I've gone identity mad

[bloodhigh]

Muses: Storm (bloodhigh) and Cade Lu (vibrantdecay)
Date / Time: 11/03, after sundown
Rating: PG-13 for Storm's foul mouth
Type: Thread
Status: Closed
Summary: Storm has lived in Hong Kong for almost a year and knows nothing outside of his personal circle. Cade believes in sightseeing.

It was probably the first time Storm had ever been to a museum. At least, that he could remember. As fascinating as history could be, he preferred reading about it to seeing it for himself. Still, he supposed, it wasn't like he was there for the museum. He was collecting a vampire for an excursion to Repulse Bay.

He supposed that at some point he probably should have asked: why Repulse Bay? After all, as it stood, he knew very little of the city, despite his residence of... at least seven months, anyway. It was hard to remember much before the first high. Or perhaps, he wondered idly, long fingers carding through his messy blonde hair, it was just that he didn't want the memories. After all, the years of his life between his family's death and the first rich taste of vampire blood on his tongue - they'd been nothing short of pathetic.

The thought brought a dark smirk to his lips, a bitter sort of amusement that he didn't often entertain. Storm was much more of a now person, living for the moment, past be damned, future too. He wasn't Oh Sehun anymore. He was Storm, and he was going sightseeing with a vampire.

Oh, how the Sehun of a year ago would have cringed.

Grandpa. Im outside he texted, lazy, uncaring for punctuation, only calling Cade 'Grandpa' again to get back at him for the 'Monsieur' he'd received earlier. A beat, and then: Stop your paperwork and lets go have fun. Another beat, and Storm leaned back against the wall with a heavy sigh. "It must be because he's a geriatric," he mumbled to himself, and then chuckled. That one was good. He filed it away in his brain to tell Jiyong later.

Still, slow or not, Cade was an interesting sort. Storm was used to vampires sweeping in, taking what they wanted, and disappearing again. Sometimes it was blood, sometimes it was sex. None of them had ever psychoanalyzed him the way this one had. Certainly none of them had made him quite so flustered as Cade - though that was an admission he would never, ever make. What exactly made him tick so differently? Despite himself, Storm was intrigued.

But Cade was still slow. It had been three whole minutes since his initial message.

For fucks sake cade I can literally feel myself getting older

Comments

[vibrantdecay]

As a general rule applicable only to one finicky Cade Lu, those on Kwon Jiyong's payroll who made their trades selling their bodies one way or another were on his 'avoid contact with' list. It didn't physically exist, this list, but to anyone who had been observant enough of his infrequent visits to Divino and the secret blood den underneath, it was quite noticeable. After all, who stepped into a strip club and did not partake? What vampire stepped into a blood den and did not partake? It wasn't as though the underground club did nothing to tempt him - the scent of blood both exposed and curling through the nubile human bodies was heady and inviting. Had Cade been a few decades younger, he supposed he would have no qualms in licking blood from willing necks.

But that monster was long buried under the rubble of his current persona. Cade Lu the boring curator. He hadn't intended to embrace the adjective, but in his greed to be great at his job, he had inadvertantly created an image that was an indomitable force in his workplace. And to be great, he had to immerse himself so deeply into his role, allowing himself little to no mistakes, that his work ethics mutated into a descriptor in itself. Cade was great at his job, and had proven it time and again, but there was no escaping the bore factor that came with it.

The messages came as Cade was wrapping up an email, in near-rapidfire succession, and he couldn't help but laugh. In all honesty, he wasn't as bothered with the ridiculous nickname Storm had decided to bestow upon him. For someone whose work was quite the very opposite of boring, Cade could barely fault the young human for it.

Two minutes in, Cade turned off his computer, picking up his phone to let the mononymous boy know he was coming out, only to be interrupted in the middle of texting with yet another one from the other. "This kid," he muttered under his breath, amused at the impatience shared with his employer. 'Then I should keep you waiting a little longer. We might be the same age by then.' he typed back instead, smirking as he gathered his belongings and left his office. It was quite a bit of a walk to the entrance, a distance easily covered vampiric speed, but Cade kept his normal pace. How frustrated would Storm get, he wondered.

As a general rule applicable only to one absurd vampire, associating with those the likes of Storm was out of the question. Yet Storm himself seemed to be quite the exception, if based solely off their previously exchanged texts. There were secrets, and Cade's curiosity was moth to its flame. And like a moth, he settled quietly at Storm's side, just half a glance out of sight, still suited impeccably in tailored Armani.

