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A Darker Shade of Night: Dragondancer+BlisteredBlood

Heishiro was about to get his answer when all of a sudden, hearing Rosalie's excited squeal caused him to jump a bit in reaction before feeling her pull at his shirt to bring him back over to the opposite counter again. Man. Where is the batteries on this kid? Heishiro thought as he looked over each of the open containers with a thoughtful look on his face and arched a brow when as he lifted a hand up to his chin and itched it thoughtfully. To be honest, he wasn't sure what to have at this point, but anything was better than nothing. Come to think of it, he was feeling a bit more peckish this time around, so maybe he could scarf all of this down.

When he was asked about the grilled cheese sandwich Rosalie had brought to him that one time, Heishiro nodded in reply before he looked over to the little girl once more and smiled at her. "Yeah I remember that one. It was pretty good." He answered in a positive tone of voice as he once again patted Rosalie's head. "Now let's see what I want..." He muttered to himself now as he looked at everything there. "I'm betting I can get all of this down tonight. I'm hungry enough to eat a horse, really." He said with a bit of a snicker.
 
Rosalie’s face registered pleasure when Heishiro nodded and admitted he remembered the sandwich she had made him. Her eyes then widened and her mouth formed a round “O” as Heishiro teased her that he could eat a horse. Her eyes glanced from his face to the food on the counter and back to his face. “I think pig might taste closest to horse,” she muttered thoughtfully out loud, “but since you sound really hungry, let’s warm everything up just to be sure you get a full stomach!”

She then darted over to a deep cabinet drawer and pulled out two long aprons, one black and one white, each with an abstract image of a cat’s nose and whiskers painted on the front. Moving to stand in front of Heishiro, she stood up on her tiptoes to place the open neck of the black apron around his neck, explaining, “This one matches your clothes!” and then scooting behind him to tie it in the back. As she put her own white one on, Laela turned again in her chair to see what was going on in the kitchen, and couldn’t get her hand up to her mouth quick enough to stifle the chuckle that spilled from her lips at the sight of the warrior and the petite blonde girl in their aprons.
 
"See? Now you're talking my language!" Heishiro answered with a little laugh of his own then grinned a bit before watching Rosalie dart over to a cabinet drawer which made him lean forward and look over to her with an arched eyebrow on his face. Just when he was going to ask her what was in that thing, his answer would come in the form of two aprons that were pulled out from the the cabinet drawer and held out one of them to him, seeing the abstract style of what appeared to be a cat's nose and whiskers on it. Blinking at it when it was put on over his neck, he arched an eyebrow at the thing with a look on his face that might have suggested that he looked like an idiot in this getup, but then again, it was better than having some of his other things on his body at the present moment.

Soon enough, he heard a stifled fit of laughter coming from the older female vampire in this place, making his turn his head towards her with a brow raised at her and gave her a bit of a comical frown before turning to her. With that, he then did the most unexpected thing, where he turned in place for a moment and looked to Rosalie with a smile on his face. "You know kiddo, you have a point about the color, but does this make my ass look big?" He asked.
 
That did it, Heishiro’s words and lighthearted mood - and completely unexpected question - pushed Laela over into peals of full-throated laughter. Even Ander’s lips twitched with mirth at Heishiro’s playful exchange with Rosalie. Just then, Beniamin rounded the corner from his room, took in the entire scene with a look of bewilderment, the tone of his voice registering the disbelief he felt at what he was seeing and hearing, “So...ah...what did I miss? Or did someone put something funny in the water?”

Rosalie grinned beamingly at everyone, then turned her attention back to her new friend. “Oh Heishiro!” she exclaimed, giggling at his question, her light, lilting laughter a contagious, joyous sound. She turned back toward the counter, reaching in cabinets and drawers for various oven- and microwave-safe dishes and covers, cooking utensils and tinfoil, and turned on the oven while organizing the food among the plates in preparation to heat everything up.
 
Grinning that he got the reaction out of her, Heishiro simply grinned in reply before shaking his head at the two before turning his attention back over to Rosalie before he heard someone else speak from around the corner of the room. "Nah, you weren't missing much, pal. Just me having a little bit of fun for the hell of it." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders as he then put his hands to his hips for a moment as he saw Rosalie take out what he was going to need for heating everything up.

