On the hunt [Open]

[dominic]

Christmas was fast approaching and Dominic, who was usually so excellent at planning ahead, found himself wandering the streets of Hogsmeade in search of something suitable to buy his half-brother, Esitvan, that year. It was hardly an easy task. The two boys barely knew each other. They saw each other a few weeks out of their summer vacation when Dominic went to Brazil to visit his father and on Christmas Day when Dominic would fly in on one of his Grandfather’s private jets, a benefit of owning an Airline, to see him. As far as knowing his brother’s hobbies went it was basic knowledge. He was a fourteen year-old boy and Dom simply had to go off of what he had liked at that age. The problem with that though was he and Esitvan had grown up in vastly different universes. Dominic had been raised by old fashioned, well-to-do aristocrats in England while his brother had grown up in a loosely moraled, middle class family in Brazil- there was definitely a barrier break.

Prowling Main Street his focus had been set for the past half an hour on the street peddlers that lined the way combing through the trolleys and stands for anything that might interest his brother. Dominic did have the advantage of magic. Whatever he got him would undoubtedly be one of a kind as far as Esitvan was concerned. The boy was a muggle after all and many of the things that he had given him in the past had come from the wizarding world. Why Dominic made such a fuss over finding the perfect gift was beyond him. Esitvan had always been pleased with his gifts. But they were now past the stage of enchanted candies and joke items.

A few things had made Dominic pause to inquire upon further, but all so far had been turned down. Stopping at a cart Dom stood with immaculate posture, his hands folded together behind the small of his back as he peered down at the contents. They were wooden trinkets of some kind it appeared. Each caricature depicted something different than the last. At first Dom had no clue what they were, until that is the vendor, noticing the mild interest shown in his product, quickly put on a demonstration for Dominic. The wooden blocks were meant to imprint the person being stamped with a trait from the animal for an hours time. Seeing one with a cheetah on it Dominic assumed that it would give Esitvan the speed of a cheetah. He might not have know much about his brother but he did know enough to realize that the boy was an adrenaline junkie. If Esitvan could run sixty miles plus an hour for an hour Dom figured that his brother would be ecstatic.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

Christmas time was always a stressful time for Aaliyah mainly because she had so many darn siblings to buy stuff for. With so many brothers and sisters she rarely knew what to get each of them and hated having to shop for the holidays. It wasn't that she hated giving gifts because she loved that aspect, she just hated having to pick them out. So now she was walking around Hogsmeade hoping that she would be able to just kind of wing it and find stuff for them all. The weather was quite cold and so she had decided to dress for the winter. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with her black fuzzy boots, a pink long john type shirt and a long black jacket. Her long dark brown hair was tossed up in a messy bun as she hurried out of the cold and into a nearby shop.

Once inside the shop she glanced around and hoped that something would catch her eye, she wasn't having a whole lot of luck though. She turned the corner and bam there he was. Liyah hadn't seen Dominic, like actually talked to him or anything for a couple weeks. She wasn't sure where they currently stood right now and for some reason things felt awkward. She hesitated for only a moment but then decided she was being childish and put a smile on her face before walking up behind him and covering his eyes from the back. "Guess who" she sang out behind him, just loud enough for him to hear. It was a cheesy way to approach him but it was a nice ice breaker at the very least.

It would be nice to be able to at least say hi to him. She was always happier when she got to be around him and these last couple weeks hadn't really been that great. She wondered what he had been up to or how he had been lately but decided to wait till he reacted to her little sneak attack joke before she started small talk.

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[dominic]

Discussing the price with the vendor Dominic was cut short by a pair of icy hands covering his vision. He knew that sweet melodic voice that rang out softly behind him. Even if he were deaf Dom had a feeling that he would know it just as well as the sound of his own steady breathing. A smile was quick to appear on his lips as his own, gloved, hand came up to rest upon Aaliyah’s. ”Could it be an angel perhaps?” He wasn’t beyond being cheesy either, though he meant what he had said whole-heartedly. To him Liyah was an angel, everything about her was the personification of perfection- not as it pertained to the masses but in his opinion she was. Dominic gently pulled her hand away from his eyes and turned around to face her. Even dressed down she was beautiful and he took a moment to blissfully enjoy that beauty of hers.

”Yes, an angel it is.” He spoke quietly, her hand still in his, was lifted to his mouth and a kiss was placed tenderly on top. It was more than her looks that appealed to him though. It was in that vibrant smile of hers, the musical laughter that passed through her lips, the heart of gold that shined so brightly within her that made Dominic fall for her. Despite lowering her hand he didn’t dare to let go. He wanted to keep Aaliyah tethered to him for at least a moment longer, more so if she was so kind as to allow it. Such sweet thoughts were turned slightly bitter at the thought of what news he would have to reveal to her when the topic was called upon. Being a man of his word, before the developments with Liyah had occurred, he had asked Payton to go to the Yule Ball with him. Dominic couldn’t go back on that and ask Payton to find another date so he could go with Aaliyah but he also didn’t want to hurt Liyah by going with someone else. He was proverbially stuck between a rock and a hard place.

