in the heat of the summer

he huffed, half-chuckling at her words as he looked down somewhat bashfully. there was a delicate kind of wisdom to a lot of the things elsie would say, he’d noticed. he had a lot of questions for her—curiosity teeming at the edges of his mind. but one look at her and somehow all he could manage was a temporary dumbfounded silence. he liked her smile. he knew that much. he shook his head, a smirk with slightly narrowed eyes sneaking their way onto his features, “is it? i guess i could agree with you on that; meeting all types of strangers,” he mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear before slipping in an earbud to share his music with her. “rescuing said strangers.” he smiled sweetly as he tucked the other earbud into his own ear, hitting shuffle on some playlist on his phone. “i don’t know what your opinions on music are but this live band kinda bites.”

She avoided his gaze, putting on a jocose act as if she didn’t know who he was talking about. But he caught her attention again as she watched his hand near her face. Her expression grew confused as she felt the earbud, but she became amused with the explanation that followed. She hummed, giving her kudos to the pun, before letting her eyes drift to a spot on the floor, allowing her to listen attentively to the song. It was a pleasant surprise. Calming, dreamy, entrancing. It inspired bliss and reverie. “I was afraid people these days listened to that sort of music,” Elsie gestured to the band with a light chuckle. “But this...” she turned to Asher, “this is nice.” Perhaps looking at him inspired a similar feeling. Her smile softened. “It’s the kind of song that makes you want to fall in love.”

she smiled brightly, fondly, as the other girl sang, her eyes closing for a moment to really capture the sound of her voice. as a mermaid, singing almost always came naturally—it was a hobby held by most of her kind, and something she rarely ever realized she was doing in the midst of carrying out any other activity. but sora loved hearing the voices of others. whether they could carry a tune or not, a singing voice was something special, and could tell you a lot about a person beyond words. “stars fading but i linger on dear…” she continued, reaching out to take the girl’s hand and raising it up to twirl her. “still craving your kiss. i’m longing to linger till dawn dear—just saying this…” 

Giggling lightly, Elsie twirled under the girl’s hand. She enjoyed her playful nature and continued it as serenaded her with the last verse. “Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you,” she booped her the girl’s nose, “sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you. But in your dreams whatever they be... dream a little dream of me.” Once the music ended, Elsie lightly clapped her free hand against her wrist and made a gesture toward her singing partner. “You have a lovely voice,” she complimented. After handing the microphone back to the children, Elsie looked back to the girl. “What’s your name?”

It wasn’t usually normal for Oliver to open up to a complete stranger, but this person made him feel strangely comfortable enough to do so. She was incredibly well spoken for her age though and he found that he suddenly admired that about this girl. “Temporary why..” He repeated to himself looking down as he thought of its reasoning. Everything felt temporary to him at this point. If his love wasn’t supposed to last forever then what should. When her voice called out to him again Oliver rose his head giving her his undivided attention. His smile fell when he noticed the loud ass group of teenagers bother her. “Yeah. It’s a little crowded in here anyway. Maybe we can go to my place? I got some vodka if you still feel like drinking?” He offered with a warm smile. He was excited to make a new friend. Just as they rose from their seats a large male stepped in between the two clearly trying to push Oliver out of her sight. Annoyed, the wolf proceeded to push the male out of the girl’s space. “Dude take a hint. She want to leave and not talk to your sorry ass. “ He rolled his eyes going to open the door for her. “Sorry. Guys can be such jackasses.” He shook his head following her out the door. “Anyway uh.. I don’t think I’ve ever got your name? I’m Oliver!” He offered out his hand formally to greet her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She quirked a brow at the mention of alcohol, a small smile forming on her lips. She knew how the minds of young men tended to worked, but didn’t initially sense that he possessed any ill intentions. “Sure,” she replied simply. Besides, there wasn’t much to fear in her as she’d fed only the day before, making her strength level fairly high. As the two stood to leave, a random young male wedged himself between in attempt to gain her attention. Though she found the act boorish and annoying, her expression remained unfazed. She let out a sigh through parted lips, but before she could speak up, the stranger stepped in, catching her off guard. Usually she handled these types of situations on her own, so it was strange to see someone else wanting to come to her rescue. A small smile formed on her lips as she headed for the door, mouthing a ‘thank you’ to the boy before exiting. “Elsie. --- Pleasure,” she replied, gently taking his hand and giving it a shake. Something about Oliver convinced her that he was no ordinary young man, but she pushed the thought aside for a moment as they made their way down the sidewalk. “So... do you always invite pretty strangers over to your home or am I just lucky?”

 Lillian’s smile fell once she realized what the girl she was talking was doing. “Was that really necessary? If you would have asked me I would have been happy to buy you one. You didn’t need to mess with someones head.” She dumped her plate with just a few bites taken from it. The person in front of her wasn’t someone Lillian wanted to associate herself with.

