water's sweet but blood is thicker

[akillersmile]

I. COMING HOME - [OPEN TO FIRST RESPONSE OF EXISTING CR]
Kyle had told nearly everyone he knew of his returning home to America indefinitely. He didn't tell anyone about his return. The trip home to deal with estate issues, property problems, renter concerns, and so on was basically nothing but work. It broke his heart to be in his childhood home again, even though he still couldn't bring himself to sell it. He both loved and hated the reminder of home and all that he had lost, missing his family more than he could bear for a time. He resolved things surprisingly quickly, and also found himself missing the new life he'd created in London more than he expected.

He took the underground from Heathrow to his area, getting off a couple stops early to walk the rest of the way. He appreciated the crisp air, needed it to clear his head. It was half the reason he'd stayed sane in South Africa, those walks. With his duffel on his back, everything felt more familiar. He missed his unit, his family, his girlfriend. But missing people had never slowed him down before and it sure as hell wouldn't now. Which is why he sensed that the person nearby was more than a stranger.


II. DRINK N DRINK N DRINK N FIGHT - [OPEN]
Maybe it was the comments about vampire rights, or maybe it was the way the guy hit on the girl down the bar. Whatever the case, Kyle couldn't help but dislike the asshole and it was only a matter of time before he intervened to shut the guy down. The argument was basically guaranteed and the escalation to physical violence inevitable. The other guy got the first hit, Kyle was quick to return, though his focus was more on defensive moves than offensive. Getting off the X. A few more hits, the asshole's friends cheering him on and Kyle hoping the kindness of strangers would be enough to see him through if need be.

It was the interference of a third party that finally put an end to the pub brawl and Kyle couldn't help but be embarrassed at so easily succumbing to such actions. He was supposed to know how to exercise restraint. He did know. He just didn't like to sometimes.

[Feel free to be the asshole, the intervening party, or to assume the bartender intervened and approach Kyle after.]


III. DID YOU MISS ME - [CLOSED TO NANCY]
Kyle's fight had backfired a little, or a lot, when he was jumped on his way home later. It was a few human civilians against a trained soldier used to fighting vampires. It didn't last long, with the assholes scattering once he put up a decent defense. Still, three against one left him with a few good bruises, a very sore rib cage, and one hell of a bloody and possibly broken nose. There was only one person he trusted that he could turn to, not wanting the hassle of the hospital and potential police involvement.

He sent Nancy a text: Miss me? I'm shirtless and bloody. Come over when you can?. It wasn't the ideal way to tell his friend that he was back in town, but it would have to do.

Comments

II

[catphishing]

Oliver had recognized the guy in the fight, but not enough to intervene. It had been vicious, and he doubts he'd have been much help anyway. Even so, he approaches him after, extra drink in hand. He feels bad about leaving him too it.

"Are you okay?"

[akillersmile]

"Hey, I know you." Kyle smiles, winces slightly, then smiles again. He accepts the drink immediately and presses it against his cheek where the swelling has already begun, finding the gesture both painful and comfortable. It's nice to run into a familiar face without the guy knowing his whole history.

"Thanks for the drink. I'm good. This? This is nothing. How you been?"

[catphishing]

"You do," Oliver agrees, blinking as he uses the drink for his face rather than drinking it. It's probably a better use for it by the looks of his face.

"I've been good," he tells him, a little surprised Kyle's asking after him after what's just happened to him. "Are you sure you're all right? That looks bad."

[akillersmile]

Kyle brings the drink down, takes a sip, and then returns it to his face, trying to help reassure Oliver that he's okay. "It hurts like hell, but what do you do? I'll put some ice on it when I get home. I might even have a bandaid somewhere."

He chuckles, attempting to lighten the mood. "I'm sorry you had to watch that. I don't usually get in fights in bars. Or get suckerpunched."

[catphishing]

"Should you go home now?"

Not that Oliver minds the opportunity to talk to him again, but he's not sure he's be sticking around after a fight like that.

"Why are you apologizing? I don't think I'm the one who got out worse here."

3

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy had been working when she got Kyle's text, and thusly it was a bit of time before she managed to get over to his place. She remembered the way, and once she was on her way, it didn't take long for her to get there.

She hadn't realized he was back in town, of course, but her worry that he was injured had her far more concerned than that he hadn't told her he was back. She rapped on his door, hoping he didn't mind the general state of her disarray. When the door swung open, Nancy held herself back from giving him a hug.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," she says with a bright smile. Then she gets a proper look at him. "Good lord- what happened?"

[akillersmile]

Kyle's already shirtless, lounging around in some sweatpants and mostly asleep on the couch when Nancy finally knocks. He wakes immediately, turning to the door with mild paranoia from his jet lagged state until he finally sees her and remembers inviting her over.

"Hey you," he greets her with a grin, standing from the couch as much to greet her as for her to get a better view of his injuries. By this point, most of the free blood from his nose has been cleaned and it's only swollen, bruised, with blood in the nostrils. His chest and side are already bruised, though he's less concerned about that.