”What brings you to Hogsmeade? Holiday shopping?” If it was any consolation Dom had already bought Aaliyah’s Christmas gift and it was tucked safely away in his trunk in a decorative jewelry box. He found it a shame that there was no gem on earth that could compete with Liyah’s beauty but that hadn’t stopped him from trying. The necklace was simple enough in design, a delicate white gold chain with a small ruby heart. Dominic could only hope that she would like it. Considering they weren’t necessarily together yet he didn’t want to go overboard but courting procedure did suggest that he lavish her in gifts and he hadn’t wanted to come across as uninterested, which had lead him to that particular purchase.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

A smile lit her face as she heard him start to speak. It really had been too long since their last meeting but Liyah had felt that given the circumstances distance was probably a good thing. Didn't change the fact that she hated keeping herself away from him but in her eyes until she could come to a decision on what she was going to do it was necessary. Talking to Vivi had really helped her to understand things from a different perspective but it hadn't made up her mind completely. The inner turmoil hadn't quite come to a settle yet.

A very light blush came to her cheeks as he kissed her hand. They weren't official yet and so affection in the physical sense was kept to a minimum. As he lowered her hand she kept hers enclosed within his. Compared to her his hand, though gloved, was radiating warmth. Being half vampire like she was caused her body to run a little colder than full humans but warmer than full vampires. She rarely felt really cold but to the touch she seemed cold. Even in these winter months she didn't get the chill that she often heard others complaining of. That didn't mean she could walk around wearing shorts because yes then she would get cold but she didn't take as much bundling up either. Her blue eyes looked over him and it reminded her why she was avoiding his temptation. It wasn't only his blood that called to her and Vivi had explained this all to her as well. But in the end the biggest reason and the most important one to her that she enjoyed being with Dominic was because of how he accepted her, he never judged who she was by reverting back to what she was. He had just gotten to know her for her and hadn't even bothered with being afraid. He had every reason to have fear of her but he didn't and that gave her a sense of self confidence and self worth that normally she didn't feel around others that weren't of her kind.

Indeed, trying to find some presents for my family. I haven't been having to much luck though. Having so many siblings makes the holidays a hassle" she replied with a small laugh. She loved the holidays though, just because everyone was always happier during them. "I also had to come and get my dress for the ball" she replied. She already knew she was going dateless, it wasn't even really an option at this point, but she didn't really mind all that much. It had already gone around who was going with who and she knew that Dominic was going with Payton even if he hadn't told her himself. But it didn't make her angry or anything because officially they weren't together and she knew he had asked Payton before Liyah and him had even realized their feelings for each other. To save him the difficulty she simply smiled and said "I know we aren't going together. But don't worry I plan to still go, just going alone, and enjoy myself while I am there. Word got around about who is going with who so I already know all the details." Payton was a nice girl and Liyah had decided to just make herself not feel threatened by the girl, she trusted Dominic and knew he wouldn't do anything to bring pain to her. It was only one night after all.

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[dominic]

He had been doing his best to give Aaliyah space. It was all part of the routine when it came to such things. As of yet Dominic hadn’t gotten Galen’s blessing and with that meant that a specific distance was necessary. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t still be friends though. Dominic was simply being gentlemanly toward her- it was custom. Her blush was beautiful though and Dom couldn’t help but to fully appreciate how it made her glow. His fingertips burned to reach out and brush against her cheek but that was far too bold for their current relationship.

With so many siblings it put Dominic’s troubles into perspective. ”That is understandable.” A lump formed quickly in his throat as nerves swelled up at the mention of buying a dress for the Yule Ball. The subject was creeping up faster than he would have anticipated but perhaps that was better. If they got the potential awkwardness out of the way it would leave room for a wonderful afternoon spent with someone that he cared for. ”I’m willing to help you look for presents for your siblings and potentially a dress if you would like.” It was the least that he could do knowing what he would have to reveal to her soon. Besides he was finished with his shopping for the day. Excusing himself he turned back to the vendor exchanging money for product.

His breath caught in his throat as Liyah told him that she was aware they wouldn’t be going together. She hadn’t mentioned why but Dominic had a feeling that she already knew. Those types of things had a way of traveling quickly through the grapevine. ”It’s true. I asked Payton to go with me.” Not wanting to seem like he was making excuses Dom didn’t bother saying that it was before they had come to terms with their feelings for each other. Still he wanted to confirm that the rumours were correct, she deserved that. ”Would it be too much to ask that you do me the honour of saving me a dance?” If they weren’t going together and Aaliyah was going Dominic didn’t want to pass up the chance of dancing with her at least once.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

Aaliyah nodded when he suggested helping her pick out some presents and her dress. "I would love the help with the presents, maybe we could grab some lunch as well, I am starving" she replied with a laugh, "As for my dress I already have one picked out, I am keeping it a secret though, especially from you" she added with a sly smile. They may not be officially dating but she wanted to keep her dress a secret from him so that when he saw her at the Yule Ball he was surprised, much like a wedding but without the looming feeling of commitment. She just figured it would be something fun for her and maybe raise the excitement and anticipation for them both. Due to going alone she wanted at least one person to be surprised when they saw her.

