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Dissonant Hearts (Degusaurusrex x AndrewS)

The shift of his weight caused the mattress to dip again, alternating between putting pressure on it, and on her, as he moved enough for drunk and clumsy hands to find a means of steadying himself. Her fingers and her legs winding around his waist, made him all the more willing to fulfill her request, but he was dutiful in living up to the moniquer she had given to him. Tease. He quite liked the way she spoke that.

His lips roamed her chest without restraint, exploring it's addictive curve, and the expanse of her neck in turn, kissing and biting, nipping and marking wherever he saw fit until his inability to multitask effectively crossed directly with his impatience to give them both what they truly wanted. Isen was unashamed of the way his arousal pressed against her thighs as he moved above her, and even less so of the groan it forced his lips to release from the sudden contact. Though this was now familiar to him from their previous encounter, it wasn't so much so that he had no doubts, or had no concerns. He took his time to taunt and tempt her before giving in to his own, carnal desire, completely connecting himself to her in a way so intimate that it drew a moan from his lips and completely distracted him from his original mission to be the tease she had claimed he was.

"Fuck...you feel...." He trailed off, unable to form the completion of that thought right now.

With a push of his hips, the connection was created and sealed as he pushed himself, inch by inch, until he was completely inside her. The sensation spread like flame through a forest, scorching every inch of his body, somehow unaffected by the alcohol as instinct and desire took over. He waited a moment, allowing her to stretch to accommodate his size, before repeating what he had done before, withdrawing halfway before sliding back inwards with more force than before. This repetition formed a pattern, and soon, the entire bed was shaking beneath them as he did what he could to maintain the rhythm in between heaving breathing and the noises he was making directly against her mouth. He was no longer focused on kissing her, however. Instead, he was staring down at her, locked in intense eye contact, allowing them both to see each and every ripple of pleasure that they caused one another.

"More..." He breathed out as he began to roll over, doing so while still holding her hips. Though far from graceful, he laughed a little as he found himself beneath her now, never having removed himself from between her legs. With her above him, his hands traced her skin, outlined the form of her body as he watched her intently, waiting for her to move whenever she was ready, his hands settling in on her breast and cradling them in between his larger, rough hands.
 
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She was going to wake up with marks from his mouth on her, wasn't she? Hell, did she even care? They were about to go into a full-on war, what was a hickey or two for the demons to taunt them about? He could leave as many marks as he wanted as long as he got over there and got inside of her. Ankles dug into his back when he pressed between her legs and against her core, urging him on as he slid inch by delicious inch as her body stretched to accommodate him. It was such a delightful feeling of being full, her hands grasping blindly at his shoulders as she adjusted to the intrusion, welcoming him even as her hips lifted slightly and she found herself desperate to create that friction between them again.

"Amazing." She finished his sentence for him with another soft gasp that was shortly muffled, hungry lips on hers as they found a suitable rhythm that had her locking around his waist and grabbing at any part of him that she could reach with a series of muffled moans. Whatever sounds weren't being hushed by her lover were being covered by the noisy shaking of the bed under the force of his furious thrusting, but the little part of her that once would have cared about the noise found that she didn't care in the slightest. Hell, the noises she was hearing coming from him only turned her on more, nails raking lines down his back as she caught the way his eyes were locked onto hers. It was such a simple gesture that held such intimate power, forcing her to keep her eyes open even as she shuddered and writhed beneath the onslaught of pleasure washing over her.

"More," She readily agreed as his hands dug into her hips, laughter bubbling forth to echo his as they rolled and she settled herself awkwardly on top of him. Hands planted themselves on his chest as she shook back her messy hair, anchoring herself and beginning a slow rhythm as she sought the perfect angle. It was so different being joined with him this way, her back arching to press her chest further into his hands as she shuddered and sank down on him again. While her movements weren't nearly as ferocious as his had been moments before, there was a growing urgency as she lifted her hips and rode him faster, one of her hands raising to cover his as her other dug crescents into the hard muscle of his chest.

"Fuck, Isen." She leaned forward before a strangled sort of moan caught in her throat, her hips bucking as she ground faster against the friction between their bodies, in search of that ever-closer high. "Don't stop." It didn't matter that her legs were burning with the quick movements or that it felt like she could never get a full breath between the moans and gasps he was drawing from her, all that mattered was chasing that high together and bringing them both to the very peak of pleasure. "Fuck, I love you."
 
From his position, he felt very vulnerable, but not in a way he was used to. He had been in similar situations before in fights and in battles, but never in a way that yearned him to stay that way. From his view point, he saw everything he could have ever dreamt of seeing. The way her body arched and moved with every movement, the motion and the sounds she was making colliding together in an overwhelming assault on all of his senses...it was intoxication at it's purest.

Isen's hands pulled out of hers, urgently, gliding their way over Adelaide's hips. They gripped at her thighs, trailing over ever inch of warm skin that he could find. He tugged, his own hips bucking and lifting upwards as she moved, letting her ride him but not without completely submitting to her will. Each time she dug her nails into his chest, he gasped, and when her hips moved into just the right spot, he moaned for her. The shift in the power dynamic was so dramatic that it was only serving to excite him more, the alcohol in his body numbing out everything from the outside that was unrelated to what they were doing.

And fuck, that felt good.

She was making his entire body burn and sing in delight, in a pleasure he couldn't describe. He held onto her tighter, as if he couldn't get enough of her, like his hands didn't know where they wanted to stay. Eventually, they settled in on her rear, finger tips pressing roughly enough against her ass that it would be sure to bruise in the morning. With every bit of mortal strength he could muster, he willed her to somehow go faster, harder, to spend every ounce of energy they both had in chase of a delirious high that only they could bring one another.

"I love you more..." He whispered, breathlessly, as he felt that pleasure spiking and peaking between his thighs.

He knew he wasn't going to last much longer, especially at the pace she was moving, but he was trying to hold on desperately to extend their session as long as he possibly could. Grunting and groaning, he tried to distract himself with the way he was holding her, but the frustration of being unable to do so manifested in something he had done completely on instinct; his palms collided with the plump flesh of her bottom, spanking her just once. His hands came to a rest there and he looked up at her, curiously, prepared to apologize in case he had harmed her in any way, though the act of doing so had caused his erection to pulsate inside of her with excitement from the sudden forcefulness.
 
There was something so thrilling about hearing him say it back in the heat of the moment, the way he almost gasped the words out as his nails bit into her skin. She had a feeling that come morning there were going to either be crescents indented into her flesh or fingertip shaped bruises, the latter of which sent a shiver of desire rippling through her. The thought of having a mark that would last for more than just the night was more exciting than she would have thought, something to tide her by as they went into the oncoming war knowing this may very well be their last night together like this.

