Adventures with the Marauders W/Lynx

"Sense and Sensibility, let's do that one second and watch Titanic now. If you want me to be a part of this then I'm not watching a paranormal. Besides, Sirius, you said you wanted something funny or action," Remus pointed out and fished for his choice.

((Haven't seen it but I've heard of it so there XD))

Shaye pressed her hand against her mouth, eyes crinkled at the corner as she tried to hide that her giggling. Considering that Remus didn't like the scent nor sight of blood, she could assume that a paranormal or even a horror movie would keep him awake for days. She walked over towards the couch and happily threw herself on it. She made sure to keep room for both Sirius and Remus, so they could decide who got the middle. "I can work with that." She smiled.

~*~

Two hour passed, give or take, and Remus was the one holding Shaye as she cried. Sirius was amused at how he also looked teary-eyed, though Remus was too stubborn to actually break down, "If only you could see yourselves. Here I thought I would be the one to comfort my girlfriend," he laughed and sipped his coffee.

"Sh-shut up, you're awful." Shaye whined as she pressed her handful of tissues into her face, leaning against Remus' hold. Her tears, unlike vampire who cried thick blood, were diluted pink. It was hard to see and notice, but anyone with a sense of nose, or knew what she was could make an educated guess that her tears had a bit of blood in them. "How are you not crying, Starlight? He died saving her." And just like that she spilled more tears. "Emotional romantic rollarcoaster, this could have had a happy ending if the damn people just tried." She dabbed her eyes again, thanking whatever deity there was that she wasn't hysterical. "At least Remus feels my pain."

"They fought so hard to stay alive only for her not to move over on the stupid door," Sirius laughed.

"Why can't you leave a tragic love story alone? I'm supposed to be the logical one of the whole group, you just bugger off, you wanker," Remus sniffed.

Shaye giggled as she gently moved so that she could grab some tissues for Remus and handed them to him. "Does he do this often to movies, or is it just the love stories?" She asked curiously.

"Love stories, and then I do it to the horror stories and action ones. Usually we're too busy laughing at the comedies to pick them apart," Remus explained, blowing his nose and smiling at her, reaching a clean tissue up and wiping at her eyes where there were still stains.

Shaye wasn't sure if the heat on her cheeks was noticeable since they were probably red from the crying anyway. "I kinda want to put him in the same room as Cassie and see who emerges victorious or if she gets him wrapped up into trouble." She couldn't help but to grin. "You, Masanori, and Trevor will have fun bugging the hell out of Sam. He enjoys horror and action too much to see the glaringly obvious plot holes."

"Too bad for him," Remus laughed a bit, also stroking her hair from her face. He pushed her aay took look at her clothes, picking and pilling at the fabric then smiled, "You didn't get your clothes bloody, that's good."

"So, Remus," Sirius sent a smirk their way, "Ready for a comedy to break up the sadness?"

Blood. Oh no. "I-I forgot that blood makes you sick." Shaye stammered. Did the scent not carry and that's why he was okay? Was it copious amounts of it that made him sick? "I'm okay. I don't think I got any on you." She looked at his clothes, but if there was a blood stain, she couldn't see it. She was kind of thankful that her tears held diluted blood and she wasn't vampire crying like Ryoko and Lese could.

"Calm down, it's alright. It doesn't bother me nearly as much between Full Moons," he assured her, "A few days before and after is the issue, "Anyway, yes. Let's plug in the next movie." He watched Sirius get up and go plug it in.

~+~
By the time the credits on the last movie rolled, Shaye was practically draped on Remus and Sirius, her body completely slack. She wasn't sure how long they sat there, or how many movies they saw (she lost track at three). It was late at night, probably past midnight. She could feel Remus' fingers trail absently along her legs, and Sirius was stroking her hair, both of them lulling her into a lullaby. "You're gonna make me fall asleep on you." She was pretty sure she said this to them before, but she couldn't remember.

"Then how about we go to bed?" Sirius coaxed, helping her sit up slowly so she didn't get dizzy, and once Remus had a hold of her he went and turned off the TV and put away the movie. The coffee cups and popcorn bowl had since been put away so he just had to worry about getting her to the bedroom. As he and Remus shared a bed as it was, he just motioned for him to pick her up.

Remus blinked at him in surprise, but his cheeks reddened and he nodded, scooping Shaye up and walking towards his bedroom. Sirius opened the door for him, and inside there was wolf stuff everywhere. Grey and black ones were abundant, but there were some others thrown in along with foxes and deer. Sirius pulled down the wolf comforter to reveal silky black sheets with pillows covers that matched the comforter. There was also a purple body pillow that looked like the fabric as velvet. "Sirius likes to suffocate people he sleeps with, so when I'm not in the mood I swap the body pillow out."

"Oh, good." Shaye's eyes drank up the sight. The black sheets looked like silk and the mattress was probably soft and firm. She could smell  Sirius' personal fiery scent and the calming smell of saltwater and forest mixed. It had to be Remus' smell. She'd look further in the bedroom when she had more of a chance to roam. Right now, his warm body and Sirius' invite to snuggle was good. "I like to be suffocated. I use the blankets to wrap myself up like a burrito sometimes."

"That's James. Lily complains he's a blanket hog," Sirius snickered and once she was settled the two men stripped from their everyday clothes down to their boxers. Remus was more self-conscious, so he put on some PJ's while Sirius just threw on some black sweatpants and climbed in next to Shaye, "I hope you don't mind baking in your own skin, either. Remus can be warm. It's perfect this time of year but over the summer...Merlin it's like a sauna. I slept in the guest room most of the time."

"I don't have heat to bake in. I run pretty cool." Shaye smiled as she shifted herself so that she would rest her head on the pillow. Ooh it was nice and firm. She was probably going to sleep hard and fast. "So his heat is welcomed, just in case you'll need me to switch places."

"Okay," Sirius nodded and kissed her forehead a bit. Once they were all completely settled, he wrapped one arm around her and one leg draped across hers, his pillow scrunching up over his arm as he tucked it under his head.

