Waiting -- open

[ash]

It seemed as though she was always waiting for something lately. Waiting for a delivery, waiting for the tube, and always, always waiting for the sun to set. It wasn't as though she couldn't brave the harsh UV lights if she chose to, no, that wasn't the issue. The only real problem there, was the fact that she didn't want to. Her skin had been incredibly fair even before she had been turned, and well, now it was damn near translucent, and let's face it; just like any fair skinned human, she would end up with one hell of a sunburn if she went out under the sun. Only a fair few hundred times worse. Unfortunately, the day had gotten boring, and she had been tempted outside, which was what had found her in the London Underground, having been taking the tube at random, and people watching for the past...oh, it was getting on about four hours now, and there was still just under one more before the sun would skin below the horizon, granting her free reign of the world once more.

Okay, well, that was a bit melodramatic. But she didn't like the sun -- it hurt.

Raking slender fingers through her crimson hair, she shook her head slightly, mussing up her hair even further, giving herself a slightly ruffled, almost wild look that the men of this age seemed to find attractive. A moment's pause, and then she pursed her lips, smoothing her hair down once more. That look didn't suit her. Not until she was out on the prowl, at least. Which a sharp pang of hunger reminded her would have to be soon. Dropping her gaze, she fidgeted, wringing her hands in her lap, a soft sigh escaping parted lips. Maybe tonight...if she could find an easy target. Or, maybe it could be put off until tomorrow? Maybe the day after, even. A staticky announcement drew the redhead from her thoughts, and she stood, preparing to disembark from the subway train as soon as they stopped. Which apparently, was happening sooner than she expected, sending her tumbling into a stranger's lap. Eyes growing wide, she looked up at the person in question, idly reflecting upon the fact that were she able to blush, she would be absolutely crimson right now. "Oh my god, I'm really really sorry," she rushed out, apology half sincere, and half for show.

[Grymmlock]

River was scrolling through information on her Datapad when she was startled out of reading. She nearly dropped the device on the girl that had tumbled onto her lap.

"Oh dearie, you really should weight until the tube stops," she smiled, reaching down to help the girl up.

It was then that she noticed she'd almost missed her stop, so engrossed in her research as she was. Placing the device in her side bag and brushing a stray curl out of her face, she turned to make sure the girl was alright.

"Have you hurt yourself?" she asked, tilting the girl's head with a hand under her chin, "Come, let's get out onto the platform where there's better light."

River turned and stepped through the doors and onto the slightly crowded platform, making her way to a particularly well lit area. Hopefully the girl would follow.

[ash]

Shaking her head slightly, she took a moment to give the woman she had toppled over onto a quick once-over. A bit older than her in looks -- though certainly not in age -- with tanned skin, and absolutely wild curly blonde hair. She was beautiful, and warm, so incredibly warm. That had to be her favorite thing about humans, she mused, their warmth. Offering a small shrug and a nod, the vampire did her best to use body language to convey her embarrassment in lieu of the traditional symbol found in blushing. "Wasn't expecting it to stop quite so quick," she admitted sheepishly, running a hand through her hair as she stood, pretending not to notice the offered hand.

Brushing herself off, she made a show of pretending to take inventory of herself, making sure she wasn't injured, though there was little chance a simple fall on the underground was capable of causing that. All the while, she watched the woman out of the corner of her eye, enthralled with the air of sheer class she had about her. Not something you saw too often, especially on public transportation. "No, thanks, I think I'm..." she trailed off, breath catching (only partially) from surprise as the woman reached out, tilting her head up gently with a soft, yet slightly calloused hand. "...alright," she breathed, finishing her answer in a bit of a daze, watching as the elder woman turned and exited the tube, bidding her to follow.

A few moments of internal conflict found her obeying, jaw clenched, preparing herself mentally to keep her baser instincts at bay. After all, it simply wouldn't do to jump the woman in the middle of a crowded underground station, by either definition. There was just something different about her, the way she smelled, the sound of her heartbeat, like no one Aria had ever encountered, and all of it was absolutely alluring, drawing her in, like a moth to a flame. Had she encountered this woman while she was still young -- in her first few decades -- she was sure her willpower wouldn't have held up. It was a struggle as it was. "Sorry again," she murmured, offering a small smile. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Tagged: Grymm/River
Words: 400
Notes: She wants to nom her >:3

[Grymmlock]

"Oh, no no, dearie," she waved her hand, as if shooing the question, "I'm fine. You're the one that fell."

