Mr. Sharp

Ray rather not agree with Gabriel but the plan was logical. It would benefit all of them, to make this town fall into a rather chaotic state. Ray could break away from the coven, gain more power for Mina. It was risky but… His need for freedom was becoming rather strong as of late. Without Mina around to calm him or insisting for him to trust her… He has become more agitated. Especially after talking to quite a few other people in town. “Those that took her powers would have to come into light if there is chaos” Ray spoke, not necessarily to Gabriel but more of a thought spoken out loud. It would allow him to have a chance to understand how the Supreme’s power was taken… And possibly allow him to give the other coven a chance to end the woman that was keeping him away from being completely free. “And so the board is set. Chaos will more or less be inevitable in this game.” 

Gabriel nodded and he already imagined what the town could and would look like. He had waited too long already to unleash himself up the innocent citizens and the more days passed, the more his longing for blood and violence started to grow. Even though Arcadia was quite eventful for those who were not used to anything other that his, he missed his thrill and the adrenaline rushing through his veins. "And that will be our chance to get them back." He knew that if they would not manage to give Evelyn her powers back, he would be the strongest warlock in the coven and he was not planning on taking the burden of the leadership on his shoulders. "All we need to do is move the pieces to their places."

“The superhuman strength, you mean? Yeah, it’s saved my ass a few times, at least.” she admitted, albeit rather begrudgingly. Even a year later, she found it difficult to bask in the glory of being supernatural. Yes, she had speed, and strength, and would never need reading glasses. ( thank god. ) All abilities, however, felt chained to anchors, memories of all she’d run from, and all those she’d hurt with that strength. There was only one thing she could hold onto, the rare hypersensitive touch. A fickle thing, an unwelcome thing, in most aspects of her life. But on the occasion she indulged in a bit of pleasure, she would sooner thank her abilities than condemn them. 

“There’s that chivalry.” she quipped, an easy smirk on her tinted lips, before her eyes narrowed curiously at the man across from her. “So, how old are you?” she asked directly. “Less than a hundred?” she asked, her interest peaked, at least, as long as the cogs in her head continued to turn. 

The promise was enough, she figured, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before nodding at him to throw the ball once more. 

"I think that might indeed be one of the examples." He had to admit that he had been referring to the endurance he had gained because of his vampire powers. He also had to admit that he might have been referring to the hypersensitive skin and the heightened emotions. Even though he was still after the same sort of thrills he had always been longing for, he could now live them to the fullest and enjoy them even more. "I happen to be a vampire by choice." He looked at the other vampire and locked his eyes with hers for a brief moment of time. "And even though there are certain downsides that might make life not always easier, I do not regret choosing to add the vampire powers to my arsenal."

Gabriel curled his lips up into a smirk. "I might enjoy backing my promises up with deeds." He nodded his head slightly and then he thought about her question for a moment. He had always enjoyed sounding like those old vampires who had lived centuries, but even when counting his human years he was not even half way her guess. "I am afraid that I don't even make it to fifty yet." But the fifteen years of being  vampire he had had did make him long for more, that was certain. 

He saw her nod and then he tensed all his muscles once more before he threw the ball at her once more.

“Aw, that one is no fun.” Erik groaned out loud on purpose. “Okay, are you attracted to us?” He smirked a little at his question. “Depending on how you answer is what comes next.” 

Gabriel smirked and he let his eyes wander over her nervous and trembling body. Of course, he could easily compel all those worries and sorrows away, but there was little to not entertainment value in that. "You can be absolutely honest, of course." He winked and then a small and breakable voice whispered. "You both are very handsome, yes..."

“Hmm…somehow I just knew that you had refined and expensive tastes in alcohol as well as other areas.” It isn’t exactly difficult to determine that, based off of what she has seen about him so far. 

“Really?” Amanda raises a brow of curiosity when he speaks about his parents, listening quietly as he continues to explain. There’s a softness in her eyes that shows a good degree of understanding when she hears what he has to say. “Material needs are important but shouldn’t replace other things that are equally, perhaps more important.” Having said that, Amanda has had little emotional support and love over the years, so even though she has said that, she has been quite materialistic sometimes. “I am glad to hear that. Nobody should really be stopped from achieving their dreams and goals. I suppose there are exceptions–but in general we should all be free to try and succeed in them.” There are times when she wonders what her own parents would think of how she has turned out, but the fact they had given her up to begin with–their opinion doesn’t matter much to the brunette. “Do you still have contact with your parents and do they live around here?”

–She’s wary.

There’s no denying it. For so long, Amanda has relied on herself and a good part of her will remain that way. Yet surely if she could progress further and be better, then that’s a good thing for her, right?

