Isn't It Lovely This Time of Year? (Open)

[Twilight Black]

Gaily running feet pounded on the ground. A chorus of barking rang through the air as a new comer was greeted. The gentle swishes of happily wagging tails made their way to the ears sensitive enough to hear them. It was a fine day to be at the dog park, and the dogs thought so too. Twilight sat, eyes half closed yet still watchful over her small pack, on a bench in the busy dog park. The gentle sun of early summer beamed down on Twilight's waiting face. She sighed contentedly, and so did the large shepherd mix laying on the ground beside her. Thor tilted his head slightly to give an adoring glance up at his master, then wagged his tail enthusiastically when she gave him a gentle pat on the head. They both turned back to the dog park scene to watch the frolics.

There were more dogs than usual at the park today, but the weather was especially nice today. It was still a bit too cold to swim in Goldleaf lake, so more dog owners would be here exercising their dogs. Twilight occasionally brought her dogs to the dog park, but she usually preffered to go on a walk, or bike ride along a unused trail behind her house. Today was a good day for socialization with other dogs though, so she didn't regret it. Twilight didn't necisarily like the human socialization part of the dog park, but for her dogs she didn't mind. She was a bit seclusive, even though she ran the only veterinary office in Hush Hills. Twilight loved the job. Emergency calls in the middle of the night didn't bother her, so she was well suited for being the senior veterinarian at TLC Vet Clinic. Hopefully she would get some more vets in sometime to take the workload off of herself.

[Heinrich Drake]

The park. Such a lovely place. Relaxing. Plus, American girls usually roamed the place. Which Heinrich wasn't complaining about. After all, he hadn't been to America since the sixties.

The weather was nice. The lake by his house wasn't warm enough to swim in, and since he almost drowned back as a Nazi, Heinrich didn't really feel like swimming anyways. So it was the park fo him.

For over an hour, Heinrich walked around, and played the part of the lost forienger. However, flirting with humans got old, quicker nowadays, since he was almost sevenhundred years old, and alot more intellegent then these people. Even so, it made time fly.

Before he left, however, Heinrich spotted a girl, with some dogs, at the dog park. Although not a big dog fan, Heinrich decieded to go over to her. One last test of his abilities.

About halfway there, he realized neither his German accent, his charming ways nor his looks would get him anywhere. Because he could smell this girl, and she wasn't just a girl. She was a werewolf, around the age of twenty.

Hmm. Havn't seen any of her kind in awhile. Maybe a quick word.

Walking over to where she sat, Heinrich started contemplating possible conversation starters. In the end, he decieded on a simple one.

"Hello, ma'am. How are you on this fine day?" Heinrich's facial expression showed he kne what she was.

[Twilight Black]

Ahh, trust a vampire to ruin a day like this, Twilight thought, wry humor toned her thoughts. The stinging, too sweet scent drifted innocently along the breeze as Twilight was relaxing on the bench. A male, other than that she couldn't tell much else about him over the distance and the many strong smelling dogs here. A low grumble shook it's way through Twilight's throat, and Thor jerked his head up and made his displeasure more vocal. Twilight hushed him with a short, sharp vocal command, and he layed down obediently. She hoped the shepherd wouldn't distract her again with his growls, she was focusing on the barely traceable sound of foot steps. Great, she thought when she realized that he was coming her way. She watched him draw nearer through open eyes, they had widened from their lazy half-closed state.

Well if he can be cordial, so can I, Twilight thought stubbornly as he politely greeted her. She would rather not breath in his scent so close to her, but unlike him, she needed oxygen to survive. Thor had started growling again, but Twilight didn't try to shush him this time.

"I'm fine sir, thank you. And you?" She asked, forcing a polite smile. Well think on the bright side, now we can discus feeding rules. Twilight looked around at the decently populated park, and the females staring, and the men casting reproachful glares at the beautiful being. Or maybe not.

[Heinrich Drake]

Hmm. Judging by the vocal tone, she isn't one of the more open werewolves. Figures. Second one I walk up to, and its the vampire hating kind. Woo.

"I'm fine."

Looking at this werewolf, Heinrich sensed an aura of seniority. Almost as if he was sitting next to a werewolves' pack leader...

Ahh, crap. This must be that Twilight. Figures.

Quietly, Heinrich spoke up. If this was who he was sure it was, he might as well be nice about everything.

"Would I be right in guessing you absaloutly hate vampires, wish I was gone, and likely will try to get me to leave, ma'am? Or perhaos you are the Twilight Black I've heard about?"

For German nobility, Heinrich wasn't exactly much for subtlity. He liked the rather more blunt approach. It served him well in the past. Should work now, no?

[Twilight Black]

The right side of Twilight's mouth twitched upward, crooked grin. Her eyebrows pulled down. The over-all facial expression was one of dark amusement. This was certainly going to be an interesting conversation. When he asked about who she was, his voice changed slightly. Respect maybe? No, couldn't be. Twilight shoved that thought away. Well, she at least had some respect for him. She welcomed his bluntness, if it was her choice she would be blunt all the time. Darned courtesy that was so deeply engraved in human society.