"A little misunderstanding with a guy in a bar." He shrugs, moving around the couch to close most of the distance between them. "I'm worried about my nose. Can you look at it? I can't tell if it's broken."

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy gives him the driest look she can muster. "A little misunderstanding," she repeats, not believing a word of it. That looks like a big misunderstanding.

"Sure, I can do that. Give me a moment, yeah?" She's going to make herself at home, tossing her purse and leather jacket aside, and most importantly: kicking off her pumps. Now, significantly shorter and barefoot, she moves closer to him.

"Can you sit?" She gestures back at the couch, taking a seat next to him. The height difference between them is such that it's easier for her to take a look when they're sitting. "Though if it's broken, there isn't much I can do."

[akillersmile]

"Of course." He gives a warm smile before leaning back on the top of the couch, giving her all the time she needs. It makes him feel good that she's so comfortable here, then he feels the pang of loss from Alex being gone and Nancy loving a vampire.

He ignores the feeling, moving around the couch as indicated to take a seat, leaning forward to offering her a better look. It's odd how intimate the situation is without feeling intimate. "I can go to a clinic if it's broken. If it's not, no use in wasting the money."

[stauncherhearted]

"Thanks," she says, moving to sit where he'd been laying moments before. She tucks her bare feet under herself, and she raises herself up on her knees. Gingerly, she touches the swollen area, frowning.

"I'll try not to make this hurt," she says, and actually moves to touch the nose itself, feeling for broken bones.

It doesn't occur to her, how intimate it was. But she was the sort of girl that had grown up doing this for her brothers and for her ex-boyfriend. She'd doctored her own wounds so many times that this felt natural. What may have made it more intimate was she was fresh off of work, the red of the puncture wounds on her neck just visible under her makeup. She'd take care of those properly when she got home, just like every night.

II.

[vampire_barbie_girl]

Caroline definitely wasn't going to be coming back to this bar anytime soon. It was far too rowdy for her tastes, not to mention more than a little rude. And the drinks weren't even that good! She's sure she'd been served too much tonic and not enough gin.

She's about to leave when the fight breaks out. She glances over and recognizes the one guy - he'd made some really inappropriate comments to her when she'd first walked in, causing her to imagine how fun it would be to rip out his jugular with her teeth. And so she isn't surprised to see him involved in the fight.

She is, however, surprised to see that he's fighting Kyle. It makes her pause and consider stepping in. But it's also a bit awkward, since she hasn't seen him since their little "encounter" a few months back. But as she watches things get worse, she realizes that someone is going to have to intervene and that someone might as well be her.

"Hey," she calls out, moving to get near them. "That's enough." The guy glances at her, then punches Kyle again, knocking him to the ground. Caroline takes a step forward, putting herself between the two of them. She glares at the asshole. "I said, that's enough."

[akillersmile]

"Ow."

Kyle hits the ground with a smack that's almost as painful as the intial hit, annoyed with being suckerpunched after some intervention. He didn't even get a chance to see who it is or realize why the voice sounds vaguely familiar until he finds his feet again. Now the blonde is between them and the guy and his friends are already looking at bailing. Which kinda pisses him off since he wants to hit the bastard again, but he's not about to go through a woman to do it.

He spits out the blood that's in his mouth and glares at the departing crew, the bartender ensuring their departure. Then his attention's on the blonde. "I know you were trying to do a nice thing, stopping the fight and putting yourself in the line of fire, but damn if I didn't want to wipe that smug smirk off his face again."

[vampire_barbie_girl]

Caroline's glad that's all it took - the smell of blood in the air was already enough to get her heart racing, she didn't need a fight on her hands too. She took a few slow breaths, restoring some control, before turning around to face Kyle.

She looks down at him, raising an eyebrow. "With what, the floor?"

[akillersmile]

He recognizes her right away and shoos aside any potential awkwardness by playing along and keeping things light. "It does have a fresh pine smell that faces love."

Kyle stands easily enough, reaching up a hand to feel his chin and test his jaw, pinch his nose and generally search for signs of injury. There's a little bleeding in his mouth and one cheek is swelling up with what will eventually be a bruise. Overall, it's not a bad fight, albeit a very quick one.

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a bar like this?" He teases, exaggerating the pickup line to make the humor clear.

[vampire_barbie_girl]

She looks him over, again breathing slowly to steady her heartrate. "You've looked better but I'm think you'll be okay."

She rolls her eyes. "Actually, I was just about to leave, but I could change my plans, now that there's some decent company around. Though I'm not sure you should being having any more to drink."

2

[freelife]

Evie had been calmly sitting in the corner, nursing an ale when the ruckus started. Usually she was content to just let it go in the background, but she caught a familiar scent in the air. She couldn't identify it, but it got her attention. As did the fact that the fight wasn't exactly stopping.

Without question, Evie abandoned her ale and stood, crossing the room with ease. With her enhanced strength, it didn't take much for her to get between the two parties, grabbing on to the back of one of their necks, pulling him off of the man that, now she got closer, smelled familiar. There were notes of him somewhere that she'd smelled before.

