Vampire Academy (tamaracorine & goldcat)

[tamaracorine]

"Just Anna." Lukas explained, leaning back against the wall behind his bed. "I'm sure we have other family, I've just never met them." he shrugged. "Mum and Dad didn't really talk to them. Apparently one ran off with an Alchemist and that was the end of that side of the family, and Dad's side of the family just... never showed up to anything..."


Anna nodded, closing what little space was left between them and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, you can tell me something." she told him quietly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene frowned slightly and nodded, "Oh I see..." She pursed her lips , and looked at Lukas slightly. "It's got to be hard... It's as if you're raising yourselves." She looked at Lukas a little more, and rested against the wall as well. She sighed. "Sounds like you and I both have a crazy family stories..." She smiled, amused.


Nick rested his head on top of hers and watched the lake. He spoke slightly nervous, "Okay. I just wanted to tell you, that in all honesty, I kind of saw you before... Last year to be exact. And I really just haven't forgotten you. You stuck in my mind Anna, and I'm really happy for the experiences we got to share together tonight. I hope things continue for us..." He glanced at her.

 

[tamaracorine]

Lukas hesitated for a moment, then put an arm over Serene's shoulder. "We were basically grown by the time they died, so it isn't a huge deal. It just makes holidays weird. We tend to hitchhike all over the country during breaks, see as much as we can, explore, and keep each other company. I love my sister, you know. But don't tell her that."


"Me too." Anna whispered, gulping. She turned to look up at him, "We should probably head back, though... I... need to go get dressed." she stood up and walked to her clothes, tugging them on over her mostly dry underwear. "I'm afraid that if we stay out here I'll.. keep kissing you... and I want you to think that I'm more self controlled."

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene laughed softly when he asked her not to tell and she looked him. "I won't. I think she already knows that Lukas..." She looked down, thinking. "Exploring actually does sound fun though. Where do you like to go...?" She asked him looking back up at him, and then hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder.


Nick smiled, and blushed softly from her kissing comment, then stood up as well, putting his shirt back on. "Anna. I already know you have self control. You really serious about your soon-to-be guardian status after all..." He smiled softly, then grabbed the girl's hand, and began to walk back over to the dormitories.

 

[tamaracorine]

"We like the forest most." Lukas told her. "Utah is pretty great. After that maybe the Grand Canyon. We spent a week there once. It was brilliant. What do your holidays look like?"


Anna walked beside him, her hand gripping his lightly. A smile seemed to be stuck to her face as they walked. She was obviously happy, and each time she tried to sneak a glance up at Nick and got caught, she would blush and look away quickly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene smiled imagining going to these wonderful places then looked over at him, "Uh... Well they used to be big royal balls and feasts... But once my family... Got shunned I guess, they stopped inviting us. So it's really just me, my parents, and a few close relatives. We all get together, have a feast, catch up, reminisce, and so on... Nothing too thrilling..." She thought for a moment, "I miss my brother showing up though." She sighed softly.


Nick kept glancing at Anna whenever he saw her glance at him and he chuckled amused when she looked away. They continued to walk, and Nick was just as happy as Anna was. "So... Do you want to just hangout at your dorm for a bit? Or..." He looked at her wondering if she actually wanted to parted ways for the night or to keep hanging out.

 

[tamaracorine]

(Will reply soon!) 
"Tell me about the food." Lukas requested, finishing his hot chocolate and placing it on the bedside table. "I've seen the food from afar but never tasted it. It always looks so delicious. Dhampir seem to eat food just as fuel. We don't enjoy it as much. Or maybe that's just Anna and I. Even food is the business of guardian training for us, I guess."


Anna peered up at him, "You can come hang out... I'm guessing Serene is still with Lukas anyways." she squeezed his hand, leading him to the dorm. The pile of books on her desk had grown quickly, and her side of the room was meticulously clean - even the bed was made to the highest of standards. "Welcome..." she smiled shyly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene smiled and looked down, "Well... On Thanksgiving... There's turkey of course, but there is also ham. And for some reason, I go for the ham. The rest of my family thinks I'm weird because of that, since they all like turkey better. I think they make the ham specifically for me. Then on Christmas they make these wonderful cookies that are to die for. No joke." She grinned softly and looked down. "Whenever we went to royal feasts, there was a whole bunch of fancy food that I can't even give a name to. Most of it was good. But some..." She shivered.