When he asked her to save a dance for him she smiled softly "Of course I will, who else would I dance with? It isn't like the guys are lining up to take my hand" she replied with a laugh. "If they were I wouldn't be going alone" she added. It was true, no one had asked her to the dance and so she didn't expect people to really want to even dance with her. Of course she would accept if people did ask her but she wasn't going to expect it. It didn't make her bitter in the least though, she knew that if she only put herself out there more she could probably get a date, in reality she didn't really want to go with some random guy. Liyah merely nodded when he confirmed that he was going with Payton before putting it out of her mind, it wasn't worth worrying over.

Liyah couldn't wait for all of these formalities to be over. She was tired of waiting for her brother to approve of her and Dominic but she respected it and was willing to wait. It was just getting wearing having to wait on her brother. "Oh, I have been meaning to talk to you about a couple things. Not anything bad I don't think, but not really something I am looking forward to talking about either" she added as she thought about things. She figured it was time to talk to Dominic about the struggles she was facing and see what his input on it was.

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[dominic]

He couldn’t help but to smile at the secretive nature that Aaliyah wished to indulge in concerning her dress. It was a female thing, he knew, and still despite prior knowledge, Dominic felt as though her preference was something special and unique to them. Being in suspense of what she would look like the night of the Yule Ball did raise anticipation in him. No matter how much Dom tried to imagine her he had a strong feeling that Liyah would show up and still surprise him with her beauty. It came to him in mostly her smile- what made her beautiful to him was the way that with nothing more than a common pleasantry she could warm his heart. ”That would probably be best. I can picture you all I like and still the real thing will have no comparison.”

Dominic disagreed with that sentiment. There were more boys who longed for her attention than just him. The difference was that Dom wasn’t afraid to approach her. ”That isn’t the case Aaliyah. I’m simply the fool that was brazen enough to approach a creature of pure perfection. Not many other boys would have such gall as I do.” He was sure that Liyah was aware that many were frightened of her because she was a vampire but that wasn’t the point that Dominic was getting at and for clarification purposes, because he didn’t want to cause even a moment’s despair in her heart, he added, ”Beautiful young women often intimidate males.” Still, in a rather selfish way, Dominic was glad that he didn’t have any notable competition.

As he was told that there were things that needed to be discussed Dom did his best not to jump to conclusions. His mind wanted to go to thoughts about Aaliyah changing her mind about her feelings for him, or being angry with him for not getting her brother’s approval yet, a number of other things that could be considered hard to talk about, though not necessarily bad news, or as it pertained to particular people. Levelheaded as Dominic was he did manage not to jump the gun on anything and remained calm. His hand went gently to the small of her back guiding her a bit away from the street peddlers in order to have some privacy for their conversation. ”You can talk to me about anything.” Dominic assured her.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

The way he complimented her always made her feel that much better inside. It seemed like when she was with him nothing else really mattered and no one else mattered either. When they were apart she was always self conscious and withdrawn but with him she had nothing to fear. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't fear her, he didn't hold back, he just cared about her for who she was. "Always the gentleman" she replied with a slightly teasing smile, it was a trait about him that she rather enjoyed though. Not many guys were still like him, not many guys treated a woman like they should, but he did and she was lucky for that.

It was even sweet when he tried to make a reason for why no one had asked her to the dance. Whether it was true that they were intimidated by her beauty or if it was really because of that fact at that she was a vampire was debatable. Either way she liked that he was trying to make her feel better. "You were no fool and if you were then I am glad for it" she replied with a small smile. It was the truth, she wouldn't have it any other way. She loved the fact that he had admitted his feelings to her, that day in the forest was one she wouldn't ever forget. It seemed like Dominic was the only person that made her truly happy anymore. Being around other people made her feel rejected and her it was no different with her family. "It is much the same the other way around as well, handsome men intimidate women. I know I was always shy to talk to you when you were around" she admitted.

The news she had to tell him now wasn't something she felt like telling him. Things needed to be discussed but these things were things that made her feel uncomfortable, things that made her withdrawn. She vowed to do her best to not draw away from him during this time, but she wasn't sure how things would go in the end until they happened really. As they moved off the beaten path to a more private and secluded area she sighed lightly and still holding his hand lightly moved to face him. Her pale face turned up to look at his and her blue eyes met his with as much resolve as she could manage.

"I have been struggling a lot lately with some feelings that are relatively new to me, but Viviana has helped me to discover some of what is happening. Ever since our talk in the forest things have gotten harder for me, control has started to wane. Vivi claims it is because of the feelings I have for you and that may be true. My vampire half craves one thing while my human half craves another and to put things short and sweet Vivi is afraid that if I subject myself to temptation for too much longer that I will snap. I fear my vampire self more than anything else and wish nothing more than to be normal but because I am not I put you in danger. I don't know that I can deal with causing you harm and so at this point I don't know what to do. I am lost."

