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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 23, 2020 at 14:29

Nora gave him an unimpressed look because of the way he teased her for not being able to have fun like she used to “Excuse you, I have...fun” she responded but her words seemed to lose enthusiasm halfway through because honestly, she couldn’t really think of a time she’d had fun quite the same as that in a long while, her life mostly consisted of working and sleeping. He was right though, a game like that would probably be worth her time because it would bring her a certain kind of nostalgic joy she needed “In the form of running a virtual island with virtual villagers” she laughed under her breath because it sounded ridiculous and boring and yet it was one of her most treasured memories “Well it seems you’ve sold me” she joked “I’ve been thinking about getting a Nintendo Switch for a long while” they seemed like fun and had a few games which appealed to her.

She grinned at his defensiveness, it seemed like they both seemed to find one another’s mistakes funny and she couldn’t really blame him for that, hers was especially entertaining because it wasn’t supposed to be so dramatic but his reaction to the blood had made it so “Yeah I’m not sure what happened, must have been in just the wrong spot” he shook her head in amusement “I remember having to wear a bandage on it for weeks and getting annoyed every time I needed to do the dishes...or write” it was painful for a while actually but it had finally healed up. “It looked worse than it was” she responded and nodded “It hurt but I’ve definitely been through worse than a broken nail” she grimaced slightly “And are you accusing me of scratching you?” she laughed “I was only trying to grow them out so I could wear some nice nail polish” she pouted a little, this was why she couldn’t have nice things.

She felt like he was too empathetic for his own good but she did appreciate the sentiment and the way he seemed to care about her state of mind “I can tell that” she responded in a soft voice “But don’t let yourself feel bad for being able to reach somewhere I can’t, it just means you’re handling the world better than me” she nodded slightly, she would never look down on someone for being able to progress on with their life better than she did, she envied them sure but she would never want anyone else to fall back. She went quiet, parting her lips in surprise when he said he didn’t want to leave her, of all the things she was expecting to hear, it wasn’t this and she watched him somewhat in disbelief for a moment “Okay” she spoke softly, that was new to hear...it wasn’t something she was used to and she needed some time to process it, but she did offer him a soft smile of thanks.

His words about his fear of failure made her press her lips together, she understood that fear all too well and when paired with his determination she imagined it could be quite crushing to not achieve the things he wanted “Well you’ll never know if you don’t try, besides, you’re managing to maintain commercial airline planes, how hard could it be to put together a much smaller jet?” she was sure he would go on to explain how difficult it actually was but it was that passion and drive which was the exact reason he should do it “Besides the end result would be worth all the pain and effort right? To have a plane of your own to fly” it honestly sounded like something perfect for him but she wouldn’t push too much.

She laughed as he expressed his dislike for the penguin “I think it has charm and character, not everything needs to look perfect to be special” she nodded as she placed it on the tree. She did her best to avoid looking at the smug expression on his face as she reached up to her full reach to put the star atop the tree. She just about managed it with the help of him lifting her and when he set her down she looked up at the tree proudly “There...now it really looks like Christmas” she spoke it softly before turning to smile at him “Thanks” she nodded.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on May 23, 2020 at 15:59

Her facial expressions always did it for him, every reaction he could gauge from her were practically etched in his memory, they were priceless and memorable for the Nephilim. It was hard to get a lot of different reactions from Nora, and he was more than proud to know that she has smiled with him more than he's seen her smile with any others. "Were you trying to convince me or yourself? Because I don't know about you but it sure looks contradictory to me" Of course he was going to have the time of his life teasing the hell out of her. It's a personal habit at this moment. "Virtual island with virtual villagers. Sounds fun. I think here's also another game that does that… ah the extension of virtual families, what was it called again? Virtual villagers? Yeah, something like that." Animal crossing? He's never played it. But Virtual Families? Definitely. All because he accidentally downloaded the wrong game, what a serendipitous incident. 

"Let's get them then, we can both play together. I imagine you'll need competition and a rival who could brag in your face every given moment, totally would be that guy for free. No fee, nope" he teased and ruffled her hair gently, it was seventeen gesture, not much to actually make it look more than what it was. "I would've expected a paper cut but not a broken nail, Len" with the way the Nephilim was shaking his head, it was clear that he was still not over the incident. If it wasn't because of their dramatic reactions, he probably wouldn't have found the situation half as funny at all. Thank god for humor. "I've been impaled by a screwdriver and I feel like a broken nail you had would actually send me to heaven" Aka dead. "You know what they say, the smallest injury can end up being your biggest one yet." After all, they still had the same human anatomy, their pain receptors were the same as everyone else. 

