You Never Know What's Out There

Who: Dorian and Jules
Where: The streets of Marquette
When: 1am

After four days of forcing himself to the book faire, Dorian found himself restless with nothing thrilling to occupy his time. Talking to Rose had given him reason to hope the bad would stay away from Marquette for awhile, though if he could assure she was safe, he would have enjoyed a bit of chaos for himself. He didn't expect to find it wandering around at night, but a walk in the cold was good for him, sunglasses in place despite the darkness. It was an attempt not to draw too much attention to himself, though he found that it still raised the question of why from those he ran into. After years of dealing with it, he figured he could manage.

Jules couldn't sleep. She'd tossed and turned for a while, unable to find a comfortable position before finally giving up and getting out of bed. There was no point lying there and thinking when she could get out and clear her head. So that's what she did. She pulled on a sweater and her black jacket, leaving her hair down and pulling a hat on. Black jeans and her boots and she was ready to get out of the house. She didn't care if it was cold, she didn't care if it was late. She headed off down her street, turning the corner and walking for quite some time. At first she didn't notice the man walking in her direction, not until he was barely a few yards in front of her. She'd been too busy listening to the sound of her own footsteps falling. Then she realized it wasn't just her footsteps and that made her nervous, eyes ticking upwards towards the sound as she stopped walking. Sunglasses at night? Odd. She wasn't sure whether she should keep walking or turn around and make a break for it. In this town you never knew what you might meet. She was too afraid to do either, so she just stood there in the middle of the sidewalk.

Dorian noticed Jules before she even came into view, hearing her footsteps turn the corner. Once he could see her, he didn't take his eyes off her, now thankful for the glasses. He wondered what she was doing out so late, though he could never blame someone else for doing something he was doing himself. It just didn't seem safe for a woman... which showed how ridiculously old school he could be at times. He'd known plenty of women capable of defending themselves, and underestimating them was the quickest way to get himself into trouble. As she got closer, Dorian wondered how creepy it would be to say hello. It was generally dangerous to talk to strangers wandering around after midnight, though he was the stranger of the two.

Still she stood there, unable to tell if the man was looking at her or not since his eyes were shielded from her view with those dark glasses. She was thankful that she stood under the streetlamp. If he were to harm her, he wouldn't dare do it there. She stepped back against the pole of the lamp, blue eyes ticking up to him once more as she contemplated saying something. Anything. If he wasn't one of those things that went bump in the night, then he probably thought she was insane for acting so frightened, but insane and safe were better than dead in Jules' book.

Okay, so now she was acting silly. Did she really think that hiding behind the light post would protect her? Not that he was planning to hurt her, but really? Dorian grinned, thinking how inappropriate it was that he could think of ten good ways to sneak up on her in plain sight. Thankfully for her, he meant her no harm. "Why go out at night if you're scared of the dark?" he asked as he passed her, turning on his heel to walk backwards and away from her. "There 're a lot worse things out here than me."

She felt a little dumb after he said that. He obviously wasn't going to hurt her or he would have done it already. "I'm not afraid of the dark." she told him, stepping back away from the lamppost. "I'm afraid of what might be in the dark and I'm unaware of just how bad you might have been. Can't blame a girl for being cautious. Especially of a man who likes to wear dark glasses in the dark." Jules said, eyes staying fixed on him as he walked backwards away from her.

"They keep the crazies away. Look creepier than them and they'll leave you alone," Dorian said, as if that explained the glasses. They annoyed him, but they were better than the alternative. She'd have been far more creeped out by glowing eyes. "If you're scared of what's in your path, why not take a different one?" he asked, his footsteps slowing so he could stay to talk. "I don't blame you for being cautious, but the other side of the street might have been safer."

"Well, I wasn't really thinking much, to be honest. You startled me because I wasn't expecting anyone else to be awake in this teeny little town let alone be out and about on foot like me." Jules admitted. She didn't much believe his reasoning for the glasses, but to each his own. "Why are you walking around in the middle of the night?" she queried. "If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm bored," Dorian shrugged. "I've been working lately, and I just felt like I needed to get out. I could call a friend for a drink, but who calls after midnight on Sunday? I guess it's Monday now..." This was his life here, waiting for a little excitement to come along, creating his own when he could. Talking to a strange girl on the streets now qualified as the event of the evening. "You?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep. Guess boredom is my excuse as well." she said with a light little shrug and a smile. "Well, at least I know you're not a killer. You would have chopped me up by now, right? So, strange man with glasses in the night time... Have a name? Or do you like that little bit of mystery and refuse to give out your identity?" she teased.

