everything was beautiful and nothing hurt;

[hunter-michael-kromer-blog]

Yes really. And I do drink, I’m actually very good at it. Did you want to go a couple rounds? 

[mauruslindholm]

Oh, yeah? You're going to have to prove it to me. It sounds fantastic, if you're up for it.

[sydney-lasaite-deactivated20150]

Lasaite gave Maurus a tiny smile that showed none of her teeth. Perhaps she could give successful book recommendations to absolute strangers after all. “I’m glad you liked it. Is that why you’re in Elsewhere, to get the other two? I know where they are, if you want to get them now.”

"Questions? Like what? And—I promise not to give anything important away. You can trust me."

[mauruslindholm]

The girl--whose name he still didn't know--smiled, and for some reason, it made Maurus happy. He grinned in return, nodding slightly. "Yes, before I so rudely spilled my coffee," he said. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Ah, there mostly questions that I'll probably have to read on to find the answers to. About dust, and all. I'm sort of fascinated by the concept of daemons. I'm trying to figure out what mine would be if I had one. What do you think yours would be?"

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

What would you do if?

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

"I’m willing to take the risk.   Besides, if it’s reckless in anyway there’s a possibility of self sabotage and self destruction and that’s the most romantic of them all. I’m afraid I’m a bit hopeless in my ideal fantasy of tragedies. I find the fight for survival the most romantic tale of all when everything in me wants to be nothing but released like a train off it’s tracks. A beast from his cage, yes? Life tries to trap us all. I love stories of escape. Sometimes that can be into another person. I wish you would indulge me." 

"I’m not sure recklessness means not valuing your life. Maybe it’s living it to it’s fullest. A boring life is hardly living don’t you think? My age?" He chuckled. "Twenty-two" He said out of habit. It was his usual lie to mortals and it came out of his mouth before he even considered being honest to this man. "You?"

[mauruslindholm]

Maurus thoroughly enjoyed the grandiloquence in his words, and he tilted his head, smirking. "You can't say I didn't warn you, though." He said, leaning back, intertwining his fingers together. "I was young. I was not carefree, or romantic. I was focused: I had ambitions, and I refused to let anything distract myself from them. And then I met her. It was a long time ago. I don't know what it was now, but there was just... something about her. I thought that would be a bad thing, that she would distract me from everything important, but she didn't. She made everything clearer. For some reason, we only ever met during the night. I'm sure you know where this is going," he laughed, propping his head up with his palm, his elbow pressed on a surface. "I had to find out eventually, right? And I did. I didn't care."

"And it worked, for a little while. It was perfect, all that crap. And then it wasn't. She was hundreds of years old. I wasn't even thirty. I would die. So I talked to an imp. I asked him if he could make her human again, and he said he could. For a price. I don't believe I have to say anything more."

He raised an eyebrow. "Twenty-eight," he said in return. Another smirk graced his lips. "You have some interesting ideas."

[scarlettaiden]

"Something tells me your whole life has been one giant douche move." 

His words fell on deaf ears, though the pity with which he spoke them, was now thick in the air and had triggered the alarms. Twisting her body in one quick motion, she glared at him, her face void of emotion bar the slight scowl. 

"Look, if you weren’t already part of the circus, I’d take great pleasure in plunging my teeth into your neck and draining you of everything you’ve got. But that leaves me with plenty of other options." Bringing her glass to her lips, she emptied it with one gulp and revelled in the comforting burning sensation as it journeyed down her throat. “What do you want?”

[mauruslindholm]

Maurus smirked. "That sounds about right, actually." 

He watched her, unrepentant. A shrug graced his shoulders. He didn't care. "Plenty of other options, do tell." He said, only adding another shrug at her question. What did he want? if he had to be quite honest, he didn't want anything. He was bored. He wanted to see how far he could take it.

[sydney-lasaite-deactivated20150]

She took the business card and glanced down at it. Maurus Lindholm, Ph.D., complete with contact numbers and working hours at the hospital. A doctor. Interesting.

"Really, it’s fine," Lasaite insisted, brushing hair out of her face. All she felt was a wet stain, and though she now smelled like coffee, no one would notice the mess. She tucked the business card into her jeans pocket and looked up. His earnest apology had lessened her sour mood, in its own strange way. "Well, don’t leave me hanging. What did you think? Do you like it so far?"

