Midnight Rain (Back & Kicking!!)

[Evil_Maiden420]

Kashi decided to leave the dreadful room and catch a bus to her apartment. When she stepped outside a slightly chill breeze caressed her body. She shivered and hugged her jacket close.
Why does life have to be so confusing?! She heard footsteps behind her and sighs knowing that Alec was following her. She was somewhat grateful that he was near her. But yet she was at a loss for words as she remembered that night at the restaurant.
"Um... Hi..." she said shyly turning herself to face him.  

[ninjaingaround]

Deston waited for Ebony to finish trancing or whatever it was she was doing, letting her speak to him first before he said anything. The ground under his feet was gaining a small amount of frost, like the kind that covers car windshields when the seasons change, a sign that he was getting pretty drained.
"I understand, it was a stressful situation for both of you." The ice demon replied, his French accent thicker than it had been before.
He hadn't really been stressed out by the situation between Arias and Zeke since he'd been in the wrong "mood" to be bothered by it, but he could understand why Ebony had been.  

[Buffy the Edward Slayer]

Ebony nodded, stretching. "You look rather tired. Shouldn't you be recooperating or something? Not that I don't enjoy the company." she added.

 

[ninjaingaround]

Deston shrugged when Ebony asked him if he should recuperate. He supposed that it wouldn't be a bad idea but, being both an outsider to the town and a foreigner, he didn't have anywhere to safely do so. The ice demon was pretty sure that his hotel room had already been rented out again.
"It's alright, I'll be fine." He answered, sure she'd probably see through his lie.
But it hadn't really been meant to deceive, just to politely say he didn't have anywhere to go without actually saying it.  

[Buffy the Edward Slayer]

Ebony laughed. "You're a bad liar. If you want you can use my dorm." she said, pointing through the trees. "You should be left alone, as I don't exactly have a reputation for making friends."

 

[Avelyst]

Arias swallowed and walked toward the porch. Before she even climbed the steps, the door slammed open and a young girl with bouncing white curls ran out. She held a little dog in her hands and she stopped immediately when she saw Arias, almost running into her.
"Aria! Aria, what are you doing with that damn dog-"
A man pushed the door open looking annoyed. He fell silent as he saw Arias, too. The man's eyes widened and he stared.
Toby...?
The little girl wrinkled her nose, "I was only taking Mui out for a walk, Daddy."
The man closed the door behind him and stared at Arias.
"Do I know you?" he whispered.
"Perhaps. I am Arias Shaldin. I came to see if someone I knew lived here."
"You are...but you...are you my sister?" the guy stuttered out.
Arias bit her lip, "Tobias?"
They stared at each other for the longest time until he walked forward and looked her over.
"It has been years. I have been waiting and searching for so long."
"You have done well, I am surprised that you picked up your heritage, though."
Tobias nodded and shrugged, pulling back.
"I spent a long time searching for Zeke, with no luck of course. Finally, I fell in love and, well, I got married and my wife had Aria. I named her after you." he smiled on the last part.
Arias blinked and took a deep breath.  

[Avelyst]

Alec laughed and stared at Kashi for a minute.
"Yeah, you kinda took off on me, didn't you?"
He leaned against the brick wall of the building that they were beside and continued to stare at her. A sweet smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.  

[ninjaingaround]

Deston half laughed embarrassedly when Ebony called him on his lie. He knew he didn't have any talent for yarn-spinning, but at least he'd given it a try. The ice demon had averted his cornflower blue eyes when Ebony had caught his lie, but they tracked back to her face when she offered up her room as a place he could use. Well, that was fast wasn't it?
"Okay." Deston replied, assuming Ebony wouldn't take no for an answer.
She was a pretty hardheaded woman, but in a good way.  

[Buffy the Edward Slayer]

Ebony smiled. "Here." she said, digging a key out of her picket and tossing it to Deston. "I won't be in for a while, so you'll have some privacy."