Adelaide found herself torn away from that train of thought when she heard the dual smacks before she felt them, her gaze snapping back to his just as the stinging sensation began to set into her backside and she realized just what had transpired. It was the absolute last thing she would have expected from Isen, her lips spreading into a brilliant smile as she rocked against the mixture of her ass stinging and the way he was pulsing inside of her, eager to continue the feeling as long as she could.

"You're so hot." It made her feel a bit like a lovestruck teenager to be gasping out those words in between breathy moans, but her head was spinning with pleasure from the feeling of absolute fullness and its accompanying friction. Her hands found purchase near his shoulders as her nails scraped flesh and latched on, anchoring her as her legs shook with every quickening roll and grind of her hips that pushed her towards ecstasy.

"Fuckkkkk," Her teeth clamped onto her lower lip as she shuddered on top of him with a barely contained whimper, her hips bucking before she sank her nails deep into his shoulders and held on for dear life. Spasm after spasm wracked her body as she tried to muffle the moans of her orgasm, working their way through lips with a shaky gasp as her movements became more erratic from the intensity of it all.
 
With the realization that what he had done hadn't actually hurt her and that, instead, it appeared to be something she liked very much, Isen's hands came back down against plump skin with force and punctuated with a squeeze and pull that only served to hasten their rhythm. Had he still been with Ignas, it's possible he might have done more damage, and he was thankful he hadn't given into that desire last time, but was more than willing to indulged in it now. It was an action that was repeated in turn, hoping to spur more of those delicious noises past her lips while he, himself, used it as a distraction to try and quell the ever burning, and ever building, fire in his loins that threatened to end their tryst at any moment.

The limits of his endurance had been tested and while he had had held up thus far, the moment her body began to spasm in response, his defenses crumbled instantaneously as though it were an invitation for him to succumb as well. Each contraction, and every shiver of her body, created more friction, and with him buried so deeply inside of her, he felt it all. Finger tips pressed in with pressure and force, destined to bruise her skin if not having done so already, as he let go and joined her in the throws of a blissful orgasm. His own body grew rigid and tightened beneath her, leaving her as the only one moving as the intensity mounted, though it was no less enjoyable for him. Instead, the perfect storm of sensations and feelings had every inch of his body burning, and thus just like before, even though now he should have known better, he hadn't taken any initiative to relief himself from between her thighs before his orgasm gripped him.

His shaft pulsated within her, and filled her with his warmth. She tried to muffle her noises, and he wished she hadn't. He let them go, freely, unable to hold them back, hoping doing so would entice her to do the same. Isen held on to her tightly as she milked every last drop, leaving him spent and breathless, their sticky, warm skin pressing together as they both tried to find composure in the after glow of what they had caused each other. His arm wrapped around her back, fingers moving through her hair. They shook, slightly, from the after shocks and from the alcohol, but the gesture was gentle and kind regardless. He pushed blonde strands away from her eyes so that he could meet them when they opened, ignoring the mess they had made to share this moment for a short while before they inevitably needed to separate and attempt to clean what they had left behind on the bed sheets.

"I love you."

He whispered, sincerely, letting the gentle stroke of his fingers curl back around her jaw and over her shoulders once more until his hands found their way back to her waist. Playfully, they stole a tired squeeze at her back side with a small laugh following afterwards. "Promise me this won't be our last night together like this." His next sentence, still as whispered as before, seemed a little more serious. He knew what they were up against, and he knew it wasn't a matter of the strength of their connection but rather, the outcome of their war against a powerful foe, but what he held within his arms was far more than just the key to a victory against a demon; she was his home, and it pained him to know she would be fighting this battle without him.
 
If she hadn't been certain about being bruised before this moment, she was certain now. The intensity of his fingers pressing into her skin matched the apparent intensity of his orgasm, the room filled with shuddering moans and breathy gasps as they rode it out together and finished a quivering, sticky pile of limbs tangled together. It took all of her remaining strength not to simply sag against his chest and lay there like a madwoman having finished a race, her hands still planted against his skin in a shaky set of anchors to keep herself partially upright.

Then his arm was around her urging her to be closer to him, his fingers working through her tangled locks in a soothing motion that tempted her to simply lay against him and enjoy the embrace of both arms and sleep. It wasn't until she felt him brushing hair gently from her face and she opened her eyes that she saw how far forward she'd drifted, subconsciously pressing herself further into the intimate touch as a lazy smile took over her face.

"I love you too." The adoration on her face was clear as she nearly purred under the roaming touches, savoring the feel of his fingertips coasting along her skin before she laughed at his halfhearted squeeze of her ass. It was his next words that made her smile falter some, her lips still curved upward in the motion even as it no longer reached her eyes. It was a promise she didn't feel right to make with the uncertainty of the future, but a part of her wanted so desperately for everyone to survive this, for them to have many, many more nights of lying together in bed like this.

"Yeah," She finally broke the silence, leaning down and pressing a brief kiss to his lips, "You're stuck with me no matter the lifetime. I'm not that easy to get rid of." She wiggled against him with a quiet chuckle, then planted her hands firmly on his lips and extricated herself with an unhappy groan. "Maybe we just wait until the morning to shower." Despite the fact that they were both covered in sweat, smelled like fire, and she now had a mess dripping from between her thighs, she was in no hurry to vacate in the bed and it showed in the way she repositioned herself up against his side and threw a leg over his.

"Right now, I just want to be here with you."
 
Isen's palm came to rest a top her thigh, letting her leg lay over him like a blanket that kept him firmly in place against the bed. He made no effort to get up or leave, playing along with her request as he looked up at her. His features softened, and a sigh parted his lips in a gentle fashion. He couldn't help but feel some discomfort, however, with the answer she had provided. He wished for a promise, and she was very particular to avoid using that word in return. Still, he played it off as his drunken mind playing tricks on him. Was he really in any state to dive deeper, anyways? Basking in the high, and still feeling the inebriation, he knew it wouldn't be long before he drifted off to sleep, and her, likely, with him in the process.

Rather than fight it, or argue with her, he nodded his head graciously and found a comfortable position for it to rest against a pillow while keeping her close. "In the morning, then."

Tomorrow, it was very possible that everything he knew would change once again. He had already experienced one radical deviation, namely the lack of demon-sourced noise within his head, but there would be more to come. He would steel himself for when the time came, but for now, he was happy to extend every second with her as long as he possibly could.

And so, he did, with his fingers stroking across her back, and through her hair, until his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.


Despite the exhaustion, and his loving company, Isen's sleep was anything but peaceful.

His mind was restless. Adjusting to his regained humanity, while nice in many ways, had been taxing in others. Memories strung him along throughout the night like a slideshow, recollections of what he had lost, and what he still had left to lose.

Through his own eyes, he saw his hands stained with the blood of Samara. With his human senses, he felt the grief he shared with Ignas as he said goodbye to his beloved Clara for the final time. He felt the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach when he realized Takami had gone, and imagined the pain it must have caused Isabella. He remembered Meribell, too, a ghost he could never escape the haunt of. Oh, his darling sister...

