An Awkward Encounter with the Headmaster {Open}

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

A cold chill brushed past the vampire as he removed his shirt, exposing himself to the openness of the bathhouse. He stood alone, faced with nothing, but the loudness of his history and the scrutiny of his scars. Alexander had spent hundreds of years running from her memory and he was tired. He was tired of lying to himself, ignoring the human need to love and be loved. Yet he couldn't love another. There was none so fair that could replace her mortal beauty. His wife and the mother of his children... Still he was no longer human and could no longer have those things. While his memory was attached to some fleeting memory, his heart no longer beat for them.

He stooped low scooping up a bottle of the minty oils that were left around the bathhouse. While Alexander believed an institution of learning wasn't one of luxury, he also had to live here. He knew the burdens of a weary soul and while many of the students were young, there were some who had seen as many centuries and could be called an equal. With a carefulness he rubbed the oil into his skin taking care to cover his limbs and trace over the scars which were a remnant of his mortal past. Alexander disrobed further until he was in nothing, but a pair of medium length shorts.

He waded in to one of the heated waters until it lapped at his hips. Alexander didn't want to submerge himself yet. Instead he lingered palms flat against the waters surface, eyes vacant. Bathing in the warmth of the bathhouses was a past time and luxury he kept with him, long after Rome. There in the warmth of the waters he was at peace. It warmed him when the harshest of winters robbed him of comfort on conquests for Rome and it soothed him when the fires of his damnation seemed to tear his soul to pieces.

Alexander slowly dropped down to his knees until he was fully submerged beneath the steaming waters. He remained still as it embraced him, flooding his mind with the memories of over two thousand years. It all flashed before him, frame by frame, second by second. From the birth of his first child to the very second his stepped into the bath. Without hesitation he burst back through the surface and stood at his full height allowing the water to drip from his hair and down his face.

The bathhouses were for student, staff and teacher's use. It was a public domain within the dormitories. Yet it seemed to pass some students and staff's minds that although the high and mighty headmaster had his throne behind closed doors, he lived here just as they did. So it would come to anyone's shock to walk in through the door and see him, almost bare naked standing in the depths of the water with the droplets rolling of his muscles. It would have been awkward to say the least.

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Luxury came at a cost now a days. She was forced to reside within the walls of the dorms and the walls of the campus that she would one day emerge from. Until then she was confined to the items of luxury that the school could provide her with. She had no access to a soft king sized bed like the one that laid at her room back home nor did she have the privileged of feeding on fresh humans unless her father could sneak something in for her. Most often she got a glass bottle of blood instead of that plastic shit that was passed around on campus. At least when she ate, she ate better than the rest of the students. And at least the school had a nice bath house. The only issue was that it lacked the privacy that she had at her parents house but it always allowed her the opportunity to meet people and maybe catch someone in the more intimate act of bathing. It was a risk to both enjoy and be annoyed by but Roxie ventured from her dorm room with the full intentions of washing away some stress and maybe relaxing her body a bit. After all with her impending graduation looming she had felt a bit tense about venturing from the safety of the island. Of course she wouldn't admit to her fear of going out into the world but there was a flicker of the weakness within her. After all she was an infant to the immortals but she had thoroughly proven herself to the demons that knew her family.

Upon entering into the bath she found that there was already someone using the warm waters to submerge and relax themselves. Instantly she knew who it was, which did nothing to detour her from her originally plan. Actually she found it quite amusing that the headmaster had to admit that he too was no higher or mightier than the students who used the tubs. While he was under water, Roxie took a moment to slip off the silk robe that she had wore from her dorm and fold it neatly on a bench near the bath. Under the robe she wore a simple navy blue string bikini, very fashionable right now, with her hair pulled back into a braid. He had yet to notice her so she went about her business, gathering a towel and some body scrubs, before she moved closer to the edge. Still he did not resurface and she wondered if he had forgotten to or was trying to drown himself.

Again she turned around and disappeared into the other room to gather another towel before she heard the sounds of water hitting the surface in a splashing sound. Finally he resurfaced and Roxie returned to the main part of the bathhouse. "Mind if I join you?" She asked like he had a choice in the matter. Carefully Roxie moved to the edge of the tub and slipped her feet and legs into the warm liquid. "Funny seeing you here... I thought that you didn't leave that office of yours." She commented and added a little smirk that revealed her fangs slightly. Slowly she reached back and removed the band that held her braid in before she untangled the pieces. A slow and methodical untwisting of her hair and then running her fingers through it to allow the soft waves to take over. Finally she glanced back at him with her blue eyes and just took a moment to take in the sight of her headmaster.

