Sweet Surrender

Justin shuffled his way into Marine Biology, determined to stay awake today. He doubted it would happen, but it was good to start the day with optimistic thoughts.

He made his way to his desk before he even noticed Varian in his seat, making him gape before snorting. "You!" he said loudly, pointing to the boy, "I have something to say to you!"

Varian looked over, expression turning into a mixture of amusement and wariness. "I might have something to say back." he responded teasingly.

Justin was shocked for a minute before shaking his head, trying his best to glare. "First! Did I miss Anything yesterday?" he ended casually, putting a hand on his hip. Varian arched an eyebrow in response.

“Like what?"

"I don't know... Academic shit." Justin mumbled, waving his free hand in the air to signal for 'academic shit'. It was too early to be specific.

Varian grabbed his notebook, handing it to Justin. "If you did, it's in here." He said. Justin flipped through the notebook for a minute, nodding to himself.

“Oh, thank you. Next order of business then," he set down the notebook, gaining back his stance from before, "Where the hell did you and Nathan go? And why wasn't he in lunch yesterday?" he asked, giving Varian an accusing look.

God, he was starting to feel like Andrea...

Varian's response was somewhat casual, hardly blinking as he answered. "I'm assuming he wasn't in lunch yesterday to avoid me, which he practically admitted to, and I was in lunch, but I went home
early."

Justin nodded slightly, shrugging before cautiously asking, "So... You didn't kill him? He's still alive?"

"He's very much alive."

Justin hesitated. "Oh...Okay then." he smiled, sitting down and sighing contently before turning back to Varian. "So, how are you?"

"I've been worse, but I've also been better." Varian responded with a grin. Justin nodded, staying silent for a moment.

"... I'm hungry."

Varian nodded slightly. "Me too." he said wistfully.

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan slowly and silently slid into his seat for History, hoping not to bring too much attention to himself as Andrea was talking to another girl.

"Working on your stealth, I see."

He yelled, jerking around in his seat to see her smiling directly at him. "Nice try Nate. Doesn't work on me." she told him. He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on, be nice. We missed you in lunch yesterday, where were you?" she asked curiously. "You weren't back with that guy, were you?"

"I was in the library, actually." he answered with a glare, though was sorely tempted to say that yes, he was with that guy.

But that would get him slapped. And it was too early to get slapped.

"Good. What are you doing after work today?" she asked, changing the subject and bringing her legs up underneath her on the chair. Nathan was about to shrug when he remembered- he had 'skills' to 'master'...

"I... Have a headache, actually." he mumbled. It wasn't a lie, he did have one. It was just... Minuscule.

Andrea's head tilted slightly, a look of confusion crossing her face. "You seem to have a lot of those lately. Maybe you should get it checked out."

"Well, I didn't have one last night... At work..." he said, thinking about it. He was right; the headache he had been ignoring all day seemed to become non-existent at work. Perhaps it was all the stress of work, the twins, and Varian combined.

Andrea was about to speak again when Nathan cleared his throat. "Oh, look, class is starting." he said loudly, watching Mr. Rollins walk in. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her glaring slightly before turning forward.

He was well aware that he was probably going to be mauled by both of them during lunch.

***********************************************************************************************

Varian met up with Jecklynn after her last class before lunch got out.

"Hey." he said, falling into step with her,

"H-hi." She stammered, her cheeks flushing.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to sit with Evan, Stan and I during lunch. You're usually by yourself so...." he let the sentence drop.

Jecklynn smiled at him. "I'd like to sit with you and your friends."

"That's good." Varian said walking with Jecklynn to join up with Stan and Evan who were waiting for him at their table.

***********************************************************************************************

"You fucker!"

Nathan glanced at Justin from where he was sitting at their table during lunch, raising an eyebrow. "... I'm a fucker?" he asked.

"Yes, you are! You ditched us yesterday, and then you don't tell us what happened between you and Varian the day before that, and now you won't hang out with us later because of a headache? What the hell is going on? Did you get a girlfriend or something?" Justin asked, leaning forward onto the table.

Nathan snorted, shaking his head. "No, I didn't get a girlfriend. And I'm sorry I ditched you yesterday, I was in the library... Studying. As for the day before that, nothing happened." he mumbled, averting his gaze to the table.

"... Nothing happened? They guy basically kidnapped you, Nate." Andrea replied skeptically. Nathan shrugged.

"Just a misunderstanding is all. Nothing big."

Andrea rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat as Justin adopted a thoughtful expression. "He told me that you were avoiding him."

Nathan looked at Justin for a minute, subtly shaking his head as Andrea suddenly looked interesting. "Nathan's avoiding who?"

"Varian. He said Nathan wasn't in lunch yesterday because they're avoiding each other."

Nathan was close to banging his head on the table, closing his eyes and sighing instead.

"And why would you be avoiding each other, Nathaniel?" Andrea asked. Nathan became slightly uncomfortable, avoiding their eyes.

"Answer the question, Nath-"

"Just drop it, Andrea." Nathan growled, glaring at her. They glared back and forth for a few more minutes until Andrea shook her head, getting up from her seat and heading for the lunch line.

Justin scratched the back of his head briefly, settling into his seat and sighing.

***********************************************************************************************

Varian ushered Jecklynn to their table and had her sit. She sat next to Varian, looking a little shy.

"Jecklynn, this is Stan and Evan, Evan and Stan, Jecklynn. She's joining us for lunch."

Stan and Evan immediately engaged Jecklynn in a conversation, and she relaxed and even joked with them.

In the meantime, Varian shoved his food tray over to Evan who gave him a curious glance before eating Varian's share.

Varian focused on deterring the awful ache in his stomach. His body was crying out for blood and he just couldn't seem to get any lately. He couldn't hear as well anymore, and as a result completely missed the conversation at Nathan's table. Even his sight and reflexes weren't at their peak levels. And that headache was back. He was starving, and he couldn't do anything about it.

