Skippin Rocks (continued)

[Phoenix]

It had been years since Nix and E had seen each other and he was well aware that there might not quite be the same level of trust there once was between them especially now that he was a werewolf. He was prepared for rejection if it came but lucky for him she at least let him come in for now. He wasn't sure if anybody was home, the house seem vacant though if Vara was there it might take him a while to realize it seeing as how they're so sneaky, that an the house already reeked of her scent and he it would be a bit tough for him to smell her right away. His attention was brought back to what was happening and what was happening was the door creaking loudly under the force of the hinges that needed some grease. He stepped inside observing all of the decorative trinkets that littered the house and shut the door behind him. "Some water would be nice." he replied. The house still seamed deserted though and he didn't hear anybody approaching. Maybe they were asleep for a nap. He advanced to the kitchen and waited for Elizabeth to retrieve a glass and some water.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth reached for the handle to a cupboard. She opened the door, and frowned at the contents. The only thing filling the cupboard was plates and bowls. Elizabeth shut the door, wincing at the loud crack it made as wood slammed against wood, and continued looking. It had been a while since she had visited her grandparents, and she couldn’t remember exactly where all the dishware was. After checking three other places, Elizabeth found the glasses. She made a satisfied sound and reached for two glasses. They clinked loudly together as she brought them down, and she winced again, wondering if Nix’s hearing was as acute as Vara’s. Elizabeth tried to be quiet in her movements since she knew that every slammed door or clinking glass rang louder in their ears that in hers. Once she had retrieved the glasses, she went over to the tap, filling them up with water. Her task accomplished, Elizabeth turned and walked over to Nix. She held his glass out to him, and waited for him to take it.

”So, what do you guys do for fun around here?” Elizabeth asked, a twinkle in her eye.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix watched his friend file through the cupboards searching for a pair of glasses. Apparently E hadn't figured out quite where everything was yet. The creaking noises didn't bother his sensitive ears too much in a painful way but it did echo for a minute or two along with the clang of the glassware. Every since the first time he mentioned the noise to his rents, they used mostly plastic cups and such unless there was a special even with company or they simply ran out of the plastic ones that hadn't been washed yet.
She held out the glass full of water to him and he took it. "Thanks. Well for fun, a lot off people go onto the lake during the summer. Teenagers will hang out in the park playing basketball at night and stuff, likely doing stuff involving contraband materials. I don't see that as much fun and that's why I don't go there. I personally like to go mountain biking but not much can beat simply floating down a crick or running at blur speeds as a wolf." Nix went back over the list of things he had said and realized he hadn't done too many of them lately. "How's bout yourself, what do you like to do?"

[Elizabeth Coons]

After he took the glass, Elizabeth went back to the counter across from Nix. Putting one hand on the counter, Elizabeth hopped up easily, her legs dangling off the edge. She swirled her water once in her glass before taking a sip of it. The taste of the water flooded over her tongue, bringing back pleasant memories. The water at her grandmothers house had a lot of iron in it, and Elizabeth liked the taste.

Nix went on, listing a few things, and Elizabeth’s brow furrowed in thought. Hopefully the time of going to the lake was almost over. She wouldn’t appreciate a bunch of people right outside her backyard. Vara certainly wouldn’t either. Though Elizabeth wanted to make sure she got a few swims at the lake in before the water got too cold. Elizabeth loved swimming, even if it did wash the pink out of her hair. The basketball was out. She couldn’t play and didn’t feel like sitting around watching stupid teenagers. The creek and mountain biking were options… though the biking might do her in. She hated going up hills on a bike. The running as a wolf was also out, seeing as she wasn’t a werewolf. But what did she do for fun?

”Um well… I like to swim. And Frisbee. I love Frisbee. Other than that… Not a whole lot. Vara and I always find ways to entertain ourselves though.” Elizabeth said, a slightly mischievous grin spreading across her face. This usually involved people. It was all too easy to prank the unsuspecting.

