Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Distant Dreamers

Theo Serrano played with the straw in his drink, swirling the carbonated drink around while waiting for someone else to join. His eyes wandered from one end of the cafeteria to the other, eagerly anticipating seeing a pair of horns poking out from underneath a table, or a tail curling around a post.

Shadow magic had its advantages, even though most people refused to acknowledge it. For one, no one really trusted those gifted with such magics, and thus Theo found himself with a table to himself. He hadn’t stretched his metaphorical mystical limbs for some time, and feared stagnation over time. Nevertheless, he felt his power was still there. Like an imaginary muscle, he applied a tiny bit of pressure, fueling the near bottomless energy in his core, and felt a small pressure building behind his eyes. 

He sighed with relief, his abilities were primed and ready to be unleashed. All he had to do was look someone directly in the eye, and with a thoughtful snap, it would work. He resisted the urge, for now. He remembered playing with his power when he was a kid, tricking people so that they couldn’t see him, or outright blinding them with a carefree glance. When his mother figured out what was happening, she wasn’t pleased. 

The memory brought a chuckle to his lips, he wondered how his mother was doing; he hadn’t seen her in a long time, not since moving into the University Dorms. She used to message him frequently, but had been rather quiet as of late.

Strangely, Theo missed the feeling that someone was watching him. For the first time, he felt truly alone.

"I wonder where Lorelei is," he took a long sip of his soda before sitting the cup down. 

The likeness between Lorelei, and the Lori he knew so many years ago was stunning, but there were some differences. Her horns were longer, for one, and he never imagined Lori could grow into such a well developed woman. She was such a thin and scrawny thing, even after feeding her for weeks, she hardly gained a pound. 

It wasn’t just the physical differences. Lori was always adventurous, sometimes even daring, but this new Redever seemed skittish of everything that moved. He wanted to believe that the girl he rescued off the street somehow defied all the odds, being dragged away from his home to gods knew where (his mother never told him), and survived to adulthood. He wanted to hope, but feared having that hope squashed, knowing the odds were extremely slim.

And what if she were actually Lori? How terrible would that make him, finally being reunited with her, only to not recognize her? 

Regardless, a lot must have happened to Lorelei, leading up to her being accepted here. She had to have survived a tumultuous upbringing in the Redever commune, only to be forced to fight in the last major war, then seek to reintegrate in Voxsturm. 

Only a handful of Redevers were allowed to return, most being outcasts from their own kind. From what Marci had told him, it wasn’t Lorelei’s choice to serve in the Redever army either, making her survival even more miraculous. 

He wanted to ask her about it, he wanted to know just who Lorelei was, and why she always seemed to linger around him. Deep down, he suspected the answer.

Rolling thunder broke him from his thoughts. Theo sighed, fiddling with his straw. Victor sure was taking his time. The cafeteria was a large oval chamber, with all the food stations to one side. Most of the tables were occupied. Humans, wolfkin, lamia, even a couple elves talked amongst themselves while eating. Theo was even surprised to find a younger dark elf at one table, sharing it with several pale elf students.

It was mesmerizing seeing a dark elf with her albino cousins. While dark elves were not uncommon, and virtually no different than the traditional elf, albino’s were supposed to be extremely rare. Seeing two of them, one a heavy set male, and another leaner female, was like spotting a freaking unicorn! That being if unicorns were real of course.

Theo fought the temptation to stare, painfully aware of how impolite he must’ve seen, just glaring at the one table in the room. 

Then again, there wasn’t much else for him to do, other than twiddle on his phone, which was already low on power. So instead, he continued studying the people around him.

There were several Lamia crowding one area, each of them with their own unique scale patterns, and skin tones. They were by far the most diverse species, and it made each of them more exotic to his eyes. Theo could understand why his roommate was so fixated by them, and so happy to date Marci.