Voices echoed and whispered, threatening to drive him insane. It was worse than Ignas, or any demon could be; it was painful.

"Now, make the ending count, alright?"
"Goodbye, my star..."
"Death is not the end..."
"You're stuck with me no matter the lifetime."

A feather of a deceased familiar. A fluttering ribbon of gold that no longer had a place to rest. A stuffed animal of a lost loved one....a key to a home that may never find proper use. Spread before him, across a blood-soaked city street, Isen peered up at the sky. The sun was hollow, as it was the day of the Calling, and an overwhelming dread of failure washed over him once more.

Was this what awaited them?


Isen slipped away from Adelaide as soon as the morning came.

Though his head ached with reminders of how much he had drank, he sobered himself up with a shower and found himself outside. Most of the demons were asleep still, resting up after their night spent partying. He had seen no signs of Tyrath, or Danica, or Ignas for that matter, but he was fine with that.

He had found a long branch from the trees damaged during Ignas' forest massacre, and brandished it like it were Onigoshi. He swung. He trained. He failed.

Every thing he had learned about fighting, every thing he had been given, was gone. Without Ignas, he could barely find a form that worked. He swung with frustration, cracking the branch over the bow of a much larger tree and fell against it in frustration. Was there really nothing left he could do?
 
"Good night, Isen." As the afterglow of sex sapped the last of her strength and lulled her towards sleep, Adelaide turned her head enough to press a soft kiss to Isen's shoulder before nestling herself back into a comfortable spot. It didn't take much longer to slip into sleep now that she was sated and warm, pressed up against the most important person in her life.

Adelaide didn't sleep nearly as poorly as her partner did, although there were some odd tidbits of dreams that floated around her brain in an alcohol induced haze throughout the night. Anytime she roused slightly from her slumber there was that comforting presence beside her, the body she lay partially draped over even as they both shifted periodically throughout the night. None of it was enough to make her pull away from Isen, so it was miraculous that he managed to extricate himself from her grip without waking her come morning.

She found herself swiping at the empty mattress and groaning unhappily upon realizing she was now alone. There were several muttered complaints about the sheets as her groggy brain tried to figure out if she simply hadn't felt around enough, or if Isen was entirely out of the room. It took lifting her tired head and blinking herself into a semblance of coherency to see that not only was she alone in the room, but she didn't hear anyone down the hall in the bathroom. Had she slept in that late, or had he gotten up that early and gone to talk to one of the demons while she slept?

"Oh well." It was probably a good thing they weren't taking a shower together. The chances of the hot water running out coupled with the risk of someone hearing them if things got heated... Well, it was enough to make her grumble her way to the bathroom wrapped in a sheet. Knowing she had to put the same clothes back on wasn't exactly thrilling, but that was a matter she could deal with later once she was at least clean. At the very least, Samara and Isen's gift to her of fixing the house had probably left some old toothpaste and deodorant around with the soaps, so all wasn't lost yet.

No one had barged in on her while she was dragging herself down the hall in the sex scented sheet, so that was a good start to the morning. The towel was still slightly damp from what she assumed was Isen managing to steal the shower before her, a thought that had her cheeks heating before she shook it off and forced herself into the shower finally.

All was going well until she heard the loud thud coming from downstairs and paused, standing there with soap still running out of her hair and listening intently. It wasn't one of the doors but rather a thud like someone or something landing on the floor, followed by almost hysterical words that had her straining to hear over the water. Who was inside her house muttering like a crazy person?

"Adelaide?! Isen?! What the--Fucking demons?" Adelaide gave a quick scrub of her head to make sure the rest of the soap was off before scrambling to turn off the shower and get out. The hysterical person downstairs was clearly Isabella, and after shouting a jumbled sort of 'hold on I'm up here' through the closed door, she stumbled back to the bedroom in a towel and into her clothes.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

"Ada, I lost him!"

She was still struggling into her pants while simultaneously trying to dry her hair with a spell when she heard just how poorly the vampire sounded, then staggering down the stairs and screeching to a halt as she nearly tripped over a still sleeping demon. Okay, only some of them had slept outside, apparently, and she cursed before ushering the vampire toward the back door to go outside. She wasn't nearly awake enough for this, and she had a feeling whatever was going on, Isen needed to be present as well.

"Calm down, Isabella, let's go find Isen and you can tell us what's going on. Don't mind the demons, they're on our side. God, where have you been? When we couldn't find you after the attack at Tyrath's..." She trailed off while opening the back door and led the hyperventilating vampire outside. "Isen? Isabella's back!" There were a handful of quiet groans from some of the demons when she shouted across the yard but she paid them no heed, gently pulling along the anxious vampire who was still babbling quietly.

"I lost him. I can't believe I lost him."

"Is, are you talking about Takami? I know we lost him, it's okay to be upset but you gotta breathe, okay?"

"No, Adelaide, you don't get it! One second he was there and then the next he was gone."

"Yeah, babe, I know. It sucks that he died." Great, now they seemingly had a vampire having a mental breakdown, especially when Isabella's head jerked up and she gave the mage a strange look.

"No, Ada, I mean I literally lost him. He was with me, and now he's gone and I have no idea where he ran off to."

Wait, what?
 
"Isen? Isabella's back!"

Isen had lost track of how long he had spent outside, lost in thought and fighting against the feeling of failure he was experiencing. Adelaide's voice calling out to him was the only thing that pulled him out of that nonsense, especially with what that voice had told him. Isabella was here?

Isen walked towards them as the pair stepped outside, arriving just as Isabella mentioned something about Takami having been with her. None of that actually made any sense., but without his enhanced hearing, he hadn't been able to eavesdrop on the conversation that had happened inside, not that any context would have made Isabella's blabbering any less crazy. The noise traveled faster outside, causing some of the passed out demons to stir from the commotion.

Takami was dead..., wasn't he?

"Wait, what do you mean he was with you?" Isen asked, standing in the door frame. His clothes were covered in dirt, his arms coated in sweat from his training, having clearly ruined the idea of cleaning up with what he had been doing on his own outside. He didn't draw any attention to it, instead letting his gaze rest upon Isabella and Adelaide, expectantly, wanting an answer for what the hell was going on. "Isabella..." Was she in denial? Experiencing some sort of delusion out of grief? It had taken him quite a while to come to terms with the passing of his sister, even outside of his involvement in that. He could sympathize with her in that regard, maybe he could help?

"Takami got injured...really badly, and he was already sick. I don't..."

"No. He's alive. Well, kinda. And he was with me, but now he's not, and I need help figuring out where he went!"

"Okay..." He trailed off, looking towards Adelaide to see if she was believing what they were hearing. There was a slight hesitation as he looked in her direction, a remnant of the heated feelings from the night before. She looked like she had just gotten out of a shower and...focus! He needed to focus! "Tell us what happened. Maybe we should go get Ignas too?"

