rory young

she/her. 25. witch inventor.

[aurorayoung]

NAME: Aurora ‘Rory’ Young

PRONOUNS: She/Her

FACECLAIM: Hailee Steinfeld

AGE: 25

SPECIES: Witch

RANK: Lieutenant

OCCUPATION: R&D at Thorn and Moon Holistic Healing Clinic

BIOGRAPHY:

Aurora ‘Rory’ Young was born to a witch mother and human father. While the coven wasn’t pleased with her mother’s choice to dilute the bloodline even further, by the time Rory was eight, it was clear that she was gifted. Rory was a science and math prodigy, building her own robots and figuring out solutions to complex questions beyond even the adults around her. She wasn’t great at spell-casting—the poor girl was terrible at it—but she had a mind for tinkering and what she couldn’t conjure with magic, she could mix with her growing love for mechanics and science and build entirely new magical objects.

While all it took was blood and training to make a witch powerful, the dedication and willpower to discover and invent new things to make up for one’s weaknesses was wholly human.

In exchange for the coven’s acceptance of her father into their fold, even going so far as to employ him at their facilities, her parents willingly let Rory work with older witches in the coven, the ones that specialized in research and development. She would juggle her job at the lab during the evenings while attending school during the day. It was a lot of any child but Rory enjoyed every moment. It kept a gifted child like her occupied and challenged. It also helped that her parents worked in the same building. They loved her dearly and showered her with attention and affection whenever she had time.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the witch. After she graduated high school (early), she didn’t even bother to go to college, knowing that the coven would keep her gainfully employed so long as they existed. She continued to work for them and had helped them make great strides in their research, working her way up to the Lieutenant rank even though she couldn’t cast many spells that lasted longer than a few seconds. Although she knew that the coven was causing harm to people generally, she buried her head in the ground and focused on the science and magic, deeming the less savory aspects of the business none of her concern.

However, it couldn’t last that way forever.

Rory couldn’t believe, despite all the crime and dangers her family surrounded themselves in, the one that ruined it was tragically human. Rory had been tinkering away as usual when she received a call from the local hospital. She was an emergency contact—her parents’ emergency contact. A hit and run, they said. Rory didn’t really hear the rest, her phone dropping in shock when the doctors told her they did all they could. And just like that, the most important people in her life was gone.

With the heaviest heart, Rory was forced to deal with the aftermath of some other idiot’s decision. She was angry and hated the world, but still carried on knowing it was what her parents’ would have wanted. She handled her parents’ affairs with grace, smiling through her inner turmoil as the people whose lives were touched by them sent their condolences. It was all too much and Rory just wanted the world to swallow her whole.

Still, she wasn’t alone. Rory had the coven to rely on for support and they took her in like the family they had become to her. While it didn’t make coming home to an empty house any easier, it at least gave Rory some place to spend all her hours, allowing her to work away at what always made her happy: magical objects. She continued to dedicate all her time—and by some margins, her life—to the cause. If there was a sudden explosion in the witch’s compound, it was safe to say Rory was behind it, but she never created enough damage for them to worry too much….yet.

If Rory isn’t at work, she is tinkering away at home, working on personal projects that don’t benefit their organization so much as they just seemed fun to her. As far as she was concerned, so long as her hands and mind were busy, she couldn’t dwell on the loss and that was a pit she definitely didn’t want to jump in to. Part of her is worried that, if she allowed herself to find shelter in the darkness, she wouldn’t have the patience for human laws to inflict justice on the man that had taken her parents from her—not when she had the power to do it herself.

[icxnvc]

"Weyyy, I," for the first time probably in the history of their friendship, Sai's cheeks started to turn bright red, "I know I'm being flirted with. That is the obvious part. I'm just not sure if I should do it." Putting his hands on top of the table, Sai linked his fingers together and pouted in thought. He didn't think Rory would want to know any of this, and he hadn't shared it with anybody else, but here he was, thinking about it. "This person...wants to fuck me. I know this, and I'm not sure it's smart to do, but...I'm stupid, so..."

He blinked a few times before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear this."

[aurorayoung]

Rory was admittedly not sure how to answer. Frankly, she had never dated anyone in her life and her sex life often included women who she paid to be there because it was just easier that way. "I mean... um, if you want to have sex with them too, how bad can it be to do so?" It sounded like the logical solution. "Unless you are one of those people who can't separate sex from feelings?" That was a thing, right? Truly, Rory was out of her element here.

"Oh, I don't mind the conversation. I just feel bad that I'm kind of useless in it.... I've never dated anyone or felt any romantic attraction before so I can't give you any advice from experience."