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan's table remained silent after his outburst, Andrea stuffing her face as Justin and Nathan simply stared at their own food, occasionally moving it around the tray. Once Andrea was done, she stood with her tray, going toward the trash to dispose of it before disappearing out the cafeteria doors.

"Wow. You really pissed her off this time." Justin mumbled. Nathan shrugged slightly. He knew he should probably care at least a little more, but he just... Didn't.

His gaze drifted across the large room, mentally pointing out various people from his class until he reached Varian's table. There was a new person there today; A girl. She looked vaguely familiar, so he must have seen her in the halls before.

"Jecklynn."

Nathan's head turned to Justin, who responded with an innocent look. "The girl at their table, her name's Jecklynn. She's in our Marine Biology class."

Ah, that explained it. Nathan nodded though, looking down at the table before glancing to the clock. In five minutes he'd be in Latin. He'd have to start using that class as a sleeping period too. Elle had kept him up until one last night, and had yet to give an actual reason.

He really didn't understand his mother at times.

***********************************************************************************************

When the bell signaling lunch was over rang, Varian headed into the halls like everyone else. Stan and Evan split off, and Jecklynn headed for her next class.

Varian had a choice to make. Go to class and deal with Latin, and Nathan, as well as the tantalizing smell of blood, and having to suffer through it. If he went home he'd have to pack up the birdhouses and he could spend time with Cana and relax. But either way he'd still be hungry. Just thinking about it made his stomach wrench with the need to feed. He hadn't been feeling the effects as bad yesterday as he was today.

Deciding to try class today, he headed for it. He would see how long he could stand it.

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan ran to class, managing to enter the room before the bell sounded and smiling to his teacher. Justin had gotten bored and decided to try an 'Alternate Route' to class, resulting in them getting lost among a sea of Freshman before finding their hall.

That was the last time he was letting Justin suggest something new. Ever.

He walked to his seat, slightly out of breath as he sat down and leaned back. After a few minutes he glanced over to Varian...

Or where Varian should have been at least. Instead Nathan's line of sight was met with an empty chair. He stared at it for a minute before sighing, turning his attention to the front board.

So he does skip Latin. Nathan couldn't really blame him; the language was boring as fuck and hardly anyone even used it except doctors... Maybe he'd be a doctor...

Further musings on future professions were cut short when Varian entered the room quietly. Everyone else in the class had turned to stare, and a few had even started whispering, making Nathan feel awkward for looking at him as well. Varian made his way to his seat, sitting just as quietly as he came in.

Nathan glanced at him momentarily before deciding that he didn't really see to be in the mood to talk, so he settled back into his seat for what was sure to be a long hour full of not paying attention.

Speaking of which, where had he been... Right, doctors. He wouldn't mind being a doctor. They get payed well, he'd get to help people. Then again he'd be in college for a while...

Sneaking a glance beside him at Varian, he found him sitting still. Actually, he looked sort of out of it. He didn't even seem the slightest bit bothered by the whispering, which was growing louder.

Risking what could quite possibly be a punch in the face, if Varian's lack of response was anything to go by, Nathan leaned toward him slightly.

"Are you okay?"

Varian met Nathan's gaze, attempting a reassuring smile before it faltered slightly. "Just Latin class." he responded.

Nathan leaned back into his seat, watching him for another minute before nodding slightly. He didn't entirely believe it, but he didn't quite know how far he could push Varian before he was punched, or kicked, or clawed, etcetera...

He leaned forward onto his desk, bringing his fingernails to his mouth to gnaw on them. He intended to keep an eye on Varian, and he couldn't really do that if he was zoning out. The class was still whispering, but it had died down slightly, and Nathan figured the rest of class would go well until he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.

He turned to see Varian standing from his seat, walking quickly out the door of the classroom. The whispering became louder again as the teacher adopted a confused expression, turning to Nathan who shrugged. "Nathan, if you could please go and check on him." she asked politely. After a minute Nathan nodded, slowly getting up from his own seat and heading out the classroom door.

Deciding to be somewhat logical, Nathan glanced up and down the hall first, to see if the whispers had gotten to Varian too much, and wasn't really surprised when he didn't see him. He continued down, seeing a bathroom and heading into it to find Varian against a wall, knee's pulled to his chest in a way similar to the fetal position, chin resting on his arms.

Nathan stood a few feet away, crossing his arms over his chest as he took in the sight. "Well... Didn't think Latin class was that bad." he mumbled, attempting to lighten whatever mood Varian was in. Varian didn't seem to care for the attempt.

"I wish it was Latin class." he mumbled honestly. Nathan sighed, crouching down so they could be more leveled with each other. He didn't really like looking down at Varian; it felt weird.

"So, what's going on then?"

Varian took a deep breath before raising his gaze to meet Nathan's, managing a shaky smile before it turned into a dead serious expression. "If anything happens to where I can't take care of Venerra, for any reason, would you watch her for me?"

Nathan frowned, tilting his head slightly. Where exactly was this conversation going? "Yeah... But wouldn't you want someone who knew her better? Or... Who she knows a little better? And what exactly do you mean by 'if anything happens'? What's going on?"

Varian paused, thinking about his answer. "She likes you a lot. She'd behave. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm hungry. It's been a long time since..." he broke off momentarily, "Since nourishment."

Nathan had to think that over. Didn't they just have lunch? It took a minute for him to remember- Varian had said something about Vampires. Vampires drink blood. And the school didn't really have 'Cow Blood' as one of their main dishes.

He mouthed a silent 'oh' for a minute, nodding slightly before frowning. "She's only met me once. And couldn't you just... Just... Go... And..." Nathan trailed off, wrinkling his nose. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of anything that needed blood to live.

"It's not very easy. I have to be careful where I get it. Humans are best, but it takes a lot of energy for the body to create the chemical to wipe their memories. And there's always a risk with Mortals."

Nathan was close to gagging. He never did like blood too much, and talking about drinking it was just... Gross. He shuddered a bit before responding. "Has anyone ever thought of going to a Blood Bank? Animal blood? Something other than..." he paused, using his fingers as stand-in fangs.