"Awww nail polish. And no… okay maybe a bit, I had a suspicion that you might try to scratch me for the last time" that time he had unknowingly let a feral and grumpy cat inside his office by accident when she came to visit and well… she was alone. And the cat only likes him. So there's an idea of how it went between the two. She sounded so sad if was actually making his heart break into two, but during the entire time she said those words, all Julian could focus on was how he could possibly make her feel half of what he felt. He could try, he's been trying without thinking much and he's gotten her to smile and laugh, to even talk to him and open up more. He's not about to give up now "Well, unlike some other assholes… I don't let the people I care about behind just to achieve my goals and happiness. I'm not selfish enough to think about myself. Or maybe I am selfish enough. But don't worry, that means I'm not going to March forward and leave you behind... " they either go through that together or none at all. 

That okay was not what he expected but it had him gaping in disbelief, Nora really just said that? She said… okay? He felt as if he was actually dreaming. That's a green light, right? Julian is going to treat that like one. "I could try... " he murmured, the thought of assembling his own craft mad him giddy for a brief while but he was honestly afraid by what they would do if they found out he's been doing this, things may turn our for the better or for the worst. Life could be so funny sometimes. "When I have my own to fly… would you come be my copilot? I mean of course you won't need to touch anything or else you'll take us down with you, just kidding" he grinned sheepishly and ruffled his own hair nervously, "I just… wanted someone to witness something like that." His gaze was leveled with the penguin that seemed to be taunting him again, but Nora likes it. What could he do when his crush is doing stuff like that? "You're so light" he teased and poked her shoulder, "You're welcome. This is the least I could do when you offered to open the doors of your home, thank you" he bowed. "Now where do we resume- ah! Cinnamon popcorn."

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 23, 2020 at 16:38

She glared at him when he called her out for not seeming convincing when it came to whether she actually managed to have fun and she simply sighed in response. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that one but if it’s similar then maybe I’ll get it” she laughed under her breath “The sad moment when you have more friends in your games than you do in real life huh” she pressed her lips together and shook her head “I definitely had a few years where all I did was play the sims too” she remembered wanting to get all of the expansion packs and saving up her allowance to get them one by one. She made households and thought of little stories for them but most of the time she ended up just building and designing virtual houses she would like to live in.

She gazed back at him with narrowed eyes “I can’t tell if you’d be a really great gamer who would completely crush me at everything or the opposite” he gave off the vibe that he would like playing games but she could see him being more into board games than first-person shooters. She widened her eyes when he reached to ruffle her hair and naturally stepped back because the gesture was a little more intimate than she was used to someone doing with her, she gave a slightly apologetic smile at the same time. “God don’t remind me of papercuts, I swear there was this one-week last year where paper was out to mutilate me because I got not 1 but 3 papercuts in a week” she sighed, they always stung so badly and would catch on everything. She widened her eyes when he said he got impaled on a screwdriver “How?” she questioned tilting her head “Did you stand on it?” she grimaced because the very thought of that sounded painful as hell.

“Sometimes I want to do girly things” she commented under her breath and then looked down at her nails, she used to bite them a lot as a kid and it was something she had been coaxing herself to stop doing, you could see they were better now but she still kept them pretty short. He seemed pretty determined to stick around but she honestly didn’t understand why, Nora didn’t see herself as particularly special and she was sure there were other people out there who would treasure his company and make him feel happy and comforted. “You talk a big game, angel boy” she spoke it softly and nodded, she believed that he meant those things but she also knew how life came along and changed things and she wasn’t the type to just take words for proof, she was an experience it to believe it kind of person.

He did seem quite excited at the idea of making his own aircraft, despite the apprehension of such a big project. Honestly to her, it seemed like something his life wouldn’t be complete without, after all, he spent all of his time around planes, from the collection he told her about before it was clear he had a passion for them and it almost seemed criminal for him not to have one to call his own “Your jests are my piloting skills are warranted but what about you? I haven’t seen you fly, you might be a complete maniac” she responded with a teasing grin “So I’ll think about it, but I need to see the plane first” she gave him a pointed look. She blushed a little when he set her down, though she didn’t move away from his touch this time, it was taking some adjustment for her to get used to being around someone who was quite touchy “That’s because I’m small” she responded “Not all of us can be giants” she added before heading towards the kitchen and grabbing one of the microwave popcorn pouches and placing it in the microwave “So I don’t usually have visitors...and so I don’t have a TV in the lounge” her gaze drifted over to her bedroom which was the only room with a TV.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on May 24, 2020 at 8:54

Nintendo Switch. He couldn’t believe that’s what he’s actually thinking about right now, the things you do to cheer people up, huh? Worth it. And besides, if it was anything like Virtual Families, maybe he’ll grow to like it too, since he’s also played Sims before. “Ouch, you didn’t need to expose us like this, Len” he clicked his tongue and shook his head and he nudged her playfully, “Nothing wrong with that though. Sometimes you’ll realize that internet friends are a lot better than the real life ones” his eyes spared her a knowing look, save from the hint of panic in it, “Not that I’m saying my real life ones are comparable to those behind those screens…” He liked playing Sims because it allowed him to build plenty of things, though he quickly grew out of it because his schedule never allowed him to even take a look at his phone, much less play any PC games. 