[hjicarus]

"Guilty as charged." Her spell could have angered him and if he hadn't been in such a giddy mood looking forward to their game it most certainly would have. Instead Icarus simply let out gruff chuckle as he straightened himself up back into a standing position. "You're lucky I'm in such a forgiving mood." His voice was poised to tease her, taunt at her delicate sensibilities. Two sharp raps sounded against the door. "Oh goody, our game is ready."

Icarus stepped back to the door, pulling it open with a mock boy and gesturing to it with a politely extended arm. "After you, little witch. Rylan will show you where you need to go. I'll be along shortly. He watched as one of his men lead her down the hall and to the right. Icarus knew what awaited her and felt giddy with anticipation. He could still hear his victims screams for help and it wouldn't be long now before the witch could hear them too. His keen senses allowed him to hear exactly the moment she stepped into the room, the door locking behind her with a solid click. For now, the man that was in there with her was chained, arms and legs spread eagle from where he was suspended as if on a cross. He was filthy, covered in his own bodily functions from his trip in the shipping container. Ike could hear as hope entered the man's voice as he spoke to the witch. "Please, girl. You have to help me. The man. The man that lives here. He's not right in the head. He's not he's not. He means to kill me. Painfully. Please. Let me out. PLEASE!"

It was entertaining to hear the way the witch's heart sped up. Icarus left her in there alone with the man for almost thirty minutes before entering behind her. "So little witch. I see you've met Allen. Not the most pleasant fellow, is he? Personally, I think he could use a bath. What do you think?"

[aurorayoung]

Rory wasn't a fan of listening but she didn't really have a choice so with a glare, she followed this Rylan person to wherever this game of lead guy was going to be. It didn't take them long to reach the room and the scent hit Rory before the sight did. She immediately gagged, hit with a scent almost as bad as death. Almost.

How the man looked, however... he did look as bad as death. Immediately, Rory's eyes widened and she looked back at the head guy, her eyes filled with disgust. "What kind of twisted game is this?" she demanded, unable to believe that someone would purposely torture another person to this extent if he simply meant to kill them. Was he trying to scare her? Was that what awaited her?

"I told you, I'm not going to tell anyone what I saw!" Rory's heartbeat quickened as the fear truly set in. "I'm a lieutenant with the witches! I'm not going to snitch!" Although she wasn't cruel or dealing the drugs, she wasn't completely innocent. By association and through her work, she was a criminal herself--even if she didn't look or act it. "Please, just let me go..." The last part was a full plea. This was all becoming too much--too real.

[hjicarus]

The various smells from the dock had masked something vitally important that his lupine senses could now keenly pick up on. The young girl blindfolded and bound in the backseat of the SUV was a witch. It made his initial plan obsolete. A vampire wouldn't be able to glamour away her memories. He would have to find another way to ensure her silence. Her words breach his thought process and a derogatory chuckle parts from his lips, "You're not half as good a liar as you seem to think you are." Ike decided to dig his jibe in further, "And apparently a very sorry excuse for a witch. I would have expected at least some fight. But this? This is just shameful."

The rest of the ride continued on in silence from his end. His mind had drifted to the pleasure he would feel at finally getting to inflict pain on the man imprisoned in the shipping create in the cargo truck following behind them. He imagined every way in which he could torture, brutalize, and subjugate. This would be fun. When they pulled up to the condo complex, of which he owned the top three floors, Ike left instructions with the men to get her situated in one of the guest rooms on the second floor. He didn't let her hear his plan. Let her think she was going to some unspeakable hell. It would be entertaining to hear her heart rate increase with fear.

Two days passed before Icarus decided to pay a visit to the little witch. She had fallen to the bottom of his priority ladder. Until a solution for her existence had presented itself. Icarus did not bother to knock as he entered the guest room. The door closed behind him with a click as his back moved to rest against it. His ice-blue eyes were cruelly mischievous as he gazed down upon her rather tiny form. "How would you like to play a game, little witch?"

[aurorayoung]

But she wasn't lying so maybe he just had a bad lie detector like she did? Rory just groaned and sat back, figuring she would make herself comfortable anyway despite his clear insult. If Rory had any self-esteem about her magic, she would have objected but it really was pathetic. The shifter was right--she was a sorry excuse for a witch.

The moment they entered the building, Rory was immediately able to sense the magical barrier that surrounded it, letting her know that her call for help would no longer be answered. Well, she lived a decent life, she supposed.

