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Rares kept his gaze diverted until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, his face turning slightly to regard her, half obscured by the thick fur of his collar. He listened as she gave her reasons for prying into his business, reasons that were absolutely foreign to him having grown up so far removed from that type of mentality. So. Her daddy was a Ravnos, huh? It figured. But something didn't sit right about that either. If her father was a Ravnos why did she seem so out of place among them? Sure. She spoke the language, she looked like she could easily belong to the Kumpania, but he'd never seen her before and he felt like he would have remembered someone like her. Not just because of her loveliness.

There was a strange aura about her, something energetically he couldn't quite put a finger on. It continued to make him uneasy. Rares glanced back at the spit, using a single claw to turn the handle as the herbs dried and roasted. "You really don't get it. I don't need your help." His expression slipped a little, that sadness vaguely manifesting before he pulled it back again. What did she think she could do for him? It was too late to fix what had been broken so thoroughly by time and circumstance.

"Look, you seem like a nice person." He said suddenly, his voice not condescending but not friendly either. "You should go make friends with nice people who share your values. I don't." He looked back at her, his face set in an expression close to apathy. "There's nothing worth knowing, Vadoma and if you insist on sticking around you're going to find that out for yourself... or you're going to get hurt. Either way." He didn't sound threatening, his demeanor resigned, like he didnt know how else to get his point across aside from blunt honesty. She wanted to stick around and make him a charity case? A project? Sure. Good luck.

He had a feeling he wasn't going to shake her no matter what he said, and she wasn't easily intimidated either. Short of physical violence, which he didnt resort to lightly, it appeared he now had a guest for an undetermined amount of time. He couldn't have her following him around everywhere, however, if that was her intention. But what the hell was he supposed to do? He could kill her. His eyes lifted slightly, the fire sparking an eerie glow deep within them. It would solve his problem. Yet he felt hesitant to consider something so rash as outright ending her life. There was still something nagging him about her he couldn't quite piece together.

He also found that the thought of killing her caused a hard lump to form in his stomach, it made him nauseous, that alone was enough for the vampire to dismiss the idea completely. His hackles raised as she said the word cursed and he shot her a cold look. But it felt defensive, almost hurt. "Yeah. Cursed. At least now you don't have to listen to the gossip. You can just join it." He could quit with the threats, huh? He hadn't even started. Rares spotted that weird shimmer again and he frowned, eyes locked on the spot where he'd last seen it. What was that? It wasn't smoke.

Did she ever stop smiling? She was still sitting there, unphased by his attempts to shake her, no matter what he said it only seemed to encourage her. He'd never met someone so stubborn. It was weird. So why was it also kind of endearing? In an annoying way. He thought that what he wanted was to storm into the Vardo, slam the door in her face, and end the encounter entirely. But when he sat with it he realized that wasn't exactly how he felt. Not really. He turned the spit again with a single claw, his demeanor no longer hostile but still a bit guarded. However, he refused to let his acceptance of her presence be taken as anything but begrudging.

"I'm not scared to ask for help." That was an absolute lie. The thought terrified him. "I don't understand what you think I need help with. And I'm not going to seek out a God. The gods have been too silent too long, I don't want their help. Not anymore." That was the truth. He didn't understand her. He didn't understand her motivations. She said friendship, well he'd never had a friend before. So what was the value in something like that? Someone to confide in? Someone to tell your secrets to? Someone to be there when things got rough? For what? So they could stab you in the back or use you? If that was friendship then he'd had plenty of that. He wasn't about to take the risk. His life was already miserable enough without deliberately making it worse by adding friends.

Rares found the more she talked the more confused he became. This woman couldn't be real. There was no way this was genuine. But she had a point, as much as he hated to admit it. "If you want to form your own opinions I won't stop you. I just think you aren't going to like what you end up finding." Is that what she wanted? Really? She wanted to know him. Why? He wasn't a good person. He did awful things... sometimes to others. Sometimes he even liked it. How could that make him worth knowing? He was going to have to show her, if this really continued, if she genuinely felt this way. He would have to show her how wrong she was. That she didn't want to know him. That she should leave and forget she'd ever followed him into the woods.

His tail slid across the ground, a soft breeze ruffling the fur of his collar. The male blinked a couple of times, realizing he'd been deep in thought, when he saw it again. This time on top of her head. His curiosity was overwhelming, that and his unease. If she happened to be up to something weird he wanted to know. "What... what is that?" His gaze stuck to the space atop her head. Nose wrinkled and brows knit quizically. It moved. He knew it was moving. All he could see was a shimmer, like seeing something shiny under the water that was there one second and gone the next.