Dorian didn't correct her. He really didn't want her to run away, and she wasn't in any sort of danger from him, at least not that he could tell. "I don't usually run around telling my name to girls on the street, but sure-- it's Dorian," he smiled. "Is this reciprocal? Or will I have to wonder what your name is till we meet by daylight?"

Dorian? That sounded vaguely familiar, but Jules couldn't exactly place it. She thought about it for a moment, but quickly gave up trying to remember where she'd heard that name before. "Juliana." she told him. "Jules, rather." She'd grown used to giving her full first name everyday at work and Juliana always sounded far more professional.

Her name made him pause, certain he'd heard it before, though he'd never seen her face. He was pretty good with remembering people, and she was the sort of girl he'd remember. His hands slid into his pockets as he considered her, frustrated that he couldn't place how he might know her. "I feel like I should know you," he said, laughing softly after minute. "But I don't know why. Have you ever stopped by Nevermore?"

Well, she was sure now that she had to have heard his name somewhere before, because he'd heard hers. "No, I don't think so." Jules said, tilting her head and studying him. She was fairly certain she'd not slept with the guy so she really had no clue where she might have heard his name before. "But I know your name. I've heard it before from someone or something. It's familiar and it's driving me crazy because I have no clue who you are."

If she'd never been in Nevermore, and from the sound of it she didn't even know what it was, then she had to be a friend of a friend. Dorian didn't know enough people in town to be talked about by many, but those he did know he could easily list off. "If you've heard my name, but not my shop, you've gotta know Mathias, Aiden, Joey, or Eury. I can't imagine anyone else would have reason to bring me up," Dorian said with a little laugh. This was so bizarre.

"Aiden." she said with an 'oh yeah' kind of tone. "You're Aiden's best friend." Jules said, remembering now where she'd heard his name before. "Yeah, that's where I've heard your name before. He's mentioned you. Dorian. Okay. Well, now I know you're not a serial killer. Maybe an ass because he can be, but not a serial killer." she chuckled.

"I'm not gonna argue with the 'Aiden can be an ass' comment, because I know first hand, but don't group us together by association," Dorian grinned. Now he was piecing things together. Jules. This was the girl that had been flirting with Aiden. The one that he was trying to stay 'just friends' with. Dorian wondered how well that was going, but she wasn't the one to ask. "Once I've been an ass, then you can call me whatever you want."

Dorian. The friend. The best friend. The best friend that Aiden had betrayed and stolen said girl away from. Yeah. A big messed up soap opera that now somehow branched out to include Jules because she wanted more of Aiden than he could offer because he wanted the other woman who may or may not want him. All a big complicated mess. Yes. A big mess. "Okay, I'll wait til you've been an ass then." she promised. Her eyes trailed over what she could see of the guy. Unable to tell whether his features were better or worse than Aiden with those damn glasses in the way. For the moment she was unsure whether either of them was more or less attractive than the other. She wondered what made Aiden the chosen one for this woman she didn't know. "So I assume Aiden's been badmouthing me?" she said, though it was clear she was joking.

"I wouldn't say that," Dorian said, rolling his eyes, which she fortunately couldn't see. "He mentioned you while looking for advice on a situation that I'm not entirely capable of helping him with. I don't know if he took it or not." Nor was he sure it was good advice. There were probably millions of people better at advicing Aiden on how to handle Eury that might have done a better job than Dorian. With his record, it would probably be best to listen to what he said, then do the complete opposite. "Are you bored enough to grab a drink with me? Or should I let you be on your way?"

She raised a brow at him. Advice. He'd actually went to this guy for advice on the situation with her. Well, with her and this other woman. What an ass. Even Jules could say that was pretty fucked up. Not only did he steal the woman away from the guy, but then he goes and asks advice on whether or not he should fuck someone else. Bastard. She fought back the urge to roll her own eyes. "I haven't slept with him." she informed the man, though he'd not really asked. "So if that was your advice, guess he took it. And if not, guess he didn't." she shrugged and wiped her annoyance away with a nod. "Sure, I wouldn't mind a drink. Think I need it actually."

"I wasn't asking," Dorian said, his lips turning up slightly. He supposed he was impressed with Aiden's restraint, seeing as how he'd never seen Aiden practice it before. Apparently he was capable of keeping his pants zipped when he wanted to. Dorian decided not to disclose what his advice to Aiden had been, seeing as how he didn't really know the status of Aiden's relationship with either woman. That was a mess he'd rather stay out of. "I hope you don't need a drink due to this conversation," Dorian said, gesturing for her to follow as he began to lead them towards the nearest bar.