Nick followed Anna to her dorm. Once they entered, Anna walked over to her side of the room. He looked around slightly at the surroundings and noticed the cleanliness of the room. Serene's side was clean as it was, but still appeared at least a little lived in. Then Anna's side was perfectly organized and completely spotless. The only thing that really showed it was occupied was from the amount of books from her desk. Nick was in awe and he smiled at Anna, "Your organizing skills must be absolutely brilliant!" He complimented her.

 

[tamaracorine]

"But some?" Lukas pressed, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Come on, Serene... details. I want the gross details. Please, please." he laughed, grinning down at her. "And for the record, I like ham more than turkey too. Turkey always tastes weird. And I've never understood why anyone would put stuffing in. Seriously, the bird is already dead, why stuff its butt full of herbs to add to the humiliation?"


Anna blushed, shaking her head. "No, not really." she mumbled, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I just... I like things to be in the right place, you know? I like there to be order and logic in things... so maybe I'm a little compulsive... I like to control my environment. It's... probably a bad thing."

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene laughed from his turkey comment and shook her head looking over at him, "You're so weird." She grinned up at him, "You seriously want the gross details? Well some of the food tasted like a mixture of like... Bird poop and cough syrup- not that I know what bird poop tastes like but that's how I imagined it. But anyway it made me want to hurl. Thankfully I didn't." She laughed softly.


Nick joined Anna beside her on her bed and listened to her. He shook his head, "Nah, I don't think that's bad. It's probably good. It'll likely help you when you become a guardian." he smiled at her reassuringly, "It could actually become really useful." It made sense to Nick. Guardians controlled their environments, right? Or at least they tried to.

 

[tamaracorine]

Lukas mirrored the grin, "Disgusting. Though I think all my food tastes like that. Stuff that I cook, I mean... I'm not a good cook. This once, when I was a kid, my mother tried to teach me how to make a simple meal and I managed to burn spaghetti. I don't know how I did, but I managed it. So I'll never cook for you, Serene. And it's a good thing, too."


Anna hesitated for a moment, then laid down, her head resting on Nick's lap. "I guess it could... but there's a part of me that resents the whole thing. If this is who I need to be, I'll be this person... but god, I wish some days I could be normal. I wish that I could drink alcohol, or blow off class. I wish I could eat junk food. You know how long it's been since I ate cake, Nick? Three years. No cake, no cookies, no candy."

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene laughed and shook her head, "I don't know you managed that either. But it's okay Lukas. I don't think I would want to eat burnt spaghetti anyway!" She laughed. She looked at him, "But I bet there's something good you can cook." She thought for a moment then smirked softly, "I think you and I are going to have to have a day full of cooking, and you're going to have to cook until you make something half way decent!"


Nick blinked in surprise, "What!? But... Dhampirs and guardians are allowed to eat cake aren't they!? Or junk food in general! I've seen you guys eat it before..." He thought for a moment and spoke hesitantly, "And Anna... You can drink alcohol and you can blow off class. Anybody can... But only if they want to..." He looked down, "You don't have to be perfect all the time Anna. Nobody is." He looked at her down in his lap and gently ran his hand through her hair.

 

[tamaracorine]

"Wait, no!" Lukas objected, raising his eyebrows. "No way. We're not cooking. It wont end well. I'll burn a building down and then have to pay the school back. Serene, please!" he laughed, wrapping both his arms around her. "Anything but cooking! Anything."


Anna nodded, "We're allowed to. I just... haven't." she shrugged, closing her eyes as he played with her hair, her head instinctively nuzzling against his hand. "I'm so scared of screwing up all the time. I don't want anyone to get hurt because I neglected my training, Nick."

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene giggled as he wrapped his arms around her and panicked from the cooking. She rolled her eyes slightly, grinning. "Oh fine. I suppose we don't have to." She smiled and looked at him. "I can't believe you're afraid of cooking of all things." She teased him.


Nick shook his head and continued stroking her hair, "Anna. You're the most dedicated trainee I've ever seen. I really believe that letting loose and letting yourself splurge once in a while won't hurt you. In fact, I bet it could even do you some good. Relax you a bit more. Sometimes even Dhampirs need to relax."

 

[tamaracorine]

"Shh. Dhampir have no fear." he laughed, letting her go and leaning back against the wall again. "You'll keep my secret, wont you?" he grinned over at her, then glanced at the clock. "Hey, you should probably get back to your dorm before we get caught... let me walk you home." he stood up, offering her his hand again.


