theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“Lucky you.” Awkwardly, Summer turned away. She didn’t know what else to say to this man. She’d invited him up on a whim, and now their conversation had wandered off into strange byways and things she hated showing to anyone, let alone a stranger. Picking up the cup again, she took it into the kitchen, for lack of anything better to do.

Vex shrugged his shoulders at the woman’s words. This arrangement had been … unexpected to begin with, and now the two had very little reason to be around one another, and even less things to talk about. He watched as she went into the kitchen, and then stood, speaking as she returned to the room. “Perhaps I should take my leave, Summer. I’d ‘ate to intrude on the rest of your evening.”

With a bitter little laugh she shrugged back. “There’s so little to intrude on. You’re probably the most exciting thing to happen to me in weeks. But I’m sure you’ve got things to return to, spoilt date or not.” Forcing a more natural smile, Summer came over and laid a hand on his arm. “Come and look me up sometime. Maybe I’ll drop by your club some night, too.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“So … that part is true, then. The Seelie and the Unseelie.” Summer pursed her lips for a moment, filing that information away. “Your own preferences, hey? So, what, the idea was to build a place where you could indulge yourself?”

Vex listened to her words, surprised by the older-terms that she was using. The Fae had been calling them Light and Dark for decades, but she had the technical terminology right regardless. He nodded at the inquiry as he replied, “For the most part, yes.”

“Lucky you.” Awkwardly, Summer turned away. She didn’t know what else to say to this man. She’d invited him up on a whim, and now their conversation had wandered off into strange byways and things she hated showing to anyone, let alone a stranger. Picking up the cup again, she took it into the kitchen, for lack of anything better to do.

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

Her gaze flicked from the lighter to his face and back again swiftly. “Interesting,” was all she said, and offered it back. “How did you come to start a night club? I imagine it’s expensive, starting that kind of thing up.”

Vex took the lighter as soon as it was offered, tucking it into his jacket’s pocket. He leaned back against the couch as he replied to her question, “I was born into a rich family, and so money wasn’t an issue to begin with, but the leader of the Dark Fae.. Evony.. She’s invested quite a bit of money into Carpe Noctem over the years.”

“So … that part is true, then. The Seelie and the Unseelie.” Summer pursed her lips for a moment, filing that information away. “Your own preferences, hey? So, what, the idea was to build a place where you could indulge yourself?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“Good! I’m glad I could help, even a little.” A truer smile brightened Summer’s face. She picked up the lighter again, examining the design on it. “So … ” she fished around, “this is because of your night club?”

Vex watched as Summer examined his Zippo. He was a little confused as to why she held such an interest in it, but he didn’t really care, either. After a moment, he replied to her question, “Partially. I ‘ave a bit of an underground part to the night club that involves the theme.. And, partially, my own preferences.”

Her gaze flicked from the lighter to his face and back again swiftly. “Interesting,” was all she said, and offered it back. “How did you come to start a night club? I imagine it’s expensive, starting that kind of thing up.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

She shrugged stiffly. “Just — you think I’m one of you, don’t you. You think I’m Fae.” She turned away, arms folded and holding her elbows in tight. “I’m not. I don’t belong with you either. I don’t /belong/ anywhere. Not human, not Fae, not mutant nor magician, not wholly anything.” She shook herself.

“Sorry. Sorry. Not relevant. Are you feeling okay now, better? Less hung out to dry by someone obviously not worth your time?”

A slight frown formed on the Mesmer’s face, listening to Summer’s words. He’d almost protested, but then he’d realized that it wouldn’t solve anything. She obviously didn’t know of the Fae; if she’d been one, if her family had been aligned with the Dark or the Light, she would have known. Even if she was classified as Fae, it was far too late in her life for her to choose a side, to be part of the Fae Community. “I’m sorry, Summer,” he told her with a bit of a sigh. He didn’t know what else to say, he wasn’t used to being the one that comforted the other.

Vex let her brush it away, though part of him wanted to keep talking about it. “Yeah,” he replied, “I’m feeling a lot better now. Thank you.”

“Good! I’m glad I could help, even a little.” A truer smile brightened Summer’s face. She picked up the lighter again, examining the design on it. “So … ” she fished around, “this is because of your night club?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

Summer repeated, “Fae,” and stopped. Faeries were /real/? /That/ was the reason for the slightly off tone of some people? They weren’t human? In a way that wasn’t the same as the way she wasn’t quite human?

“Fae,” she said again, covered her face, and started to laugh. It was a little hysterical. “So many things suddenly make sense now,” she managed, between bursts of slightly hysterical giggles.

Another place she could never belong. The thought flickered through her mind, and she stopped laughing as abruptly as she’d started.

