Anita’s eyes shot up towards the familiar male’s voice, her lips slightly parting in surprise, both pleasant and worried. Their last conversation ended on an odd note, at least on her end, and left a sour taste in her mouth. She wanted to like him, she wanted to enjoy his company but so far all of her luck with vampires were, well, worrisome.
Speaking with the posh prince of St. Louis was a challenge that the marshal wasn’t prepared for. He had wanted to trade her full involvement in the affairs of the vampire home for his halt on the barbaric practices of the past. Meaning that Anita was now in charge of punishment, another sneaky way of getting her to ‘fulfill her purpose.’
“Evening,” Ronnie purred as Axel walked past her and into Anita’s office, her lips pursing in appreciation while Anita watched her friend ogle at his assets.
“Good bye, Ronnie,” She sighed at her friend, waving mockingly until the woman disappeared with a disappointed slump and an approving thumbs up towards the marshals way. “Well, that’s how it goes here.” Anita smiled softly and folded her arms over her chest.
“So what brings you here?”
He had paid little attention to Ronnie as he walked in, though he did give her a nod and a smile, even wiggling his hips a little as he could feel her eyes on him. He looked around her office not surprised to see that it a little like what he had seen of her apartment.
Axel put his feet up on her desk as he watched her, tilting his head as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You bring me here, I have not seen you in a few weeks and I thought I would have seen you by now.” He told her as he moved his feet off of her desk they had just been there as a playful thing but he knew she would not like it.
“I also brought you a little something for putting up with me while I have been here.” Axel told her with a grin and he handed her the parcel he had walked in with.
Anita found herself shuffling through them and hoping to find the manila folders that she knew she had just bought yesterday… Or was that last week? Time lately had just seemed to move on and on, falling over the other without remorse that it was just kicking the animators ass. She was exhausted from her ‘talks’ with Jean-Claude, she was behind on her marshal reports, and she had more than four requests to fill in animating dead parents and lost wills. She was, for the lack of a better term, tired with a capital T.
“Hey, don’t sleep here overnight, Anita,” Veronica glanced over into her office, the leggy blond and closest friend smiling warmly at Anita from over her piles of paperwork. “We need to get you something to come home to so you stop…”
Ronnie’s voice was lost as Anita picked up the soft cold embracing touch of a vampire. Thankfully it wasn’t moving too fast but it had managed to find its way into the little building, it was familiar and Anita wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
“Well, speak of the devil…,” Anita heard Ronnie giggle, which was somewhat odd coming from the detective.
“If it’s who it is, tell him I’m busy,” She decided not to look up from her desk, still in search for those manila folders but keeping a steady eye on her weapons in the opened dresser next to her.
He hadn’t seen Anita in a few weeks and it had concerned him due to the fact that he knew what the master of the city was like and for all he knew the master of the city had been hiding her, but when he had found out that she had been busy with work and talks apparently with Jean-Claude, he still had her card from the first time they met and he used it to find the building, glad that it was a public place and that he didnt have to be invited in.
He could sense that she wasnt alone up there, the other person as far as he could tell was a normal human. Once he got to the door to the Animators Inc door he knocked on it so that he didnt scare them.
“Evening ladies.” Axel said, his voice was soft as he stepped into the room, carrying a parcel with him for Anita, it wasnt the normal flowers and chocolate as he didn’t think that was Anita’s thing instead it had the best Coffee bean that money could buy as well as some chocolate to go with it.
“I can see you are busy.” He commented as he stepped into Anita’s office and sat down in her chair.
“I’m a big girl,” Anita laughed as she spoke to him from the other side. It was odd, he was odd. The animator didn’t want her mind to the hopes and dreams of woman far more vulnerable than her, but she couldn’t fight acknowledging that he wasn’t human, even if she wasn’t the poster girl for humanity herself. And just from the fact that he was halted at her doorstep reminded her of such.
Although he looked sweet, even particularly dashing in how his eyes shown in the night, he was the undead. She hunted his kind and received more than too many scars to prove it. He wasn’t safe and he wasn’t cute and cuddly, they were born killers and efficient at it, and the way it looked to her, he was even older than Jean-Claude so potentially more dangerous. Perhaps this whole kick on compassion and kindness was an act, a ploy to play with her humanity for the same end as Jean-Claude.
She sighed away the thought and blinked up at the vampire, her light humor slightly drifting away to somber solitude. “Good night, Mr. Alrikson.”
“I trust you can handle yourself Anita, but attacks on the mind are a lot harder to fight off then attacks on your body.” He pointed out as he watched her, he could tell that she was thinking and he would love to be in her mind wondering what was going through it as they stood there talking.
He nodded and moved away from the doorway, holding his hand out to her as she said goodnight. “Goodnight Ms. Blake. I do hope to see you again soon.” He told her as he took her hand gently and kissed the top of it. He wanted to just go inside and protect her from any and all attacks that Jean-Claude might have because of her spending time with him.
It was almost a blink of an eye that she found herself meeting his gaze, their hands touching briefly until she grabbed the keys and stood. A slight shiver resting against her shoulder and not all of it from the coldness of his hands.
Anita chuckled, “Knowing him, he might just be waiting for you to leave.” While humor laced her words the animator did attempt to test the waters and spread her metaphysical senses just in case the brooding vampire happened to be near by, watching her as he always seemed to do. “I will try,” she shrugged and unlocked her door, stepping over the threshold, “Go and eat.”
“I would not put it past him to be lurking around in the shadows, waiting for me to leave so he could try to charm his way into your home. I do not think I have to tell you not to invite him in do I?” Axel asked as he leaned against the doorway when she opened the door and stepped inside.
As much as he wanted to be in there with her, he knew that it was up to her as to whether or not he could. “I suggest turning your phone off, also I would wary of any dreams you have, with the mood he is in there is no telling what he will do. I shall eat, and look more alive next time I see you.” Axel joked knowing that when they did not eat they did look a little more dead.
“Hey,” Anita chuckled darkly, “I don’t plan on sitting by while it does, and I don’t think I’ll be allowed to anyway.” She smiled distantly as they found their way back to her doorway, a hand digging in her pockets for her keys. “Well, I gotta go and shower,” she announced, looking down at her keys for reaching a hand to touch the door handle, failing at ignoring how almost normal their conversation turned, as if they were just any normal dating couple. Anita even dropped her keys and cursed herself for the pathetic musings.
“Oh Crap,” she reached down to grab it, “Uh, keep me informed on any other changes with him, Jean-Claude… I’ll try to head over there tomorrow if duty allows it.” Although there was a wandering notion that she would receive a call if not a summon from the childish Master Vampire.
He smiled and was glad that she wouldnt sit by and let the city fall to ruin because of one vampire who staked a claim on her. He opened his mouth to say something as she announced that she was going to shower but thought better of it.
As she dropped her keys he quickly bent down at the same time she did to pick them up, his fingers brushing over hers as she reached them before he did. “I will…” He said softly as he stood back up and met her gaze for a moment. “I am sure he will summon you tomorrow anyway, I am surprised that he hasn’t already tried to get you to go over there tonight.” Axel said with a smirk as he put his hand on her arm gently. “Enjoy your sleep, and try to get more than a few hours tonight.”
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