Night on the Town (NJ)

[Demeter]

Troy had been in the middle of trying to relax when he cell phone had started to vibrate on his nightstand. He'd been thinking of a place he was calm in, the rarely visited parts of the university's library, and just starting to cool down even more when the blasted thing had started to shimmy its way towards the edge of the table. Troy opened one eye and glared at the phone. He closed that eye, resettled himself and started to process of relaxing again but the insistant buzzing of his phone irrated him. He growled lightly, leaned over and grabbed it off the nightstand.

After he said hello, he sat and listened to Ali bawl about their parents. He hadn't even known she'd gone home but now, as she sobbed about how they'd ordered her out of the house, Troy growled and the knukles of the hand holding the phone turned white. He noticed when the temperture of his skin started to flare again and forced himself to remain calm. "I'll rally the troops, Ali and before over shortly. Yes, of course you can live here. We'll clear out the fourth room for you. Just...don't do anything rash until I get there."

He caught Ali's plea for boxes and chuckled lightly before turning to Chase. Trust his baby sister to think of all the particulars even in a horrible situation. "Hey, Chase. Would you mind coming with me my parents house. It seems they found out about her and Grace and have thrown her out of the house; if not the family." Troy forgot about his own prediciment while he dressed in clothing he swiped up from the floor. He stuffed his feet into a pair of shoes before walking out of his room and pounding on the doors to James and Dylan's rooms. He told his two friends what had happened with Ali, introduced Chase and then shooed them of the house. After piling a few stacks of boxes into the back of his truck, and offering Chase the passenger side seat of his truck.

The ride over was quiet, as Troy was focused on the things he'd like to do to Anna and her friends. The girl could never resist one-upping her sister.

***

Anna peered out from behind the curtains of her bedroom and giggled as Troy's truck pulled into the driveway. She'd known that Alison would run to the boy and she was just waiting to see what he would do. When she saw the second car pull up, Anna faltered a bit. That was James' car. Anna sighed. She'd enjoyed the time she'd spent with James but really, eloping after a few months? That was just irresponsible. Besides, James just wasn't husband material, unlike her Jason. Anna turned towards her dresser and cooed at the picture of her fiance, her father's successor at the firm.

Anna watched as James and the others entered the house. She'd seen someone new in the ground and she poked her head out of the door to hear what was going on.

***

Troy swallowed a snicker at the sight of the shattered vases that his mother was fussing over. He greeted her and then led everyone up to Ali's room. After knocking on the door, and assuring that to Ali that he was there, he and the other's were let in. As he helped pack up all of Ali's junk, Troy thought. He'd said he'd tell his parents soon and he guessed that today was soon enough.

After getting all of the stuff Ali had deemed worthy of being kept packed, Troy left the room and headed up towards the attic. He'd stored a few items in there when he'd moved into the house with James and Dylan. He'd tell his parents today, now. And he was going to do something that would transfer their anger and disgust from Ali to himself.

Troy grabbed his few boxes and thumped his way down the stairs. His parents had been hiding out in the kitchen but as they saw him walk past with a box of his own stuff, they rushed out. "Mother, Father, there is something I need to tell you. For starters, I think its wrong what you are doing to Ali."

Troy's father scoffed at that and said that it was for the girls own good. Besides, there was something unnatural about being with one's own sex. Troy sighed, that was the answer he'd been expecting. "Then I feel the that the two of you should know something." Troy caught Chase's sleeve as he walked past and held on to it. "I've recently entered into a new relationship, that I'd like to see go somewhere, and I cannot do that if I feel that you're trying to mold me into something that I will never be. You see, mom, dad, I've recentlly admitted to myself somethings about myself, one of those things is that I like men as much as I like women."

Troy nodded to his dumbfounded parents and pulled Chase out of the house as His father started to yell. He could hear his mother screamimg. He, like everyone out on the lawn, watched as they came out of the door, spewing something about unnatural children and being written out of wills. Troy glanced over at Chase and grinned while he set the box of stuff he was holding down on the ground. He really just wanted to shut them up when he grabbed Chase by the shirt and yanked him forward. He sealed his own fate, really, and kissed Chase for all his was worth.

***

Anna gaped at the sight before her. Troy was sucking the tounge out of another man. Her parents would surely disown him now. That was not something Anna wanted. Now all their overbearing attention would be placed on her.

[Shinigami]

Chase had a hand on Troy's cheek, it having strayed down from Troy's forehead as he tried to relax and cool himself off. He was content to watch Troy as he monitored the heat ratiating from him, though it still felt a little unreal. His gaze was drawn to the cell phone that started to vibrate on the table next to Troy's bed. He glared at it as if a mere look from him would silence the thing, but it didn't work. He could feel Troy getting aggitated with it and was even forced to draw his hand back when Troy's temperature flared, but he smiled as he managed to calm himself down.