Did Isabella even know they had separated? She had missed a lot.
 
"Isabella, what did you do?" Adelaide had gone from staring at the vampire like she was a madwoman to looking at her in alarm. If the vampire had done what she was thinking she might have done, then things were about to get a lot more complicated and fast.

"Oh, your cute little vampire friend is back." Danica popped up out of nowhere and caused Adelaide to jolt and then curse at the demoness, scowling as the pink-skinned creature all but wrapped herself around Isabella's shoulders and nuzzled the vampire's cheek before slinking away. "Finally, a cute face to look at around here, I thought I was going to die of boredom staring at all of these idiots."

"Shut up, I see the way you look at Tyrath."

Danica rolled her eyes at Adelaide's comment, but the mage could see the already pink skin turning a hint darker in the cheeks, something she made a mental note of before turning her attention back to the now very flustered and already frantic Isabella. The vampire was looking between Adelaide and Isen and then to Danica, screening the area and soaking in just how many demons there were strewn about both the backyard and still inside the house.

"Wait, what do you mean, should you get Ignas?" Apparently it had taken Isabella until now to realize what Isen had said, her eyes narrowing as she examined the now human Isen and then let out a loud gasp. "You two aren't like--You're not together now? I mean--Not in the same body. Right. Danica isn't in Ada's ring and Ignas isn't in your..." She looked around and then waved her hands vaguely in the direction of where Isen had normally kept Onigoshi. "Okay, no demon inside the sword. Right, this isn't weird or anything."

"Isabella, you need to calm down and tell me what exactly happened when you mean that you lost Takami but he's not dead."

"Well... Dead isn't quite the right word..."

"Isabella, you didn't."

She could see Danica's attention drawn back to the conversation as some of the other demons waking glanced their way, and Tyrath was trudging their way with a weary expression and what looked suspiciously like claw marks peeking out from his shirt. Between Isabella's frantic tirade and the fact that she still hadn't answered the question properly, and the insinuation that Tyrath had gotten into some sort of scuffle with who she could only assume was Danica.. It was too much. Too many demons and creature overrunning her house now that she finally had it back, and the last thing she needed was the thought of Danica and Tyrath doing.. God only knew what in her backyard!

"Takami's mad I bit him and made him a vampire and now he's run off and I have no idea where." The fact that Isabella had mashed all of her words together trying to rush through a sentence was bad enough, but the reality of what she was saying was even worse when it finally hit.

"Oh... For fuck's sake."
 
"You...bit him..?" Isen asked, raising a brow. His tone was drenched with surprise, eyes darting between Adelaide and Isabella rather quickly. At least now, they understood how Takami was still alive, but...now, they had a whole different suite of problems ahead. Isen was far from an expert on vampires, especially without Ignas to guide him, but he had a pretty good idea how this would go. A human becomes a vampire, experiences a bloodlust and then...death truly wasn't the end, he supposed, though how ironic now that seemed to be.

"He's hunting."

Isen was about to speak it himself, but he was beaten to the chase by Ignas, who had appeared as if from nowhere. He stood at the edge of the trees, stoically, assessing the situation he had walked in on. "It's likely that he isn't mad, specifically, but rather confused. New born vampires take a while to come to their senses, but the first to truly come into focus..."

"...hunger?"

"Hunger."

This was the last thing they needed right now, but it was also something they couldn't just ignore and put off for later.

"I suggest we act quickly if we are to find and stop him before he gets himself into any trouble. An errant vampire with no care for subtlety won't last long before he tries to sink his fangs into the wrong Dissonant, or worse, the wrong DSTF soldier. Isen, Adelaide and I will accompany Isabella. We must return to the last place you remember seeing him, perhaps we can track him somehow." Ignas looked towards Adelaide, expecting her to be able to do some sort of magic here to help them if he couldn't himself. "Keep an eye on him. And keep your hands off." Ignas warned Danica, looking towards her next. "You've already placed your...mark on Tyrath, I trust you are smart enough not to repeat that."

Isen, on the other hand, didn't seem happy to be sidelined so soon, especially after the near-breakdown he had already gone through just moments before.

"I'm going too."

"No, you are not. Need I remind you what is at risk here, Isen? You are human, you're practically gourmet for a newborn vampire."

"I'm going." He repeated, stubbornly. "I'm part of the reason why he's in this situation to begin with. He's our friend, I'm not going to just wait around for you to do all the work on this. I agreed to stand down with Malakai, but this is Takami...it's different..."
 
"Right, like in the old cheesy movies and books." That made sense, being changed into an entirely new species would be overwhelming for anyone. Not having the proper nutrition right away had probably sent Takami into some blood fueled overdrive on top of the anger he probably did feel for being turned in the first place. He was a prideful man, that much was evident, and Adelaide wondered if he was more furious or hurt by Isabella choosing to turn him rather than let him die.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the one that turned a swordsman into a feral animal looking for blood." Adelaide held her hands up and winced as she saw Isabella's expression, the vampire looking rather downtrodden as she shifted between feet and mumbled something to herself. While Adelaide did feel pity for her being in the current situation, the vampire had gotten herself into it and now they were having to help pick up the pieces. The timing of it all didn't help the matter, but she had to admit that knowing their friend was still alive, in a sense, was somewhat relieving after everything else they'd lost.

"What mark?" Tyrath looked confused as he caught up to the group and the speed of the conversation. Danica slunk her way over to him, dragging her fingertips over the marks peeking out from his clothing and then wrinkled her nose in Ignas' direction.

"I'll mark whom I want, Ignas. Have to keep my subordinates in their place, after all, and I don't want him distracted with someone else when we've so much to do." Tyrath snorted outright at her declaration but made no effort to move her away from him, instead craning his head to try and get a better look at the marks she'd left on him. "What are you snorting at?"

"You've got one too, Danica." He reached out and poked a finger at the side of her neck where there was a mark nearly blended into her skin, and for a moment Adelaide thought the demoness was going to explode on the spot as she started to sputter and smack at his hands furiously. It was only the sound of Isen's voice joining the conversation that drew Adelaide away from the demoness bickering with Tyrath, who had a lazy grin on his face and looked rather smug with himself.

"What?" Had Isen just said he was going with them? Ignas was already clashing with his former host and attempting to order him around, something that had the mage stepping forward and shaking her head at the demon.

"Oh, shut up, he's coming with us. I'd rather risk him being gone after by Takami than by Max or Malakai. I think between you, Isabella and I, we can stop Takami from treating him like a juice box. I'd much rather deal with that possibility than leave him here and risk someone getting him while we're gone. I didn't spend all that energy separating the two of you just for him to get kidnapped or killed because you tell him to stay home again." It was too early for this much drama, she hadn't even had breakfast yet.