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

Breathing. It came as no necessity to vampires, as did the rest of the mortal functions that were necessary to humans. Some of the vampires who had tested their abilities would span large bodies of waters simply to test how long they could avoid the impulse to breathe. That impulse had long left Alexander, he simply took the breaths to emphasize his boredom or frustration and to calm the humans who could sense he was something different. As he resurfaced a familiar voice rang through his ears and he slowly turned his gaze to where it had come from. As he had suspected it was Roxie and all her demon glory. He almost rolled his eyes at the thought, but he resigned himself to being civil. After all, he had chosen to come to the public bathhouse rather than seek his own comforts on other parts of the island. He had turned his lavish property in Silver City into a summer home and opted to live on school grounds instead. He had made those choices and as he chose to relax in the bathhouse, he resigned himself to the chance encounter.

“Funny that you ask me Roxanne, because I take it, that even if I say no you’ll join me anyway.” Feeling the cold return to his skin he moved himself over to the submerged rock bench that was opposite of her. He sat letting the water consume him and the heat return to his limbs. Cold had never bothered Alex to a degree, but it was pleasant to relax in the heat and given some warm blood from a freshly cut human and it would have made the event equally delightful. However rules were rules and if he had been seen feeding off some human on campus it would create a frenzy of other supes who thought they could do the same. While he wasn’t keen on keeping tabs of lovers, demon groupies and fangbangers giving up their blood to demons and vampires alike behind closed doors, he didn’t need the publicity of accidental deaths happening on campus. “I usually don’t because you keep me there, but seeing as you haven’t been around, I’ve been up to my own devices.”

He directed his full attention to her knowing full and well that’s what she wanted. She didn’t care for him, she mused over the idea that he was powerless compared to her and that he should bathe in the absolute glory that shrouded her. While he wouldn’t entertain that idea, he figured a civil conversation with her wouldn’t kill him. After her frustration with him previously he had no distractions to keep him busy. He could have splashed and played with the water like a bumbling idiot while ignoring her, but what good would that do? It would frustrate her and amuse him, but he had no patience for such games. If she wanted his full attention then why deny her of that. He gave his attention to his students listened to what they wanted changed about the school. Of course if this had anything to do with sinking cruise ships as Sephora had nagged him for or feeding freely on school grounds as suggested by another of his vampire staff, he would shoo it away. “I’m surprised someone of your background hasn’t chosen to live off campus. I would imagine you’d enjoy that more than being confined within these walls.”

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Water was only good for the purpose of cleaning and relaxing. Otherwise Roxie was not a fan of going swimming or playing water activities with the other students, plus it was a medium that she felt powerless in. When her feet could not touch the ground she felt a bit lost and when she could no longer hear the screams of those around her she felt lost as though she could have screamed out but no one would save her. To feel powerless was to not be as strong as she truly was so Roxie avoided the situations that we leave her feeling that way. It was a feeling that she did not like and for good reason. His response to her was very typical and just as she expected. He was too tactful to just up and run away like an embarrassed child catching his parents in an intimate act and he was too nice to just tell her to leave so he could have a private bath. But he was right... even if he told her to leave she would do no such act. Roxie responded with a soft flirty giggle and nodded. "You know me all too well."

Despite their hatred of each other, Roxie always enjoyed a good seduction especially when the stakes were as high as they were. If she were to get with the headmaster then she would be a walking legend around campus and he would be shamed. Again she turned her attention to her hair and began redoing the braid that she had taken out just a few moments earlier. If she was to be within company then she wanted it to look perfect and not like she was just throwing it on to bathe. Her gaze focused on her task while he spoke again and she did not change her view while she responded to him. "I've been a good girl." She replied and smirked slightly. It was an amusing comment to make, at least in her opinion but what the headmaster did not know would not kill him. It would lead to the death of the victims her father brought her or kept at his house outside of campus but technically she was not breaking the stupid rules that he set.

Finally she finished the braid and tied it off with the hair tie but she left it hanging down her shoulder. Roxie's blond locks were long enough to hang down to her mid back and she loved the way that they hung, so full of life and color. Hair was so much fun to play with and to style until it became covered with blood. It was the only issue that she found when killing so she would wear her hair up to prevent the splatter from staining her hair. Tonight there were no drops of blood to wash away. When she looked back at him she noticed that his attention was on her and only her. As if giving her the attention that she wanted would bore her and force her to leave. Two could play at this game. Slowly she slipped down from her position on the ledge and into the deeper water, but she took care to make sure her feet could touch the bottom at all times. Of course it was just a bath and it wasn't too deep of a pool. "Something about... blah blah blah we aren't buying you an apartment when you are leaving the day after graduation blah blah blah." She explained to him. They were lavish and they were rich but even they knew when something wasn't a good investment. An apartment for her to live in for a few years was not a good investment and her mother thought that Roxie should just stay on campus for some reason. Then again Roxie never understood her mother and probably never would. "Besides if I lived off campus then you would not have the pleasure of bathing with me." She added. Roxie remained with her lovely blue eyes focused on him while they did their typical banter back and forth. He would make a witty comment and dismiss her and she would retaliate. Today she wanted to try something new though. Something a little bit different. Maybe get on his good side and convince him to allow his students, and himself, the pleasure of feeding on live humans. "Now... what do you say we put our differences aside and I come over there and wash your back for you. I image no one had done that in centuries." Roxie could fake being genuine like it was no body's business.

