ANGELS OF NIGHT

OUTFIT | @justice

Sometimes, when she was nervous, she talked about astronomy. She talked about it when she wasn’t nervous too, obviously, but when she was anxious or uncomfortable, it was fair game for her to start talking about some astrological event or another, just because it was an easy topic for her. It could be rough for people who weren’t interested in astronomy at all, but sometimes she ended up having pretty interesting conversations when she just so happened to start rambling a little about something the person in question actually knew about. It was something that had worked well for her in the past, so it was a habit that she had never been able to break. Sage knew that it wasn’t something that she could utilize at work though. When she was bartending, which was still a new concept to her, she couldn’t exactly start talking about astronomy to any patron that made her uncomfortable. Somehow, she didn’t think that would be all that good for business.

No, she managed to keep her astronomy talk to herself when she was behind the bar, but with her boss it was an entirely different matter. She didn’t see him all of the time--she had just started the job last week, after all, but she also knew that he had another pub in Hogsmeade so he wasn’t always in Liverpool. When he was, he made her nervous, which was what had put her in this situation to begin with. She had been talking about astronomy, as always. There had been a meteor shower a few days ago, which she had stayed up to watch… the city lights in Liverpool made it not nearly as impactful as it would have been in a more remote area, but still. And tonight… well, tonight was the conjunction of Mars and Pluto. It wasn’t going to be until much later, and it would probably be pretty unremarkable. Other places in the world would have a better view, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t care that she’d likely fall asleep before it even happened. It was still meant to be a clear night out and that was good enough for her.

Sage was always more at peace under the stars than she was anywhere else. It had always been that way. Her mother and sister would be inside reading Witch Weekly and painting each other’s nails, and she would be outside looking up at the stars with her father. Now that he was gone, she felt closer to him outside than anywhere else, and she thought that was a big part of why she had been relying on it more in the past two years. Even if her house in Liverpool was hardly the best spot for it, she loved it nonetheless. And in her most recent conversation with Justice about astronomy and Mars, he had… sort of invited himself over to join her. Sage didn’t quite know what to make of that. He was her boss, after all, but it was just astronomy. They were going to be outside. She hardly thought that he was going to do something inappropriate in her front year--or at all. Sage had eyes. She saw how… pretty much everyone at Cavern Club was attracted to him. And she--well, she was a warm blooded human being, she knew that he was attractive.

But that didn’t mean anything. He looked… like him, and she--was… average, really. She liked to think that she was at least average. Her mum always said that she could be pretty if she put a bit of effort in, but she didn’t think there was much of a point in taking up that much of her time with make-up or hair product or anything like that. Sage put the most effort in when she was going to work because she knew that she had to look as good as she could make herself look when she was there, but she was far more natural when she was at home or anywhere else. So she did not think that Justice had invited himself over for anything having to do with that. He probably just liked astronomy, which she thought was great. Having a boss that also liked the subject that she was most passionate about was actually amazing. If that was the case, she thought it was lucky. It meant that she’d have something to talk about with him--and that might make him a bit less… intimidating. She thought that was the best way to describe him. Or the best word that she had come up with at least. Having astronomy in common would likely ease her nerves about him and her new job and she could use that since she wasn’t sure that she was great at this whole bartending thing.

The potential positive implications of Justice coming over didn’t make her any less nervous. Her house wasn’t exactly the nicest. It was a little broken down looking from the outside. It looked nicer inside, but they weren’t meant to be inside. She had laid out one of her favorite blankets--one that her father had given for the sole purpose of lying on outside, then contemplated if it would be rude not to provide him with something to drink, or snacks or something. She didn’t have time to cook anything, but she could make popcorn--and she thought she had wine. Sage had headed back inside to check what offerings she had, but that was a whole other problem. Was it weird to bring wine out? That was a little romantic for looking at the stars with her boss. But beer was a weirder choice--water was polite, but a little odd too. Alcohol seemed like the better bet, and vodka was less romantic than wine, so in the end she grabbed the bottle she’d bought earlier than month and headed back toward the front door.