"He's coming with us," She reached over and grabbed Isen's hand, "We're going to get food because us humans need to eat, and then we're going to find Takami and make sure he's not turning some poor human into a breakfast buffet."
 
The bickering between the two demons was mostly lost on the frustrated Isen, who was more focused on the fact that he was already being sidelined by Ignas. Thankfully, Adelaide had seen fit to include him, and her reasoning appeared to be enough to sway the conversation, at least for now.

"Very well. But this is a one time exception." Ignas added, making certain that both Isen and Adelaide knew he would not make an exception when the time came to go after Malakai. "Vampire, come with me. Adelaide...get him cleaned up and come find us when you're ready."

Ignas dragged Isabella further inside, likely to try and get as much information out of her as he could regarding where Takami may have gone. Isen felt a little bad for her, knowing just how direct and harsh Ignas could be sometimes, but the demon's point about trying to get him cleaned up was an accurate one. He had already made a mess of himself during his training, and now he'd need to own up to that with her. Furthermore, wearing the same clothes as the night before, especially after the alcohol and their extracurricular activities seemed a little unwise. He was a human now, after all, perhaps he needed to be more mindful of how he was perceived by the public.

"Thank you." He told her, briefly, for interjecting. "I'm not doing so well with this whole staying behind thing..." Isen stated the obvious with a sigh buried beneath his breath. "It seems we weren't the only two who had an interesting night though." He joked, looking back at Tyrath and Danica and assessing their situation in an attempt to lighten the mood and, hopefully, have Adelaide skip over asking why he was such a mess already this morning.
 
"I'm not his mother, don't say it like that." Adelaide rolled her eyes at Ignas, watching as the demon pulled the distraught and somewhat dazed vampire away to converse elsewhere. She wasn't particularly fond of the way Ignas had told her to take care of Isen as if he was an errant child, but who knew what kind of thoughts were going through the demon's head? It was the least of her current concerns even if it did irk her, and she turned her attention to Isen and frowned when she saw just how dirty he actually was. Maybe Ignas had a point, although there was nothing that could be done about the actual clothing.

"We'll have to get some new clothes while we're out, but you can at least shower, there's deodorant under the counter in the bathroom, thank god. That's something you'll have to get used to using, unfortunately. Almost kind of jealous you didn't have to deal with that for awhile." Dealing with the maintenance of hair and body cleaning, not to mention shaving and any other things she wanted to keep up on was often the bane of her existence. Maybe there was a spell somewhere that could serve as a substitute for much of the things she hated spending time doing. A spell for a body wax? Hell, who knew what existed out there, and she could deal with that after Isen had gotten cleaned up and they figured out where to start looking for Takami.

Well, after they'd eaten.

"You're welcome." It took her a second to catch up to the fact that Isen had thanked her after her rambling about showers and deodorant, and when she registered what else he was saying she gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know. Trust me, it feels weird for me, too. Spending all that time talking about separation, but.. Oh, no shit." She caught wind of what he was insinuating about Danica and Tyrath, laughing even as she wrinkled her face in a hint of disgust at the thought. Was everyone suddenly deciding to hook up with one another before they went to war, or was it mere coincidence that Danica had left her mark on Tyrath and gotten one in turn during a night of drinking and letting loose?

"Why don't you go take a shower, then you can tell me what's bothering you when you're done, yeah?"
 
"Nothing is bothering me." He lied to her, shaking his head. "But that sounds like a good idea. I'll be back."

Isen excused himself to get cleaned up, but also to avoid any further suspicion from her. He hadn't intended for her to catch him in such a state, after all, and he hadn't quite reasoned how he would explain his way out of it. He had lied to her, which he wasn't fond of, but until he had a better answer, that was all he could do.

A short while later, he returned back downstairs. He looked a bit better, his hair still wet, but clean. His clothing, however, definitely needed a refresh. At the very least, he smelt nice, and it was something they could work with as soon as they figured out where exactly it was they needed to go. His time to himself had kept him occupied physically, but mentally he was still wrestling with his new role in their ordeal against the DSTF. Although it had been the only thing on his mind, he was still no closer to an excuse for Adelaide as he had been before he went back inside.

"There you are." Ignas spoke, having been waiting for everybody to congregate once more. The downtrodden Isabella was at his side, having been interrogated for all of the information she could possibly share. "Our runaway baby vamp has likely headed towards the nearest city. It's quite a trek south, but with the speed and energy of a new born, I have little doubt he made the trip. I would like to partake in a location spell with Adelaide so that we can be certain, and then, we will follow. We do not have much time to waste, however, there's still a demon to slay, after all." Ignas told them, acting like rescuing Takami was an hinderance.

"Witch." He spoke, once again using the nickname in a way that wasn't meant to be antagonistic. "And the cat, if possible." He added, wishing for Ember to join them. He reached his hand out towards Adelaide. "Imprint the locator spell from me and lets begin."
 
While Adelaide did feel bad about leaving Isabella to be interrogated by Ignas, she needed to figure out the matter of what everyone else was going to do that day, and if she could get back to Nikolai to get some money for clothes and food. She made her way back to where Tyrath was congregating with some of the other demons, glancing at that faint mark on Danica's neck but saying nothing and instead turning to Tyrath directly.

"Can you keep an eye out for when Isen gets out of the shower? I should go see Nikolai to borrow some money. I don't want to spend the next week in these clothes," She motioned to her dirty clothes in disgust, "That, and I need to get something to eat while we're out looking for Takami. I don't want to use magic to spell people into letting me steal stuff, it seems like too much of a risk." Danica rolled her eyes, but Tyrath nodded and offered her another option instead.

"You should focus on leaving as soon as possible. I have money," He dug around in his pockets until he found a worn wallet, pulling several bills from it and shoving them in her direction. "It's just money, take it. I'm going to see if I can salvage anything from the house later, but for now get yourself breakfast and you and Isen clothes." A part of Adelaide wanted to argue that she couldn't take his money, but he was right. Going to see Nikolai now would just take away from moving quickly once Isen was out of the shower, and time was definitely of the essence now... The least of her concerns was taking money from the helpful demon.

"Alright, thank you." She took the money with a mixture of reluctance and thankfulness, pocketing it before glancing around to see what all else was going on. "Seems like everyone here is at least up and moving around some. I assume a lot of you were up late." Tyrath's lip twitch in amusement as he offered her a shrug in response, and Adelaide took that as his only answer.

It wasn't much longer before Ignas approached with Isabella in tow, Isen having reappeared from his shower and at least looking presentable, if not a bit out of sorts. Considering the state of the demons covered in bits of dirt from sleeping around her backyard, it could have been far worse. Adelaide glanced at Ignas as he addressed her in the fashion he had near the start, raising an eyebrow when he brought up her familiar and looking around for the small creature. She hadn't seen much of Ember with everything going on, and there were times she wondered if the cat was really her familiar, or more of a group pet that bounced around hanging around with whoever she currently was fond of.

