#cm.thread

Who: Open Where: Burnt Pages When: Post Event - Current Date What: Xavier is a curious little bug and he loves to spend time in the bookstore.

The scent of the store had become more and more familiar to Xavier over the years. It was the second place he'd found after escaping his maker, and therefore, became something of a second home. Here, he found that the world was a little less confusing. There were stories that he could dive into to become someone else. Even if it only lasted a few hours. He'd spent the majority of his free time helping around the shop - rearranging books and repairing what he could for the owner.

Muttering softly to herself, Petra rearranged the new trinkets with a scrutiny to rival royalty. Certain pieces did not work well together, and for the life of her, she could not figure out where to place the set of earrings she'd happened across while scouting the night before. They were a lovely little ruby and tarnished silver dangle. She'd spent ages cleaning away the years of neglect and sea remnants off them.

With a frustrated sigh, she moved away from the curio cabinet - which had seen better days - half the glass panels were missing but at least that made it easier to reach in for the items - and settled at her rather cluttered counter. The tinkle of her shop bell drew her attention, and she squirreled away the earrings, smiling brightly at her customer. "Good afternoon! Anything you're looking for in particular?"

"This thing is massive," she spoke to no one in particular as she lifted up a candied apple - the thing was almost the size of her face but when in Rome. As she bit into the sugar-coated fruit the shell cracked and pieces rained down at her feet. Chewing slowly, her face scrunched up in displeasure at the texture that stuck to her teeth. "Nope-" tossing it away, she lifted up a napkin and looked to her left - "what did you say?"

Valerie stepped over the threshold to the bedroom, hand pressed to her chest, the opposite arm wrapped around her middle as she observed the room. It wasn't unfamiliar, but the memories of what had happened here months before were - terrifying and illicit at the same time. The pile of bodies that had been left after he'd been forced to feed from them in order to survive were echoes across the carpet. The stains from them long gone after she'd sent some of her pets to clean it up. The bed was made - unusual for Demitri to do, but she imagined it was because he anticipated her arrival and knew she liked to tuck tightly between the sheets - or at least, she hoped. He wasn't the romantic type. Didn't often think about the little things. As if it mattered in the grand scheme. She'd outlive him before he ever outlived her. And wasn't that just fucking tragic.

Who: @curseaddendum (Naj) Where: Cobalt Eclipse - Val's loft When: Current Date What: Val wants to spend more time with her own kind, so she invites Naj over to have a night in.

After the disastrous exchange with Demitri at the festival, Val found herself wanting time away from vampires and everything to do with them. She was pissed at him. There were always limits to what she would allow from anyone and he had crossed the only line they had. Her hand fluttered to her throat as she looked over the in-house bar, settled on one of the three available stools outside of it. The glass she'd been nursing was near empty, and she was rather frustrated that she'd have to get up and get it herself- since she'd dismissed the slave for the evening. In bare feet, she padded around the bar and grabbed the bottle, uncorking it on her way back. A moment of thought, eyes dancing between the glass and the bottle before she shrugged and lifted the neck to her lips to drink deeply. It burned like acid fire. Waiting on company was not her forte. Truthfully, part of her wanted to call off the whole evening to mope but she was better than that- wasn't she?

"Hello, Demi. Are you having fun?"

Who: @wickedxhell (Lenus) Where: Outerworld When: Post Festival What: Valerie is hunting down a potion - and she does not expect to meet a man she scarred within an inch of his life.

In the desolated ruins of what she assumed had once been an apothecary, Valerie climbed up over some of the rubble, pulling away stone and scarred metal. She'd picked up the scent of an herb she desperately needed to complete the potion that would make it so Demitri could safely drink from her. The ingredients were the rarest of rare- and soon enough she imagined most of them would be extinct. "Ah!" she exclaimed, reaching elbow deep into the hole she'd created, cheek pressed to the rubble as she rifled around for it - and promptly paused the moment she heard footsteps. Fingers clasped around the root of it, yanking upward. She came back with a handful of bright green and blue laced fibers, shoving them quickly into her gathering bag before flipping to sit, examining the man.