Demon's Rampage

"I don't feel anything," Skylar said after a moment's reflection. Her magic was always immense; so large, she'd never felt the edges of it. Could her magic be seeping into the things around her? Is that why the demons were after her? "...is that how the demons are finding me?"

Doing as Arch had said, she lit where indicated and the room lit up in a pale hue. It was enough for her to see and she was rather surprised by the state of their surroundings. When the word hideout was used, an abandoned, listless place came to mind. This room looked as though Arch may actually spend time here. By himself? Or with others?

Now that she could actually see, she saw the burns that had, indeed, healed quite a bit. Still, taken aback by the burns that were her fault, she found herself in front of him, fingers touching the faint marks with tentative fingers. She hadn't been thinking, and if she had, she wouldn't have gotten this close, but...

The cool feel of his skin was a welcoming and now familiar sensation. Her heart stung at the fact that his injuries were her doing. "Oh, Arch," she said, not allowing tears to fill her eyes, "this is all my fault..." Her fingers were gentle as they caressed the wound and her misty blue eyes searched his luminous red ones.

He couldn't get the thought of an Aura out of his mind. He'd seen so many things, and only very few things had been excluded from his wide array of beliefs. Aura's was one of the things, he didn't believe possible. Then again. It might just as well have been his regeneration going overtime. It had happened before. 'I think...' he thought to himself, finally shrugging it off, as nothing, before looking back to her, now shaking his head a bit, with a defensive hand.
"I.. Never really believed in Aura's. It. Might just be my.. Regeneration working faster then normal, for.. Reason I don't know. I'm sure the Demons are just attracted to the scent of your power, and not. Some. Aura." He tried to comfort with words. If she actually had an Aura of power, it would mean she was a lot easier to find, then initially feared. So he tried to push away the possibility of it.

Then, as the lights where lit around them, he smiled lightly at her surprise, looking around as well. Most of this, wasn't even his doing. But he refrained from trying to explain that, just yet. Chances where, she wouldn't even get to see it. Arch hadn't even seen Skylar come close, until he gazed upon her beautiful eyes, now only inches away from him. He gulped lightly, causing him some pain down his soar throat, as he cleared it. As her soft, warm fingers touched his skin, he didn't pull back in pain, or even moved. The red stormy eyes, just kept staring at the deep calm of hers.

As she spoke, he sighed softly, moving his hand to gently grasp hers, in their cold embrace. "Don't.." He started, leading the hand down to his chests height. "Don't blame yourself for this. In all truth, it was my own doing. It was my choice. I could have just done what I said i would. Left you, to search for the Demon." He explained, smiling lightly again, ignoring the slight pain in his cheeks as he did. "I could've just staid away, instead of leaping through that window. That was my choice. Not yours." He explained, point to her with a finger, gently against her chest, before it embraced her hand with the rest of his long, strong fingers. "It remains the Demons doing, not yours. They are hunting for you, and I am hunting for them. Might as well stick close, take them down, and help you out at the same time, right?" He said with a gentle smile, before just gazing into her eyes in silent. So he would stand for a while, before finally snapping out of his thoughts, taking a step to the side, holding his free hand out towards the fireplace. "Please. Go have a seat, I'll get some blankets for you. There's a few pillows on the rocks you can scavenge, and make yourself comfortable." He suggested with a smile, before finally being able to let go of her hand.

Despite his words, she still believed it her doing. But a part of her was glad-- there, his hand holding hers, the two of them standing so close. She enjoyed it more than she should have; butterflies were caged in her stomach and she realized only then the one other time she'd felt this way.

Cheeks flushed, she pulled away when his hand left hers. She tore her eyes from his, knowing she was already becoming lost in those red, stormy eyes.

Skylar made a comfortable seat for herself on one of the couches, draping her fine skirts about her. The edges were dirtied and frayed from the forest's floors. The girl lounged against the cushions, glad to be off her tired feet.

It was all too much to process. For now, all she wanted... was to curl up with Arch and go to sleep.