"How old are you now?" He asked by way of greeting, offering an easy, friendly grin when Storm met his gaze. "Come, Monsieur. My car is just around the back. I hope you haven't had dinner yet, by the way."

[bloodhigh]

Storm couldn't help but roll his eyes at the message. Of course. He was quickly learning that the way to get Cade to do something was to tell him you wanted the opposite. (Storm supposed that in this way, Cade was similar to some other vampires he'd met, if not slightly more stubborn about it.) And so as much as he wanted to reply, he responded instead by leaning more firmly into the wall and sighing. He pulled a small hip flask from the pocket of his skinny black jeans, tipping a small mouthful of the rich liquid between his lips. It buzzed through his body, a tremor over his skin, and the next sigh that emerged was one of content. Instant gratification, instant relief. Instant sanity.

'It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason,' a brilliant poet once said. 'It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories...' For Storm, they were words that rang truer than he'd ever admit. Revenge was a messy business. Why drive himself insane searching for the one who took everything?

Besides, his new way of life was fun. It was decadent. It was everything he'd missed out on, growing up. When he was high, which was essentially always, he could see the world clearly, and appreciate it for what it was, for its darkness. He could live without wanting to die. It worked for him.

When Cade melted from the shadows, Storm turned, offering him a lopsided smirk. "I'm a withered corpse, Grandpa. What happened to vampires being fast?" His eyes skimmed, appraising. This may have been his first time going to a museum, but he was pretty sure curators didn't normally suit up quite so well.

This time, he was prepared for the 'Monsieur', but it still knocked him off-kilter for just a moment. Having been friendless for over ten years, a student for most of those and a merchant of his own body for the rest, honorific titles were not something with which he was comfortable. Realistically, he wasn't sure he'd ever be entirely comfortable with them. No doubt Cade would see him falter for just that moment, but he brushed it off in the next, shaking his head as he followed the vampire. "I haven't eaten," he replied, and then immediately followed up with: "Do most curators dress like they're going to a wedding?" Getting the attention off him seemed like the better thing for his own sanity - even if he was pretty sure that Cade's curiosity was exactly why he was there in the first place.

[vibrantdecay]

Cade had said nothing, had made no indication that he had noticed, but the scent emanating from Storm was unmistakeable. He did not see, had no way of knowing about the little flask of death and joy secreted away in the other's pocket, but he could smell it on Storm's breath. How virulent the image it painted in his mind's eye - the young man next to him with his head tilted back, vivid red trickling into his mouth. He'd known the taste, the way it made him both feel and not at the same time. He'd known how addled it made his mind, and how much clearer the world felt at the crest of bloodlust.

But that was in the past. And the past had no place in the present, even if his very own presence defied that very logic. How illogical. 'Dead things should stay dead.'

"Clearly it's all a myth," he quipped in response to the question about speed.

Yes. Cade's easy smile was all that Storm would see, and the bemused laughter that followed after that. Wedding? He looked down at his suit with a light, affronted frown. What was so wrong with power-dressing? What was the chief curator, master of illusion, if not a snappy dresser to the public eye? Storm hadn't seen the faded sweats and mismatched socks he preferred wearing at home.

"I wouldn't know. Never been to a wedding." A pause. "Not intentionally, anyway." Again, his mind flickered with past memories, even as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the porsche he had rented while his own bimmer was being serviced. The parking lot was in as much disrepair as he remembered when he first arrived in Hong Kong, yet it had never bothered him. There was something oddly, charmingly hilarious that Hong Kong's most popular museums shared such a shoddy parking space. Cade slipped into his seat, and as Storm settled in, reached out to fiddle with the temperature. "I usually like it when it's cold, but let me know if it's too much for you."

And with that, he drove off. "That appointment you have scheduled for later. How important is it? Can it be cancelled?"

[bloodhigh]

Storm probably should have thought it through: of course Cade would be able to smell the blood on his breath, even if he didn't mention it, even if Storm had no idea he smelled so strongly. All that mattered to him was that he didn't have a breakdown midway through their excursion. Because without the taste, he would. Storm without his fix was a broken Storm, a Storm that had forgotten how to function even in the ways he had since his family's deaths. He hated withdrawal-ridde Storm.

But his mind wasn't thinking down that path right now. Instead, he followed, rolling his eyes. "You forget I work with vampires, Cade; I know what you're capable of doing." In all honesty, he wouldn't have been surprised if Cade had kept him waiting on purpose. It kind of seemed like something the older man would do.