Remus looked a bit awkward, not sure which way to sleep because if he laid on his side like he normally did, then that would put Shaye's back against his chest. "See? He's quite like an anaconda," He laughed a little nervously, deciding to just lay almost on the edge of the bed which put him at six inches away from her.

Shaye laughed, her voice sounding funny from the way she was facing. She tried to look over her shoulder, but couldn't. "If I stop breathing in the middle of the night, you'd know why." He probably couldn't see it, but her eyes were twinkling. She wondered if he didn't like intimate touches when they barely knew each other. His breathing was off. Nervous? Fear? Sirius was calming, probably already going through the first stage of the sleep cycle. "Are you comfortable?"

"Fairly..." the werewolf answered softly, sensing Sirius was almost completely gone, "Did you enjoy your date today? I really...wasn't expecting to be in the picture at all."

Shaye shifted to her back, small movements so she wouldn't startle Sirius awake. She looked over at him. "I had a lot of fun." She said softly, "But..why do you say you weren't expecting to be in the picture?"

"The day was supposed to be for you two. I was barely supposed to be there at all. I ad made popcorn and if it wasn't for the fact he asked for coffee I would've already been in here reading," he rubbed his neck, "I did enjoy my time with you," he assured before she could get the wrong idea.

There was a slightly long pause after he said that. Shaye's gaze was on the ceiling, looking at the streetlights that bled through the curtains. "I don't want to get in between you and Sirius." She said after a moment. "I refuse to take away his happiness. He's happy with you and I know very well that I'm the one whose worming herself into a relationship between the two of you. If I make you uncomfortable, or this arrangement, talk to me. Let me know. Give me ideas on how this can work."

Remus' expression softened, "It's because you have that mentality that I'm not concerned. You care. A lot of women he's tried dating didn't see it or they wanted him to themselves. So..." he hesitated a moment before reaching out and stoking her cheek, "Don't worry about it and go to sleep."

Shaye closed her eyes, leaning towards his touch, "Then don't sleep so far away from us." She offered, eyes opening to look at him. "Unless you're really comfortable where you are."

"I wasn't sleeping here because of that," Remus admitted, face glowing in the darkness, "Since you've changed positions, though..." he did scoot a bit closer into the indent of the mattress where he would've ended up rolling into later anyway, and he slipped his arm around her as well, his bare skin where the sleeve of his PJ's slid up touching Sirius.

Shaye smiled brightly and closed her eyes, "Silly Moony." She chided gently as she yawned and sunk deeper into the mattress. "You and I...one on one date sometime." She yawned again and turned her head so that she could get comfortable and let out a sigh, her body slumping as she let go of all tension to start falling into sleep.

()

Monday came around when Ryoko received the return text from David, asking for directions to Fiery Wave and their hours. Then he asked when she wanted to meet up. After squealing her brother and sister's ears off, she called Matt, "Mattie!" she chirped when she answered the phone, "I have a date tonight! I'd love it if you'd help me out with an outfit! He wants to meet at the Club. Is Sam working tonight? I know Masa isn't, I was thinking about making him call Mike to make it a double date, what do you think?" she was talking super fast in her excitement, but she knew Matt would be able to one, understand her, and two, wouldn't tell her to slow down and repeat herself.

"Sam's not going to be working tonight." Matt said, her voice holding in her excitement. "So you can introduce me to your boyfriend without having him jump around and being over protective. I think a double date would be cute! I haven't met Mike yet. So I get to meet /two/ boyfriends tonight!" Her voice reflected her grin. "Has Masanori given you any trouble for yours? You can always give it back to him since he's in the dating pool."

"Nope, nothing yet. He's a wizard but he's got a muggle job like Trevor so he's chill. He's just hesitant because he doesn't know ho he feels about Creatures. Masa /might/ grill him, just sayin'...hey, also...Mike, he seems a bit off. like he might be a Creature, too, but I'm...not sure," Ryo hummed, throwing it out there for Matt to sink in.

"Maybe." Matt hummed softly. "Once I see him, I'll know for a fact. I know the name sounds familiar so, I'm sure I know him. Candy probably does. I'm so bad with faces." Candy was the one that was able to remember every face with every name with accuracy that could rival Nix's. It was fun to see the competition when there was one. "So outfits!" She got back on track with the conversation. "So far, what do you have in mind? Or do you need me to come over?"

"Oh, I'd love if you came over, Matt! I know you can do an Angel version of Aperation...Teleporting or whatever. IF you catch a free moment you could also raid Masa's closet for something nice to wear. I know you enjoy watching him grumble sometimes," Ryo giggled. Masa was a casual person and having to dress up for any occasion got him flustered. If he could get away with it, any button down or polo shirts got unbuttoned at the top.

Matt laughed. "I'll see you in a flash. I'm going to let Sam and Hota know that I'm going before I get there. I'll make sure you and Masanori look fabulous." She assured. "I'll see you soon, and I'll give your love to Hota for you."

"Domo-arigato!" Ryo chirped to her friend and hung up, bouncing up and down excitedly. She went to find Masanori quickly, saying Matt would be by shortly before disappearing again. Though, not before seeing Masa's horrified face. He knew if Matt was coming then that meant a fashion show. Running upstairs, the black haired vampire pulled out everything she possibly wanted to wear, then put back what wouldn't really fit a club scene. She knew she wanted to be sexy enough to entice and comfortable while she danced, but not...overly revealing.

When she'd narrowed down the list she messaged David again, What's your favorite color? Ryo knew wearing a guy's favorite color could be a bad thing if things went wrong, but she didn't care. She had too many choices and didn't want to make Matt's work more difficult.

I like blue and jade was David's response just as the knock at the door came. Masanori called that he was getting the door so Ryoko could stay up stairs. I'm super excited about the club. Did you find out if your Sam is going to be there?