“I certainly have no damn intention of ending up as the next corpse in this town.” There had been a one or two dangerous encounters recently. “I’m not sure how you can help…I’m…well..I don’t think I am like you…” Now is the time to be straight and blunt about it. “Tell me what you are, Gabriel….cards on the table for this…and I will too.”

"I am the kind of person who wants to enjoy life to the fullest and if I have everything I need to do so. Why should I settle for anything less?" He cocked his head slightly and he stared up and down the woman in front of him. He had not even attempted to hide his riches and wealth, but he had never gotten the impression that she minded. 

"My parents believed that my wishes and longings were forbidden. They have been told the same stories over and over ever since they were little children and unlike me, they believed them and toke them from truth." He bit his lips slightly and he thought about the anger he would face if he would ever tell and show them what he had become. Who he had become. "Although a part of me has never stopped loving them, I have decided that staying away from the is better for all of us." He had not called them anymore, even though he had dialed their number a few times. In a way he was afraid to lose them, but in a way he also knew that things would get easier once they had finished their lives and had left this earth. Unless their spirits would decide to roam around the world and would discover the truth anyway, but that was a problem he preferred not to focus on right now. 

Gabriel took a deep breath and his eyes met hers. He saw something he had not seen in a very long time, ever since he had met her in the woods, lost and looking for answers she had probably not found. "Do you want to know what I tried to become and reach and why my parents tried to stop me?" He curled his lips up into a slight smile and he manipulated the wind around him. "I created something that nature doesn't allow to exist, at least, that's what everyone believes."

What Gabriel was discussing was pretty on point. The wolves don’t seem too concern with politics in the town or interacting with other species that were roaming. Perhaps it was due to the whole power struggle that was happening a few months ago? “They are wrapped up in their own affairs” He murmured, wondering if that would continue. It certainly would work in Evelyn’s advantage as well as his. Give time to see which wolf pack can be manipulated to turn their sights onto the new group that has trapped them here to begin with. Which, once again Ray reluctantly agreed, the Lykos pack certainly seems to be the ones that might come out on top. He is hoping for that outcome. “Perhaps bring the war among the packs to light in front of people” He raised an eyebrow, “More so than it is… Certainly it would make many more… Focused on them.” People usually ignore those lurking in the shadows if a monster is right in front of you. The fact that Gabriel might set this in motion could work greatly with Ray’s chess game. Take a few more pawns off the table.

Gabriel squeezed his eyes and he let the thoughts cross his minds while he weighed them over and over again. "I think that we might be able to add some extra fire into this werewolf fight and maybe we can even find a way to get the other coven and the vampires involved in it." He wondered what would happen if they would discover that he was working on a cure against the one thing that made werewolves lethal for vampires. "It would give them something more important to worry about. After all, once a months they would be very vulnerable with no possible cure." Gabriel cocked his head. "And while the entire town is lost in the chaos of a war that was not even supposed to be theirs, we can make sure that we find whoever has Evelyn's powers and return them to her. I'm certain that after that we can use the chaos to our advantage too." Gabriel took a sip of his drink. "I don't know exactly what plans Evelyn has for this time, bit I'm certain that she's not against a little more chaos."

    Once he stepped back from the topic of finance, Lexi felt more comfortable. There was something in Gabriel’s manner…Maybe even in just that wink of his that had her doubting, much like she had off the bat ( pun intended ), that he wasn’t all smiles and civility. He was a vampire. Even Kennedy, the good vampire of the North had a darker shtick to her. She had less trouble masking it though, from what little Lexi had learnt about her.

      “Healthy, friendly…” Lexi tossed the words in her mouth like the ball Gabriel had in his hand, a smirk gracing her lips. “You sound too good to be trespassing property with a stranger.” 

     “Sure!” she agreed, swinging the bat lazily, and internally hoping she didn’t somehow let it slip and make a fool of herself. “If you want to use them to decapitate me, why not?” 

   Something about the fact that Gabriel wasn’t a familiar face, brought about a side of Lexi she hadn’t been able to show in a quick minute. No one ever said she was easy to win over. Even doing something simple like participating in a conversation about baseball, Lexi failed to keep locked and stowed away her particular knack for sass. 

    Well, he kept walking into it, she thought. As Gabriel actually took a moment to applaud her potential, however menial the task was, Lexi hesitated. The sentiment, shallow in retrospect, sparked some friction in the otherwise rusty cogs of her heart. She didn’t change up her demeanor, though her next words offered a drop less sarcasm than she would have otherwise brought to the table.

    “I’m sure you’re older than me, given that cute little accent the rest of you carry around town, so I figure the chances I hurt you are a little slimmer, but I’d like to keep them…Eh, nonexistent?” she pitched. It was a rather complicated way of saying she didn’t want to hurt him, and even with that, she felt tempted to add she was almost bothered enough by his fastball to do it.