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

A smirk crossed his lips at the mention of knowing her. It was a true and simple fact, but it spoke volumes about their relationship. Alexander had a rule of thumb about his students. He knew what he needed to know about them and that was it. Favorite colors, best holiday trip with their family or the name of their first pet eluded him. Those were unnecessary facts and he didn’t care if his students liked kalamari or preferred the color fuschia over purple. Roxie was somewhat a different case, she forced his hands when it came to knowing more than he wanted to know. She ended up in his office more than a handful of times which meant that her file ended up on his desk and he would have to pretend to read it. He still couldn’t say much about who she really was, but he did have a fairly clear idea about her preferences when it came to torturing and harassing his students.

Personally he didn’t care if she liked terrorizing them. If they couldn’t handle the heat that was their weakness. Roxie reminded him of the young vampire he once was. They were alike more than they’d like to admit, the taste for blood and the thrill of the hunt and kill was an impulse that was engrained in who they were. Alexander simply got bored ith the games and at times he felt the weakness of self-loathing, but when he was challenged he allowed the same ruthless man to return. Humanity wasn’t worth going back to. It deprived him of power that allowed him to do whatever the fuck he wanted. "That’s hard to believe." When it came down to rules Roxie was actually an angel. She stayed within the guidelines and while she was inconvenience to many of the teachers and students, she stayed away from the canon laws of the Academy.

Canon laws were the rules literally carved in stone for hundreds of years. On the floor of the main foyer were the canon laws cut into the marble floor. There were only a few of them, all proudly laced in gold and painted over with some kind of transparent enamel. The laws simply stated that under no circumstance would members and students of the Academy harm one another and that no murder should be committed. What Alexander knew about the school and its history told him that things like that happened all the time and that nobody gave a single fuck about the canon laws underneath their feet. He pretended they were important, but in Alexander’s opinion there were plenty of students he’d like to kill simply for the fact that they were more harm to the world than they were worth the lives they lived. “Well once they finish remodeling the master bath in my house then I won’t have the ‘delightful’ pleasure of running into you.” The words rolled of his tongue with a touch of sardonicism. With a cross of his arms he leaned back laying his head on the edge of the bath. His eyes remained open staring at the glass ceiling which opened up to the night sky. “You’re right, I’m not too keen on letting people touch me. Therefore I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

As was the similar case with Roxie. Their relationship had forced her in certain ways to collect information about him through gossip and through their encounters. She would make note of which book he carried in his hand and its condition would tell her how often he read it or if the book was older than she was. If the book was important then he held it closer as if she was going to steal it away from him. This allowed her to draw the conclusion that he was once protective of someone and recently she learned a name. Marie. Over her years of collecting information on the headmaster she had not learned any names from his past so this was a new bit of information. If it would come in handy she was still unsure but for now she kept the name locked up in her mind for future use.

It was hard to believe that she had been a good girl since good was not within her nature and it was frowned on by all that knew her family. Mercy was never given to those that were weak and could not defend themselves. Mercy would show a sign of either being good or too weak to end the life in front of them. In Roxie's eyes mercy was shown when the kill bored her and if they managed to get away while she waited for the fire to return then that was their problem. There were many people out there just waited to be killed. "Oh a remodeling project. Are you having the house brought up to modern times? I heard that the house is so old that most of the plumbing fixtures are original." She commented. Not like plumbing really mattered but old plumbing broke and might destroy the original charm of the house. Everyone knew it was an old house and admired it for the charms of the old construction and details. "is it true that the master bedroom has one of those lovely king sized beds with the four posts?"

He wasn't really going to tell her about the bed in which he slept but still she wanted to ask. His response about not enjoying being touched made her laugh slightly. Finally she moved closer to him but she moved slowly as to avoid slashing of the water. The bath was not too large so very quickly she arrived at his feet. "You'd prefer..." She repeated softly. "Such an interesting choice in words... prefer is not the equivalent of saying no but it does give the strong impression that you do not wish to be touched by me." As she spoke she leaned forward slightly and let her claws slowly graze the skin on his legs. "A weaker immortal might take it as a hint to leave... but I think you under estimate me some days Alexander." Her claws were followed by the softness of her fingertips in a very light touch. The whole time she waited for his reaction and she waited to move quickly to avoid any strike he might lay on her. However she wondered how long his career would last if he were to strike a student. Then again she knew that he had more control than that.