"In any case, how long do you think this is all gonna take?" Heishiro then asked Rosalie as he then turned his head towards her and a brow raised.
 
Beniamin crossed the room to join Laela and Ander at the large wooden table they were working at, making a comical wide eyed face at them to express his humor. Laela pushed a small stack of the papers his way, and he frowned slightly as he looked over the paperwork.

Rosalie pinched her cupid-bow pink lips between her index finger and thumb, giving Heishiro’s casual question her full contemplation. Looking back over at the various food combinations, she tapped her index finger on her lip thoughtfully as she calculated the minutes before she could have Heishiro’s meal ready for him. Wanting to make sure she did it right, she asked, “Laela...do you think twenty minutes is enough to warm food in the oven, and five minutes in the microwave?”
 
So anywhere between 25 minutes to a half hour is when I'll be eating. Heishiro thought as he then turned his head towards the woman now known to him only as Laela. Furthermore, now I know who it is that Vardon's after. He thought before he turned his attention over to the oven for a moment as he then stepped back and lean back onto the island counter, his hands propping him up and his face now becoming a more thoughtful look. He didn't say much more after that, much rather letting his thoughts occupy him.
 
Laela’s knuckles were white as she squeezed the stack of folders in her hands tightly when Rosalie inadvertently gave Heishiro the last piece of information she had been withholding from him. She gave Ander a look of warning, tensing her muscles in preparation for whatever Heishiro decided to do about the knowledge he had just learned. Slowly and deliberately, she turned and rose from her chair, trying to read Heishiro’s expression as he looked at her. Nervous about Rosalie being too near him in case he reacted violently, throwing the trust they had worked hard to create out the window, she spoke to him in a low, even voice, “Heishiro, do you want to join me here at the table while you wait for Rosalie to warm your food?”
 
A smile was all Heishiro gave Laela in return as he then lifted his head up towards her and waved the offer off in a respectful way. "Nah. I don't wanna be a bother to you guys." Heishiro answered as he felt the mood suddenly change. Apparently, there was something Rosalie had said that she didn't want to be revealed to him, and at that, his head lowered down a bit as his eyes looked down to the counter with a more thoughtful expression on his face. That much was understandable, he felt. If there was something he didn't want revealed to them, he probably wouldn't trust it to a kid either.

After a little bit, Heishiro gave a little sigh before he then went to untie the apron from his back with the same expression on his face, despite it looked a slight bit downtrodden, a complete and total misread than what Laela might have figured. "I'll be in the room and relaxing for a little while, I guess." He added as he then pulled the open part of the apron over his neck and then headed over to the lowest drawer where he put it back inside of before heading out of the kitchen.
 
Laela automatically took in Heishiro’s physical cues in an instant, as he absorbed the change in mood Rosalie’s innocent revelation had created, and registered that the man was not reverting to violence. In fact, his response appeared to be quite the opposite. She frowned as his shoulders seemed to slump a little, and he sighed quietly. As he left the kitchen to return to his room, Laela moved to follow him, laying her arm around Rosalie with an encouraging squeeze as she walked past her.

As she approached the doorway to Heishiro’s room, the door was mostly closed but not shut. Reaching out her hand to gently push the door open, she peered around to check on him. “Hey...we should probably talk...” she said softly.
 
Upon arrival back in the room, the first place Heishiro went over to was the bed and laid down onto it with a sigh, his eyes closed for a little while. He had honestly just wanted to take a short nap and then take his meal in here where he wouldn't be a such a problem for the rest of them out there and then just wait until one of them came back to "keep an eye on him", as it were. Either that or since he had now known her name, maybe it would all go back to way things were when he was first "introduced" to them. To be honest, he didn't know what to think at the moment, but maybe things would work itself out in the end. They always did for so many years.

They wouldn't remain closed for very long though when he heard Laela come into the room and speak to him. He would reopen his eyes slowly before turning them over to her before giving her a shrug as he laid there with his hands behind his head and then turned his eyes up to the ceiling before crossing one leg over the other. "It's alright," He answered in a quiet voice. "Besides, if there was something you didn't want revealed for safety's sake, I probably would've done the same. But hey, the worst part is over when you took out that tracking signature and compulsion from my head, right?" He asked.
 