Jules followed along after the man. "Somewhat because of this conversation." she said. "Just because I don't particularly agree with Aiden's method's of who to seek advice from on certain subjects." she said with a shrug. "I mean... I know you're his best friend and all, but well... never mind, it's none of my business." She really wanted to lead this conversation elsewhere if she could manage it, so she picked up what he'd questioned before. Nevermore. "What's nevermore?" she questioned. "You mentioned it before."

"Obviously you know more about me, than I know about you," Dorian said, drawing conclusions from the little bit she'd just told him. He remembered that Aiden had asked for advice about the situation with Eury, but that must have included details on the drama as a whole. "Nevermore's my shop. It's a supernaturally oriented bookstore down on Washington and Sixth. I thought you might have come in sometime, though I've been out of town for a while." If they'd talked about anything significant, Dorian might have remembered her. He tried his best to remember those that linked to anything interesting.

"Well, I only know what I know about you because Aiden was trying to convince me that he was a bastard. At first I didn't think I believed him, but the fact that he's asking you for advice on that woman and being with someone else after all he did to you, well, maybe he is a bastard." She sighed and shook her head. "It's not really any of my business and I know that, but for what it's worth, you're a pretty damn good friend to keep it up with him. I don't think he means to be such an ass. Maybe I'll sleep with you just so you guys are even." she teased, obvious by her tone. "But, the bookstore sounds interesting. I might have to stop in sometime since I haven't thus far. Look at you, drumming up business even in the wee hours of the morning."

"You should see what I did to his car," Dorian said with a smirk. It still made him feel good to recall ripping apart Aiden's precious little ride. It was the worst he could do, since he really didn't want to kill him. "I could only forgive him because I really don't think he means to be a bastard. That's not an excuse, and I don't think I'll ever introduce him to one of my female friends again, but he's generally a good guy." At the offer to sleep with him, Dorian gave her a look, sure she was joking, yet it was quite abrupt to joke about. He'd rather not discuss his sex life. "If I'm drumming up business, then good for me," Dorian shrugged. "What kind of stuff would you be interested in?"

"I'm not sure really..." she said, thinking about it for a moment. She wasn't sure how much of the whole 'supernatural' type things she believed in. Those shadow things, whatever they were, well, she believed in those, but was unsure of what they were called. Jules was curious if the man knew. "I'd suppose you believe in supernatural things if you have a bookstore of the sort." she said, head turning towards him. "What about... shadowy ghost-type things?" she questioned. "Do things like that have a name?"

"You know, several people have mentioned those things to me, but I was out of town when it happened. I don't know what they're called, and I've never heard anything about them before. I can guess that they came from a place called the Inbetween, but that's just based on the fact that they came out of mirrors. It's a Through the Looking Glass type concept, a world on the other side of the mirror, but normal humans can't access it," Dorian explained, watching her as he rambled on. This was usually where people looked at him like he was crazy, but that was really nothing new.

She raised a brow, but that was about the extent of the look she gave him. The things did come out of the mirrors. She herself had never been behind a mirror so she couldn't really disprove that theory. "Well... that sucks. It'd be nice to know what the fuck I shot." she muttered, mostly to herself. "So you were out of town? Any place interesting?"

"Can't help you there," Dorian said with a smile, pushing open the door to a bar as they rounded the corner. As soon as they were inside, he removed his sunglasses, then began to shrug off his coat. "I was down in South America for about a month. Just needed a break from life, so I took it. It's good to get away from time to time."

"South America?" she questioned, following him inside and taking off her own jacket and draping it over her arm. "Sounds like a long trip just to get away, dollface." she said, eyes trailing over his features now that his sunglasses weren't obstructing her view of his face.

"I suppose," Dorian said, not seeing any reason why he should have to justify his destination to her. He'd wanted to get as far away from Marquette as possible. South America had been his location of choice, a place where he could blend in and do whatever the hell he pleased. "What can I get you to drink?" he asked, ready to head over towards the bar.

"How bout I have what you're having." she said with a smile, stepping off towards the bar. He was attractive, as was Aiden. Physically she saw no reason why the woman between them would have picked one over the other. She'd just have to get to know Dorian a little better to figure out what traits he had, aside from being less bastardly, that differed from his best friend. She wondered to herself if the woman had even known Dorian liked her, but she didn't ask.