"There she is." Adelaide spotted Ember trotting out from the trees and toward then, and as if to prove her point, scaling up Ignas and perching on his shoulder rather than run to her mistress. Adelaide only rolled her eyes at the creature and peered briefly at Isen with worried eyes, then turned her attention back to the task at hand. Imprinting a locator spell? Well, today was going to be very interesting, apparently.

"Alright, let's get this figured out so we can go, but we're grabbing food wherever we end up or there's no way I'm making it through a morning of using magic without falling over." She grimaced at the thought of starving her way through the morning. Despite knowing time was of the essence and they needed to find Takami as soon as possible, she and Isen also needed to eat to keep their strength up, especially if there ended up being any type of physical altercation trying to contain the baby vampire. "This spell could have been nice at other times, I bet." She grasped the demon's hand and held on, feeling for the bits of magic he was pushing forward and sharing with her.

"Isabella, I need something of Takami's. Tell me you have something, since I assume you were trying to sniff him out, or whatever?" She pulled back from Ignas and dropped her hand as she turned to Isabella.

"Not a werewolf, Ada." Isabella flushed and grumbled but dug around in her pocket nonetheless before holding out a scrap of cloth toward Adelaide. "Tore off his shirt when I tried to stop him."

"Hey, if it works, it works." Adelaide could see Tyrath nodding in agreement as she took the tattered piece of cloth and focused on replicating the spell she'd imprinted from Ignas. It was a strange sort of magic, hunting where someone was from just a piece of material, and after an initial failed attempt she managed to fix what she'd done incorrectly with her magic and get a better signal on where Takami's own magic was coming from.

"Wait... I think that's the town we saw Lorelei's seminar in. Oh, god, there's so many people there. I think he's at a fuckin' mall."
 
Isen's second shower was much quicker than his first. He didn't want to keep them waiting, and truthfully, he had already experienced more than his fill of self-loathing and doubt for one day. He needed to prove that he could still be useful as a human, and this was the first real opportunity he had to do it. If he could provide something valuable to their search...if he could help them bring Takami home, maybe Adelaide and Ignas would be less worried about taking him with them on other tasks as well.

As Ember scrambled over Ignas' shoulder, the demon expressed annoyance with a groan, his head turned to address the feline who had turned herself into a backpack. "Would you stop that?" He grumbled, grumpily, though he did nothing at all to force her off, and soon came to find peace with the added weight he was carrying. "Fine, just don't make a mess. Cat hair is impossible to get rid of."

Offering his hand to Adelaide as Isen rejoined the group, he allowed her to siphon the location spell from his body by focusing on casting a basic version of it himself. Ignas was extremely powerful, but he wasn't much for traditional magic. He had his uses, of course, but it was oriented around giving and taking life, not finding runaway vampires and making candles light up.

A look of concern graced Isen's face as Adelaide completed her spell and came with her revelation; if Takami was in a place with that many people, there were a lot of innocents in danger, especially if they were all adolescent students...suddenly, Isen was reminded of the disasters that had befallen Cresthaven in the past, and all of the people who had died at no fault of their own.

Being a human made it so much easier to dwell, and that was saying something for the man who had been unable to forgive himself for ten years.

"That makes sense. A new born vampire would be drawn to a place with many people, think of it like a buffet." Ignas mused. "Very well, we should leave as soon as you're all ready."

As Ignas came closer to Isen during the dispersal of their little gettogether, he leaned in closer, allowing only him, and the cat on his shoulder, to hear his voice speak it's warning. "Stay at our side at all times, understood?"

"Yeah." Isen responded, dryly. "I got it."

"Keep an eye on him." He told Ember, once they were further away. "I'm not convinced he's actually taking any of this seriously."
 
"I'm trying not to think of it as a buffet." Adelaide grimaced at the unnecessary mental image. They'd dealt with enough death and destruction lately; she didn't need to be thinking of their freshly undead friend leaving a trail of it in his wake. The thought of Takami being too far out of control opened up the possibility of needing to kill him for real, and that was enough to make her shudder and look away as Ignas spoke of leaving soon.

"Yeah, should be ready to go anytime. Just need a minute to recover before I go opening portals big enough for all of us." She could see Ignas talking to Isen and Ember, although she couldn't make out what he was saying as she contemplated the best way to go about teleporting them all. Two humans, a cat, and two not human creatures, that shouldn't be too bad as long as she was properly prepared.

"You're not my master, demon." Ember sassed back to Ignas as she climbed down his back and leapt off, but trotted her way towards Isen nonetheless after glancing briefly at her mistress. These humans were sure getting into a lot of trouble lately, and it seemed that no matter who they got involved with there was always something else to handle and another person they chanced losing. First they'd lost the witch and her feathered companion, something that had oddly brought both her and Ignas closer together, and now they were about to chase after a much hungrier, crankier version of Isabella?

"Maybe you could give the baby vampire mistress' blood. Remember what it did to Isabella?"

"Ember, Isen can't hear you, only Ignas and I can. Wait, right?" Had she replicated the spell Danica had tricked her into doing when she was in the ring, or was Ember still limited in who could hear her speak? Come to think of it, last night was a bit of a blur before her and Isen had gone inside and... Well, everything before that was a bit of a blur and she didn't even remember how much time Ember had spent with her last night. Her familiar seemed to enjoy making her way around the ranks of human and demon alike for all the attention she could gather, so who the hell knew what the cat had gotten itself into.

"I can hear the cat, if that answers your question." Tyrath spoke up from a few feet away as he looked up from the demons he was conversing with. "You were muttering a handful of spells to yourself last night. You almost lit Byron on fire at one point before you and your boyfriend went in for the night."

Oops.
 
"You're not my master, demon."

Wait, what?

Isen stared in confusion at the cat perched a top Ignas' shoulder, and even more so as she plopped down onto the ground and began to gravitate closer towards him instead. Had he just heard her talk? Was he that sleep deprived that he was hallucinating?

"What did you just...?" He trailed off, interrupted by the answer given to him in the following conversation. Well, there were worse spells she could have casted, at least. "Right. Talking cat, okay. That's going to be weird for a bit."

"And how would you suppose we do that, furball?" Ignas asked, undeterred by the revelation that the others could hear her as he had always been able to do so from the start. "If you'd like to be the one to administer it, please, be my guest." He practically laughed to himself, knowing how ridiculous that sounded. "There's no guarantee he wouldn't tear Adelaide apart in the process, I'm going to veto that idea. I'm sure I'm not the only one." He casted a knowing glance towards Isen and Adelaide, followed by a nod. "Instead, I'd like to suggest a more subtle approach..."

"Since when were you one for subtle?"

"Since the alternative would be a bloodbath. Just get me close enough to him, I should be able to handle the rest. Subtly."

