Simply Vanilla {Open}

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

Tired fingers sank into wave after wave of silky golden locks. It was hardly an odd action after the stressful ordeal of watching several vampires scramble to find blood. The blood bank’s resupply had been intercepted by the Holy Cross for “inspection” to ensure it wasn’t going to vampire use. If it weren’t for his quick action to find other supplies he was sure there would have been a serious accident.

The pungent aroma of hazelnut, vanilla and mocha intertwined itself with softer scents of lavender and freesia. The purple and white petals seemed to be drawn to the heat coming from within the cafe. Their perky heads bobbed following the wispy, dancing ghosts that floated from coffee cups into the crisp fall, night air. It must have been odd to have coffee brewing at such an hour. The caffeine disrupting the natural cycle of sleep, but in Marseille the city never truly slept. Night was the new day for some.

Those like Alex were chained to the night. Though none of that seemed to bother him as he lounged in the elegant chairs of the Lacroix cafe. His piercing gaze was put to rest as his eyes traveled across an expanse of unexplored words. He looked relaxed, charmed by the soft whisper of the open novel. Sunday night left him without any duties to deal with. It was a time of peace, tranquility and calm. It was a time for him to forget the trouble of feeding the night before. He sometimes despised drinking out the wretched plastic blood bags the Academy called food. Still with the murders going around it didn't seem fit to use his powers to feed off of some unsuspecting stranger.

There was a slight pause as he lifted the heated cup to his nose savoring the thick creamy thick scent of vanilla. He inhaled letting the artificial flavoring fill his scents. A soft clink signified the settling of the cup and the beginning of the novel. He laid back letting a few strands of his blond hair fall to his brow. It was almost eerie how unafraid of the killer he was, but there was no cheating death. Alex was a vampire. If it was his time, he'd like to see the fucker try...

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Being a demon had it perks. There was no hiding away from the daylight, although she really wondered why anyone would be bothered to play around in the awful UV lights anyways. Of course Roxie was more of a night time creature. It suited her love of all things to be dark and smell like fear since what human would openly wander the streets when such scary creatures wondered around at night. Another perk was that unlike a vampire she had such lovely features that could only be classified as demonic. The features she loved the most were the soft point of her ears and long sharp nails that she had perfectly manicured and painted the deep rich color red. Red like the color of blood as it coursed through the veins of those weak humans. A color she was familiar with as it exited the body and ran down through her fingers like a warm liquid that slowly cooled. Her grandmother had been well known throughout Europe for her love of slowly allowing her victims to die at her hand. Her twisted sense of amusement as she listened to their progression through the different stages of grief. Denial, pleading, and so forth until they reached that moment of acceptance. Unlike her grandmother, Roxie had learned to give them hope for just an instance before ripping it out from under them. The way the light faded from their eyes was so lovely as they sunk down into the pit of their reality.

Roxie loved that look and it kept her sustained for weeks at a time, but of course all demons had to feed on blood as well. She knew it and she always waited for her father to send her a shipment of the finer stuff. Pure blood that had not been tainted by plastic bags and the Holy Cross’s inspection or poisoning, whichever term was to be preferred. Either way her food was not touched by their disgusting hands and that is how she preferred it. A spoiled demon child through and through but with a name like Parker it would have been a wonder if she hadn’t turned out spoiled. A true oddity in a family with such a powerful lineage and in the world of the Demons, Roxie was their spoiled princess. The other creatures at school had no idea of the power that she held, however they knew that she was spoiled. They knew that she was cruel and enjoyed listening to the weak shake with fear and most were smart enough to avoid her. But tonight she was not seeking the companionship of a fellow student for the purpose of torture. In fact she was just out tonight to enjoy herself in her proper time of time. Her decision to enter into the Lacroix Café was merely for her own gain and for once she sought no additional purpose but that of a cup of coffee.