[mauruslindholm]

Maurus nodded, calm now. He still felt guilty for bumping into the girl and spilling coffee on her, but at least he wasn't panicking anymore. When she replied to his statement, he grinned. "Yes, it's fantastic. If I weren't so busy, I would have read all three books in one sitting. There is a part of me that wants to ask questions, but there is also a part of me that wants to stay far, far away from spoilers."

[hunter-michael-kromer-blog]

Maybe. Nice to meet you Maurus, no you haven’t held me up at all. I’m not busy at all today actually. Any particular reason you’re asking? 

[mauruslindholm]

Really? Good, then. No, I was just--I don't know. I'm looking for something to do, I guess. Do you drink?

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

What would you do if?

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

"What decision was similar?" Tristan wanted to hear an exciting story. He was getting his hopes up. 

"How come?" Tristan was too curious now. But, he doubted this person would open up. Still he had to ask. 

[mauruslindholm]

"Might bore you. Too much romance." He said, smirking, looking at him. 

"How come I don't value my life?" Maurus asked, looking away from him. "I'm honestly not sure. I'm just that reckless, I suppose. How old are you, anyway?" 

[scarlettaiden]

“I’ll even buy you a drink” She mocked, her eyes wide in astonishment. “Seriously, were you thrown down the stairs as a child?”

"The one time I want to be on my own and Mr fucking Universe sits next to me…this is perfect." Scarlett straightened her back, and glanced around the room, suddenly extremely conscious of drawing more attention to herself. The combination of anger and humiliation bought her right back to the mindset she had fought so hard to avoid. Why did this feel like a trap? Taking a deep breath, she returned her gaze back towards the shelves of alcohol and tried to relax. "Please, just keep staring your reflection in the glass and stop talking to me."

[mauruslindholm]

Maurus laughed. After a moment, it softened to a smirk, which softened to a serious expression. "That was a douche move. I'm sorry," he said. He followed her line of sight, before letting his gaze roam around on its own. "How about cheese fries, instead? That sounds nice. We can share."

[sydney-lasaite-deactivated20150]

Lasaite wasn’t looking where she was going, but the stinging heat of hot coffee stopped her from crossing the cafe to get to another bookshelf. Lasaite stepped away from the vampire who had spilled the drink and held the shirt away from her. The stinging was gone in a few moments—if she’d been burned, it was healed now.

Lasaite looked up and bit the inside of her cheek, then released it as she struggled to control her expression. Her first day off since the discovery at the lab, and this was what happened. It figured. “Good for you I wore black today,” she said, unsmiling, but with no real bite in her voice.

She had an undershirt underneath this blouse, but she wasn’t taking that off in front of him. And going home to change seemed like too much work right now, not when she’d just arrived.

"Yes, yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking. But I should be going. Goodbye."

[mauruslindholm]

Maurus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Wait!" He took a moment to place the cup down, reaching into his pocket, pulling his wallet out. He pulled out a business card, handing it to the girl. "Still. If you do have to get it cleaned, send me the bill, please." He said, tilted his head, and before she could reply, added: "I finished the book, by the way. I'm on the second one now."

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

What would you do if?

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

"Hmmm. Interesting. How very romantic of you.  Would it upset you at all in the afterlife if your lover blew you up to survive? I like looking at all the angles of weird questions like this. 

"But, hmm me? At that too, me either, but if I did I think they’d know me well enough to realize I’d blow them up to live, even without them, and if they wanted to live they better blow me up first. They’d know I’m in this survival game of life for as long as I can stretch it. I’d probably even be disappointed even if I blew them up and lived if I found out they’d not tried to hit the button first to kill me. I think if I ever had a ‘one I loved’ they’d have to value their own life as much as I do my own." 

[mauruslindholm]

"No, I don't think so." He shrugged. He tilted his head. "If the buttons were the other way around, if I pressed them it would blow me up, I would press it. I think I've made a decision similar to this one."

He leaned back, arms in his pocket, nodding quietly at the man's words. He smirked. "That's the difference between you and me, then. I don't value my life."