At least, that was what she thought two days ago. Two. Fucking. Days. Ago.

Rory was not the type to swear but if he was going to kill her, he seriously didn't have to wait two days to do it. What was she even doing here? Was he just going to wait until she died of old age? Rory had tried to break a crack in the magical barrier but her strength wasn't even enough to tickle it let alone crack it so she was stuck doing nothing but sitting around and wait. She even had time to do some workouts because at least that got the energy out. Was that why people in prison ended up getting ripped?

When he finally entered the room, Rory couldn't help but glare at him. While she initially resigned herself to death, feeling that it was her fault for stepping into a bad situation, his idea to drag it out and torture her by making her go slightly stir crazy was all him. She was angry and he was right, maybe he should have expected a bit of a fight? Or at least an annoyance.

Rory mumbled a quick incantation and sent the man flying right into the wall. It wasn't hard, not even nearly enough to hurt him, but she was pissed and him wanting to play a game with that cocky look on his face made her want to wipe it off of him. "Asshole," she spat.

With that, she raised her hand in surrender. "Ok, I surrender. That's all I had offensively, though you should be grateful I didn't try to start a fire or explosion." Rory didn't have the magic power for anything big, but making any object go boom was a specialty of hers. Regardless, no matter how angry she was, she was sure there were innocent people somewhere in the building and blowing it up or burning it down wasn't deserved.

[icxnvc]

"That would explain how you almost walked into the middle of a drug deal while you were out...what was your excuse? Catching them all?" Sai rolled his eyes fondly and allowed a more lighthearted attitude wash over their conversation. "I don't heard about a guy who has done that. That would suck." He shook his head and tried to imagine it. In truth, it if happened to him, he'd never go outside again.

"I also don't like it, but I'm supposed to be meeting somebody....enh, supposed to is not the right words. I was told he would be there and I should stop by. I've been thinking on it for a few days and I feel like I should." Sai pulled his phone out of his pocket to double check. "Ah, is called Tempest? Stupid name. I suppose I won't ask you to go then."

[aurorayoung]

Rory raised her brow at the mention of this new stranger, wondering what has Sai so caught up in a simple request. "I mean, I don't usually go but if you need some sort of backup or wingwoman, I can try? Not that I would be a good wingwoman, I can't even tell when people are flirting with me so trying to flirt on behalf of someone else is probably a bad idea... On second thought, I probably shouldn't go with you." Rory definitely quickly talked herself out of that one.

"But good luck?" Rory offered, giving her pathetic best to be a good friend.

[hjicarus]

Icarus had been able to hear the girl making her way towards them for close to fifteen minutes. Her foot falls appeared to be loud and clumsy and as she drew nearer even the humans of the group were able to notice her approach. It always amazed him how oblivious humans could be about their surroundings. They were prey for so many things in this world and yet they wandered through it as though permanently obtuse. He was one of the only men in the group without a weapon at hand. There was no need. Over the years he had worked his shift down to a mere minute, more than enough time to intervene should something go wrong.

Not that he expected anything of that nature to happen tonight. This was simply transport. Some of his men from London had brought him a gift. It screamed in the animal transport crate, begging whoever would listen to let them go. He was a man Icarus had set his sights on long ago. One of the men his father had paid to help him experiment on his son and Ike never forgot a smell. "You're a long way from home, kid." His brow quirked up. She had likely heard too much by this point. "Shame you had to wander down here on transport day. I would've been able to let you go, otherwise."

He meant to no harm to the girl. Not that she would know that. Icarus simply needed to keep her held up until a vampire friend could come by and wipe the incident from her mind. "Grab her and lets go."

[aurorayoung]

Grab her? "Wait!" Before Rory could say much else, she was being manhandled by a few men and escorted into a car, her eyes immediately blindfolded for fairly obvious nefarious reasons. Well, there goes her glasses. She sat squished between too overly muscled men (she could feel it) and while her heart was racing, she didn't really fight, resigning herself to whatever fate had in store.

It was almost ironic really. She worked for the largest drug dealers in the city and somehow found herself being caught up in a non-drug deal and have her life potentially threatened for it. Like her parents, her potential death right now was painfully pedestrian.

As she sat, she played with one of the rings on her fingers, injecting just the tiniest bit of magic to alert her coven that she was in danger. At least they could find her body and make sure it wasn't used for inappropriate magical experiments, right? Not that she wasn't the only one who thought it would be mildly interesting (but wildly unethical) to do so.

"You know, uh, you can just drop me off somewhere. I promise I won't say anything. I didn't even see what you all were trading or whatever."