In the better light she was able to completely take in the girl in front of her. First thing she noticed was how absolutely pale her skin was, which made her ginger hair all that much brighter. She leaned in closer, almost as if she were waiting for something spectacular to happen.

"You're not all human, are you? Oh, how exciting," she whispered, grinning. "Don't tell me, I'll figure it out."

She held her well manicured, red-painted, finger up, hushing anything the girl might've said. She slowly walked around her, pulling out her Datapad in the process. Stopping as she completed a full circle, River pressed a few buttons and held the device up in front of her. A blip from her pad caused a pleased sound from her and she just grinned.

"A vampire.. ooh, I've never met one of you before. Oh, this really is exciting.. oh dear, I'm starting to sound like the Doctor." River paused and reoriented herself. "I'm River Song." She extended her hand with another, brighter, smile.

[ash]

The ghost of a smirk crossed her features as the woman in essence hushed her, brushing off the question with assurances that she was fine. Glad that she hadn't managed to hurt such an exquisite creature, Aria allowed herself a small smile, relaxing slightly. As the woman gave her a thorough once over, the vampire did the same, taking in all the little details she could piece together about this woman, trying to determine just what made her so...different. So spectacular and alluring compared to the rest of the masses milling about. Aside from the obvious physical attractiveness, however, she was coming up completely blank.

Green eyes widened slightly as the other woman leaned in, invading her personal space, as well as invading her senses with both her nearly irresistible scent, and the sound of the blood rushing just beneath her skin. After a moment's hesitation, she cringed back, dropping her gaze, and stepping backwards, putting some distance between herself and the other woman, though Aria was still acutely aware of her piercing grey gaze upon her.

Her head snapped up, eyes narrowed at the blonde as she spoke next. 'How exciting,' wasn't exactly the natural response humans gave when confronted with someone like her. Terror, now that was much more common, whether appropriate to the situation or not. She shook her head, opening her mouth to protest, to lie, and say she hadn't the faintest idea what the woman was on about, but was immediately shushed again, the woman insisting she would 'figure it out.'

Remaining still as a statue while the human woman circled her, holding out the tablet Aria had nearly managed to break during her fall earlier, she watched the woman out of the corner of her eye, remaining vigilant, listening for every footfall, every breath, every beat of her heart...any clue that she could be a hunter, about to attack. Though, she mused, if she absolutely had to die, at least it would be at the hands of a beautiful woman. The thought drew a small smile from the vampire, though the expression was immediately dropped as the woman came full circle, standing in front of her once more, still holding onto that tablet of hers. As though she expected it to give her any useful -- a low, instinctive growl tore its way from her throat as the woman identified her as a vampire, which she quickly quelled, in favor of eyeing the woman up once more.

Listening to her speak was positively surreal, the way she was excited, rather than afraid, and had no doubts as to the rationality of meeting a vampire on the underground in the middle of the afternoon. Yes, there were no two ways about it. This woman was something else. Forcing herself to relax once more, releasing the tension that had coiled within her muscles, she grasped at the ends of a few loose strands of hair, twirling them idly between her fingers, catching her lower lip between her teeth. She hesitated for a moment as the woman offered her hand for the second time that day, acutely aware of the possibility that she still could be a hunter of some sort, but after a moment, took it, shaking her hand softly. "Charmed, I'm sure," she responded, words colored with just a touch of sarcasm. The woman's smile, as she soon discovered, was absolutely infectious, and the vampire found herself returning River's smile, before speaking herself. "Aria," she replied with a nod. "Haven't really needed a last name in awhile," she continued, flashing the woman a wry smile. After all, what use was a last name to the dead? Unless she was trying to integrate herself further into society, which was a fairly rare occurrence.

Taking a step closer, cutting away at the space between them, she leaned in, mirroring River's earlier motion, watching carefully for any reaction, before murmuring in hushed tones, "And I could say the same for you." She paused, inhaling deeply at the crook of the woman's neck. "You're not all human," she asserted softly, "you can't be. You don't...smell right." A strange thing to say, though likely a stranger one to hear. And, of course, she left off the fact that River's strange smell made her all the more attractive.