Varian eyed him, smiling ruefully. "Blood banks don't hand out blood, especially to my kind, and the blood gets contaminated by the plastic of the bag it's stored in. Animals are plentiful, but most often their blood is incompatible to our bodies. And our fangs don't look like that."

Nathan glared, dropping his hands. "I don't give a shit what they look like, and I don't plan on finding out. And... The fucking Blood Bank needs to start then."

Varian shook his head. "Nathan, you have to understand that sometimes things like this happen. I'll be fine, just... Let it go. If i collapse and don't respond, call the hospital and say: CNB. They'll know what to do."

"You also need to remember that I learned about this shit yesterday," Nathan retorted, "It's still gross to me, and I'm still going to freak out a bit. And CNB? The fuck... Never mind. Fine. CNB."

"Thank you Nathan." Varian mumbled, climbing back up to his feet. "I have orders to get ready to bring in, and we've still got the storage room to work on."

***********************************************************************************************

Pulling into his driveway, Varian tried harder still to ignore the ache in his stomach. He'd never felt this hungry before. But there was no way he'd finish the school day, not today. Not after Nathan saw him so vulnerable.

Pulling up to the house, Varian put the truck in park and shut off the ignition. Heading towards the house, Varian faltered, sinking to his knees and clutching at his stomach. Groaning in pain, he squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to breathe through it. He needed blood. There was no way around it. And then he caught sight of his face in a bucket of water near the porch.

And ice cold fear laced his veins when he saw his eyes. They were shifting. The ruddy brown with red tint swirling with black. And then the black disappeared, replaced by silver.

"No...No this can't be happening." He whispered to himself, bolting to his feet and running into the house. He headed straight for the shower, he needed one. A cold one, to shock himself back into reality. There was no way his eyes should be shifting. He wasn't Mortal, he was Changed.

Practically ripping his clothes off he stepped into the icy cold spray and hissed at the frigid shower pelted his skin. Slamming his fist into the wall, Varian pulled it back in pain and looked at his knuckles. They were raw and bleeding. And that's when he caught scent of the blood. His blood.

Somewhere in the back of his rational mind, Varian knew better than to do what he did, but caught up in the frenzy of the irrational mind and the aching need to feed, Varian found himself sinking his fangs into his wrist. Ignoring the pinch of pain, he drew the blood from his very own body, and his tongue was assaulted with an extremely bitter and foul taste, but his stomach recognized the substance, and Varian shoved all sense of taste aside and sucked.

Immediately his body began to ache, his stomach hurting worse than it had yet, and then, just when he thought he couldn't bear it any more, the pain subsided, turning to a dull throb and finally disappearing.

Varian's stomach settled, telling him he was full. And watched the wounded flesh of his knuckles heal at warp speed, leaving no trace of a scar. Breathing, he leaned back against the tiled wall of the shower, and just let the cold spray strike him.

Better. He felt so much better. Better than better. He felt powerful, and nourished, and ready to face Nathan once again.

***********************************************************************************************

After Varian had gone home, Nathan was sitting in Chemistry, attempting to understand what exactly it was he was doing.

He wasn't having much luck with it.

Eventually he gave up, letting his lab partner do it for him. He hated Chemistry, why had he signed up for the advanced version?

Because he had nothing else to do.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, lifting his other hand to press lightly on his forehead. There was a slight ache; not painful enough to classify as a headache, but enough to be uncomfortable.

It wasn't long before the bell rang, and he threw everything into his bag before shuffling out of the room toward the Senior parking lot.

"Nathan!"

Nathan cringed slightly as Justin ran up behind him, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "going somewhere?"

"Work, actually." he mumbled back. Justin laughed, shaking his head.

"You can be a little late."

"No, I can't. I'll probably be fired if I'm late."

"... She's your aunt."

"For her it's all the more reason to fire me."

Justin nodded, patting Nathan's arm before pulling him off in another direction.

"Justin, I'm serious, I have to get to work." Nathan rolled his eyes, trying to break out of his friend's grip.

"Oh, c'mon, just for a little bit?"

"You just want to kidnap me because Andrea's pissed at both of us."

"She's pissed at you. She's only pissed at me by association." Justin corrected. Nathan refrained from yelling in aggravation.

He was going to be so fucking late.

***********************************************************************************************

Pulling into Vogel's Tack and Tools parking lot, Varian got out and went around to the back of his truck to grab the newest order of birdhouses. He didn't have Venerra with him today, she was tired, her class had gone on a field trip to a bounce house. So she'd eaten a snack when she got home, done her one assignment, and then he'd tucked her into bed. She'd fallen asleep right away.

Bringing the box around to the back, he unlocked the door, set the box down in the hall, and propped open the much cleaner and organized storage room. Going back to the box he lifted it and set it next to the other one. Millie hadn't shelved the others yet. She'd probably get around to it soon. Satisfied, Varian walked out of the back of the store and locked the door. Walking around front he entered the store, the familiar chime ringing in his now sensitive ears.

Millie looked up from the counter. "You're a little early. He's not here yet."

Varian glanced at his watch. "It's 3:20 now, he should be here shouldn't he?"

Millie turned to check the clock on the wall. A frown immediately creased her lips. "Oh. Yeah, he should. I'll give him a couple minutes before calling Elle."

Varian nodded and walked over to sit on the chair he sat at yesterday. It was amazing how heightened his sensed were; it was almost scary.

Several minutes passed with Millie checking the clock almost every minute.

Varian too was getting a little anxious. Nathan didn't usually show up late, in fact
he tried very hard not to. It didn't make much sense.

"Guess I'll have to call Elle..." Millie said getting up and disappearing in the storage room to call.

Varian frowned. Surely Nathan was alright? He hoped his headaches weren't bothering him that badly.

***********************************************************************************************

"Fucking son of a bitch..." Nathan swore, pulling his car into a parking space. He was so late.

As he cut the engine his cell rang, making him dig it out of his pocket and flipping it open. "Hello?"