What was she? Some kind of acolyte put on a path to spread the message of how the Vampire God could heal all wounds? He recoiled inside a little at the thought. The fact she was trying to push him toward a Deity was probably some superstitious leftover from her mortal life. Many of the mortals who came from the Kumpania, or either had ties to or were born into it, had some kind of religion, faith or practice. Still, it didnt fit what he saw kneeling by his campfire. He didn't buy it. And if she was trying to sell him some guarantee in order to get him to throw himself to some god and beg for help, well, he wasn't going to buy that either. "He can't change the past. Drop it, tânără." His claws curled into his palms, digging into the flesh, his temper flaring briefly in his chest like a lick of flame.

Rares watched the shimmer as it faded in and out of his view, perched atop her head. A forest spirit? The male didn't move at first, simply observed as she reached up to remove it from her head and cupped it in her hands. That light glinting strangely now while she held it. He couldn't see what she saw. It was still just shimmer to him. The male's frown softened a bit, his expression growing more curious than defensive. He turned the spit, making sure the plants didn't start smoking, before he was suddenly walking towards her.

Silently the Ravnos crouched in front of Vadoma, gaze slightly wary of her as his eyes sought hers. If this was some kind of trick he was going to be pissed. Very slowly his attention dropped to her hands and the curious frown returned, the fur of his collar framing his face becomingly. Despite being marked by life he looked younger up close, especially when his guard faltered.

"What does it do?" He asked, it was obvious there was a sort of reluctance in allowing himself to ask, but beneath that, there was an almost innocent and genuine curiosity to the inquiry. He seemed to sit back just a bit, not allowing his body to lean in, like he was prepared to get away from her if this was some joke. Amber eyes lifted again, taking in her face. She was strikingly pretty. Physically, but also in the energy she gave off. He tried not to put a lot of his focus on energy but he had always been sensitive to it in others. Whether a natural gift, or a by product of needing to know when something bad was bound to happen, he couldnt answer.

His gaze slipped to the beautiful curve of her neck, eventually falling to her chest when his stomach suddenly tightened. He felt heat flush his face and instantly tore his gaze away. He hadn't expected that reaction from his body, it was childish, like he'd never seen breasts before. He definitley had. Rares refocused his attention on the forest sprite. Deliberately. Refusing to let his eyes wander again. But he couldn't shake feeling like he'd just been punched in the gut by a hot iron.

The vampire was still trying to keep his focus on the small shimmer in her hand when she began to speak again, his ear catching the sound of... was that hesitation? Or something else? Her words seemed to catch as she spoke. His focus lifted again, slowly, the light smoldering in his eyes dark as he observed her expression. Was she nervous? He couldn't tell. There was something there though, he knew it. Those long lashes framing her mesmerizing eyes, the shape of her lips, the curve of her cheekbones... Rares found himself easily distracted gazing at her.

His fingers flexed subtly, those sharp claws pricking the skin of his knee as he felt the heat grow between the two of them. Such a strange, heady sensation. He'd almost forgotten about the little forest spirit until she began to explain it. He had to remind himself that she was a stranger. He didn't know this woman. He'd been tricked by a pretty face before. He couldnt let her just waltz right in the way she seemed to be doing.

He made an interested sound as she explained what the thing was and what it's name was. "Pip, huh?" He wasn't going to judge. If a forest sprite wanted to be named Pip who was he to tell it no? The male squinted his eyes faintly, as though trying to focus. "Why is it just light? Do you see something else?" He almost reached out to try and touch it but refrained. He didn't know anything about the creatures she was referencing. Therefore he wasn't about to risk pissing it off if they were sensitive.

Rares's gaze widened suddenly as a scent caught his nose. The light traces of smoke beginning to drift toward them. The plant had begun to catch fire. "s**t." He growled. Reaching his arm out suddenly, he placed a hand against her chest just above her breasts, and pushed Vadoma backwards so she would end up flat on her back on the ground under the haze.