[Phoenix]

Nix took a couple swallows of the cool liquid and enjoyed the feeling of it going down his throat and quenching his thirst. He noticed the faint creaking of the counter top as Elizabeth jumped on it. "It's not good for the counter-top to be sat on like that." The construction knowledge and many times being told by his own parents that it's not good for it couldn't be restrained. He listened as E rattled off the few things she did for fun. It didn't seem like she did that much, fond memories of the past came to the present of the two of them going on adventures through woods or making up random stories. Then he suddenly remembered possibly his favorite things to do as a wolf. "OH! But possibly my most favorite thing to do is terrorize the people at the basketball court especially after they've gotten to the point of where they start hallucinating, then I come out of the shadows as a wolf and they all either run away or are to far gone they think I'm not real." Nix kinda looked out of focus as he reviewed those times. "Of course I never hurt any of them though. And I don't let them touch me. It's been a really long time since I've done that though cuz Twilight kinda told me to stop or else. Oh well." The options for one person to have fun by themselves increased greatly as a werewolf. Realizing what he had just said might not have been the most appropriate thing to say he sort of just looked away hoping that Elizabeth would find a way to continue the conversation whether they continued and the subject they were on or started a new one.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him when he told her it wasn’t good for the counter top to be sat on. She sat on counter tops all the time. They were like her own personal stool. She didn’t feel quite so short around everyone while sitting on one. I’m really not that short… just shorter than all her friends… Elizabeth told herself. Apparently 5’4” was the average height for a woman in America. Still didn’t keep her from feeling short. Oh well. Elizabeth didn’t mind so much. Though it was kind of annoying not being able to reach as high as the tall people do… This brought a memory of kids holding stuff out of her reach at school. It was mostly in affectionate teasing though.

When Nix continued with another thing he did for fun, Elizabeth gave a tiny frown. It was kinda sad that they got so wasted… but that would be a lot of fun. There were so many more options when you were an immortal. Elizabeth had to admit she was jealous of them some times. What it would be like to be an immortal crossed her mind frequently. It was one of those things that she fantasized about, but wouldn’t probably end up doing. Hey Vara. I wanna be a vamp. Bite me? Yeah. That would go well. Elizabeth suddenly snapped back to reality. When she heard about Twilight’s threat, she smiled.

”Well that does sound fun… but I can see why she doesn’t want you to do that anymore… but what would she do if she found you were doing it again?” Elizabeth asked curiously. She knew little about this werewolf, but if she was Nix’s ‘Alpha’, it was probably good to get to know about her.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix went to the faucet and helped himself to another glass of water from the tap. Swirled it around a little thinking about what his friend was missing out on, as well as what she was fortunate to not have to go through. He brought the cool glass to his lips and took a small swallow, deciding it best for Elizabeth to remain human even if she wanted to be immortal; at least for the time being.
He thought over what E had said. It sounded a bit like she wanted to watch something like that happen just for kicks. "I really don't know what or if she would do anything if I did it again. Probably put me on night patrols for a month. Ha ha. But she wouldn't have to find out" Nix wasn't sure what she was thinking though it almost sounded as if it might lead to no good. He had done it a time or two after she told him to stop and she hadn't caught him and now that he was no longer a noob werewolf and that she would trust him more, he could probably get away with it. Nix took another sip of water and also jumped onto the counter tired of just standing.

[Elizabeth Coons]

She watched him as he got a refill from the tap. He looked pensive, and she wondered what he was thinking about. Yet another time when mind reading would be helpful. After he finished speaking, Elizabeth nodded. The consequences for breaking that rule didn’t sound too bad, but she didn’t want to get Nix in trouble, or make him go behind Twilight’s back. Besides, even if Twilight would let it slip, Elizabeth hardly thought that Vara would. And she knew the consequences for that would be bad. Elizabeth shuddered briefly. There was a very, very small chance that Vara would get a laugh out of it, and Elizabeth didn’t want to take that chance. They would have to find some other way to have fun. Nix then hopped onto the counter after her, and Elizabeth gave him a reproachful look.