"Then I'll be right back," Dorian said, allowing Jules to grab a table while he purchased them each a bottle of beer. It wasn't anything exciting, but he wasn't going to start downing shots on a Sunday night with a woman he'd just met. When he returned, he took the seat across from her, taking a moment to observe her features now that he had light to do so. She was hot, and Dorian could understand the draw Aiden had, though she was nothing like Eury. Interesting. "So are you new to Marquette?" Dorian asked, hanging her her beer. "Or have you lived here a while?"

She took the beer from him and smiled. "Somewhat new, I suppose." Jules said. "I've been here every holiday since I can remember, but I just moved here a couple months ago from California." She flashed a smile, blue eyes flicking up to catch his. "You a local?" she asked him.

"Naw," Dorian smiled, sliding back in his seat as he took a swig from his beer. "Moved up here early in the summer. Opened the shop mid-June. Things went downhill from there," he laughed. "I can only sit in a bookstore so many hours a day before I start to go crazy, so I've started hiring other people to do it for me."

Jules smiled, taking a sip of her own beer, eyes on him as she did so. "How's that going for you? Hiring other people to do it for you?" she asked. "And if you've got them doing it for you, you've got free time then, what do you do with all that time?"

"It's working out pretty well. I go in when I want, and when I start to get antsy, I leave," Dorian shrugged. It really was a dream job, though he had to admit that it wouldn't be possible for someone who was actually looking to make money. "I'm still working on the whole 'free time' issue. It results in me wandering around after midnight, apparently. What about you? What do you do?"

"I work as a personal assistant for Derek Price. I'm like... a slave of sorts." she chuckled. "I do what he asks, when he asks, how he likes it and I look pretty while I do it. I suppose there are better jobs than that, but it keeps the bills paid and it's not terribly difficult. As for my free time, I play piano and apparently walk around after midnight as well." Jules smiled.

"Who is Derek Price and why does he need you as a personal assistant?" Dorian asked, noting that the way she phrased it could mean she was doing almost anything. She certainly hadn't been specific about her work. "Do you like your work? Or is there something else you'd rather be doing than waiting on this guy on a daily basis?"

"He's a businessman of some sort, though he really doesn't explain all of his business to me. He's very particular about things." she shrugged. "I don't mind the work. Wouldn't say that I'd love to do this for the rest of my life, but it's not bad. I do his errands and answer phone calls, set up meetings, make sure that everything he needs done gets done and that things around the office run smoothly. The woman behind the big powerful man I guess. At least that's how I look at it." Jules smiled, letting her pointer finger trail across the mouth of the bottle. "I believe it's at least better than being a stripper." she laughed.

"And those are your only two options?" Dorian asked. He was beginning to see what might have attracted Aiden to the girl, though she came on a little strong for Dorian himself. This was at least the third time she'd mentioned something sexual in nature, which might have attracted Dorian back in college, but had a tendency to put him off about now. It was all how it was handled, he decided. He wasn't quite in that sort of mood, especially around a girl that knew Aiden. "Did you go to college? Is there anything you'd like to do? You mentioned playing the piano-- have you ever wanted to go somewhere with that?"

She noted that he lead the conversation away from 'stripper' and any other such thing she'd mentioned. He wasn't anything like Aiden, that was for sure. She raised a brow, but went on with the conversation. "No, I didn't go to college. After high school I worked with my father at his law firm, so just about anything that he knows as a lawyer, I know. I could probably pass the bar if I wanted to take it. As for piano, I love to play, but I don't think I'd love it as much if it was my job. I like it because it's an escape right now. But no, those aren't the only two jobs I could get." she told him. "I was just teasing anyway. I wouldn't be a stripper if it was the last job on earth. If I wanted to get naked for men, I wouldn't do it in a sleezy bar with a pole, so don't get the wrong idea about me." Jules lifted her beer again and took a long sip. "Why paranormal books?" she questioned, taking the conversation away from herself. "What interests you with things like that?"

"What are you escaping from?" Dorian asked, picking out the one word in there that meant something to him. He was familiar with escapism and practiced it far too regularly. It was beginning to shift into a way of life, to mix into something that wasn't so much an escape as a profession, but that was taking time. The word escape seemed to indicate she was displeased with something, and he was curious to know what. "I don't know you well enough to know if it's a joke or if it's the truth," Dorian shrugged. "If that's not who you are, it's a little early to throw it out there, but I'll take your word on it. As for the paranormal books, it's something I believe in. I realize not everyone does, but for those that do, I've made myself an expert. It's my own little nitch, I guess you could say, and Marquette's been a good place to work with it."