And when she entered she moved right up to the counter and placed her order before tossing the coins down for the cashier to collect while someone else attended to her simple drink. A black cup of the strongest brew they had that evening. It was produced at record speeds for Roxie before she turned to face those within the café. To her surprise there sat a very interesting creature, the headmaster. A playful little smirk danced across the corners of her lips as she quietly moved towards his table. Obviously she knew the headmaster of her school; in fact she had been to his office several times over the course of her 8 years. Without any hesitation she walked right up to his table in front of him. ”I didn’t realize that headmaster ever left their offices.” She commented. In reality she knew that headmasters left their offices and had lives outside of work but she wanted his attention. Roxie thrived under the attention that she got from simple activities like walking down the hall or entering into a crowded room. All demons loved to know that out there someone was cowering before them, but she knew that her headmaster would not cower. He would challenge her or send her away since she doubted that he wanted to deal with students. However it was too good of an opportunity for Roxie to walk away from. "Are you looking for company this evening?'

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

It was one of his favorites. The aged copy was well worn with use and on the cover were unreadable words, too tarnished with wear to make out, followed by the words monte cristo. Alexander thumbed to the next page feeling the roughness of the paper beneath his skin. The copy had made it through many centuries with him. While there were more copies in his library, he liked the sentiment the book carried. It had character and it was well worn with the distance it had traveled. For many centuries it had kept it's binding and though pieces of the pages started to crumble away it added beauty to the book. It reminded him of the endurance of simple things and the strength in certain weaknesses.

Alexander hadn't even made it five pages in when a familiar voice rang through his ears. He didn't bother to look up. Instead he finished the page he was on, ignoring the sound as one would ignore or gnat or a mosquito. As the page neared and an end he acknowledged the presence, eyes still tracing over the details on the page. "I wasn't aware your kind was capable of being amiable..." He replied flipping the page as he started on the next words. To others this would have seemed cold, but to those that knew Alexander well this was normal. This was his friendly face as they called it. He wasn't ignoring, he just didn't see the need to make eye contact with someone who regularly irked him.

Alexander was well acquainted with the demon. Roxie had been in his office numerous times due to complaints from staff and students. Hell he remembered when visitors of the school complained that the mischievous demon had been causing them problems. He had no interest in anything that had to do with her unless it meant corrective action. Besides that Alexander had been waiting for the chance to throw her out of the school, but eventually he just stopped caring. She was just another supe full of herself and blind to the bigger things in life. Alexander had over two thousands years to realize his lifestyle wasn't about the murder, the torment or the glamour. In his mind he didn't see the point in educating someone on their own damn mistakes especially if they had generations of ignorance breeding them.

"And to what, exactly do I owe this visit to? " Roxie had been on his shit list since the day she arrived. She was repeatedly a problem and a nuisance to him. If it were his choice she would be schooling somewhere else, but because she hadn't killed anyone and he was supposed to be a model of tolerance he had no choice, but to keep her until she violated a canon law. With the time coming to a close she would be graduating and Alexander couldn't be happier. That meant she would be out of the academy and that was good enough for him.

The vampire flipped to another page as one of the waitresses came by. He gave her a small nod as she took his cup. Xander was a regular and she knew the routine. Full cup of some kind of scented coffee that he would never drink and then something from the bakery that he could bring back to the school. They didn't mind Alex. The wealthy patron brought them many curious customers and his generosity served as a form of advertisement. Alex never ate the pastries. Instead he gave them to teachers and staff. Most of them opted to share the treats with their students and it only benefited the cafe.

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Her grandmother carried ancient treasures with her across the vast ocean and into the New World. Treasures from her own lonely existence that were set on display at the family estate. Mostly treasures and trinkets that humans created to use for the torture of those accused of witchcraft or adultery. Such things humans created for slaughtering each other out of fear of the supernatural. Her grandmother always stated that she thought it was funny that humans made such devices to use on each other. It was more ironic that she them as display items but Roxie did not understand her grandmother's depravity. Ancient demons were insane and barely connected to the world around them and her grandmother fit within that stereotype. It was like how ancient vampires who slept for a few hundred years would have trouble fitting in with the new world around them. Roxie's grandmother was very much insane and ingrained into the old ways of life. And although Roxie loved her grandmother dearly, she considers herself a modern demon with just as much insanity as an ancient demon but with the knowledge of a modern woman. She still enjoyed the fear that all humans possessed of the unknown because it was their weakness. Still when she looked across the table at her headmaster she knew that the book he was reading was once a trinket from his past. A very important trinket that he probably carried with him for centuries because it symbolized his mortal life in some manner. All vampires had two weaknesses, one was for their creations, and the other was the memories of their once mortal life. Those could both be exploited to break the vampire and make them feel the same emotions that a human felt as a knife plunged into their flesh. With the right prodding she could the same begging from a vampire as she could a human, although Roxie never tried since she knew that it would be disrespectful to kill another supernatural creature. Although harming them and reminding them of her very important place in the world was important and the reason for Roxie's many visits with her headmaster.