”You know that’s hard on the counter tops…” Elizabeth said, trying to look serious but a small grin was spreading over her face. She looked away, partially hiding the smile.

”So, uh, how far does you guys ‘territory’ reach?” Elizabeth asked.

[Phoenix]

Nix thought about the mimicry his friend was shooting back at him. He double checked where he was sitting on the counter and moved just an inch or two to the left. There, now he was sitting on a spice where his weight was being distributed on two cupboards and a counter top support. "True, but I'm in between these two doors here which means I'm on a support for the counter top and its not as hard on it. Whereas you are right in the middle of the cupboard where there is no support for the counter top." Nix replied; a slight smile couldn't be contained after a remark like that.
He regained his composure and restored his regular unenthused face. Phoenix brought the cool glass to his lips again, paused to breath in the refreshing sent of the water before tipping the glass and gulping another swallow of the clear liquid. "Our "territory" just extends to the city limits. Occasionally one of us will go a little beyond if we smell something or visit a nearby town if we've heard anything suspicious happen. You know, just to find out if there are approaching immortals that might wonder in someday." Nix was remembering to just the other night when he had to clean up that shoot out mess on just on the limits and his eyes looked off to the distance at nothing as he went over what happened that night in his head. He snapped out of his trance and turned his attention back to Elizabeth observing her unique wardrobe selection. And to not dampen the mood any he just gave a friendly smile and turned away.

[Elizabeth Coons]

When Nix moved his position, and then gave an excuse, Elizabeth cocked her head at him and gave him a raised-eyebrow look that said ‘Seriously?’. She then rolled her eyes at his words. Stupid, smart-aleck, teenage, werewolf boy. Elizabeth thought to herself, while shaking her head slightly. She then patted the counter affectionately.

”This counter has had heavier butts than mine sitting up here, it’ll live.” She said sarcastically, a slight smile also appearing on her face. When Nix wiped his off though, she did the same, replacing it with an interested look as he explained his territory. Elizabeth wondered if Nix ventured out much. That would be a lot of running. She wondered then how long Nix could run. Wolves had more endurance then people had, so he should be able to go for a while but… still. Elizabeth couldn’t imagine running that much on one patrol. Then she wondered what they did when they came across an immortal that wasn’t supposed to be there. Did they chase it off? Did a fight break out? Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip at the thought.

”So what happens if an immortal shows up that isn’t supposed to be there?” Elizabeth asked. Only then did she notice Nix observing her. Her eyebrows scrunched slightly, and she looked down, remembering what she was wearing. When Nix turned away, Elizabeth shrugged, and waited for him to answer her question.

[Phoenix]

Elizabeth seemed very interested in how the hole werewolf immortality and local rules worked it seemed. And why shouldn't she be; she was new and knew about immortals not to mention she had two immortal friends. Nix thought about how to word his answer so that it most accurately represented what Twilight would probably say. "No immortal is really unwelcome, unless of course they have a record or just come off on the wrong side and aren't willing to comply to the rules. And of course anybody who is already allowed in town breaks a rule they'll likely be immediately ran out. Depending on the severity of course." He thought over a few occasions where his leader ran off a few at different times without giving them much of a chance but from what he had been told they wouldn't've been fun to try and get along with anyway. Then he thought of a question of his own, "How old is Vara anyway?" In reality Twilight wasn't even old for a real human or as a werewolf and more often then not, age tend to have a bit of an advantage when it came to this sort of thing.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth mulled over what he said. He didn’t really answer her question the way she wanted it, but she could get more information later. She nodded at his words slightly distractedly, wondering how many immortals he had come across that weren’t welcome. Had he ever gotten in any fights? Like epic fights? She could imagine though that most immortal battles would look pretty epic to a mortal who wasn’t used to werewolf/vampire smack-downs. Elizabeth was one of those people. Yes, she may have immortal friends, but she had never witnessed a fight going on. It would be interesting to see, but on the other hand she didn’t want cause for a fight.