Her eyes drifted back to the vampire, his scared face still beautiful despite the marks. She'd never met a vampire before, but she'd heard they healed quickly. After his comment about her and this possible aura, all she wanted to believe was it was his doing and nothing more.

It couldn't be her. Could it?

Because if it was, was it possible her master had chosen her for this reason? And done things with her magic that she was unaware of?

These thoughts were a plague and she tried desperately to drown them out. She shut her eyes, hoping none of it was true. Her master was a good man and she was not a pawn in some... scheme.

Arch still smiled gently as she tore her eyes from his, but as soon as she'd moved past him, he made a relieved expression. It was hard, trying to ignore these feelings. But he couldn't let them well up like this. It was unprofessional, and not to mention dangerous. And he was a Vampire. It could only be that damned spell, going amok again. The Vampires natural ability to entrance others, with there mere look. But. That didn't usually work on Sorceress' and Wizards. And especially not someone as powerful as her. Maybe she was just an easier victim for the spell? Yes, that must be why her cheeks flushed, when ever their eyes met. That had to be it.

The lies one will conjure up, when trying to hide from the truth.

As she'd gotten herself seated in the couch, Arch made his way to a chest, next to the large bed, some feet away from the couch. "If you wish, there should be some cups in the chest next to the couch. The water in the pond is clean, and good nourishment. You can have something to drink, if you want." He explained, still without looking up. But before she could even get to move in the couch, a cup of water, slowly came floating through the air. There was nothing there to stabilize it, no magical signatures coming from Archibald, so it wasn't his doing either. But as the cup came closer to her, she'd feel a cold chill, as it was almost offered to her. As if someone very short was standing in front of her, holding the cup out in a stretched arm.

She hadn't moved and she certainly hadn't cast a spell.

Giving the cup a sidelong glance, she asked Arch, "Are you doing some vampy magic and making this cup float? Because... it's floating. And I'm not doing anything."

She chewed a dry bottom lip, wondering if she take the offered cup. With a tentative hand, she accepted it and said, "Thank you," knowing full well there was something there. It wasn't Arch and it certainly wasn't her. But it had handed her water... so was it a good thing or a bad thing?

And what kind of 'thing?'

Her blood was racing, but she didn't let the panic settle in nor did she allow her body to shake. Keeping herself steady, she took a sip of water.

As Arch was looking through the chest, he heard her saying something from the couch, and he rose to his feet, gazing her way. "Hm? Oh... Well. Should have figured she wouldn't be able to resist.." He chuckled lightly, picking up the blanket and extra pillow he'd found, before making his way towards it, watching her accept the cup, smiling softly. "Thanks Mira." He thanked someone by name, and seconds after, they could hear footsteps hopping over the rocks, almost as if someone was dancing around.

"That, was Mira.. My.. Company. Down here. She's pretty much the one, who's done all this." He said, waving a hand out around the cave. He then walked over behind the couch, and neatly moved the blanket over Skylar, making sure not to push the cup out of her hand as he did, gently making sure the blanket covered all of her. "She's a Spectre." he stated, before dropping down in the other end of the couch, leaning forward with his elbows against his knees, fingers gently touching the burnt skin, feeling no pain left behind, now in the face of reconstructing. He stretched his face a bit with a sigh, before gazing in a direction, one would guess the Spectre were. "The.. Only one, I havn't been able to destroy, nor.. Set free." He continued, gazing back to Skylar. "And if you didn't know, a Spectre is a type of Ghost. The things, I should in theory be hunting." He said, smiling lightly with a soft chuckle, letting his gaze drop down, with a soft frown forming. "She. Died at an age of.. Eleven. Her form is still in that age. And.. I haven't been able to cast a desummoning spell on her." He explained, before the footsteps seemed to come closer, a small locker now floating through the air, that was offered to Skylar. An imprint on the pillow in front of the couch, then suggested someone was sitting on knees upon it. Arch chuckled lightly a single time. The locker had a small handle, that could be turned. A rather unique craft, in these ages. It was a music box. And if Skylar turned the small handle four times, the locker would slowly open, as a soft, silent tune would play into the large cave.