A playful smirk and a soft giggle at his comment about demons not being amiable."I think you under estimate me sir... I can be pleasant if I so choose." She replied to him. Her hand moved to the chair in front of her and gripped onto the top bar portion. She was considering just inviting herself to sit with him anyways but she knew that her headmaster was a touchy man. Say the wrong thing and he would have her throat however since there was just no chance that she would ever say the right thing to get on his good side she thought about just throwing caution to the wind. Slowly she pulled the chair out and then slipped her body down into the seat. "i can be anything I choose." She added once she was seated across from him. It was an all too familiar feeling to be looking across at the man who regularly gave her a verbal lashing. Her actions always swayed back and forth across some imaginary line that was set to prevent the fear from spreading across the students. Actions were punished and parents used to be called but her father did not care. He applauded her actions and encouraged them, assuming that he could just throw some money at the school and Roxie would resume her status as a student if she veered too far from the moral line. Roxie considered herself doing a favor by not going as far as she wanted to, but she assumed the headmaster thought she was scared of being expelled. It was very silly of him to think that, assuming that he did think she had any kind of weakness.

"Can't a girl just stop and have some coffee with her favorite headmaster?" She asked as she finally brought the burning hot cup of coffee to her lips and swallowed down a mouthful of the strong liquid. His answer would probably be cold or simply ask her to leave his company. Quickly she added to her previous statement. "Besides we only ever see each other in that dusty office you have and I haven't been there in a little over a month so I image you have missed my company." Ego... it was a demon's weakness. Each member of her family had an ego over things such as money and power. Roxie loved both and she loved praise from those around her. It wasn't as satisfying as listening the screams of fear, but to hear someone compliment her would have made her swoon ever so slightly. However she tried to hold onto herself in situations where someone wanted to compliment her. It was when a victim was screaming and begging for life that she really lost control and got lost in her art. Again she took a slip of her drink before setting it down on the table but kept her hand wrapped around it protectively. "So... have you started to the days until graduation?"

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

Alexander’s mind wandered as the words blurred on the page. Something about the words on the page had made him think of her again. Illithya had often slipped to the back of his mind, but occasionally she would find her way back and remind him of the beauty of his mortal life. Alexander had knew the way the balances of fate worked. No matter what power rose it eventually fell to some other grace or evil. His worries weren’t centered around the universe and the way it moved. He figured he simply had to find some importance in his existence. He was an anomaly, something that should not have existed, but he did. Alexander loved the power and grace that fate had placed on him, but in the same he sought to guide others through their lives to find something more important than their menial existences.

Of course there were some like Roxie, who couldn’t be steered, whose lust for power blocked out any importance in their life. She was just like the rest of them and Alexander could laugh all day at those like her. Let them be, he would say. He had no interest in people like her. Their story was always the same pathetic page lost in history. As much as he admired Marie’s kind heartedness, he would have rather turned his back to wretches like Roxie. There were several powerful families who tossed their money the academy’s way to have their children enrolled. Like the newest batch, the Solheim’s Roxie’s family money meant nothing to Alexander. He would toss any of those children on their asses. He feared no one or their retaliations, he had been around long enough to know that their petty threats could come to his door and he wouldn’t feel a shiver.

It was a bit of a mental struggle to rouse himself from the daydream. As it was he had to shoo the gnat away. He set the book down on the table, but had no interest in looking at her. Instead he drifted his gaze to the scenery enjoying the old town feel of the square. It reminded him of Boston and it’s rich heritage. His eye caught a faint glimpse of some radiant creature fading away into the distance. The bright skin and fair glow was very familiar of the angels. Alexander smiled inwardly thinking of them. Glorious creatures, beautiful and elegant, they were the only rivals to Sirens. Most of the ones who had chosen to transfer into the school were wise creatures bearing some infinite knowledge that often kept them secluded from others. They weren’t all that interested in menial talk or trivial worries, but chose to enlighten and enrich others in their secrets. They were the only creatures that Alexander admired or praised.