Military schedule as he would have it, is harsh compared to every other occupation there was, mostly because their roster wasn't that organized. He would always find himself being called on field to devise a plan to decrease the weight of the fighter jets because it wouldn’t allow them to carry extra baggage or fuel when needed. “I am not sure whether I should feel offended over the fact that you thought I’d be a bad gamer or not” Now that he’s thought about it, when was the last time he even played something aside from flight simulations to keep his skills intact? “Okay fine, maybe I am a bit rusty when it comes to those. I didn’t have time to play games for a while okay, I’m always around aircrafts, even now” Maybe he did bring his work home. “I was good at Monopoly though, my sister would often threaten to throw the board at me every single time because I always managed to own ¾ of the properties” Tycoon, definitely not the role he expected to find himself in but it was funny seeing the reaction he was able to elicit from his sibling. 

Julian wasn’t offended when she moved away when he attempted to ruffle her hair, it was just a gesture he was so used to doing to Cora and the likes, he may have forgotten that she wasn’t too used to any skinship, even in that. “Maybe we need to wrap you in a bubble wrap… you keep getting those hands of yours injured, I’m surprised you haven’t even tripped on a lego yet” he darted his eyes in a suspicious manner and leaned closer as if he was trying to investigate something, “Have you?” When she asked how he managed to let a screwdriver impaled him, the Nephilim cleared his throat and tried to avert his gaze away, “No, I got into a fight I shouldn’t be getting into. That’s what happens when you try to stop a fight between 3 vicious people…” he sighed, if it wasn’t because of his supernatural healing, he would’ve been able to feel it again until today, he remembered also covering it with a rune tattoo, as every other body part of his had. “I didn’t even realize it was a screwdriver… how they got a hold of it was still beyond me.”

 He heard what she muttered, and chuckled, she was so endearing, “Maybe don’t grow them too long, make it ¼ or half of the length it usually is” he suggested, he had a sister, after all. Cora also liked to dress fashionably every time she visited him at the base back then too. When he said he wanted to stick by her and promised not to leave, he meant every word, Julian rarely makes his promises because he was afraid of breaking them but he had a feeling that this was slowly fronting out and his crush didn’t even seem like a simple crush anymore. “I don’t just talk them though” he winked playfully, any other time he would’ve grumbled over the nickname she gave her but now, he just smiled at it. Strictly reserved for her to see, of course. Nobody’s ever talked to him about going forward with his plans, even when they knew he had them done for years ever since he got into planes, so it meant a lot hearing it from her. 

“Excuse you, I have a license for a reason” he scoffed and shook his head, “I’m a pilot before I’m an engineer.” When she said his own plane, it made him press his lips into a thin line before breaking out a smile, “Fine. Deal. I’ll still take you on a drive later, I need to prove you I’m a good pilot, I was in the RAF, come on Len, you’re wounding my pride here.” Admittedly, he was more of an off duty flying officer these days as he worked in a private airline company, but once an officer, forever one. “Only if you’re fine with it… I mean, I don’t want to impose on your privacy anymore than I already have.” Entering her bedroom to watch the TV? He was just trying to be respectful, though he was really looking forward to that HSM binge.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 24, 2020 at 22:20

She laughed under her breath, she was exposing them sure but she wasn’t sure either of them could say it was untrue, she nudged him back when he nudged her playfully “I think friends are friends, regardless of how you make them” she shrugged “Though the sims really think people are going to let strangers into their house to play on the computer all day” she laughed under her breath, online or not, that wasn’t really how friendships worked. She pressed her lips together when he spoke his offense for her questioning his ability when it came to games “Well in my defense, every time I see you, you’re at the hanger so I could be fooled into believing you don’t have a life outside of work” she jested and grinned slightly “Well then you might make a good rival for me because even though I do play them more often, I’m very very bad at them” she lowered her voice to a whisper at the end like it was some sort of secret.