[icxnvc]

Sai noted her expression with a mirrored version of his own. He was waiting for the question or the accusation or the assumption of what he meant and was surprised that it never came. It sounded pretty clear to him, and he had no interest in elaborating any further than he already had. They’d stepped far beyond his bubble of comfort today and every time he extended himself, it got harder to pull it back in.

The arrival of the food nearly scared Sai, but it forced him to lean back and return a neutral expression to his gaze. He didn’t want to remember his past, let alone retell it to another person. The chance he’d get laughed at were high, the chance she’d think he was disgusting was even higher. Nobody ever needed to know the details.

“We could do that, if you want. I’m not saying I’m lucky, but I might be more than you are. I could cancel out your bad luck,” he smiled ever so slightly at the corner of his lips, “Have you ever been to that club...something Temperature? I don’t know it...starts with a T.”

[aurorayoung]

"I think I'm the luckiest unlucky person alive. I somehow always survive dangerous situations but am constantly somehow finding my way into danger. It's like that one guy that got hit by lightening more than once and survived every time," Rory mused. Would her luck change if she just paid a little bit more attention to the present and the world around her? Probably, but who wanted to do that?

At Sai's question, Rory shook her head. "No, I don't typically go to clubs. Dancing, drinking, socializing... not my thing. Not to mention I am terrible at picking outfits and would probably not even be allowed in most of them." As if to emphasize her point, she pointed at her body, dressed in loose-fitting sweats. With her glasses, she looked like an absolute slob of a tech-bro.

[aurorayoung]

Rory’s room was also a bit of a mess but since she slept in it, she tried to at least keep it cleaner than the rest of the house. Sure there were little tuffs of cat fur here and there but that was Goldfish’s mess, not hers.

“I’ve never met a vampire who had ever turned down a free meal,” Rory responded. “I know I don’t have to feed you but since you got shot protecting me, it is the least I could do.” She scrambled through her drawers and found a simple t-shirt, placing it on the top before taking a seat on her bed and patting the spot next to her.

She offered her arm once again. “Here. Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this.” Rory wasn’t completely defenseless and if the vampire took it too far, she had powers she could rely on. Not that the vampire seemed the type. Why save someone just to kill them later, right?

[xiu-an]

"Have to keep you on your toes, we can't all be so eager." They said as their eyes drifted over the room, a small smile on her face.

Xiu approached the woman, her dark brown eyes glowing a little more crimson with every step she took. It had been a while since she fed, she hadn't really thought about it recently. She had been too focused on tracking down and following the criminals she killed that night.

"Ah, as long as it's not your first time," She joked as she sat on the bed, taking her arm in her hands with a gentleness that looked worlds different from what had happened on the docks. Xiu could feel the warm pulse under her fingertips, hear Rory's heart beating in her chest. She attuned her ear to the sound as her fangs protruded from under her lip.

She looked at the girl one last time to check for any hesitancy, but found none, just as before. So Xiu sunk her teeth into her wrist, keeping complete control of herself as she slowly drank. When she heard the girl's heart begin to slow, she stopped, drawing her own blood to quickly heal the wound.

Xiu looked up at Rory, a small trail of blood trailing down from her lip as their eyes connected. She could already feel the ache in her arm alleviate and couldn't help but sigh gently in relief. "Thank you." She glanced down at Rory's arm briefly, making sure everything healed up nicely, before looking back to her face. "Feeling alright?"

[aurorayoung]

The innuendo flew right past Rory’s empty brain and all she could think about was how fascinating it all was. Human blood was a strange element that fuelled a vampire’s power and immortal existence and sometimes she considered doing more research on it. Except, she was pretty sure experimenting on human blood would be ethically frowned upon, even if it was her own blood she was constantly drawing on.

She flinched slightly from the pain when Xiu’s teeth dug in but was otherwise fine as she drank, her eyes wandering elsewhere in case this was some sort of intimate thing. Besides, what does one say to a vampire who was drinking their blood? ‘I hope I’m yummy’? Yeah, that didn’t fly well the first time Rory said that.

When Xiu finished, Rory felt a bit lighter but the vampire clearly knew how to control herself and didn’t take too much. “Yep! I’m fine. I get to eat extra cookies tonight,” she joked. “I’ll grab a washcloth so that we can clean off the blood on your shoulder before you change, take off your shirt.” It was very direct but Rory was a scientist and it wouldn’t be the first time she had made that order to deal with legitimate business.

She headed off to the washroom to retrieve a washcloth and returned when it was warm and soaked.