[mauruslindholm]

There was nothing to get from it but warmth, but that was all he wanted, anyway. The liquid slid down his throat, and as he held the cup, brought some semblance of warmth to his fingers. When he pulled the cup away from his lips, his feet stumbled forward, and he wasn't sure if it was a miscalculation, if there was something on the floor, or if the person that was now soaked in coffee had bumped into him, since it had all molded into one disastrous moment. 

"Fuck!" Maurus swore. "Fuck, I am so sorry. Shit. I'll pay for the cleaning bill. Are you okay?"

[motor-baby-nathan-deactivated20]

What would you do if?

 You and the one you love are locked in two separate rooms with a nothing but a red button and a timer that will go off in one hour and no way to communicate with one another. If you push the button you blow up the other room and save yourself. If no one pushes the button by the end of the hour both rooms blow up and you both die. What do you do? How long do you wait? Do you think your loved one would want you to save yourself so that someone would survive and live on? 

What if the death was by poisonous gas and would and be long and slow? Would it change your answer?

[mauruslindholm]

Hmm? I would wait. If we both blow up, so be it. She would want that, i think. Poisonous gas wouldn't change anything. Given that, I don't have a 'the one that I love.' Would you press it?

[hunter-michael-kromer-blog]

I highly doubt that. 

I’m not really the judging type, I would however prefer it if they left me alone. I’m Michael by the way. You are? 

[mauruslindholm]

Maybe one day. Hello, Michael. I'm Maurus. I hope I haven't bothered you too much. Are you particularly busy today?

[alexanderlamkin-deactivated2026]

"Then we are at an understanding," he spoke, smiling tightly, features constrained while he focused on his cigarette. "I’m well," his voice lisped slightly, the lilting accent of the North. "And you?"

[mauruslindholm]

"I'm glad," he said. "Me? I'm not sure how to describe it. I keep walking aimlessly. My own home, despite how large it is, felt incredibly suffocating. I suppose I'll have to return before day breaks. I'm not really looking forward to it."

[alexanderlamkin-deactivated2026]

"Good evening," he felt the warmth, the deep, subdued pulse that registered from the creature that greeted him; his kin. He acted accordingly. "Kill that man before he turns and I will be deeply, deeply upset with you, friend."

[mauruslindholm]

"I have no such intentions." Maurus said, the tips of his fingers touching the back of his neck briefly, before settling at his side. "How are we this evening, Alexander?"

[theangelheron-deactivated201908]

Heron considered avoiding the question before saying flatly, “I kill angel or demon - human half breeds.” Perhaps that would shut the vampire up, but he doubted it. “And yes, that’s actually my job.” 

[mauruslindholm]

"Oh," he said.

After a moment, he managed to recover. He nodded. "Yeah, I've heard about that. So you do that. Well, that's. That's nice, I suppose. A bit fucked, but nice. Good on you." He smirked. "But... it's not like there are so many of them running around, right? What else do you do in your free time?"

[virginiathorans]

Take Me To Church | Virginia & Maurus

[virginiathorans]

Virginia frowned, not sure how she could label his nod. It didn’t matter anyway. “Maurus, I see”, she didn’t really get that joke he made, but smiled nontheless. “Nice to meet you, I guess.” Shaking his hand shortly, she paid attention to the handshake he gave her. Normally people revealed something about themselves with the way they gave a handshake. Maurus’ one was somehow sincere, which caused the vampiress to lie a bit about her evening plans. “To be honest I was just about to head to the restaurant near the charles bridge.”

The one she mentioned was a rather expensive one but famous for the gastronomic czech specialities they offered. “If you want, you could accompany me.” Virginia was curious to know more about his reasons behind the church visit. Was he originially there for hunting? For someone he knew? Because he was more faithful than he admitted to be?

There was a little mystery surrounding that vampire and she was eager to see what it was.

[mauruslindholm]

The mention of a restaurant had him grinning. "Yes, if you're sure I wouldn't be intruding," he said, smiling. Restaurants weren't his specialty. He didn't know much about them. He certainly didn't know about the one Virginia was referring. He would just have to trust her. "I would love that." 

He smiled at her, quietly, as he hailed a taxi to take them to the restaurant. "Is it good there?" He asked, once they were settled in and the directions had been given.