Twilight gave a soft chuckle before speaking again.

"Well, you got one and a half things right. I am indeed Twilight Blakk, and I wouldn't mind you leaving. Only because you, and every other immortal in this town is a risk to my... loved ones" Twilight's voice hesitated as she was about to say 'family'. Twilight had a very deep family instinct, considering. She considered most of the people in town to be family to her. She was their protector, from vampires and werewolves alike.

"And about hating you for being a vampire... Well you do sort of stink." Twilight added, not meaning to be insulting, her tone humorous. The crooked smile brightened slightly.

[Heinrich Drake]

Seeing Twilight chuckle lightened Heinrich's mood abit. AT least he wasn't dealing with some psychotic were-wolve with a vengeance. The last one, back when he was a Nazi, sure was enough.

He smiled a bit.
"A threat? Do explain. If it has to do with a vampire's bloodthirstyness, you don't need to worry about me. I might seem young, but seven-hundred years is quite more than enough to learn to suppress desire for sustenance.

Ah, yes, the smell the wolves hate. Sorry, but it's likely not going away. Hitl...erm, an old friend, spent years trying to help me find away to at least dim it down.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight nodded, encouraged slightly by his smile.

"Yes, that is what I was concerned about actually." She paused. 700 years? Twilight thought with surprise. Was he really that old? Or was he lying to her to get her off his back, to make her less suspicious. Regardless, she would be keeping close tabs on him.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the almost said name of his 'old friend'. Though this was contradicted by the humor in them.

"Yes well, unless Hitl...er, your old friend... was a werewolf himself, the stink shouldn't be a problem. Either that or he was getting frustrated that every female within smelling distance from you was getting intoxicated." Twilight's smile widened slightly. Her green gaze turned pointedly at a group of staring humans, female of course. When they caught her eyes, they blushed, and looked down. Her eye brows rose in a slightly exasperated 'see what I mean' expression.

"And anyways, I doubt I smell very appealing to you also." Twilight added.

[Heinrich Drake]

Heinrich silently reprimanded himself for almost saying his 'old friend's' name. That might not have been good.

"Well, at least I'm one less bloodsucking devil you have to worry about, huh?" He grinned. He liked this Twilight. After getting used to that damn smell years ago, he got on well with them. To bad they normally didn't get used to him.

"No, my friend and I knew a rather large number of immortals. We were aiming at unifying them...didn't work out to well. They eventuallly did, but it wasn't thanks to our efforts." Which was pretty much the truth. Except for a few 'minor' details, Heinrich covered the whole issue.

"Ask me that 100 or so years ago, and I'd have said you stink too. Now, however, I've gotten so used to the smell of werewolves. You could say It's started to grow on me, you know?" Which again, was true. In the past hundred years, Heinrich had started hanging around more and more werewolves. It was a miracle they gave him a chance, rather than killimg him.

Realizing he hadn't introduced himself, Heinrich grinned.
"By the way, my name is Baron Heinrich Draco von Carstien. You can call me Drake. I tend to view the whole name as a bit over the top. Would hae been longer if I didn't drop my mother's name."

[Twilight Black]

Twilight nodded, humor in her eyes. Her mouth was touched by the humor only slightly, curving into the slightly wry, crooked smile. Twilight knew that if she thought of her situation much, then it would seem very absurd. Joking with a vampire? Twilight would have shook her head incredulously, but not while she had an audience that was the source of it.

"Well, your still a bloodsucker, less devil though. Never the less, my mind is eased somewhat." Twilight chuckled, her voice teasing. It was all too easy to be friendly with the strange vampire. This worried her a little. Twilight sat back on the bench, realizing against it as he explained himself. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she processed all the information she had received. That was the only expression on her face though. She did chuckle at the thought of the werewolf stench growing on him. Well good then, cause there are a lot of them here to get more than a good whiff, Twilight thought, but didn't dare say aloud.

Twilight had been staring out into the park while he talked, but now she brought her green gaze back to his.

"Drake suits me just fine, I'm sorry to say that will be all I can remember." Twilight smiled, the expression almost friendly.

"I think you already know my name." Twilight added, not wanting to seem too rude for not introducing herself.

[Heinrich Drake]

Heinrich nodded. "Yep, I'm still a bloodsucker. As a matter of fact..." Heinrich's eyes were mischevious. "I vant to suck your vlood." This last bit was said quieter, to keep the ever gazing humans from hearing. The stupid Dracula routine was something he excelled in.

To his suprise, Twilight seemed to be actually acting civil, which was something unexpected from a werewolf Heinrich hadn't known very long. Obviously, she wouldn't like him much, even if they got to know each other, but Heinrich was fine with being on good terms. WHo needs friends anyways? Riiiight.

"Oh, its okay. I sometimes forget my name. Apparently, royalty need long names. Who'duv thunk it?

Heinrich smiled back. "I'm sure too. Twilight Black, Alpha of...... the Black Blook pack, or something like that. Don't worry, your name is one of the more distinct I've heard lately."

