“You’re one insult away from starting a war.”

Kailor’s hand drifted away as soon as the horse became restless but apparently not soon enough. He wondered what it might have been that the horse felt and the cat he and Veritty had found didn’t. Was it some sort of coincidence or the cat just wasn’t bothered so much with his strong presence as it was used to be associated with magic unlike this beautiful creature. With his hands held in front of his chest, the professor took a step back then another one. “Not much of a talker, huh?” Finally rolled from his lips before they curved into a smirk.

“No no. I can be very chatty. It’s just your presence has upset Leviathan here. And he doesn’t scare easily.” The few steps back seemed to work for the horse, who didn’t stop breathing deeply, eyes staying glued to Kailor with a very wary look in them. James grabbed the rolling tool box and took a few steps back away from his horse to give him space, shaking his head. “You’re lucky I just finished shoeing him. Otherwise I would have been pissed.” He mused, mostly to himself as he regarded the man. “If you wish to talk, come, let’s see if you can upset the rest of the stables with your presence.” It was teasingly implied as he motioned for him to be followed.

Aleena gave the horse a little pat on its neck, though half expecting him to kick or push her away. None of these things happened. Her brown eyes followed him cautiously before she turned back to the male. “He’s pretty… What’s his name?”, she wondered before offering him a smile. Despite her nervousness, she couldn’t deny she was fascinated by being around a species so strong, being able to interact with him even. “That must be exciting, though. Thanks, by the way, for letting me touch him and all that”

“This is Leviathan. Levi for short. His name can be a mouthful sometimes.” He chuckled, watching the girl. “You can keep petting him if you’d like. He’s quite a ham for attention.” The vampire clarified, just in case she felt like he wanted her to stop. “Would you ever consider going for a ride?”

Evelyn had been meaning to go to the stables ever since she had met that nice girl Emilia when she’d arrived. The other woman had raised her spirits, gotten her excited to discover a way where she could still be active. Plus she had read about the therapeutic affect that horses could have and was curious to see if it was true. The brunette made her way into the large space, admiring the beautiful animals as she looked around for the redhead. She was unfortunately no where to be found, but she was not disappointed in who she did see. “James, it’s lovely to see you again!” She greeted him with a smile, keeping her voice low as to not spook the horses.

@james-mazur

For a place that seemingly never had any people around, somehow he managed to be meeting everyone in the stables now. His lips fixed themselves into a smile, nodding. “Evelyn. Feel like riding a horse today?” He asked, smile turning into a grin. “Or are you here just to see me?” 

Her hands ran over the horse’s long nose, noticing the tiny constellation of black spots on the bridge. The story he spun was nice and reminded her of the many times she’d attended such events. “So you’re a gentleman and a hard worker. Nice to know.” Both hands were placed on the horse’s face while she looked over to the professor. “So is it nostalgia that has you out here today? Or are you making new friends?” Her smile was teasing. Maybe the man just wanted a moment of peace. That was something she could understand. 

“A bit of both.” James confessed with a small smile. “I find animal friends are a little easier to talk to and keep around. Leviathan here is my newly acquired companion. Figured why not put new shoes on him while I’m doing the other horses.” Since the woman seemed to be busying herself with the horse, James decided to pull out the brush and beginning to brush along his spine. “What brings you out here? Looking to go horseback riding?”

She let out a small sigh of relief when he smiled at her. People on the island were unpredictable and she was wary about running into just anyone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Rosemary. I’m one of the librarians,” she responded before taking his hand and shaking it softly. “Yeah, I probably should have thought about that beforehand. If I’m honest it’s all a bit intimidating. I came here for…obvious reasons…but it’s such a new setting for me. Maybe you could show me around if you’re not too busy.”

The vampire glanced at his horse for a moment before nodding. “I have one more horse to shoe so if you feel like sticking around and waiting I’d be happy to show you around. If not I can always take you to dinner tonight to get better acquainted.” He offered.

“Moving.”

His first impression was that of a sharp and quiet person; someone like him but different in a way. Kailor never felt intimidated or any desire to recognize the species of someone he talked to (so it was only natural that he wasn’t very good at it) but the man’s words certainly had a way of putting him on edge. Perhaps it was because he knew himself very well and wondered just how much alike they were. “Kailor.” The professor extended his hand in return, taking the man’s one and shaking a few times before withdrawing from that action. Seconds later his hand ran along the neck of the horse, making it uneasy when the touch caught him by surprise or perhaps the animal could sense his true nature and that scared it from some reason. “Did you name it?”

The vampire had a feeling, and it was a strong one, one that made him tilt his head a little with a curious smile on his face as he shook the man’s hand for a brief moment. Like deja vu. Suspicions were confirmed when the touch from Kailor had sent the calm disposition of his horse into a frenzy of sorts. He jumped, hind legs kicked a little and a whinny accompanied it, only to back up and try to rear, the only thing keeping him from doing so was being tied to the stable wall. “Woah easy there, Levi.” The vampire put his hands up to calm, only to look at the man. “Do you mind backing up a bit?” He asked.

