Confuzie {Andrei}

[Meggera Tepes]

Meggera had made it out of the castle, miraculously without being caught by a professor. She had no other option but to thank her vampire heritage for that since she was fairly certain she might have been caught or heard if it weren’t for her slight ‘enhancements’. She walked briskly, her socked feet making no noise on the marble floor, until she exited the main doors and felt the nights cold air wash over her. Her skin prickled slightly for a moment, but she didn’t stop to let herself adjust to the cooler temperature. She was past the courtyard and practically running across the lawns in a matter of moments.

It had to be nearly 2 am by now, or maybe later. She couldn’t recall what time she had actually gone down to the common room when she couldn’t sleep. Perhaps only one or so…since her encounter with Andrei there couldn’t have taken more than 30 minutes or so. Maybe 40 at the most, but what an odd space of time it had been. It had started out well enough, despite her miniature break down and embarrassing crying incident, but he had been sweet enough to comfort her. Then everything had just gotten weird. Imprinting? Was he serious? He had to be pulling her leg on that one…there were no records of such a thing outside of muggle fantasy novels. None that she had found at least…and she had been researching magical creatures her entire life.

She eventually found herself at the edge of the lake. Her socks were nearly soaked at the bottom thanks to the dew on the grass. She sucked in a deep breath of the cold air, trying to calm herself and cool down a bit, her fast pace had warmed her up quite a bit more then she wanted. She looked down at the water as it gently lapped onto the sand and stones at her feet. The sound was soothing and she found herself walking along the edge of the water, just out of reach of the gentle miniature waves until she came to a slightly rocky section. She knew it well. She had often climbed out to the edges of the rocks to sit and draw the lake scenery, and it was also a nice place to sit and think. A perfect place to try and sort out of he was telling her the truth or not. So, carefully in her socked feet, she climbed across the rocks to a long flat one that extended out father over the lake in a natural sort of diving board that students liked to use in the hotter months.

She went all the way to the edge and sat, her feet dangling over the edge and she stared down at the mostly calm water and tried to sort her thoughts out. Ok...what did she know for certain? Not much really… He was a werewolf. A rather new one too, in the grand scheme of things. And he claimed to have imprinted on her, something she had never thought existed and was some muggle fantasy notion. So..what now? Apparently it was some sort of soul binding thing that she didn’t quite understand and he was at her command or something medieval sounding like that. She pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. This wasn’t working…the air wasn’t cold enough to shock her out of her confused state. She needed something…stronger. Her eyes shot open as an idea occurred to her and she looked down at the water. It wasn’t like she would get sick if she did it, she was never sick, and it might just work.

So without a second thought she stood up on the rock, took a deep breath, and dove headfirst into the mildly deep section of water. The water was shockingly cold, but it did the trick. Her body stopped just shy of the lake bed, as she normally did. She extended her hands and felt the bottom of the lake for a moment, letting her fingers glide over the sand and smooth stones, orienting herself for a moment. It was too dark to see under there after all. After she got her bearings she pushed straight up, her head breaking the surface a moment later for air. She looked around briefly before beginning to float on her back like the giant squid, staring up at the star speckled sky and nearly full moon. Was this real? It didn’t feel like it. Nothing felt real anymore to her. First she was engaged to Jamison…then it was canceled not even a week ago. Now she had been imprinted upon by a werewolf. Could her life get any weirder? She stared up at the moon and recalled Andrei’s words. She only had to think and he would be there. The only rational thing was to test it. So she closed her eyes and, extremely unsure of what to actually think, just pictured him in her minds eyes standing by the lake.

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)

[Andrei Winter]

Low utterances of explicit words were flying from the Carpathian's mouth. If he ever saw that muggle author, he might bite her. That was supposed to be kept a bloody secret. The packs' secrets...all used for entertainment. How cute was this nonsense? His head rocked back against the wall and his eyes closed. "Smooth...smoooth. Scare away the only other girl that wasn't creeped out by you. Clod."

He sighed heavily and remained at his customary corner of the Common Room, feeling the thick of sleep creeping over his senses. Suddenly, there was something of a chill over him and it was almost as if he could see himself at the edge of the lake, and the sound of her whisper echoing off his mind.