"Pleasant is an overstatement… false advertising." He said as he made eye contact with someone familiar. He gave them a small cordial smile flashing a set of white teeth. The joy of retractable fangs. It was nice to be able to hide them and deceive. It was only on those certain nights where blood was unavailable that he found a willing donor. It was a slight rule that it was frowned upon to feed on other students, but Alexander wasn’t an idiot. He knew what happened behind closed doors, but so long as nobody died he wouldn’t play the persecution game.

Alexander was still gazing in the way of the figure. Though the blonde woman had long disappeared he was still longing for her beauty. There were a few angels that Alexander loved to gaze at. They were soft, beautiful and perfect pictures. He drew a breath before pulling out his phone going over the usual business of checking e-mails, messages and other information from a few connections he kept in touch with. While he was headmaster of the school, Alexander had other business he conducted and kept organized. "Then have your coffee." He said uninterestedly. "If you keep talking it will get cold." He added as he read over an e-mail from one of his staff members.

He replied to the e-mail tapping away at the touch screen. It was interesting how much things had changed over the years. Everything going from horses to cadillacs, pigeons to cell phones… One thing that hadn’t changed for the good was the women. They had gone from elegantly beautiful to the trash they called fashionable. "Company… I can hardly call that company. Lousy company really." Alexander clicked on an app. It was a game he often amused himself with. It was menial, silly and pointless, but that was the joy of it. Angry birds they called it. "You can always tell lousy company from actual conversation. You forget the person actually exists." He advised as the bird knocked down a stack of stones. "A few of the staff have, but like I said I’ve spent more time thinking about keeping the lint off my jacket." With another fling he sent the bird through another obstacle watching the pigs poof away. It was such a menial and stupid game, but he found good humor in it.

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Family… maybe it was her cruel nature but the whole concept of family was stupid. She loved her parents and the all the things that they provided for her but if they all perished then she would not cry a tear. She knew that even the immortals died eventually if they crossed the wrong person, such as the Holy Cross or some other ancient demon. Her grandmother obviously had enemies that would one day try and take her life but the old demon was smart and would kill them like the others. Roxie knew that the old hag still had fight in her even if her bones were going to turn to dust one day. It was the same fighting spirit that Roxie inherited that would keep her alive long into her years of immortality. To live forever did not seem to upset or worry her unlike most vampires. But then again that was the difference between the two species. One welcomed the rest of their lives while the other feared their lonely fate and often just wasted their gift by sleeping for centuries. Again Roxie did not try to understand the twisted minds of the weak vampires but secretly she found them most amusing. If she ever did get her hands one of them to torture it would be a particularly fun event for the demon. First she would start by making shallow slits in their skin and allowing the blood of their most recent victim to drain down their bodies. Slowly it would drip down in a soft trickle, since she would not allow the cuts to go so deep. Once those cut healed then she would repeat the procedure but this time the cuts would be a bit deeper and longer. Again the process would repeat and Roxie would finally drag her knife along the length of the skin in long penetrating cuts while the vampire experienced the pain of dying but without the much needed relief of doing so. When she got bored she would just leave since there was no pointing in continuing on with the torment if they vampire was just going to survive each attack. Boredom was often the saving grace for the victims that Roxie selected.

Watching her headmaster she saw how he just seemed to look past her and through her as if she was not important to him. He could have cared less about her and she knew it since they were obviously not on good terms. He never appreciated her family and their contribution to the school or their status within their own species that was so closely aligned with his. Did it upset her that he did not think highly of her? No… but she hated that he did not give her the respect that she knew that she was worthy of. It drove her insane that not one person at the bloody school gave her the respect and attention that her fellow demons did. They should have known who she was and they should have feared her in a more drastic manner than they already did. Perhaps she had gone too easy on her fellow students? However if she stepped any further across the line then she knew her headmaster would be less than accommodating and her graduation day would be removed from her. When he spoke about false advertising she laughed as if he had said the funniest thing in the entire world. ”False advertising… I can be pleasant when I want to be and it isn’t false advertising. Perhaps if you knew me better, you would know that I do have fun and can play nice if the other person is willing to enjoy the act as well.” Of course she doubted that her headmaster would enjoy watching her torture someone. One leg crossed over the other as she got comfortable in her chair. Her hand protected the cup of coffee and felt its warmth through the paper that made it up. Again she took a sip when it mentioned it getting cold. ”I can afford another cup of coffee if this one gets cold.”

