Machnerum Estate

[Mikel]

Elizabeth turned around and smiled at Arai as she told him that she was ready to properly put up her hair. Elizabeth brought Arai back into the room once again and closed the door behind her and then walked over to Arai, looking at her now that she had put the dress on. She did look rather stunning already. If she fixed her hair then she would be almost as eye popping as Elizabeth. “Now darling I am not exactly a fashion expert, but I suppose I could find something to do with your hair.” She said and walked around behind Arai, taking a few strands of her hair and ran her hands gently through it, drawing it back. “You look quite lovely already dear.” Elizabeth said as she moved her head to the right and left and then put Arai’s hair back. It wasn’t very long and it would be a bit difficult to work with. Elizabeth’s hair was quite long and naturally curly. It was easy to do something with her hair because she had a lot of hair to work with. Arai’s hair would be a challenge. “I would like to put it up, but there isn’t that much hair to work with. However, I could possibly curl the bangs and curl the back of the of your hair and put it up a bit.” Elizabeth said and put a hair pick in her hair and pushed it up a bit, testing it out. “What do you think?”

[Arai]

Although she couldn't do as much with it, Arai had always enjoyed her shorter hair. It meant a lot less styling and drying in the morning, which meant more time for sleeping. Her hair was naturally straight, so when she grew it out long it was harder to handle and not as pretty as it was short. Some people just looked better with short hair, and Arai was one of them. It was nice to have her hair nicer than it normally was. She didn't have the time or resources to make sure her hair was perfectly in place and stylish looking. "I think that would be lovely," she replied happily, "and thank you for doing all this for me. I hope that Mr. Machernum will benefit from whatever I have to say, because I know there's no way to repay his kindness." There really wasn't, and Arai hated to be in the debt of others. However, one thing she had learned from her months on the road was that sometimes to survive you had to rely on others, no matter how much it rubbed her pride raw. Pride was one of Arai's faults, but right now she was working on getting over it. "So," she asked curiously, "what sort of person is this Mr. Machernum?" Arai wanted to know more about this mysterious benefactory that owned this splendid estate.

[Mikel]

“Come sit down darling.” Elizabeth said and led Arai to an old chair that was made of birch wood with a feather cushion on the seat. It was in a front of a desk with a mirror. The desk had the same carvings as the other furniture in the room. Elizabeth then began to style Arai’s hair. She acquired a curling iron, but also curled it with just a simple comb, which was a bit unusual. Remarkably Elizabeth only needed to use several pins to put up her hair. The whole while she was speaking with Arai, “Well, Mr. Machnerum doesn’t really wish to learn anything from you darling, he just wants to talk to people of his own kind, see how their have faired, help them in any way he can.” Elizabeth said as she curled Arai’s bangs, “He is a rather nice man. Don’t be fooled by his rich look. He may be rich but he has a rich heart as well, one you shall not find in many others.” She said as she began to put Arai’s hair up. “In any case, he is very intelligent and loves his artwork, so anything you can say to show you are not stupid would gratifying towards him.” Elizabeth said as she continued to work with Arai’s hair.

[Arai]

Arai kept her head perfectly still while her hair was being styled, only moving it under the direction of Elizabeth's capable hands. So this man was a lycan who knew few of his own kind. Interesting. She wondered what his story was; he must have been a lycan for a while to have such good control that his secret had not yet been found out. Control was the one thing she lacked in that area. Though she tended to disagree with Elizabeth on the matter of Mr. Machnerum not wanting to learn anything from her. Everyone could learn something from the people they talked to. But Arai did not really want to share how she had....fared. It was not a happy story; she still wished she could have gone back to her old life, her normal life. Still, no going back now, it was irriversable as far as she knew. Her thoughts drifted back to the unknown owner of this estate. He sounded nice enough, and it would certainly be a relief to talk to someone with class and intelligence. Yes, the people she had met in her wanderings were nice enough, and most were smart in one way or another, but her mind thirsted for higher intellect, for deep thought and conversation. "I think I could manage that," Arai said with a gleaming smile. One thing she could say was that no one had ever dreamed of calling her stupid.