Elsie sensed the energy in the younger female shift, but her eyebrows only knit slightly as the middle aged looking man came to hand her the food. “Oh, you mean that someone?” she gestured to him as he walked away. With her eyes were focused on the food in her hand, she continued, “That’s no innocent man. He’s cheating on his wife with that girl there.” As she took a bite from the funnel cake burger, she gestured to the young woman giving her a disapproving look as the man attempted a discreet apology. “If anything, I’m letting him off easy---and wow this is better than I thought!”

“I think that it could be a little bit of both, love and fireworks can be both exciting and also be surprising. The surprising thing for me is that love hasn’t been too kind to me.”

Elsie wore an ironic smile, the statement unfortunately ringing true for her as well. “I know what you mean. It’s been a long time since I’ve truly loved someone... It seems that love is as cruel as it is beautiful. With it comes disappointment, loss, and sometimes it isn’t enough.”

“ that long ago ? how have i managed not to take note of you ? ” he asked, genuine surprise lacing his tone. asteria wasn’t that big of a town but still. “ you must’ve arrived when i was on one of my suicide missions, ” he mumbled, a fond look on his face at the other’s words. “ i’m surprised someone finally managed to catch you.” he laughed, thinking back to the last time he’d seen her. it was decades ago, with ardan feeding on a woman that they both had shared as elsie gave him one final smirk of goodbye — before stalking off into the night. “ but you’re here now. and if you need any help lessening such annoyances.. you know you have me.”

“Suicide missions,” she repeated, quirking a brow. Elsie rolled her eyes at his comment while shaking her head, the smile still on her face. “Yeah? I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I’m still young---I’ve got some more to learn. Hopefully after I’m free I won’t find myself in a situation like this again. Though... I must admit,” she took a moment to glance at their surroundings, “the conditions could be worse.” Perhaps she was jinxing it, but recently, she hadn’t faced any major problems against the hunters, and with all the new people she’d been meeting, she more or less had begun to enjoy being in Asteria. “How kind,” she replied with an amused expression. “I’ll be sure to keep you in mind. Maybe we could team up again for a night, for the sake of nostalgia and, well, just a good time.”

his eyes followed the voice, shooting up into a sitting position as soon as he caught sight of elsie. he smiled in turn, albeit a bit awkwardly from his jumpiness. he really needed to learn how to relax. they’d hung out a couple times already, so it felt a bit silly to be nervous at her appearance. “yeah, i uh, i like it just before the sun disappears. makes everything else glow like the horizon’s on fire,” he chuckled. sundown was a special time. a peaceful one. a cliche that could never really get tired. he scrunched up his nose, “way to ruin a pretty word, huh? with uh,” he glanced down at his arms before looking back to elsie. “sparkly vampires… might wanna stick with dusk from now on.”

“Seems like the only option,” Elsie agreed, taking a seat beside him. “Though... you would look so pretty if you sparkled,” she giggled. Turning her head back to the sky, she looked to the area that was brightest. “For me, the best part is when the sun finally sets, but you can still see its light. How it lingers... very metaphorical, and just... so beautiful to look at.” It was something she thought she would’ve gotten tired of over the years, but that had yet to happen. She shifted her gaze to Asher and smiled. “But the night is much more exciting,” she suggested, her grin quickly becoming smug.

there was something about her touch that brought a sense of comfort ash couldn’t put a name to. in a place where he’d have been possibly trembling with nerves with anyone else as strange to him as she was… oddly, asher couldn’t feel that telltale panic at all. the nerves were there—of course, they always would be—but not in the way that typically terrified him. all he could really do was stare—catch the curl of her lips and the gleam in her eyes before she’d closed the small distance between them, and with a sharp intake of breath he’d gone completely still for a moment. her lips were soft, and despite coming from outside only moments ago, she somehow radiated warmth. he found himself leaning forward into the kiss, shoulders relaxing as he brought an only slightly hesitant hand up to brush her hair behind her ear, coming to rest at her neck just below it. 

sora was more than delighted by the stranger’s cheerful acceptance, as she’d grown used to more halfhearted responses from the people of asteria falls. perhaps the mood of the festivities sprinkled a little more positivity over its patrons for the night. either way, she was happy, taking the microphone from the girl and silently thanking the children. “okay!” she smiled, taking a look at the machine before figuring out how to cycle through the song options. there were far too many of her favorites to easily pick just one. “oh! this one’s a favorite of mine!” she exclaimed as she selected ‘dream a little dream of me’, starting to sway as the music began. she held up the mic as the machine let her know her cue was coming up. “stars shining bright above you… night breezes seem to whisper ‘i love you’… birds singing in the sycamore trees, dream a little dream of me~” looking to the girl, she offered a sweet smile, and a nod to let her know to continue with the next verse.