A ghost?

She'd encountered ghosts before, of course. It was always difficult to tell when such an event happened, such as now, and she was glad it was nothing to be afraid of.

"Eleven?" she frowned at that, wondering what had happened to the poor girl.

And then a locker was floating to her and there was no hesitation when she took the offered item. She twisted the handle, doing as she suspected needed to be done, and opened. An almost solemn tune danced from the confines of the locker and Skylar's lips curled in a soft smile. "This is lovely."

She stretched a leg and scooted closer to where the ghost was. "Do you enjoy Arch's company?" She asked the child with a rueful glint in her eyes.

Arch smiled lightly, as he watched Skylar taking the music box, sighing softly as that familiar, peaceful tune filled the air. It always worked to calm him down, something the little Spectre, Mira, had often done when he returned from hunts. And all it needed was that music box. And as the locket opened, it showed an advanced clocking device, that slowly spun in circles, playing the strings inside with small needles.

Then with the question, Arch chuckled lightly a single time, with a shake of his head, facing away as he itched his face, causing some of the ruined skin to peal off. he didn't want the others to see that, still trying not to scare them too heavily. "Don't expect her to speak. She can't. She's only partially in this world. Trapped here for.. Some reason. I haven't been able to find this reason. I have tried to set her free, but.. Still iludes me, what is even keeping her here, other then that locket. It's been with her, ever since I found her in my homeland." As he spoke, a finger was drawing something in the dirt, ending out with the word 'yes'. And as his gaze returned, he chuckled lightly, with the word, before she started writing on.

The words slowly showing, it ended up as a 'Scary somtimes'. A slight misspell in the words, but considering her age it was still quite good. "She was a clock workers daughter." He explained, with the same small frown on his lips again. "Found her family and. Her. Victim of a human crime. One of the few human made crimes I've solved, since the days of the Shadow Council. I couldn't let the murder of an entire family.. Go unpunished." As he spoke, the Spectre slowly wiped out the writing, ready to write something else, should she be asked more. "She's.. Been that way, for fifty years now. Following me. Constantly finding dead ends, to her release." His words slight growls, at his own failure.

Sad to think such a young girl was trapped between worlds, watching the world age while she did not. She wondered what the little girl thought of that and how she coped with remaining on this plane while her family had passed on.

Skylar watched the dirt and smiled at her comments. Scary sometimes, yes... Her gray-ice eyes glazed over Arch. Scary, mysterious, and beautiful. There was something alluring about him and the kindness he showed was unlike the image he projected. Skylar wanted to know more about him.

Instead, she returned to the ghost, whose locket was between her fingers. "Do you get lonely? Being on this plain still?" Skylar asked, hoping it didn't make the ghost uncomfortable.

As Skylar's eyes glanced his way, her returned them with a crooked smile. He didn't like her seeing him like this. His skin nearly peeling off, as his cell regenerated, and gave space for new, fresh skin. The pain had stopped, now leaving his face numb and emotionless. At least for a while. Why did he care so much, that she saw? It hadn't stopped him from scaring others in the past. He actually abused this act, once or twice. Getting burnt horribly, and scaring people to get information. Scare tactics where sometimes more efficient, then asking nicely. But now, when she saw him this way, he felt uncomfortable about it.

Then as she gazed back to the ghost, he stretched his neck, leaning back in the couch, throwing his red eyes towards the ceiling, with a thoughtful gaze. As Skylar asked the question, there was no hesitation, and it wrote a clear 'Yes'. But it quickly wiped it away, to replace it with a slow hand writing. 'Archy makes it better.' She wrote. Arch cast a short glance, and rolled his eyes with a chuckled grunt. "Told you not to call me that, Mira." He said, with the hints of a smile across his lips. Mira wiped the writing away again, to replace it with new words. 'Archy will find way.' She wrote, now without Arch seeing it, still gazing towards the ceiling. In all honesty, he'd almost given up by now. Usually, it was just destroying the box. But when ever he'd tried to burn it, she'd stopped him, writing it wasn't the way. But that was his talent. Destroying things. That's what he was good at. His specialty. When not doing that, he was often at a loss.