Seeing that Heishiro had immediately lain down in the bed, his eyes closed, Laela paused for a moment in the doorway. His weary voice and demeanor was likely a product of both physical and mental exhaustion, she speculated. “It will take some time for your body to adjust to a nocturnal schedule,” she told him, moving into the room and lowering herself into the chair by the bed. She absently ran her long slender fingertips over the burnt-orange colored crushed velvet fabric of the chair, letting her body slide down into a casually comfortable slouch. Her long dark hair spilled over the back of the chair where she leaned her head back, her eyes fixing unfocused on a distant point not within the walls of the room, but existing in her memory.

She spoke in a low, taut voice, her tone colored with deep emotions, “I know what it feels like to have loved ones ripped away from you, to burn with a need to find a way to continue to exist in a world that no longer makes sense, where the agony of that loss transforms into an ugly, violent beast within you, your only motivation to find an all-consuming anesthetic for the pain. Love is replaced with hate, joy is replaced with fury, hope is replaced with a single-minded drive for vengeance - emotions much more tolerable than the soul-eating sadness of mourning a life that will never again exist.” She sighed deeply and adjusted her body in the chair, leaning forward toward Heishiro, her arms resting on her thighs.

Shaking her head to clear her vision from the cobwebs of her past, she focused on Heishiro’s face with her amber eyes. Her voice soft and warm, Laela spoke, “Thank you for understanding why I felt we needed some time with each other before I revealed my name. And for giving me the benefit of the doubt as to my motivations. The fact that you were able to move beyond Vardon’s attempt at poisoning your mind against me tells me a lot about your true character.” Reaching her hand out to place her palm on Heishiro’s arm, she spoke sincerely, “I am glad that our fates have intertwined, and I hope that the....partnership...we have begun over these past few nights continues to flourish.”
 
"I was kinda aware of that, Laela." Heishiro answered with a sigh as he laid there for a little while when he heard her come in through the doorway. "But to be honest, I can get used to it. Besides, I've slept at odd hours before when I lived at the orphanage for so long, before everything happened the way it did." He added with a sigh and a shake of his head.

At her explanation, Heishiro's face saddened somewhat as he listened to her speak, somehow beginning to get the idea. As a matter of fact, there was a art of him that began to register sympathy with her as indicated when he turned his eyes over to Laela and actually nodded at her. "You know, for the first time in my life tonight, I can actually agree with you there. I mean, for the past 12 years now, I've been looking so hard to find the person who has caused me all this anguish, all of this misery and bam, I'd be able to mete it out in my own way. But before I found out who you were, I think there was a part of me that just said that there was no way that you could be behind it." Heishiro explained with a shake of his head.

"You're also right about our partnership. Sure, we kinda got started on the wrong foot, but I think we can patch things up later on down the road." Heishiro answered as a bit of a smile came onto his face as he then placed a hand over hers when Laela placed it on his arm.
 
Laela’s eyes softened toward Heishiro, knowing he had also experienced great tragedy in his life, and could empathize with her pain. That he believed she had nothing to do with his family’s murders made her feel more gratified than she would have expected. However unusual their beginning, the two of them had an undeniable connection on some level. How that connection would play out, she had no idea. But she found she was interested to find out.

The two of them sat in quiet companionship for a few moments after their talk, Heishiro’s hand resting over hers where it lay on his arm. She smiled softly at him as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze before removing her hand and gliding back up to a standing position. “After you’ve rested, I’ve got some things I’d like to share with you, maybe get your input and see how much you’d like to stay involved here.” She moved to the doorway and nodded to him before she left, “See you in a little bit,” and she closed the door softly behind her.
 
Nodding in reply, Heishiro simply let his hand down from Laela's before letting it relax on near his side before turning over onto his back with contemplative sigh while laying there on the bed. In truth, he wanted to know so much more about the current situation, so much more than what he already knew. The offer was quite tempting to say the least, but he also knew that if he stayed here in the company of these vampires, then that would mean that he'd be as every bit of a target as much as they were. Furthermore, if it was found out that he had sided with them, that would mean that he would possibly be viewed as a traitor in accordance with the governing laws that was told by the Knights.