"Life in general." she explained. "It's nice to just get away from everything and everyone. Not have to think about anything at all aside from how the music lays together, flows just so." She smiled. Talking about music she could handle. It was her thing. "As for 'who I am'... I tease a lot, usually men don't get so offended by it. Not that your offended by it or anything.." she said, shaking her head. "I just mean I spend a lot of time hanging out with guys more than girls and usually guys joke about stuff like that, so I assumed, you being a guy, did the same." Jules smiled again and shrugged. "But, I'll keep the sexual teasing to a minimum, dollface, from here on out." She wondered what made him believe in the paranormal, pondered if perhaps there was something that had happened to him to make him believe in the other things that were out there. "What all do you believe in?" she questioned. "Just ghosts and ghoulies? I'm not familiar with all things paranormal... if not for the mirror demon monster things I wouldn't be aware of anything at all." Well... aside from Marlowe, but that was just a confusing matter in and of itself.

"Guys do joke about it. Aiden jokes about it. And Aiden's easy. If he didn't sleep with you, I figure it's because he had a conscious for the first time in his life, not because he wasn't interested," Dorian said, rolling his eyes with a little smile. "It doesn't bother me, but I find it telling in a woman. It makes me wonder how casually you throw yourself out there when you continually bring it up. If you want me to think you're easy, it gets the message across." And now he was being rude. Brilliant. Apparently this was how unskilled he was at talking with women these days. Dorian sighed. "Sorry. I'm not good at this anymore." He had been at one point in his life, but flirting didn't even come naturally to him anymore. In fact, it didn't come at all. "I believe in almost everything, but I wouldn't say I'm guillible. That's a pretty broad question to ask. Narrow it down a little and I can be more specific, cause it's definitely more than ghosts and ghoulies."

She just stared at him for a moment, a frown on her face after he'd all but flat out called her a slut. "I don't know how to narrow it down. I don't even know what's out there myself. Thought maybe you could have given me some clue as to what I should be prepared for, but obviously I'm sending out messages that I'd rather not be sending instead. So, I should probably go." She tucked her hand into her pocket to pull out some cash she'd stuffed there, laying it on the table to cover her beer. "It was nice meeting you, Dorian." she said, taking another sip of her beer and dreading heading out into the cold again.

"You don't need to pay me for your drink," Dorian said softly, running his fingers through his hair. This was why he shouldn't talk to women. He jumped to conclusions, said the wrong thing, and really just expected the worst of them. Especially when they came on strong and mentioned sex often. "I'm sorry I offended you. That was completely uncalled for, and the least I can do is pay for your drink," he said, no longer smiling, his eyes on his beer rather than her. She had every right to leave and he expected her to do so.

She watched him as he spoke, fingertips on her jacket, fully prepared to leave. Then he just had to apologize. He might have been rude, but she'd been the one to bring up the topic. Of course that was just Jules. That's the way she was. Whether she had any intentions of sleeping with the guy or not, she'd have talked the same way. "You don't have to pay for my drink." she told him. "I'm perfectly capable of shelling out a couple dollars for a beer. And you don't have to apologize either because it's not fair of me to be mad at you despite how rude that was." The frown on her face remained, but she sighed and dropped her jacket back into the chair beside her. "Do you call all the girls you meet easy?" she questioned. "Perhaps you should change that." Her tone was teasing as she looked up at him again.

He didn't follow her logic, since it seemed perfectly in her right to be mad at him for being rude, but if she wanted to blow it off, he wasn't going to stop her. "Only those that continually bring up sex as if it's nothing," Dorian shrugged. "Then again, the last girl I held an interest in told me she wanted to get to know a guy first, which is probably why she slept with my best friend the week she met him." Dorian paused and took a sip of his beer. "I don't trust women that talk about sex. It feels manipulative. I don't know what you expect me to do with it. If you're flirting, then what do you want? You don't know me at all, so you have to want something."

Jules let him have his say, listening quietly as he spoke. Only when he stopped talking did she finally open her mouth to reply. "I don't bring up sex as if it's nothing." she told him. "I said I'd sleep with you to help you get back at Aiden, and if you couldn't tell that was a joke, then I'm sorry. I said I could get a job as a stripper, which is also a joke and also if you couldn't handle that either, I'm sorry. Still doesn't give you the right to call me a slut, which is basically what you did. Seems like you don't trust women not just women who talk about sex." she pointed out. "And I'm not that woman, first and foremost. You can't compare me to her. I'd rather not hear about her to be honest. And I don't expect anything from you. And I'm not flirting. If I wanted to flirt with you, I'd tell you that you're more attractive without the glasses. And that up until you called me a whore, I might have liked you a little bit more than Aiden." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you honestly think that for a woman to flirt with you she has to want something? Maybe you're just a nice guy and they want to get to know you better. Flirting doesn't always lead to the bedroom, dollface."