When she opened it though, she came to a stop as she noticed he was standing there. “Oh. Hi.” She glanced down at the bottle of vodka in her hand and realized that might look a little weird. “I didn’t know if you’d be thirsty--do you even like vodka? I have wine... or water. I definitely also have water." She didn’t want him to think that she was just going to offer him alcohol, and she almost wished that she hadn’t brought up the wine after her determination that it was too romantic for the circumstances. Sage didn't want him to get the wrong idea, or think that she had the wrong idea, rather. Merlin knew how embarrassing it would be if he thought that she thought this was a date or something. She didn't. She just also didn't know what beverage options she was meant to offer her boss when he invited himself over

Devil in the Darkness

outfit

Darkness could not come quickly tonight. Justice had awoken unfortunately early in the afternoon—only to be stuck inside until the sun set. Though sunlight would not destroy him instantly, Justice did not abide the light well despite his age. He had never been one of the vampires willing to risk wandering about on very overcast days—or bundled up with clothing and under an umbrella. There were more worthwhile risks to take than that in his not particularly humble opinion.

Fortunately, Justice had a floo place in his home, which let him travel to his pub. The Hogs Head windows were impervious to any sunlight. Many assumed the glass to be covered in grim, but in fact, they had been purposefully painted with dark opaque shades. Spending a few hours behind the bar, the vampire had the opportunity to flirt up a pretty little thing—the girl was likely from the school—her soft, supple skin had testified to her youth. He’d fed on her after having a bit of wicked fun with the bint. The blood was good and necessary for the plans he had for later in the evening.

He wasn’t one to bite his meals—that made such a mess. Instead, he more often used a blade fashioned for him years ago by a goblin metal charmer. It fit over his thumb just perfectly and he would press the end against the target of his attention—be it the neck…or wrist…or thigh…and drink just a bit, tempering the flow of the luscious liquid with the pressure of his tongue. He would not take too much—not enough to leave his companion faint—just enough to enjoy. Since he fed at least daily despite his age, he did not have to drink very much. It was desire not need that drew him to the vein regularly. When he was done, a bit of dittany closed the wound and if he had been particularly indulgent with his drinking, he would give his meal a blood replenishing potion. Those he fed on regularly knew to take those potions to keep themselves ready for him.

Tonight’s girl was not a regular—but with the way she had reacted to his affection and to his feeding, he could see her easily becoming one. When he had sent her on her way back up to Hogwarts castle, the vampire had taken the floo to Liverpool and then hailed a cab to take him to the place he was most eager to be: the home of Sage Alexander. The witch had a loveliness to her that had captivated the vampire. He could not pinpoint the specific detail that drew him to her, but he was as taken by this woman as he had been with Dirce years ago in Brazil. That lovely Latina had been the last to hold his heart, but she was long dead now. Justice had been a different man then—at least, a man with a different name. He did not think of that time.

He did not think of Dirce even now that the feelings of desire and possession were creeping over him. Had he a beating heart, it would have raced in anticipation as he was driven closer to Sage’s home. But instead he sat, utterly unmoving, a little smile playing on his lips, just barely causing his fangs to peek out as the cabbie wove through the streets. Justice had smoothly invited himself over tonight and had considerable plans for him and his little astronomer. She would not be a meal—she would not be a conquest—or at least not only a conquest, he would surely have her this night. But she was to be his new toy. He had not had someone to play with that truly entertained him in far too long. Sage had no idea what she had gotten herself into with Justice—and he would revel in her innocent obliviousness.

The vampire dismissed the cabbie a block from his destination. Strolling up the sidewalk, he stopped a good distance away—watching her as she fret with a blanket out on the grass. She was a lovely thing—the witch’s seeming lack of awareness of how beautiful she was made her all the more alluring to Justice. He did not care for the arrogance of others, despite his own. He favored the more humble—they were always inclined to blush with flattered…and truly there is little that strokes the attraction of a vampire more than a rush of blood.

When Sage turned to go back inside, Justice felt a wave of urgent desire to have the woman pressed against him. It was a passion he had not felt in many years—what magic did this woman weave that would affect him so? Predisposed to distrust, he was face with a war within himself. He judged the woman to be oblivious to her allure—but some part of him urged him to be cautious and assume she sought to lure him in intentionally. He stared at her retreating back, a scrutinizing expression on his face, as if he could find the answer for his wanting written there. With supernatural speed, he traversed the remaining distance, lingering just outside her door until she returned.