[Mikel]

Elizabeth smiled when she heard Arai’s answer. “That is indeed good to hear sweetheart.” She said and after a short while longer, she had completed her styling of Arai’s hair. She told her to look at the mirror and tell her what she thought about the hairstyle. Elizabeth straightened herself and walked over to the bed and took the red dress that she had left on the bed and then moved over to the closet, opening the door and placing the dress on a plastic hangar and hung it on the rack. You always wanted to used a plastic hangar because the wire hangars always put creases and lines in clothing and that simply was unacceptable. After she had completed this task, Elizabeth moved back over to Arai, “Come on, we have to hurry and get downstairs. Put these heels on.” She said calmly went over to the bed and picked up the pair of heels and brought them over to Arai and set them down before her. She then unlaced them and put them on Arai’s feet. They were a little tight, but it was better tight than loose with heels. You wouldn’t want to trip in heels, especially not when you were going down a flight of stone stairs.

[Arai]

Arai gazed into the mirror, observing her image. She had certainly changed appearance in the course of an hour. Her face seemed radiant, freshly cleaned and scrubbed, flawless except for that ever-present scar down her cheek. Her hair was shining with a healthy glow, the richness of the auburn redness showing through. If one had a very observing eye, one could see that her shoulders were a bit bonier than was healthy, and she looked a bit skinny for her size. Overall, however, her skin had a creamy cast to it, with a slight golden tinge from her many days outside. She slipped her feet into the heels. Her feet protested a bit; they were used to sneakers, not skinny straps and thin heels. Standing, her whole perspective was changed by the few added inches. "Well, we wouldn't want to keep Mr. Machnerum waiting for his dinner, now would we," she said with a soft smile. Arai was ready to finally meet the man. She was most intruigued about him.

[Mikel]

Elizabeth shook her head and smiled, “No, we would not want to keep Mr. Machnerum waiting. He has the highest respect for punctual people, but he has extreme distaste for anyone that is not. Personally, he believes that you best be on time unless you are dead and you better not be dead and not have sent him a letter of regret.” She with a playful voice as she walked towards the door, opening it and then looking once more at Arai. “I do believe you are ready dear. Stunning.” She said with a smile and then walked out into the hall. Now, I am going to inform Mr. Machnerum that you will be coming, so wait about seven minutes and then come down the hallway and take a left until you come to a grand staircase. We will be waiting.” She said calmly and then smiled before turning and walking once more down the hallway, her heels making slight thudding noises on the carpet.

Elizabeth walked down the hall and took a left as if trying to show Arai where to go. The thud of her heels turned into clicking as her heels now came down on a marble floor. She walked to the ground staircase. There was a massive banister around the staircase made of white marble, as well the stairs themselves. The stairs were narrow at the top but widened towards the bottom and became almost like another floor. She then walked from the staircase into the room that Mikel was currently in, entertaining both Pete and Namir. She smiled at the two of them and then came over to Mikel, who put his arm around her waist as she whispered in his ear. He nodded his head and smiled and Elizabeth went back out into the foyer. Mikel turned to Namir and Pete. “Its seems I have another guest waiting for me. Dinner is being served in the banquet room and if you would follow me, I would gladly show you to it.” Mikel said smoothly. He put his cane onto the ground and then turned, after beckoning for them both to follow. He walked out to where Elizabeth was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Namir and Pete to follow and his new guest to present herself.