Dorian wasn't going to argue with her, but he disagreed. If she didn't realize that making sexual jokes within ten minutes of meeting a guy didn't send a certain message, then that was her own fault, and he didn't feel like correcting her at this point. But she couldn't call his opinion incorrect because it was his opinion. Furthermore, he'd gotten along with Joey just fine, so he wasn't going to say he had a trust issue with all women. But again, she was drawing huge conclusions off very little and he didn't feel up to arguing. He'd rather leave than argue with another girl over a matter of opinion. "In my experience, she usually wants something. And I'm usually wrong about what."

She knew she was drawing conclusions from nothing, but she wasn't in the mood to argue either. After all, he was entitled to think whatever he wanted to think, same as she was. "Well, I don't want anything. At least not that I can think of. So don't worry so much about trying to figure out what." Jules said, giving him a little smile. "No, actually, I do want something. I want the ability to smack you next time you call me 'easy'." she said, her smile widening just a bit.

"You don't have to ask permission for that," Dorian said with a little snort of amusement. If she'd really been so offended, he was surprised she hadn't done it earlier. "It wouldn't be the first time I've been hit by a girl. Though that was possibly the rudest I've ever been," he said, then took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't trust women at all. But if you wanna try this again, I promise not to call you names."

"And I promise not to make myself easily targeted for name calling." Jules told him with a little smile. "I've heard worse, so I suppose I can let it this time. But next time, you'll get more than a slap, I'll promise you that. I might be tiny, but I can pack a punch. Or at least try." She lifted her bottle and downed the last little bit of her beer. "So, trying this all again sounds like a fairly decent idea."

"I'm really not aiming for there to be a next time," Dorian said, gesturing for the waitress to bring them another round of beers. "It's not exactly my night's goal to get beat up by a girl." And if she really did start throwing punches, he hoped he wasn't supposed to just sit there and take it because that wasn't going to happen. "So where do we start? I'm not backing up to the hi, how are you part, but I'd like to avoid being an idiot again."

"How bout we go back to what you believe in." she suggested with a smile. "I'm not really sure what there is out there, but how bout you just tell me the one thing that you believe in most strongly. Something you're... certain is out there." Jules said, peeling the label of her now empty first beer. She was curious what Dorian believed in the most. What he was certain of. What he didn't question about the supernatural.

"Okay," Dorian said with a small grin. "That's really a loaded question. You're asking what I'm certain about, which is bound to lead to you thinking I'm insane. But if you really wanna know, I know there's vampires. I know there's werewolves. I know there's angels, and demons, and fairies, all of which come in different sorts and species. And I believe they've been living amongst us so long that they know how to blend in, because they have to. Because this world is about survival, and everyone will do what it takes to get by, no matter what they are."

Jules raised a brow. "Vampires and werewolves? Angels and demons?" she questioned, unsure of how to really take that. "If you know that they're real... are they like they are in movies and things like that. The bible for the Angels and Demons? Are they similar? Different?" she questioned, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands as she watched him intently.

"Nothing is like what you think it is," Dorian said. "Not like the movies, not like the Bible. Pick one for me to focus on, cause that's really a lot to explain in one sitting." They'd be there all night if he tried to give her details on every single one of them. Plus, he could already tell she was skeptical. None of this could be proven without a real live specimen and he wasn't putting his own skills on the table as an example.

"Okay..." she said, thinking for a moment about which she wanted to hear first. "How bout we start with vampires?" Jules thought out loud. "Garlic? Is it really bad? Do they have the whole 'stake through the heart' death thing going? Sunlight? Pale skin? Fangs..?" She realized she was firing off questions faster than he could even get his mouth open to answer one. "Sorry... Curious..."

"All vampires have pale skin and fangs. A stake through the heart will kill them, as will decapitation. Garlic only works on the Faryngaels. The rest will likely laugh then rip your throat out," Dorian said with a small smile, picking up the fresh beer as the waitress delivered it. "They all need blood to survive, and direct sunlight will also kill them. And they all need an invitation to enter your home. That's about all they all have in common. Past that, it depends on the bloodline."

"So there are different types of vampires? Like..." she searched for a comparison that would make more sense to her. "Like... for humans there are Italians and Hispanic people... kinda the same type of thing?" Jules asked, not caring if that sounded stupid because that's what she'd deduced. "Only instead of liking different types of foods and shit, they get hurt by different stuff? Or do different things?"