The young apprentice was glad for the ghost's hopeful disposition and she believed it would be possible to send the girl to where she belonged. There had to be a way. Maybe there was something in her master's texts...

Remembering she no longer had access to such things, she folded her arms and leaned back in the couch, snuggling against the pillows. She liked that Mira called him Archy. It definitely took the sinister edge off him.

She glanced his way, staring at the curve of his stretched neck. Facing the ceiling allowed her to see the tendons and muscles of his neck clearly and she loved the ice-white skin that dived into clothes. He looked like was sculpted from marble.

She wondered how many others had been down here, in his place of solitude. It didn't look like he had many visitors and with the way he carried himself, she doubted he gathered a company. Mira would have been his only friend during this long venture that was his life.

Actually, she hadn't thought about his age. It hadn't occurred to her, but he could be a hundred years old and she wouldn't even know. She was nothing but a child to him. Feeling even more small than normal, she wrapped her cloak closer around her shoulders.

He was a vampire. She was a sorceress. In training. And he, no doubt, wouldn't want to be with a child.

Why am I even thinking about this...? She asked herself as her eyes drifted back to the vampire who was so gauntly beautiful in the dim light.

Arch's red eyes, had found an insignificant spot on the ceiling, with which to cast their attention. Staring, mindlessly at that same, pointless spot, as thoughts raced through his mind. He tried to focus on thoughts about the Demon Lord. About the ones controlling it, the blood she'd found, no doubt not of a Demon. When Demons took strong enough form in this world, their blood was a pitch black. Not the clear. Beautiful. Delicious red, as humans. Arch pinched his eyes, and shook his head lightly, at what he'd called the blood in his mind. He leaned back forward again, hiding his face in his hands, as he itched it again, pealing the last bits of dead skin off of him. letting it drop to the dusty ground, and vanish. His glance then fell towards Skylar, who was staring right back at him, and he tried to smile, but only hints of it came forth. Not because, he didn't want to smile. But because of the conflicting emotions running through him.

"You should get some rest, Skylar. You've done a lot today, even in the short time that's passed so far. And that, coming off on a wounded start." He said, smiling as he rose from the couch, just about to walk over to the bed, before Mira's running footsteps was heard, and sheethes was found in the chest next to the bed, as the Spectre started preparing it. He chuckled lightly a single time, though his nose, as he leaned back against the couches back, and gazed down to Skylar. "And I haven't even thanked you yet. Had you not held that barrier so well. I wouldn't have gotten out of there, with this little scars. If I even had." He said, placing one of his clean white hands on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I won't be leaving you alone just yet, anyway. Clearly your deeper connected to this, then I initially expected. You'll have to live with my company, just a little longer." He smiled lightly, gazing back to the bed, being made by invisible hands.

Was it strange that she found his words comforting? What she wanted most of all was to stay with him for as long as possible, to get to know him, to understand him, to see life through his eyes...

She pushed those thoughts away as she tucked loose strands of hair behind a heavily pierced ear. She pulled the ornaments from her hair, allowing the dark coils to cascade around her shoulders like spiraling clouds. Her misty-blue eyes looked to Arch through long, dark lashes. "Don't thank me," she said with a timid smile. "I shouldn't have been there alone. If you hadn't come..." Her hand reached for his, but she stopped, fiddling with the end of her skirt instead. Why she had such urges to reach out to him, she didn't understand nor could she control them. "...I'd be dead or even worse."

What were the demon's plans with her? To kill her? Or something else entirely? She shuddered at the thought.