"I might have heard that comment before, but I do not need to tell you that there are certain pleasant sides to being a vampire that I do wish to enjoy and that are not always seen as perfect." He winked once more and he wondered how long she was already a vampire and how much of those pleasant sides she had allowed herself to experience. He knew that not everyone was like him, and probably for the surviving of the human race that was a good thing. "And tress passing property with a stranger while knowing to not get in trouble for it, might be one of those pleasant sides."

A smirk spread across his face and he shook his head. "I'll make sure that you will return home in one piece. What kind of person would I be to invite someone for a game of baseball only to kill them in the process?" Although he had to admit that he might have thought about that option if Lexi had been human and not a vampire like him. After all, he had not killed anyone for a way too long time and his fingers were itching to return to the one thing he enjoyed most.

"And I do have to admit that I might have adapted my way of speaking to how old I would like to sound." He winked. "I am not as old as I would want to become and not as old as I prefer people to believe I am. To be honest, the age difference between me and my girlfriend might be a little less shocking that in some quite popular young adult books." He looked at the girl in front of him once more. "And I promise that I will not be angry if you end up accidentally hurting me anyway."

But Erik kept hold of her wrist, drinking far more than necessary and that made her start to panic so Erik finally let her go and slumped back in the seat. “Go for it.” He indicated to her with a wave of his hand. 

Gabriel squeezed his eyes a little and he could see the panic in her eyes as if her brain was still trying to understand what had just happened. She could barely open her mouth, let alone say something, but eventually she whispered "truth", which was something he had expected already.

“I don’t see how that’s your business.” she chimed, her tone teasing in a way her words on paper might not have been. 

Money wasn’t such an easy topic for Lexi to talk about. Certainly not with the well-off vampires all around her who, as close friends as they were, would never truly understand or remember what it’s like to work to make end’s meet, and still come up short every time. Now she had the chance to adapt, like they did. It was a silver lining in an otherwise charcoal dark twist of fate. Even still, Lexi felt she’d never be able to run away from the pigeonhole she’d been squeezed into the moment her father walked out the door. By the recession, by the town, hell, by her mother.

Still smirking at her new companion, Lexi fearlessly met his narrowed gaze. She wondered if he thought he had figured her out yet, or if it was dawning on him that perhaps she wasn’t the kind of puzzle that should be solved. His initial answer was unexpected, but then he threw in an innuendo and the brunette couldn’t have rolled her eyes sooner. 

Gabriel barely gave her time to duck. Once the ball came hurdling her way in a speed unparalleled by any athletic machinery, she looked up and watched the ball rattled and bounce on the dirt beside her. Lexi looked over at him, jaw slackened, her heart quick now.

“What the hell?” 

"I do agree that it is not." Gabriel nodded and he cocked his head a slight bit. "It was nothing but a healthy curiosity and friendly interest in you as a person." He winked. Even though he had not always been a vampire and had not always had the riches he possessed now, he had to admit that he could not imagine what life would be like without money and with the constant need of having to accept jobs that were far below his interests and intelligence. His parents had certainly not given him everything he had longed for emotionally, but materially he had never had something to complain about. 

A grin spread across his face when Lexi managed to duck in time and he shrugged his shoulders. "When you possess certain talents and certain qualities, I do believe it's much more fun to actually use them to the fullest." He raised his eyebrows a little. "I am certain that if you had actually given it a try, you would have been able to catch that ball without much trouble and without much pain either." He stared at her and he wondered how long she was a vampire already. Probably not even as long as he was. "Why don't you use your own arm throwing that ball back at me? I am certain it does more damage than that machine you've turned on."

Ray nodded, but didn’t speak about the situation with Evelyn anymore. He did not express that they have been on a time limit since the coven has put up the barrier, knowing that there will be more people wanting to get out than those wanting to help them. Unless the person that took Evelyn’s power is an enemy of the town as well… But that would require asking questions that would bring more attention onto himself. Staying silent and observing is what he can do best, while the more charming man next to him can inquire to the inhabitants of this town. 

“I have interacted with the other packs roaming this town than I have with the one that is established here” Ray murmured, pondering on the thought of dealing with the wolves. They didn’t hold much interest to him, mostly due to the fact that a group of them during a full moon could rip him to shreds if he wasn’t careful. That and after interacting with one of the packs intending on taking over the area… It seemed like they were all going to destroy each other at some point. Glancing over at Gabriel, his eyebrows rose a bit, taking note that the situation with Evelyn was weighing on the man. He nodded, despite loathing the coven that he was in, “Then… The coven will work on it.” While he had no real intention of helping… Even he was getting a bit unsettled by dealing with the spirits in this limited area. “The vampires hint at power but they remained in control. Elusive. The wolves… I was starting to believe they were just going to destroy one another from the inside out. But that remains to be seen if that will be the case.” 

