Arrival

silentpaws · Shy Kitten

Arrival

Valcrist · Silly Kitty

One foot was placed against the stone structure that was the fountain as his eyes closed in deep contemplation. His right arm came to rest against his leg, propping his torso as he leaned against his leg. Fingers strumming idly against his thigh. It had been well over a few weeks, and there were no leads in jobs. Amber's (the vampire that Marcus had entrusted the care of, to Patsy and, more specifically, Valcrist) arrival couldnt have come at worse time. Also, Marcus, had become something of a hard man to track as well. Two visits to Bliss, and not even a sign to the Master Vampire's whereabouts was given to him. Perhaps Valcrist had wounded a few more people in his life, than he thought. Granted, that probably wasnt much of a case, but it certainly did put a damper on an otherwise cheerful and caring disposition. He shook his head as he pondered this, among other things. The Pard was another thought that crossed his mind. Did Patsy and Valarie survive the chaos that had ensued after he had left? If so, are they even okay? Are they also mad at him for all but abandoning them? Many of these questions played like a broken record in his head. Indeed, for the first time, in a long time, Valcrist had lost that cheerful disposition.

Taking a step back from the fountain, deep within the square, he would continue to gaze over the marvelous structure. The best thing to do, of course, was to at least remain calm. Try to think positive, in which he did. Wandering over towards a table, he took to sitting down as he closed his eyes, and just...well, felt all the energies that weaved through the air. Various scents and feelings wrapped around him like a blanket. Chaos, relaxation, all sorts of feelings combined into a comfortable blanket he would revel in. That was....until one all too familiar signature, as well as scent, was felt. "No....no way" He said to himself as he looked behind him..........

silentpaws · Shy Kitten

A soft click came from the camera and she lowered it back to the table. The man leaning at the fountain with his back to her had looked so familiar that she’d simply had to take a picture. Perhaps if she’d stopped to think about that she would have realized why he seemed so familiar, but she was too distracted. So many unknown people had her nibbling at her bottom lip and wishing she could contain the roiling energy that screamed fear, weakness, to any who could feel it.

Whether it was movement, words, or scent that caught her attention, she really couldn’t have said. Turning away from her perusal of the other tables, she looked forward just in time to meet a pair of familiar eyes. Breath hitched and she stared wide-eyed. Could it be..? Was her mind tricking her, or was he truly sitting there at a table not far from her?

“V-valcrist…?” It was little more than a whisper of sound. Her gaze never wavered as she collected camera, dictionary, and the remains of her breakfast. That lycanthrope grace seemed to have deserted her when she stumbled toward his table. The closer she got to that scent, the scent of home, the surer she was that this was real.

She stood hesitating a moment before setting her things down at his table and then that bright smile, the one reserved for family and trusted friends, broke across her face. A half laugh, half sob of joy escaped and she flung herself at him to give a crushing hug. “It is you!” The hug hid perfectly the fact that she was also rubbing her cheek against his own and taking in his scent.

Let those around her think what they liked. She could be embarrassed about it later. Right now, she was just happy to see him again, alive and well.

Valcrist · Silly Kitty

There were moments in a person's life where time, and just about everything around said person just stopped. This was one of those moments for the young wereleopard. He almost forgot to breathe as he just sat there, looking at her as if he'd seen a ghost. Impossible.....All this time, he thought she was all but gone, Valarie. The last place he had seen his beloved pard was on the now-demolished island, but...here she was, flinging herself towards him, colliding into him with a crash that nearly rocked him from the sturdy metal chair.

If it wasnt for cat-like grace, and balance, the both of them would've been tumbling to the floor, but he held on tight. There were very few moments valcrist ever shed a tear. He didnt cry when he would have the life nearly beaten out of him in one of those domme/slave situations, hell, even the black witch had nearly taken his life.

However, this ...this was different. His family had come back to him, and he couldnt help but bury his face within the crook of her shoulder, silently weeping to himself. Letting out something of a chuckle, as to hide the cry of happiness, he raised his head to look directly at her, still holding her to him. "I...I thought...I........you and patsy had all but perished......Yet...here you are..."

Again, he pulled her into the warmth of his embrace, taking in the very scent of her. The scent of leopard, and family. The mix of emotions that went through him, during this time was just something that words couldnt explain. However, the one prevailing emotion was a near-endless feeling of happiness. And that simply brought that boyish smile to an otherwise bearded face. Oh yeah, time for a shave and a cleanup. "God...Valarie....Im...Im just glad to see you again...I should've never ran from you guys, I had all but been worried since Tom told me what happened to the islands...Im....Im just glad you made it out alive."