[Arai]

Looking at herself again in the mirror, Arai quelled the slight nervousness that arose. Would the illustrious Mr. Machnerum like her? She was so tired of people who shunned her for being what she was; it would be a welcome change to meet another who understood. Had she lost some of the finer points of high society while away? She certainly hoped not; back home she was known for her exquisite manners. Realizing what she was doing, she mentally scolded herself. It's not a date, just a dinner. Act like it is a business deal. Too bad Arai was not really into business.
After what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a few minutes, Arai finally decided she had waited long enough. It felt like it had been seven minutes; if it hadn't, well it was always better to be early than to be late. Walking over to the door, she wobbled a bit, then steadied herself, recalling the days when she could run in high heels, and quite fast too. Keeping her shoulders back as was fitting for correct posture, she opened the door and stepped out. Left, then staircase. And what a staircase it was! It looked like something out of a movie set. Long and sweeping, it matched with the grand scale of everything she had seen so far. This man certainly had an interesting taste for colors and textures, she mused. Such as her room: rich wooden furniture with thick fur rugs and red everywhere, then the bathroom, so white and cold. Yet somehow it worked. Whoever designed it was a true master of their art. Stepping on the first stair, Arai kept to the right, as was proper stair etiquette. Right hand gently sliding down the cool marble, yet not grasping it, she began her descent. Arai kept her chin slightly up, lengthening her neck line and adding to the sleekness of her whole look. The slit up the side of the dress gave way to her steps, revealing her slenderly muscled leg, perfectly fit from months of walking. Nearing the bottom, she entered her zone where nothing could touch her, where she was proper and perfect. Her light golden gaze swept cooly over the four figures. Elizabeth beamed up at her, every line of her outfit and hair perfect and poised, and Pete and Namir stood there too, looking a bit out of place in their everyday outfits among all the grandeur. Then her eyes settled at last upon Mr. Machnerum. He was good looking, she had to admit, young, too, in the scheme of things, probably in his mid-twenties. But things were not always as they seemed; he had an older look about his eyes, she noted. His eyes were kind, though they bespoke of comfortable wealth and refined mannerisms. His outfit was immaculate, every crease intentional and all in black. Arai deduced from the beginning that he would be an interesting one to talk to. Reaching the bottom, she gazed at him for a second, then spoke. Her voice was cultured and refined, almost accentless, soft yet strong. "You have been a most gracious host, Sir Machnerum, and I thank you for your hospitality," she began with a slight, grateful smile.

[Pete]

Pete was vaguely aware of Mikel speaking as his mind drifted. The events of the last few weeks were a blur, ever since that night in Rome... it was a full moon that night. Pete was completely oblivious as Namir and Mikel conversed, he constantly replayed the events in his head, it all seemed so surreal. The meeting with Vincent, saving Namir's life and battling Richtor, the fight against the Vampire King, Victor. He lived through all of it. But Death had given him a run for his money on more than one occasion; Pete recalled all the times he had nearly died. Jarrod had fished him out of the sea, riddled with bullet-wounds, Sarena nursed Pablo and him back to health after they had almost starved to death. The ambush and Namir's capture. And the spider bite, the venom that almost killed him, Arai showing up at the last minute to save him. Sure his new life was difficult to say the least, but the friends he had gained more than made up for it. Namir, Pablo, Sarena, Adele, Jarrod, Vincent, Alena, Arai. Arai... He hadnt seen her since that night. Since the kiss. “Its seems I have another guest waiting for me. Dinner is being served in the banquet room and if you would follow me, I would gladly show you to it.” Mikel said, snapping Pete out of his trance. He followed Mikel down the hall, back to the room with the great stone staircase, awaiting the mystery guest. She wore an elegant black dress, Versace perhaps, her auburn hair vibrant in contrast. She glided down the stairs towards the group. Even through all of the elegance, she was still the girl he remembered. "Arai... you look... beautiful." He was almost speachless, unimaginably happy to see her. Indeed she was stunning, but not much had changed. She was just as stunning covered in grime.