Arch watched, as she fiddled with her hair, releasing it from the ornaments, that had formerly kept them in check. Like oceans of brown, they waved down over her shoulders, another sight that would certainly have send shivers through his body, was that possible. He hadn't noticed the pierced ear before, probably because it was mostly covered in the brown hair. It only added to the pristine beauty, that was already Skylar. He would've gazed away, but the deep eyes locked his in place, the red storms gazing into her's as she answered. His lips, smiling as she did. He noticed the hand reaching for him, but instead ending up by the edge of her skirt, causing him to finally let go of her eyes, gazing down to her hand, moving his to gently let his fingertips touch it.

"Lucky, I'm not as daft, as I wanted to believe when I said I was leaving." He said, smiling softly back into her eyes. The Hellhounds, would not have killed her. That was the worst part. They would've brought her to their Master, and he would've done far worse then simple kill her quickly. He would've drained her, for every bit of her energy, and then granted her the same end as her Master did. But he wasn't about to tell her that. "But. That doesn't cloud the fact, that you still kept both of us alive. And what you did, was a bad idea. But done, is done. And we'll have to go back anyway. But now as a 'we'." He suggested, smiling the same gentle smile, as his face made a tick, and the final piece of dead skin was released, and replaced, leaving his face completely healed, as long strands of black hair started coming forth from the spots where it had burn off, now falling down over his right brow and eye, reaching the same length as the rest of it. He let the lock hang, smiling with a soft chuckle. "See? No harm done."

She knew he was right, but still... part of her felt guilt eating at her.

When he touched her hand, she felt a shiver radiate through her bones, not unpleasantly. His smile caused her own lips to be pulled into a cat-like smile and she nearly gasped when his face returned to its natural state. Now that his hood was down, she could see his features distinctly. She had been wrong in thinking him beautiful; he was gorgeous.

Her pulse had picked up speed and she didn't even realize how close she'd gotten to Arch until her hands were once again touching his face. Fingers pressed where the wounds had been, she stared in marvel at the change she had witnessed before her eyes. She'd never seen anyone heal in a manner like this. But what fascinated her more was his unique bone structure befitting royalty and the clinquant red pits of his eyes were captivating.

We. He'd said we. They were going to search and together they were going to find the answers to their questions. She wondered what had changed his mind; the fact that she was being targeted or...?

Her fingertips traced the ridges of his lips, her clouded blue eyes staring intently at them, fascinated by their slight curves and smooth, cool surface.

As she got closer, his blood started struggling to keep up with the pace the adrenaline was forcing it into. He sank, as her eyes had gotten closer, then he could've ever hoped for. ANd he hadn't hoped for it. This was a nightmare. He couldn't possibly allow himself these feelings. He was already almost tasting the blood and adrenaline rushing through her body, causing his fangs to slowly appear. They lay dormant, until the lust for blood grew strong. And right now, he really wanted hers. But it had never felt this way before. It had never felt like anything then a lust to feed. It had never felt like he'd wanted to kiss his victim's skin. Take it with him, in any other way then their life force. Never had he felt the urge to protect someone, this deeply.

Then as her fingers touched his face, her warm skin, meeting its counterpart. Cold, marble skin that wouldn't show life, had it not been on his face, that was very much alive, behind a cold expression, with the smile slightly dimmed. That wasn't because of discomfort. No, on the contrary. Then, as her fingers traced his lips, he rose a hand, that he wasn't quite sure he had control of, as it was gently placed against her chin, the silk smooth, cool skin stroking against her warm cheeks, as a thumb gently caressed it, strafing the edge of her lips. His other hand stroked up her wrist, nearing the hand she strafed along his lips with, his fingers again softly caressing her warm skin. His body was about to let his face come closer to hers, no longer sure why. But as he got his mind straight, he quickly took a gentle grip of her wrist, and pulled her hand from his face, and his face a bit further away, lowering his gaze as he took a deep breath, causing him to hiss softly.
"Y.. You can't come this close.. Skylar. I am a Vampire. Even now, every fiber of my being.. Longs to taste the sweetness of your blood. And I can't.. Let myself do that." He explained, clear sorrow in his voice, as he gazed back to her deep eyes again, with the same longing as before. As he'd spoken, she would've been able to see, the bright white fangs.

