps a little too much.

Grey orbs watched as a carp scurried close to the water bank only to turn right back around to join the others. Fish were one of the many weird things that intrigued Hiroki. He often wondered what it was like being able to move through the ocean however and whenever you wanted and in fact, go anywhere you desired without having to take a plane or car or a boat. Thinking too much and analyzing things were one of his quirks but it never bothered anyone really. Not that he could remember, anyways.

“Cold?” he stepped behind her just in time to notice her rub her arms as if she were. Absentmindedly, he slipped off his coat, rolling his shoulders to help his come off easily. With a smile, he stepped forward and draped the jacket onto her tiny shoulders before pulling the front of the jacket together to conceal her arms. “There you are M’lady.” pausing for a moment, he looked out of the temple like canopy they stood under, his eyes drifting over the water. “This place is beautiful. Much more calming than where we were prior to this.” he was completely unaware of the danger that hid only a few yards away from them, watching.

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