Elsie’s eyes fixed on the screen as the girl surfed through the selections and she wondered what song she would choose. She would’ve guessed something upbeat and modern, for it seemed to fit with the young female’s bubbly personality. But when she came around to finally picking one, her brows raised at the song selection. Looking to the girl, she gave a warm grin and started swaying as the music began to play. Feelings of nostalgia inevitably overcame Elsie, bringing her back to the first time she heard the song. It was over half a century ago and she enjoyed the tune now just as much as she had back then. The stranger had a lovely voice, the kind of voice that could put someone in a trance, and Elsie thought it suited the song perfectly. When her turn came, she closed her eyes as sang. “Say nighty night... and kiss me. Just hold me tight and tell me and tell me, you’ll miss me. Whiiile I’m alone and blue as can be... Dream a little dream of me.”

 “You would be surprised on what food combinations people can come up with.” Lillian said with a funnel cake burger in hand.”People have burgers with donuts as buns and waffles with chicken. You never know how somethings goings to taste until you try it.”

Her eyes widened at the sight of the food. So it was actually real. “I suppose you’re right,” she agreed, still making a face. “And I suppose I am a bit curious...” After spotted a familiar man at the front of the line, she moved a few feet to touch his hand, compelling him to buy her one, before seamlessly continuing conversation with the younger female. “Is it good?” she asked.

“ asteria is home.. well, sort of home i suppose, ” he replied, cocking his head to the side. “ and i’ve been neglecting a few businesses and a few people for too long. but you, my dear, ” the vampire paused, his mind trying to recall just when he last saw the pretty little minx — faces and timelines just blurring as he got older. but with elsie.. he grinned. “ are a special addition. when did you get here ? and why haven’t i noticed, i wonder. ”

Elsie never felt like she had place to call home. She was constantly moving, seeing new sights, and meeting various individuals---like Ardan. The vampire who, once, used to make her giddy, now only earned a shake of her head and an amused chuckle. “Almost a year ago, actually. I was caught,” she admitted, sardonic grin on her lips. “Went after the wrong man, affiliated with a group of hunters... But my lesson’s been learned. Last time I let someone go.” She eyed their surroundings, wondering if any hunters were lurking. “I haven’t been let out much. Any time a crime case comes up, I get locked up until I can prove myself innocent. It’s incredibly annoying,” she said with a sigh.

he looked a bit relieved as she answered him, eyes lighting up as the simple words left her mouth, and glad she didn’t seem to be in any seriously debilitating pain. working his shifts at the hospital ash had seen more than a couple nasty wolf and bear trap accidents, a lot uglier than the girl’s situation. she’d been lucky, somehow. his head cocked to the side slightly as she followed up with a question, eyes going a little wide with the nonverbal suggestion. there wasn’t much space left to move forward without invading some kind of boundary. or so he assumed. inching closer to her on his knees, both out of a genuine want to help, and maybe some curious compulsion that spurred him forward, he mumbled quietly, “w-what is it? if you need something, i…” he’d trailed off, swallowing thickly.

Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle over the way she scrunched her nose over the author’s name. “Sorry. I take it you are not a fan of mister Green.” He shook his head before listening more of what she had to say. “Awh stop it now or you are going to make me blush.” He smiled bashfully finding this stranger he just met to be so wise and genuinely sweet. “Thanks though but doing it someone else’s way might not be the best option you know? Like you said I have got my whole life to find my.. I guess new why..” He sighed with a frown. “Here lately I think I’ve just been distracting myself from my last why.. I just want to forget him, but at the same time I don’t because I love him. He is still my best friend an I care about him ya know?” He shrugged taking a sip of his drink. “Sorry. I doubt you want to hear the sob story stuff.” He then smiled again. “Maybe you can be my distraction for now? If you are up for it. You seem like you might have some interesting stories to share oh wise one. Tell me. Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”

She gave a nod and chuckled as he caught on. The male had the kind of smile that caused one to grow on her own face. But as he continued to speak, there came a shift in the mood. So his why was a person, as she previously assumed. The situation he spoke of sounded much too familiar and caused memories of her past to aggressively fight their way back into her mind. She thought she was immune to the feelings that came with them, but in reality, all she’d really done was suppress them. “I understand,” she replied, offering a reassuring smile. Swatting the air as he apologized, she shook her head. “Please. We all need distractions every now and then. They may not fix the problem in the long run, but they do serve as a sort of... temporary why.” Tilting her head to the side slightly, she wore an endearing grin.  “Actually, I---” but before she could explain her situation, she was interrupted by a loud group of teenagers entering the room. She attempted to talk over them for good minute before letting out a sigh and gesturing towards the door. “You want to go somewhere else?” she asked, raising her voice louder than the noise.

“Oh there’s nothing childish about that, not at all.” She replied to her. “They are quite beautiful and I guess there is something romantic about them, I mean I’ve seen plenty of fireworks in romantic movies.”

The smile on Elsie’s face remained as the female reassured her. “I wonder why that is,” she prompted. “Is it because they come in surprises in the same way love does? Or likewise, because of the excitement they cause?”