She had decided to talk to him about it in the hopes that he would listen and help her if he could. She figured because it involved him directly he had a right to know what was going on inside of her right now. She just hoped it didn't scare him away.

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[dominic]

It was, Dominic felt, his civic duty to be a gentleman. Simply because others had allowed their standards of self to drop over the generations, and in some cases be forgotten completely, did not mean that Dom had to stick to the status quo. In his humble opinion it was false and simply another passing fad, being himself, which just so happened to be gentlemanly, interested him far more than having people think him one of their kindred spirits. Even his thoughts seemed to be cordial when musing on matters uncouth. ”It can be a chore on occasion but you make being a gentleman utterly effortless.” There were some people that made a person want to be nice to them and for him Aaliyah was one such person.

Perhaps Dominic had been sugarcoating things to appease her troubled mind, but that surely was not the only reason for it. His honesty was unwavering at all times. Some claimed that he couldn’t tell a lie even if he attempted to- something to do with the purity that resided in his heart. Dom had no complaints on the matter. He didn’t think it was a bad thing to tell the truth, even when it might hurt a person, there were always ways around softening the blow. However, in Aaliyah’s case, in his own mind, Dominic believed whole-heartedly that what he had said was nothing less than the gospel. ”I am most glad you remedied your fear of speaking with me.” It had led to such great things afterward and their budding romance was simply the tip of it.

He was a tiny bit concerned about what Liyah needed to talk to him about. If only to be curious of what was plaguing her mind with unpleasant- or unwanted- thoughts. Once they were off to the side and out of earshot of those roaming around the street Dominic’s attention fixated on Aaliyah, watching as something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on loomed behind her gaze. She was troubled; he could sense that she was, but of what he couldn’t begin to speculate. It couldn’t have been related to the Yule Ball- understanding had already been given concerning that matter.

As she began to tell him what news she had realization dawned on Dominic. He should have known, or at least guessed that it was her vampiric nature that troubled her. It had been something that bothered her for as long as he had known her, whether Aaliyah intentionally showed it or not. She was uncomfortable, or so her body language had always suggested, with who she was. Aaliyah liked to close herself off, retreat within herself when things got too real for her, or often times borderlined the fact that she was a vampire.

He knew that Viviana was a dear friend of Aaliyah’s and a fellow half vampire. Dom believed that someone who could relate would know better than him on how to deal with those kinds of feelings but that didn’t stop him from offering his input, after all that was why she brought it up in the first place, wasn’t it? ”It makes a fair bit of sense. Vampires, as I understand it, are driven by instinct, much like all creatures on this earth are- humans being no exception- so intensify that by all the other attributes that you have enhanced and I can see where your friend was coming from. Temptation in and of itself is a difficult thing to resist… how was it suggested that you remedy your situation?” Deep down Dominic had an inkling as to the answer but wanted it confirmed.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

The inevitable happened next, after telling him that she was indeed struggling once more with who she was and that she had gone to Viviana for advice he wanted to know what that advice had entailed. That was part of the conversation she was even more nervous to have, not because she felt like Dominic would judge her but because she was judging herself. There were some things she didn't want to admit to him because admitting them to him was admitting them to herself. "I guess I should have expected you to wonder" she replied with a soft, somewhat nervous laugh. It was hard for her to confide in him as it was because she was so used to keeping everything to herself all the time.

"She suggested that I...give in. Her advice was that I feed from you" with that last part of the sentence she cringed. The idea alone made her feel sick. When she was thinking about it she had no problems refraining because it brought a complete feeling of disgust to her. It was the times that she wasn't consciously guarding herself and thinking about it that she felt she might lose control. It was rather tiring to constantly be on guard with oneself though and so therein lies her dilemma. "Her belief is that I should just embrace human blood, that willing victims are indeed not victims at all. But I have spent so many years training myself away from that part of my life that turning back to it now seems almost impossible. I feel like I took 10 steps forward to turn around and take 15 back" she sighed.

In hindsight it probably wasn't a hard thing to figure out. She was sure that Viviana was right, that Dominic would be a willing partner in this conflict but that wasn't something she could ever see herself asking of him. She had promised Vivi that she would try to change herself and try to see things from Vivi's point of view but now that it was facing her right here and now she was going back on all of that. Reverting instead to the things she had spent so long convincing herself of. In all reality her insecurities about herself and about how others viewed her were probably all in her mind, they were all made up by her. But again she didn't want to admit to that and so far hadn't. The easiest person to lie to is yourself and she was getting darn good at it.

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[dominic]

His suspicions had been confirmed by that soft-spoken admittance. Dominic had been around vampires long enough to know that temptation involved things that were deeper seeded than pure lust. Though it did play a factor the primal instinct to feed was always most predominant in vampires. Dom had never thought badly of any of the D’Eath’s for what they were, that was simply just a part of who they were. No one should have ever been faulted for things that they couldn’t help. The fact that Aaliyah cringed merely at the mention of feeding on him told Dominic that she was still struggling with who she was. That wasn’t too surprising. Liyah, to his knowledge, never had been very comfortable with being a vampire. He wanted to help her in any way that he could, though Dom certainly wasn’t overly excited about being fed from.