She had never really been a fan of Monopoly as a child because it was the kind of game most families could play for fun but when your parents were both owners of a large business it felt rigged from the beginning “You sound like my dad, he never let me win, not once” she commented and sighed dramatically “I relate to your sister more and more with every passing moment” she commented and shrugged slightly. She raised her brows as though to question if he was serious when he asked if she had tripped on a Lego before “I don’t even own lego, how could I trip on it?” she commented and laughed under her breath, though she could imagine that it would hurt a lot to step on it. She had to admit the story about screwdriver sounded absolutely insane to her and she widened her eyes in surprise “Do you make a habit of putting yourself in places you know you shouldn’t be?” of course there was extra knowledge in that comment for her considering she first met him when he walked into one of her traps.

His teasing when it came to how he wouldn’t give up gave her mixed feelings, part of her wanted to let herself see where it led and wondered what it would be like to choose this person as the person she took a chance on and then the other part of her was naturally already recoiling away and reminding her what happened every time she let someone in like that. It was hard because he was such a sweet and likable person and that made you want to believe in him. He was one of those people she found it hard to shake. She laughed when he immediately got set off by the fact she had questioned his piloting skills, she had mostly only said it to toy with him because she knew how passionate he was about flying “Hey just because you managed to pass your tests doesn’t make you a good pilot when it comes to passengers, I have high standards you know” she gave him a knowing look and smirked slightly, she was sure he was good at flying but it was a lot of fun to tease him.

Before long she could hear the sound of the popcorn as it all began to puff and then when the timer went off she carefully retrieved it and ripped the bag open before tipping it into one of the bigger bowls she owned, she couldn’t help but grab a couple of pieces and popping them into her mouth. She then grabbed her cinnamon and sugar before sprinkling both over it and then tossing it a few times “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room for the three of us” of course now they had food, Cloud was sitting at their feet. Before long she led the way into the bedroom and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV and then climbed into the bed, putting down the popcorn on the bedside table, she looked up at Julian and smiled “Quite the view huh?” her room was situated at the edge of the building and with the curtains open you could see the mountains and the city in the distance.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on May 25, 2020 at 13:56

He grinned sheepishly at her admission, “Exactly, friends are what you make them to be. I love my friends that I have today, wouldn’t change anything for them…” his gaze was fixated on her the entire time, yeah that’s his friend right there, even when they didn’t feel like your ordinary friends, they were close enough to make it. Nora knew him and Julian knew her. “I like the whole building our home thing, it’s just entertaining, but they definitely do not promote a good message so I’m sure there’s gotta be an age restriction somewhere on the label, setting people on fire, letting strangers partying in your own home? Yeah nope” Any other day, he would probably wrinkle his nose and shake his head at the absurdity it held. He couldn’t help but fiddle with his fingers shyly when Nora pointed out that he was always surrounded by workload to actually look like someone who had a life outside of it, “Point taken and digested” he murmured coolly, maybe he needed to get out more and do something productive.

 “Would you like to help me get better at that?” Maybe he could sneakily find a way to spend more time with the dhampir. A chuckle escaped him when she whispered how she wasn’t exactly the best player, “I’ll keep your secret, worry not, fair lady.” He was a lot more practical and spontaneously calculative compared to his sister, it was the reason why he always managed to get ahead of her when it comes to playing that, at least that’s what she told him. “Are you a fan of any board games then? Maybe not Monopoly but surely, you have a favorite, somewhere.” The look he had on his face the moment she told him she’s never owned a Lego set was probably funny, considering how much of a big fan the Nephilim was, “That’s no good, we need to get you a set asap, how have you missed out on something so essential like that? I’m gonna get you a set the next time we meet, I promise” That’s another thing he’s just added to his bucket list.

 “I find it hard to just walk away when I know trouble is brewing and there is someone helpless on the other side yes, but if you must know… this one was completely out of my jurisdiction. Well…now that I think about it, technically if I’m the squadron leader, they fall under my responsibility, right? It wasn’t my fault some folks got drunk and decided to play around with a bunch of sharp objects… better a screwdriver and not anything else though… I could survive a hit from one.” He wasn’t about to just give up just because she didn’t think she deserved whatever he had envisioned her having, it wouldn’t be that easy to get the Nephilim to go away. Once he’s focused on it, he’s dead set into making it. His smile only grew when he realized she wasn’t trying to push him away again, there’s the progress he wanted to see. That laugh was enough to remind Julian what he was doing here today, if only he could hear more of those. 