"That's enough, both of you." There was no room in her voice for argument. "There are people here trying to enjoy a drink. Including, if I'm not mistaken, the girl that was clearly not into you." She looked at the man she was holding and, ignoring whatever it was he had to say, tossed him towards his buddies.

[akillersmile]

Kyle straightened from the chair, glaring at both his opponent and the intervening party. This wasn't finished as far as he was concerned, even if he could recognize the finality in her voice. He watched as the man fell into his friends, either a little too drunk or pushed a little too forcefully. Once the threat was clearly gone, returning to their own distractions, he crossed his arms and directed his attention to the strange woman.

"He deserved it," he offered, as though it was entirely obvious and ignoring how petulant the remark could sound. Then he turned, ready to take his leave, not wanting to both the woman any more than they already had.

[freelife]

Evie just crossed her arms, allowing a faint smirk to play out across her features. In the dark of the bar, her dimples are only just visible. "I never said he didn't deserve it."

Evie casts a glance over her shoulders at the guilty parties. "I only said you were disturbing the peace. You have a good right hook."

[akillersmile]

Kyle paused when she spoke, turning to face her from only a few feet away. She was cute, but it annoyed him a little that she intervened when he had the chance to cream the other guy if left undisturbed. Maybe. He'd never know.

"Thanks. I practiced in front of the mirror all day," he quipped in response, unable to keep humor from filtering into his speech. "Maybe the peace needs disturbing when the peace is an asshole."

[freelife]

She is cute, thank you. So is Kyle.

"Just the mirror? I'd have imagined you'd be the sort for the gym." She can see those muscles, Kyle. But her smirk broadens.

"I don't think he was the peace, so much as the one who started to disturb it. Regardless, let me buy you a drink." Look at her, flipping gender roles like it's no big thing. "I've still got a perfectly good booth I don't intend to waste."

I

[emotioneater]

Cooper was walking down the street, talking to one of the human allies of the nest. Most vampires thought of them as just being disposable blood bags, but Cooper knew they had their uses. It was always good to have a few in his corner. Jessica was a solid, dependable groupie who was always willing to provide a meal. There was a few marks of recent feedings on her neck and arms. Cooper's giving her a lecture she's only half-listening to, instead giving him a starry-eyed look. "Listen, kid. Feedings are fine, but you gotta know when t'say no. Either take some blood replenisher or tell whoever wants a bite to go feck themselves till you feel better. Get what I'm saying?"

She mumbles something to him as he senses someone's eyes on him. He looks up to find Kyle looking at him. He knows how it must look with a young twentysomething by his side with fresh bite marks on her. "Here I was thinkin' you'd left for the States." At least, that's what he'd heard from Nancy. He couldn't lie and say he had been sorry to see the hunter go.

[akillersmile]

Kyle can't help but frown when he sees Cooper. When he takes in the girl and her wounds, he carefully drops his duffel from his shoulder to the pavement, just in case. His mind is wired to see combat wherever he is, especially when a vampire is involved. He can't help but want to be ready to fight should the need arise.

"Planes take people both directions. Go figure." While his pension for humor is always present, there's definitely a provoking edge when he speaks with Cooper. "Moved on already? Good for Nancy."

[emotioneater]

Cooper might appreciate that sense of humor if it wasn't attached to such an abrasive personality. "Ever heard what they say about assuming things? Jessica is just a friend." It was better than explaining she was one of the nest's willing bloodbags. That would only earn him another judgmental look.

He turns to the girl. "You'd better get on home. Don't forget to get some protein in you. Eat some eggs or somethin'."

She gives him a long hug before she takes off. "Thanks, Cooper," she says in a soft, breathy voice. Even if he's not interested, she's clearly enamored with his status as a vampire.

"So do you plan on stickin' around for long?" It looks like he had just hopped off the plane if that duffel bag was any clue.

[akillersmile]

"I can tell," he replies lightly as Jessica gives Cooper a hug and then wanders off. The girl looks half dazed and he can't help but wonder what kind of vampire magic causes such a stupor. If he and Nancy are still together, Kyle wonders what that makes the other girl. How many people does Cooper feed on? How many does he have relationships with? So caring of him, to tell the girl to eat eggs.

"As long as I want to," he replies honestly. Kyle shrugs with it. He has no idea how long he'll stay here, having nothing to tie him to any one place really. It's a weird freedom he hasn't had much of in his life and doesn't really like.

[emotioneater]

Cooper knows he's probably being judged no matter what he does. It's a little annoying since he hasn't actually done any all that heinous. Vampires have to eat, same as anyone. If there's someone willing to provide a free meal, he's not going to turn them down. Being this high up in the nest, there's always a human hoping to get some favor or be turned themselves by being a bloodbag.

"You should come by. Nancy will be glad t'see you again." Much as he dislikes Kyle, he knows that Nancy thinks the world of her friend. He's not going to be that guy, the jealous, controlling boyfriend who tells her who she can and can't see. She's had enough of that in her life dealing with Fagin. Much as he gets moody over Nancy's friends, he's going to be the bigger person here.