His voice was the sound of an accordion, beautifully melodic and solemn. She loved the sound of it and while he moved her hands away, there was something in his eyes that contradicted his actions.

He was a vampire. Bloodlust was something that plagued them on a daily; she hadn't thought of it, but to be honest... now that he mentioned it, she wondered what it would feel like to have his fangs sink into her skin.

She saw the flash of fang when he spoke and was surprised by the arousal this brought. Heat flushed her cheeks again and she gripped her hands together, wringing them in the folds of her skirt. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Well, she had been thinking, but all she was thinking about was the feel of his skin against hers.

Why did she feel this compelled to a vampire? It wasn't his hypnotic power at work, as he made it clear he wasn't after her blood. So why? Why was she drawn to him so?

"We should get some sleep," she said in a small voice before curling up on the couch. "Tomorrow we decide our next move?"

He had to control himself. he had to control, what ever drew him closer to her. He couldn't let him get too close, or he'd end up feeding from her. That was why he was getting closer, was it not? That was why he was drawn to her. Her blood. It couldn't be anything else. Could it? He wasn't casting the hypnotic spell either, nor could she be affected by his constant mind manipulative spell, that all Vampires carried. She was a Sorceress. Even though she was an apprentice, the Magic inside her was more then powerful enough, to resist that. So why was she so drawn to him? He shrugged the thoughts away, as she retracted her hands. Her sorry caused him to smile lightly, and shake his head a single time.
"Do not apologize." He comforted, with no further words added in the mater.

As she curled up on the couch, he watched with the deep red eyes, calling back emotions that wanted to well up, as he reached out a hand, gently letting his finger tips touch her skin, as he pushed a few strands of hair, behind her ear. He then proceeded to lead the blanket over her, making sure she was covered to her neck, the cave getting rather cold during the nights. Even though it wasn't night yet, it was already chilled in there, and something inside him didn't want her to suffer for his inability to feel it.
"You will wake before dawn. We'll be able to move out before the sun rises. Then I'll be a bit more of use." He chuckled softly a single time, before moving around the couch, getting seated on the other end of it, leaning down in a comfortable position. He gave her a short gaze, before looking forward again, slowly closing his eyes.
"Oh yes. And Mira? Stay out of her dreams..." He whispered. Spectres where able to alter dreams, and Mira had eksisted as a Spectre, for a long time now. She'd gotten quite good at that, even capable of altering his dreams, which was a whole other deal, much harder then a humans.

Should Skylar fall asleep quickly, she'd only shortly bare a dream of the little girl Mira was, long blonde hair curling down her face, as she gazed upon her. "Don't listen to what he said, Sky. The distance he pretends to require, is a lie. Was he only longing for your blood. He would've already taken it. And. I am not enough comfort for his loneliness, anymore. You'll see.. Your both fighting a needless, and hopeless fight with your feelings. You'll see. You'll see." The image of Mira then vanished, and Skylar would only be able to remember bits of it, if not only what ever emotions it might cause.

Her sleep was strange and restless. First she was visited by a young girl, who spoke strange, cryptic words. She wasn't quite sure what it pertained to, as she was not in control of the dream, but she remembered thinking of Arch with fondness. The dream dissipated into something else entirely.

The rest of the night she was haunted by nightmares of demons chasing after her, clawing their way to her and trying to suck her dry. All of them were forbidding and ominous; when she awoke, it was with a start, but she didn't cry out.

Finding herself in the cave, she glanced around with groggy eyes. As they adjusted to the dim light, she had a flash of the blonde girl from her dreams. What had she said...? What had she been talking about? And who was she?

Skylar shook her head softly to rid herself of anymore pressing thoughts. It seemed the past few days, that's all her mind was full of. Questions, questions, questions.

She rubbed her eyes with a soft yawn. "Arch?" She asked timidly, wondering if the vampire was there.