 

[ninjaingaround]

Deston blinked when Ebony tossed a key to him, telling him to go ahead and enter her dorm on his own. That was odd. Usually people didn't trust strangers in their dwelling places, even if they had been talking for a few days. As far as he was concerned, he didn't know her well enough to have permission to enter her home, as that's what a dorm is, without her present. However, it seemed that there really wasn't much point in arguing it, though the demon had to try.
"Where are you going?" He asked of her, figuring he could at least stall.
After all, what would her neighbors think upon seeing a strange man entering her room?  

[Buffy the Edward Slayer]

"TThought I might see where Arias ran off to, or maybe Kashi." she commented, standing and stretching. "Oh, if anyone gives you any s**t flash these." she said, handing him a visitor pass and a peice of paper with her room number. "If anyone asks your my cousin, 'kay? Any of those frat boy jerks see a guy going into my room and I'll get expelled for the murder of fellow students." she said, an evil gleam in her eyes.

 

[ninjaingaround]

Deston nodded when Ebony said she was going to go find one of the others, understanding her need to. He looked at the visitor's pass she gave him and took it as a silent way of saying "no you can't come." The ice demon quickly read the number on the paper, assuming it denoted her room assignment, before listening the her yarn of frat jerks. Apparently they didn't worry if one's cousin stayed in one's room, even if said cousin was of the opposite gender. Well, at least it would minimize confusion. Deston again only nodded when she elaborated on why he should claim to be her cousin, not necessarily liking the look in her eyes.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about." A "mood" scoffed from the back of his mind.
Good thing he wasn't going around with mind readers.  

[Buffy the Edward Slayer]

"If you like you can come, though you probably wouldn't be very interested ould you?" she mused. "I have got to get a life of my own, instead of following everyone else..." she said, as she took off, going around town searching for Arias, KAshi, hell, even Alec would do. She was worried about Arias.

 

[ninjaingaround]

Deston listened to Ebony as she spoke of letting him come along, sort of liking the idea. He wasn't too keen on going into someone else's dwelling without them present, even if he did have their permission. The ice demon, however, found that Ebony was only thinking aloud and before he knew it she had taken off. Well, so much for that. He started walking to the dormitory that Ebony had pointed out, thinking to and with himself as he walked.
Maintenant je commence à me souvenir pourquoi je suis toujours seul. Deston thought, not wanting a reply but getting one anyway.
"You can't say you expected anything different." One "mood" commented.
"You really don't socialize all that much, so how can you expect anyone to stick around?" A second one murmured.
Well, that wasn't helpful in the least. He shook his head and continued walking, letting his other "moods" pester him about the painfully obvious. The ice demon reached the dormitory after a few minutes and took about ten more to find Ebony's room before unlocking the door and walking in. He locked the door behind him, just in case some other student wanted to come waltzing in. Not all people reacted well to seeing someone strange in a friend's room.

(( Maintenant je commence à me souvenir pourquoi je suis toujours seul. = Now I'm starting to remember why I'm always alone.))  

[Avelyst]

Arias looked at the little girl but then closed her eyes. There were so many things that had nagged her for years that were now settled for her.
So, does this mean that my life is over now? Is there nothing else that my ripped and worn heart desires?
Her eyes stayed closed, but she could feel her blood pound in her veins. And then it hit her.
Despite everything, I don't belong here. My life here has been over for over a century. I belong with...
Images of Ebony's bright smile, Deston's impassive eyes, and Alec and Kashi filled her mind.
Arias eyes snapped open and she looked at Toby.
"It has been good to see you, brother, but my life here is over. I hope to see you soon, but I must go now. I have some people I need to see."
She turned around and winked at the child before walking toward the bus station. For the first time in years, Arias breathed. She actually breathed, and she could feel the chilled air in her lungs.
"All of this time, I have been so focused on Zeke and killing him. It is only after it is all over that I have realized what good friends I have made."