"Nathaniel Vogel, where are you? Your aunt just called saying you're not at work!" Elle said hurriedly. He rolled his eyes, climbing out of the car and nearly tripping over sidewalk as he stepped into the store.

"I'm at work, I was just a little late. No big deal." he replied. He watched Varian raise an eyebrow from his seat as his mother continued.

"Don't do that, Nathan, do you know how worried I was when Millie called me? Honestly!"

He rolled his eyes for a minute, pulling the phone from his ear as Millie walked in from the storage room.

"You! Do you have any idea how late you are? I had to call your mother to make sure you didn't decide to sleep your shift away, only to find out she hasn't seen you either!"

Nathan hung his head, closing his phone shut. Elle could just yell at him later for it.

"I'm sure if you'd just wait a moment Millie, Nathan would have something to say about this." Varian piped up. Nathan smiled back at him momentarily before looking at Millie and shrugging.

"I got caught up a bit with some people from school, is all. I didn't mean to be late. It won't happen again."

***********************************************************************************************

Getting up from his seat, Varian headed into the storage room but paused before the entrance, one hand gripping the frame. "We'll get to work right away to make up the lost time Millie."

Millie simply looked in Varian's general direction.

Varian met Nathan's gaze, hoping he'd get the message that he should just not say a thing and get working.

"It's the storage room. Not that bad. Just... Tedious."

"Just get over here already." Varian said walking in, slightly irritated that Nathan didn't get his message.

Nathan stuck his tongue out at Varian when he couldn't see. "Well, you certainly seem to be in a better mood."

"I was never in a bad one." Varian said, already done with three rows of the five they needed to get done to be half way done.

Nathan stared at Varian, his expression neutral. Then, going over he slid his apron on, saying: "Never mind." and made his way over to the birdhouse boxes opening them and unpacking them.

Varian slyly watched Nathan's reaction to uncovering them, all the while finishing another row. One more to go. This was a snap.

Nathan looked each one over, pausing for a while at each of them. He smiled at a few, and carefully set them on the floor. Picking up the nearest one he took it to stock it on a display shelf, and Varian smiled to himself, working on the fifth row. Nathan repeated the procedure until all of them were stocked and Varian wiped his hands off on his pants, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall.

Finishing up taking care of the last one, Nathan came back and glanced at Varian, raising an eyebrow and then blinking. "You are so... Odd." he mumbled.

"Your aunt Millie really likes her birdhouses. What do you think of them?"

"... They're alright... Not exactly something I'm interested in. But, I guess they're okay." he responded.

"Interesting....So am I driving or are you going separately?" Varian asked walking out of the storage room, fishing out his keys.

Nathan stared at him, oblivious for a minute, before realization struck his face. "Oh! Shit! Right... Um... I'll go separately, if that's okay. Don't really want to leave my car here."

"Suit yourself, can you remember the way back on your own is the question, one wrong turn and you might end up driving to Canada." Varian said walking up to the counter where Millie sat patiently waiting for customers.

Nathan stared at Varian for a second, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Um... On second thought... Can I change my answer?"

"Sure, I can drop you off back here and you can go home from there." Varian said to Nathan. Then he turned his attention to Millie. "Have any new orders for me?"

Nathan nodded and Millie held up a finger signaling to Varian to wait a moment before she reached under the register. "A couple, actually. I was mildly surprised when I got 'em."she said handing them to him.

"Thanks." Varian said, folding them up and sticking them in his wallet which he returned to his pocket.

"Alright, out of my store. If I'm lucky I'll get to lock up early."

"Yes ma'am." Varian replied turning to Nathan. "If you've got anything worth of value in your car remove it now and bring it with you if possible. And leave it unlocked, that way they won't break your windows if they want in."

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel better." Nathan mumbled brushing past Varian to unlock his car.

Varian walked out and headed for his truck, leaning against the driver's side door.

Across the parking lot Nathan shoved his keys into his pocket and dashed back into the store to take off his apron, tossing it onto the hook. Then he came back out and stood at the passenger's door. "Exactly how good at driving are you?" he asked.

"I've been driving since I was able to mow the lawn."

Nathan nodded and blinked. "I get car sick very easily. Fair warning."

"Then I suppose you deserve a fair warning that I'm horrible at small talk."

Nathan nodded again. "Feel free to ignore my commentary then."

Varian grinned and opened his door. "On the contrary, I like to listen to your commentary. You never say more than you need to."

Nathan snorted, opening the door on his side. "Trust me, you'll get annoyed very quickly." he mumbled.

Varian simply answered this with a chuckle while he started the truck and waited for Nathan to get
in.

Nathan took a minute to collect his bearings, breathing, and then sliding in and slamming the door, sinking into his seat and glancing around.

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan managed to be silent for a few minutes before the driving got to him, causing his stomach to turn. He was fine when he was the one driving, but with other people? There was a slight paranoia.

"Oh. Look. A squirrel. Squirrel's are nice. Small. Furry. So are rabbits. I don't like rabbits. They bite. So do squirrels." He began quietly, sliding lower into his seat and feeling the seat belt cut into his neck.

Varian smiled. "When have you gotten bitten by a squirrel?"

"A few years ago. Justin and I were being dumbasses and picked one up. Bit my finger. Hurt like a bitch."

"I got bitten by a squirrel during a scavenger hunt," Varian said with a laugh, "Whoever caught one without harming it won the game. I was the only one who got one. Bit my thumb."

Nathan frowned slightly. A squirrel... For a scavenger hunt? "Why the hell would you put a squirrel in a scavenger hunt?"

"To see who was stupid and who wasn't."

"... So, the people who actually went after the squirrels I'm assuming are..." Nathan trailed off, not wanting to offend Varian by out-rightly saying 'Stupid'.

Varian seemed to understand anyway. "Stupid, and reckless, yes. I can not-so-proudly admit I was the first to try."

Nathan laughed, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes after glancing out the window. "How much longer?"

Varian slowed the car down, turning into the driveway of where he lived. "We're here." he said, pulling up to the house and putting the truck into park before cutting the engine.

