.how deep the bullet lies. [SEPH!]

[darius]

` DARIUS YAXLEY

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Rain. Disgusting polluted rain, falling down in a sudden shower to catch everyone unawares - well, almost everyone. Darius Yaxley was not a man to be caught with his pants down, so to speak, and already a large black umbrella was protecting his expensive suit, with only a few drops open his thin shoulders and sparkling in his dark hair. His pace had to faltered, even as he had put up the umbrella, and it was obvious he was on his way toward someplace or another - he had that business look about him. Darius' expensive shoes made no sound on the wet pavement, but for the occasional quiet tap.

Passers by avoided his gaze, though after he passed stared freely at the back of him, their eyes curious and cautious. He ignored them - though there was no doubt that he knew they were looking, he often had that effect on people. He wore his usual plain black suit, the white shirt underneath spotless as the rest of him. Despite having walked through Hogsmeade in the rain, there was still no sign of dirt upon him. His pale hands were as smooth and soft as ever, the nails perfectly rounded off.

His deep chocolate coloured hair was not at all messy - despite having been blown about by the wind and the rain, and looked dignified and perfect - almost unnaturally so. Moving gracefully through the hustle bustle of people trying to get out of the rain, Darius was soon at the door of the Three Broomsticks - not his ideal choice to get a drink, but unfortunately a place where most of his targets spent their time. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open, and to his annoyance the tinkle of a bell was also heard.

Still, his face was impassive and expressionless as it generally was, his frightening eyes scanning the crowded inn. His hands moved automatically to smooth out his suit before he set forward at a swift pace, heading toward the counter, lip curling slightly as he was surrounded by breathless, rugged up people whom had come in to escape the rain. Darius remained silent though, as he made his way to the counter. "Vodka" he uttered, voice smooth and regal sounding as he slid the money onto the counter and waiting for his drink with a look of disgust on his condescention on his face.

His drink was delivered suprisingly fast, and the young man slid his hand around the glass, taking it with him to a corner table - a rather antisocial little space that Darius expected would not get much attention, and was perfect for him to watch any goings on. All of the people in the crowded room were prey to Silas, and therefore prey to Darius, it was safe to say that he was one of the elder mans most valued attributes. One of Darius' hands swept through his hair, dislodging any of the sparkling raindrops, his vivid eyes scanning the room silently, a wolf in sheeps clothing.

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[Sephora Forrest]

Sephora Forrest yawned and stretched as the insistent sound of raindrops woke her from her pleasant dream. Fuck off British weather! The one bonus of living in Australia had been the lack of constant fucking rain like this. Sephora was a girl who liked her beauty sleep, but with this racket going on that wasn’t going to be a likely prospect.

She got out of bed and got dressed in a manner that did not suggest her patience levels would be high today, and at a speed humans could never hope to achieve in their wildest dreams. Her mood was not helped by the fact she had woken up with a starving appetite. Trust her dreams to do that to her. Food of both kinds was so bland lately save for her favourite wine thanks to one person: Silas Rosier. Why the fuck did her life revolve around him anyway? The answer was as simple as the question: his blood.

Today she was wearing an eye catching pair of very high red heels to coordinate with her black and red dress. She liked looking good – nothing like an ego boost to help improve someone’s mood… marginally.

She marched out of her room and down the stairs at a quick clip despite her heels – an extraordinary feat for ordinary women, natural for Sephora. She paused about half way down to assess the crowd below. The rain must have had people scurrying inside, since the Three Broomsticks was far more crowded than it usually was. Any number of different scents could be found in the air, all of them bland and unappealing. Fuck, there was no denying it. She was well and truly hooked on Si’s blood and she’d only had one drink! This was not a pleasant observation. Trust her to get addicted to the trickiest blood to get.

She stalked down the remaining steps and across the crowded room in an effort to get to the bar, her mood having her shove people aside with more force than necessary. Oh the temptation to just pick them up and put them aside.

The barmaid took one look at her expression and squeaked. Sephora’s face portrayed her unstable mood far better than any number of expletives could, and it seemed to scare the girl enough to go and fetch her a drink without asking. Wise.

Now she had something to distract herself from the world with, she started observing the room with more care for any potential victims she could snack on. The options were so bleak. Fuck! Before she’d met Si she’d at least been able to enjoy her meals in peace. Now she could only think of how much better he had tasted. And the problem had only worsened over time. Ok, so that overly vivid dream hadn’t helped, but that wasn’t the point.

Hang on a second. Her eyes had just passed a familiar face: one of the guys who hung out at Scores. She thought he might work there or something. But he also talked to Silas frequently. She trotted over – wondering how he might taste. Clearly not as good as Si. How depressing her life was. She did have nice shoes and clothes though.

She always picked hunting clothes especially: dark to hide any messy stains but overall eye catching. Her dress’s skirt swirled a few inches above he knees and her heels made quiet clacking noises on the floor. The crimson and burgundy tones that were splashed across her figure hugging bodice were not discreet to say the least. She knew from experience that dressing to impress increased her chances of getting a meal quickly with minimal struggle ten fold.

As she approached the man, he looked like the typical male who worked under Silas, minus the stereotypical burley build. He was kind of weedy actually. In Sephora’s opinion, guys should at least have some meat on them, but hey. He was wearing a crisp suit which her keen eyes picked up had a light splattering of water droplets on it. His hair looked as though the man had been in an incident with a pot of glitter not too long ago. She was not one to be intimidated by any humans aside from Silas – and it wasn’t his gaze that scared her anyway – so she returned his hard stare with her own irked expression: the most pleasant one that she could currently manage.

“You work for Silas right?” she said, before taking a sip from her glass. No point beating around the bush. All she wanted to do was get close enough for a sniff so she could tell if he was worth her while.