“That’s just the thing though, Miss” he rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance and clicked his tongue, “I only ever brought 2 to 3 passengers with me. I’ve never flown any commercial planes before since I’m only working as their tech guy, engineer remember? But I’ve piloted fighter jets and similar aircrafts for cargo shipping…” he murmured, she does have a point. His steps were slow but paced, the moment he stepped inside her room, his eyes automatically wandered around and went over to watch the view from her window, “Mhmm… it’s beautiful. Just like the owner” he cooed teasingly and took his seat on the edge of her bed, with Cloud already in between them. “Still up for that HSM binge?” he teased and stroked Cloud’s fur lovingly.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 25, 2020 at 18:30

She laughed under her breath when he spoke about the different ways people played The Sims and it reminded her of the hours she had invested into the game and what she had managed to build “I remember I always used to play mine with a few characters I focused on, I always got them the cheapest home they could get and then made them earn enough to get a really nice place to live” she laughed, probably a boring play style but she enjoyed giving the characters stories and then letting them experience new things “I spent more time designing the houses than I did actually playing though” she admitted with a laugh.

The way he got a little nervous when she pointed out he was always working made her realize it must have hit home for him, she got it, it was easier to focus on work than it was real life because real life required you to process your feelings about things you didn’t want to “No point taking advice from me, I’m the queen of not having a life” she responded with a somewhat sheepish grin, she had never been good at making the separation either. She laughed and wrinkled her nose when he said he would keep her secret “I can’t say I ever really got to play many, not the kind of thing an only child with only a nanny for company most of the time got to do” it didn’t mean she was never interested in them but most of them required more than 2 players. He looked so shocked when she admitted she’d never played with Lego either and then he insisted she needed to get some “What would I even build?” she questioned with an amused look.

Just as she thought, he was one of those reckless kind of people who acted first and then thought about it later which no doubt meant he got himself into a lot of trouble. She was the opposite and while her motivation might be similar, her actions would be very different “And you were just talking about me needing to be wrapped in bubble wrap” she commented dryly giving him a shake of her head, it did worry her a little how reckless he could be and while a screwdriver didn’t do a lot of damage, a knife would have been another story. She watched him as he talked about his experience in piloting others “Hardly a comparison to make, you don’t have to worry about your cargo getting travel sick” she jested with a smile, she was more toying with him than anything because she knew planes and flying were pretty much his life “What about flying for real?” she questioned with a raised brow “That has to be an experience right?” she was a Dhampir, of course, she could see the purple hint in his eyes but it was the first time she had brought up her knowledge he was a Nephilim.

Everyone who came in this room would without fail marvel at the view and how could you not, she had asked for the layout to be designed like this so she could look out at the city from this very spot, it was special, especially at times like these where the lights dazzled over the city and you could see the stars up in the star. She scoffed at his cheesy compliment and grabbed a few more pieces of popcorn and ate them “Nah I was thinking I’d make popcorn and turn on the TV just to ask you to leave” she responded sarcastically when he asked if she still wanted to watch the movie. Cloud had placed himself between them, enjoying the warmth no doubt as she flipped the TV onto a streaming service and selected the first movie from the list “So who’s your favorite character?” she asked as she movie began and she leaned back into the pillows to make herself comfy before placing the popcorn bowl between them.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on May 26, 2020 at 12:57

Hearing the stories of how she made her characters in the Sims made Julian grin, “That sounds like quite the life for them huh? Realistic” He’s never invested all that much to the characters’ well-being or welfare, he was a lot more focused on the house he was building instead of the ones residing inside it. A weird twisted mentality for him, but then again he didn’t even realize that he was even supposed to take care of them. “You know, I actually thought the people inside would take care of themselves, so I just never bothered to interact with them or anything… no wonder the grim reaper came and took them” He was pretty sure one of his even set someone on fire. “Even if you are the queen of not having a life, still… if you said something about it then it must really be serious enough or else it wouldn’t have piqued your attention, no?” he murmured and nodded gently, “I’m gonna go and get better at it, who knows… maybe one day I’d actually succeed in that. Besides, you and I, we made a deal, right?” His part was that he would manage to go home and sleep on his bed a few times of the week. 

He couldn’t help but to allow a frown to stretch out the lines on his forehead when she said she only had a nanny to entertain her time, “If it’s not an individual game, it’s a bit hard when you’re the only one there, right?” What would she even build, indeed. “I used to have those lego sets where they were airplanes… but I also had one where it was an airport and stadium. Maybe you should browse over what piqued your interest, are you more of the building girl or the casual one? There’s a variety of those lying around.” Julian narrowed his eyes and scoffed, “Oh that doesn’t change. You still need to be wrapped in a bubble wrap, but perhaps I should join the mix too. But hey… I’m supposed to be durable enough, right?” Somehow he wasn’t even convinced if he was. But it has never weighed down on his confidence before, neither has it wavered his own stance. “Maybe I should think first before diving into action… yeah that should be better but I can’t help it, that recklessness will always be there somewhere. This weird need to just help people because nobody should be left helpless…” 