Tagged: River/Grymm
Words: 750 or so
Notes: Forgive me, I had muse o.o; Also, I'm going in the direction that River's Time Lord DNA makes her smell better. xD God help the Doctor if he ever runs into Ari.

[Grymmlock]

River noted the look that crossed the girl's face when she'd said vampire, but watched it just ask quickly slip away. She was once again pushing buttons she really shouldn't.. but she really couldn't help herself. The returned smile brought her out of her musings and the small joke about last names made her laugh.

"Ah yes, I'm familiar with that mentality. As you get older, you really only have a need for one name. And what a pretty name it is.." trailing off at the end, she pursed her lips as though she were remembering something wonderful and sad at the same time.

She was, once again, pulled out of her musings (she really needed to get out of Storm Cage more often) when Aria leaned in close, informing her that she too wasn't all human. The comment about her smell being off had her laughing again. She'd heard about vampires before, but interacting with one was far more fascinating than hearing about them.. or reading about them; and she really wanted to learn more.

"And you are so right, but what's a woman without her secrets," her smile turned into a playful smirk and a wink.

She turned her gaze back to the Datapad, curiosity tugging at her mind. It wasn't even sunset yet. How very interesting.

"I thought vampires avoided being out in the day. But you don't seem to mind that the sun is up.. seems stories and hearsay have fallen sadly short of the truth... What would you say to dinner and a discussion?"

[ash]

Chuckling lowly, she shook her head. "I'm not sure I'd really call it a mentality," she started, rolling her shoulders in a lazy shrug. "It's more like..." she paused, cocking her head to the side, considering for a moment, before finishing her sentence, "my kind," she spoke, gesturing to herself, "we don't really use last names. It's not really how we operate." Another shrug. As it turned out, River's laugh was just as intoxicating as the rest of her, and Aria's mind wandered briefly. She couldn't help wondering just how ambrosial her blood would taste.

The sound of her voice dragged Aria back into the moment, and she swallowed hard, trying to push those thoughts out of her mind. They were doing absolutely nothing for her self control, which was strained to begin with, given the amount of time since her last 'meal.' She laughed lightly again, ever more intrigued as River admitted to being something either more or less than human. "Mm," she purred, grinning at the elder woman, "well, I'll show you mine, if you show me yours," she finished with a wink.

Watching as River consulted her tablet once again, Aria quirked a brow, wondering just what she was looking up, or what information the piece of technology held that was so intriguing to her. Features twisting into a small smirk as she seemed to stump the woman who, so far, seemed to know just about everything. Chuckling once more, she mimicked the woman before her, teasing her, "Wellll, what's a woman without her secrets, right?"

As she lingered close to the other woman, she was both amazed, and a little irked to note River's complete and utter lack of fear at having a vampire in such close proximity. Before pulling back, Aria leaned down once more, nipping at the crook of River's neck, fangs retracted of course, trying to draw a reaction from the woman. Finally leaning back, restoring a respectable amount of space between the two of them, she gave a small smile. "While I can't promise I'll join you in eating, I'd love to." Pausing slightly, her lips twisted into a smirk, "unless, of course, you're offering?"

[Grymmlock]

River observed Aria as they talked, taking in the fact that she seemed to lose focus the closer together the two of them became. If she were to guess, she'd say it'd been awhile since the girl had eaten. When Aria nipped at her neck her assessment was confirmed.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear, but I am already spoken for," she smirked, reaching back into her bag and pulling out a strange contraption, "but, I do have something that may interest you."

She slid open a panel on the contraption, showing off a red liquid that was contained inside. Sliding it closed and slipping it back into her back, River grabbed Aria's chin between her thumb and index finger, making sure the girl saw that she was serious about wanting to know more about vampires.

"If you're willing to wait for me to grab a small bite to eat, we can find somewhere less public to sit and talk. And, if you're feeling a bit frisky, you could possibly even help me with a... job I'm working on."

The smile that spread across her face just then was nothing short of mischievousness mixed with a bit of a vendetta. Dangerous and alluring all at the same time.