He wasn't exactly concerned for the phone call. Troy was doing a good job as keeping calm and managed to cool off his skin quick enough after a sudden flare. It wasn't until Chase heard who it was and what Troy was talking about that he became concerned. He was sitting on the bed, leaning close to the conversation, naturally curious, but he could also hear just how upset Ali was through the phone. He frowned when he heard Ali would be moving in, because that meant she had been kicked out, and Chase blinked at the mention of the fourth room being cleared out. He had thought before that Troy had three other roommates, just as Chase did, but he apparently ony had two.

Chase watched Troy carefully after he hung up the phone, looking for any indication that he shouldn't be allowed in public due to rage. He was mildly surprised when Troy asked if he'd come with him to help Ali, and frowned when Troy confirmed what he thought he'd heard over the phone. "Of course I'll come." He smiled. "I'd rather go over there than have to go home and explain all this to -my- roommates anyway." He was up off the bed and moved towards the door, hovering around there while Troy finished getting dressed. He hadn't remembered he was barefoot until he saw Troy pulling on a pair of shoes and he cursed lightly, trying to remember where he had put them.

He was ushered out the door and, as soon as they made their way out of their rooms, was introduced to Dylan and James. He nodded and greated both, even though he had managed to meet James downstairs earlier. He quickly followed everyone down the stairs, keen eyes scoping for his shoes as soon as he hit the bottom. He spotted them by the kitchen and remembered he had left them for Ali incase she'd needed them to get through the glass. He hurried over and pulled them on, following the others out and to the cars. Chase became slightly confused then. He hadn't realized they were taking all the cars they had, and he also hadn't known Troy had a truck. He was pulled from his confusion when Troy offered a seat in his truck. He smiled and nodded, easily getting into the truck.

Chase sighed, leaning his head against the window of the truck, lost in his thoughts. The ride was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. The trucks two occupants were both off thinking about what was coming up. Chase had already gone over what would happen when he got to Troy's parent's house. He would just act like one of the guys. A roommate they just haven't met before. Ali had already gotten kicked out, so he didn't want Troy to be disowned if he could help it.

***

Chase was nervous when he was faced with Troy's parents, but he didn't really have much to say, nor any opportunity (which he thanked whatever god was listening for). He followed Troy up the stairs and was happy to get about the business of helping to pack things and carry boxes in and out. He was always a little bit stronger than most people took him for, most likely because he looked fairly thin, but being a vampire gave him a slight strength boost. He also liked doing busy work, as it kept him from dwelling on the fact of who's house he was in.

Chase was quite happy in his task, and happy to get it over with as soon as possible. He had one of the last boxes of stuff that Ali had wanted to keep and was currently hauling it out to the truck. There wasn't anything delicate in it, so he knew it could survive the ride in the back. He had just set the box in the back, and lifted the tailgate into place and was back in the house to make sure nothing was forgotten when he saw Troy come out with another box. He was slightly confused. He couldn't remember seeing that box in Ali's room. He blinked when he saw Troy's parents rushing out after him.

He knew all too well what was about to happen as Troy adressed his parents, voicing his dislike of Ali's treatment. Chase knew it was clear to the others they'd come with what was going on when Troy continued. He blinked as his sleeve was caught and watched Troy with wide eyes as what he said registered to him. A relationship he'd like to see go somewhere? Did that mean Troy wanted Chase to stick around? As more than a vampire tutor, a friend? He was a bit surprised, but flicked his gaze to Troy's parents as they began to yell. He hadn't even noticed Troy putting the box down.

Chase was caught completely off guard by being yanked towards Troy, and even more so by the kiss. He hadn't thought Troy would go that far after how angry just admitting he was bisexual had made his parents. He recovered from his shock quite quickly however, and was never one to let and opportunity pass him by. His arms were up and drapped around Troy's neck as soon as he could get them there and he returned the kiss full force. he was sure they were sight to behold out on the lawn, and Chase groaned lightly as the thought about it. He was now flush up against Troy and they were making out like they were the source of eachother's oxygen and the world had just run out. He was sure there was going to be more yelling after this.

[Maira]

In the half hour that it took for Troy to get to their parent's house, Ali had cried herself out and had started to doze. Her mother had come up and tried to barge in her room, had yelled at the door about the broken vases when she discovered it locked tight, and then had stomped off back down the stairs. The next time her door handle jiggled it was followed by a knock and Troy's voice on the other side. Giving a huge sigh of relief she shoved herself off her bed and went to unlock the door and let them in.

As she had started to doze, Ali had been looking at all her stuff and realized that much of it wasn't necessary. She wanted all her books, naturally, and all her dance stuff and riding clothes and equipment. Other than that, her clothes, jewelry, bed and dresser were really all she needed. She knew the room she'd be getting was technically a study and it had built in bookshelves so she wouldn't need the two she had shoved in her tiny room here.