He's staying home to take care of Hota tonight, Matt is taking over the club. We're double dating with my brother and his latest love interest! Is that okay? Oh I just realized I forgot to ask D : I'm so sorry! Ryo panicked. She hoped she didn't just upset him by making spontaneous plans, she had just been so excited that it just came out when talking to Matt.

I don't mind a double date. Masanori still has to give me the grind and you have to meet his friend right? David responded as Matt knocked on Ryoko's door before flinging it open.

"Hey! Masanori tried to talk me out of doing his closet. He said he already has an outfit in mind, but he's still giving the runway show regardless. What do we have here? Already texting lover boy and lining up clothes?"

"David likes blue and jade green!" Ryo beamed at her, then told her the idea she had for style. Quickly she told David a yes and a ttyl before putting her phone on her dresser. "Tell me what to put back first before I throw things on."

"Comfort...you might want to wear leggings or stretch jeans. Regular jeans, even skinny, might be a little harsh for a club scene. Jean shorts might be good, considering the weather. Do you have a halter top or something? Or even a dress? You want to dazzle him, so maybe a dress..." She eyed Ryoko up and down. "A casual dress, that way you can wear flats instead of heels. Oh what we can do with your hair?! We can put it up." She gushed.

"I don't want to wear jeans, so I'll wear leggings! I have some dark blue leggings, and I might have a halter top..." Ryo hummed, "What do you think about a french braid for my hair? Since a halter top would reveal my back and all. The weather is too cool right now to wear a dress," she wrinkled her nose.

"Shaye would call you a wuss, but I know better." Matt grinned. "Try them on and do a walk." She told her. "If I like the combination then I'll figure out if a french braid is good. I might have a messy french braid instead of a clean sleek. Give you that sexy umph."

"Okay!" Ryo put away what she decided against and threw on the combo, going without a bra so it wouldn't ruin the bare back look. She turned around for Matt and ran her hands down her waist and hips. The halter she'd found was a paler green, almost jade but not quite. It was close enough, and the club lighting would help, too, "I think it looks good."

"Definitely a mess french braid. Maybe some mascara and eyeliner. I don't want to eye shadow since it'll take away the look. Foundation." Matt hummed as she looked at the outfit and made Ryoko spin. "I'll raid your bathroom for a hair tie and a brush as well as your make up." She told her. "Then we'll torture Masanori."

"What about a natural shadow? Just for that sparkle around my eyes when I'm in the light?" Ryo suggested, "No color, like you said, just sparkle."

"We could do some glitter. Define the eyes a bit." Matt conceded and she left the room to head towards the bathroom. She came back with the make up, hair tie, and brush and set them all down on Ryoko's bed. "Sit and don't move. Back towards me. We'll do the hair first before the make up."

Ryo obeyed and being a vampire, she was a complete statue until Matt was ready for the makeup. Then she turned however she was needed, freezing again for her. Once it was all said and done, and she was free to move, she hurried to the bathroom, "Oh! This is fabulous, Mattie!"

Matt beamed. "Your boy better fall down dead. Otherwise I'm gonna be very disappointed that he's a tough cookie to break."

"Me too! Now, let's go spice Masa up a bit, too," Ryo turned off the light and put everything else away. Grabbing her phone, she skipped her way towards her brother's bedroom, knocking, "You ready for your evaluation?" she joked.

"Why am I doing this?" Was the answer muffled from the door. "It's /casual/. The club is /casual/. I can go in with jeans and a shirt!"

"A dress shirt with a few buttons undone. The jeans you're gonna kill yourself in unless you learned how to dance with them painted on you." Matt retorted. There was something that was said in muffled Japanese. Probably a curse for all she knew. Matt could handle that.

"Do I /have/ to wear slacks?" Masanori asked after a moment.

"Do you even have any?" Matt asked back, giving the door a skeptic look.

"Dress pants...they're black." Masanori sounded hesitant. "I'm not doing my hair."

Matt rolled her eyes. "You probably already did your hair knowing you so I wouldn't have to. Do you have dress shoes to go with that? What color is your shirt? You know what? Just get your ass out here and do a run way show. Ryoko's already to go and you're bitching."

"I am not bitching."

"I'm sorry. You're /whining/. My bad."

"Ugh why am I friends with you?" Masnaori groaned.

"Probably because of Sam and Cass." Matt nodded as if it was the wisest decision. "And because you know better than to go up against Nix and his sword, now do you?"

Another muffled Japanese phrase that was probably another swear or a promise to see an end of days. Matt rolled her eyes and stepped back as Masanori walked out of the room. His hair /was/ done. The purple was tied up into a simple high ponytail. "See? How bad was that." Matt coaxed.
"I want you to behead me and leave it outside my door." Masanori grumbled.
"You're more dramatic than the Americans." Matt raised an eyebrow. "And they over react to everything."

Ryo cooed at him, "You look great, Masa," she reached up and brushed his bangs from his face, "Your hair reminds me of when Otou-san would have us do ceremonies. At least when you dance it'll be out of your way. Mike's going to love it. You're mixing your cultures really well. I can't do that. I am either one or the other."

Masanori's expression softened and he reached up and gently patted her cheek. The ceremonies were when he really did dress up. In the traditional shinto priest outfit, along with Hana's miko and they would around the festival that the temple held and would help out with the celebrations and the floats. Giving out charms and smiles. Good blessings and fortunes. Sometimes, he really did miss Japan. With the magic that they could have in their weapons and Hana's ability. Now they were quieter in their magic, but...not too quiet. "You're whatever you want to be," He reminded Ryoko. "You're not one or the other, you can be both if you allow yourself to."

The double meaning wasn't lost on her, and Ryo nodded before pulling away, looking between the two, "Shall we head out? I can text David and he'll probably be there whenever I ask him to."

"Yes!" Matt said quickly and turned to Masanori. "Are you-?"

"Mike told me that he'd be there." Masanori shrugged. "I could be early or late."

"Then, we'll do side by side teleportation. I am /not/ leaving you alone to change out of those slacks."