At the utterly confused expression on Summer’s face, Vex guessed that he’d been right about her cluelessness. He could tell that she wasn’t entirely human, but if she didn’t know about the Fae, that must have meant that she wasn’t a full-bred either; her bloodlines were weak, and definitely not part of the royal families. “Yes, Fae,” Vex muttered patiently.

The Mesmer blinked at the hysterical giggling that came from the woman’s mouth as she repeated the word. It was beginning to grow a little annoying, but he decided not to bother snapping at her. “I’m sure,” he found himself absently saying when she mentioned how much the ‘Fae’ explained.

When the woman’s giggles abruptly died out, Vex found himself slightly concerned. “What?” he asked with a tilt of his head, raising an eyebrow at Summer. “Is there a problem?”

She shrugged stiffly. “Just — you think I’m one of you, don’t you. You think I’m Fae.” She turned away, arms folded and holding her elbows in tight. “I’m not. I don’t belong with you either. I don’t /belong/ anywhere. Not human, not Fae, not mutant nor magician, not wholly anything.” She shook herself.

“Sorry. Sorry. Not relevant. Are you feeling okay now, better? Less hung out to dry by someone obviously not worth your time?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild

“Empathetic?” Summer’s voice spiraled up with annoyance. “You don’t want to say things like that to me, Vex. You don’t want to play this game.” She sighed and picked up the cup, turning it in her hands. “No, okay, skip that.” The fluffy cat jumped off the couch and padded over to her, twining around her ankles and looking up with blue eyes.

“Can we go back to you telling me what you are? Because mesmer doesn’t actually mean anything to me, and you’re acting like it should.”

Vex nearly began to argue with the woman, but he forced his jaw to stay clenched, mouth shut. After all, she had said to disregard her irritable statements, and so Vex did his best to do so. Cracking his wrists, a collection of small, black sparks flickered across his joints momentarily. His eyes followed the cat for a moment, watching the fluff-ball make its way to Summer.

At her question, the Mesmer tried to repress the slight, half-smirk that appeared on his features. “Mesmers are a rare type of Fae, which from what I’ve gathered, you know very little about,” he told her with an even-toned voice. “I ‘ave limited control on ‘umans, and most Fae,” he continued, cocking his head to the side. “I could demonstrate, but you probably wouldn’t like it.”

Summer repeated, “Fae,” and stopped. Faeries were /real/? /That/ was the reason for the slightly off tone of some people? They weren’t human? In a way that wasn’t the same as the way she wasn’t quite human?

“Fae,” she said again, covered her face, and started to laugh. It was a little hysterical. “So many things suddenly make sense now,” she managed, between bursts of slightly hysterical giggles.

Another place she could never belong. The thought flickered through her mind, and she stopped laughing as abruptly as she’d started.

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

She blinked at him, puzzled. “A Mesmer. Dare I ask, or are you enjoying confusing /me/ now? And what does that have to do with your resistance?”

The Mesmer could only shake his head at the woman. If she didn’t know of his species, then she likely knew very little of the Fae, be them Light or Dark. Then again, Vex wasn’t entirely sure how this woman would have been classified anyways. “Yes, a Mesmer.” Pausing momentarily, his voice sharpened as he added, “As to my resistance, perhaps you should accept that I’m more powerful than your empathetic nonsense.”

“Empathetic?” Summer’s voice spiralled up with annoyance. “You don’t want to say things like that to me, Vex. You don’t want to play this game.” She sighed and picked up the cup, turning it in her hands. “No, okay, skip that.” The fluffy cat jumped off the couch and padded over to her, twining around her ankles and looking up with blue eyes.

“Can we go back to you telling me what you are? Because mesmer doesn’t actually mean anything to me, and you’re acting like it should.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

Summer sat back, startled. “What /are/ you?” Had he actually resisted her power? It /looked/ like it, though he’d put the cigarette out, as well. But still, the reaction was off — it should have been him not wanting the cigarette; instead he’d responded as if to /her/ dislike.

“That depends, what exactly are you?” the Mesmer found himself asking, his voice curling the words in an annoyed way. He wasn’t really upset at the cigarette-thing, but at the fact that he knew she’s attempted to use some kind of power-of-persuasion against him. His next words fell from his mouth without a thought, “You know, it isn’t polite to use magic on strangers.”

“It’s not polite to smoke in a stranger’s house, either,” she shot back, eyes flashing. “It’s not magic, anyway.” Summer held up a hand, fingers spread and palm up, and a flame curled up from the center of it. “/That’s/ magic.” She closed her fingers, and the fire vanished. “I’ll tell you what I am if you tell me why you could resist my empathy.”