Worries of some intention of malice were quieted as soon as the woman opened the door. There was such an adorable awkwardness to her. Years and years of undeath had made him quite a good reader of people. This woman was no grifter. This was no show. This was no game. No matter how rarely he trusted, he could not find solid justification for distrusting her. She was too innocent and naïve to lie. Did she even know what he was? 

”Good evening, Sage,” he purred out in greeting. His vampiric charm hung heavy in his tone, the words embracing and caressing the woman a foreshadowing of the man’s intentions for the evening. He quirked up a brow as she made her explanation for the vodka bottle she held. A smirk came to his lips and there was the tiniest hint of his fangs—though only if one looked quite closely—and with the bright blue eyes looking down at her, how could Sage notice the tiny points with such a searing gaze urging her to snog him?

”Are you quite sure about that?” he teased, unable to resist poking a bit of fun at the beauty. Amusement was obvious on his face. ”I joke. Vodka will be fine. I have no objections to it—as long as you will be having some, as well. It would be terribly rude to ask me to drink alone.” After the brief pause after he confirmed the liquor she had chosen would be suitable, the tenor and tone of his voice changed—dropping lower into a more husky range. Justice was amping up the vampiric allure he had, intentionally standing a bit close to Sage and speaking in such a way to urge the woman’s mind to wander towards the most carnal sins.

It might take considerable effort on his part to get the woman there based on the outfit she wore. He was a bit disappointed in her clothing choices. The sweater was hardly revealing and pants were considerably more restrictive than a skirt. But he had expected the pants. The shirt, though, that he felt did not allude to any attraction or desire on the woman's part. Was she even attracted to him? How could she not be? Most threw themselves at him. Why wasn't she?

Sage didn’t know what to make of this. She had just been talking about astronomy to Justice because it was a safe topic. It was something that she could go on about for ages, and it was far more genuine than if she just tried for any other kind of ordinary small talk. She had just not expected him to be interested in it, especially not enough to invite himself over here tonight. That was the most unexpected part of all of this. Ever since her father had died, she had been looking at the stars by herself. It wasn’t that she had always been with her father. Sage had no problem alone on a blanket looking at the sky, especially once she had gone into astronomy for a living. He couldn’t always been there. But when she had been younger, he often had been… and once he was gone, she did not have anyone else in her life that was interested in the subject.

Her mum didn’t understand it at all. She completely wrote it off, actually. Lacy was the type of woman that didn’t think that being an astronomer was a real job at all. Sure, there were careers into specialties that she thought were prestigious and worthwhile. Potionology, for one--magizoology, even. But she did not see the point in going into astronomy. What more is there to learn about the sky, Sage--no one is going to pay you for that. She had heard it all over the years, but it wasn’t anything that deterred her. She had learned a long time ago that her mum was never going to understand her. They had nothing in common. When it came to her, and her sister, they were night and day. They were nothing alike, had nothing in common.

She was the plain one, the one that didn’t care about the many different ways that she could style her hair, the one that didn’t see the point in having thirty-two different lipsticks in and around her bathroom and surrounding area. That was how it was at her mum’s house, and her sister’s. There was the main hub for the lipstick--the bathroom. But then tubes of the stuff could be found in various purses, in drawers in nearly any room in the house, lost ones in couch cushions. She didn’t get it and it was the one of the many differences between them. It wasn’t as if she blamed her mum or her sister for that, or for the space between them. Sage had always gotten along better with her dad, and he was gone now. He had been good at bringing them all together, and there was little hope of that happening now that he was gone.

Sage did try. She saw her sister probably at least once a week, maybe two weeks if they got busy, and she saw her mum usually a couple of times a week. Either she stopped in to say hello, or her mum popped over without warning--which was far worse. Then she never heard the end of her house, and how it looked--how she would be able to afford something nicer if she got a better job, a real job. But still. She tried. Maybe she could have tried harder, but in the past, she had. In the past, she’d let her sister paint her nails, or let her mum do her make-up for a family dinner, and she had tried to bond over that. It was just hard to see what the point was in taking an extra hour to get ready for dinner or anything else. And it wasn’t as if her sister or her mum ever tried to bond with her over astronomy or anything that she liked. The one-sidedness of it all had been exhausting.

