Let's Play!

Ephriam was biting back laughter as Jethro mumbled under his breath.



"You can admire a work of art without hanging it on your wall." Ephriam, meanwhile was trying to figure out how to feed himself with her in his lap. It was a little out of his familiarity.



"I cannot seem to see how you expect me to put food in my mouth if you are using it."

Marina smiled and kissed him and slid the plate over.



" Eat, I'm out of the way."



Looking to Jethro, her eyebrow rose slightly.



" Your more then admiring certain arts."

Jethro sighed, swallowing a huge glob of potatoes.



"Specific, singular arts. And definitely not yours. I don't care if you're a human, a vampire, or something else. It's not cool to steal your best friend's girl."



As he ate, Ephriam was absently trying to decide whether his mound of potatoes was bigger than Jethro's.

Marina looked at Jethro.



" I'm no one's property, despite popular belief. Nextly, women are more then just items to be oogled. We're not here to be oogled, and fucked. Then left until you want more."



Marina purred, face turning a bit red with her temper, standing from Ephriam's lap and pushing his plate right into his face, his food running everywhere. Some how Jethro had gone from awesome to jerk in less then ten minutes.....

Jethro sighed slightly.



"First, I was merely referring to the fact that you are associated with him through interest. Similar principle to a guy calling his girlfriend the same. Second, it's not like I'm forcing her to do anything, or that I did to begin w..." He stopped as he got a contemporary of the pie-in-the-face.



Ephriam sighed as he watched the potatoes drip on to the floor.



"Marina..." That was all he said as he handed Jethro a napkin. Well... a pile of napkins. And the trashcan. "So, what did she want you for?" Time for a subject change.

Marina sat outside in the moonlight, fuming at the ears at Jethro, more because she'd dealt with those mind sets for so long, with people like Jethro... It got under her skin when no one saw women as equals... She couldn't handle... She couldn't handle the womanizers...



so mad she was crying, she wiped the tears off her face. wondering over to the swing and swinging slowly. Men.

Jethro took the wad of paper towels, blowing gravy out of his nose.



"It doesn't matter. And, Eph, buddy... Please - I'm on the brink of begging - please talk to her. You know that I'm not some disrespectful cretin." Ephriam sighed slightly and reached out only to have his friend dissolve before he could be touched. "I might stop answering if I have to deal with this." And then he was gone.



Ephriam paced out after Marina, but he didn't say anything.

Marina looked up at Ephriam, after a while, tears covering her face as she tried to wipe them away, eyes not meeting his as she swung slowly.



Holding to the ropes, she just continued to drift, mind turning.

Ephriam still didn't say anything. How were you supposed to address that? The man walked over and gripped the swing, giving her a gentle push.

" Why are some men like that?"



Marina asked, tears even in her voice, as if she didn't understand how people could think that way.

The man sighed softly.



"Some of us are idiots." He took a breath, speaking gently.



"Jethro does not belong in that class, though, you know. He is a gentleman at heart. His mouth is just a bit modernized."

" .... He hurts with hsi words. He needs to realize what he's saying."



Marina pointed out.



" He was so good when you were... different... but it's like, he changed right back when you were better."

Ephriam looked away, his voice never shifting from its soft cadence.



"He hardly means any wounds with his words. Jethro is always the same Jethro, whether it is obvious or not." Ephriam paused for a minute.



"A lot of what he comments over is actually a compliment."

" I've had alot to work through to get to where I was before we encountered one another, and the kind of things he says.... Those were so similar... I just... I'm use to them being an attack."

Ephriam shook his head, giving her another push so that she went a little higher.



"I know. But Jethro means them well. He called you mine as a respect of space. He was mostly joking about the hourglass thing, but at the same time he was complimenting how lovely you are."

Marina reached back and gently caught him, holding to him softly.



" I ... Didn't know he meant them that way, they don't come across that way to me."



marina informed him softly, looking back at him now, tears having faded, slightly.

Ephriam leaned down, feeling her warmth and kissing the tears creeping down her face. He didn't say anything else to her, but there was still an ever-present sympathetic smile. His washed-out eyes gently gazed at her.