Smiling at the four guys as they made their way into her bedroom, Ali grabbed some of the boxes and directed the guys what to put in each one as she set them on the floor. Once she had them working on her books and other stuff, Ali hauled out her luggage and packed her clothes.

The five of them made quick work of packing up her room and Ali somehow managed to keep any more tears from escaping as Chase taped the last box closed. Her childhood was over in one painful instant as that box was closed and taped. She could never go back to being Daddy's little girl. Could never go back to being her mother's little helper. Nothing would ever be the same. With a sigh and a sad sweet smile for Chase, Ali picked up the box and headed outside with it.

Being ahead of Chase she didn't see the confrontation with Troy and their parents, she barely heard whatever it was Troy said. She had just shoved the box into the trunk of James's car when she heard the yelling and screaming from the house. Turning to see what her parents were going off about now, trying to figure out what else she could have done wrong just by walking past them, Ali gawked with the rest of her family and Troy's roommates as he pulled Chase very enthusiastically into the most passionate kiss she'd ever seen him lay on anybody.

The instant that Troy's lips landed on Chases, his and Ali's mother had stopped mid-screech. His father it took a little bit longer to sink in just what he was seeing but when he did, his voice trailed off weakly until finally all he could manage to saw was, "Oh....umm....hmph." At a loss for any other words the man turned on his heels, grabbed his wife by the arm and stomped inside slamming the door.

Ali blinked in amazement at the sight of her father's retreating back. The man had never once in her life, that she could remember, backed down from a fight. She wasn't sure if that was what had just happened but he had walked away without getting the last word. Almost as if to prove her wrong the front door the house opened again, her father's head poking out just long enough for him to shout, "You both need not ever come to this house or this family for anything, you are no longer part of this family." And then he pulled his head back inside and slammed the door again.

At that point, Ali's shoulders slumped a bit and a defeated sigh left her in a rush. She had hoped that even though her parents had kicked her out they might still love her, might still say she could come by and visit but it was now crystal clear how wrong she had been. Feeling incredibly lost, Ali stared at her brother, who was finally unlatching himself from Chase, and realized he was the only family she had left. Which, truth be told, if she had to spend the rest of her days with one sibling she would most deffinately choose him over their evil older sister.

Walking up to him, still in her barefeet and bandages, Ali softly touched his shoulder and in a shakey voice bareky above a whisper she asked, "Can I ride home with you?" She could have as easily have ridden home with James or Dylan but Ali just wanted to be with her brother. She didn't want to come between him and Chase though so when she saw her brother's eyes flick towards the other man she changed her mind, "Never mind, I'll ride with James." Giving them both a pathetic excuse for a smile, Ali turned away and headed back to James's car and climbed in the passenger side, waiting for him to get in and drive them home.

*****

Unloading her stuff had been even quicker than packing as she didn't have to decide what to leave behind. Ali just had the guys bring the boxes into her new room, the part of it that didn't have other stuff in it still, and she had them put her bed under the window. Once they had gotten everything in, she had taken up a perch on her bed.

Leaning her forehead against the window she stared at the jungle that was the boy's excuse for a garden. There was something she could do to contribute, something to give her life a little bit of meaning. She'd always loved to garden.

[Demeter]

Troy blinked as he parked his truck in the driveway to the house. He still couldn't believe he'd done...that...infront of his parents. He'd just driven through town in a complete daze. He'd just meant to shut them up but he'd ended up rather wrapped up in Chase. Hmm...that seemed to be happening a lot; him getting wrapped up in Chase. Troy glanced over at Chase and smiled. "I'm...well, I'm not sorry about what happened back there but I'm sorry if I embarressed you in any way. I just wanted to redirect most of their anger onto me. Ali may be a tough girl but that has to hurt. I've been at odds with my parents for years now. Being disowned doesn't really feel any different."

Troy hopped out of his side of the truck, shut the door and walked around the tailgate. He climbed into the bed of the truck and started to handed things to his friends. The work would make him not think about what had just happened.

After all of Ali's stuff was in her new room, Troy travelled down the hall and went into his own room. Now could he just go back to bed? He toed his shoes off and went looking for Chase. Once he found the older vampire, Troy leaned against the wall. "Um, is there anything else you needed to tell me? You can go home if you are feeling uncomfortable or you can stay here and hideout from your roommates if you wanted." Troy tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling while he waited for Chase's answer. "i'm sure you're still tired, after all I had Ali call early in the morning. I've got a couch upstairs if you want to crash out on it" Troy swallowed and waited. Kiss the man in front of his parents and get himself disowned...sure why not. But he was still leery on the idea of sharing a sleeping area with the man.

