ROSEMARY & THYME

Children are not his strongest suit in catering to. Typically, they are energetic and bursting with energy. Curiosity rules their every action, dictates their every word to be delivered in inquisitive innocence. Questions lead to answers, and answers are often remembered for the future if the questioning individual cared enough to remember them. To be remembered is, even now, unacceptable.

A lone bear rests The proper way to handle a misplaced stuffed animal would be to return it to its owner. The doll’s appearance reminiscent of hollywood horror’s macabre playthins, he found it so strange to see such a disturbing object in plain sight. Considering the sheer size of the city, however, it is an anomoly to be expected. The grotesque bear now clutched in both hands, dull viridians would cast upon a small boy, seemingly in search of the doll he himself holds in his clutches. Those very same eyes were now downcast. So, this boy must be the owner of this toy, he thought. It’s best to return it and move on, he felt. Without a second’s thought, the bear haphazardly is tossed towards the oncoming young male. He should be paying attention— he’s the one searching, after all.

A look of surprise crossed his face when his eyes met with a rather upsetting scene.  His bear--in the careless hand--of someone else.  "Teddy!" Kanato exclaimed in horror.  When the identified object was tossed his way, he immediately raced to catch his friend.  He held Teddy close, examined him for previous harm done, then huffed...

His eyes met with the back of the stranger.  "Hey!" Kanato shouted as he picked up a rock from the dust covered street.  He clenched the pebble in his hand, and In sudden fury, the vampire threw it at the man.

  "Talking to your teddy bear won’t give you the correct answer. However, only I can, and that comes with a price. But don’t worry, I’m sure there will be laughter at some point during this conversation. The smell is the most prominent one, isn’t it?"

When told that he was conceited, that he wasn’t cautious, it made the Undertaker give a small chuckle. Until he realized that he certainly was conceited, and at times he wasn’t cautious, which made him laugh even harder. This child was far more serious than the Undertaker had anticipated.

  "A child being so serious… You certainly do remind me of the Earl! Your defense is remarkable! It brings me joy to be able to talk to someone who knows how to bring me a laugh…"

However, the words did not affect the Undertaker in the least, as he was too conceited to care for them. Just as the boy had said.

  "I wonder, what does that make me~? Didn’t I say so before? I’m only an Undertaker. Don’t we both have something over each other’s hands now? Hehehe.. Since you have had your payment, you may ask me some questions yourself, as well."

Feeling far too joyous at the moment at the thought that if the conversation continued on, the other would show these tendencies of aggression and seriousness, his grin grew even larger.

  "The pleasure is all mine, Kanato! This has been such an enlightening conversation, and I feel like it will continue."

That was, until he heard the other mention vampires. For displaying such behavior before, the Undertaker couldn’t believe that he would lie about being a vampire. From Undertaker’s information, they only existed in fiction. Not even a world with demons, angels and grim reapers did it hold vampires. Based on the fictions he had read, they drank blood, wooed women and would burn in the sunlight; all these Kanato looked the least like.

"Please realize just how conceited that sounds."

Truth be told, Kanato was having a hard time in keeping up with Undertaker's vague statements involving laughter.  It was not because of what he meant by the usefulness he seemed to see in laughing, but rather the fact that he cherished laughter itself as something inevitable.  "Are you implying that laughter is your form of currency?"  He asked curiously.  Kanato had never met someone so eager to laugh.  Kanato had never met someone so eager to show true joy in front of others.

When Undertaker referenced Kanato's youth ridden appearance and serious nature, the vampire immediately shook his head in opposition over the other seeing it as a contradiction or surprise.  "Age is not relevant to a person's attitude or demeanor," he told him.  "Age is far from being important, especially in my life..."  Kanato's once bold words formed into a slow mumble as anger suddenly struck him...

What made Undertaker think it was okay for him to compare Kanato to someone else or even mention another person when Kanato was the one in front of him?  Shouldn't his attention be directed on the person he's speaking with solely?  How disrespectful.

"You say that you are only an Undertaker and yet you expect equivalent exchange in our conversation," Kanato identified broodingly.  A sigh of exasperation was let out as he casted his gaze away from the other and instead overlooked the street.  "Is there a reason why you contradict yourself so often?  How aggravating that must feel to be stuck in a loop filled with thinking of yourself so highly, and then instead finding yourself to be mere or small the next."

Pastries always smelled so good. For Riful, it was the same concept as a scented candle. It smelled SO good, but if she tried to eat it, she’d been in for a horrible surprise. It didn’t mean she couldn’t come to a bakery just for the smelled. She couldn’t do all that much for entertainment. Due to her homeland, she had no clue how to work a TV or a computer, and had to find her entertainment other places.

The Abyssal One was surprised to find her eyes locked with a boy’s. It was her fault for laughing. She had been in a shocking good mode and just about anything would have made her do so at the moment. She expected the boy to look away. Her eyes were not all that intense, but people rarely made eye contact for long. But he did not looked away. How troubling.