Nathan cracked one eye open before opening them fully, remaining still in his seat for a moment before unbuckling and opening the door to slide out of the truck, standing on solid ground and sighing shakily before gagging slightly and frowning. He really did hate cars when he wasn't driving.

Varian stepped out as well, heading for the nearest barn. "Before we begin, I have a couple chores to do. Feel free to look around or follow me, but if you go in the house, do so quietly. Venerra's sleeping." he said.

Nathan nodded in response, opting to stay by the truck. He was already uncomfortable, and being alone at the same time made it worse. He would rather Varian were off somewhere though, should his stomach decide to empty itself. And he knew it was coming.

Varian paused on his way, turning back to Nathan. "What's going to make you feel comfortable the most?" he asked.

After staring back for a minute, Nathan replied with: "At the moment? Vomiting. But I'll be fine in a little while."

"Is there something I can do besides direct you to the bathroom?" he asked, concern written all over his face. Nathan shook his head slowly, causing himself to feel a little worse at the movement.

Oh yes. He would definitely need a bathroom.

***********************************************************************************************

Varian saw Nathan's particularly green expression. "You'll find the nearest bathroom to be the first door on the left immediately after you enter the front door." he said, turning back to the barn. "You can find me in the barn." and with that he walked in, not wanting to make Nathan feel awful by having to throw up.

The first thing to do was let all of the horses out. Starting at the far end, Varian un-bolted every door but Cana's and herded the ten occupants of the barn to the pasture. Once they were out he shut the pasture gate connected to the barn and turned to Cana, who stuck his massive head over the bottom door his ears perked forward, nostrils working.

Smiling, Varian un-bolted his door and walked him out to the tack area. Cana stood quietly, while he grabbed the hoof pick and scraped out any dirt and rocks under his shoes. Varian also checked the shoes for any kinds of problems or loose nails. Thankfully he found none.

Hanging the hoof pick back up he grabbed all of the supplies necessary to saddle up Cana. If Nathan had never ridden a horse, now he was going to learn.

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan had just managed to shut the bathroom door behind him before emptying his stomach into the toilet, a grand total of twice. He leaned back, sighing shakily before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and reaching over to flush.

He stood and went over to the sink, rinsing his mouth out and washing his hands quickly before glancing around himself. Figuring that if he was already in the house, he might as well look around. It would give him something to do while Varian was in the barn.

He just had to be quiet about it.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he wiped his hands onto his jeans, making his way through the house. It didn't look much different than his own; just had more rooms and evidence that people actually lived there. He was careful to stay out of bedrooms and any room that had a closed door. He didn't want to invade privacy too much. 

He was walking back down the stairs from the second floor when he decided to go back outside, out of curiosity to see how far along Varian was with his chores. He was starting to get a little bored.

***********************************************************************************************

Varian glanced up from running a comb through Cana's forelock, sensing Nathan's presence to see him peeking in the barn. "Over here."

Nathan walked in saying "You weren't supposed to know I was there."

"I can sense you. Mortal's have a very distinct presence, and you smell minty." Varian explained, hanging the comb back up and throwing Cana's gray padded saddle blanket over his broad and long back.

Nathan lifted his hand to his nose and sniffed and shook his head glancing at Cana. "Riding is one of your chores?"

"Not usually. But Cana needs to be exercised, therefore, it's a chore today. And we're going to the field today to practice, so horseback would be the most convenient." Grabbing Cana's custom made saddle, he set it on his back and knelt down to tighten the girth.

"... Uh-huh... Is the field far?"

"It's about a twenty minute walk on horseback. But we'll get there in five." Varian said standing back up and checking for any signs that Cana was bothered by something. Thankfully nothing was pinching or poking, but just in case he felt Cana's forelegs for injury or weakness.

Nathan nodded slightly. "So... You'll get there before me then?"

Varian chuckled, checking Cana's rear legs for injury or weakness as well. "I said 'we'll'. If you haven't ridden before, now's the time to. You don't get very far on a horse farm without riding horses."

Nathan glanced at Cana after a minute of silence. "... You're a funny person. Has anyone ever told you that? Because you really are."

"Both you and Justin now, oddly enough when I was being serious." Varian said grabbing Cana's reigns and walked him in a circle, eying his hoof beats critically. "He might be big, but he's gentle I can assure you."

"I'm not getting on that thing. No. Fuck no." Nathan said, subconsciously backing up.

Varian paused. "'That thing' is a red roan gelding named Cana. He's my horse, and I would appreciate it if you had an open mind about this." Varian would say, sounding really hurt.

Nathan winced slightly, shrinking in upon himself, and looking at his shoes.

Varian watched Nathan's expression, and his face softened in the realization that he'd made Nathan feel stupid and Varian covered his face with his hand, about to do something he never did. "I'm sorry Nathan. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, it's just, Cana's very special to me, and he gets your reaction a lot. We've been through a lot together. For the longest time he was all I had besides my sister, and you're the first person that's seen my house since...since Grant. I'm really sorry."

Nathan continued in his silence, digging his hands into his pockets and ducking his head. "... I thought you never apologized."

"I've never done a lot of stuff until I met you, and I'll have to admit it scares me sometimes the effect you have. But if you'd come over here, I can prove to you that Cana is nothing to be afraid of." Varian said toying with a strap of Cana's plumb colored harness with white trim.

Nathan raised his head a little bit and slowly made his way to stand next to Varian. "I'm just... Magical, I guess."

Varian had to chuckle at that. "You are actually, in a sense; that's what I want to work on with you."

Nathan frowned looking at Varian. "... Uh-huh."

"You don't believe me?" Varian challenged.

".... Well... No, not really."

Varian smiled, turning to Cana. "Why don't you greet Nathan, Cana?"

Nathan stared at Cana with wide eyes, a frown pulling down his lips. "... He won't bite me, will he?"

"Hardly." Varian said watching Cana step towards Nathan, lower his head, and blow air gently into his face, then nuzzling Nathan's cheek with his snout.

