Let's Play!

" Not dodging yet, now....?"



she asked, already standing and walking out of the room.

Darryn followed after her without pause.



"Oh, come on. What's with the big, bad mirror?" His eyes drifted to a window as they walked by.

" Oh, the mirror is simply an entrapment device."



She purred simply, leading on.

Darryn seemed to think about this for a while.



"It seems like the person who made this place had never heard the idea 'take no prisoners'."

" First a simple midevil family... I killed the wizard that was in it when i found it."

Darryn pursed his lips and poked a basin filled with a mystery liquid as he walked by.



"I hear they are rather nasty. Opinion?" In every sense of the word.

" I'm glad I knew where he slept."



she replied simply, smiling to herself at the memory of the nasty mess she'd landed herself in the first time she'd gone face to face with him.

Darryn gave a good, well-rounded laugh at that one.



"I know vere you sleep at night. Vhy? I vant to kill you!" In the best Transylvanian accent he could manage of course.

" Wizards can summon sunlight, and an army of wooden stakes at whim, they aren't fun to mess with, right along with the fact they can summon you right into the firey furnaces of hell fires."

Darryn's joking expression melted.



"Ouch. C'mon, what are you wanting from me? A cheer? While doing a handstand and patting you on the back?" He sighed.

" No, more the fact I was answering the question you asked. They are a pain in the royal ass."



she purred, looking off down the hallway now.

Darryn nodded.



"Good, because I actually am not coordinated enough to do that." He looked down the hallway too as they stopped. It took him a good minute or so to work up the guts to say what was on his mind.



"Lost or enjoying the scenery?"

" It's a big castle, it's a long walk to where I'm taking you."



she laughed, glancing at him, a sincere smile on her face.

Darryn mock-wiped sweat from his brow.



"You tell me now?! We should have brought provisions. I'm going to wither away at this rate!"

" well, I could merely teleport there, but you couldn't really follow me then, could you?"

Darryn just looked at her, his expression flat.



"Point made." Oh look at the big fancy all-powerful covent heir. 'Couldn't really follow me, could you run of the mill Jack?' Well run of the mill Jack works just fine for me.

" You think too loud, and I don't want that title, either one, so keep them both."



She purred smoothly, looking to him, arms crossing. He had to know how to teleport, unless he was a fledgling... the issue was knowing where she went.

Darryn looked up and smiled at her, suddenly wanting to laugh for a reason he couldn't quite pinpoint.



"Bad habit I developed over the past couple years, I guess." And he left it at that. Oh, Darryn did know how to teleport. He was vampire by birth - you had to be born without a brain not to figure out how to teleport in that case. He just had a slight issue leading to him really really REALLY not liking to.

"Some luxuries shouldn't be indulged on, now..... here we are."



She purred, smiling as she stood before a solid wall, or so it seemed as she walked right into it, and disappeared.

For a second Darryn was positive that she had just led him to some god-forsaken end of the castle and teleported to only heaven knows where. With a huff he turned around and went to lean against the wall and figure what to do. Thunk. Right on his back.



"Oh... Hey..."

" Come on."



she purred, half way up the first flight of stairs he'd fallen into, looking down with a slight huff, the stairs spiraling up for who knows how long.

Darryn was rubbing his sore shoulder for the first twenty stairs. The next twenty he spent trudging with boredom. The third twenty he spent with his hands pushing off each thigh for each step.



"Are we there yet?"

" Five more flights."



She replied softly, smiling as she saw the snow covered windows as they climbed up.

Darryn hopped all the way up the last flight of stairs. And that was how he took it and tolerated it. Two steps at a time. This was dumb.

Smiling, she simply slithered up a small ladder that at one point was snow, and soon she was standing, under the moon and stars, snow blowing everywhere, castle completely hidden from view... To on lookers, they just popped up out of the ground ... like daisies.

Darryn popped out of the ground too. This time he didn't have a little smart aleck comment. He brushed the snow off his shoulders and his eyes turned across the snowy landscape. The man's eyes turned back towards where he had come from, or at least the direction that felt right for that.

" I don't know about you, but I haven't had a real hunt in a while... do you know how to keep in touch?"



she asked, not meaning anything but sincerity right now, eyes already glowing, ready to take off.

Darryn looked at her, his eyes flashing. The man didn't directly to her question but then again that wasn't really necessary. His posture shifted slightly and he flashed her a grin, fully exposing his pearlies.



"I knew I liked you."

" Keep in touch... Those wolves won't mess with me, but they like you."



She purred softly, disappearing from sight, a few foot prints in the snow showing where she'd launched.

Darryn for a second was somewhat offended and then the next second he felt a stab of fear and then finally it flitted away. It was the nature of the hunt, after all. Darryn shot off too. Here lovely things...

About two hours later, and much happier, still licking her fingers clean, Ashleigh smiled as she looked to the pink snow about her feet.



How are you doing? She asked casually, much more sated at the moment.

Darryn laughed softly to himself. He was rather happy too. Maybe a little paranoid considering that he had taken his own up a tree, but other than that...



Up a tree and happy as a lark. You?

Darryn lounged on the branches for a good minute or so before finally climbing down.



You mean you're going to harbor a mooch? His head snapped up to the crunching in the snow.



"Speak."

Picking up on his distress, she swallowed and went a bit more serious.



What is it?

Darryn glanced around as the crunching stopped for a moment. Still...



Haven't figured it out yet. I think I'll just climb back up the tree, thanks.

Darryn was clinging to the tree trunk.



I'm hoping it's a bunny. Crunch-crunch. Crunch-crunch.