Standing abruptly, covering his nose with his arm, he unhooked the spit and threw it off into the woods. He should have known better than to leave it so long without supervision. That batch was ruined now. He'd gotten distracted too easily. He grabbed a cloth and began to wave the smoke away, still keeping his mouth covered as he did. Luckily it didn't take long to clear the area as the plant had barely started to catch fire. He looked over at Vadoma, his gaze almost, almost apologetic. "You didn't breathe any of that, did you?"

Rares watched as she sat up and gave a little cough, he felt... relieved? Maybe just a little. Why? He was convincing himself that killing her was a bad idea not that long ago. So what was different now? Maybe it was because she was talking to him still. That she wasn't asking him to hurt someone or ruin someone's life or do something horrible. She wasn't sneaking to his vardo in the middle of the night for a thrill only to pretend he didn't exist and never had the next day.

He strode silently over toward where she sat and reached his hand down for her to take, fingers unfurling elegantly. Sure, he could have told her to hold her breathe. But it was easier to knock her over. Less chance she'd ask him questions since she seemed to like those so much. He smirked as he gazed down at her while she dusted herself off, a rather roguish expression settling itself upon his features.

The gold of his jewelry glistened in the firelight, his dark locks spilling over the fur of his collar, his face framed by those striking red highlights that wove in and out of his dark brown hair. "I guess I really didn't need to ask. You'd be dead if you had. But since you're still alive... in a manner of speaking." His lips curved upward, the smirk shifting to a smug little grin.

He could see the shimmer of light on her head and he stopped watching her, his attention slipping back to it. A puffball she'd said. He wondered why he couldn't quite see it. Maybe he just didn't have that kind of gift. Aside from the spirits haunting the woods he hadn't seen any sprites or actual nature spirits. Not that he could recall anyway. He let his eyes rove back to Vadoma and that heat picked up again, occupying the space between them strongly.

He was attracted to her, but more than he wanted to admit. It made sense given how he'd felt when he first saw her. He found women attractive, sure, it happened. But never this quick and never this intensely. He wanted to take her to bed. Rares hated that he was so ill versed in social graces. He wasn't the wooing type. He wasn't about to start trying to strike up some deep conversation to seduce her. He didn't even know how to start. In fact women usually came to him. He tried and failed to recall a time he had pursued anyone. The minute they realized what he was they left. So there wasn't any point.

He felt a little charge slither up his arm when her hand slipped into his and the pressure of her grip encircled his palm. He wrapped his fingers firmly around her hand, easily pulling her to her feet, maybe a little too strongly. Rares had looked away briefly in the direction of the woods, checking to make sure nothing had caught fire, when he suddenly felt her body against his. Amber eyes widened, the collision startling him. His free hand slipped around her waist to steady both her and himself as his claws pricked the flesh of her lower back subtly.

Looking down at her like this, with her body against his, that feeling from moments before came roaring back. He involuntarily pressed his claws deeper into her flesh, like he intended on pulling her closer. He fought back the strong urge to just pick her up and take her inside. But he wasn't a mindless animal. He did awful things, but not awful like that... the moment was getting to him. Confusing him.

Something about Vadoma was shaking the male at his core and it was terrifying. He hadn't ever experienced someone getting under his skin like this. That intense gaze watched as her thumb slid over the fur of his collar, his initial reaction agitation until he realized that wasn't how he really felt. In fact, he liked how her delicate fingers looked against the pelt and realized the feeling the gesture left in its wake was one of comfort. That was the moment he let her go. Comfort was too much. He couldn't process it. Rares slipped his hand from her waist and turned away from her, heading back to the fire.

She was getting into his head, he wasn't sure how, but she was. His instinct was to shut her out, to stop this before it continued. But there was another part of him buried deeply that begged him to ignore that path. He was afraid to hope she was genuine, that what she was telling him was the truth. But how could he trust her? What made her different from everyone else? He'd been fooled before by people who seemed genuine, the ending never changed. The low hoot of an owl haunted the night, accompanied by the steady crackling as the fire consumed the wood of the pit. He didn't know what to say to her, but he had to keep his distance. The closer he was, the worse it got.

Rares reached into the pocket of his coat, his fingers wrapping around a pack of playing cards, which he smoothly extracted, they didnt appear to be tarot cards and looked instead to just be ornate playing cards. Giving the deck a brief shuffle he pulled a single card. As his eyes fell, he smirked, his thumb sliding over the face of it. Same old s**t. He slid it back into the deck and shuffled again, his eyes shifting quickly to Vadoma and then away. As he slid a new card out and turned it, he frowned a little. Well... that was unexpected. He shoved it back among the others and toyed with the deck absently, the red against the black bsckground of the cards practically glowing in the firelight.