Instinct kicked in and he was up like a shot. He didn't go through the school, but out of the window. He moved from one ledge to the next without slipping, over and down until he landed solidly on the ground with a soft growl of exertion before taking off toward the lake as fast as he might physically run.

Over the grass, the oxygen pumped through him and fueled him to sprint to the water's edge, where he stopped, scanning the surface of the water. When he saw her, he had to collect himself a moment. Awash in moonlight, quiet and at peace, the thundering of his heart the only sound he really heard. Good...Merlin.

She was...

Beautiful.

He didn't think twice before wading into the water, the cold shock calming him with a subtle sigh as he made his way toward her. He let the water ripple to suggest movement before he moved to look down at her. "Yes?" He smiled warmly down at her expression.

[Meggera Tepes]

She laid there, floating in the water in silence. The water hadn’t yet calmed from her jumping into it the way she had, but the motion of the water was enough to rock her into a state of calm, even sleepiness if it weren’t so cold. She closed her eyes, letting the darkness and quiet envelope her. The only thing she could hear in the water was the movement of the soft waves, relaxing her into an almost dream-like state. The only thing that kept her from falling asleep was the sudden extra movement of the water. It was gentle, but enough to register that someone or something else was in the water. The squid never came in this close…it was the same with most creatures of the lake, so it had to be coming from the direction of the shore. Perhaps someone having noticed her after all, hopefully not a teacher. She opened her eyes just in time to see Andrei come into her line of sight. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, somehow managing not to jump and end up sinking herself in the water.

“You came? So….it’s real after all?” she said softly as she floated there under the moonlight. It had worked, and she hadn’t expected it to in the slightest. What did that mean? They were bonded like he had said… Holy…Merlin. Somehow she didn’t think this news was going to go over very well with her family. Her grandfather still held tight to his old prejudices after all. “So this..imprinting thing…is it exactly like those muggle books?” she asked, her blue-grey eyes fixing up on his warm hazel ones. A small voice in the back of her head seemed to whisper about how attractive he looked in the moonlight and the firelight earlier, a voice she hadn’t heard since 4th year really. Oh hell… that was the last thing she needed to think about right now...

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)

[Andrei Winter]

"I am not entirely familiar with how the muggles have described it, but I can enlighten you to what I know." He sank down into the water to immerse himself up to the crests of his shoulders and savor the cold shock through his core. Oh blessed Andraste that felt so good.

"Imprinting, bonding, it is a connection between a male wolf and a female counterpart. It renders him incapable of harming her or allowing harm to come to her. He protects her at all costs. He serves her to the best of his ability and obeys blindly. There is a mental and slight emotional connection. He can hear her thoughts to a degree, and feel what she feels." He looked up at the sky and quirked a smile. "So, I know your family won't like this. But, you know, I'm not a fully savage beast. I'm learning to control the anger that comes with it. I'm still a civilized man, I have manners. We have evolved greatly, save packs of wild lycans. Those of us that choose to can keep their humanity. I am aware of my actions as an animal and can choose how to respond."

His anger was in a state of constant check and he wasn't usually angry about anything so that most were safe. "Did that answer your question at all?" The young man rose from the water and gave a quiet sigh of relief before gazing down at her. "The connection may be able to be broken, I have yet to locate the leader of the pack in the forest to find out if it is possible, if it is too much of a burden. I am able to keep somewhat of a distance if you wish me to. If not, I am at your service, gladly."

[Meggera Tepes]

He wasn't to familiar with how the muggles described it, so she made a mental note to find those books as he sunk down into the water. She probably still had them buried somewhere even if she wasn't fond of them. It wasn't like her to get rid of books no matter how good or bad they were so she was fairly certain they were gathering dust somewhere on one of her book shelves back home. She listened in silence as he explained to the best of his knowledge what was going on. It was all somewhat inconceivable...she wouldn't have believed it. Heck...she hadn't believed it in the slightest...even when he told her about it back in the common room.