~*~

Mike was just walking in when he felt the presence of three suddenly appear. Another angel, probably Matt, and his heart skipped when he felt Masanori's. The third had 'vampire' laced with 'human'. His adopted sister? Hmm. Looking around, he found an open spot at the bar that was visible from the door. Someone he didn't recognize was sitting close, so he decided to strike up casual conversation while he waited. "Hello, you new to Fiery Wave?" he asked when he sat down, tilting his head, assessing the black haired man with eyes like blue topaz, "The owner's significant other will be right in, if you need any help. She doesn't take care of the club very often by herself."

David blinked as the man had walked up to talk to him. His eyes reminded him of a faded military jacket, and the way that he held himself told David that he was being scrutinized. "Pretty new. I'm waiting for my girl. She's the one that told me to meet her here. We're double-dating with another couple. I'm David, by the way. David O'Conner. Who are you?" He asked, holding out his hand for him to shake.

"I'm Mike Arch, nice to meet you. You must be Ryo's crush. Her brother told me in passing that she'd met someone," Mike shook his hand firmly, "How do you feel about gays?" He decided to be blunt. If the guy got scared away by this then Ryo didn't need him anyway, though Mass might be upset with him...

David smiled, "If that was an attempt to get me into a threesome, I hate to tell you that you're wasting your time. I'm not all that comfortable with that, if I'm the one being shared or not. Other than that, if your date's another male and you're worried how I'm gonna react, you're okay." He promised. "I don't see anything wrong with that lifestyle. It's becoming more and more normalized. Hopefully it continues like that and you won't be so afraid."

Mike smiled and relaxed, "Perhaps, I simply figured I'd get it out of the way because...you're going to be dating my date's sister, and I just wanted to make sure things were okay." He looked over and spotted Ryo first as she was leading the pack, dragging Matt behind her. She looked stunning in her dance outfit and he heard David take a massive intake of breath. He wasn't far behind because while Masa was lagging, it was worth the extra moment. He was...so incredibly handsome. A mix of modern and Japanese.

Ryo giggled at Mike's expression, and she blushed a bit at David's reaction before grinning widely, "Hello, David! I see you've met Mike!"

"I'm so sorry we're late." Masanori groaned. "We had to fashion walk for Hana when she came home."

"I'm not sorry in the least." Matt chirped. "I already know what you guys want, but Mike?" She glanced at Mike curiously. "Vodka?" Reading Mike's mind was like listening to a static radio. Some bits and pieces would come through, but not a whole lot of promise.

"You look breathtaking." David smiled warmly at Ryoko. "Did you guys want to sit at a table or is the bar okay?"

"Table's alright with me, we can face each other and easy conversation." Masanori offered his vote.

"Vodka and sprite mix, please. I'll start off light, only 1/3rd vodka for now," Mike agreed, "Thanks, Matt. How have you been doing? We haven't talked in a while." He stood up and got closer to the man with purple hair, giving him a slow up and down, making sure he was /well/ aware, "Let's go to a table while Matt whips up our drinks."

Ryo bounced, "We could always separate later, but for right now let's stick to a table and get to know each other!"

They wandered towards a table that wasn't closed off from the social gathering, but they didn't chose a table that would be near anywhere popular, like sitting close to where the D.J would set up. Candy was up there already looking through his CD's, Nix no where to be found. Masanori pulled a seat out for Mikey and smiled as he sat down next to him, David mirroring the gesture for Ryoko. He was really glad to get such a considerate girl.

"Ryo told me that you worked as a Muggle security officer." Masanori said delicately. He used the term muggle on purpose so that David understood that he was among friends.

"Yeah I am." David nodded. "Your sister and Kai are amazing to watch. I'm always happy to see kids getting to know their new parents. It takes a special kind of person to take in someone."

"My sister's a special girl." Masanori agreed. "How long have you been working there?"

"Not too long," David shook his head. "Five years? Give or take. I'm really bad with time." He smiled at Masanori. "What about you?"

"I work here," Masanori gestured towards the bar where Matt was finishing up Ryoko's drink and setting it on a tray. She was slower than Masanori and Sam since she wasn't used to the method, but her drinks were never a disappointment and she did know how to keep people happy regardless of her speed. "Been working here for three years."

David nodded and turned towards Mike, "What about you? What do you for a living?"

This is where Mike faltered, "I...don't. I'm discharged military personnel from America and I've been living off of my Grandfather's inheritance. I may have been disowned, but my grandpa on my mother's side cared for me still." He felt awkward now. David and Masa both had great jobs, but he was...kind of a failure. "I haven't been able to find anywhere that really...fits me, job wise, and there aren't a lot of hobbies I'm good at, either, to make a profit. All I've ever wanted to do is save people."

"Awwww, Mike!" Ryo frowned, "Why haven't you tried the muggle security like David? Or even become a constable like Trevor! He's Sam's little brother."

'Same reason you don't have a job, either,' Mike wanted to say but he just shook his head and tried to convey his thoughts with his expression. How could he say that wasn't an option without blowing what they were? Sure magical folk were a thing, but even Ryo didn't know what he was and if he brought it up, then David would wonder Ryo's origin and everything would be ruined. He didn't want that, not on the first date.

"You know..." Masanori wondered if he was going to be overstepping his bounds here. "Sam might like to interview you to work here. He has a child to look after, and while Matt's wonderful at taking over his job when he needs it, we do need more hands on deck. I know it's not helping people...not in the way you think, but..." He shrugged helplessly.

David frowned deeply. He would've asked if Mike was a furry person, but...there weren't any scars on him.

"Sam would." Matt said cheerfully as she broke into the conversation and started handing out drinks. David was shocked to see that his was a Dr. Pepper in Whiskey. "You'd be a downright angel with wings if you were to go up to him and ask for a job. He needs the people...and the break." She placed the tray on her hip. "It's not the helping people route that you'd want," she told Mike directly. "But you'd save people from their worries and their unhappiness."