Of course, they were her family and she loved them. If she came over and her mum wanted her to change or wanted to do her make-up before they went out, she still let her. She just had stopped thinking that it was going to change anything. They were never going to understand each other, and her mum was never going to think that she was anything other than a disappointment. That was just the way that it was--to Lacy, success only looked one way. And Sage was not living up to those expectations. But Sage still loved astronomy too much to ever give it up. It was why she had been glad that she was even able to talk about it with Justice today. It was nice that someone cared, even if her family didn’t. Sage just hadn’t expected her boss to invite himself over afterwards. It was something that she did not think that she was entirely prepared for. Her house was… not all that impressive from the outside. She wasn’t embarrassed of it or anything, it was home, but still…

That was not her biggest concern. She was more worried about what he expected and making sure that he didn’t think she had the wrong idea. To her, him being interested in her was completely out of the question. She saw how people fell over themselves at work, that was over him. No one had ever reacted to her like that because she just wasn’t… all that impressive to look at. No, he wasn’t interested in her like that. He was clearly interested in astronomy and maybe he was just as glad as she was that she’d found someone that liked it too. That seemed much more likely to her. It was just… a little hard to figure out how a night like that was supposed to go--with two people that both liked astronomy, but that weren’t even friends, or even coworkers. He was her boss. Maybe liquor at all would give him the impression that she had the wrong idea, she didn’t know. Sage just didn’t have all that much to offer guests--she didn’t have guests that often.

Sage thought that she would have time to bring the vodka outside, and then maybe come back inside to pop some popcorn or something like that. She couldn’t whip something real up to eat this fast, but she could at least make popcorn. Stargazing, and popcorn and vodka--it was an odd combination, but she didn’t think that it sounded half bad, actually. But when she saw him standing on the porch, she realized that there would be no time for popcorn. Immediately, she was nervous. She couldn’t explain it. There was just something about him that was intense yet magnetizing at the same time. It was enough to make her awkward around him, but at the same time not wanting the encounter to end. And that was just at work. Merlin knew what was going to happen now that she was alone with him.

Rambling was to be expected. She had opened the door with a bottle of vodka in her hand, after all. She had thought that was worth explaining, even if she didn’t do all that well at the actual explanation bit. “I--yes. Pretty sure I paid my water bill.” It was a joke, sort of--she always paid her bills on time, but she realized that he didn’t actually know that about her, so now he might think that she was flighty and didn’t pay bills. Great. That was exactly what she wanted her boss to think. That she couldn’t remember to pay a bill on time. Before she could add in that she was kidding, he was speaking again, and her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t realize when they had started standing closer together. They probably shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t bring herself to move away anyway. His proximity made even answering him immediately a little difficult.

“Wouldn’t want to be rude…” She had been planning on drinking too anyway. It would have been a little strange of her to offer him vodka and not drink any herself--it would look like she was liquoring him up for some reason, while she stayed sober. “I was--kidding about my water bill. I pay it on time. Just so you… don’t think I’m irresponsible.” Merlin, that was a stupid thing to say. She didn’t know what had possessed her to say it, but he was her boss. She didn’t want him to think he’d hired some girl that couldn’t even pay her own bills. Admittedly, standing this close to him, she didn’t feel much like his employee, but that was beside the point. She still was, and the concept of him being interested in her as anything else still was an impossibility in her mind.

The woman was flustered, which both delighted and amused Justice. It would have simply not done for his new toy to be unaffected by him and his supernatural charm. Immunity to his appeal--and vampiric appeal, in general--was not something that Justice actually believed was possible. Rumors swirled that some felt no draw when faced with the immortal predator, but the vampire had never witnessed such a thing in his thousand plus years. He took the talk of such to be nothing more than bullshit and pride-fueled lies.