He’s sustained plenty of injuries to boot, but the screwdriver part was because his squadron members were idiotic drunks. He leaned in closer and smirked when he heard her talking about not having to worry whether his cargo would be travel sick or not, “Tell me, Len, do you get sick often because of that? I mean, I can promise not to take the thrusts too fast and hard but I’m sure I can do half what a pilot from a commercial plane can do… I think…” Fighter jets were different when it comes to weight, and he didn’t have to worry about passengers because his cargo were inanimate objects. But most of the time, they were fuel and bombs, so… there’s a risk somewhere. He had to admit, he was taken aback when she asked about flying for real, “Oh…” He couldn’t remember if he had told her that he was a Nephilim but then again, how long did she think it was going to stay a secret? “Uh… a few times. I can’t just fly always without people noticing” he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, because he really didn’t expect for her to ask that.

 It truly was beautiful, her room seemed very homey and comfortable, the color scheme didn’t hurt his eyes and the layout was simple but eye-catching. He tried to make himself comfortable and for a while, it was a bit awkward but Cloud who had his hand over his leg made him settle down considerably, “I actually like Kelsi a lot… poor girl was always dragged around for no reason when all she wanted to do was probably live her life. She’s also a good pianist and songwriter. You?” He had a few popcorn in his hand as he picked one by one to pop into his mouth slowly. "I always liked to visit the drama club because the musicals were good, all thanks to HSM too." 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 27, 2020 at 13:01

She laughed under her breath and shrugged “Except my sims were pretty terrible at taking care of themselves and I got busy redecorating and you can imagine the drama which ensued” she smiled, good memories, she liked being able to share things from her childhood with him and it seemed like the two of them had some similar tastes. She wrinkled her nose when he said he expected the characters to take care of themselves “You are aware that this game is called ‘The Sims’ right...as in life simulation” she giggled slightly and smiled “Did you make one of yourself?” she did many times. She liked his determination when he put his mind to something, it gave you this comfort that he was taking what you said seriously and would make good on his word “The deal is on” she responded while nodding “Though I fear it will be more challenging than we expect” she wasn’t exactly good at leaving the office on time either.

“A little” she responded, holding a finger and thumb up with a small gap between them to imply the sarcasm in her words “That’s why the games console worked better for me, I could just play on my own” board games were designed for families and as sad as it was to say, Nora didn’t really have a proper family, not one that would spend time together on the weekends and get together for the holidays. Her parents were always too busy with work. “Maybe….they do a Harry Potter set?” she responded with a slight twinkle in her eye, she was definitely exposing herself as a huge nerd from all of these things she kept bringing up but honestly, she felt like it was safe with him. Not a single time had he made fun of her for something she liked and so the list of things she felt she could tell him kept growing.

She couldn’t afford to be reckless with the position she put herself in, but she was like him once upon a time, when she first started as a vigilante she threw herself straight into danger without a second thought for her own safety. She’d learned those lessons the hard way many times and now she was much more careful with how she handled herself “Just remind yourself that you’re no help to anyone if you’re injured or worse” she spoke softly, hoping he would heed her advice. “Sometimes I have travel sickness and sometimes I don’t” she responded and laughed “And I have no idea what does or doesn’t bring it on because it seems different every time” not helpful she knew. She wondered if maybe it was a state of mind thing. He seemed surprised by her asking about flying for real though “I always said when I was younger I’d want to fly if I had a superpower” she spoke softly, her way of expressing that she wasn’t judging what he was at all, she pointed at herself “Dhampir, if it wasn’t obvious already” it seemed only fair to share her own.

She watched Julian out of the corner of her eye as the movie began, she noticed the way he was hovering at the very edge of the bed almost as though he would fall off if he moved too much which made her smile wryly. Such a gentleman. Nora wasn’t used to being around someone she would consider to be a good, sweet guy and honestly it was refreshing. “I think Kelsi actually liked being dragged around, she got her confidence and friends in the end” she laughed and shrugged “It’s cheesy but Gabriella was always my favorite, I guess I could relate with her story since I moved schools a lot” she smiled softly “Besides, Gotta Go My Own Way, you can’t fault it” she reached for more popcorn as she watched the movie, following Gabriella at her first day at East High “I watched a few but I guess I never found the courage to actually take part” she spoke softly.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on May 27, 2020 at 15:31

He couldn't help but laugh at her admission, "Well then I'm guessing we both are the same type of people when it comes to playing games. Especially simulation games" The only simulation games he's been good at this entire time were flight simulator games. But then again, considering his position, he was bound to play those a lot so he wasn't sure if it even counts as gaming. "I didn't take in the name all that well okay, I just saw my roommate installing the thing on his laptop and I… followed because it looked fun, you know?" Admittedly, Julian was bad at them. Like… really. "Did I make one of myself? Yes… I mean I tried. I think poor lad didn't like how it turned out but I tried... " She wasn't wrong when she said it would be challenging, even though he was determined to prove her wrong and make it seem like he could lead a better life than his former workaholic self, it would probably be harder than he expected, especially when the Nephilim practically grew up for the past few years in hangars and bunkers alike. The luxury of sleeping on his comfortable bed is far from his grasp. 