When Nix asked her a question, Elizabeth looked at him curiously. Why would he want to know? And equally important, would Vara appreciate Elizabeth telling a werewolf that? She didn’t think so. A mischievous smile formed on Elizabeth’s face.

”Eighteen.” She said with a smile.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix heard the progressive thumping of a heart beat speed up but it wasn't his own, and he also picked up on the slight scent of perspiration that had suddenly wafted into the air. There are several somewhat obvious signs that someone is lying, without a polygraph hooked up to them, of which almost any normal human being can pick up on. Though Elizabeth had just flat out lied to him she expressed none of the obvious traits except for an out of place smile. Up until she answered his question, he was casually serious but that had soon been replaced with an "are you serious" frown that didn't last long. Nix looked right into the pupils of E's eyes and smiled, not a big one, just one of simple acknowledgment of her answer. Another advantage to being a werewolf, you could sense peoples' emotions and tell when they were lying.
"Elizabeth, your lying. On the outside a person might be able to cover up a lie, but I'm a werewolf. You know, with heightened sense of hearing and smell. Your heartbeats increased just before you spoke and I'm capable of smelling the perspire chemical your body let off." Nix said in a serious, nonthreatening tone. "It's necessary to know for the town's safety. So, how old is she really?" he continued. Phoenix was a bit set back that Elizabeth lied to him, and even if the vampire desired to remain a shadow in the dark, Twilight wouldn't allow certain information to go unaccounted for. Nix turned his head a degree or two still looking her in the eye, raised his eyebrows a tad, and shrugged the shoulders a bit as if asking "Well...?"

[Elizabeth Coons]

Nix frowned at her. It seemed he was offended by her lack in seriousness. No matter. He looked her in the eye, and Elizabeth did the same, she was not one to balk from eye contact. There was a smile already on her face, so she didn’t form one when he did. However, it turned from something mischievous, into something slightly self satisfied at the fact that he couldn’t make her tell him, or even make her be serious. He had no power here. Hopefully he hadn’t gotten used to intimidating people into telling him what he wanted, because it wouldn’t work with her. It also helped that she was pretty sure Vara could take him, and would beat the crap out of him if he did anything to her. When he went on to tell her how he could tell she was lying, Elizabeth’s grin stretched slightly.

”Well aren’t you special?” Elizabeth said, her voice almost a purr. She also made a point of lifting her arm, sniffing into her shoulder, and then shrugging.

”And I don’t smell anything.” Elizabeth added. When Nix continued with some blather about the towns safety, she narrowed her eyes very slightly. It seemed he was intent on being serious in this matter. She fixed him with a no-nonsense expression. At his physical promptings for an answer, Elizabeth tilted her head down slightly, so she was looking at him more from under her eyebrows, which intensified her expression.

”It is not necessary for the towns safety to know how old Vara is, and if you are so curious, find her and ask her yourself.” Elizabeth said, her tone light, but had solidity to it. Her eyebrows rose slightly after she finished speaking as conformation he understood. It was a good opportunity to drop the subject, or there was going to be trouble. Elizabeth was intensely protective of Vara, and could be very stubborn when she felt like it.

[Phoenix]

Elizabeth's response agitated Nix a bit. A soft growl was rising through his throat but he managed to stifle it into a burden-leaden sigh and rolled his eyes then examined the walls a bit. He turned his attention back to E, "Of course you wouldn't understand." There were some things in life women just weren't ever going to understand. It seemed as though that would be the extent of the subject discussion for now. Being the first real chance to get to have a private chance to chat with his friend, he really wasn't sure what to change the subject to and really didn't want it to be over already. Oh what to talk about what to talk about. Could talk about her parents or what she did when she was not here, but that could be touchy. Maybe she has more to ask? Still not sure, Nix just shrugged his shoulders and watched her to see if she thought of something to talk about or maybe go do. Maybe somebody would come home and add something to talk about.