He didnt have to ask if Patsy made it out alive, seeing valarie simply all but confirmed his suspicions now. He also would refrain from asking about her. Finally, he stood to his feet, helping valarie gather her wits about her before pulling out a chair for the leopardess. "So tell me....what brings you out this way? How have things been? We've a lot to catch up on, you and I" ...........

silentpaws · Shy Kitten

Joy. Happiness. They were just words that seemed sorely inadequate for what she felt in that moment. She cuddled into his warmth to take in the scent of home, as if trying to keep it locked to her forever. The near-constant fear had been pushed aside by the sense of safety she felt in the presence of her extended family, the pard. The kitten that shared her skin rubbed up against his beast, rolling on its back and swatting at the male in a playful manner.

When he moved to stand, she obediently got up and let him steady her since the feline grace was still somehow missing. When he pulled out a chair for her, she sank into it, but kept a hold on his hand. Right now, it might take the Jaws of Life to make her stop touching him. Free hand lifted to swipe at her eyes, clearing away the tears that still threatened to spill over.

“Nathan and Lindsey let me come along on their vacation so that I could visit friends.” A small, happy smile of accomplishment. “Mommy helped me find the courage to finally go home for a visit. I thought they’d treat me differently, you know? But, I’m still just Valarie to them.”

Chocolate browns studied his so-familiar face for a moment in silence. There were questions in her gaze, but they all boiled down to ‘why’. Why had he left? Why were there shadows in his eyes? Why, why, why. Instead of voicing them, she gave his hand a squeeze and smiled.

“I missed you. You’re not going to disappear again, are you?” She tried for teasing, but an underlying current of pleading went with it making her smile falter. Val knew she was too dependent on others to make her feel safe, was working hard to find the strength inside her that made Patsy call her a valkyrie, but she still needed someone to be her rock in case she lost her footing.

Valcrist · Silly Kitty

Indeed, there were shadows that clouded those piercing brown eyes of his. Regret, was the better term, really. Regret for turning tail and running from one of the few families that actually accepted him, and it wounded him deeply. Emotional scars that were caused by his own actions. Seeing Valarie, again, however, gave him a moment of reprieve from those deep wounds. Although dark, there was that twinkling of light as he looked upon his pard sister. It simply caused him to smile when he squeezed back, his hand still entwined with hers. "I've missed you too, I promise..I won't run again." His voice carried that solemn promise as he, once again, pulled her into the warmth of his embrace......

After a few moments of this, he finally spoke as he released her from his embrace. "You'll find it good to know that most of our friends have made it here...They've pretty much taken up residence. I've met but a few of the tigers here, so Im sure the rest of them have joined those whom I've ran into. I haven't seen any of the Rodere, but the Pack is also here. I've met up with Ash on a few occasions, along with Silent, and Loke.....you ARE familiar with them, correct?" As he paused, he sank back into the comforts of his own chair, his hand still firmly clasped with her own. It had been far too long since he had the familiar touch of family. Her scent clearly reminded him of the memories they've had. Of Salem, Hawaii.....Patsy. Indeed, while he was happy to see Valarie, he wondered how an eventual meeting with Patsy was going to go. With Hurricane Patsy, there was simply no way to even PLAN such a meeting, even if he tried. With the way things went down there, chances are.....well, again, there was no telling how that was going to go.

For the moment, however, he brushed those thoughts aside as he continued to look upon Valarie, smiling as he thought of things...."Well, I suppose since we have the whole day, perhaps I can show you the places that I've visited, and perhaps meet up with some of those we know....Master Marcus is also here..." One of these days, Valcrist certainly planned on meeting up with his vampiric father figure, at least to let the old gent know he was alive and well.."I've need to meet with him anyways, for...well, business ventures...Since I've left the good graces of our Queen, its time that I find some sort of work around here, you're more than welcome to come along with me...I've definitely missed your company, thats for sure"...

silentpaws · Shy Kitten

Relief flashed, strengthening her smile and she cuddled into the embrace. Even when he released her, she remained leaning close to catch every word. A small frown appeared when she learned he hadn’t seen the rodere. If asked, she would have chosen them to visit first simply because she’d shared a home with them. But maybe there was a good reason for Patsy sending her to the horde first. A small nod answered the question of whether she was familiar with those members of the pack. “I remember them.”