There was only one species that was seemingly absent, vampires. Then again, given their own mastery of shadow specific magics, far superseding his own, they may simply not want to be seen.

When Victor finally arrived, he approached Theo’s table with his usual swagger. 

"Finally have a date for this mystical expedition?" Theo smirked, deciding not to lash out for making him wait so long.

Victor shook his head, taking a seat. "The boss is still... negotiating with the wall guilds, or so I've been told."

"I thought this was a done deal,” Theo groaned.

"Look I don't know what's going on. He came to me with this job, and asked me to find a group who were eager for some extra cash, credit, and experience. I did my part, and now I'm waiting for him to do his." Victor clearly seemed disgruntled. There were bags under his eyes, and a few extra lines on his face. 

Theo sighed, "why the guild?"

"No one simply walks out of the canyon city without the barrier guilds knowledge. Plus the dean of the university has to sign of on it, even if its a private expedition. Otherwise the boss is technically kidnapping students." Victor laughed at the insinuation.

Theo wasn’t in a good mood, “So how much longer we have to wait?"

Victor shrugged, "A few weeks for sure. The expedition will be a five day trip, only four nights, so it shouldn't take long to acquire provisions."

Theo looked out the window while formulating his thoughts. “Has anyone died during an expedition?”

“So now you're worried about that?" Victor smirked. "As long as we follow the proscribed routes, and the trench network, we should be fine. Besides, an armored personell carrier will get us most of the way.” Victor sat back, stretching his arms overhead. “I’m more worried about the destination. Hopefully we don't find anything, other than some abandoned military tech, and turn back on the third day."

“Cool," Theo continued to look outside. The skies were dark brown, as acid rain continued to fall. “Hey, any chance you noticed a pink Redever following you?”

Victor shot him a curious look, “What? Why?”

Theo shrugged, getting up from his seat, and putting on his coat. “Never mind. Just let me know when we can finally get things moving.”

Victor nodded in affirmation, “Will do, and don’t forget to go to the requisitions office for gear. I’ll forward you your recruitment stipend, should be enough for essentials.”

“Thanks,” Theo checked his phone, making sure his student bank account was filled.

“About that Redever,” Victor looked up at him.

Theo paused, “Yeah?” 

“If she decides to come with us, and she does know how to access those old military trenches, the boss will throw her a bonus. So… just incase she needs an added incentive to join us.” 

“Sounds good,” Theo brushed his hair back. “I’ll be sure to tell her, next time I see her.”

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“Think that’ll be soon?”

“Got a good feeling we’ll run into each other before too long,” Theo smiled.

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Lorelei sat next to the vampire for some time, listening to Laura's constant chatter while she herself wrote in her notebook. She wished she brought her laptop, then again, the vampire would’ve certainly spied on her web history. Laura definitely seemed the type to pry into any secret laid before her without a moments hesitation. 

Lorelei didn't say anything, although she had plenty to say. For one, she wasn’t comfortable with the eerie glances the snarky girl kept giving her. She was thankful the vampire bought her another latte, but Lorelei couldn’t help but feel like there were strings attached.

“Hey,” Laura said softly with a poke to Lorelei’s cheek. “I know this might be a weird question, and I don’t know how to ask it, so I’ll just come right out and say it.”

Lorelei looked up from her notes, mentally preparing herself for the unknown. Her tail was subconsciously primed to strike.

“Do you… do you bite, like vampires?” Laura asked, her eyes brimming.

A long pregnant silence filled the space between them. Lorelei’s hand tightened around the plastic cup while her frizzled mind tried to comprehend what Laura had just asked her. When next she spoke, she had to clear her throat.

“What?” The question took Lorelei by surprise.

Laura leaned in closer, “I mean, I know succubi can take another’s mana for sustenance, but I wasn’t sure exactly how?”