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Rory nodded in agreement. “There are worse things than dying.” Like living forever, but she couldn’t say that. If Rory had learned anything in the past few months, with her parents’ deaths, life was full of loss and she didn’t want to live an eternity of it. She wouldn’t make it as a vampire or siren, that was for sure. What was the value of life if there was nothing meaningful to fill it with?

“But humans are pretty terrifying, especially when you consider the history of what they’ve done to each other,” Rory explained, not even trying to pretend that she wasn’t describing humans as if she weren’t one. In a way, she wasn’t. “I mean, all the worst tragedies in history were caused by humans being humans.”

.

As much as Sai lived in his pretend world of ‘everything was normal,’ he knew when to let reality seep in. He didn’t like to do it, he rejected it at every turn, but just because he didn’t like doing it, didn’t mean it wasn’t necessary. “People ask me sometimes why I don’t chose to change who...and what I am. Is only because I would rather be weak, than live too long seeing over and over again what I have seen.”

Sai set his elbows on the table and leaned closer to Rory as if there was a risk that somebody nearby might overhear them. As if it would matter. “That is what I tell myself...because if no everybody around me is like me, then they have power upon...no, over, over me. Nobody here does.”

[aurorayoung]

Rory raised her brow at Sai’s implication, not sure she wanted to ask more. Frankly, this was why she didn’t interact with humans as much. There was no telling what or what she wasn’t allowed to say and Rory couldn’t just mind-wipe someone if she said the wrong thing. Well, maybe she could if she learned the spell but one shouldn’t trust Rory with such a complicated one. The last thing anyone needed was for her to do it wrong.

Thankfully, their food got delivered and interrupted the conversation from becoming too intense. Rory stuffed her face into the food, choosing to quell the unrest in her stomach over the one in her heart. What was she supposed to say anyway? She was spoiled with love and a happy childhood. The biggest hardship she had ever faced was the loss of her parents and even that hadn’t been processed yet (at least enough to engage in an emotionally worthwhile conversation).

“Well, maybe next time we can take walks together. Less dangerous with two people… then again, I’m really unlucky so maybe you are better off alone,” she joked.

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Rory didn’t know much about Sai’s past or where he was from. Admittedly, Rory was fairly self-absorbed as a person. While she talked about herself fairly often, most conversations with her involved her talking mostly about her interests and giving lectures on those interests. It left very little room for personal bonding but Rory wasn’t the type to really know how to comfort people anyway. She was the equivalent of the gif that patted people with a broom when it came to feelings.

“What was wrong with home?” she asked, curious to know what could possibly be worse than the constant peril Sai now found himself in, being a mechanic for a surprisingly high population of supernatural creatures that could snap his neck easily.

.

“It depends how you think of what could be wrong,” Sai twisted his fingers together in thought, “Don’t get me incorrect, I love where I grew up. It hurts me some that I will probably not ever be able to go back, but many times is not safe.” He omitted saying that much of the reason it wasn’t safe was because of the situations he put himself in. Never once did he think about walking away, even with the knowledge that he had.

“When I say there are many things worse than dying, is because I have seen some of them. You think the people I work for in this city are scary? To me, they are not anything. Humans,” he sighed, “They can be the worst thing in the world when they’re wanting to be.”

[aurorayoung]

Rory nodded in agreement. "There are worse things than dying." Like living forever, but she couldn't say that. If Rory had learned anything in the past few months, with her parents' deaths, life was full of loss and she didn't want to live an eternity of it. She wouldn't make it as a vampire or siren, that was for sure. What was the value of life if there was nothing meaningful to fill it with?

"But humans are pretty terrifying, especially when you consider the history of what they've done to each other," Rory explained, not even trying to pretend that she wasn't describing humans as if she weren't one. In a way, she wasn't. "I mean, all the worst tragedies in history were caused by humans being humans."

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Rory’s eyes immediately turned to Sai as he finished his explanation, her mouth dropped in slight concern. Rory didn’t value her life as much as she was supposed to but at least the crazy situations she found herself in were usually accidents and terrible luck. Sai sounded like he was close to seeking them out and Rory was not having it.

“No, not ‘so be it’. You don’t get to just be dumped in the river and pretend its ok!” Rory objected. “I care about whether you’re around. I would be sad. Aren’t there things you would miss or things you enjoy doing that require, I don’t know, life to do them?”

.

Sai wasn’t fully looking at Aurora while he spoke, but he saw the look on her face from the corner of his eye. She might be the first person since he moved to the US to react like that. It almost made him laugh. The pair hadn’t known each other long and Sai was horrible at telling people about his history, so he knew she didn’t know much about him, and he wondered if she’d change her mind if he told her.