Nathan stood still, blinking a couple times. "... He touched me..." he whispered.

"Greet him back." Varian said encouragingly.

"... How do you expect me to do that?"

"Stroke his snout and blow back into his nostrils. Horses like to be greeted like that with each other."

"... That's a little gross." Nathan mumbled, but he reached up and did what Varian said. Cana answered by whinnying in delight and snorting softly.

"See? He's not bad at all. So you ready to get on him yet? I'll get on first and help you up."

Nathan frowned slightly, sighing.  "Don't really have a choice."

"It'll be a little harder to get on him since he's so tall, so I'll explain. First, you walk up to the saddle and place one hand on his withers and the other on his rump." Varian said, showing Nathan how as he went. "Then you put you right foot into the stirrup, lean forward and pull yourself up while swinging you leg up and over... to rest on the saddle." Varian finished sitting comfortably, reigns in hand.

Nathan stared at Varian his expression clearly showing Varian he thought he was nuts.

"Here, I'll help you up. Take my hand." Varian said gently.

Nathan stepped forward and cautiously took Varian's hand, tensing slightly. Varian pulled Nathan up while he helped, and he came to rest in front of Varian, legs on either side of Cana's sides, fitting snugly between Varian and the saddle crest.

Nathan clutched the saddle crest, his body extremely tense, obviously freaked.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Varian asked gripping the reigns tighter.

Nathan glares slightly. "I hate you," he said, not meaning it.

Varian chuckled. "Alright Cana, you know where to go. And while we're at it, let's shave some time off, hm?" Varian asked.

Cana snorted, whinnying before he took off for the field, starting at a walk, then moving to a trot, a canter, and finally a gallop within seconds.

Nathan leaned back subconsciously, pressing tightly against Varian's torso and glaring.

***********************************************************************************************

He'd been on a horse before; of course he had. Courtesy of Aunt Millie.

Which might be why he was slightly apprehensive to get on another one.

He had been practically thrown of the horse- which was just a pony, but still, he was only ten- and hadn't been around a horse-like mammal since.

Until now, at least. And he did not like it one bit.

Cana was way too tall for him to be comfortable. Even being squished between Varian, who he noticed he was pressed against, and saddle crest, he was just waiting to fall off.

He hoped this was the first and last time they trained in the field.

Cana slowed from a gallop to just a trot, making Nathan release his death-grip marginally.

"Never. Again."

***********************************************************************************************

Varian chuckled and slightly pulled back on the reigns, saying "Haw."

Cana obediently turned right and slowed to stop on the edge of the dirt field.

Nathan sat perfectly still in the saddle and sighed quietly. "Please tell me I never have to do that again."

"If you aren't comfortable then no, you don't. But I wanted you to have this experience at least once." Varian said releasing the reigns and dismounting Cana, looking up at Nathan. "I'll help you down if you'd like."

"Uncomfortable around animal's. Probably should have mentioned that." Nathan mumbled, looking around. Then he looked at Varian. "Help..."

Varian smiled and sided up to Cana and Nathan. "Keep your left foot in the stirrup and hold onto my shoulder with your left hand. Use your right hand to brace yourself and bring your leg back over and I'll help you get on your feet. You might be a little unsteady at first."

Nathan's look was skeptical, but he did as told, holding onto Varian's shoulder and hopping down. When his feet touched the ground he stumbled a little, but Varian caught him.

"You might want to sit for a bit before you try walking."

Nathan glared at Varian and stepped away unsteadily from him. "I can walk perfectly fine, thank you."

"Suit yourself." Varian said walking around to Cana's front and unhooking his bridle, pulling off over his snout.

Nathan's glare continued as he kept walking, taking a few more steps wobbling and holding out his hands for balance.

Varian unhooked Cana's girth strap and pulled the saddle off, setting it onto the grass along with his bridle and saddle blanket, smiling at Nathan.

Nathan continued finding his balance, but once he did, he stopped, and nodded to himself, putting his hands on his hips before glancing around the field.

"Ready to find out which element you have?" Varian asked patting Cana's nose and saying to him: "Go cool off boy." and watching him go.

"Um... Sure... Why not." Nathan mumbled.

"I suppose it would help to show you which element I have?" Varian asked, looking out over the plowed field.

"... Possibly." Nathan said, frowning slightly.

"Well, to tell you right off, my element is earth." Varian said kneeling down in the grass and pressing his hand into the plowed dirt field.

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest, looking bored and skeptical.

Smiling, Varian drew the source of his energy from within himself and channeled it through his hand and into the earth, thinking a simple command: grow. And the seeds did. The pushed up from their hollows in the dirt, making tiny little mounds, until green plants pushed up past the dirt, growing up towards the sun. Going from in the ground to two feet tall corn stalks, their leaves and stems lush and green, practically glinting in the sunlight.

Nathan's eyes widened, and he stared for a minute before whispering: "... Did you see that?"

Varian sat back in the grass, watching the corn stalks grow taller than Cana stood. "I did that."

"... No fucking way..."

"Oh really?" Varian challenged, feeling a headache settling in behind his eyes, but ignoring it. "Have a seat Nathan, let me explain." He said smiling as the earth jerked from underneath Nathan's feet causing him to plop down into the grass.

He'd never pushed himself this far before, he usually did it in increments, but Nathan had to understand that this wasn't a trick.

Nathan frowned, looking around. "I don't know whether to be disturbed or amazed."

"You have an element too. It can focus on either earth, wind, water, fire, or Soul. As a Mortal vampire, you have the ability in all of these, strongest in Soul right now, before you specialize. But once you do find your element your abilities are only limited to your barriers."

"... Okay. I choose disturbed. And that what the hell is 'soul'?" Nathan declared.

"'Soul' is the ability to manipulate a person's spirit. As a Changed vampire, I don't have this ability, but I can be affected by it. Within you, you have a 'well' of sorts. This well holds the key to your abilities. Any element can be used for good or bad intentions, but Soul is by far the most dangerous and pure."