Because getting a demon close to a new born vampire in a mall full of people was just that easy and subtle. Isen groaned. For once, he almost missed the version of Ignas that would act first and think later, but he couldn't argue with the explanation. There were too many innocent people, and besides, the last thing they needed was to have somebody call the DSTF on them for causing a Dissonant-related incident with two vampires, a demon, and especially a wanted mage in their midst.
 
"Remind me not to drink and do magic." She Adelaide groaned and glanced at Isabella. "You still have your watch to make you look human, right?" The vampire's nod of confirmation meant one less thing to stress about, but now she had to worry about Ignas looking... Not like himself. Then again, demons had all sorts of magic that other Dissonants didn't have, and Tyrath had made himself look human when they'd been there for Clara's passing.

"I don't want to know what you two are talking about, but sure, let's go for subtle." Ignas and subtle didn't belong in the same sentence, but she listened to the idea nonetheless. It wasn't much of an idea or explanation, but she didn't have anything better to go off of and nodded. While she had been aware of vampires and other assorted creatures for many years now, she hadn't firsthand dealt with a newly turned vampire and their hunger in the manner that they were about to, and she had a feeling that Isen hadn't either, not to mention the fact that he was human and much frailer either way.

"Your subtle better mean not killing him. Do whatever you need to do to make yourself blend in with the rest of us. If Tyrath can make himself look human and you're stronger than him, I assume that you can do it as well." She didn't wait for an answer as she tried to focus on the series of spells and necessary concentration needed to get them where they were going. She'd already located where Takami was, or at least a large enough area to narrow it down, and she could teleport them there easily enough. If only she could get everyone in the background to just shut up long enough for her to concentrate...

"Can you shut the hell up?" Adelaide finally snapped when she'd had enough of Danica bartering with whatever demon she was taunting, not to mention all of the idle conversation of the other demons figuring out what they were doing for the day. Her hostile tone was enough to stop Danica mid-sentence as the demoness fell eerily silent, and it was only after a deep breath and several seconds had passed that Adelaide opened her eyes and turned to her companions.

"Alright, let's see if I can get us to the mall without freaking out a bunch of people. I don't need to listen to anyone's sass, unless you want to either end up in the middle of a crowded store or a bathroom, and both of those would probably cause scenes. Gonna try to get us on the side or back of the building so we can walk in just like every other normal human being." The fact that only one of them was a normal human now wasn't lost on her, but she shook off the odd feeling and took Isen's hand in one of hers, then checked everyone was ready before she started the spell.

Opening a portal to their destination was easier than having to be in physical contact with every person she was dragging along, even if it was slightly more draining. The trade off was unfair but necessary, and she motioned for Ignas and Isabella to go through the portal before she stepped through with Isen. It wasn't until the moment she was passing through the portal and stepping onto the concrete outside of the mall that she felt the fatigue from doing two spells back to back hit her, her step faltering before she regained her composure and stared up at the mall.

"We need to stop by the food court. All malls have food courts, right?" She fished out a hair tie and began to tie her long hair into its trademark braid after reluctantly relinquishing her hold on her partner. "I'm not just being a fatass, I need to fuel after using those spells, especially if I have to use more magic."
 
Whisked away to a familiar, yet strange place, Isen found the effects of Adelaide's teleport even more disorienting now that he didn't have Ignas' influence to help him adjust to the sudden influx of magic. He staggered a little, only to notice that she too seemed to have been affected by the exhaustion of bringing so many people with them. Even though he felt like he was about to faint, he stood up as tall and solid as he could until she could stand on her own as well, choosing only to lean against a bench once she, and Ignas as well, were not looking. The last thing he needed was them to see something that would make them change their minds, after all, and he didn't need her worrying about him either.

It was noisy in the mall, but at least he didn't have to deal with the enhancements of his hearing. It didn't cause a headache, but it was definitely a lot more noise than he was used to, even through the sounds and the bustle of the night prior. Adelaide made a comment about food and Isen, instinctively, shot one back. "I don't mind your fat ass..." He mumbled before noting the response of those around him. He had said that out loud, hadn't he? Was it too late to faint and have them send him back home?

"Disgusting." Ignas mumbled, underneath his breath. "It's even worse hearing you speak those thoughts out loud."

"Ignas." Isen tried to interrupt, not wanting the demon to out him for having had similar thoughts and comments held inside his head where only the demon would have been able to hear.

"No more." Ignas interrupted, shaking his head in distaste with what was an order more than a request, though it easily could have been mistaken for either. "We have a job to do. Take the witch to find food. I'm going to start searching for our vampire." He turned towards the rest of their group, nonchalantly. "Choose whomever you want to tag along with, vamp. Come, Ember." He began walking, addressing only the cat directly, meaning she was the only person he actively wanted to come with him.

Isen smirked. "Disgusting." He chimed back, mocking Ignas' voice as best as he could. Though the demon was several paces ahead, he heard it regardless, mumbling a retort that Isen couldn't understand himself through the noise but probably included the words 'fuck' and 'you', if he had to guess.

Presuming the concerned vampire would tag along with the search party portion, Isen reached his hand out for Adelaide's, guiding her towards an escalator to get her something to eat.
 
"I--What?" It took a second for Adelaide to register Isen's smart ass quip, her head whipping around just as she heard Ignas' disgusted response. Her cheeks heated up as she caught just what Isen was getting at, and even more so when she realized that Ignas was so disgusted because this wasn't the first time he'd been exposed to Isen's lewd thoughts about her backside. Isen's attempt to cut Ignas off were a failure and left Adelaide feeling somewhere between flattered and embarrassed, but thankfully the demon seemed intent to keep breezing past it and get set to their goal.

"Catch up once you've eaten, guys," Isabella barely spared them a backwards glance as she started after Ignas, and Adelaide watched with an amused expression as the cat scampered her way back to a proper spot on Ignas' shoulder contentedly. So much for being her familiar, the animal seemed much more attached to Ignas despite their previous resentments of one another. It wasn't that Adelaide minded, shy of Ember taking on her large feline form from before there was only so much the animal could do in a fight. She had a feeling that come time for them to actually go to war with Malakai, she would be utilizing her familiar far more and risking her life in the process, something that left a heavy feeling of dread in her chest as she turned back to Isen.

"I swear he just said fuck you." She barked out a laugh as Isen took her hand and led her toward the escalator, some of the tension leaving her body with the contact from her partner. "Wonder what kind of food they'll have this early in the day that we can eat while we're on the move. I bet some of the places will have breakfast sandwiches. I think you'll like those," She paused as they started up the escalator and gave him a thoughtful look, "I hope so, anyway. I know it's weird having to eat and do all sorts of human things." It had to be weird needing to eat for energy and use the bathroom like a normal human. Then there was the necessity of showers and personal hygiene he'd not needed while being Ignas' host, and it gave her a moment of pause to contemplate how stressful the change must be for him. All things considered, he was handling it well enough so far, aside from the obvious frustration over no longer being nearly invincible.