Masanori blinked at Matt. Matt /never/ used the phrase angel to describe anyone or anything. She never even used the word demon or devil, even when their most obnoxious deserved it. If anything, that was the most blunt thing she said. He glanced over at Ryoko, wondering what her take of this was.

However, David was completely oblivious to it. "Bartending could save people. I mean, you have to be on the outlook for bad behavior and you got to side with the girls a little bit when they're getting harassed. Even the guys." He nodded. "No one wants to get in a middle of a catfight...you need a bouncer."

"We don't get that rowdy." Matt lightly smacked David's shoulder since it was the only part of him that she could reach from her position. "We're not some dingy club with glitter on the floor."

"Kesha much?"

"Blame Candy. He changed my ringtone again." Matt winked as she started to walk away. "I'll come check up on you lot later."

Ryo was a bit taken aback by Matt's comment, though that combined with the way Mike looked at her made her wonder. She was here and gone again, however, so she didn't get to comment. "I might not be that good at mixing drinks...how many times have I dropped the metal mixing glasses Sam gave you to practice with, Masa? Instead...I think either DJing in place for Candy or even just taking people their drinks would be a lot of fun. I could at least save up money to start painting," she shrugged.

"Painting? What do you draw?" Mike tilted his head at her, "Mixing drinks...I could try, anyway. If you still have those practice cups?" He glanced at Masa.

"I guess you could say I have a...photographic memory," it'd be the best way to describe it without giving away she was a Vampire, "So I draw what I've seen. When I paint I just free-form and do landscapes or whatever's around me," Ryo explained, "Hyper-realism is what I do for artwork, and I like using colored pencils."

"I still have the practice mixers." Masanori agreed. "You're welcome to borrow them and I can show you how to make shots first that way you can impress Sam when he interviews you." He smiled at Mike. "Then we'd work up to the more...complicated mixtures and I could teach you how to do flair."

David whistled impressed as he looked over at Ryoko when she talked about her art. "You should show me sometime. Hyper-realism is always something that amazes me. It's like looking at a photograph, only better." He smiled. "I can't draw to save my life. No one in my family can. We're natural disasters at it."

"Me neither." Masanori agreed. "My sister's are very into the arts." He puffed himself up, obviously pleased with his sisters'. "She's always been an artist, I keep telling you to sell your work. You'd make good money for it. Hana does flower arrangement and gardening." He would tell Mike the other parts since he trusted him, and knew that he deserved to know, now that Matt had dropped that truth bomb. But that'd come much later.

"I have a whole collection I've been too afraid to sell," Ryo blushed, "It's pictures of friends, family, random people on the street...there's others though, like the towns I've been through and seasonal scenes that I wouldn't mind trying to get framed to sell." She smiled at David, glad he thought her talent was impressive, "Magic is an art in a way," she tried to point out, not entirely sure if her brother or David would agree.

"I agree with Ryoko," Mike nodded, then smirked at Masa, "Though, with the way you mix drinks that could be an art form and magic, too." The blatant flirt was so obvious Mike should probably just quit while he was ahead, but his mouth kept running, "Even if I learned how, I would never outshine you. Not that I would want to...I'd probably end up just watching you instead anyway."

Masanori's cheeks reddened, and smiled at him shyly. "I'm not that good at flair." He said gently, but didn't argue the rest of it. If anything, he wasn't much better than Sam or Phoenix if he ever got behind the bar, which on rare occasions he had to do.

"Nah, magic's no art." David shook his head. "Magic's just a skill, a talent. You shouldn't downplay your skills so much." He smiled. "If you're willing, you should show me some of the artwork and I can see if I can spread the rumor around that there's a good artist that's hiding away."

"No flair? What about that day you were showing off and had a crowd around you?" Mike laughed softly, "You're modest. So, I think that's a third date we've planned without meaning to?" he winked.

"If you're willing," Ryo agreed with a giggle, "And to someone who's non-magical, that's what I see," she shrugged and sipped at her drink, having forgotten it was there.

"Sure. But that means next week you have to be there for the housewarming party Marcus is throwing for Kai." Masanori challenged.

"I suppose it's art if you think of it like fireworks." David shrugged after a moment. "Dangerous but beautiful depending on how you use it, and who taught you." He smiled at her. "But honestly I doubt your non-magical." Masanori tensed but David didn't seem to notice. "You got an aura around you that says otherwise. A little darker than Mike's, but I'm just chalking it up to him being a peacock and Masanori's not picking up the mating signs."

"Where's a pillow or something to toss at you?" Masanori demanded, his cheeks dark red. "You're head is in the gutter and it doesn't belong there." David just laughed at him.

"A peacock? Am I really being that annoying but instead of screaming 'help, help' I'm screaming 'dick, dick'?" Mike asked with a wide grin after pitching his voice to achieve the effect he needed.
Ryo nearly choked on her drink and she thumped her chest as she coughed, "Oh Kami!"

David burst out laughing while Masanori took at least two gulps of alchol, draining the glass, and hiding his head into his arms. "All you need is colorful feathers, and it's not annoying. I mean, you haven't done the mating call yet."

"Oh my kami, stop talking." Masanori looked up at David. "Ryoko shut him up. Please!"

"Shall we dance?" Ryo laughed heartily, jumping up, "I think it'd be good to let these two flirt it out of their system, or at least Mike."

"Not sure that's helping your brother," Mike beamed.

"Let's go dance." Masanori agreed, jumping up and holding his hand out to Mike. "Before David gives you anymore ideas."

"Yes, make me out to be the bad guy when I was pointing out the obvious." David rolled his eyes teasingly. "Come on, we can go dance and make fun of them from across the floor."

"That's...the way I grew up," Mike started to do a little body bob and sway, just to wind himself up before he really started dancing, "I'll keep my sexual comments to a minimum." The last thing he wanted to do was to make Masa uncomfortable, "Do you like slow dancing, then, compared to club dancing?"