***

James was pretty sure he was dreaming. Something that was just twisted but still dreaming. There was no way he was having naughty thoughts about his best friend's little sister, or that said best friend has been turned into a vampire or that the same best friend and his little sister had just been disowned by their parents or that his best friend had just given another man a kiss that ranked up there on the passionate scale. There was just no way that had all happen within the last twelve hours. Just not possible. James had to pinch himself just to be sure.

He whimpered when it hurt and sighed. Okay, so that all had just happened. As he thought over it all, James' eyes narrowed. Grace had not been present at that little debacle. Odd, she'd picked Ali up. James left the living room and stalked up to Ali's room. He opened the door after knocking on it. "Ali, I hate to distress you even more, but where was Grace during all of that?"

[Shinigami]

Chase had been in a light daze for most of the ride back to the house, but he was sure he also managed to have a stupid little grin on his face. He certainly wasn't upset with what happened, even though Troy ended up getting disowned right along with Ali. He felt bad about that part, but it had been Troy that had instigated it, so Chase was left wondering if he regretting it. That was answered when they got to the house, which he hadn't realized they had already arrived and were parked in the driveway.

Chase's gaze was drawn to Troy as he started to speak, and he smiled as he listened. "I'm not embarrassed, believe me. I've done worse on my own. I just wish it hadn't ended with both you disowned. It was just unexpected, but not unpleasant." He was still smiling a bit when he climbed out of the truck and made his way to the back. He grabbed the first box he could reach as Troy started handing boxes over to his roommates.

Between the five of them they managed to get all of Ali's stuff in the fourth room. He gave Ali a small smile as he left her to sort through her things and get them in order in her new room. He needed to find Troy anyway, as it was nearly noon, and he didn't think anyone in the house had eaten yet. He went in search of Troy and saw him in the hall. He looked like he had been looking for Chase as well, so he smiled as they met halfway before Troy leaned against the wall. He could sense the uneasiness, the nervousness before Troy even began to spoke, but he waited patiently until he replied. "Well, you'll be hungry soon. I don't think anyone's eaten yet, especially you, and I wouldn't want to leave until I know you can handle the basics." He knew he was being a bit vague, but he hoped Troy understood what he meant when he said 'hungry.' He wasn't sure how he would take having to drink blood, and more importantly, he didn't know what they were going to do about getting some in a way that didn't make Troy uncomfortable.

Chase smirked as he heard the comment about being tired. "I'm a computer animation major, we rarely sleep as it is, so I'm actually quite fine with staying up." He could tell this was were most of Troy's nervousness came from, and he could guess why. Troy was still new to the thought of having a relationship with another guy, and he was still leery about more intimate things, and probably about sleeping in the same room as Chase, but he had promised no romantic stuff until Troy was situated as a vampire, and he'd never do anything unless he knew he could get away with it, which he knew he couldn't (and wouldn't) now.

He answered the bit about his roommates as well, who could wait until later as far as he was concerned. "My one roommate already knows. He's a Kasi, which makes him psychic, and your worst enemy when you have a secret you'd like to keep." He smiled a bit before continuing. "The other two can either hear it from him or wait until I get back. Making sure you can handle yourself is more important, especially with how you started off the morning."

[Maira]

Ali was quite lost in planning what she was going to do to tame the jungle outside her window when a knock at her door startled her and made her jump, nearling falling off the edge of her bed. Before she even had a chance to tell the person on the other side of the door to come in, the door opened and in walked James.

Too tired and heart-sore to glare at her brother's friend for just waltzing into her bedroom, Ali just stared at him. It took her a moment to realize just what he had asked and she could feel her throat tighten and her eyes start to burn at the mention of Grace's name.

She had no idea what to even tell him, she didn't really know when Grace had left her parent's house. She vaguely remembered the other girl still being there when she had thrown her shoes and then bolted upstairs. Deciding that since that was all she really knew Ali told him that and ended with, "My parents said that her parents had been informed as well, so I really don't know if I'll see her again."

After she spoke, Ali just sat there in silence thinking over what had happened between herself and her parents. She was still in shock, as seemed to be a recurring state for her over the past 24 hours, and without knowing she was thinking outloud, Ali said confused, "They called me a lesbian? They know I've had boyfriends before..." Her voice trailed off as she shook her head in confusion. Today had just been too much for her to handle.

"Sorry James, I'm not quite making sense I know,"Ali said apologetically, though even as she said it she wasn't sure why she did. No shit she wasn't making sense, not even to herself. Looking him in the eyes she tried to relay how she was feeling without words as her words had failed her horribly. "I just... I mean... Oh fuck it!" she finally snapped out, tears again trailing down her cheeks and her shoulders starting to shake with sobs she refused to give in to. "Please James, either get out or get over here and hold me. Troy is too busy to deal with me and I just need.... I just want... I dunno..."