"Maybe we should look on our own for a bit before we regroup. If something happens Ignas and Isabella will find us." Even lacking a basic communication device like a phone at the moment, she had no doubt that the demon and vampire would find them one way or another if it was an emergency.

"Finally, I can smell food." Adelaide was nearly salivating as they got off the escalator and made their way towards the various food places opening, her hand slipping from Isen's as she all but ran towards one with no line before looking back at him sheepishly. "Unless you wanted to check out a different one...?"
 
He laughed, following her eagerness towards the line she had been intent on joining. "This one's fine." He told her, with a nod. Despite the fact that they were very much here on business, seeing her so excited about food made it feel more like a social outing than anything. It wasn't like they got to do this much. They had never really been on a 'date', despite the progression of their feelings for one another. Most regular people, as he understood, would go about that part first before hooking up, twice, but most normal people also weren't fighting demons with magic and talking animals, so maybe he really had no idea how dating was supposed to work for folks like them. Regardless, he didn't hate the idea, besides the fact that he hardly felt like he looked the part, and there was still the threat of a newly turned vampire looming over them and the rest of the people in the mall.

"It's cute how you light up when it comes to food." He pointed out, admirably, pausing for a moment before feeling as if he needed to address the elephant in the room, blaming it for the sheepish and awkward nature of the way she had looked at him. "About what Ignas said a few minutes ago...I hope I didn't embarrass you." He explained. "I'm sure you've had moments where you've had those sort of thoughts too, at least I hope you did? I mean..." He stopped, trying again. "...having somebody listening in on them is a bit weird and..., well, I mean, you did that with Danica so..." He trailed off, rambling awkwardly. "Sorry. If it's too much, just ask me. I think you're beautiful, and sometimes Ignas would catch me admiring that."

Feeling awkward himself now, even if it was hardly something she didn't already know given their previous intimacy, Isen groaned like he had made the entire thing worse. Looking straight ahead, he noticed the worker at the counter smiling towards Adelaide, and used it as a segue out of the conversation. "Oh, look, time to order." Changing the subject, he stood beside her at the counter as she placed their order, watching as more people began to file into the food court.

With it being a college town, there were a lot of young adults beginning to show up in groups, taking up residency at the various tables, or lining up for food themselves. He noticed some of them giving them some strange looks, misinterpreting them being checked out as them judging his clothing, which he still felt didn't quite measure up to what he should have been wearing in public. "They're staring at us." He told her, quietly. "Maybe we should take a short break to grab some clothes too? It might help us, you know, blend in?"
 
"I can't help it, I've always liked food." She might have been embarrassed at another time, but right now she was far too hungry to care how she looked running towards food. The fact that Isen found it "cute" as he called it, was just a bonus in her quest for food. "It looks like they have a few different types of breakfast sandwiches, so you'll get to experience the heaven that is bacon and eggs on toast or muffins. There's a few options, it looks like." There she was, rambling on about the different menu options like a kid confronted with an array of fantastical toys.

"What?" She shifted her attention back to Isen upon realizing he was talking to her, blushing and shaking her head. "No, it's okay. I think it embarrassed you more than me. I may have stared at your ass from time to time." There had definitely been a handful of times she'd caught herself staring at various parts of him when they weren't in a life or death situation. The fact that Danica hadn't given her more crap for it was surprising, but she had a feeling that after the demoness' possession stunt, Danica had been treading carefully. That had been embarrassing for her, but looking back the only part she was mad about now was the fact that it had been Danica making her do it and not herself. The thought of crawling onto his lap now and---

"Um, anyway. Right, time to order." Now wasn't the time to be getting flustered thinking about straddling her boyfriend's lap and doing all sorts of other adult activities with said boyfriend. Was it obvious that she was flustered? The worker behind the counter was giving her an odd sort of smile, and Adelaide found herself stuttering through an order of breakfast sandwiches that she hoped both of them would like, before stepping to the side to wait.

"At us?" There was a moment of panic as Adelaide turned to see what Isen was talking about. Had they been recognized from the disaster before, where people were still up in the air on how they felt about the duo? The absolute last thing she needed was someone making a scene and calling them monsters while they were just trying to eat before tracking down Takami. As if they didn't have enough on their plate... "Yeah, we'll grab clothes while we're here." Finding Takami should have been their top priority, but with Ignas and Isabella off looking for him already, it wouldn't hurt for them to get clothes that didn't smell like the previous night's fires and god only knew what else.

"Oh. Oh." Her panic disappeared instantly as she caught the roaming eyes aimed in their direction, and a second later she was burying her face against his arm to stifle laughter. "Isen, they're checking you out. Us out. I'm pretty sure blondie is staring at your ass more than your clothes."
 
Isen's protective streak didn't really need much to activate; that was very obvious to them both in the past. This was a different type of protectiveness, however. There was a greedy response inside of him, beyond his embarrassment, and he found his hand drifting down her back. It was very deliberate, and equally as bold, but he stuck a possessive claim on her by gripping her ass tightly and pulling her closer into his side. In public, no less! Human hormones were confusing.

"...so that they can't stare at yours." He reasoned with her, shortly, interrupted by the quick turn around on the pair of sandwiches being laid out on a tray by the poor worker at the counter who may or may not have seen the whole thing. At risk of playing out every girl's book-laden fantasy, he tugged at her waist next, leading them away from prying eyes and to a table in the food court.

"Sorry. Still getting used to this." He told her, sheepishly, having realized exactly what he had done. The thoughts that raced through his mind were far from appropriate for a place such as this, and they had a mission to complete. He shouldn't be getting distracted! And yet, all he could think about was how nice it had felt when his fingers squeezed... Right. Vampire on the loose. Danger. Demons.

Focus.

Without Ignas in his head to keep him on track, he needed to find better ways to control his thoughts and feelings. It was a work in progress, clearly. So, rather than try right now, he awkwardly fumbled with the wrapping on his sandwich to distract himself with food instead.

"Do you think they've found him yet?" He asked, making conversation to distract from the possessiveness he had shown moments prior. They hadn't heard any screaming yet, so that was a plus, at least. It meant nobody was in danger for now. Maybe they could enjoy a peaceful breakfast after all. "I can't help but feel guilty in a way. Getting to do this with you, I mean...eating breakfast, acting like a teenager who can't keep his hands off of you...being able to potentially live a regular life with you. It just feels...I don't know. Maybe I don't deserve it, or maybe I'm just feeling regret in a different way than I'm used to. Isabella and Takami might never get that chance."

Shaking his head, he realized that he was lucky, more than anything, and that should have been the primary feeling he had.

"I guess vampires fall in love all the time, though, right? Have you heard anything about that before?" He asked her, innocently, though clearly he was unaware of how often that sort of thing would be written about, or romanticized, especially in a city like Cresthaven where Dissonants lived amongst humans.
 
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