He didn’t want to speak his piece until Aaliyah was finished with hers though so remained quiet taking in everything that she said. There wasn’t any way the Dominic could relate to the issue that Liyah faced, but he could offer understanding. There was sense in people not being victims if they were willing and if that had been the only thing that had been stopping Aaliyah from feeding off of him then, to help her, Dominic would have given her his consent right then and there. However it was more than a matter of approval. From what he could tell and what he knew of her, Aaliyah’s true problem lie with the fact that she didn’t accept herself.

”My consent is given, but only if its what you thing will help you- not simply because your friend told you that it would.” It wasn’t that Dominic doubted Viviana, if anyone around school knew what was helpful to other vampires it was probably her, she seemed to be one of the only ones that fully accepted and embraced who she was. What motivated his statement was wanting Aaliyah to make decisions for herself because that was the surest way that she could get out of the rut she was in.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

Upon his statement Liyah shook her head slowly "It isn't" was all she said at the moment. Speaking of this was getting to her and right now all her mind was telling her was to flee, to get away from this place and forget about what was happening right now. Talking to Dominic about it had only made her resolve that much harder to break, she wanted even less to do as Viviana said now that she had spoken out about it. It didn't even have anything to do with how Dominic had reacted because in general he had taken the news well. With her mind racing a million miles a minute she had a hard time focusing on one single thing at the moment, it was like she was on fast forward and had no way to pause it all. But she kept these emotions hidden from her face, she had delved deeper than she ever had today and didn't know that she could go any further.

"What am I if not a monster?" This statement was said more under her breath, a breech in her will to hold her feelings in. She knew Dominic didn't think of her that way, he didn't think of any of them that way. But sometimes it was more important what you thought of yourself as opposed to what others thought of you. Viviana was right, she could never fully love Dominic unless she learned to love herself, a feat she felt impossible at the moment. Sure it was easy enough to consider when Viviana had been talking to her about it but now that she was looking Dominic in the face everything had changed.

Her left hand, the one not touching Dominic was squeezed so tightly into a ball that she felt her nail breaking through her skin and felt the warm and sticky feeling of blood, her blood, on her fingertips. Having a high pain tolerance made it so she didn't even really register the pain of cutting into her own hand. "Such a normal couple we are going to make. Hey honey can I suck your blood" she scoffed lightly trying a little to lighten the mood she was currently in but failing for the most part. Maybe bringing this all up now hadn't been a good idea, at least not for her because clearly she wasn't ready to decide for herself. It wasn't fair to Dominic for him to have to be around her when she was in such a foul mood and so she attempted to push it from her mind "I have some more thinking to do on the subject I suppose" she finally added and hoped their conversation might turn to lighter and happier subjects, maybe.

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[dominic]

They were at a stalemate it seemed it would seem. If it wasn’t what Aaliyah had wanted and signs pointed to the notion that she wasn’t going to go through with it then why would she had brought it up in the first place? Perhaps it was just a warning, something to scare him off. Whatever the case Dominic felt conflicted, and confused as to what he should do about it. Encouraging her in one direction or the other would only negate the question that he had asked her in the first place. Liyah needed to decide things all on her own. When she asked what she was if not a monster his heart felt heavy. To have someone as wonderful as Aaliyah view herself in such a light was heart breaking.

Gently Dom raised his free hand to cup her chin with all the tenderness and affection that he possessed wanting to make certain that he grasped and held her eye contact, which doing so to a vampire could be quite disorientating. That wasn’t a concern of his though. Aaliyah wasn’t trying to seduce him so it lessened the affect and thus he stood a better chance at keeping his wits about him. ”You’re many things, Aaliyah. Each person has things about them that they wish that they could change but these imperfections as viewed by an individual are what make them unique and special. If you’re circumstances are worse than consequentially you are the most precious of all.” His glass half full mentality, he could only hope, would reach Liyah.

The flippancy that she adopted towards the situation, even in its most frustrating state wasn’t laughable- but Dominic didn’t admonish her for it. He had a feeling that it was a choice between laughing and crying and Aaliyah had taken the path more desirable. In truth he was glad that he didn’t have to see her cry. Dominic was a bit of a wash when it came to weeping females, he had a tendency to get nervous, and then tongue-tied, and make things worse. He shook his head sadly at the statement. Aaliyah seemed awfully inclined to change the subject and Dom didn’t really want to stand in the way of that. She had a right not to be forced into these types of conversations. ”During this thinking of yours try to find what it is that you want.” She was listening to the advice of others, which should only, if anything, be used as a basis. Dominic wanting Aaliyah to find the solution that fit her best, no matter what it might mean for him in the end. His gaze finally broke from hers flickering to the ground. When he noticed that a blood droplet of two stained the slushy ground of the street he followed the trail up to her hand and took it in his softly. ”First things first, we should heal that hand of yours.”