The tears and sobs were so close to overruning her and James was just standing there looking confused. To clarify things for him perfectly well, Ali threw her pillow at him and shouted, "Yes James, I'm a girl and I'm crying! I asked you to hold me or get out. If all you can do is fucking stand there then get the hell out!" And with that, the dam broke. All the emotion that Ali had thought had run its course earlier at her parents' house came back in a rush, along with the hopelessness that had only found her out on the lawn when her father had told her she was no longer part of the family.

Clutching her other pillow to her chest, Ali drew up her knees to her chest and leaned against the window again. The plants outside were blurry through her tears and her breath from her sobs was fogging up the window so it was even more impossible to see out. Her crying lasted for a while, eventually though her body's shaking slowed, as did her tears and her breathing. She had cried herself to sleep, leaning against the window.

[Demeter]

Troy sratched his head and swallowed. He was starting to feel a little hungrey but nothing that could be bought in a store appealed to him. And that was just another reason he wanted to go hide in his room. He was a vampire, therefor he would more then likely be ingesting blood at one point or another. It would probably be a bad thing to partake of his friends or sister's. "Yeah, you might want to explain the whole feeding part to me, but not out here."

Troy, in his way, grabbed a hold of Chase and pulled him along until they were in his bedroom. He closed the door and flipped the lock on the knob. "I could care less about the rest of them knowing that I'm a vampire but this is something I'd like to discuss in private." Troy sat down on his bed and laced his hands together. "So...feeding, how does that work?"

***

James watched, helpless, as Ali not only flung a pillow at him but burst into tears. He didn't deal well with crying women. He'd only really had experince with his sister, Helen, but she was pretty much the human equvilate to a leaky faucet. James sat down behind Ali and rubbed her back, trying to not think of bad thoughts. Ali was in pain and miserable, now was not the time to let his horomones do the talking and do something that he'd not only regret but Troy would wallop him for.

Once he noticed that Ali had drifted to sleep, he sighed. Sleeping like that in the window would give her stiff muscles. James cleared off a few random items off her bed, plumped up her pillow and put her there. After covering the girl with a blanket, James turned off the lights and closed the door.

It wasn't until he was in his room that he acted upon a restrained desire to hit something. Said something turned out to be his wall. The end result was a hole in the wallboard that needed patching and a handful of severly bruised knukles. James paced his room while shaking his hand and mutering obscienties. How dare Grace just go and leave Ali to her parents. And her parents, calling her a lesbian when he knew full well that they'd caught her getting overly friendly with other guys. James just growled and shook his head somemore. Now was not the time to piss anyone off.

[Shinigami]

Chase blinked as he was dragged off to Troy's room, but he stood off to the side and waited patiently for Troy to finish closing the door. He noticed troy took the time to flip the lock on the door handle. He knew Troy was nervous about the conversation, as he heard most newly turned vampires get about having to drink blood, but he didn't think he was this nervous. He waited until Troy was settled on his bed, Chase leaning back against the locked door, hands in his pockets. "Well, it's different depending on how you feel. You could feed off a person, but I don't really recomend that for your first taste. Your new to this, and you'll have more of an appitite because you haven't had to ever drink blood before. We only usually need one or two glasses full every few weeks or so, which is the bare minimum. There are bars that are vampire friendly and serve blood, but I don't know if they're open yet. I've never tried to go to one this early."

Chase knew there was one more option, but he was leery about that himself. He'd never had it done before, and heard that it could be dangerous if the conditions weren't right. He sighed, decided to put it out there anyway, but his voice was quiet as he spoke. "Well, there is one other option. It would include drinking straight from me. It would make me hungry ineffect, but since I've had more experiance I could hold out until later to feed. I'd be tired, too, so you'd have to be careful to not get carried away." He was fidgeting, not quite happy about the last option, but if it was neccessary then he'd do it. He would have asked to have one of Troy's roommates stand in just in case, but he figured that was a long shot if he didn't even want them to overhear their talk.

Chase had moved on with his talking, mainly just thinking aloud to himself. "The owner of one of the bars if a friend of the family. I could call Dare or Gersh for the number, and answer a few questions to get them off my back. Or maybe Gersh would know when they opened already? He's always out and about early." He had started patting his jean pockets for his cell phone as his rambling died down. He managed to find that he had either left a pocket knife in his pocket, or just instinctively put on it. He finally found the cell phone, pulling it out, but he paused looking up at Troy. It was up to him to do what he was comfortable with after all.

[Demeter]

Troy sucked in a breathe. So many options and all of which were as freaky as the next. Sure, he have to get used to this now but still...it was a bit scary. Troy looked up at Chase while he searched for his phone. He'd heard that last bit and thought that maybe that was the best way to go, for now at least. "Call. I think that would be the best idea for now."

As Chase called, Troy flopped backwards onto his bed. He'd just been disowned by his parents. That would put a bit of a damper on finishing out his college years but Auntie Frances, the sister his mother pretended not to have, had told to call if he was ever in trouble. Maybe he'd call but not for him. Ali would need the help more then him. He'd just scrimp and save to finish off college.