As his attention shifted towards the phone and emails and games Roxie’s attitude changed a bit. She felt hostile towards the man sitting across from her and she longed to just drag her nails down the face of the touch screen phone to ruin it for him. A more devious smirk spread across her lips from the once soft and attempt at her being pleasant towards the man. She shifted slightly in her seat and moved forward slightly. ”Do you know how many humans it takes to fill a bath tub with blood?” She asked him. ”The answer may surprise you but I won’t ruin the fun. I can show you one day after graduation.” She offered. ”of course… I image that you are one of those weak willed vampires that get nervous around the sight of extra blood. One of those vampires that only drinks to survive and avoids doing so as long as possible.” Most vampires could not appreciate the kill that a demon could and Roxie just smirked at the thought of filling a tub full of human blood and just sinking into the warm liquid. The way her final victim would be sitting in the tub across from her and probably begging to be saved. What human wouldn’t panic at the sight of themselves sitting in a bathtub full of blood with a lovely woman across from them just smirking.


((Sorry its a bit short. Musing is being problematic))

[ALEXANDER ♥ DEVEREAUX]

Alex continued perusing through his phone wondering what interesting things Lexi had installed. Lexi after all was his update to the modern world and how to connect to the younger generations. While Alex was against making another progeny after Marie’s death, he adored Lexi. He couldn’t bear to leave such a beautiful creature to die and so with his strength and will he created a child and taught her everything he knew. It was lovely to have her around. Although he was hoping she’d keep her hold on humanity, she let go and seemed to love her new life. To Alex’s dismay it was as if she was always meant to be a vampire. He almost rolled his eyes at the thought, but this was his progeny. He enjoyed her company thoroughly, especially when she raided his phone to update him with the most interesting apps. She was definitely a character and Alex enjoyed the variety she brought into his fairly mundane life.

He clicked on another app she had installed and began tapping away at the game. It was amazing how easy it was to adapt to technology. After hundreds of years without it, one would expect him to fail at such tasks. Of course he had time to adapt. If someone had dropped a phone in front of his mortal eyes he would have sliced it in half with his sword. Alex often got a good laugh at what he remembered of his mortal life. He had thought he was so high and mighty when he was alive, if Alex could see himself now he would have felt miniscule and angry. He would have done anything to try and oust and best the vampire, but he would have failed. Evolution was a perfection process. We got better as the years went on and as the mutations occurred. It was a lovely thing. Like wine which tasted better as it aged.

However, when it came to the student before him, Alex viewed the situation more like cheap box wine. It was the kind you bought at some rink dink liquor shop that served camel's piss inside of a cardboard box. While you paid out of pocket for it and took a swig it tasted bitter and left an even more rotten after taste. The only luxury was that it was cheap and nothing more. She was a wretched thing that demanded his respect or to have him begging on his knees, but Alexander had enough years of his own bloodshed and fun to not even move if someone threatened him with death or torture.

Alex slipped the phone back into his pocket before directing his attention to flowers across the street. His eyes traced over the ensemble thinking of the many beautiful combinations he could make. Perhaps he'd grab a bouquet on his way home to surprise Lexi. His eyes were still on the flowers when he replied. "I'd rather spend my time looking over applications. It seems a lot more interesting." He breathed. His thoughts drifted back and forth, but that was Alexander. He was always thinking about something, ruminating over the next thing, constantly pondering the universe. "Of course the luxury of cheap coffee..." He mused as if her mention of money was suppose to be an indicator of her class.