"That's the best part of it, right? To know how challenging it would be? Or else it would not be a challenge." One way or another, he's gonna give it a try. "Well… you have another person now to play with you, maybe we can pick up a few things and play a few board games designed for 2 players or more. Better late than never, right? Besides… I missed playing them." When she asked if there was a Lego set formed around Harry Potter, he nodded, "Yeah, I think they have a few of those" So she was really a bit of a nerd, cute. "You're a Harry Potter fan too huh? A Potterhead? What are you? Slytherin?" She does resemble one, with her determination and personality. Hey, he wasn't one of those people who thought Slytherin was the "bad" house. His own sister classified herself as a Slytherin. Harry Potter. Noted. Julian made a mental note to remember that. For… researching purposes. "Yeah, I should probably think about my actions first before throwing myself in. I'm a bit reckless when it comes to those…"

 But honestly, if it was involving someone he knew about, he wasn't sure if he could control the intake of his emotions spiraling around. "I guess it hits harder when you know the party that's engaged in the fight. But I'll take your advice to consideration because… hey, you're looking out for me. The least I could do is heed them." Of course he would. It's her. "Well… I just hope that you won't be throwing up if I take you for a fly sometime later. I'll prepare a bag for you just in case but, you never know… I'd prefer not to have you getting sick" he teased, but the underlying tone in his words made it clear that the Nephilim was worried too. He never thought the day would come between them both to disclose each other's supernatural identity but it did, and the fact that she also chose to share it with him makes it extra meaningful, "Me too. When I was younger, I wanted that to he my superpower. Now it feels ironic" he chuckled, maybe because he didn't fly as much as he thought younger him would want him to. 

"Dhampy... " he murmured gently, she looked so tough yet so fragile, it was to no surprise that Julian only wished to keep her safe. He wasn't comfortable enough to sit close to her, not because he was shy, okay maybe just a bit. But more to the fact that he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. But before long, as the movie progressed, he found himself scooting closer because the bowl of popcorn kept moving further, "I liked Gabriella. She's a smart and beautiful girl. I was a bit irked to find out that she dropped a lot of things for Troy but I guess I could understand where she was coming from… I don't mean to be that guy, but love is love, you know?" He didn't know how it happened but he didn't even realize his hand had been brushing over Nora's a few times while trying to take the popcorn until a few moments later. "I'm tempted to say sorry but I don't think I am."

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Eleanora Riley Nordstroem on May 28, 2020 at 18:47

She laughed as he defended his lack of knowledge when it came to the game and playfully scrunched her nose as she watched him “Well it is a fun game, though nowadays you need a real gaming computer just to run it” she sighed slightly, she had been thinking about getting one but every time she thought about it she talked herself out of it again because it seemed like a lot to spend on something she wouldn’t get to use as much as she’d like “I feel like it’s a rite of passage to make yourself and then try and build your dream life at least once” she laughed softly “I remember making a little rose garden, with flower arches and a fountain, very Disney inspired” she laughed under her breath, points for being creative right?

“Well true, though it probably shouldn’t be something challenging” most people seemed to find a work balance just fine so it made her wonder what was different about the two of them which made it so much more difficult. For her, work was a distraction from real life, something she didn’t really enjoy being a part of because there were a lot of bad reminders about her past and her upbringing she didn’t always want to be thinking about. “Well you have to go easy on me then, I don’t even know the rules of most of them” she laughed, she really was that unpracticed when it came to it all. She averted her gaze when he pointed out that she was a Harry Potter fan, he had this habit of making her feel a little nervous about his reactions “Is it that obvious?” she asked with a low chuckle when he asked if she was a Slytherin.

She laughed and shrugged “I mean anyone could tell you it’s a really bad idea to run into the middle of a fight involving weapons without a clear plan of action” she gave a playful roll of her eyes, she could already tell he was an act first and think later kind of person from the actions she had seen him do so far. He kept making these plans up about things they would do in the future and she kept finding herself getting sucked into it, despite the efforts she had put to distance them, everything he suggested sounded...well it sounded fun. She sighed under her breath because he really made it hard to say no or let him down “Do you always make so many plans for the future?” she asked out of curiosity, or was this just his way of trying to convince her to stay closer to him.

