undergrounds | in the company of strangers

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in the company of strangers

Kyle had been away for too long, first following Alex and then focusing on his own leads to try to find an old commanding officer. The hunt was futile, leaving him feeling played and used all at once. With Alex out of touch in her search and too many dead ends, the former soldier finally returned to London, feeling a bit reckless and angry while simultaneously eager to connect with recent friends.

A; I CAN'T SEE STRAIGHT ANYMORE (DRINKING)
Generally, as a rule, Kyle made a deliberate effort to avoid getting drunk. With his training and issues, it was a recipe for disaster and he was a responsible enough person to choose not to engage in such an unnecessary risk. Generally. Right now, he felt like shit and had very few responsibilities to worry about.

Which was why he was wandering casually from pub to pub, from early afternoon to late in the evening, having a beer here and a whiskey there. Mostly beer. He wanted to ride the buzz, to sit in his temporary angst like a cliche, 20-something American and make bad choices. Be the stereotype of the loud tourist for once, instead of always trying to defy expectations. He sat at the bar, ordered another beer, let his gaze slip past the wood grain of the counter back into his own mind to block things out. Here, he was just another guy drinking in London. No supernatural bullshit involved. Until, of course, it was.

B; GONNA HIT THIS CITY (HUNTING)
After and in between his bouts of reckless drinking, Kyle opted for another form of reckless behavior: hunting. He was a soldier, not a hunter, as he had explained to at least a dozen people in the last year. Yeah, he killed vampires, but that was the mission. He didn't go looking for the supernatural. Except that now he was. He was bored and angry, with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, stalking the night and trying to find more vampires, werewolves, witches, whatever. He might not actually attack them, might only get to know them. As a human, it was all dangerous. But it was fun too.

C; WELCOME TO MY HOUSE (AT HOME)
Kyle's plans to move in with Alex were nixed before they started and his invitation to Nancy didn't fair much better. Which meant he returned from Germany to an empty apartment, barely furnished, with the unfulfilled potential of something now lost to time. He dropped his keys on the counter and leaned back against it, staring out at the window. The rumbling of his stomach reminded him how empty his fridge was and he immediately left again for the corner store, to grab some basic groceries and return to cook up a simple meal. Maybe a few drinks too.

[OOC: Feel free to bump into him on his way to the store or, for existing CR, to know or have found out where he lives.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"South Africa," he answers easily. Kyle doesn't mind talking about the basics of his tours. It's the complicated parts, like almost dying and then exterminating vampires, that he prefers to avoid. "All over the country. Spent the most time in Johannesburg and Soweto, a little in Pretoria. It was mostly peacekeeping. I didn't fight in any wars."

Although he doesn't mind talking about his time, it's definitely less flirting territory than before. Kyle shifts back to more of his own space, taking another long sip of his drink.

This conversation is getting serious fast. Again, definitely not what tonight was supposed to be about.

She picked up her rum and Coke and downed the rest of it in a single gulp. Kyle had promised to buy her a drink, after all, she might as well at least take him up on the offer. "What are you drinking?"

Kyle watches with a small smile as Caroline polishes off her drink, accepting it as an invitation to continue flirting. He follows suit, knocking out the rest of his beer before setting the glass aside and giving her a smile. "Whatever's on tap and doesn't suck."

He pulls out his wallet, a man of his word, ready to pay the bartender for whatever it is that she orders. "Why don't we talk about now instead? How's London treating you?"

"London is ... okay," she said. She grinned at him. "I'm liking it a bit better tonight though."

She waved to the bartender to get his attention. "I don't know I should order. Maybe something English? What would that be anyway, a pint of English bitter?"

"Yeah, me too. That's weird. Must be a sign," he jokes, turning his attention to the bartender as the man arrives. Kyle glances over the selection of drinks, not having any idea what's typically English. "An Old Fashioned, maybe? Beer?"

He gives the man his own drink order, at least, buying Caroline more time to decide without the guy impatiently waiting for her. The notes follow, to get the man to stay until she's ready. "What about a Gin and Tonic? That sounds British."

"Gin and tonic, sure, that sounds perfect." She nods and smiles at the bartender, before he goes to make the drinks.

Caroline shifts her seat so that her leg is almost but not quite touching Kyle's. "So, other than booze, what sort of ... distractions do you enjoy?"

Kyle turns to press his leg into hers in an entirely casual gesture, making it difficult to tell whether it's deliberate or circumstantial. He rests his arm on the back of his stool to give her his proper attention, inching just a hint closer to her.

"Running, work, cooking, drinking.. among other things," he answers with the same light smile. "I could really use one tonight if you have any ideas."

"Oh, I definitely have a few," she says, leaning towards him. "How about this one?" She leans in further, pressing her lips against his.

It's forward, though not entirely unexpected. Kyle accepts the kiss with only a moment's hesitation before he pushes into it, lifting a hand to her neck to help draw her in. It feels like cheating even though they're broken up and the mere thought only makes him want it more for the moment, deepening the kiss before he breaks off for air.

"You don't waste any time," he teases with a grin. "But we should probably take this to a booth."

Caroline laughed. "So glad you approve. And look," she says as the bartender returns with their drinks, "what excellent timing." She picks up her gin and tonic and stands up. "After you."