Lorelei froze. Why was she asking about this? And how does she know about that? Most people just assumed Succubi sucked vitality, or even took away people’s lifespans; just more stories to fuel prejudices. Few seemed to know it was just mana that Succubi liked to mingle with, and it wasn’t necessary to live, unlike a vampire’s need for blood.

“No,” Lorelei's face was flustered, a lump caught in her throat.

“Really?” Laura sounded disappointed.

“Yes, really,” Lorelei responded emphatically. It was true; Lorelei could indeed siphon mana from someone. Just not in the way Laura had inquired. Not even close. And besides, she was still a virgin.

“Oh! Well that's disappointing then,” Laura said cheerfully. The vampire licked the straw of her own iced mocha playfully, clearly seeing if she could get a rise out of Lorelei.

“What about Allucia? Any chance you have any?” The vampire sported a wide grin. “I’ve always wondered how you make it.”

NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Lorelei was not having this conversation! She got up from her seat, smoothing down her skirt as she did so.

“Thanks-for-the-coffee-gotta-go,” Lorelei stammered.

“Gotta get back to stalking that handsome boy?” Laura shot her another wicked grinned.

That took her by surprise. “Just how long have you been spying on me?” Lorelei asked.

The vampire chuckled at that, “You should really pay more attention to your surroundings.”

Lorelei stiffened, the pointy end of her tail was still squarely aimed at Laura’s face, ready to strike her just between the eyes.

The vampire sighed, finishing her drink, before rising from her seat. "Well, I'm glad we talked. Maybe next time you could tell me more?”

A shiver ran down Lorelei’s spine. She picked up her empty latte cup, and fought the urge to lash out. Instead she proceeded to leave.

"Hey, any chance you'd like to go to a party tonight?" Laura asked, smiling brightly. She was practically floating through the air, keeping in pace with Lorelei’s struts.

“Just think about it, okay? I promise I won't bite. Unless you want me to," Laura winked. "My gal on the other hand, can't make any promises for her. She won't bite you, but she might invite you to a threesome. At least I hope... she does. Ok, I’m the one who's been asking for a threesome."

Lorelei groaned, rolling her eyes. She wanted to respond with something witty, or just to lash out with a painful jab of her tail, but, not wanting to get dragged into further conversation, or have to apologies for her actions, she elected to stay silent. She continued advancing through the main lobby, waving to the coffee girl at the front counter as she passed, and proceeded to the door.

“Okay, well, see ya later, then,” Laura waved, watching Lorelei exit the library through the front doors.

Lorelei was relieved to escape from the vampire’s clutches, although she didn't turn around again until she reached the sidewalk. The rain had finally ceased, giving way to an encroaching amber fog. The ground beneath her was shrouded in mist, extending up to her ankles. Her whip lash tail curled up to avoid the moisture, which lifted up her skirt a little higher than she would’ve liked.

Even thought it was getting late, the campus was alive with activity. Students were rushing from one building to the next, now that the rains had ceased they were eager to resume their normal class schedule. Street lamps were lit, making the mist seem even more sinister in nature.

She stood on the sidewalk, deep in thought. In a way, she supposed she owed Laura a thanks for the afternoon distraction. Yes. This is what I needed. Something to distract me from my thoughts, and from the world, just for a few hours. 

She bit her lip, goosebumps formed on her arms and legs. The nerve of that girl though to ask about Allucia, of all things! She wondered if all vampires were as forward as her, or if she were just rude. 

Regardless, Lorelei wasn’t about to explain something so intimate to a, clearly infatuated, vampire. She supposed that she would have to pay more attention, not happy about having a stalker of her own. That was a new feeling, Lorelei stiffened, actually being worried about someone spying on her for a change. 

With a heavy sigh, Lorelei filed those thoughts for later. 

Right now, it was time to see what Theo was doing. If he was still on his regular schedule, then that would mean he would be going to the gym right about now? Lorelei licked her lips, day dreaming of his sweaty body, his arms flexing while lifting dumbbells.

She would just have to be extra careful this time.

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