[ash]

No fear. None whatsoever. Whoever this River Song woman was, she was clearly either someone or something extraordinary...or perhaps she'd just seen extraordinary things. There wasn't so much as a flinch from the woman as the vampire's teeth scraped at the soft skin of her neck, putting the redhead in the perfect position to strike; she could have easily put an end to the blonde's life in moments, and yet the woman seemed entirely unfazed. A low growl resonated deep in her chest, rippling through her, and though she meant no harm, she was still damn determined to get a rise out of the woman before her. After all, it was positively unnatural not to show fear when faced with a deadly creature -- though Aria often resented being placed under that heading, what else could vampires be called, really?

Narrowing her eyes as River reached into her satchel, she kept her gaze carefully trained on the visually elder woman. As alluring as she may be, Aria didn't trust her. Like herself, the woman wasn't what she seemed, but in contrast, the vampire had no idea what she was dealing with, which gave River the clear and unfortunate advantage. Refusing to relax her stance as River pulled a small metallic looking contraption out, showing it off, she stayed still, eyes flickering back and forth between the device the woman was holding, and her face, not sure what she was looking at. Her brow furrowed in confusion when the panel slid open, revealing a deep crimson liquid. The smell was faint but there was no mistaking it. Eyes widening slightly, the redhead gestured at whatever the device was, "is that...?" she trailed off, knowing the sentence didn't need finishing. It was obvious what she wanted to know, and she blinked, cocking her head to the side slightly, letting the woman take her face in her hand for the second time since they'd met. A small shiver ran up the vampire's spine at the touch, and the warmth of River's hand, giving a small nod once her hold was released.

Casting a quick glance upwards, she considered the offer for a moment; it was always a pleasure to be able to speak freely -- one she was rarely presented with -- but she hadn't been planing on braving the sunlight today, considering she was ill prepared. She'd entered the underground station before dawn, and so hadn't needed to completely cover herself. As it were, she was fairly exposed to be venturing out in the daylight, wearing a simple grey tank top with fitted navy jeans, poor planning on her part, but nevertheless, she gave the woman another nod in affirmation. Running both hands through her hair, she pursed her lips for a moment, rocking on her heels slightly as she considered. "You...haven't got a coat or anything I can borrow, do you?" she requested softly, and a bit awkwardly. It wasn't often she had to ask for things, and she was a bit out of practice at it. "You can tell me more about this...'job' of yours over lunch, yeah?"

Tag: River/Grymm
words: 550 ish
Notes: <3

[Grymmlock]

River lifted an eyebrow at the sound that emanated from Aria and wondered for a brief moment if maybe she was a being just a bit irritating. But she brushed the thought away as Aria seemed to settle down and her attention moved to the blood box River had shown. She'd always found it handy to carry the box around with her, but she never thought she'd be using it to tempt a vampire into a conversation.. she should've known better. As she made sure the box was secure in her bag, she heard Aria's request for a coat.

"Of course. I wouldn't make you walk in the sun without protection. Fair skin like yours wouldn't last two seconds," she smiled, setting her bag down and removing her own jacket.

Before handing it over, she pull the zipper along the neck of the jacket and unfurled the rather large hood. She made sure she hadn't left anything in the pockets and then passed it over. It occurred to her then that it must seem very strange that she had everything that this girl needed, everything a vampire might need... It seemed after traveling with the Doctor so much, she was always prepared for absolutely anything. She smiled as she pictured one of his goofy grins and reached down to pick up her bag again.

"Sorry if the hood is too big, some planets have very bright suns and that makes it tolerable," she smirked over her shoulder as she turned away, "Now let's find a nice little cafe. I do love a good cafe."

[ash]

Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she chewed on it for a moment, allowing a brief silence, though never looking away from River. After a few moments, she found her voice again, asking quite simply "whose?" in regards to the blood she had been shown. She may be hungry, but she wasn't desperate enough to risk drinking the blood of the dead. That was more trouble than it was worth...and she didn't need to be in a weakened state around mysterious strangers like this one. A dry laugh escaped her at River's comment about her fair skin. Offering the woman a wry smile, she cocked her head, deadpanning "you've got no idea."