Kyle grabs his drink and leads the way towards what constitutes the back. All the booths are full, so he finds a standing table in the dark corner, considering it separate enough. Although not entirely devoid of strangers, it's far better an option that sitting so centrally at the bar. It serves both to hide Kyle's potential embarrassment at moving on so quickly and to feed into the darker and more primal part of him that wants this to begin with.

He takes a sip of his beer before setting it on the nearby table, pressing his back against the wall as a gesture to welcome her closer. "You don't mind standing, do you?"

Standing in a dark corner with a vampire. Lucky for Kyle, Caroline was a good vampire who had no intention of taking advantage of that fact. However, she did still notice it.

"Not at all," she replies. She puts her drink down beside his, then moves to stand right in front of him. "Much more private."

Lucky for Caroline, Kyle's oblivious to what she is. He assumes she's a human girl because he has no reason not to, and because he doesn't want to question his good luck.

The soldier lifts his hands to her waist, pulling her gently into him. He wastes no time in taking advantage of the darkness. His lips are on hers not a moment later, deep and wanting. There's a hint of desperation to the act that he can't fully hide.

Caroline places her hands on his shoulders, enjoying every moment. She senses the edge of desperation, since it's something she's had lot of experience with. But whatever is causing that, it's Kyle's business. They both have their reasons for being here tonight.

Kyle pulls her to move her around. Unless she fights him, it puts her against the wall instead of him, granting him additional leverage in pressing his body against hers. One hand slides up to find her neck again while the other drops lower, trying to coax her leg up to his side. If she wants to move quickly, so can he. Even as the guilt continues to gnaw at him.

Caroline wanted a distraction and she definitely found it. She lets him change their position, her back pressing against the wall. She pulls on his shoulders for leverage as she wraps a leg around him, pressing their bodies close. It is beginning to feel a bit like a frenzy but Caroline has absolutely no complaints.

Kyle moves with whatever leverage she needs to get them closer. He arches his back just enough to allow the hand from her thigh to sneak down between her legs instead, fingertips teasing the area before he begins to properly explore. His mind flashes back to having a similar experience with Skip in a club and he idly wonders again if she's okay before the feeling of Caroline against him returns him to the present.

Part of Caroline is rational enough to think wow, this is going fast. She quickly tells that part of her to shut the hell up. Why shouldn't she hook up with someone she just met in a bar? It felt so good and it wasn't like she was going to get pregnant or catch an STI or anything like that. No, the worst thing would be not getting off in the end but Kyle's fingers were quickly convincing that she didn't have to worry on that account.

She grinds against his hand, her fingers digging into his shoulders. When their lips part, she is gasping for breath, then coming back for more.

Kyle breaks the kissing again to drop his head down, breathing heavily against her neck as his hand continues its work. Feeling her move with him, against him, only makes his body more eager and it responds in turn. But the idea of getting his own release is less appealing somehow, makes him feel more guilt. It's only because he's not a shitty person that he doesn't stop now and leave her entirely unfulfilled, increasing the pace and shifting his body to give him a better angle. Then his mouth finds hers again, waiting for her, some irrational part of his mind wondering what he would say if Alex walked in right now.

Caroline can't help feeling that there's something just a bit off with Kyle. But she doesn't want to pay attention to that part of her either, so she doesn't.

Not that she can really think that much right now anyway. The pressure between her legs is building and she rides the waves and higher and higher until finally, euphoria. Her back arches and she grips Kyle's shoulders even harder.

Kyle slows as he feels Caroline release, that grip in his shoulders just a little harder than he would expect. It doesn't occur to him to think about it. Instead, he helps her ride down the bliss, feeling unexpectedly guilty. His mind is both of the opinion that he should stop right now and that he should keep going and it's the confusion, more than any side winning, that helps him to know that he needs to stop for now.

He kisses her again and that raging battle in his mind forces him to withdraw from that as well. Kyle holds her, waiting for her to find equilibrium. "I know this is an asshole move, and I'm not an asshole, but this was plenty of distraction for me tonight. Maybe we can go back to that drink?"

Caroline blinks a couple times, trying to make sense of what he's saying as her heart continues to race. It definitely wasn't what she'd been expecting. "Um .. okkay," she finally says, before untangling herself from around his body.

Kyle helps straighten her clothes and then glances around. "I'll be right back."

He makes for the bathroom, both to wash his hands and give himself a moment to think. The girl is amazing attractive, he's single, and there's no reason not to take things further. At least so far as he knows. Yet those pesky feelings linger and he feels bad that he took this as far as he did only to cut it off.

The guy splashes some cold water on his face, dries it, and then returns out to the bar area, hoping she didn't leave him with all his weirdness going on.

Caroline does consider leaving but it feels like an overreaction. Not that she doesn't do overreactions, but not tonight. So instead she straightens her clothing and sits down at the table, nursing her drink until Kyle returns.

She had felt that something was a little off about their hook-up and clearly she'd been right. But whatever was wrong, it wasn't her issue. Sure, if she was being honest, she wasn't 100% over Stefan - probably not even 50% - but right now, he wasn't in her life. And she wasn't going to let it stop her from having a little fun.

But apparently that fun was at an end, at least for now.

Kyle finds her easily enough and slides into the chair across from her. He takes a long sip of his drink, completely ignoring the potential awkwardness of the moment and the opportunity to explain in favor of moving on. He doesn't want to talk about Alex or his complicated feelings.

"I take it your night's going a little better now," he jokes, giving her a smile he knows to be charming. "I know mine is."

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