“Enh,” Sai leaned back in his chair and glanced down at his lap for a moment, “It is not the worst thing that could be happening to me. If somebody like this happens, de?“ Finally, he glanced back up at her. “Agi ja...maybe, I mean. I’m not hoping for somebody to kill me, but I know my place in this city. Home maybe was worse, but different.”

[aurorayoung]

Rory didn't know much about Sai's past or where he was from. Admittedly, Rory was fairly self-absorbed as a person. While she talked about herself fairly often, most conversations with her involved her talking mostly about her interests and giving lectures on those interests. It left very little room for personal bonding but Rory wasn't the type to really know how to comfort people anyway. She was the equivalent of the gif that patted people with a broom when it came to feelings.

"What was wrong with home?" she asked, curious to know what could possibly be worse than the constant peril Sai now found himself in, being a mechanic for a surprisingly high population of supernatural creatures that could snap his neck easily.

[xiu-an]

"It's nice to meet you too, Rory." Xiu listened to Rory ramble on about the stethoscope, watching her as her face lit up. She was finally able to get a decent look at the girl, now that they weren't surrounded by carnage and chaos, and she realized the young witch was actually quite pretty.

She hummed a soft laugh, glancing out the window as they parked. "I don't know, you're very pretty so I don't think people would mind too much." Xiu teased as she opened the door, stepping out of the car, ever alert to their surroundings.

Xiu followed Rory into the home, a bright smile blooming on her face when Goldfish came to greet them. It didn't matter if she was a hardened assassin- anyone who wasn't happy to see a cat was an absolute psychopath. "That's a compliment, look at him." She laughed, petting the cat's head gently. It was probably the orange cat survival skills or judgement of character, but Xiu wasn't about to say that. Not as a visitor to someone's home.

She followed Rory up to her room, her dark eyes trailing along the homey decorations and cozy atmosphere- much warmer than she had at her own home. "Are you sure? You know you don't have to, right?"

[aurorayoung]

Rory’s room was also a bit of a mess but since she slept in it, she tried to at least keep it cleaner than the rest of the house. Sure there were little tuffs of cat fur here and there but that was Goldfish’s mess, not hers.

“I’ve never met a vampire who had ever turned down a free meal,” Rory responded. “I know I don’t have to feed you but since you got shot protecting me, it is the least I could do.” She scrambled through her drawers and found a simple t-shirt, placing it on the top before taking a seat on her bed and patting the spot next to her.

She offered her arm once again. “Here. Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this.” Rory wasn’t completely defenseless and if the vampire took it too far, she had powers she could rely on. Not that the vampire seemed the type. Why save someone just to kill them later, right?

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Although Rory never dug deep enough into her emotions to admit it, Sai’s words rang far too true for herself as well. It had only been a few months since her parents had passed away, leaving an all-too-empty home in their wake. Rory tried her best to avoid it or make it an extension of her lab at work but it would still be home and sometimes it really hurt to be home and find it so utterly empty.

Rory shook those thoughts away and started playing with some of the napkins on the table, wanting to distract from her own sadness. “Walking sounds nice. I usually start my day with a jog and working out. My parents made me start it when they realized I would kill myself before sixty with the unhealthy lifestyle I was leading.” Cramped up in her room all day with unhealthy junk at her side. “It ended up being nice even if the first few months were torture so I get it but maybe you should also be careful where you walk next time,” she teased.

.

The entire time they talked, Sai’s eyes flitted around the restaurant. He had been in here before, but looking around was far easier than looking her in the eye and risking seeing something he didn’t want to. There was enough pity and regret scattered throughout Sai’s day that he didn’t need it from friends as well. Or as close to friends as Sai would allow himself to have these days.

“Sometimes I work out, but most of these times I have spent so much of my day with the cars that I’m not wanting to. That can be exhausting enough for me.” Maybe it would be less exhausting if he actually worked out on top of doing his normal work, but that was far too logical. They couldn’t have that. “My parents think I will not make it to thirty, but it has nothing to do with my lifestyle,” it did, but not in the same way she meant, “After growing up the way I have, there is not much here that scares me. If they dump me in the river once they are done with me...enh, so be it.”

[aurorayoung]

Rory's eyes immediately turned to Sai as he finished his explanation, her mouth dropped in slight concern. Rory didn't value her life as much as she was supposed to but at least the crazy situations she found herself in were usually accidents and terrible luck. Sai sounded like he was close to seeking them out and Rory was not having it.