"I have been interacting with the wolves myself too." He thought about Natalia and about his short meetings with the others. "And even though they are quite lethal during that one night a month, they do not seem to bother much with the general politics in town." He squeezed his eyes for a moment and wondered when the wolves would figure out that there were only so many witches within the borders of this town capable of creating a spell like that. "I do actually agree that from what it seems it is more likely that they will turn on each other before they will turn on someone else, although I do believe that if the Lykos pack will end on top, they might not want to stop at simply being the leaders of their werewolf brothers and sisters." Gabriel frowned his eyebrows and thought about it for a moment. "We could of course use their war as a distraction and we could give the town something more important to worry about than the border, while we work on a solution for the current problem with Evelyn." He paused for a moment. "And I happen to know a powerful vampire who might be willing to play a part in that scenario."

Amanda gives a small nod. “Ah…so you were one to drink plenty in your youth were you?” She shoots him an amused look. “I think I should drink more and then I would be less likely to suffer the consequences afterwards.” Yet what she usually does is not have a drink for a few days or perhaps a week or two and then go all out and downs a few glasses–resulting in a hangover. 

She isn’t sure whether he noticed her hesitation or not, but if so, Gabriel hasn’t indicated he did. She just figures that it might be best to not do anything that could jeopardise the pleasant atmosphere and conversation they have shared between them so far.

She blinks, but her line of vision remains connected with his as she listens to him talking about nature and his parents. Amanda might be wrong but she is pretty certain by how he is talking, that there is something in his words which connects him more than any human–just like it does with her. “I wish I knew my parents…though at least I found out a little about them recently.” She didn’t get much information from Remy. He wasn’t aware that her parents had given her up–but at least she knows why they had now. Though what they agreed to do, along with Remy, she can’t help but feel like she won’t forgive them. 

His next words do catch her attention though and she raises her brow. “I knew there was something with you….something I sensed…but I didn’t go with it….when I should’ve.” Her gaze remains firmly fixed on his. Declaring what she is, is something Amanda doesn’t often do voluntarily, yet with what he has just said, she knows he is aware of her too. “You’d help me?” She has struggled so long on her own, that it is quite difficult to believe he has just stated that. 

Gabriel raised his eyebrows slightly while he curled his eyebrows up. "I have always had a certain love for expensive and strong drinks. I do believe that has taught my liver and kidney's how to quickly react to alcohol in my system." He smirked and of course there was that small detail of where his body was programmed automatically to take care of unwanted invasions in a much more efficiënt way than non vampire and werewolf bodies could.

"And there are moments I wish I could unknown my parents." He cocked his head a little and he made eye contact with the beautiful young woman. "Although they did love me and provided me with all wanted material needs, I mostly got the impression they were creating a barrier between me and my dreams and goals." He folded his hands behind his back and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "I can happily announce though that their attempts to stop me from doing everything I wanted have not worked too well." And therefore he had now not seen them for a very long time. He knew that not only they would hate who and what he had become, they would also attempt to kill him if they could. And that would most likely end in him killing them. He might not feel a certain love for his parents, but he did not want to kill them either, strangely enough. 

And there it was. Right when he was opening up a slight little more there was a certain crack in her mask, a crack that made him smile. "I do think that connected souls should help each other in this harsh and cruel world. After all, we do not want to end as the next corpses in this town, do we?" He cocked his head slightly. "I will teach you anything you're willing to learn." And he might abuse and use a slight bit of her powers for himself along the way.

“No filming.” Erik pointed at Gabriel with his free hand. He had gotten this far in life without some weirdo tracking him down through photos and videos in the past. “Sorry, but no.” he grabbed the offered wrist and took a bite out of it. 

Gabriel squeezed his eyes a little, but he curled his lips up into a smile. "What a pity, this could have been a true youtube gem." He crossed his arms over his chest while he watched Erik taking a bite out of the girl's wrist. "So, I assume you are next, Erik?"

Kennedy smiled and shrugged. “I mean, you really don’t have to bring anything at all, but I won’t say no if you brought something.” She couldn’t wait to prepare and make sure everything was clean and perfect at her place. “This will be a lot of fun. Erik and I don’t spend time with other couples.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows slightly. "And I believe that when someone invites you to dinner it is nothing but polite to bring something." He curled his lips up into a smile. "I am certain that we will have a lovely evening." He nodded his head a little. "I am already looking forward to tomorrow and I'm certain Natalia is too."

Natalia: Ok, I'll be ready

Natalia: Anything I should know about what to wear?

Natalia: Tomorrow is going to be great

Natalia: And it's just before the full moon. It works out ;)

Gabriel: Kennedy has assured me that this dinner is nothing formal. I'm sure you will look beautiful in whatever you decide to wear