Nathan nodded for a minute. "Sounds... Fascinating. I suppose. So... How are you supposed to figure out your... Elemental... Thing?"

"You have to concentrate on an emotion inside of you. Good emotions are best, they produce the best results. Which brings me to ask you a question. Why are you irritated all the time?"

Nathan paused, frowning. "I'm not irritated all the time. I just get annoyed easily."

Varian smiled and moved to sit next to Nathan, looking at his eyes. "Every time I see you, your eyes tell me you're irritated, or occasionally angry. So why?"

Nathan stared back and shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I just am."

"Have you ever seen your eyes turn another color besides Spring green and black?" Varian asked, searching Nathan's eyes for another color. Varian could feel his headache fade, but not truly go away.

"... There's been a silvery color, on occasion. Other than that, no. I haven't."

Varian looked Nathan over, taking in his sloppy hair, and his height, slightly shorter than himself, but more fragile looking. "Silver means worry. Would you like to know what some other colors mean?"

Nathan nodded after a minute, readjusting himself so he was more comfortable.

"Well, green means sadness, and black means anger or hate. Mixed together and you get Spring green, which is irritation. That's your general expression, which through me off from recognizing you as a Mortal, since their general expression is a milky white color to their eyes. Yellow is fear, whereas gold is hope. Blue is joyful, while purple is happy, and red is lust while pink is love. Then there's brown, which means numb, and spark, which means spirit. It brightens the eyes, makes them sparkle. And then you have the other non-solid colors." Varian said.

Nathan nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a lot of colors."

"There's more." Varian said, pausing and then continuing. "There's aqua, which means your joyful but slightly worried, lavender, or generally happy but not overjoyed. Fuchsia, which means you're happily in love or happily being loved, and maroon, or numbly lustful. Crimson means you're angrily lustful, and white means confidence. Gray is cockily angry, and forest green means you're upset. Metallic silver means your emotions are unstable, while metallic gold means you're hopefully confident. And lastly obsidian."

"... What does obsidian mean?"

"Obsidian means jealousy. But is very rarely seen purely, and for a long time people didn't think there was a color for it. But I've seen it. In my own eyes, I've seen it, and it scared me."

Nathan was silent for a moment. "… When did you see it?" he asked quietly.

"When Grant ripped our bond apart for the girl he took as his mate instead."

Nathan looked at his hands in his lap and sighed. "He sounds like an asshole anyway."

Varian looked up surprised, and then plucked a blade of grass from the dirt, twisting it around in his fingers before saying: "You have a gift, Nathan. You make me say things that I would rather keep locked away, but talking about them, with you...I get the feeling that you aren't judging me. You listen, and I have to admit it makes me feel good when you do. When everyone's whispering or spreading rumors about me, you don't say anything except ask me if I'm okay. I haven't felt this good in a long time."

Nathan glanced up and smiled slightly at Varian and shrugging. "Like I said- I'm magical." he said, falling back into the grass to look up at the sky.

"Apparently I am too. Your eyes are blue." Varian said, fishing out a mirror that he kept solely for Venerra to check her eyes with.

Nathan took the mirror and looked into it, poking one eye and wincing. "Well, what do you know.... I look weird with blue eyes."

Varian chuckled and lay back, turning onto his stomach and toying with the grass, making it grow and then shrink. "I think blue brings out your complexion. Makes your hair look less messy."

"Oh, now I really don't like them. My hair is a fucking mess on it's own." Nathan said bringing up a hand to run through it before setting the mirror on the grass.

"I said 'less' messy, and messy works with you. Fits your personality."

"Oh... Damn hearing..." he mumbled, attempting to go cross-eyed a couple times and giving up on it. "Not that I'm not enjoying this, but if we lay here any longer, I'm going to fall asleep."

Varian chuckled and pushed himself up, sitting once again in the grass. "You ready to try finding your element now?"

"I suppose." Nathan said sitting up as well and stretching.

"Alright. We'll start with the most basic element- Earth." Varian said sending out his power to cause the earth beneath the grass to form a little mound in front of Nathan. "Try and make it form a pillar."

Nathan stared at the dirt for a minute and then turned to Varian. "So... I mean, do I just.... Is it one of those things where you imagine it, and it's just... There?"

"Do you remember how you felt when your eyes turned blue?" Varian asked.

"... Sort of."

"Think back on that emotion, and try and trace it to it's source. Tell me where you feel it."

Nathan frowned slightly. "Well, they didn't change color until you said all that stuff, so I'm guessing it was because of you..?"

Varian blinked, surprised. He was the reason why Nathan's eyes changed to the color of joy? "Then if it's me that brought that emotion to you..." he paused, uncertain how to continue without sounding like a creeper. "...Then think of me. Tell me what you're feeling."

***********************************************************************************************

Nathan had to stop himself from snorting or laughing out loud. Thinking about Varian? Had he really just said that? Yes, Nathan supposed he had.

"You. That's not odd at all." he mumbled with a small smirk. Varian averted his gaze and hesitated, a light flush rising on his cheeks, though it was almost imperceptible due to his tan.

"How do you want me to respond to that? You're practically setting me up." Varian said, still trying hard not to let Nathan see his face.

"You don't have to respond if I'm making you uncomfortable," Nathan laughed, shaking his head, "But stop talking so I can do this. You're distracting me."

Varian turned back to Nathan, arching an eyebrow. "Who said anything about me being uncomfortable? I'm actually quite settled right now."

"Varian, you're being distracting." Nathan mumbled again, his smile widening. He really was making this whole concentrating thing difficult...

Varian went silent and froze, staring at Nathan. He actually managed to concentrate a little on what he felt when he was around Varian, and found that quite often it was only slight annoyance with a lot of amusement, as well as some concern. He wouldn't admit to it though. Ever.

Finally he figured he should speak up about the sudden statue-like behavior. "... Why are you staring? Am I doing this 'concentrating' thing wrong or something?"