Setting her glass down she looked up at the man to get a better look at him. He was roughly Silas’s height – fuck she really wished he was more easily accessible so he could get out of her head – and looked mildly… well feminine. His eyes could be considered intimidating to someone who was actually worried about a human being attacking them. Even in her heels she was shorter than a lot of people, so height had never worried her that much either. The short and short of it was that it took quite a bit of threatening to scare Sephora.

“I’m sure I’ve seen you around – do you work at Scores too?” she asked, flicking her dark her over her shoulder. Meeting his gaze in a challenging way, she mentally tried to calculate how long this would take. Her mind was torn between getting a half ass meal, taking her mood out on something and fuck it, going to hunt down Silas right now. This was like sugar cravings only ten times worse.

[darius]

` DARIUS YAXLEY

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Distaste was clear on Darius' features as he scanned the Three Broomsticks, pale blue eyes cold as they dropped to the clear liquid in his glass as if he couldnt bear to look at the hustle bustle anymore. His lip curled briefly before his face became, once again, expressionless. The soft patter of rain seemed to grow clearer as he shifted his gaze to the muggy window, watching the splatter of water as it hit and slid down the window pane. Another day in Hogsmeade - another waste of his time. Darius was not made for a grotty suburban lifestyle.

The clunk of high heels gained his attention, briefly, as a woman came down the stairs and pushed through the crowd, sparing nobody that got in her way from a hard shove. Darius raised a brow before turning his gaze once again to the window, his breath coming out in a gentle sigh. Women didnt interest him - well, that was a lie. Women interested Darius, but he had no time for their emotions, they got in his way. As well as a woman might do herself up, Darius would not be the one knocking on their door with flowers and some chocolate asking for a date and possibly a relationship.

The clunk of heels grew closer, and the young mans gaze switched back to face the crowd. She was approaching, the woman that had had a murderous expression only moments before. Oh, she had a pleasing attire - obviously expensive and well put together, and her frame was attractive and desirable, but the only interest that stirred within Darius was the thought that she might have some information..she looked the type.

As she drew closer, Darius examined her. She was certainly not the kind of woman he went for - her clothes, though attractive, brought too much attention to her, as if she wanted everybody in the room to stop and stare so that she could take her pick. And the expression she started to mould on her face for him was all together either very manipulative, or very flirtacious. Flirts did not fare well with Darius.

One thing pleased the man though; she returned his stare with one of her own. Her question, though suprising, did not have any effect on the expression Darius held - cool, calm and calculating. He didnt answer, and that didnt seem to phase her, for she spoke again, this time accompanied with a flick of her hair. Disdain crept into Darius' eyes. He sat forward slightly, graceful and fluid. "And if I did, would that matter to you?"

He paused, head tilting a little before his voice sounded again - as usual, the tones quiet but grabbing attention. "I don't believe I know you, Ms?" He left the question open, a smile playing on the corners of his sensual lips. "Please, take a seat" Darius motioned to the chair opposite him smoothly. She obviously wanted something - and Darius didnt give anything for free.

The tips of his delicate fingers came together as he continued to study her, the confidence she held in every line of her body, the agility with which she stood..her condescendance for those around her. She was obviously above the crowd in here; someone who knew their way in the world, knew how to get what they wanted. Good, that meant two of them. Darius gave a polite smile, eyes set on hers, his drink forgotten in the interest he had for gaining secrets that this stranger knew - or finding out whether she was a danger.

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[Sephora Forrest]

The man with the sparkly hair seemed to be assessing her, and where other’s might have felt self conscious, it did not matter to Sephora, other than her quick thought of he’d better be giving her glowing reviews. His answers to her questions were defensive: protective. Like he didn’t like people knowing his business. Well, this would a fun new challenge now wouldn’t it.

“I just thought I’d seen you around,” she replied absently, mentally taking his defensiveness for a yes. Besides, she was almost certain she’s seen him around… well, almost. She didn’t like his expression, but she’s pegged him as a tough cookie so to speak, and demanding what the look was for was likely not her best option right now. Still, she’d never been known for her impulse control.

“Forrest,” she replied automatically, choosing not to give out her first name. He wasn’t getting that without earning it in her opinion. Meaning he either had to smell really good or be worth her time of day. Sephora liked to feel she was in control of every situation, and didn’t really appreciate the way that the man tried to take over, but she didn’t want to have to stand up for the rest of the evening either, so she say down and crossed her legs in on fluid motion. She knew how to utilise her various attributes when getting what she wanted, and heels did wonders for any woman’s’ legs.

Her stomach gave another angry lurch: reminding her that she was here to eat, not play, but she still wasn’t sure whether the man sitting opposite her would become her latest snack. Wizards were a lot harder to get hold of she had discovered, the word risky being an understatement. She was the weaker of the two, at least most likely, since they had their wands so it took a bit of careful planning to get the jump on them. This guy looked as though he might not be worth the effort: especially if it meant her becoming a backed potato again.

Returning her mind to the present: her unfaltering gaze resettling on him. “Alls fair, what’s your name?” she questioned, tapping at the bench with long, blood-red nails. It was no secret that she liked to coordinate, and it was also no secret that she had a hell of a lot of time to keep her appearance as neat as possible.

She wanted to know his connection to Silas in particular - she didn’t know whether Si’d like her munching on employees, since he certainly didn’t allow the other vampires around to do it. If he saw him on a daily basis, it was most likely unwise of her to go ahead - she’d get in trouble. Which was no fun at all. So, pressing the topic a little further, she inquired, “So what’s your job then? People don’t look familiar for no reason - I must have seen you at the casino somewhere.”