[Namir Black]

Namir was still at her seat on the couch, listening to Mikel when Pete zoned out. She silently wondered what was wrong with him, he was staring off toward the door, but she hadn't heard anyone come in. Her eyebrow was raised as she followed his intense stair, he was practically catatonic like something beautiful had glided through the door on silent wings.. Her grey eyes fell to the culprit, Arai. 'Wow...' she'd thought to herself, her jaw dropping slightly. So it happened that something beautiful had indeed walked through the door. Arai was so out of the ordinary.. she'd never seen her in anything other than her jeans and a t-shirt, and now it was like she'd blossomed into a refined cultured beauty who didn't even belong in the same leagues as Namir, but far, far, above. Glancing down at her tattered cargo pants and combat boots, smeared with dirt and mud, she felt like a troll in comparison, she didn't belong in this room, or in the immediate vicinity with Arai or Mikel.
The room was focused on Arai, and Namir gently scooted over on the couch, and beckoned Arai over to sit beside Pete. "Good evening, Arai. Nice to see you again." Folding her hands neatly in her lap, she continued to look at Mikel, they still hadn't gotten the answers that they had come for, the reason behind the letters. "So, Mikel, Why have you summoned us?" Namir had acted brashly earlier, and now she felt as if she had to make up for it, true, she didn't trust Mikel, but he never had to know that, right? Besides, they were practically family, and she had no reason not to trust him just yet.

[Mikel]

Mikel watched as Arai descended the steps towards him. Ahh, see now this was what he was expecting. He was hoping to find at least one of his races to be refined and perhaps intelligent. He had already seen the other two that he had invited and they seemed, grungy to say the least. Of course, Mikel almost looked grungy in comparison to the beauty that was walking down the staircase towards him now. He turned a stole away a quick glance at Elizabeth who was next to him. He leaned his head to the left, whispering to her, “You got to her first didn’t you.” I asked and Elizabeth smiled, but didn’t say anything. “I am going to make the assumption that she didn’t look like that when you found her.” Mikel continued, still in low tones and with Arai about halfway down the stairs. Finally, Elizabeth turned to her and smiled, “Doesn’t matter how I found, look at her now.” Elizabeth remarked, gesturing to Arai with the nod of her head. “Indeed.” Mikel replied and smiled.
Once Arai reached the second to last stair, Mikel to a few steps forward and took Arai’s hand gently in his as if to help her down her final steps. He smiled and bowed his head politely to her as he brought her hand up with his and placed a gently kiss on it. He then straightened himself, his hand clutching his cane tightly as he did so. “Good evening, I am pleased, and well honored by your acceptance of my invitation to stay with us here.” Mikel said smoothly before he turned, gestured for Arai’ to move a bit further forward, “I believe you are already familiar with my other guests,” Mikel said as he gestured to them with a notion of his hand. Mikel turned his head and focused on Arai for a moment, “We are about to indulge ourselves with dinner, I assume you will join us?” Mikel requested with a smooth and perfect smile. He was overjoyed to have someone that knew proper manners be with him. Usually he had Elizabeth, but she just worked for him, there was not much any personal between them beyond that. Arai seemed a bit young, perhaps twenty, but whenever someone acted sophisticated their age increased to their audience, so to Mikel, she was the oldest in the room. She was already the most beautiful.

[Arai]