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

It was an odd moment for them when Dominic lifted her gaze to his by gently cupping her chin. Instead of him being enchanted by her gaze, as most people were due to her being part vampire, she was instead enchanted by his. The feeling of looking into his eyes, hearing his voice and ignoring all else was a feeling of pure bliss unlike anything she was feeling lately. He had a way of bringing her back down to a feeling of relative calmness no matter how fired up or stressed out she was at the moment. His soft demeanor and caring touch were all she needed to feel like the only thing that mattered in the world. Liyah wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day, week, month, year, and maybe even her life with him. He was the only one that made her feel like she was nothing more than a normal girl, that she wasn’t different than those around her. He never feared her, he never judged her and that made her feel like she was truly cared about. “I…” she hesitated, what her voice wanted to say was I love you, but she stopped herself before anything could happen. Clearing her throat to break the awkward silence she had left herself in she started again “I am really lucky to have someone like you” she stated instead of her original statement. Saying I love you wouldn’t be terrible because really she did mean it and she did feel it but at their current state of friendship she felt it was hugely inappropriate and didn’t want to create issues. There would be a time and a place, it just wasn’t now.

“So what are your flaws then? If we all have them as you say” she replied with a small smile. She was curious to know what he would fault himself for. In her eyes and mind he was nothing short of perfection but then again she was biased. Dominic was perfect for her which was why she saw him as nothing less than perfect, but of course no one is completely perfect. Liyah had plenty of flaws, many of which she and Dom had discussed on occasion. She got the feeling that he felt the same way for her as she did for him, he treated her like she was perfection. It didn’t go to her head though, instead she just felt a new warmth inside her that she had never felt before. Having Dom in her life gave her at least one thing to look forward to and at least one thing to really care about, if nothing else. When he told her to try and focus on making the decision based on what she truly wanted she nodded “I shall try” she promised. And much like the promise she had made to Vivi she intended to at least try, guaranteeing anything would be foolish.

Liyah saw his gaze flicker away from her face towards the ground and so instinctually followed his gaze. The snow beside her feet let way to the fact that she had sliced open her own hand. When Dominic grabbed her hand softly and lifted it up as if to inspect it he insisted on healing it. “Oh that, it will heal on its own. I wouldn’t worry about it” she stated softly, embarrassed he had witnessed her causing herself injury. It wasn’t something she did often and she didn’t want him to attribute her to that type of behavior. “Guess my nails are a little longer than I thought” she added, making up an excuse for what had happened but failing miserably. She watched her hand as it bled for a few moments before reaching into her pocket and grabbing a kerchief which she tied around her hand to stop the bleeding. She could easily, or Dominic could easily, heal the wound with magic but right now she just wanted to let it heal on its own. Being a vampire meant she could heal fast than the average human anyway so she wasn’t worried. “Are you hungry? We could grab some food” she replied remembering that they had originally planned to do anyway before all this seriousness had come up.

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[dominic]

Sometimes Dominic didn’t even realize the kind of affect that he had on others, especially females. He didn’t have the hypnotizing abilities of a vampire or the beguiling aura of a veela but what he did have was his genuine nature. When he did something it was always honest and mostly innocent. That sort of thing was rare to come by. Everyone was looking out for themselves- it was a dog eat dog world out there and people walked over one another simply to avoid the fate themselves. Dom didn’t want to be that kind of person, but then he supposed no one did. Regardless he seemed to have struck something in Aaliyah, that look on her face was quite the tell- and though Dominic wasn’t much of a gambler he had a strong feeling that his bet would be well worth it. He was a gentleman though and things were sometimes better left unsaid. ”I’m more than happy to be here for you.” Friendship was all that the two of them could afford right now.

Dominic had never really analyzed his flaws. He wasn’t one of those people that worried about those sorts of things. There were flaws, Dom knew that, but he also accepted them, so it meant that it wasn’t anything that would stick out to him. ”I don’t handle failure well, I’m a bit of a wash when it comes to female emotions- though I do try- sometimes I don’t realize the things that are right in front of me, I’ve got a horrible habit of being too good conscience…” Dominic was sure that there were more but he supposed that it would do. The fact that Aaliyah was promising did put him at ease. He couldn’t think of anything worse than Liyah doing something that she didn’t want to. He wanted her to be happy in everything that she did.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she would heal on her own. It was one of the many advantaged of being a vampire, she was lucky in that sense, but that would never demean the fact that she still struggled with the thirst. ”I suppose you’re right.” His concern for her didn’t lessen because she had superior abilities and immunities. He didn’t really like that she didn’t have more concern for herself. The most important thing to him had become Aaliyah. There were other people that mattered to him of course. The change of subject was taken gracefully. Smiling slightly he gave a small nod. ”I believe there is a nice Romanian restaurant not too far from here, would that suit your fancy?”