Despite having just had the tasty young snack, Justice found it quite difficult to resist pouncing on Sage and taking a little taste. He was not bloodthirsty--he had plenty of self-control on that front. He did not physically need to bite her--he just really wanted to. The desire sparked a lengthy debate in the man's head. There were advantages and disadvantages to taking such a liberty. The woman could not stop him, of course--and his curiousity regarding the taste of her would be sated, but unless Miss Sage Alexander had a very specific kink, she would likely want nothing to do with him again. That would be a swift ending to the little game he intended to play with her...and that--that just would not do at all.

A man needed to be able to have his fun.

Justice intended to have his fill of fun--and of blood, but the latter would come in time, when he had Sage firmly under his thumb and weak to his will. He did not expect it would take long to have the girl very eager to please him. She struck him as a somewhat innocent and naive thing, even for a human. Those were always easy to win over. Well place praise coupled with a wicked backhanded compliment could do wonders for twisting up the mind of a pretty, little, young thing. He had done it a million times over throughout the many years and across the continents. Women--and men--were the same everywhere.

The conversation that he and his new little toy had embarked on was somewhat unique, though. Justice did nothing to resist the urge to smirk as the witch rambled on, backtracking, and fumbling over her words. The expression took over his handsome face, nearly taunting the woman, but in the most veiled of ways. His handsomeness did much to disguise the amusement--or at the very least distract his companion from it. He really was glorious to look upon. Justice had been quite handsome in his human years, but as an immortal, he was nothing short of an Adonis among men.

"If you feel the need to prove that," he mused, sweeping his tongue over his lips, "you could always invite me in..." A wicked grin flashed over his features, before the expression fell back to his signature alluring smouldering smirk. Supernaturally bright blue eyes sparkled as he offered possibilities on how she might show she had water: "Flip on a facet, maybe? Or draw a bath..." His brows arched just a bit as he finished speaking. He let the suggestion hang in the air--sultry overtures making his feelings on that notion clear (or at least making him believe they were quite clear).

He was pushing his luck, perhaps...but he was a bloody Vampire--he wasn't going to be asked to leave. He might not get asked inside, just yet. But he wouldn't get asked to leave. Sage would, at least by his flirtations, get some idea of the direction he wanted the night to go.

Astronomy was not a job that paid well. Not really--and she knew that. She had known that when she had first started looking into it as a career. Money was not something that she paid all that much attention to. It wasn’t as important to her as pursuing her passion. As long as she had enough to get by, Sage thought that she would be all right. It was just not something that she’d worried about as all. Growing up, it wasn’t as if they were especially wealthy. They had enough money to be comfortable, but they hadn’t ever had an extravagant amount of money. And she found that she needed less than her parents did--mostly because she didn’t care about clothes and the like the way that her mother did. She thought that most of the money spent in their household, apart from necessities, had been on clothes and accessories. To her mother, there was just no better way to spend her money than on something stylish she could wear.

That just wasn’t something that Sage understood. She thought that she’d rather spend her money on experiences. Of course, right now she spent her money on rent and the rest of her bills. She didn’t have the luxury of extra money to throw at just about anything else right now, but if she could then she thought that she would want to experience new things. She would want to go to Iceland to see the aurora borealis, or Tenerife to stargaze… even the Sahara, which was told to have one of the best views of the Milky Way. Sure, a lot of her experiences had to do more with looking at the sky than doing anything else, but still. Sage thought that was a lot better than spending her money on clothes or jewelry or anything like that. The clothes that she wore did just fine. She only threw anything away when it got dirty or ripped, or something like that.

The only time that she knew something was out of style was when she wore it around her mum or Lana. Then they definitely let her know how embarrassingly out of date it was. But she didn’t let that bother her. It just wasn’t her priority. She threw on whatever she thought fit the situation, and sometimes she didn’t even put that much thought into it. It was a rare occasion where a sweater and jeans didn’t work for her, and tonight was no exception to that. Only she had thought more into it than that. She’d had to. Her boss coming over meant that she’d thought into just about every detail of this to try to make sure he didn’t… think she was just going to jump him or something. She didn’t want to dress up, because then he was sure to think that she thought it was a date. But she also couldn’t very well be in sweats and a t-shirt. Dressing down too much was just also not an option either.