Archibald had only slept for a few hours, his body needing no more to be fully energized, as long as he went dormant for a day or so, once a month. And he'd done that several times this month, having felt something ominous about the village. Something sinister hanging over it, as well as the entire kingdom. So he'd gotten well prepared with three days hypernation, leaving him with enough strength to go on hunting for several months, without rest.

As she woke, Arch sat near the fireplace, a simple knife cutting against a strong stick, slowly sharpening the end of it. His eyes rose to look towards her, as he heard the startled awakening. Nightmares. Probably not of Mira's doing, considering the discomfort. Mira only ever really granted nice, warm dreams. Only once had she been mad at him, for what ever action he took, not even sure he remembered, and that Nightmare caused him to wake with a scream. So this, clearly wasn't it. His gaze returned to the stick he was working on, and as she called for him he smiled lightly, before replying.
"Over here, Skylar." He called, raising his hand with a slight wave, before giving the arrow one last cut. He put away the knife, and gazed back towards her from the log he was placed on, smiling lightly. "Nightmare? Hope Mira didn't give you a hard time." He chuckled softly, gazing back to the stick, blowing some wind at it, just as a pillow hit his head, having been thrown from seemingly no where. "Ey!" He complained, catching the pillow, making sure it didn't end up in the fire. "Behave." He pointed in the direction he knew she stood, being able to feel her energy, he threw the pillow back at her, and the girl caught it. Now it just hovered through the air, before being placed near the log Arch sat on, and an imprint of someone sitting on it showed.
Arch proceeded to put a metal tip at the end of the stick, turning it a few times to make the crooked insides of the arrow, get properly stuck.

"Sleep well?"

Mira? Could that have been the blonde girl in her dreams?

Had she been referring to Arch?

Something in her chest fluttered. Hope for something between the two of them, but she doused that fire quickly. There would never be anything between them. Nothing more than what was already there; he was helping her because she was being targeted by demons, nothing more.

So why, then, had he followed her back to her master's home?

He'd been there already, of course, the other side of her argued. He had questioned her about the ordeal so it made sense he would go to the crime scene to look for more evidence. She had no proof he went there for any other reasons.

But what Mira had said in the dream lingered in her mind and she watched Arch with a wanting gaze, her heart sinking in her chest. He was a vampire; a Demon Hunter, at that. She was a would-be sorceress, with nothing but a broken past and dim future.

She smiled at Arch's question, though, responding with, "Better than I expected. You?" She stood then, allowing her body to stretch. She reached upward, her breasts a full view now that the cloak had slide from her shoulders. The bustier she wore only pronounced her chest further, complimenting her slender waist that fanned into strong hips supporting vast skirts of various hues. She reached for her toes, revealing cute shoes with petite ankles.

As she replied, he chuckled lightly a single time, reaching for another stick, and the knife again, placing the knife at the edge of it, as he cast his gaze back to her again. His lips parted, as about to speak, but no words came out, as his eyes observed her stretch. Her body was as beautiful, as her eyes where captivating. It'd not only been her lovely face, that would attract any man with a sane mind. But Arch was a Vampire... Naturally meant to have a hypnotic effect on humans. Then why ever was he the one this captivated by her, and not the other way around? Truth be told, he didn't know if she was as attracted to him, as he was to her. But he could hardly imagine her being it anymore then he was to her. Every curve of her body, called for the attention of any witness' attention, her rather exotic attire only adding to her own exotic beauty.

Arch realized he'd been dumb folded, his jaw slightly dropped, still as if he was about to speak, and he cleared his through quickly gazing back to the stick. "To Vampires, sleep is always silent. When we let our bodies rest, we get as close to death, as anyone could get without being.. Well. Dead. So, as always. Yes. Quite and. heavy." He answered, sending her a gentle smile, before continuing with the second arrow of the day. "The night fell upon us, a few hours ago. You didn't sleep long. We still have a big part of the night to hunt for clues, before it'll be hard for me to keep up again." He explained. By his side, there was already a pile of arrows, counting up to twenty. Clearly he was getting ready for a long night.