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

Aaliyah took his response to her almost slip up in stride. It was good that at least one of them had more self control than the other. Dominic didn't seem like he ever slipped up, or ever made a mistake or went further than he should. He was a perfect gentleman, he knew when to go and when to stop. Liyah on the other hand struggled with not being able to express what she truly wanted to say, but she was doing it because it was needed. She was pretty sure if she took an anxiety test right now it would be off the charts, she was pretty sure the only time she had ever felt this stressed out was when she had first made the switch from human to animal blood and had her father ragging on her about it.

"I guess some of use are just better at accepting our flaws than others" she admitted realizing that Dominic wasn't even perfect. She thought he was perfect but she was sure that others probably didn't think he was as amazing as she did. Thinking about things in this perspective made her realize where he was coming from most of the time when he talked to her. He didn't think she had flaws that were as bad as she thought they were, he saw her in the same light that she saw him. It didn't matter to him how others saw her, he only cared about his feelings for her. This was how she should have been thinking all along. On impulse, she threw caution to the wind and stepped forward and gave him a hug. It wasn't quite a romantic hug but wasn't quite friendly, somewhere in between. "I finally know where you are coming from" she stated softly knowing he would probably understand what she was talking about.

Pulling away from the hug she nodded in agreement to the Romanian restaurant. She wasn't sure she had ever had Romanian food but she was sure up for trying it. She was up to trying anything with him. "That sounds lovely" she smiled and went to offer him her hand before realizing that it was still wrapped in the kerchief. She paused to undo the kerchief and held up her hand with a smile "See, it is already closing up" she added and dropped her hand down back towards his, letting him decide whether to take it or not.

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[dominic]

As Dominic studied Aalyah’s face he slowly saw realization forming in her features. A pursuit of happiness wasn’t necessarily correcting the flaws that you possessed but coming to terms with them and making the best of a, perhaps, bad situation. Despite his flaws and downfalls, upsets and tragedies there was one thing that had been constant for Dom, he was a generally happy person. His grandfather pressured him to be a fiercer man, his grandmother excepted respectability from him in an off the chart scale, his mother was dead and his father was in his homeland of Brazil with a son and wife making Dominic often feel jealous of the togetherness that they shared, but he had a solid head on his shoulders and regardless of the minor fluctuations in his home life he was still aware that the people that he cared about loved him no matter how they went about showing it. He thought himself an extremely lucky young man and for that Dominic was able to see the appreciation that others might have been ignoring in their lives.

Hearing Aaliyah tell him that she finally understood caused a broad smile to light up his expression. ”That is wonderful, Liyah!” It made him proud that she realized that she was perfect, at least in someone’s eyes and that was usually enough for a person to start believing it about themselves. Dominic wanted Aaliyah to be happy, he wanted her to enjoy her life rather than hiding away all the amazing things about herself that she seemed to repressed out of shame. There was nothing about her, even her vampirism, that was to be ashamed of. Liyah truly was a goddess in her own right. All women, in his opinion, were goddesses and when they found the right person he believed that they should be treated as such.

His arms wrapped around Liyah, one hand gently rubbing up and down her back enjoying the comfort that came of holding her in his arms. To him it felt right, as though it was one of those things that were meant to be. As a hopeless romantic that sort of thing was completely plausible for Dominic. He was the type to believe in love at first sight, opposites attracting, setting loves free and them coming back to you, all of the sappy things that were so stereotyped in their culture. Dom was very much a young man from another time, he still believed in chivalry, honor, and valor. Glancing at her hand he gave Aaliyah a small nod. ”A very handy skill.” He was trying his luck with a pun and then tenderly took her hand into his laughing lightly.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

The hug that Dominic returned to her made everything seem right. His arms circled around her, her head on his chest, it was how things were supposed to be. Aaliyah had been embraced by men before but nothing had equaled the way that she felt now with Dominic's arms around her. She breathed in his scent deeply, but discretely, it was a scent she had memorized but one that was intoxicating nonetheless. He stroked her back with his hand softly and created a feeling of safety that enveloped Liyah. For a girl that had spent most of her life hiding and pretending it felt unbelievable good to know that someone loved her for exactly what she was. In his eyes she was the perfect woman and in her eyes he was the perfect man, that was all that mattered in their little world. Liyah longed for things to be made official between them, her heart already belonged to him and she couldn't imagine it with anyone else. "How is it that I have known you for years, seen you almost everyday it seems, and yet I never truly saw you before now?" she sighed softly.

Being with Dominic in this way, seeing him in this new light, was a completely different experience. It was like she was meeting him for the first time again. Before he had just been her brother's friend, she had never seen him as anything more. When he too pulled away from the hug he instantly replaced his hand into his and inspected the cut that was all but a thin line that was fading by the moment. "Very handy indeed" she replied with a small laugh as he took his hand into hers, holding it. It was nice to know that despite the fact that their closeness of the hug had ended he still wanted to hold a part of her close to him. The feeling of her hand in his warmed her skin. She did run at a slightly colder temperature than he did and so it felt nice to have his warm, completely human hand holding hers. "Now how about that food" she replied with a laugh and started to lead him out of the side alley that they had moved themselves into earlier.