But here he was, having shown up after her feeble attempt to call him here mentally, and knowing what she was thinking both about her family and how she had thought he was hurt earlier. It was somewhat comforting that the mental thing was only to a certain degree, she wasn't to sure how she would feel having someone constantly knowing what she was thinking or feeling. She nodded slightly, causing the water to ripple again right before he rose from the water and mentioned that the connection might be able to be broken, but he hadn't been able to find the pack leader in the forest to ask about it.

She finally moved from her floating position to a standing one, pushing her now wet hair to the side out of her face. The air felt much colder now, half way out of the water, it caused goosebumps to rise on her arms and the back on her neck. “Theres a whole pack in the forest? I didn't realize that...but yes...that answered my questions pretty well...” she said with a small nod, wondering how on earth he had been going about trying to find them in such a large forest. Surely they wouldn't be all that close to the school like the Centaurs. “Have you contemplated asking the headmistress for a way to get in contact with them?” she asked, looking up at him curiously. She hated to admit it, but her curiosity always seemed to get the better of her. This situation was no different, she wanted to know more that he probably wouldn't know without asking the pack's leader.

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)

[Andrei Winter]

Fingers dared to close the distance between the two, carefully moving the wet locks from her pale cheek. Did all vampire descendants have such beautiful skin? It looked as if there was not a single flaw in her face, especially underneath the moon. Good, blessed Merlin...those thoughts were coming back ten-fold. Knock that bloody stuff off! Finally, he straightened and shook his head quietly. "I have considered such, but, you know, I have a slight suspicion that it would be recieved poorly. Despite the fact that I have an ability to display dominance to most packs I have encountered and they listen or leave me well enough alone. Just acting off instinct, that's the frightening part of all of that...anyway, I just imagine she wouldn't allow me as a student into the woods. The fact that I am what I am is sort of a...minor technicality."

Andrei drew his hand back slowly and crouched down in the water. "This is almost better than the snow. I get so warm that I just can't stand it sometimes. At least now, I know where I can go to get some relief. Are you not freezing?" He asked quietly.

[Meggera Tepes]

She forgot to breath for a moment when she felt his fingers moving the wet strands of hair from her face, a slight blush trying to creep up on her. Just for a moment though, luckily. Though she wasn't so lucky with the blush... Oh bloody....stop it Meggera...enough of that. she thought to herself. She had things to worry about, and she didn't need to add silly teen hormones to the list as well. She had managed to survive most of her school years without having to deal with them, couldn't they stay dormant just a little longer?

He had a good point. The headmistress already didn't like students going into the forest, so a student going in there to meet a werewolf pack would be even more out of the question then usual. She didn't really see any other way to get answers though...which left her in a bit of a pickle. She could encourage him to disregard the rules to get some answers, but he could get in serious trouble with the school. Heck they both could get in some serious trouble over that... “I hate to suggest it...but have you ever thought about just going? Trying to find clues to their usual locations and then just...going?” she asked. Surely she couldn't be the only one who's mind it had crossed.

She watched him sink down into the water before shaking her head slowly. “Freezing? No. My body is still used to the Romanian winters...this is only a little more then chilly for me.” she said, glad to know she wasn't the only one who the heat bothered. “I must say I miss Romania..if only because of the unbearable heat here during the summers.” she said with a small wry smile, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling the goosebumps on her arms thanks to the breeze. Luckily the breeze was not constant or she might just get cold standing out here. If it were the dead of winter in the snow she would definitely be cold by now.

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)

[Andrei Winter]

"I've considered just going, yes, it would take them longer to find out I was gone and even longer to catch me if the mood struck me right." He smiled softly, where most in this realm had a great understanding of magic and little physical skill, he had both. He was a skilled charm worker and a fair duelist, his exceptional skills were, oddly...in divination and arithmancy. However, he was also very strong and skilled in flying, a very fast runner, and an expert tracker. Living in the woods had its advantages at times and he was proud of those.

She spoke of missing Romania and for a moment, he seemed lost in thought. He missed it too, really. Missed the cold, running through the trees and most of all, he missed Mordecai. His soul was still ripped in two without him. He would never have the connection of someone that could finish his sentences, feel his mood, feel his fears...