Troy rolled onto his stomach and stared at the pattern of his bedspread. He'd probably need to talk to Ali later, and the rest of the guys, to explain his actions out on his parents lawn. He groaned and stuffed his face against the fabric. He still couldn't not believe he'd kissed Chase like that in front of his parents and the world. Though it had been worth it. Troy grinned and lifted his head to glance over his shoulder at Chase. He rolled over and into a sitting position when Chase finished his phone call. "So?"

[Shinigami]

Chase let out a triumphant 'Ah ha!' as he located his cell phone, flipping it open quickly as he dialed the house number, not bothering to search for it in his phone. The phone rang three times before Gershom answered with, "Chase, what the hell is going on." Chase winced lightly, making a face before he spoke. "Gersh, you already know what the hell is going on. I'll explain it personally, but not right now. Now, are you going to be a good little psychic, or do I actually have to ask my question?" There was grumbling heard from the other end of the line. "Yes, I need to know if any are open now, or close to now."

Chase was walking around the room slightly as he talked, a habit he had picked up, having far too much nervous energy at any given time to stand still during something as mundane as a phone call. He was nodding and giving the customary 'uh huh' and 'yeah' responses, glancing over at Troy every so often before he paused. He left out a long sigh nodding his head, even though Gershom wouldn't be able to hear him. "Yeah, I know, Gershom. Thanks."

Chase hung up his phone rolling his eyes dramatically to amuse Troy a bit. "Gershom said that most vampire friendly bars open around one for the "early risers," and there's a bar about two blocks from here." Chase glanced around the room for a clock, the one on his cell phone not being very reliable, as it was probably still set for Italy's time zone from last month, so he would know when to call his father. "Do you have another clock to check the time on? Because, you kind of killed your alarm clock." He glanced at the melted plastic thing that once use to be a clock before looking back at Troy.

[Demeter]

Troy heard Chase's question for a another clock and groaned. He'd have to get an new alarm clock now. He fumbled around until he was able to drag his phone out of his front pocket. He flipped up the phone and blinked at the numbers. "It's roughtly eleven thirty." He snapped the phone shut and pressed his face into the mattress. He had to say something.

Troy turned his face to the side and stared at his headboard. "I meant what I said back there. I'd like to see this relationship go somewhere. I...I like you. Just ignore any of my crazy antics until I get all adjusted and stuff. So, what should I do while I wait for this bar to open up?"

Troy kept his gaze on his headboard and fiddled with a loose peice of string.

[Shinigami]

Chase sighed, they had around an hour and a half to kill before the the bar opened. His mind started to file through what they could possibly do to pass the time, when he heard Troy speak again. His attention was drawn to him as he watched him stare at his headboard while talking. Chase smiled, even though he knew Troy couldn't see it, and sat on the bed with a little space between them.

He waited a second to see if Troy would turn around before be started speaking. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." His voice was a bit lively and happy, and he was still smiling. "I like you, too, and crazy antics are nothing to me. I am considered the wild child of the bunch, after all, so just worry about getting yourself used to your new powers and all that stuff."

Chase had heard the question about what Troy was supposeto do until one, and he still wasn't completely sure. "I don't know, really. You can try eating a normal breakfast before then, I guess." Then a thought came to him. "I could teach you a few tricks for your powers. We could practice while making something to eat, if we're going to cook anything. That way you'll have motovation not to burn anything since we'll have to eat it." He chuckled lightly at the idea, but it would be a good way to teach Troy a little control.

[Demeter]

Troy nodded at Chase's assurance that he too wanted to see this relationship go somewhere. He rolled over onto his back and rolled his eyes. 'The motovation not to burn anything since we'll have to eat it.' If that wasn't a bit of a bribe he didn't what one could be. It sounded to him that if he wanted to eat anything warm, he'd have to control himself. Come to think of it, learning a little of bit of control in the hopes of getting something else was a good idea.

Troy scooted off of his bed. "Thats a good idea. Even if I don't manage to eat anything, at least I can attempt it for the others. As a bit of an apology for dragging them out of bed at a godforsaken hour on a saturday." Troy stood and brushed off his jeans. "I'm just going to go the bathroom and then we can wander downstairs to try this thing out." After saying that, Troy made his escape.

He closed the door to the bathroom and shook his head. It was still a bit of a mess after his early morning adventure but that didn't matter at the moment. He braced himself against the counter and stared at the mirror. In less then twelve hours his life had been dramatically altered. Disowner, changed into something not quite human, and openingly admitting to having feelings for another man. He just needed to slow down and take life one step at a time now.

Troy ran a hand through his hair and opened the door. The first thing he was going to do was get a handle on his nifty vampire powers and abilites before he even thought about tackling the rest of the changes in his life. He went back down the short length of hallway between his room and the bathroom. He stopped about midway and opened the door to Ali's new room. He just wanted to check on her before wandering else where.