In the end, she’d gone with her go-to of a sweater and jeans, though the sweater was a little risqué by her standards. It was purposefully frayed which she didn’t quite understand, but its cut was a lower v than she was used to, in both the front and back. It was always at risk of falling off at least one shoulder, but she thought that it worked for what she had in mind. It was not dressed up but she looked nice enough to have her boss over to stargaze. Which, as she thought more about it, did sound a bit more romantic than she’d intended. But that was hardly her fault! He was the one that had wanted to come over and he had known what she had planned for the night. If he wasn’t worried about it being date-like, then surely she didn’t need to concern herself over it either.

More than likely, she should worry more about embarrassing herself to death, because she already seemed to be well on her way toward that. She didn’t mean to. He was just standing kind of close to her and it was hard to come up with a coherent sentence that wasn’t absolutely ridiculous the second that it left her lips. The water bill joke hadn’t been that awful--she didn’t think it had been at least, but then she had felt the need to come back to it and clarify and that was probably what was most embarrassing at this point. She didn’t think that it could get worse, but then he spoke and she felt her skin flush the moment that he mentioned drawing a bath. Just what she needed--thoughts of a bath and him at the same time. It made her thoughts instantly go into the gutter and this was her boss.

He just wasn’t exactly talking to her like she was his employee and she started to wonder if maybe he didn’t want to come over here tonight as her boss. Maybe he had wanted to come over here with other intentions, ones that had nothing to do with stargazing. For some reason, she was tempted to invite him in and draw a bath and let whatever happened happen. Another part of her wanted to prove that she had paid her water bill and also prove to herself that she could draw a bath in front of her boss without blushing or doing anything embarrassing. Besides, there was a chance that she was thinking too much into this. Maybe his mind wasn’t in the gutter at all and he was just continuing this water bill joke. Not everyone immediately started thinking about that when a bath was brought up. It was just a bath. Giant bowl of dirty water with bubbles on occasion. What was sexy about that?

When he was standing this close to her, it was honestly just hard for her to string together a sentence. Why was she so nervous? She’d talked to him before. Was it so different for their conversation to be taking place on her doorstep and not at work? Running a hand through her hair, she took a breath and focused on the man in front of her. She was done being nervous. On the count of three. Sage counted to three to herself, realizing by the end of it that those three seconds had just been silent. Flushing again, she took a step back, so he could come into the house. “Fine… I’m more than willing to prove it. Come in.” She set the vodka down on the side table while she waited for him, tempted to take a swig straight from the bottle to calm her nerves. But since he was watching, she decided against it. “I even have hot water, if you can believe it.” Sage waited until he was inside to let the door close behind them.

In all his years on this planet, Justice had never really grown tired of being alive. There were many immortals that struggled with the changing of the world. But he accepted it—embraced whatever was to come as freely and openly a s he had embraced his change from mortal to undead. The violence of those years in Asia had been delightful. But in his old age, the man had tempered a bit. He still had his love for blood—but he did not have to soak the earth with it to be sated. He could find his satisfaction now in smaller doses—more often than not sucked from the necks, wrists and thighs of young, pretty things.

From the very moment he had first met Sage Alexander, he had wanted to sink his fangs into her. She had an air about her—Innocence, perhaps? A naivety tempered with a lack of self-awareness of her beauty that made her all the more appealing to the ancient man. He was so far removed from any sliver of naïve thinking that its existence piqued his curiosity. Did he want to destroy it? Or protect it fiercely? The man really could not say. It was utterly unclear. He spent little mental energy on the question. For his mind was far more interested in wandering to thoughts of what it would be like to take the witch in all the ways he enjoyed—both as meal and lover. He would have her. It was long resolved in his mind. The wait—the delay—that was for fun. He could have charmed her knickers off much faster…but then, he would likely lose interest…and how dull would that be? Being interested in something was a pleasure to be cherished. As much as an impatient man such as himself could wait anyway… This week or two that he had known the lovely witch was quite long to him. Denying himself any desire was not something Justice had made habit of in life or in undeath.