"I'm more used to slow dancing than club dancing yeah." Masanori agreed as he watched Mike. "More intimate." Cassandra would try to get him to club dance, but every time she did, Masanori would just back away slowly and Hana would be bent over, holding her knees laughing. She was a little braver than he was.

An idea passed through Mike's head, and he grinned before he reached out and took Masa's wrists and pulled him forward so their chests ended up thumping together. Grabbing his hips, he just started to do a simple dipping side to side sway and shuffle, "We can compromise," he said while smirking.

Masanori laughed as he gently tightened his grip on Mike's hips, allowing himself to be pulled a little further into his chest. Their hips were aligned and it was fairly easy to brush against themselves, but that was alright. "Yes we can." He agreed, his eyes alight with happiness at their position. He had wondered if Mike wouldn't like the idea of it, but...this was good. Too good.

They were able to keep it up and even go a little deeper in their movements as Candy seemlessly changed the song, and Mike was enjoying how they fit together. They were so close, and the warmth of Masa's body against his and how their position could easily turn dirty if either of them decided to, all added up and made him look up with bright pale green eyes, "Would Hana or Cassandra be shocked if they saw you now?" he decided to ask.

"Cassandra." Masanori answered promptly. "Hana wouldn't be. She knows that if I dance like this with someone...well..that means I found the right partner for me." His cheeks held a faint blush, realizing how cheesy that was and that he was quoting a movie.

"The right partner for you, huh? I'm glad you feel that way," Mike hummed sweetly and slid his hands up Masa's sides, chest, and then hooked his fingers behind the taller man's neck, "You'll think me silly, but I've just been such a worry-wart wondering if I'm going to do or say something wrong and upset you. I guess...my being spontaneous in what I say or do is to see what you do or don't like...such as talking dirty in public."

"I rarely get upset." Masanori assured softly, bringing his hand up to cup Mike's cheek, thumbing across his cheekbone tenderly. "I'm a little worried about how you feel myself. Am I too boring? Am I saying something wrong? Something right? I'm so used to using my actions that words is...hard."

"We're not girls, though I can be a bit fruity and you kinda look effeminate," Mike chuckled and leaned his head into the touch. The callouses made his skin prickle...in a good way, "Actions are all we really need, and we /get it/. You're not boring, and I want to know more, spend more time with you. You /must/ be doing and saying stuff right if I'm still here."

Masanori laughed. "No." He said with a teasing glint in his eye. "You just haven't run off because you haven't met the people I hang with. Ryo is just a sister. My friends are the make it break it deal." His heart felt ten times lighter and relieved that he wasn't scaring Mike off and that he agreed that actions were all they needed. He pressed a gentle kiss against Mike's cheek, a bold move coming from him.

"Nuh-uh," Mike gripped Masa's face in both hands and turned his head, "I don't do cheek kisses unless they're fly-bys. If you're going to kiss me, then kiss me," he growled a bit and kissed Masanori properly, tilting his head and fitting their lips together.

Masanori let out a soft whine in surprise, but instead of pulling away and looking flustered, he took Mike's invite and kissed him back with equal passion and enthusiasm, gently tapping his tongue against Mike's lip to ask if it was alright to deepen the kiss into something a little more filthy.

Mike was hesitant, but only for a second. If Masa didn't want it he wouldn't do it. So he opened his mouth and enjoyed how the man with purple hair pulled him closer and dove his tongue to meet his own. He promptly dueled with him and rotated his hips a bit, being the one to initiate what their position granted. One hand gripped his shoulder, the other toyed with the hairs at the back of his neck. He really didn't want to dishevel that wonderful, sexy ponytail.

Masanori whined softly but continued to play and tease and taste Mike's mouth, humming softly as his hips moved along with his lover's. He could hear the music turn into something much, much more different, but he didn't care. When he pulled away, he had to stop himself from growing at the glazed look in Mike's eyes and how red and glossy his lips were now.

Mike stroke his hands back down Masa's chest and gave him a slow, lazy smirk, "Well, I wasn't expecting to french-kiss, but that was great," he winked, "Would you like to go sit down, perhaps? Have another drink?" he'd probably need one once he realized they just gave a show to the other people in the club.

"A drink might be good." Masanori was starting to realize that the music was a little on the sexual side and there were people that were just turning back towards their own drinks. He glanced over at the D.J station he could swear that Candy was about to leap over the tabletop. Oh..dear god. "A drink will be fanastic, let's go sit." He hooked his arm with Mike's and hoped that his exit was casual enough that Candy wouldn't jump away from his position to yell at him.

"This is going to spread like wildfire in your group of friends, isn't it?" Mike laughed and when Masa sat down, he slipped right next to him and curled against his side, "I don't mind if they demand you show me off, I look forward to meeting everyone."

"Cassie's the one that's going to demand me to show you off. Especially if she catches wind that there's two new relationships." Masanori sighed as he ran his hand down his face, taking a breath and leaned his head against Mike's. "You'll come to Kai's welcome to the family party yes?" He asked curiously, looking at Mike. "Hana would want you there and you can meet everyone then."

"Sounds perfect," Mike agreed, turning his head to brush his lips against Masa's again, "Kissing you could be addicting, by the way. I hope you don't mine," he purred, loving the spark from the skin contact.

"I don't mind. Just..." Masanori's cheeks flushed. "Don't expect a full on display like we did on the dance floor. Candy will never let me live that down."

Mike shook his head, "Of course not...that sort of kissing I would much rather enjoy in private, anyway," he winked.

~

Ryo smiled at the music and started shimmying her body to and fro, bobbing her body and wiggling, letting the rhythm pump through her. She was glad everything was going well, and hopefully she wasn't making a fool of herself. David thought she had some sort of magic to her...which made her wonder. She doubted it, though. She was just a half-vampire. If she wasn't, she'd simply be a muggle.

David grinned as he tried to follow her movements. If she shimmed one way, then he'd try to follow and make sure that his movements matched hers. Of course, there were certain things only Ryo was able to do since she was a girl and David didn't have the balance or the assets for it, then he would just make something up, making himself look like a fool but a happy one at least.