She'd started the unpacking process but had fallen back asleep. He smiled and reshut the door. He finished the trip to his room andpoked his head into the room and grinned at Chase. "Come on, lets go see how much stuff I can burn." He turned and headed for the stairs. "I suppose that anything that can be served cold is out?"

[Shinigami]

Chase smiled at Troy, glad he was going to try it out, even as a peace offering to his roommates. As Troy excused himself for a few moments Chase flopped back on the bed, staring at the the ceiling as he thought about the past day or so. Yesterday he had started off his day in his Senior Sem class and went to the club as usual that night, not knowing he was going to meet Troy or get into all the trouble that came about. And now today he was teaching Troy how to control his powers by making food.

He was actually feeling much better about the whole thing. The day had been kind of fun after the morning craziness, even though both Ali and Troy got disowned. He was almost glad to have another vampire around besides his roommates and family, and one that he could start a different kind of relationship with. It had been while since Chase had been in a serious relationship, especially with another guy, and he did like Troy. He had felt an interest in him last night, which was what probably led to the biting, but it seemed even stronger now that he'd spent more time with him.

Chase was still a little leery about this bar, as he's never been there before, so he had every intention of going with Troy. He probably could use a little blood anyway, and he had no idea who would be there and what kidn of trouble they would cause. Even though it would still be early, he was still worried. If Troy was able to get a good enough handle on his powers, then maybe he'd have him hold onto the switchblade he had, just in case.

His thoughts were interrupted when Chase heard the door open, sitting up as a head poked into the room. He smiled when he saw it was Troy and stood, readying himself for the cooking adventure, because it was sure to be amusing. Chase was following Troy downstairs when he heard the question about cold foods and chuckled. "I'll allow a few foods that can be served cold. We've got to eat -something- right?" He snickered at his teasing, keeping an eye open for any retaliation.

[Demeter]

Troy smirked at Chase from over hir shoulder. "Ha Ha, very funny. I'll be sure to burn whatever you're getting." He rolled his eyes and procedded into the kitchen. He took one look around and decided that something had happened earlier in the day and no one had told him. The coffee pot was missing and there was a first aid kit sitting on the counter. He looked over shoulder again. "Do you know what happened this morning or should I go drag it out of somebody?"

He glanced around the kitchen once more and headed for the fridge. "Eggs, I think. Relatively easy to cook and we seem to have a surplus of them." Troy gesture to the large amount of white egg containers. He pulled out a case, shut the door with a hip and looked over at Chase. "What next? Do I use the stove or what?"

[Shinigami]

Chase heard Troy's comment and clasped his hands over is chest, a fake pained expression on his face. "Oh, why do you have to be so cruel." His voice holding a 'woe is me' tone to it. He was quickly back to himself and smirking as he followed Troy down the stairs and into the kitchen. As they entered the kitchen he saw the taller man pause and scan the kitchen before the question reached him. He blinked, not seeing anything overly odd with the kitchen, but then again it wasn't his kitchen so he didn't know it as well. When he spotted the first aid kit he was then reminded of what happened early that morning, when he had spooked Ali with his loud knocking, and put two and two together. "Oh! I almost forgot. When I got here I knocked rather loud and startled Ali while she was trying to make coffee. She dropped the pot and then had to walk through the glass to get to the door. James, I think, patched up her feet."

Chase was by the fridge soon after Troy and was glancing around at the contents. He was surprised by the number of eggs, as it was an odd item to have so much of unless you actually used them up quickly enough. He found his mind wandering into what meals you could possibly make that would actually put those eggs to good use. He was brought back around when he heard Troy speaking, barely registering what it was about through his thoughts. "Uh.. no. Just a frying pan and you. I'll crack the eggs for you. Its hard enough to do that and heat the frying pan when you know what your doing."

The frying pan was passed over to Troy and Chase Custosstrated how to hold the pan. "You have to put your hand closer to the pan, high up on the handle like this. Most handles are heat resistant, so any lower and the heat won't travel to the pan." He passed it over, letting Troy get a hold of the pan just right. "Then all you have to do is concentrate on heating the pan. Your hand and some of your forearm should heat up, but that's about it if it's properly controlled."

[Demeter]

Troy nodded at Chase's explantion as to why his kitchen looked different. "That was good of James. Course, Ali's his little sister as much as she is mine. We're childhood friends, me and James."

Troy studied how Chase held the pan and nodded. He took hold of the pan as shown but glanced around the kitchen before he did anything. "I think that for round one, I should be standing somewhere more protected." Troy set the pan down on the stove and wandered over to the deeper then average sink. He turned the facet on and watched the sink fill with water. "Just in case," he said over his shoulder.