“Pet him?”, the girl repeated sheepishly. That was exactly what she wanted, what she initially came for. Yet, faced at the very prospect of doing so, she was merely half a step away from just walking off again. Aleena had not expected company, much less one so good with horses, and that intimidated her oh so easily. The brunette nodded, eventually letting her hand fall into his. “He won’t mind?”, she wondered once again, eyes shifting between him and the four-legged creature. “Okay… I’m calm now.”

Though calm was not the right word for it, she did not know how, her legs carried her closer to the animal and soon she felt its rough skin against her small hand. “Wow… He’s warm”, she smiled, though clearly still nervous. Her body tensed as she turned towards him. “Much warmer than yours. You’re good with these horses, though…” It was only hesitantly that she lifted her hand off the horse. “Is it yours? You keep ‘em?”

She was so warm, even with James’ years and years of self control and patience, he found himself getting a little thirsty. Time to feed apparently. He watched her pet him, and no doubt the horse let her, drinking in the attention like he’d been wandering the desert for days on end. But even with the horse’s calm demeanor, she was still nervous. The vampire thought he could always compel her to be calm but he liked to save his abilities for more opportune moments. “Yes he’s mine. This one only though. I grew up with a few work horses so I enjoy their company.”

Rose had been taking the island in, it was all so wonderful to her. For a woman who had been kept away for so long, adventure was freeing. She hadn’t realized which way she had been going, figuring she’d find her way back around eventually. Reaching the stables left her in a bit of awe, “Wow,” she whispered to herself, not realizing there had been another person around as well. 

The redhead took a step back shyly, “Oh um I don’t think so. I was just taking it all in I suppose. This place is so wonderful, I lost track of where I was headed and ended up here,” she chuckled.

Looking her up and down for a moment, he nodded, wiping his hands clean. “You sound new. I’m James. Business professor. Welcome.” He smiled, admiring her beauty for a moment before extending his hand to the woman. “This island is pretty complex, so I’d be careful about wandering without a guide for the first week or so.”

He seemed so calm around the horses. So practiced in a way that meant he’d been raised around them. Elizabeth had to wonder if he’d been around when they were the most popular mode of transportation. “Ah, a fellow professor then. This is a treat. So tell me. Did the lessons end up coming in handy?” She moved over to one of the stalls to pet a curious horse’s nose as she waited.

Pulling a brush out from the little rolling tool box, he began brushed along the horse’s spine slowly and gently, a more composed and relaxed smile coming to his lips. “Hm. Quite a few times. In learning to shoe a horse, I picked up the trade and art of black smithing. I was once at a Kentucky Derby race and one of the race horses needed an emergency replacement. The shoer wasn’t to be found, later seen with one of the female cashiers, so I stepped in and did it. Wasn’t too shabby of a job.” He chuckled. “Unfortunately the horse didn’t win. Lost a grand that day, but the horse went on to have a rather lucrative career and retired. So, it wasn’t a complete loss, I’d say.”

Wandering the grounds had become second nature to Elizabeth. There was always some new bit of expanse to explore or even enjoy a moment of quiet. This time, though, there was a clanging coming from one of the stables. Being the curious creature she was, the vampire entered the stable and her eyes landed on the male taking care of the horses. “Well, I was coming this way to check out the noise but it’s clear what that was now. Are you often found playing farrier?” 

The vampire eyed the other vampire for a moment, a bit of a smirk coming to the corner of his lips before it stretched completely into a formal smile. “Uh, no actually.” Laughing lightly, he threaded his fingers through his hair, getting it out of his face from being bent over before it rested on the shoulder of the horse. “No, I am more often found playing professor. My father taught me how to shoe horses when I was a young boy, said it might come in handy some day.”

There was no reasonable explanation of how Kailor ended up here. He didn’t even consider there was such place around the island, otherwise, he might have visited it earlier. Growing up, the professor used to have this obsession with horses, which later turned into obsession towards wild animals in general. Not just any animal, though, since he always had a thing for those who showed some high level of intelligence, not that as of right now he wasn’t sure any animal had more common sense than most humans ever, including the supernaturals. “No, I don’t think so.” Kai shook his head, eyes landing on the other male. “I’m just amazed I’ve never heard of this place existing. Are you the owner?”

James’ nose picked up on the smell of gunpowder, maybe some musk, a light sprinkling of something unique. Magic-wielder. He put the hammer back into it’s spot before dusting the dirt off his hands and shook his head. “I own this young buck but no. I don’t own the stables. School property. James.” He extended his hand to the other man with a courteous smile.

Aleena shook her head quickly once the man turned towards her. She had watched him from afar for a few moments before approaching, both a tad intimidated by him and the horses. “No, I’m sorry-“ Her eyes shot up to the four-legged creature, her features graced with awe and respect. “I just wanted to see the horses. I hear someone say the Institute has some so I wanted to see them” Her voice trembled a little. Clearly, she wasn’t all too familiar with them. “I’ve never been so close to one…”      

He could hear her little hear pitter-pattering away in her chest as he caught her. And then the delicious scent of fear pouring from her pores. But James swallowed a little, setting the hammer down at straightening out his posture a bit. “Would you like to pet him? He’s very friendly.” The vampire asked, putting one hand on the horse’s neck and extending his other hand out to the young woman. “Just relax. Take deep breaths. Horses are excellent at reading peoples’ energies. If he senses your nervousness, he’ll get nervous.”