Ryo giggled as she watched David try and dance with her, and she held her hand out towards him, "Spin me!" she demanded, her smile wide and bright. The chorus of the song had a good beat to it, and they could get into the swing of things fairly easily.

David laughed as he took Ryo's hand and spun her twice before spinning her to his chest to do a playful dip and spun her outwards. "Too much spin?" He teased. He adored the way her hair spun with the movement and how her eyes seemed to shine in the glow of the club.

"Never too much spin!" Ryo laughed, spinning back to David with ease and it made her heart jump at how his arms wrapped securely around her. She could feel the muscles in his arms, and the firmness of his chest against her back, "I hope this isn't too forward for a first date..."

"Nah." David shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her there. He kept his arms loose in case she wanted out, but his hands didn't wander into dangerous territory. "I'm used to girls being too subtle for my tastes really."

"I try not to be...too over the top, like Cass, but I'm not going to be a prude, either," Ryo tilted her head up and to the side to look at him, "I'm enjoying myself and I'm just going to be me. That's better than pretending, and I don't understand why women do it, then they wonder why they get hurt."

"I think both men and women put up a mask and pretend." David said slowly. He wondered if he was hitting too close to a nail she didn't want hammered yet. He knew she was hiding something. He wasn't a fool. "I think that lying by omission is just as bad as lying straight." He shrugged. "But at the same time, I understand why people omit things. There are things that people would use to hurt...would use to kill. But that's just me watching too many crime shows." He laughed.

Ryo's stomach twisted and she was glad he couldn't see her face directly since she'd turned back to watch the crowd, "Of course, they're also telling the truth but not the whole truth," she shrugged and bounced out of his arms, turning and still held onto his hands, "How about we get another drink?"

"Drinks sound fantastic. Come on." David agreed, grabbing Ryo's hand and dragged her off of the dance floor, towards the bar. "What do you want? I can get it and you can sit down." He offered. "I'm probably going to get a black Russian this time."

"I'll take a mudslide, something sweet and creamy," Ryoko grinned and when she jumped on a barstool she did a small spin, "Do you know any Japanese or would you like me to tell you the meaning of a few easy words? I tend to slip when I'm excited, and I wouldn't want you to get confused."

"I traveled to Japan before, but I'm only fluent in a few words." A few sentences. "But if you want to teach me some, I wouldn't say no to it." He said. Just as he said that Matt came by. David ordered for the both of them, making Matt wink and walk away. Clearly her mind was elsewhere. He glanced over at the D.J booth where Candy was rocking on the balls of his feet. "Something's happening, the D.J looks excited." David said as he craned his neck to see what was going on.

"Well, what do you know?" Ryo decided to ask, "That way I don't repeat myself at all," she smiled and then looked to where he was, though she could probably guess, "Candy really wants to jump up and down and scream," she giggled, "I'm thinking Mike and Masa are probably kissing."

"True to that." David said, catching the end of the kiss when the crowd moved just right. "Um, probably the basics. How are you, where are you from, I'm good, I'm so-so." He shook his head. "Where's the bathroom, how to get to whatever place I need to go. It's really limited."

"Well, arigato is thank you, hai, not hi, is yes, and then iie is no," Ryo explained, still watching the two on the floor. She was really happy for them, especially her brother, "Hana is going to cheese out when she hears about this. I might have to skype call Cassie tonight, too. She won't believe me."

David smirked. "How are you going to give her proof?" He asked curiously, keeping a mental list in his head about the new words that Ryoko was giving him. "What about endearments? Are there any?"

"Cassie and I have our ways of talking," she was brought back to him when Matt put their drinks down, "As for endearments...koi means love, and koibito means sweetheart," she blushed a bit.

"Okay." David nodded his head. He had wondered about that. "Now I know what to call you when the time comes."

Ryo sputtered and blushed darkly, "You're already thinking that far ahead? This is only our first date," she fiddled with her glass and took a drink.

David looked at Ryoko a little bit shocked and curious. "Well..yeah. I don't date casually. If I'm dating someone, I usually want to see the long haul." He told her carefully. "Besides, it wouldn't take me a year to call you that. Probably a month or even a few weeks depending on how well we go together."

The black haired woman blinked at him a bit before placing her hands on her cheeks, feeling how warm they were, "I feel like such an anime girl. Cassie's going to laugh at me. I had no idea...not that I mind," she shook her head before he could get the wrong idea, "I've just...never really dated, so thinking that far ahead really threw me off. I was expecting it to be a bit slower, get to know each other more." She was panicking on the inside, really. He didn't even know her secret, and she had no idea how he'd take it...but he was in this for the long run. Oh, crap...she would really have to talk to somebody about what to do.

"Yeah," David nodded. "We'll take it as slow as you want to. But I see potential in this, so..." he smiled as he took a drink. "I'm in."

()

"Someone dressed up /real/ nice tonight." Cassie purred over the speakers as she looked at her best friend's outfit that she was still wearing from the dance. It was late at night, but Cassie had always been a night owl regardless. "I'm shocked that you're even online looking that fine."

Ryo laughed a bit and settled on her bed, "It's actually a comfortable outfit so I haven't bothered changing. I'm also not wearing a bra so that helps," she giggled, "I just went on my first date."

"No..." Cassandra's green eyes narrowed playfully. "Who? When did you meet this guy? Does he know about you?"

"I met him last week when I went with Hana to meet Kai at the adoption center," Ryo answered first, using her fingers to answer each question, "His name's David O'Conner, which is a /really/ sexy name in my opinion. He's got black hair and these stunning blue eyes, and the way he held me while we danced...he's strong and it's wonderful." She gushed. Unfortunately it didn't last very long as she got to the last question, "No...He doesn't know about me. That's actually...something I wanted to talk to you about. I don't know, I could've talked to anybody but you felt like the right choice."