But ever since he had left the group, he had found himself freed from all such laws and things of that nature. So what was he supposed to do, he wondered as he laid there. What to do, indeed.
 
Laela walked back into the main room, glancing with amusement over at Rosalie’s busy preparations as her nose twitched with the myriad of smells drifting from the kitchen area. Lowering herself back into her chair at the table, she closed her eyes and brought her fingers up to her temples, massaging gently to try and rub away the headache that had formed there. “Well?” Ander asked impatiently, looking at her with a snide expression on his face. Opening her eyes and lowering her hands to rest on the table in front of her, she peered intently first at Ander, and then Beniamin. “It’s a bit of a unique situation here, with Heishiro,” she began. “Now that we know he has no information about Vardon, we have no need of him. And now that I have destroyed the compulsion within his brain, he has no need of us. However,” she paused her speaking, letting out a long, weary sigh, “both he and us may get further in our goals together than if we work separately. I trust this human, and I hope he decides to stay and align with us. And I hope he finds welcome from both of you,” she said earnestly, her eyes fixing on Ander.

Rosalie’s triumphant “Ta da!” had the three of them craning their heads around to check out the young girl’s carefully prepared and arranged presentation. Several plates were placed on the island countertop, arranged with glasses of various beverages, a neatly folded napkin, utensils, and even garnished with a flower. Her face proud, she skipped off to fetch Heishiro back for his meal.
 
For the longest time, Heishiro continued to lay there on the bed, still wrapped up in his thoughts for the time being. There was literally quite a bit to consider now that he was basically at a crossroad, and either path he took at this point would only lead him to be damned if he went one way or damned if he took the other. But then again, what was the difference at this point? It seemed as though that no matter where he went, it would seem as though he would have to choose something and to hell with the consequences. Should he throw in with the other vampires or leave at first light so he could continue on his solo journey, running the risk of having to deal with Vardon's ghouls once more or possibly Vardon himself. A bit of a scoff was Heishiro's reaction to these thoughts, shaking his head a bit as well.

Seems like that sort of question should be on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Heishiro thought to himself morbidly as the same sort of smile now crept up his lips as he continued to lay there for a little bit longer before hearing Rosalie's cheery voice chirp through the air from the kitchen a short while later. Hm. Sounds like my dinner's ready. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to decide better on a full stomach. He thought again as he then sat up on the bed with a sigh and then turned himself to the side for a moment before hopping off of the bed and back onto his feet once again.
 
Scratching her fingers lightly on Heishiro’s door, Rosalie peeked her grinning face around it to announce to him cheerfully, “Chow time! Are you ready to eat?” Seeing him on his feet was encouragement enough, and she dashed into the room to take hold of his hand and pull him back into the kitchen area. Curtsying cutely, she made a big show of presenting each plate of warmed food, and then plopped herself down on one of the other bar stools, lowering her chin onto her folded arms to contentedly watch Heishiro consume what she had prepared for him.

After a time, Beniamin interrupted their perusal of the paperwork and spoke up, “I hear there’s some kind of festival going on in town tonight...might be fun - something like a carnival I understand; musicians, street performers, food and drink - anyone up for it?” That question gave Heishiro a break from his admirer’s intent watching as she turned her face toward Beniamin and squealed her pleasure. “Oh yes! Can we go, please? It’ll be soooo much fun!” Ander shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, and Laela smiled toward Rosalie and Heishiro, “Sounds like we’ve got plans for later tonight - any interest in joining us, Heishiro?”
 
Upon being pulled back into the kitchen area at Rosalie's behest - more like insistence, due to the fact that she basically took a hold of his hand and pulled him back - to the kitchen area, Heishiro looked around at the spread that was once again laid out in front of him, significantly less than there was when he was at the diner with Laela not too long ago. Why she always made such a big show over everything here, he would never know, to be honest as indicated when he lifted a hand up to the back of hsi head and itched it a few times before walking over to the first plate he saw and picked up a fork near it before digging into it at his own pace; methodical yet hungrily. Besides, after all of this time, he was honestly hungry enough to eat a whole cow to himself - organs and all, mind you! - and then be done with it afterward. Well, maybe if the bones were removed, then maybe you could count a whole cow.