"It's something like that, yes," Dorian nodded, then took a sip of his beer. "That's what I was referring to. The bloodlines. There are seven known bloodlines, though sometimes it's written as eight, depending on how one is split out. Basically, they all have different traits, even though they're all vampires. The Faryngael tend to be the young and beautiful vampires. They're nice to humans, like you might be nice to your dog, and their bite is supposedly pleasurable. Then there's the Strigoi, which are the hideous vampires-- like that old black and white movie. Big ears and sharp teeth that practically hang out of their mouth. And Renfields, another line, are just insane."

Jules listened closely as he spoke, not really believing nor disbelieving anything he said. Had this conversation been preshadows, she might have thought he was a nutcase, but it was hard to say either way now. Maybe he knew something she didn't. Obviously he did if he was speaking about these creatures as if he'd known about them for years. "How do you know so much about them?" she questioned. "Just by reading? Have you ever actually seen a vampire?"

"My brother was bitten by one a few months ago," Dorian said, picking at the label on his bottle of beer. "He's okay, but that's the closest actual run-in I've had with one. Some of what I know is through reading, some is by word of mouth. It's my understanding that a huge group of them came through town while I was gone and really caused some trouble, but I missed all that. The news apparently wrote it off as gang violence." From what he knew about supernatural occurrences, that was usually the case. The media always found a way around reporting the truth.

She'd heard about the 'gang violence' but hadn't chalked it up to Vampires. The thought had never crossed her mind. "Well, that's all interesting." she said. "Terrifying I think would be a better word to describe it. Makes me regret walking alone at night. Thanks for the nightmares, D. I might force you to walk me home."

"Well, they're not in town now," Dorian grinned. "But I'll walk you home if you want. It's part of why I'm always surprised to see people wandering around at night. Marquette seems to be a haven for the chaos, but people still go on their way like nothing happened. Like with the shadow creatures-- did you ever see anything on the news about it? Any official word on the instance?" He knew that wouldn't be the case. It never was.

Jules shook her head and shrugged. "Not anything close to the truth that I know of. I think that would start some sort of mass hysteria, don't you think. Shadows coming out of mirrors. That was terrifying, so yes, I might have you walk me home, if you can... because I'd just rather not be out in the dark by myself anymore." she said, giving him a nervous little smile.

"I don't mind," Dorian said. If she was anything to be worried about, Dorian was sure he could take care of himself. He'd handled a number of demons at once, and this was just one girl. Not that he really thought she was anything of the sort, but it was important to consider. "I think they avoid reporting those sorts of things because no one knows what to say and, in the end, there's no evidence. Anyone outside Marquette would think we'd all gone insane."

She nodded, not able to argue with that logic. "I'm fairly certain you're right. They'd lock the whole town in quarantine and claim that some horrid chemical had been dropped on us to make the town go completely crazy." Jules picked up the second beer that had been brought out and took a short sip. "See, we're capable of conversation without killing each other." she smiled. "You should be proud, Dorian. We've mastered the art of conversing."

He wasn't entirely sure why she brought it up again, but he smiled anyways, doing his best not to say something snippy back. "I'm not sure we were on the verge of killing each other before," he said. "If I'd been going for violence, I would have been a bit more harsh." Hopefully she knew he was teasing, but their teasing seemed to cross wires a bit too easily. "I used to be good at this," Dorian said, shaking his head. "In the past few years I've gone from decent to downright bad."

Jules smiled. "Well in that case I'm glad that you weren't going for violence." she told him, taking another sip of her beer. "So... How bout... Werewolves?" she questioned. "Silver bullets, full-moon, mortal enemies of vampires?" she questioned, smirking a bit. "How wrong are the movies on those beasties?"

"To my knowledge, they aren't mortal enemies of vampires," Dorian said, then took another sip of his beer. He wondered if this was all they could do. She could ask questions, and he'd rattle off the answer like a talking supernatural dictionary. "They got something right with the full moon part, as well as silver bullets. Silver acts as poison to all lycanthropes."

She peeled at the label of her beer and raised a brow. "Lycanthropes?" she questioned. She shook her head though. "Maybe I should stop questioning you and save something for the books I need to buy from you." she grinned. "So, what do you do besides the bookstore? Like... hobbies and such?"

"The books are likely to go into better detail," Dorian said, glad he didn't have to list off all the different types of weres for her. "When I'm not working, I... well, it depends. I like to read, watch movies, that kind of stuff. Hang out with friends, go on road trips. My brothers live with me, so occasionally we do something together." Like kill things. As if he could get into that with her.