Cassandra nodded and leaned back, folding her arms against her stomach. "David O'Conner. That sounds like a Scottish name or an Irish one. Maybe both! Lucky devil. They're the fun ones." She paused. "Is he wizard or is he muggle?"

"He's kinda like Trevor," Ryo stroked her bangs behind her ear, "He's a security officer but he keeps his wand in his boot. The feeling I got from him...he's probably a powerful wizard at that, but it's more...well-rounded. It felt as destructive as Sam's but as defensive as Trevor's, it kinda flexed with his mood."

"Did he say anything about you being a vampire or that you're different somehow? I can't imagine someone whose that powerful not realizing who or what you are already." Cassandra frowned deeply. "David O'Conner. You know, now that you mention that he's a wizard, I recognize that name somehow."

"He mentioned..." Ryo bit her lip a bit as she thought back, "He said he doubted I was non-magical, and that I have an aura around me that says otherwise, but he didn't make any sort of comment that told me he guessed what I was. I would hope you recognize the name, though. He did say he knew Sam like, six years ago."

Cassandra nodded her head. "Oh." She paused, wondering how she was going to say this. "Yeah, I know the name. I don't know much about him, but be careful. I don't know if he's changed over the years or not. Sam might know more than I do. Wish I was there so I could See." She pouted. "Are you the only one in a new relationship? Please tell me that Hana has a husband in tow for Kai."

"Hana hasn't met anybody, but /Masa has/!" Ryo said in a sing-song voice, glad for the change of topic. She was afraid Cass was going to tell her that, and confirm her fears. At least...she'd be happy for a little while, and she'd go as long as she could before he threw her to the curb. Fuck, did that make her heart hurt... "His name's Mikhail Arch, but he likes being called Mike instead. He's got this like...wheat colored hair? It's blond in the sunlight but it looks brown sometimes too, and his eyes are this really pale, gunmetal green. I didn't get a chance to learn all that much about him because he got Masa to /DANCE/! Can you believe it?"

Cassandra stared at her. No. Way. "Masanori danced." She said almost in disbelief. "He sounds like a looker, but he has to have some sort of magic tongue to get Masanori to /dance/." She shook her head. "I can't believe I missed that! Ugh, Candy better have a picture. Was Sam or Matt working? Do you think they got it? Nix wouldn't."

"Matt and Candy were both cheesing out because Masa and Mike also bloody /kissed/! Not just any peck, but tongue in throat, down 'n' dirty kissing," Ryo winked at her, "Would you believe me if I told you Mattie totally called him out on being an angel without actually, outright saying it? She made it sound like a compliment but you know her, she doesn't use the word lightly. Mike didn't confirm nor deny it."

"So, Masanori landed with an angel that can probably fuck like a devil. You got landed with some hot man. Damn it, that's two. That's bloody two. A wizard got with an angel, you got with a wizard." She shook her head. "And here I thought you guys were going to wind up with muggles."

"A muggle wouldn't survive in our misfit house," the half-vampire pointed out, "What do you mean by two? Shaye found a boyfriend, as well. That's been going on for like, three weeks now. Shaye even texted me saying she shagged the guy and is pretty sure her boyfriend's roommate is into her, too."

Cassandra let out a shriek of outrage as she nearly fell out of her chair. Someone in the background yelled something in German, probably telling Cassandra to stop being overly dramatic or something, but Cassie wasn't paying attention, nor listening to her. "Are YOU KIDDING ME?! Shaye has 2 boyfriends?! Are you...Oh my GOD."

Ryo had to calm down from laughing so hard, gripping her sides and wiping her eyes before she could respond, "They're only gay for each other and the agreement is that Sirius Black, that's his name, is the one who's her outright boyfriend. The other, Remus Lupin, is more of the dirty little secret. That's the gist of what I know."

"SHE'S DATING A FUCKING BLACK?!" Cassandra shrieked again. "WHAT?!"

"What?!" Ryo's eyes widened, "What the fuck? Why are you freaking out over his name?"

"Shaye..." Cassandra's lips pursed together. "I get why Shaye would be in love with the roommate. Remus is a registered werewolf. Ghouls and werewolves kinda go hand in hand if I remember her history lesson well. But a Black? I mean...I can't say anything /bad/ about him, considering that he's Dora's lovely cousin and all, but...still. That family's bad news."

"Dora? Can you elaborate a bit more I'm so lost," Ryo blinked owl-eyes at her, "I know Remus is a werewolf, that's how we met them, actually."

"Well, I call her Dora. She likes to be called Tonks. She's my partner in crime so to speak while Tsuyoi is in Japan." Cassandra replied as she leaned back, folding her arms behind her head. "She's a metaphormagus. Which means she can shapeshift at will. I was gonna come by home to introduce her to the rest of the misfits. I know Ian hasn't seen a metaphormagus for a very long time and he'd be so happy to talk to someone like that again. Their pretty damn rare. Anyway, Dora's family got cut from the Black family because her mom married a muggleborn. That house likes purity in all forms."

"I guess Sirius is also the exception," she hummed and nodded her understanding, "He's fallen head over heels for Shaye, and Masa's been so over-protective about it considering he's an Auror. He's very accepting and has been wanting to meet the group. I guess this is your confirmation you're flying out soon?"

"Damn right I'm flying out soon." Cassandra said. "I want to see Kai and I miss my little tiny niece. Oh I bet she's grown up since the last time I saw her." This time the conversation in the background wasn't in German and the girl said, "You saw her on skype yesterday!" "Grown-up!" Cassandra continued, pointedly. "I bet she misses me."

Laughing, Ryo nodded, "Alright, well I better get cleaned off so I can go to bed. Besides the snag with David telling me he's in it for the long-haul, considering he doesn't know jack about me, tonight went well."

"I think..." Cassandra said slowly, "That David already has an idea of what you are. But be careful anyway. I'll talk to you soon...and if Shaye calls you play innocent. I'm gonna ream her ass for not telling me this. Three fucking weeks." And she hung up from Skype.

~*~