"No, not 'so be it'. You don't get to just be dumped in the river and pretend its ok!" Rory objected. "I care about whether you're around. I would be sad. Aren't there things you would miss or things you enjoy doing that require, I don't know, life to do them?"

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Although Rory had no idea what Sai was saying when he slipped into Thai, she didn’t mind at all. It was endearing and she trusted that whatever he was saying, it wasn’t rude. At least… not undeservingly rude. Rory would accept a few ‘idiot’s here and there. It wouldn’t be an inaccurate way to describe her. Whatever power made her allocated all of her brain cells into the 'Book Smart’ category and left none for 'Street Smart’ one.

She was smart enough to acknowledge the varying intelligences.

She marched right up to the counter and began her order, ordering herself a large pepperoni pizza before turning to Sai to give his own order. He was right, it didn’t hurt to have extra at home since she was so bad at feeding herself.

When their orders were complete, she walked them to the nearest table by the window, her eyes staring out at the moon as she wondered whatever happened to the item she actually wanted. Oh well, it was gone now and there was no use crying over spilled milk.

“So, what were you really doing out tonight?” she asked. “You were too far away from your shop to actually be walking home,” she observed, having a moment of clarity.

.

It took quite a bit to embarrass Sai or make him feel ashamed of himself, so he wouldn’t say his hesitance in anything was with regard to that. If Sai had to admit it to himself, he was afraid of not blending in. Standing out, especially in this city and in the situations he often found himself in, were not a good idea. He’d seen the pitying looks on his clients faces and though he ignored them, he knew what they meant. It wasn’t his issue, but that didn’t mean they weren’t annoying.

None of that mattered in the pizza place they were standing in, and like with the rest of his emotions, Sai shoved it aside.  He told himself he’d worry about it later, but he wouldn’t. Not until it swallowed him whole and forced him to listen.

“Me?” Sai asked as if there was anybody else she could be asking, moving to the seat across from her now that they had ordered. He took his time sitting down and coming up with an answer that would sound good to both of them. “First of all, you not know where I live,” he teased because she did, “Just walking. I had nothing to go home for, so why not.”

[aurorayoung]

Although Rory never dug deep enough into her emotions to admit it, Sai’s words rang far too true for herself as well. It had only been a few months since her parents had passed away, leaving an all-too-empty home in their wake. Rory tried her best to avoid it or make it an extension of her lab at work but it would still be home and sometimes it really hurt to be home and find it so utterly empty.

Rory shook those thoughts away and started playing with some of the napkins on the table, wanting to distract from her own sadness. “Walking sounds nice. I usually start my day with a jog and working out. My parents made me start it when they realized I would kill myself before sixty with the unhealthy lifestyle I was leading.” Cramped up in her room all day with unhealthy junk at her side. “It ended up being nice even if the first few months were torture so I get it but maybe you should also be careful where you walk next time,” she teased.

[aurorayoung]

Who: @collinsapsley-vamp

Where: Vintage Bookshop

“Finally!” Rory exclaimed, too excited for the book in her hand. She had been hunting for the damn thing for weeks but it had gone out of print and her only hope were small independent bookstores like these. With her mission accomplished, she proudly carried the book to the counter, placing it firmly on the table to check it out.

“I’ve never seen a vampire work in a book store before, you must have read everything in here,” she commented to the clerk. The rest of the store was empty aside from them so she figured it wouldn’t hurt to be straightforward. “That’s what I would do with eternal life—just read in between my blood drinking breaks,” she joked. Rory pushed up her magical glasses and grinned. Vampires didn’t take offence to blood drinking jokes, right?

[xiu-an]

Xiu had been wondering where exactly they should go. They had hiding spots all over the city, as well as her own apartment, but it wasn't the best idea to lead a complete stranger to any of them. Her pondering was cut short when the witch beside her offered up her own place to regroup. She couldn't tell if she found the blind trust the woman had in her was cute and endearing or mildly concerning. Probably both.

"That works," Xiu nodded, unable to help the small incredulous laugh that escaped her. It was refreshing, hearing the stranger ramble on about their findings and what they planned to do with them. The people she usually talked to were either threatening her or the conversation was so superficial she quickly grew bored of it. "Well I hope you can get it one day, but may I suggest meeting in daylight?" She jokingly rose her brows at the woman as they approached the car, "Or somewhere a little less sketchy? I don't think a stethoscope, magical or not, needs to be a middle of the night at the docks type of deal."