"Sunrise isn't far away. You can stay for tonight. But you need to go tomorrow." She hadn't asked, but it didn't take a genius to realize that it was getting late. Even if she made it back to the Kumpania she'd have a hell of a time finding shelter this far out of the city before the sun rose. Why did he care? Who knew. He'd been shaken up enough already for one night to now dig into why he suddenly gave a s**t about what happened to this woman.

Rares absently made the cards fan before slipping them back into a uniform deck. He slid them into his pocket and gave Vadoma a small nod, acknowledging her acceptance of his offer. He didn't know what else to say. The weird electricity at the thought of her staying the night made him nervous again. Also, two fathers and a brother, huh? He'd made the right call in not trying to hurt or kill her, it seemed. Now, where the hell was he supposed to put her?

He didn't have a lot of places someone could sleep aside from his bed. Though he didn't care if she chose the bed, if she wanted to stay she'd have to decide for herself where she wanted to pass out. He would probably fight sleep until he knew she was actually out, however. Trust issues. Thankfully, vampires usually didn't have an option when it came to being able to stay awake during the day. The call to sleep was generally a powerful one. Picking up a bucket from beside the fire, he dumped it over the coals. Sand fell steadily, smothering the flames, preventing heavy smoke and ash from escaping into the air.

Next, he set the bucket down and vanished off in the direction of the spit he'd chucked, returning moments later with a clean rod of metal. He set it carefully back in its cradle, annoyed. It had taken him a while to collect those herbs and only minutes to destroy his work. Sloppy. He'd have to figure out some alternative if he was going to complete his latest job offer on time. With a soft exhale of resignation he turned for the vardo, climbing the steps and opening the door.

Inside was lavish, everything done in shades of obsidian and a red/gold honey amber color with some crimson splashed here or there. He'd used a fair chunk of the money he'd uncovered in making it comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Why not? This was probably the only place he really found solace. To the right, the space that might have been a large living room at one point in time, was now entirely taken up by a bed encased in a sheer black canopy, the fabric threaded through with intricate amber hued seams and edges. The entire wall behind the bed was windows, though from the outside they'd been smoked so no one could see in and the sun could not penetrate through. Thick black shutters were waiting to roll down from the top and curtains framed each one, he wasnt dumb enough to risk someone trying to cook him while he was asleep.

The view was striking. Deep woods that stretched on forever, fog curling and slithering low across the ground. There appeared to be some sort of body of water but it was blended too well into the darkness to make out. The bedding was black satin, trimmed with that same amber hue found throughout. An array of matching pillows lined the wall beneath the windows and black pelts, flecked through with cream and chocolate, were laid out carefully for the night. Pelts that appeared lupine, their texture thick, falling somewhere between soft and coarse to the touch.

An obsidian table had been placed to the right if one were facing the bed. Rares removed from his pocket the deck from earlier, setting it next to a very large, expensive-looking black hooka with an amber glass basin. To the left of the bed, built into the wall and stretching out several feet, were floor to ceiling cabinets. The dark mahogany, inlaid with actual honey amber flecks along the edges, were locked up tight, secured by an ornate looking mechanism. Carved into the faces, and spanning the distance between both cabinets was a single large tree, burned by hand into the front. On the other side of the vardo, if turning left from the front door, was heavy black satin pulled back from the center of the ceiling and secured to either side of the wall, forming an arch across the space so that it could effectively seperate the vardo in two if released.

Through there was what looked like a mix between a kitchen and an alchemy lab with another large room off to the side through a set of doors on the right. In fact, there appeared to be almost another Vardo attached to the back of this one. Black marble kitchen counters woven through with crimson had been set atop black cabinets. They stood spotless, boasting an exceptionally clean obsidian sink as well. Matching cabinets had been built into the upper portion of the wall, their tops set flush against the ceiling, framing another window that looked out into ominously dark woods.

Rares shed his thick coat, revealing a pristine white dress shirt over a black undershirt. His dress shirt was loose, he didn't bother tucking it into his black jeans. In fact, he found the feeling stifling, almost constricting somehow. He tossed the jacket over a thick black armchair to the left and turned to look at his guest, his eyes alight with dark humor while he absently worked at one of his shirt cuffs. "Well, are you coming, tânără?"