She laughed when he said it was ironic that he got the superpower he wanted “I guess that would make sense with the whole love for planes and all” she smiled softly when he affectionately said ‘Dhampy’ and sighed “Nephy” she responded and smirked, two could play at this nickname invention game he kept doing. If he was a Nephilim he was even stronger than he looked and despite the boyish features he had, he definitely didn’t look weak at all. But she was still pretty sure she could kick his ass.

Despite noticing how cringey the movie and acting was, she was enjoying the rewatch and even found herself humming along to the songs here and there as the story progressed, following the story of how they were torn apart by their friends because of the differences in their interests “Well I think the third movie made up for that, I mean she went to university a long way away from their high school, in the end it was him who made a compromise” she glanced over to him “Besides, work is work isn’t it? Most people have more aspirations in life than just going to school and getting a job” in fact, she would say most people did those things in order to be able to afford to do other things they wanted, like vacations or concerts or spending time with people they loved. She smirked when he said he wasn’t sorry as his hand brushed over hers again and she reached out as though she was going to hold his hand, turning his upwards only to steal a piece of popcorn he was holding and popping it into her mouth “Me neither” she responded and winked.

NephilimPermalink Reply by ✓ Julian Nathaniel Lockhart on June 4, 2020 at 9:11

He noticed a few things throughout the time he’s known her, how she would occasionally scrunch her nose up cutely, yes it was cute, whenever she was just about to shake her head at whatever he was saying. Honestly? It was something he actually wanted to see more. “Real gaming computer huh?” Sounds like something he’ll need to invest into, both his time and worth. But trying something new like that wouldn’t be a bad thing, god knows he probably needed to take a break every once in a while and not be around actual aircrafts still. Even when he’s not working, he is still working, Nora was spot on with that claim. “I tried, and failed miserably” he chuckled, “But I guess we shouldn’t try to give up too much” Was that an indication to the game or to things in reality? Maybe both. He was hardly someone who would give up easily without a fight. “So you really are a Disney princess, after all” He was surprised but also not shocked.

 Nora seemed to hold this exterior outside and while he had no doubt that she was still internally a strong woman, there were plenty of sides that most wouldn’t get the chance of witnessing. He was just lucky to witness a few of them. And he wasn’t about to stop there either. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll do fine. I promise not to flip out on you and ruin our friendship over a board game” He even made a scout’s honor, paired with a sheepish grin, only to clear his throat slightly before shuffling in his seat, “I mean, not at first, at least.” When asked if it was obvious that she belonged to the serpent house, Julian shrugged casually and pointed to himself proudly, “I mean, as obvious as you could guess which house I’m sorted in? Can you?” It was mostly obvious enough to most people but who knows what Nora thought of him? “Yeah people would tell me that but I’ve been told that I’m stubborn… so maybe there’s that too” he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, it landed him in a lot of trouble despite for the fact that the Nephilim hated those altercations.

 “All I thought about was how to solve it… definitely not a think before acting guy, sorry to break it to you.” He was chivalrous maybe, but he was sure the reckless department wanted a piece of him too. Julian was trying his best to show her that he was deeply invested in the idea of friendship between them and he wasn’t the kind to just talk the talk only. “I’m not a planner, no, but I am not a boring guy either so I have a few things that I wanted to do. I just don’t have enough reasons to compel myself to invest my time. I don’t have a lot of close friends anyway” Embarrassing, but he learned to accept it. The way she had given him the same teasing and endearing term of their species made the Nephilim chuckle, “You think you’re being cute, huh?” Well, she wasn’t wrong. She is, indeed, being cute at the moment. It was hard for him not to fall from the bed because he was actually afraid he would be imposing on her personal space but it didn’t last long. “A relationship needs two sides consenting, it takes two to tango after all” he couldn’t help but to snicker at that phrase, it sounded so weird. 

“I’m glad they were able to work through it, isn’t that what people engaged in relationships were supposed to do? Work it out? If you give up quickly then what’s the point of declaring your love?” For someone who doesn’t have an eye out for someone else aside from the person he liked, he stood firmly on that. “Mhmm” he agreed, work is work, it doesn’t only have to be that for the rest of their life. When she stole his popcorn, he scoffed and shook his head before clicking his tongue, as if he was trying to chastise her, “You think you’re being coy” he exclaimed before literally taking a popcorn from her hand using his mouth as he leaned against the pillow triumphantly.

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