Valcrist’s offer to show her around with the added possibility of seeing friends made the day seem much better than it had before. Still, she peered over at him. “If it isn’t any trouble, I’d like to go with you. I…” A blush stained her cheeks, “I’ll have to call Lindsey, tell her I’ll meet her and Nathan back at the hotel later. He, uhm… he worries about me.” Really, you’d expect to hear something like that said by a teenager about their parents, not an adult woman about her older brother. Of course, she suspected that Nathan was afraid of what their father and Charles might do to him if something happened to her on his watch.

Fingers delved into her purse again to grab her phone. A matter of seconds later and she’d sent a text message instead of calling. Having thought over that option she’d thrown it out. Lindsey would want to make sure that Valcrist existed, would want to talk to him and give him the ‘don’t let anything happen to her or else’ speech. Val wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. Family and overprotective… sometimes the words were interchangeable.

A thought came to her and she tilted her head, teeth nibbling at her bottom lip. Should she ask? Well, better to ask and know than leave it a question. “Valcrist c-can I tell Patsy I’ve seen you, that you’re okay… or sh-should I keep quiet?” Oh, and there was that maddening stutter, shouting that she was afraid the question would upset him. Gaze dropped to her lap. She couldn’t lie to Patsy (she’d tried and it didn’t work) but she could simply not say anything. She seldom got into trouble when she chose that route.

Valcrist · Silly Kitty

Valcrist would look off in the distance for a minute, contemplating on how to answer that question, exactly. Things didnt exactly go so smoothly between he and patsy. In actuality, he had all but avoided her since depositing his custom-designed rolex on the nightstand, leaving without saying so much of a word. He would let out a sigh before closing his eyes, squeezing Valarie's hand gently. "You.....you can tell her Im here, only if she calls.....Things...well, things didnt exactly go very smoothly. I havent really spoken with her, at all, since I took off.....So I ....well, Im a bit worried about how that conversation will go...but..yeah, go ahead and tell her, but only if she asks about it."

For the remainder of the day, he and valarie walked around the city, with Valcrist showing her various sites and ancient buildings. The colliseum was certainly something to behold. Its ancient structure still standing firm. Yes, it had certainly decayed as the centuries went by, but much of its foundation still stood. Roman engineering at its best, they say. He looked over to valarie as she looked upon the ancient place of battle. "Even after all this time, it still stands, you simply have to marvel at Roman Construction......" After an hour or so of this, they continued their walk, talking and laughing amonsgt one another, catching up on old times. Valcrist told her of his visit back home to Oregon, then of his other home in Amsterdam where his old pard became nothing but a shell of their former selves. "And so finally, I ended up here, I was merely just, well,....backpacking through Europe, then I started running into familiar faces from Hawaii and Salem, here. Apparently everyone decided to move here, for some reason..." He never really figured out WHY everyone moved to Rome. Granted, the ancient city was something to behold, but .....

Shaking the stray thoughts from his mind, he turned his attentions back to Valarie, hand still firmly clasped to her. He stood for but a moment to gaze upon her, studying her for a moment, and finally, he spoke "So...how have things been since leaving hawaii?"

silentpaws · Shy Kitten

Val looked up through her lashes at him as he gave hesitant permission for her to tell Patsy about his being here in Rome. ‘Only if she asks about it.’ She could deal with that. In fact, if things had gone less-than-smoothly, she didn’t want to have Patsy angry or crying – whatever it is that her queen would do in this case – over the phone. A faint smile was offered Valcrist’s way, a gentle squeeze to his hand so that his attention would move to her. “I w-won’t say anything unless she asks. Promise.”

So, she was shown the city, snapping pictures here and there or having Valcrist snap a picture of her in front of this or that. The coliseum was certainly a sight. It was amazing, knowing that these stones were the very same that the ancient Romans had seen, touched, walked across.

Her head tilted when their conversation turned to what had happened to them since the last time they’d seen each other. Once her curiosity was roused, questions just came naturally. Not so much personal questions, more about what it was like in Oregon, how Amsterdam was. Anything she could think to ask about two places she’d never been. Traveling the world sounded marvelous in her head, but in reality it was far too frightening.

“They could have moved somewhere a lot stranger, I guess. At least some of the natives here speak English.” A faint blush. Her Italian was minimal, just enough to order some food or say small phrases. Asking questions in Italian was possible, except that she couldn’t follow the rapid answer she’d get. It really was a pain not being able to wander on her own and be absolutely sure that she didn’t need Nathan or Lindsey’s help.

Head ducked, avoiding looking him in the eye, shoulders lifting in a small shrug. “I got my degree, finally. Mayhem and Chaos live with my mama and papa now.” Nose scrunched, trying to think of anything that might be important enough to mention it to him.