They had been as close as the Demetriou twins, if not closer. Modrecai was like Luna in a lot of ways...popular, bloody brilliant, in such demand...and Andrei was like Artemis, quiet, standing behind his twin in silence. Granted, in his silence, he had grown entirely too bitter of his twin's popularity and had chosen to act out and attempt to make some drastic changes to make sure people knew the bloody difference between the two.

Now, he'd give anything to get all that back, especially his old body. This body was bulky and it was harder to hide, but he enjoyed the strength that he had now. He could take a beating without suffering from it better than he could before. Well, there was certainly more of him that someone would have to damage now.

Even in the dark, he could see the goosebumps on her skin and he gave a little smile. "You know, I miss Romania too. The summer heat in London, I agree, is unbearable. The chill in the air is so much more comfortable. However..." He made his way through the water and slid up behind her, arms remaining at his sides as he lowered his chin to her shoulder, the warmth of his skin spreading to her to ease the edge of the chill off her skin. He was always so unbearably hot, but the water was allowing for easier temperature control.

[Meggera Tepes]

So he had considered just going to track the pack down without telling anyone. She did wonder about how he would wrangle it so that no one would know he was gone longer then normal if he so chose. Surely if it wasn't over break the teachers would notice right away when he wasn't in classes, where if it was still break they might not notice for a day or so. “How would you manage that? I mean...especially with classes. I would think the professors would notice right away. Not to mention the pack must be pretty far into the forest.” she asked.

She was already compiling a list of books in her head, a typical Ravie thing to do really, to research the living hell out of this. She needed to find out more then she knew already. Her curiosity was almost insatiable when it got going, and the fact that she hadn't known anything about what was happening only fueled it more.

He moved behind her and set his chin on her shoulder. Her breath caught for a moment, but was stifled by the warmth that radiated from him and through her shoulder. It was an almost instant calming effect oddly enough, despite her nervousness over his close proximity. Was he always this warm? She hadn't noticed it in the common room, but the stark different between the night air made it very apparent. “How do you manage it? Being so warm all the time?” she asked, staring at the rippling water. She could see the moon reflecting off of it now that he had moved behind her. “Is it constant or do the moon phases effect it too?” she asked, marveling at how little she really knew.

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)

[Andrei Winter]

He chuckled softly, looking up at the sky, "I would likely sneak. Pick a Saturday and jump the fence. If I had to pick somehow to sneak into the forest, it would be during the weekend when there are no classes." It was a thought anyway, bolting into the woods where no one would ever find him, even if they wanted to. People never wanted to go in the forest after all. Who would follow one crazy beast into the trees?

When asked of his warmth, he cmiled again, "It's constant, but it's alright. There is always a source to cool down, so I don't mind it really. The closer the moon gets to full, the hotter I seem to be. Then again, everything seems to affect that. Why? Is my warmth too much to handle? I can stand further from you, if that would help you feel better.""

[Meggera Tepes]

Using a weekend to sneak off would definitely make sense. He could get farther before they noticed his absence. It made her curious as to how in depth he had thought this over and if he was actually considering it, especially now. Well…she supposed she would know just how much if one Monday he was suddenly missing. “I see. I wonder how far in the pack is…” she said, her mind wandering for a moment. How long would it take to reach them? At least a full day she would imagine. She wished she could go and explore the forest, but she had her doubts about surviving on her own in there for more than an hour.

She shook her head lightly when he asked if the warmth was to much. “No, it isn’t. It’s quite comfortable actually… I was just curious.” she said, glancing up at the moon that was nearly full, “So since it’s so close to the full moon you must be nearly roasting in your skin…luckily the lake is always nice and cool.” she said, her hands playing with the long wet strands of her hair to keep them occupied so she wouldn’t fiddle with them nervously. She didn’t want him to think she was nervous, but she couldn’t help but be…at least a little. Her curiosity was able to stifle it slightly, but there was still so much she didn’t know about what was going on she couldn’t help it. The only certain thing she knew was that if this was at all like the books one or both of them were going to end up extremely sad or hurt depending on her grandfathers future plans for her. Merlin...now that was an unsettling thought...how on earth was that going to work....

---------------------------

Outfit (minus the arm warmers and headphones)