OOM: Book research
Aubrey shifted through the bookstore in Ramsa. His fingers lingering over a couple of books that he knew were a good read, and others that he had lived through. He was searching for a specific author in the fiction section, but that didn't stop him from looking at everything else. One creates quite an appetite for reading material when they've lived as long as he has. Well, not everyone does, but Aubrey had. He had quite a collection of written work, choosing several from each generation and then watching how that genre evolved with the humans.
The one thing that he'd noticed in the newer fiction, was the obsession with other worldly things like vampires, werewolves, and witches. He found it comical how off most authors were. Allergies to silver, turning to dust in the sunlight. Honestly, he would never understand where they got these ridiculous notions. These creatures shopped at the same stores as the authors, and they didn't even realize it.
He passed over one and gave a soft chuckle at the title. The girl behind the counter glanced at him, but at the flash of a smile she turned back to her magazine. Uninterested. He had gone for a look that wouldn't draw attention, and from her reaction it must have worked.
His fingers stop at the author he's looking for. Ash Night. Known in the vampire world as Jessica Allodola. One of the few of his fledglings that he's proud to have brought over to this world. She'd been more vampire than any human that he'd known before she was turned. And she'd written the two novels in front of him before she knew that the vampire world existed. Siete's blood flowed through her veins before she was ever born, and it had marked her unmistakably forever because of it. One mark was that she had almost every memory from Siete when he'd turned her mother. It was the reason she's written the books that she thought were just her imagination, which had fatefully lead her to him. To the world she had belonged to without knowing it for seventeen years.
He traced the spine of Tiger, Tiger and Dark Flame. Those two books held his worst fight, the one he lost to Risika, and his greatest moments, which made a lot of the vampires mentioned in the book look weak. His eyes moved to the book sitting next to these two. He knew that she'd been writing another book for publishing, he just hadn't realized that he'd fallen out of the loop and missed that it had indeed been published.
The footsteps on the floor alerted him that there was a person behind him before the black hair appeared in his peripheral vision. He took a deep breath, inhaling Jessica's scent before his arm went around her waist and pulled her into the crook of his arm. "You didn't send me a copy."
She curled against him, turning emerald eyes to him. She studied him a moment. "You haven't really been around lately. More time in Italy and other places than New Mayhem." She glanced at her new book. "Didn't know where to leave it."
He started to pull it off the shelf but her hand on his stopped him. He gave her a faint smile. "Don't want me to read it?"
She laughed softly and bumped his shoulder with hers. "No. I just already have a copy for you."
"Ahh, well then." His hand found hers and he used it to spin her so that she was facing the exit. Then, he proceeded to walk her to the exit. "Why don't we go get it."
She turned around in his arms, wrapping the their joined arms around herself so as not to let go. "That was the only reason you came in here?" She gave him a pout at his nod. "You didn't think to come find me for it?"
"It must have slipped my mind." He leaned down so their faces were almost even. "However can I make it up to you, my dear?"
She canted her head to the side, smirking at him. "Well I can think of a few ways."
"Oh?" He spun her and pushed her towards the door, following on her heals. After all, they couldn't just disappear from a bookstore. Once outside and away from people he brought them to Jessica's house in New Mayhem. He stood behind her in a living room that had more books and looked more lived in since he'd last seen it. "Now, what are these ways?"
She leaned back against him, her head on his shoulder. "Well, for one, spending less time missing and more time around and findable." She rolled her head to the side, giving him a sad puppy dog look. Though there was a glint of something lurking behind the look.
He gave her a squeeze. "I think I can do that, if it's for you." He gave a raised brow though, because the glint meant she wanted to do something that would piss people off, so he prompted. "And?"
She let some of the tension in her muscles go at the squeeze, and let Aubrey hold her up. "A new computer?"
He gave a small snort and walked them over to the couch. He dropped onto it, pulling her with him. "You really won't stop writing, will you." It wasn't a question, nor was it angry. The statement was actually full of dry amusement.
She stretched before curling up against him. If she'd been smaller and furrier, she'd be just like a cat. "Nope." Her voice was smug, because she really did like creating chaos in the vampire world. "Their lives would become dull if I stopped."
His arm wrapped around her waist as he stretched out. "If they could have heart attacks, you'd have killed several already."
She wiggled a little so her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. "I know. You should be proud." She pointed to the end table next to the couch. "Book."
He placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Believe me, I am." He reached over and grabbed the book with his free hand. He opened the cover just enough to see that it was signed. He set the book back down on the table and settled into the couch. Every book he owned that was written by any of his kind was signed by the author. Made the book more valuable to him.