Varian slowly shook his head, a smile forming on his face. "My name. You've never called me by my name before."

"... Really?" Nathan asked, tilting his head slightly, "Thought for sure I had at some point..."

"Nope. Not once. This is your first time." Varian replied with a shake of his head. Nathan turned away slightly.

"Hm. Well, now I have. Can I get back to concentrating now? Thinking about you is hard when you won't shut up." he said with a smirk.

Varian watched Nathan for a moment before nodding, both boys watching the small pile of dirt rise into an equally small pillar.

"Okay. There. Dirt pillar." Nathan mumbled after raising an eyebrow and sighing. Varian chuckled before pointing to it.

"Change it into a ring, and make it levitate. You should be able to tap into the magnetism of the earth to do that if it's your element. If it isn't, the ring will crumble." he explained.

Nathan rolled his eyes briefly before attempting 'The Ring'. It crumbled into a mess of dirt as it had been originally, making him slump over slightly. "... So..."

"Earth isn't your element. Let's try fire now."

"Alright... How do I do that?"

Varian smiled slyly. "Heat is created from friction and kinetic energy. All you have to do is direct your power at an object and use the kinetic energy in it's molecules to super charge them and it will combust."

Nathan took a second to understand the explanation before tilting his head slightly, sighing. "What object am I supposed to use, exactly?"

"Use a blade of grass. Try and find one that's more shaded, and make it burst into flames."

Nathan frowned, glancing around before going over to a nearby tree and focusing on the grass underneath it, noticing Cana laying under another out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, nothing's happening." he called.

"Come back here."

He walked back over to Varian, who sighed in relief and mumbled something about Nathan being potentially dangerous if he had fire before speaking aloud again. "There's air and water left, besides Soul, but I already know you wield that one well. Which would you like to try?"

"Oh, let's go with Air. Just for the hell of it."

"Alright, simple enough. Rustle the grass with a slight breeze. If you can't even do that, air is not your element either."

Nathan frowned and looked at the grass, noticing a very slight movement, but nothing big. "... I feel like I'm trying to use the force or something."

Varian laughed at the comment. "Just go with it. Make the wind move that branch." he said, gesturing to the tree Nathan had been at earlier. Again, Nathan noticed the slight movement of the leaves.

"I'm trying, and it's not doing shit."

"Then the last one is water." Varian informed him, laying back onto his stomach as Nathan frowned slightly.

"Yay. Water. What do I do for water?"

"Try and pull the water out of the grass. If the statistics are right, you should be able to. It'll float in a little churning, green-tinted bubble." Varian explained. Nathan decided to be dramatic, holding his hands out over the ground and narrowing his eyes, glaring when nothing happened.

"Nothing's happening. Again."

Varian frowned, pausing to think it over. "... Unless..." he mumbled, trailing off.

"... Unless what? What am I missing here?"

"There are two forms of water in the element. One is earthly water, such as the grass, and the other is atmospheric. If you can't manipulate the water on earth, try and use the water vapor in the air to make a miniature cloud." Varian suggested. Nathan glared slightly.

"Maybe I'm someone who doesn't have an element." He argued, though did as he was asked, taking no notice to the small, puffy cloud forming above his own head. "See? Nothing. Yet again."

Varian simply smiled, shaking his head and staying silent. Until the small cloud started raining on Nathan's head that is.

Then he burst out laughing.

Nathan froze, feeling the cold rain against his head and neck as he glanced up and glared. "Mother fucker... You can go away now." he mumbled to the cloud. He would have preferred fire to this. This was bullshit.

Varian kept laughing, managing to blurt out, "Looks like you've got yourself a companion!"

"Glad to see one of us is enjoying this. I'm pretty sure I can make it rain on you too. Fair warning."

"I'd like to see you try." Varian challenged, grinning maniacally while bracing himself. Nathan tilted his head slightly, smirking as the cloud made it's way to Varian and letting loose a mini-downpour, soaking him within seconds. Nathan couldn't help but notice the clothes sticking to Varian's body. He was well aware he was staring, but... He couldn't help it.

Nathan snapped out of it when he noticed Varian wasn't laughing anymore, watching a wall of dirt (Varian had a tendency to call it earth; Nathan didn't give a damn, it was dirt) rising up and dispelling the raining cloud.

Nathan glared for a second before thinking- Varian had said atmospheric water... So that had to include other weather-related elements... right? He decided to test his theory, concentrating on the air around Varian until it was going cold and snowing lightly. He smiled victoriously, crossing his arms over his chest as Varian stood up. Smiling, the ground around his feet started to swirl into what Nathan could only classify as some sort of dirt-vortex, causing Varian to disappear completely.

"Now things are getting fun."

Nathan tensed at the sound of Varian's voice behind him, right next to his ear before he whipped around and aimed the snow toward Varian again, taking some energy to change it to hail. Varian grinned yet again, causing Nathan to pause for a moment as he realized this was the most he'd ever seen of him smiling, before another dirt wall rose, melding together in a sort of imitation shield to deflect the hail.

"I think water melts dirt." Nathan mumbled, going back to the original rain he had. This elemental stuff took a lot of energy; he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep it up. He was sure stamina came with practice though.

Varian avoided the rain, keeping Nathan occupied with his movements. It wasn't until Nathan tried to move forward that he felt something wrap around him, pulling his body down to the wet ground. He was covered with mud within seconds, which hardened as Varian stood above him. He kneeled down, closer to Nathan's face with a satisfied and slightly smug grin. "And wet dirt makes mud, which is still earth based. So I can control it."

Nathan glared back. He didn't have it in him to continue the fighting anyway. "Fine, I give up. Go to hell." he said, lacking any real heat to his statement.

Varian paused, his playful attitude shifting back into seriousness. "That's enough for today." he said, though to Nathan his expression seemed slightly... Troubled.

The mud surrounding Nathan fell back to the ground, causing him to shiver slightly. He was now cold, wet, and mud-covered, not to mention Varian's sudden change in attitude had bothered him.

... How was he going to explain this to Elle?