Marina moved to slip around into his arms, and off the swing, nuzzling him lightly.



" that being the case....does he hate me?"

Ephriam laughed softly, holding her.



"Well... He probably does simply because you made him have to take another shower. On the bright side, he bounces back pretty fast - generally forgiving."

smiling slightly, she moved and kissed him gingerly.



" well, it was simply a painful misunderstanding."



She purred softly.

Ephriam smiled at her.



"Did you at least get whatever you needed?"

" Yes "



Marina replied, grinning now, eyes dancing with hidden enthusiasm.

Ephriam raised one brow.



"Are you going to share?"

" Certainly, later, anyway, I gotta get going, by lovely."



She purred, kissing him and darting into the house.

Ephriam laughed softly to himself, amused by the situation. She had just ditched him, and Jethro had brushed him off. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they were hiding something. Still, the way she had gone about it was funny. Marina behaved as though she lived somewhere else entirely or needed to go out. The man walked inside.

Marina smiled as she slid on her shoes and marched out the front door, letting it slam behind her ( as it was too heavy to shut gently, at least, for her) and walked down towards the town.

Ephriam was in the middle of something when he had heard the door slam. Of course, he promptly raced out the door, but he went no further than that.



"Marina! It is far too late!" Daybreak was only minutes away.

Marina stopped, looking back at her love, and bit her lip before pouting and wondered back to the house, moving to kiss Ephriam.



" Alright, but I'm leaving first thing tomorrow."

Ephriam slipped backwards before Marina could kiss him.



"Apologies." He ducked quickly into the castle, holding the door open for her from behind.



"Please."

Marina came inside, not quite understanding why he was so worried about her, as she was allowed to be in the sun still, moving to kiss him lightly once inside.



" what's wrong?"

Ephriam shut the door and gave her a brief kiss before taking her hand. He walked a bit deeper into the castle before stopping.



"Sorry. I suppose I am just a little paranoid about leaving you alone. I cannot go with you right now. Well... I could. I would get maybe two steps and then I would be dead. But I think that is somewhat of an ill-conceived idea."

Marina smiled softly.



" all I should have to concern myself with is the creatures of the night though, right?"

Ephriam was a little confused by her statement. Her tone wasn't quite obvious enough to him, and he couldn't decide if she was complaining or joking - or even just commenting. He spoke slowly.



"The creatures of the day are sneakier and a good deal more horrible. All of their faults happen in plain sight, but you would never know it. At least the ones in the night are honest when they rob you."

Matina looked him over, sighing softly.



" I've dealt with those of the days, all my life, unless there's something you haven't told me?"



She asked, looking him over and moving to kiss him lightly.



" I wasn't saying anything mean by the way, I was merely asking."

Ephriam just sighed softly. It was almost painful how one little secret had suddenly made Marina ((who apparently just underwent a name change to protect her identity)) believe that he was a dishonest man. And so he did the most logical thing: Ephriam looked Marina straight in the eye, sucked it up ((hehehe, pun intended)), and lied.



"Forgive me, I forget occasionally." Ephriam's eyes trailed back towards the door.



"Go ahead, if that is what you want... Just... be careful."

" No I'll wait until tomorrow night, just.. I'm not completely defenseless."



She replied, looking him over, smiling at him as she moved to kiss him. Lying had actually earned him a safe ticket... funny.

Ephriam gave a soft smile, a kiss on the nose, and a kiss on the forehead.



"Then will you not sleep today? You must be tired after such a full time: shopping, working through the possibility of the abnormal..." He gently nipped at her ear, his lips forming a smile that seemed to laugh for him.



"...abusing Jethro."

Marina looked to Ephriam, shaking her head slowly, yawning slightly as she moved to nestle into his arms.



" I suppose, but what are you planning on doing in the mean time?"

Ephriam's eyes trailed down to the woman thoughtfully.



"The same as I normally do. Why?"

" You normally just read?"



She pressed gently, now simply curious as to how one kept sanity without dreams.