The imprint on the pillow vanished, as the footsteps gleefully hopped towards Skylar, before a finger clearly started to draw on the ground, writing. 'Your dress.' And bellow that: 'Beautyful'. One again, just slightly misspelled. When she was sure Skylar had red it, it was wiped out again, replaced with new words. 'He thinks too.' And in smaller words, that Arch wouldn't be able to see. 'Just shy'. The air around them got a bit warmer, as Arch's eyes moved up from the arrow, with a raised brow. "Now what's funny, Mira?" He asked. The cold aura around a Spectre, changed in density, depending on how they feel in the moment. Warmer meant happy, or even laughing, and colder obviously the opposite. Mira quickly wiped out what she'd written, clearly hopping a bit on the spot. Arch narrowed his eyes lightly, before shaking his head with a smile, as Mira wrote one last word. 'Hungry', and a very crooked question mark, that looked more like the number '2', and with a dot bellow it.

Her body needed the movement after yesterday's excitement and then sleeping in a new place. Her muscles reacted and eased, relaxing as she straightened.

Following Mira's writing, she smiled at the compliment and blushed at the implication that Arch thought so, too. Instead of commenting on that, she said to Mira, "Thank you. It's one of my favorites. I have to admit, once I had the ability to buy fine clothes," she gestured to her skirts with a sly smile, "I got a little carried away. I love pretty things." She brushed her fingers through her hair before pulling it into her usual side pony-tail, allowing her waves to rest on her shoulder like a pile of bubbles.

Now Mira had a new question in the dirt. "Hungry?" Skylar's brows drew in in a deep vee as she asked, "Me or Arch?" Given the circumstances, it could be either of them. And if she meant Arch, she was referring to his bloodlust. Was he hungry, she wondered? Her eyes slid over to the figure bent over spikes as he created his weapons. She watched him work, impressed by the flexes of muscles beneath pale skin.

As the two girls conversed, Arch just smiled lightly, shaking his head at their conversation. Indeed, he did think her dressing beautiful. But that wasn't the first thing he'd compliment her upon. That would be her beautiful face. Her gracious voice, and those deep, enthralling eyes. He shook his head again, getting the thoughts out of his mind, still pondering why it kept popping into mind, accidentally breaking the stick. He grunted softly, eyeing the half broken stick, before throwing it over his shoulder, finding a new one, which he started cutting, with more precision. He'd removed the leather outfit, he'd worn last night, and during the day, instead wearing a simple black shirt, resembling the one of a nobleman. Memories from a time long lost.

As Skylar moved with her hair, she'd feel something touching the dress, Mira clearly, oh so gently touching the fabric of it, before quickly retracting her fingers. Arch had told her how uncomfortable others could feel around creatures of their kind. The Undead. And she didn't want to unease Skylar. Then with Skylars question, Arch rose his gaze over towards her, with a slightly risen brow. Mira quickly wiped out what she'd written, and quickly replaced it with a 'You'.
"I can promise you, you'll know when I'm hungry. At that point, I will be running as far away from you, to find sustenance elsewhere. I promise you that too." Arch said, as he gazed back down at the stick, clearly finding it an uncomfortable subject. One wouldn't find a person hating his existence, more then Archibald. He'd been a Vampire for far too long to enjoy it. And he hadn't even enjoyed it at the start of things.

Skylar let out a soft giggle at Mira's interest in her dress. She offered the girl the cloak, which was a deep midnight blue of satin underlay and velvet on the top. "This was also one of my favorites," she said to the ghost.

She blushed at Arch's comment, hoping she had not offended him and wondering why she wanted to offer her blood to him. Deciding that was a conversation she'd rather not have, she said to Mira instead, "I'm a little peckish, I have to admit."

Again, she watched Arch with half closed lids, lips parted as she noticed he had snapped one of the arrows. Strange, as there were no other broken ones about, she wondered what had caused him to snap it. Was it her question?