She gave the docks one last glance over for any eyes that would track them, only sliding into the car when she deemed it to be clear of threat. "Don't worry about it. Really. I've seen much worse," She reassured. It felt weird, like she was taking advantage of the girl's trust- sitting in her car without her even knowing her name. Especially after the slaughter that just occurred on the docks. She wanted to return the trust a little, so she turned to the girl in her seat and said, "I'm Xiu, by the way."

[aurorayoung]

“Xiu,” Rory repeated, a grin on her lips. “I’m Rory. Aurora for full but only my parents called me that when I was in trouble.” Which turned out to be more often than one thought. She was never seriously in trouble—Rory didn’t have a rebellious bone in her body—she just frequently forgot to take care of herself and it led to worry from everyone around her. She was the type of girl to jump in first and think later so she had many of lectures from her parents about that. Not that it ever helped since she was bringing a vampire she just met home. “It’s nice to meet you!“

The car zipped around the city with Rory going into more details about the stethoscope and the history of stethoscopes in general, her busy mind filling up the empty silence as she drove. By the end of it, she was convincing herself that maybe it was for the best that she didn’t get what she wanted. “The spell was probably touch activated anyway. I don’t think people would appreciate me pressing my face against them like some sort of weirdo.” Not at all considering alternative objects aside from her glasses.

When they got to Rory’s quaint family home, she let Xiu through the door, turning on the light immediately so that Xiu can see an actual pathway (forgetting that she had invited a capable vampire into her home). The majority of the house had been covered head to toe with various gadgets and parts, her collection overflowing since her parents’ death. It was easier that way, to bury her memories in her emotionless passions than remember the warmth that once flowed through the furniture.

A little meow immediately greeted them and Rory grinned, picking up the orange cat. The home at least had one source of warmth in it. “This is Goldfish. My parents got him for me when I graduated high school. They said he reminded them of me but I don’t see it.” The cat leaned over to sniff the stranger before immediately reaching out its head for pets. Apparently Goldfish had no sense of danger either.

Without putting Goldfish down, she headed upstairs towards her bedroom. “Come on, let’s deal with that gunshot wound. You can borrow one of my shirts and we can get you fed.”

[icxnvc]

aurorayoung​:

Rory supposed experience counted for something. “Well, I’ll make a mental note never to come down this direction again…” Not that she would remember said note but hopefully it sounded reassuring to her friend.

She started the car and began driving them towards the direction of the pizza shop–only realizing how hungry she was now that she was actually thinking about food. Sometimes Rory wondered if she should enchant some sort of mirror that she could wear on her wrist to tell her her needs level like a Sims character. She clearly needed it.

When they arrived, Rory quickly parked and headed inside. Her eyes scanned the menu for a few moments. “Are you hungry enough for your own pizza or should we share? I can probably gobble down half a large with all that running we did…”

.

“I would say maybe avoid in the nighttime. Unless you want not to go alone. I would go. I don’t...I don’t,” Sai paused to sort out his words with a soft hum of annoyance directed at himself, “I am not...scared. Yes, I am not scared of these people. I would go.”

He wasn’t sure anything he said would be of comfort to her, and the fact that she had already tried to go alone might mean something, but he wasn’t going to read too far into it. There were many strange things in this world that he didn’t need to know more about. Sometimes that included people that he would consider his friends.

“Ah, mai pe-,” he shook his head as if to cut himself off, “It isn’t important to me either way. We can get two if you’re that hungry...then can take some home too.” Recently, Sai had been trying to stop his little slips into his home language. While it was comforting to him, other people were starting to get annoyed.

[aurorayoung]

Although Rory had no idea what Sai was saying when he slipped into Thai, she didn't mind at all. It was endearing and she trusted that whatever he was saying, it wasn't rude. At least... not undeservingly rude. Rory would accept a few 'idiot's here and there. It wouldn't be an inaccurate way to describe her. Whatever power made her allocated all of her brain cells into the 'Book Smart' category and left none for 'Street Smart' one.

She was smart enough to acknowledge the varying intelligences.

She marched right up to the counter and began her order, ordering herself a large pepperoni pizza before turning to Sai to give his own order. He was right, it didn't hurt to have extra at home since she was so bad at feeding herself.

When their orders were complete, she walked them to the nearest table by the window, her eyes staring out at the moon as she wondered whatever happened to the item she actually wanted. Oh well, it was gone now and there was no use crying over spilled milk.

"So, what were you really doing out tonight?" she asked. "You were too far away from your shop to actually be walking home," she observed, having a moment of clarity.