Arai felt a slight flush creep into her cheeks at the words of Pete and the whispers of Mr. Machernum. She could not hear precisely what he said to Elizabeth, but she knew it had to do with her. At the touch of his hand, Arai had to force herself not to flinch and pull away. It was only manners, not a threat. Ever since being held at the base, she was wary of any contact with people, especially males. It was too deeply ingrained from that incident for her to fight it. But in a few seconds she was free again. Up closer now, Arai had a better perspective for observing this man. He was older than she, and he carried a cane. However, both legs were straight and he looked rather youthful, so Arai strongly suspected that he carried it for show and class, not to help him walk. He was not bad looking, but Arai was not in the market for any type of romance, so she didn't consider that fact much. "It is I rather than you that is the one honored, Mr. Machnerum," she replied courteously, "and I am greatly endebted to you for your generous hospitality." Looking a bit past his shoulder, she smiled at the two teenagers who looked rather out of place. "Hello Pete, hello Namir," she said happily, "it seems like forever since I've seen you both! I am glad to see you are looking well." Focusing her attention back on the owner of the estate, Arai softened her smile a bit, though a humourous light shone in her light gold eyes. "I was under the impression that the reason I was to come down was for dinner," she said, her mouth tipping to the side slightly, "so of course I will join you." Arai felt that once things were less new to all of them, they would get along famously. Subtly stepping back a bit, she waited for the host to lead the way.

[Mikel]

Mikel nodded his head and then beckoned for the party to follow him. He placed his cane on the marble floor and there was a clicking as he walked. Arai was correct in her assumption that he didn’t need the cane. He surely didn’t. He was a werewolf and they healed rather well to any sort of wound. Also, he was not yet that old and his bones were still strong. The cane was for an effect. It looked sophisticated and that was how Mikel was. He was sophisticated in everything. Mikel brought them from the foyer to a room that was well decorated with hand woven tapestries. There was a very large table in the middle of the room made of chestnut wood. You couldn’t really tell what kind of wood it was because there was a massive Arabian cloth covering it. There were candles sitting in gold pedestals in the center of the table. The candles were already lit; however there was not yet food placed at the table.

Mikel turned and looked at his guests. “Usually I dine in the garden, but tonight, with my guests I shall dine here with you.” Mikel said calmly and walked to the head of the table. Elizabeth moved with him and he pulled a chair out for her, as gentlemen should. Arai was sitting next to Elizabeth and Arai were sitting next to each other and so, naturally Mikel moved his arm over and pulled the chair out for her as well. He wondered how Pete’s manners were when it came to dining edict. He would soon find out. After he had pulled the chair out for Arai he moved to the head of the table. He stood next to his chair. He would not sit until all his guests did. Such was proper.

[Pete]

Following suite, he pulled out Namir's chair, graciously gesturing towards it. He tried to recall his manners as they sat down, the enormous table and fancy silverware was quite intimidating. Not to mention the fact that there was more than one fork and spoon... such luxury was beyond Pete. Oh well, he wasnt here to dine and chat, he was here for... well he really had no idea why he was here. But Mikel being the kind of guy he was, would most likely explain soon enough. He pulled his chair in towards the table, sitting fully upright and at attention, which to say the least, was very unnatural for Pete. He was more of the leaned back type. But on the bright side, the chair was extremely comfortable. Especially when compared to his recent dwellings. He looked to the head of the table, at Mikel, their host. Pete was still in the process of determining whether or not he liked Mikel.

[Mikel]

Mikel watched as Pete pulled the chair out for Namir. He smiled to himself. Well, at least he wasn’t a total loss. Mikel, after all of his guests were seated, took his seat at the head of the table. Around the same time, several butlers brought dinner forth. Their first course of salad, which was the proper way to go about eating. Mikel knew how to eat; he knew what foods were good for the body, what foods weren’t. You would not find candy or too much sugar in his house. There would be soup coming after the salad and then the meal would be presented. Until then, Mikel took his salad fork, which was the smallest of the three and began to eat, but not very quickly. After a few moments, he placed the fork down, swallowed and began to speak.

“By now I assume you all have deducted that I am not exactly a poor man. You would be correct in this assumption. The reason you all are here is so that I may know how my kindred have lived thus far. In my honest opinion, I am a bit disappointed in the quality of life that you have become accustomed too. I lived the life you live several hundred years ago, but you may yet be new our kind. My invitation is for all of you. I welcome you to this place and you may call it your own as my kindred.” Mikel said calmly and looked at Arai, “Any of you may stay as long as you desire.” He said and looked back at the group.