Watching curiously as she set her bag down, Ari offered her a grateful smile as the blonde removed her own coat, offering it to the vampire instead. "Thank you," she murmured genuinely, giving the strange woman a sincere smile as she gratefully accepted the garment, slipping it on. Doing up the zipper, and pulling up the hood, she couldn't help but giggle. While she and River stood at about the same height, Aria was significantly more slender than the elder woman, which certainly wasn't saying anything negative about River; in fact, the blonde looked as close to perfect as Ari could ever remember seeing, gorgeous in every facet, and curves to make any woman envious. By comparison, the vampire was incredibly slight of stature, making it look like she was swimming in the slightly oversized garment. It may as well have been the case, considering how light headed being surrounded by River's scent was making her. A sharp stab of hunger assaulted her, and the vampire wrapped her arms around her stomach, making her look even smaller and younger compared with River.

As the other woman spoke, Aria nodded along without really thinking, but something in the words struck her, and made her do a double take. "Some planets...?" she repeated somewhere between awestruck and skeptical. Maybe angels and demons weren't the most interesting things on the planet after all. Shaking her head she followed after the mysterious woman on her quest towards finding a 'nice little cafe' as the blonde had phrased it. Chewing on her lip once more, she reached out, placing a hand on River's shoulder lightly. "I...may have to leave you for a bit," she explained softly, squinting against the sun streaming down through the doors at the top of the stairs. "Need to eat as well," Aria mumbled, tugging at a loose strand of her fiery hair.

[Grymmlock]

River paused at her question about the blood. Cocking her head to the side a bit, and placing a finger against her lip, she thought about where this batch had come from. Slowly, she moved through the list: she'd used up what was left from the Prime Minister of the Raxacoricofallipatorians , she'd left her stash from New Trion at her supply point...

"If I'm not mistaken, it's from Cleopatra. Or Alexander the Great.. now that was a man.. why do you ask?"

She had to hold back a smile when she saw how small Aria looked in her jacket.. like a little kid trying on her mom's clothes. It was very cute. When Aria wondered aloud about her reference to 'planets', she had to laugh a bit... the girl wasn't the only one full of surprises. The hand on her shoulder stopped her and she turned, giving Aria her full attention.

"Oh? Is the blood I have not good? It was fresh when I got it.. and no one died, if you've a problem with that," she responded.

[ash]

Giving a soft sigh, she shook her head, sending a few loose hairs into her line of vision. Rocking back on her heels, she deliberated for a moment on how much to reveal, before speaking lowly. "Dead man's blood," she murmured, pursing her lips into a fine line. "Drinking the blood of the dead...it's poison to us," she elaborated, a bit surprised by how forthcoming she was being. If it turned out River was going to use the information Aria was offering up against her, then she was well and truly screwed. "I'm not sure how it works with..." she paused, brow furrowing in confusion, "time travel?" she finished off questioningly. She had heard of certain demons or ghosts with that ability, but it was fairly obvious that River was neither of those. And besides that, she had mentioned other planets...odds were, the blonde woman was something different all together, something Aria had never run across. It would certainly explain why she couldn't quite place River's scent.

Making a face, the vampire rolled her shoulders in a lazy shrug, the gesture nearly lost in the baggy coat. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not quite willing to risk it," she murmured, eyeing the pseudo-human. "I'd hate to disrupt our conversation by giving into the immense temptation you're currently posing me," she commented dryly, offering up a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Though the sentence was thrown out quite off-handedly, there was a gem of truth in it. Lingering in close proximity to anyone was dangerous for a hungry vampire, but the the better the individual's blood smelled, and the more attractive they were, the greater the temptation would become. And let's face it -- River was just too interesting to risk harming.

Reaching into her pocket to check her cellphone, Aria scowled down at the time. There was still quite some time before sunset, and until then, stalking any potential prey would be difficult, if not impossible, and she was several underground stops away from the nearest place she could acquire a blood bag from. Exhaling sharply in displeasure, she turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "On second thought, I'm sure it can wait," she intoned with a shrug, making her way to River, and linking arms with the woman as she passed, urging her to follow. "I know a lovely place not too far from here, I'm sure you'll enjoy it," she finished off with a smirk, the expression fading to a grimace as she pushed open the doors, stepping outside and into the sunlight. Gritting her teeth against the pain at every exposed patch of skin, she forced a smile, making her way through the crowded streets of London.