She blinked in surprise when the boy ask her why she was staring at him. From her point of view, he was the one that was staring. She simply met his gaze because it was instinct. If she looked away first, she would have been the more submissive beast and that was not her way.

However, this had become a challenge and Kanato never backed down without a fight.  The spat most likely appeared minor to those who passed by, but once the vampire's focus was set on a goal it was all truly the opposite from tiny or unimportant...  At least, through his perspective.  "Excuses.  Excuses," he sighed out.  Most would intend to come off as playful with a well known statement like that but his voice was laced bland.  There was nothing to his soft tone of voice.

The only identifiable hints leading to his emotions were a mock smile and a quirked up brow.  It was an at least slightly better expression in comparison to the irritated look he had provided earlier.  "Most things are not what they seem...  And I don't start things.  I break them," Kanato quipped softly.  His words had not really been a threat, per se.  It was more of a fear tactic to scare her off, but with the girl's stubborn demeanor, he doubted it was going to budge her.

"Why would I stare at a person I have never met?  I only looked at you because you were ogling me inappropriately," he lied.  His sudden change to represented boredom could have been seen as terribly convincing though.

      As they push their way through the crowds,the words he speaks next catch her completely off guard. She wants to stop short and properly react; but the crowd is too hectic. Continuing to move with him is her only option. That doesn’t mean she’ll keep her mouth shut, however.      

      “Ummm—! Excuse me, Kanato-kun!” Cue an extremely evident pout. ”You can’t talk to me like that!”

      “Besides, I don’t belong to you! I’m offering to help you!”      

      They finally reach the doors to the train station and, as the seconds pass, she finds herself growing more and more irritated. What’s with this kid? She takes the time out of her day to show him kindness and help him find his new home, and this is the treatment she gets? Hell no!      

      Stopping abruptly, she folds her arms across her chest. There’s no way she’s going to let him talk to her like she’s some kind of slave. It’s as if he completely forgot she reached out to him. Not everyone takes the time out of their day to help a total stranger. The least she expected was a ‘thank you’ and some pleasant conversation.      

A look of horror crossed Kanato's face before melting away to absolute sublime anger.  His jaw clenched and his eyes darted around in examination over Rise's annoyance.  In his eyes she was ungrateful and he knew it was to be that   "If you were smart you would be excusing yourself, Rise-san," he hissed out with his left index finger shoved at the girl's face.

"I can talk to you in any way I please.  Besides, I wouldn't be speaking to you in this manner if you didn't act so self-righteous!"  Slowly he let his hand drop before placing it firmly atop his Teddy's head.  Kanato then proceeded to raise his nose high into the air snobbishly.  "A human like you is what is talking out of turn!  You're the one at fault here, not me!"

Even as he quieted down to a low grumble, Kanato knew he was destined to not let her words go.  Rise's attitudinal defense insulted him grimly. "Offering to help me?  ...  Really?  I was the one who told you to show Teddy and I the way in the first place.  You did not seek me out to offer your sympathy.  I wouldn't need it anyway."  The vampire's strong ego was ripping and tearing his tiny will of complacency at it's fragile seams.  Kanato hadn't much patience to begin with. 

As he gradually grew even more frustrated, Kanato started to shout once again.  "Is that what you're trying to say!?  Are you trying to say that you're leading the way out of sympathy!?  That is so conceited..."

Things took a turn for the worst when Rise stopped abruptly by the train station doors.  Kanato looked like the was about ready to pop off Teddy's head with how much he was shaking.  A small amount of pedestrians passed the two by wearily— but at a great distance with eyes trained ahead.

" Why....  Why ... Why are you so CRUEL!?  You mean to tell me that this is how you treat a person who have been thrown into an unrecognizable place like this!?  This is how you treat people who have been forcibly put on the street!?   You ... You speak ill of them!?"

"That is such disgusting behavior and treatment to someone so much more deserving than you!"

♠ - What are they afraid of?

♦ - What is one thing about them that they are most proud of?

♣ - What is one thing that they find embarrassing? (About them, others, things in general)

❧ - They receive a bouquet of flowers, how do they react?

★ - Do they prefer daytime or nighttime and why?

☾- Are they prone to nightmares or dreamless sleep?

☼ - Something that/Someone who makes them happy.

☁ - If they’re caught out in the rain how do they react?

♪ - Are they musically inclined? 

♫ - What kind of music do they enjoy?

✓ - How do they react to praise?

✕ - How do they handle rejection?

☺ - Do they prefer sour or sweet treats?

❄ -  Favourite season and why?

☯ - Do they sleep with the lights on or off?

☮ - Do they have an idol or someone they look up to?

❤ - Do they have a love interest?

✖ - Who is someone they just cannot stand?

♔ - Do they value loyalty?

♕ - Do they trust easily?