[Twilight Black]

A short sharp snort replaced laughter at the vampire crack Drake made. One eyebrow rose, and she rolled her eyes. Beneath the facade of annoyance though, her eyes showed her amusement. Ha, I bet he would regret that if he did. My blood probably tastes as bad as it smells to him, Twilight though to herself as she rolled her eyes. Twilight hadn't met a vampire that joked around so much. She also hadn't ever met a vampire that was so comfortable around her. Maybe they could be friendly acquaintances, more than that seemed unlikely because of their species though. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Twilight thought, and put the picture of them being friends out of her mind.

Twilight raised one eyebrow in mild surprise at the mention of him being royalty. Baron Heinrich Draco von Carstien, isn't Baron something important in Germany? Twilight asked herself. She didn't know much about German royalty, but she was pretty sure that the title of Baron was significant.

"Royalty eh? It appears as if you have some history... Drake." Twilight murmured quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself. Of course she had more discipline then to foolishly say something out loud that she didn't mean to. Her voice faltered slightly at his name. It didn't seem quite right, calling him something so informal as 'Drake'. She was about to say 'Sir', but she decided to leave it off, not knowing if it would be right to use 'Sir' before a German nobles name.

It surprised Twilight that he had heard of her status. The only facial expression that showed this was her brows farrowing slightly. Many of the new comers had heard of her. Who are they hearing this from? Twilight asked herself incredulously. Her pack was small, and she didn't think that they would be so foolish as to speak of their existence in the presence of a vampire. Twilight whipped her face of concern.

"Ah well, Twilight is sufficient for a name. I don't need the formality of a title." Her tone was half serious. She wouldn't get on anyones case if they did use such formality when they spoke to her or about her. Twilight demanded respect, so she wasn't about to admonish anyone for showing her respect in acknowledging her title.

[Heinrich Drake]

Although obviously meant for Twilight's ears only, Heinrich caught the small comment. He grinned. Indeed he had a history. But he let it go.

Formality, eh? He wasn't even about to call her Alpha, or anything remotly close. Last time he made that mistake, a wolf almost tore him to shreds.

But that was the past, which he wouldn't dwell on.

"Alright. Then Twilight it is! But do forgive me if I call you Madam Twilight, or something of the sort. I got taught that awhile ago, and it never went away.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight caught his grin out of the corner of her eye, because she had turned her attention back to her 'mini-pack', her pet dogs, as they began trotting over to Twilight. The dogs tongues lolled happily. Hot sunshine shone down on the dogs dusty pelts. Ajax and his brindle coat was the dustiest. The pit bull terrier mix loved a good roll in the dirt. Chyene and Perri panted the hardest, being the more energetic of the four. The two bird dogs loved to run. They would often take off across the dog park side by side, making laps around it while a weary Ajax valiantly tried to follow. After the third lap, he tired out and went to go watch from a shallow hole to cool off. Thor usually stuck by Twilight’s side, engaging in play only if prompted gently by his dog friends, or by a ball or Frisbee with Twilight. This was her family, well, a big part anyway. Twilight almost grinned back at her dogs, but remembered she had an audience, and that he had spoken to her.

”Well… call me what you will. Twilight said hesitantly, stating that she would tolerate ‘Madam Twilight’ or whatever title he felt she needed. It would be odd, being called ‘Madam’ but a vampire. Twilight almost rolled her eyes at herself. She had to keep reminding herself that they probably wouldn’t come in contact often enough for ‘Madam’ to seem odd.

[Heinrich Drake]

Drake nodded. "Well then so I shall."

Heinrich stayed silent for a minute, and watched the dogs return to Twilight, before speaking once more.

"Hmm. If you wouldn't mind me asking, how many other vampires are there around that you know of? I doubt any of the other werewolves will be as hospitible as you. I havn't seen another vampire for years, and it becomes strangely lonely, without your people around you, y'know?"

[Twilight Black]

She wasn’t expecting the question Drake directed at and she was slightly distracted. Her small pack of dogs had stopped their careless bound toward Twilight once they caught the scent of the vampire. Simultaneously their hackles raised in fear. A deep whining punctuated the air, and the dogs were confused. The scent made them want to run with their tails tucked, but their master was over there and that scary thing was in the way. Only one of the dogs had growled at Drake’s presence was laying beside her, gums drawn over the teeth, showing his displeasure. The other three just slunk in on their bellies giving Drake a wide berth. They crawled in behind her, she played the role of protector now. Twilight snapped her attention back to Drake. For a moment she took in every memory of meeting a vampire, and compiled a bank of faces.

For a moment she wavered, wondering distrustfully if he could use this information against her. She was still taken aback with his casual attitude. His wanting to gather a vampire army ran though her mind, but she dismissed that quickly. He wouldn’t have come to a werewolf first to find other vampires.

”Three…others, not including you.” Twilight clarified.

”Two males, one female.” She added, raising an eyebrow, curious if he had a preference to male…or female company.