Interest sustained after tonight or not, Justice was done with his waiting. He would taste Sage in all the ways he wished to before the sun rose again. He was sure of it. His certainty only grew as the pair stood in silence after his suggestive comments about the bath. His flirtations were clearly having significant effect on the witch. The flush on her skin did things to him both as a man and a vampire… Oh to be able to read minds! He would most enjoy being able to see just how those gears were turning behind her eyes. What was she thinking just then? How did his proximity feel to her? He toyed with the notion of asking her pointed, blatant questions. A wicked smirk played on his lips at the thought. His vivid eyes sparked with mischief and mirth as he looked down at her, his eyes lingering on the bit of cleavage her sweater revealed.

Fine— the word hung in the air and he arched up a brow at her. Oh, his little toy was getting brave! Most interesting! Justice was sure this was going to be fun. At her offer to enter her home, he gave a sly smile. “To do so, will be my certain pleasure,” he promised, employing that sultry tone that begged for the woman to sin with him in every way. His eyes, unblinking, never left her as she moved back a bit. With the care his inhumane strength required him to take with all things, the vampire closed the door gently behind them. He kept himself close to her, moving with unnatural grace and speed.

His fangs peaked over his pink lips ever so slight—his pale skin flushed with just a bit color from his recent feeding. His lecherous gaze marked Sage as both prey and prize. Her comment about hot water made his mind tumble over a thought about just how much hot water the witch might have really been in if he were not such an ancient vampire, with such self-control. In his youth, he would have ripped her throat out in his eagerness to have her…now, he knew how to take what he wanted and leave his toys alive. Alive they could be played with again and again until he grew bored—and he did not expect to bored of this toy for some time. “I will hold my disbelief until you have given me proof otherwise…lead the way to this promised, steaming hot bath, Sage.” He gestured ahead, again his body moving with that unnatural, enchanting grace that could so easily captivate the mortal eye. Her name came from his lips as the most alluring of promises. How could so few letters be made to make such a salacious statement?

Sage had obviously had boyfriends in the past. She wasn’t completely innocent in that regard, but she had never had a relationship that had ever gotten all that serious. She wasn’t all that great at reading signals anyway. She didn’t think that she would even notice if somebody was flirting with her, and if she did she was more likely to brush it off and assume it was just them being polite. Since she considered herself to mostly be average, and a little awkward, and a lot of a nerd when it came to what she liked to talk about, Sage didn’t usually think that anyone would actually want to flirt with her. The relationships that she’d been in had definitely come about because the guys that she’d been with had pretty much spelled it out for her… had made it very obvious that they were interested, because she didn’t really catch onto subtlety.

And those relationships had just never gone all that well. They were always too different, or they got bored, or found someone prettier or more interesting or more experienced. Most of those relationships, now that she thought about it, had ended because they had cheated on her. They had gotten bored of her. So she had just come to expect that she wasn’t the type of girl that got all that much attention from men. It wasn’t like that really bothered her. Her life was about more than just having a boyfriend. It was much more than that. That was hardly a priority for her at all. Her job mattered to her, and her family mattered to her--so did her friends. She liked her life. She knew that it could be going a little better--making enough money as an astronomer to not need a second job would have been ideal.

But she knew that she was going to be fine. Bartending a little bit to get some extra money wasn’t going to kill her. She could use the extra cash, and she could really work as many or as few shifts as she needed. It would give her financial padding, and that would help her not feel like she was going to lose her house if she had one bad month. It would be fine. And honestly, if that was the biggest problem that she had in her life, then she thought that she was all right. She didn’t need a boyfriend, and she loved her job, so everything was working out all right in her mind. The other biggest problem that she was facing was just figuring out why her boss had wanted to come over tonight anyhow. While she had wanted to think that it was just because he liked astronomy, she was becoming surer by the moment that that… wasn’t what this was about. Sage had become flustered the moment that she’d opened the door and had seen him, after all.