Soon enough though, he heard someone speak of a carnival, making Heishiro pause in mid bite before looking over to Beniamin and thought about his words for a bit as he then heard Laela direct the question towards him. Under normal circumstances, he probably would've said no, but since this was a bit more of a relaxed night, he figured what they hell. It was only one night. Besides, what was the harm?

Nodding in reply as he continued to eat, Heishiro would then nod in Laela's direction before swallowing that bit of food down before wagging a finger at Laela. "Alright, I'll go. However, I'm gonna need a change of clothes, first. If one of you guys can be so kind as to bring me over to my hotel room where I'm at so I can get them, I'd appreciate it. Can't go to a public place without looking your best, y'know." He answered.
 
Ander answered Heishiro curtly, “I’ll take you.” Laela looked over at him with her expression a mixture of mild surprise and gratefulness for his effort. But thinking further on it, she decided it would be best not to push things too soon where Ander was concerned, and she felt a bit reticent to have the two of them alone together just yet.

“That’s very thoughtful, Ander, but I’ll go ahead and take you to your hotel when you’re done eating,” she countered, nodding toward Heishiro. Looking over at Rosalie, she suggested, “I’m sure Rosalie would like to change her clothes as well - why don’t you two gentlemen be her handsome escorts and Heishiro and I will meet you there,” she smiled widely at the two sitting at the table.

Walking over to the island countertop where Heishiro was munching away, she paused, looking over his plates of remaining food with amusement shining in her eyes. “Please take your time eating...there’s no rush, we’ll just head out when you’re ready.” Rosalie had already ran back to her room to change, as Laela strolled to follow her to see if she needed any help.
 
A curt reply from Ander made Heishiro glance over to him curiously, arching a brow at him as well. It was probably no secret to Heishiro that Ander still had his doubts about him and the same thoughts were shared. After all, when he saw them not too long ago, their first impressions on each other left quite a bit to be desired from each of them.

But before he gave his answer, Heishiro turned his attention over to Laela when she said that she would be the one who would take him over to his hotel room. In his mind, he really didn't care who it was that brought him there, but as long as he got there to get a change of clothes and then come on back out to head back for the carnival, then that would be all he would need really.

Finally, he glanced over to Rosalie when she spoke. Heishiro only gestured his hand at Rosalie with a smile on his face. "I'm in no hurry, to be honest. Besides, I still got a lot to go through." He answered with a bit of a chuckle as he continued to eat.
 
Laela was gratified at Heishiro’s amenable attitude, and she took care of several things around the house while he finished his ample meal. When she noticed he had pushed himself away from his dishes with sounds of satisfaction, she looked up from what she was doing. “I’m ready when you are...shall we go retrieve your things? I’ll meet you in the car.” With that, she patted Beniamin on the shoulder and nodded at Ander as she headed out the door, tossing her words over her shoulder as she left, “See you shortly!” She strode to the car and slipped in the driver’s seat, cranked it up and waited for Heishiro to join her.
 
"I'll be out in a little while. Just give me some time to eat as much of this as I can." Heishiro answered Laela with a smile and a nod of his head as he then finished off the first plate a little while later and then progressed on to the next plate, starting in on that one with the same pace he used with the same plate he was eating previously.
 
As Laela waited for Heishiro, impatience began to take its toll. She had thought he was finished eating and ready to go - but then again she hadn’t asked, and what did she know of how much food he could consume? Sighing in resignation, she rolled down the car windows, then turned off the ignition and adjusted her seat to a more comfortable reclined position. Closing her eyes and relaxing her body, she listened to the night sounds that fell upon her ears, her mind expanding to encompass the multitude of life flowing within the darkness.
 
Soon enough, Heishiro would then polish off the next plate of food after a little while as he stood there by the counter, sighing to himself once he put that down. But oddly enough, Heishiro's stomach was beginning to fill up eventually, so instead of just wolfing the rest of it down, he would then put the other plates up into the refrigerator for later consumption. Sure, it didn't make much sense to not eat everything that was there, but at the same time, Heishiro had a bit of an odd appetite at times.

Soon enough, Heishiro would then head out of the safehouse and out into the night air before walking over to the Porsche that Laela was inside of before leaning over to the passenger side of the vehicle and then knocked on the window to get her attention.
 
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