The streets were full of people milling about from here to there. Some people were on a mission to get somewhere and others were simply walking about somewhat aimlessly, looking rather bored really. It was going to be nice to spend some more time with Dominic. They hadn't seen each other in a while and it was comforting to her to be able to catch up with him and know where things stood currently. Still holding his hand she waited for him to lead the way to restaurant since she had no idea where they were headed or even which direction to go first. She rested her head gently on his shoulder relishing in the simplicity of the moment and knowing things would get complicated once more soon enough.

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[dominic]

It wasn’t as though they were the first to have woken up one day and felt a strong attraction to one another. Maybe it was even love that Dominic felt for her, that undertone in the pit of his stomach that seemed to stir up when he caught a whiff of her perfume or saw a smile lit up her face, those fleeting moments when her hand would accidentally graze against him, that made him feel an infatuation that could only be one thing. He didn’t think the how was so much important as enjoying the results of it and focusing on the why. Dom wasn’t even sure if he could formulate the words to explain, and if he could would he do them any justice? If it was something that Aaliyah wish to know though Dominic was going to do his best to explain it to her. ”Often times people don’t see what is right in front of them, it’s life’s little way of reminding us that the important things are usually the ones that are already in our reach. Fate works in mysterious ways and our kiss, however brief and goaded by your brother it might have been, I believe it was the spark that ignited our feelings bringing light to the dormant feelings that we already had for one another.” Rationalizing it almost seemed cruel, as though he were diminishing the miracle of it, but at least he was better with words than most.

Being in some form of contact of another with Liyah seemed to be addicting. When they weren’t touching in some way Dominic could still feel her presence there, the ghost of her touch tingling his skin and begging his body for more. It was a dangerous spot to be in, but it couldn’t have been any different than a pair in their position, with love lingering over them to have yet been admitted for whatever reason, to feel. It was what one might call the honeymoon stage and perhaps because Aaliyah was a vampire, giving her certain influences over others, it was the reason why Dom felt it as intensely as he did. There were plenty of things about Liyah that were handy skills apparently, and Dominic faulted her for none of them. If anything he only respected her more because of them. It wasn’t as though, or he felt, that she used any of her wiles on him to try and get something out of him. Aaliyah was very much a good person.

”Yes, of course.” Keeping their hands laced Dominic picked up his pace. ”It’s right this way.” He led her through the busy streets of London, Aaliyah receiving many looks because of her beauty. Even humans with no knowledge that their world was anything more than fairytale could tell that there was something special about Liyah. She looked angelic and her personality, in his opinion, matched. The restaurant wasn’t too far away, a couple turns and they were standing out front of the quaint little place, the windows too dark to peer into, though flames from the candles set up on tables did flicker through the tinted windows drawing people in like moths. Dominic opened the door for her stepping aside so that she could enter first.

[AALIYAH RAYNE D'EATH]

Liyah listened with interest as he tried to explain to her his ideas on their situation. Liyah had to agree with him though, that one simple kiss had ignited the flame that now burned inside of them. Liyah's brother may have just been trying to play a mean joke on them but he had set in motion something that would change the course of their lives. Liyah did wonder if she would have ever realized it one her own, maybe but maybe not. "I know I tend to miss the things right there in front of me. Probably because unless I am around you I tend to grovel inside my own thoughts too much. It is a terrible habit and one I must learn to break. With you though it is so much easier to just be open and carefree and not worry so much about everything. It is a nice vacation from my usual thoughts, because at least when we are together I don't think about the bad things" she replied with a soft smile. He was like her own personal dream catcher, well thought catcher at least. Instead of catching her bad dreams and banishing them, he caught her bad thoughts and replaced them with good ones.

As Dominic began to lead them off towards the restaurant, Liyah placed her other hand on his arm so that both her hands were touching him. His demeanor was such that he just had a soothing presence. Liyah caught the glances of the people around them on the streets but she figured they were probably just looking at Dominic, he was a good looking man. It never occurred to her that they might be looking at her, because when she looked at herself she just saw her, nothing special. "Why do people stare?" she whispered softly, knowing that Dom would hear her. He would probably laugh at the question but she was curious nonetheless. It didn't really happen at school too much anymore because people were used to seeing her and her family around. Plus it wasn't like boys were flocking at her heels so she never considered that she might actually be a desirable person.

When they reached restaurant Liyah walked into the small waiting area and glanced over to Dom. The place was gorgeous, small and quaint. The lighting was mostly made up of candles on the tables and the chair were all cushioned in red. It was a highly romantic atmosphere, the type of atmosphere that Liyah didn't think they were quite ready for. But she wanted to eat here and they were already there so no turning back now. "Wow it is gorgeous in here" she breathed lightly looking around. A waitress came and sat them at a table in a quiet little corner, very private. The waitress must believe that they were on a date, oh well. "Thanks for taking me here" she added as she took her seat with a smile.

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