Xander had his reservations about his own students. He viewed them like he would a batch of fruit. There were the students who looked ripe on the outside, but were sour underneath, the students who were overly sweet all over, the students who were bland and alright, but worst of all the students who were rotten to the core. Roxanne was the type of fruit you'd find in the trash, uneaten and unappealing. Which is most likely the reason he didn't choose to look at her. He was uninterested. While he was very capable of a soulless and cold demeanor, empty eyes and such. Why waste the movement on something he didn't care for.

Instead he examined the town around him noting former students, current students and acquaintances he had made on the island. "It depends on what kind of bathtub you're trying to fill." He answered still not amused by her attempts to rile him up. "It takes a little over 57 people to fill a standard size tub... A little boring if you ask me. I prefer my blood fresh and warm."

With ease he resumed the reading of his book, lifting the trinket back into his hands and flipping back to the page of interest. "Teacup chihuahua..." He breathed as he flipped the page. "You don't give them enough attention and they bite at your ankles." He shook his head. "Beyond irritating." Alexander took another breath before refocusing his eyes on the page.

{SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, WORK SUCKED LATELY HAHA}

[ROXIE ♥ PARKER]

Touch screen phones never worked with her demon claws since they always tore up the screen with scratch marks and rendered the phone unusable. It was a curse to have such a fine set of fingernails that naturally reached a sharp point, best used for scratching flesh and drawing blood. Her fingernails were a point of pride for Roxie and she loved to adorn them with paint. Today was blood red and maybe next week she would try another darker color like navy blue or something. They were so lovely when they were painted in the fake blood color that Roxie loved but she missed having her fingers dripping with the warm liquid as it cooled. It was much nicer than having the artificial color on her nails. Still she envied his use of the modern technology since her family was a bit more traditional when it came to gadgets. Her grandmother had no use for a cellphone but her father possessed an old model that flipped open and he only had that for the purpose of business uses. Cell phones seemed to be a distraction from reality and although Roxie longed to be able to use the new piece of technology she still lacked the ability so rather than pout about it she would destroy the phones. Other students often had ruined phone because of Roxie running her nails across the touch screen for fun. Then again she was a bitch and no one enjoyed her torture more than Roxie enjoyed inflicting it on her fellow students.

His comment about cheap coffee was not appreciated and she allowed a bit of a pout to fall over her lips. Her head master was comparing her to nothing more than a cheap whore who drank coffee that any mortal could get their hands on. It was an insult to her family that angered her deeply. Insults directed towards her she could handle but something about an insult towards her last name upset her. The Parker last name was well known and held in a higher regard than whatever last name he boasted. Her hand wrapped tighter around the paper cup for a moment before she pulled back and slowly composed herself again. Loosing control had happened often when she was little but as she grew up she knew how to control the rage and the anger that came with her blood. As a younger girl she might have throw the cup of hot liquid at him for the comparison of her to a cheap whore but the school had taught her something about being on decent behavior, although she would never tell her headmaster that he taught her how to behave as a good girl even though it was against her nature. However she was not sad to be leaving the school at the end of the year since the life of a student was rather dull and she was ready for something new.

"Oh please... I am talking about a nice claw foot tub made from the finest porcelain. Not some regular bath tub and shower combination that everyone has within their house." She replied. "57...it sounds like you have done such an activity once or twice within your long life." She commented and then slowly rose to her feet. "Again the offer stands if you ever want to enjoy the fine life that a demon enjoys instead of the lowly existence that you and your little creation face." Demons lived like kings, in Roxie's mind, and vampires just hid within the shadows of those demons around them who walked within the sunlight. When he focused in on his book again she decided that she had enough of his little insults because he was nothing more than a headmaster on a power trip. Abandoning the half empty cup on the table she turned towards the door. "I will see you next time I end up in your office for punishment." She commented as she began to gracefully walk towards the door.

Truth be told she was tired of him and she knew that she would be seeing him soon enough so why wear out her welcome at this point? Tomorrow was another day and perhaps he would learn his place on his knees in front of the powerful demons before their next encounter. Doubtful but there were lots of evil people out there in the world so maybe Roxie was correct that vampires would one day find their place within the sun. As she left she did not look back at all but continued forward and on her way out the door.

((Sorry its super short. My muse is being stupid and I thought that I would wrap up this thread for now. We should thread them again!))