Anna opened her eyes to look up at him, "Maybe you could help me splurge." she whispered, smiling. "You've done pretty well tonight." she reached up to play with his hair, then gently pulled his face down so it was close to hers. "C-can we kiss again?" she asked quietly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene laughed, "Yes, I'll keep your secret." She smiled then looked at the clock as well, "Oh, yeah. You're right." She stood up and took his hand, "Thank you." She smiled more and they began to walk to her dorm. Serene was enjoying their time spent together and hoped that they continued to talk.


Nick smiled, and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. He smiled at Anna, then gently tucked a hair of hers behind her ear. "I'd be happy to help you." He stated softly to Anna and kissed her on the forehead.

 

[tamaracorine]

Lukas walked through the quiet school grounds with her, his hand swinging hers back and forth slightly. "I'm already exciting about our date, you know." he told her, grinning. "But first, I've got a few school things to survive. Dhampir have an assessment tomorrow to work out if we're worthy of being royal guardians. It wont be pleasant."


Anna returned the kiss, nodding. "Okay." she whispered, "You can help me loosen up.. but not too much. Please. Be gentle with me." she managed a grin, still playing with his hair, her eyes never leaving his. "Has anyone ever told you how kind you are, Nick? Or how gentle your touch is?"

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene smiled about the date then thought for a moment. "I hope you qualify..." She bit her lip, "I would love to you as my guardian." She hesitated, "I mean I know it's still a ways away but..." She shrugged, "You're probably one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I hope my guardian's like you."


Nick smiled at her, looking at her in the eyes, "No one's ever directly told me like that..." He kissed her forehead once more then looked at her, "And I promise... I'll be gentle with you Anna. Don't you worry." He stroked her cheek.

 

[tamaracorine]

"I'm nowhere near the top of my class." Lukas shrugged, opening the door for Serene. "But I'll do my best for you." He smiled, squeezing her hand as they walked up the stairs.


Anna gulped, then pulled him down into another kiss. It had been a while since she had felt any affection and their small kisses sent her heart racing. She enjoyed them.


"So..." Lukas said, standing in the door. "Who kissed who?"

 

[goldcat16471]

Serene smiled from Luka's comment, and walked with him up the stairs.


Nick smiled into their kisses and each one sent a bolt of energy through his body. However, suddenly he heard Lukas's voice from behind him and he quickly sat up and flushed hard. Luka's warnings from earlier that night came into his mind, but when he looked at Anna, he didn't regret a single kiss they had shared.


Serene stood behind Lukas in the doorway, and she watched the others in amusement then looked down. Nick looked embarrassed, but happy, and she hadn't caught Anna's reaction. Serene looked back up.

 

[tamaracorine]

"Me." Anna said, sitting up. "I kissed him. He was a gentleman and didn't push me at all." She told Lukas, blushing.


"That's true, Nick?" Lukas asked. He sounded stern, giving a glimpse at the side of him that truly was a guardian.

 

[goldcat16471]

Nick smiled and looked at Anna then at Lukas, "She kissed me first. The rest of them were mutual." He looked back at Anna, nearly amused at the current situation. He wasn't too worried about Lukas anymore. The Dhampir sincerely seemed worried about Anna's happiness, and if that was the case, Nick should be fine.


Serene held back a laugh and looked at Anna, holding back the urge to give her a thumbs up.

 

[tamaracorine]

"Fine." Lukas sighed. "I never thought I'd be dealing with this, but... Fine." He shrugged. "I'll see you soon, Serene..." He squeezed her hand once more before letting it go and stepping back so she could walk into the room.


"Bye, Nick..." Anna smiled shyly at him, biting her lip. "Thank you. For tonight." She leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly.

 

[goldcat16471]

Nick looked at Lukas amused, wondering why he thought it was his problem to deal with, but didn't voice his thoughts. He looked at Anna and smiled at her, "Thank you." He kissed her forehead and gave her hand a gently squeeze, then stood up and walked out of the room. He nodded at Serene in greeting and smiled at her, then looked Lukas amused once more.


Serene smiled at Nick then looked at Lukas, smiling shyly. "Bye Lukas." She looked down slightly then stepped into the room. She gave each the guys a wave then shut the door and looked at Anna excitedly.


Nick glanced at Lukas and smirked then started to walk to their dorm.

 

[tamaracorine]

Anna shook her head and laughed, rolling onto her back on the bed and peering over at Serene. "Shut up." She mumbled, turning bright red. "Please don't make me talk about it. Please. Tell me about how your night went."


Lukas looked at Nick as they walked. "I'm sorry for seeming harsh. I'm just... Not used to seeing my sister like that." He shrugged. "Was it a good night?"