"Brothers?" she said with a flickering smile. "How many siblings do you have?" Being an only child, she was unsure of whether to be envious or glad that she was the only one. Sometimes she wished that there had been someone to hang out with or play with, but at the same time, she never had to share anything. What was hers, was hers and that was just how it was.

"I've got an older brother and a younger brother, both seven years apart," Dorian said. "My parents decided to go tour the world, or some bullshit, and so my younger brother is finishing up high school here in Marquette. My older brother crashed the party a few weeks after the younger arrived." Though it really wasn't a party, but it was getting better. "It's nice having them around." And he meant that.

She smiled. "So you take care of your younger brother? Basically?" she questioned. "I'm an only child, don't know how I would have took to having other people in the house. Kinda had my parents all to myself and all that. You guys all get along. A bunch of boys and all."

"Kind of. If he needs me to. Most days he takes care of himself," Dorian answered. He wasn't completely sure that was the way it should be, but he'd tried to play the parent and failed miserably. Things seemed to be working better when he was just Caleb's brother. "We're okay. We're all pretty different. Lead different lives."

"Is it hard being in the middle?" she questioned. "Not the young one, not the old one. Just there in the middle?" She was curious how the whole sibling thing worked. How the order of birth effected each different person.

"It's... different," Dorian said, uncomfortable as she touched on a nerve. He knew his brothers didn't see a reason for him to be bothered like he was, but grown up with some ideas in his head that were hard to dispel. "I used to think it was bad, but I think I was being over dramatic, looking back. It's okay now," he lied, though he didn't know what the truth was.

She tilted her head a bit, studying him, unsure if she believed that it was all 'okay'. She decided to move past that subject however. "So, you like movies, you said. What kinds of movies? Favorite Genre?" Jules asked him, wondering what he might be into.

"I'm gonna go with Indie, since it tends to encompass a bit of everything," Dorian said with a little smile. "I like action flicks, comedies, dramas. Scary movies can be fun if they're well written. I know that didn't really narrow it down. What about you?"

"Really good horror movies that like get you really close to the screen, leaning forward in your seat trying to figure out what's going to happen... and then... BOOM. Some scary shit happens and you almost piss yourself out of sheer terror. Those are fun." She shrugged a little, but put on a grin. "Course not much fun to watch alone, since despite my will to not be a girly girl, I get terrified easily."

"Movies don't scare me," Dorian smiled. "But they're fun anyways." He had much more real things to scare him, and those fears usually revolved around people he cared for getting hurt. Most of the things he saw in movies, he felt like he could handle just fine. Except maybe Freddy. Freddy could probably kick his ass. "So do you see them often? Or find someone to drag along and watch them with you?"

"Not lately." she told him. "It's been a long time since I've actually sat down and watched a scary movie with someone. I guess I need to find someone that's willing to let me cling tight to them every time something scary happens." Jules said with a little smile.

Ask Aiden was the response Dorian didn't voice. She was barking at a deaf tree if she wanted him to watch the movie with her. Not that he couldn't be interested, but wasn't, not at the moment. "What was the last good scary movie you saw?" Dorian asked.

"I watched the really old Texas Chainsaw Massacre." she told him. "That was pretty disgusting. Kinda freaky." She shook her head, not really wanting to think about the chainsawed remains of people in the movie. "I think I'll go for something a little less... chainsawy next time." Jules shrugged a little and raised her beer again, taking another little sip.

"Not a fan of Leatherface?" Dorian asked with a little grin. "I think the scariest thing about that one is the possibility that something like that could really happen. Long drive through a small town, car breaks down-- can you imagine? It's everyone's worst nightmare and there's nothing in it that is even the slightest bit unreal." No supernatural monsters. Just crazy humans.

"Seriously. Those are the most fucked up, don't you think? The ones that could happen. Like the psychotic people that just snap and like... torture you for weeks before finally killing you and mutilating your body and like... mailing it to your family or something in pieces. Real people who just snap and do crazy ass things. Lovely, me talking about stuff like that when I still got the dark walk home. So yeah, definitely requesting your bodyguarding to my door. Just in case ya know, some psycho wants to abduct me and torture me."

"I promise to make sure you get home safe," Dorian said, wondering if it was starting to get around that time. One more sip and he'd finished his second beer, and he really didn't need a third. Not tonight. He was in a weird mood and drinking could only make it worse. "I don't think there's a lot of psychopaths living in Marquette, but I could be wrong. You never know what's out there."