While she was one to get flustered rather easily, she didn’t think that she could blame it on that. There was just something about him that was making her all flushed and even more embarrassing than she usually was. With him standing as close to her as he was, with him talking about baths, she didn’t think that he was really here as her boss that was interested in astronomy. Not when he apparently wanted to be inside and not out. But now that he’d put a challenge on the table… a little one anyway, she thought that she needed to buck up and get her act together. She could jokingly prove that she had hot water, and then they could go outside. The blanket was out there, and they had no reason to stay inside all night. Not unless--well, no. Her mind just wasn’t even going to go there. Just because he was hinting about baths didn’t mean that he was thinking about that. Probably not, anyway. But the more that she thought about him not thinking about it, the harder it was for her not to think about it.

It was really not the time in the slightest to fanaticize about her and her boss in a bath together. She had to push those thoughts right out of her mind, and that was apparently easier said than done. Biting her lip, she tried to focus on what he was saying but him talking about his certain pleasure, no matter what the context, was completely unhelpful. Sage had to force herself to take a slow breath, and then started toward the stairs. “It’s just--up here.” It was easier to calm herself down as she headed up the stairs. She didn’t have to look at him, which meant she could momentarily get… slightly less flustered, even though it was all likely to come rushing back the moment that they made it to the bathroom. How had an innocent joke about paying her water bill turn to her boss and her in her bathroom? As she headed down the hallway, she pulled her hair down over one shoulder and distracted herself with braiding it until they reached the bathroom door. It was already open, so she stepped into the room and was extremely glad that she wasn’t drying any unmentionables in here for him to see. She twisted on the hot water tab, then turned to face him. “Ta-da…” She said, immediately feeling incredibly lame for her word choice.

As the pair of them moved deeper into the woman's home, Justice took note of the small details of the place. It seemed Sage had put some effort into turning it from house to home. There was a welcoming coziness to it---simple and not overdone. Keen eyes moved over walls and surfaces finding no sight or sign of any man in photographs or left behind belongings. It would be no competition between Justice and some mortal, but it was all the easier not to be bothered with the nuisance of a boyfriend or the like. He didn't fancy another playing with his new toy. He wanted her to himself---at least for now while his interest held.

The ease with which he flustered the witch with his suggestive comments and glances amused him immeasurably. He absolutely loved to toy with pretty little things. It was good to still be able to find pleasure and enjoyment in simple things after so many years on this planet. Many his age were not so lucky--and they soured or worse lost their minds. Perhaps if he had been more intelligent in his human days, that brilliance would have carried over to his undead life. But he was a warrior before and warrior still. He would ever be a man with simple needs.

Every flush of Sage's skin escalated the need he felt to sample the vintage flowing through her veins. It was not bloodlust as a young vampire would suffer from---but he was suffering all the same. The tart he'd sunken his teeth into before coming here had more that fulfilled his vampiric need for blood--- but just as human might crave a particular treat and despite having a full meal could still feel unfulfilled, Justice was most keen to have the treat that was so naively leading a monster deeper into her home. 

When the pair of them reached their destination, he barely suppressed a smirk at Sage's declaration. The girl was an adorable thing. The innocence she had about her made him all the more eager to do the most devious of things. Moving with vampiric speed, he went from standing in the doorway to beside the tub. In the blur of movement, he had stoppered the porcelain bath so the steaming hot water was now collecting in the reservoir. It would be good for them to sink into the water together. The warmth of it could serve to warm him or at least somewhat create the illusion that his body did not have the chill of undeath.

The vampire was closer to Sage now than he had ever been--even with his recent encroachments towards her at the front door.  "We shouldn't just let this go to waste," he commented--hoping that the nerve Sage had shown in coming up here with him would not falter now. As her eyes settled on him, he stripped off his shirt in one smooth motion. The fabric surely fluttered against Sage's face in the swift removal. Everything he did hinted to his true nature. He was too fast, too agile, and far too alluring to be human.

Half dressed before her, Justice felt no shame or nervousness. He was Adonis made flesh--or so he had been told. His bare chest was smooth sculpted muscle. A strong hand came to her hip as he smiled down at her. His inhumanly handsome face urging her to give into his charm. Then, without giving her too much time to overthink the situation, he kissed her. There was no hesitation or timidness in the act. Justice was--after all--a most confident vampire. The only urge that he suppressed was the desire to nip her so very tempting full bottom lip with his fang.