The two settled into a comfortable silence on the couch, just enjoying the weight of the other. It'd been a while since either of them had done anything relaxing like this, so they were soaking it up for all it was worth.
The one thing that he'd noticed in the newer fiction, was the obsession with other worldly things like vampires, werewolves, and witches. He found it comical how off most authors were. Allergies to silver, turning to dust in the sunlight. Honestly, he would never understand where they got these ridiculous notions. These creatures shopped at the same stores as the authors, and they didn't even realize it.
He passed over one and gave a soft chuckle at the title. The girl behind the counter glanced at him, but at the flash of a smile she turned back to her magazine. Uninterested. He had gone for a look that wouldn't draw attention, and from her reaction it must have worked.
His fingers stop at the author he's looking for. Ash Night. Known in the vampire world as Jessica Allodola. One of the few of his fledglings that he's proud to have brought over to this world. She'd been more vampire than any human that he'd known before she was turned. And she'd written the two novels in front of him before she knew that the vampire world existed. Siete's blood flowed through her veins before she was ever born, and it had marked her unmistakably forever because of it. One mark was that she had almost every memory from Siete when he'd turned her mother. It was the reason she's written the books that she thought were just her imagination, which had fatefully lead her to him. To the world she had belonged to without knowing it for seventeen years.
He traced the spine of Tiger, Tiger and Dark Flame. Those two books held his worst fight, the one he lost to Risika, and his greatest moments, which made a lot of the vampires mentioned in the book look weak. His eyes moved to the book sitting next to these two. He knew that she'd been writing another book for publishing, he just hadn't realized that he'd fallen out of the loop and missed that it had indeed been published.
The footsteps on the floor alerted him that there was a person behind him before the black hair appeared in his peripheral vision. He took a deep breath, inhaling Jessica's scent before his arm went around her waist and pulled her into the crook of his arm. "You didn't send me a copy."
She curled against him, turning emerald eyes to him. She studied him a moment. "You haven't really been around lately. More time in Italy and other places than New Mayhem." She glanced at her new book. "Didn't know where to leave it."
He started to pull it off the shelf but her hand on his stopped him. He gave her a faint smile. "Don't want me to read it?"
She laughed softly and bumped his shoulder with hers. "No. I just already have a copy for you."
"Ahh, well then." His hand found hers and he used it to spin her so that she was facing the exit. Then, he proceeded to walk her to the exit. "Why don't we go get it."
She turned around in his arms, wrapping the their joined arms around herself so as not to let go. "That was the only reason you came in here?" She gave him a pout at his nod. "You didn't think to come find me for it?"
"It must have slipped my mind." He leaned down so their faces were almost even. "However can I make it up to you, my dear?"
She canted her head to the side, smirking at him. "Well I can think of a few ways."
"Oh?" He spun her and pushed her towards the door, following on her heals. After all, they couldn't just disappear from a bookstore. Once outside and away from people he brought them to Jessica's house in New Mayhem. He stood behind her in a living room that had more books and looked more lived in since he'd last seen it. "Now, what are these ways?"
She leaned back against him, her head on his shoulder. "Well, for one, spending less time missing and more time around and findable." She rolled her head to the side, giving him a sad puppy dog look. Though there was a glint of something lurking behind the look.
He gave her a squeeze. "I think I can do that, if it's for you." He gave a raised brow though, because the glint meant she wanted to do something that would piss people off, so he prompted. "And?"
She let some of the tension in her muscles go at the squeeze, and let Aubrey hold her up. "A new computer?"
He gave a small snort and walked them over to the couch. He dropped onto it, pulling her with him. "You really won't stop writing, will you." It wasn't a question, nor was it angry. The statement was actually full of dry amusement.
She stretched before curling up against him. If she'd been smaller and furrier, she'd be just like a cat. "Nope." Her voice was smug, because she really did like creating chaos in the vampire world. "Their lives would become dull if I stopped."
His arm wrapped around her waist as he stretched out. "If they could have heart attacks, you'd have killed several already."
She wiggled a little so her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. "I know. You should be proud." She pointed to the end table next to the couch. "Book."
He placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Believe me, I am." He reached over and grabbed the book with his free hand. He opened the cover just enough to see that it was signed. He set the book back down on the table and settled into the couch. Every book he owned that was written by any of his kind was signed by the author. Made the book more valuable to him.
The two settled into a comfortable silence on the couch, just enjoying the weight of the other. It'd been a while since either of them had done anything relaxing like this, so they were soaking it up for all it was worth.