Once the sink was filled, Troy picked the pan back up, held it like Chase had told him and concentrated on warming the pan up. He kept a firm hold on what he considered perfect egg-frying temperature. Troy bobbled in holding the pan and concentrating in the heat once the eggs Chase cracked and dropped on the pan sizzled but held steady. He was happily cooking away and didn't exactly notice when smoke started to curl upwards from the pan. He did notice, however, when the smoke detector, which he was standing under, started to scream, which caused his concentration to shatter, which caused a flare in heat due to his surpirse. That flare in heat caused his eggs to go up in smoke and that caused him to drop the pan into the sink and yelp.

As the now heated water steamed away, Troy reached up and disconnected the fire alarm. He turned, rubbing his wrist, and grinned at Chase. "Umm...Opps? Again?"

[Maira]

Ali gave a yelp of pain as she jerked, at the sudden screaming of a smoke detector, and smacked her knee on the window sill that her bed was scooted up against. "Shit, shit, shit," she cursed under her breath as she flung back the covers, covers she didn't remember pulling over herself, and hobbled to her bedroom door.

Only once she had reached the door through the path of scattered boxes did Ali realize this wasn't her regular bedroom and that reminded her of what had happened earlier in the day. Armed with bad memories, a sore knee and aching feet, Ali made her way from her first floor bedroom, through the livingroom (snagging a couch pillow as she went) and into the kitchen.

Before she even reached the kitchen, Ali could smell burnt food. Just what it had started off as she wasn't sure but whatever it was, the charred remains were now floating in the sink. "Troy dear," she said teasingly when she saw the sheepish look on her brother's face as he looked at Chase, "what on earth are you scorching in here? If you wanted breakfast that badly you could have woken me." While Troy wasn't a bad cook normally, Ali had a bit more skill in the kitchen. As she waited for an answer, Ali bounced the couch pillow off her thigh, silently contemplating flinging it at one of the two men standing before her.

[Shinigami]

Chase smirked as Troy decided to stand over a sink filled with cool water for his first attempt at cooking with his powers. It was actually a good idea, one that Chase had learned the hard way when his mother had tried to teach him as a child. He stood at Troy's side, just close enough to crack the eggs into the pan - setting the shells on a paper towel off to the side. A smile appeared as the pan heated fairly nicely, Chase tapping the edge lightly to test if it was hot enough for the eggs. He cracked the eggs into the pan and listened to them sizzle, keeping an eye on the eggs and Troy.

He saw the smoke start to rise lightly, which wasn't too big of a deal, as it was light, but the whole point of this was to learn control. Just as Chase opened his mouth to tell Troy to drop the tempurature a little he was almost defened by the shrill scream of the smoke detector, which he hadn't realized they were standing beneith. Chase's hands flew to his ears immediately. He wasn't used to that skull splitting sound. Being a keahi, and born of a family of keahi, they had only had smoke detectors for show so their house would pass inspection when built, but there were never any batteries in them. If any one of them had gotten into an argument or had been spooked in the house they would have gone off, and it was just an annoying hassle.

Troy was obviously spooked by the alarm as well, as he flared and dropped the pan into the sink as he saw the flames he had created. He shut the alarm off just after, leaving Chase to rub his ears lightly to ward away the ringing. He saw Troy's grin and heard the 'oops', smirking lightly and trying not to start chuckling. The day was certainly turning out to be entertaining, and he was just about to suggest that he try again when he heard the now familiar voice of Ali and spun around to face her.

Chase spoke up, feeling the need to rescue Troy from getting teased and/or scolded about setting breakfast aflame. "I thought it would be good to teach Troy a little control over his powers by making him cook without using the stove. It was going well until the fire alarm went off, I swear." He smirked. "I'm not used to those things. They've been disabled in my house for as long as I can remember."

[Demeter]

Troy rolled his eyes at his sister. He didn't do anything else because she was armed and would use that pillow against him. She'd done it in the past. He rubbed the back of his neck and pointed at Chase. "Yeah, what he said. There is no need for you to worry, I haven't burned down the house or anything,"

Troy turned back to the sink and stared at the steaming water. There were bits of burnt egg floating around on surface of the water. Troy reached into the water, whistled under his breathe at the temperature and felt around for the handle to the pan. "Why don't you just sit down, Ali, and watch your big brother make a fool out of himself."

Troy pulled the pan out of the water with a triumpant "Ah Ha!" and shook the excess water off the teflon coated cooking implement. "So, again?"

***

Upstairs, James groaned. He'd just fallen back to sleep with that blasted fire alarm had gone off. He rolled over and buried his face into the mattress. Obviuosly the house wasn't being burned down as the alarm had been shut off rather quickly. "Damn blasted vampires and their damn blasted spiffy powers." he grumbled as he twisted around and hauled the sheets over his head.

James so wasn't getting out of bed until sometime after three.