Cade's next comment caught him shortly off-guard, and Storm's brows raised. "Not intentionally? How do you accidentally go to a wedding anyway?" Even as he asked, though, his brain processed the fact that this was a Porsche he was getting into, and his mouth dropped a little as he settled in, staring around at the plush insides of the car. "Cold is fine," he said, voice absent, still kind of staring. After all, he was used to spending a lot of time with vampires. The cold was normal for him at this point.

"My appointment?" Ah, yes. His client. Storm laughed a little. "It's... kind of important. If I want to pay my bills and eat something in the next few days." He was admittedly a little confused. "It's a work thing... a private client. I kinda need the cash." Storm wrinkled his nose and carded fingers through his blonde hair. "So... I can't really cancel, no. Why?"

[vibrantdecay]

Storm was liquid, Cade decided, as he watched the blond transition from one behaviour to the next. A transient had awaited him at the entrance, a cheeky teen had followed him to his car, an awestruck child had slipped into the passenger seat. It seemed there was no fixed personality, that Storm did whatever he wanted and yet, he recalled their conversation where he admitted he was the type to simply jump with no questions asked.

No one could be everything and not have it take its toll on them. And those who did try to be everything often did so to hide or protect the person they were at the core. This was the thing Cade was after - the thing that sat at the core. The eye of the Storm. (He mentally snorted at the pun.)

"Don't get used to it," Cade warned with a soft laugh, and if Storm was attentive, he would pick up on Cade being certain this wouldn't be their first and last jaunt. "It's only a rental. My car's being serviced, and it's not as exciting as this."

He let out a light hum, turning this junction and that, weaving their way through easy traffic towards the bay. "Ah, so not something you'll get in trouble for, then. Go on, cancel it," Cade urged with a smile, playfulness removing the years his grim curator act added to his face. "You can't sightsee on the clock. Whatever your client is paying you, I'll give you double. Plus dinner. Did I mention we're having dinner? I hope you like seafood."

The Pulse was an expansive mall on Beach Road, the restaurant he had placed reservations for nestled within, and it didn't take long to drive into the parking lot. "Now I know you said you haven't looked at the sights, but have you at least visited this mall? That's what kids your age do these days, isn't it? Hang out at malls."

[bloodhigh]

Storm was busy, watching the window, although he was more interested in the car itself than the actual scenery. It was probably the nicest car he'd ever seen, let alone ridden in, and he was enjoying relaxing in the plush seat, the breeze of the air conditioner caressing his skin.

For his part, he was quite content trying to be everything. It was worth it, to bury everything else beneath it - everything that had happened in the past, every reason he had for pretending, for drinking himself to highs, for living the life he was living.

He raised an eyebrow at Cade's response regarding the car. "If it's not your car, what type do you have, then?"

As they headed toward the bay, Storm's attention was once again caught by the mention of his appointment, and he looked over at Cade in confusion. "You're... you want to pay me to go sightseeing with you? For... double the... I mean... Cade I'd usually earn like 2200 dollars from this kind of appointment..."

Even pulling into the mall, Storm couldn't let it go. He was kind of flabbergasted, receiving such an offer. Even knowing Cade's interest in him was purely scientific, it confused him. Why would anyone offer that much money to just... hang out? He could feel a burning heat in his cheeks - Cade really didn't seem the type to make that kind of suggestion, but... "I mean, do you want me to... did you want to fuck? If you're paying me that much? It doesn't seem right to... I mean, just sightseeing?"

[vibrantdecay]

"Just a BMW. Nothing special," he added, conveniently leaving out the part where despite being as old as his residency in Hong Kong, his car was still of a luxury model.

At Storm's confusion, Cade let out an amused laugh. It was a little surprising, he thought, that the boy hadn't seen the offer coming even with all his questions. "Is that right? I'll offer you 5 thousand even, then. That should cover it nicely, don't you think?"

It wasn't as though he was throwing his wealth around - Cade wasn't like those spoiled trust fund babies who did not know the value of money. Granted, while the bulk of his riches came from decades of pilfering from his victims either by force or illusions, having worked hard for his current job had given him a more balanced outlook. In contrast, Cade simply couldn't understand why being paid for a night of decent company was harder to understand than a night of paid intimacy.

And yet, Storm wouldn't let it go even as he parked the Porsche, the question tumbling from the other's lips nearly making Cade choke with laughter. Really now? Instead, he bit his bottom lip, and cast his passenger a long gaze. He had noticed the spike in temperature - Storm was acting flustered again, and it felt so satisfying to see it in person this time around. The corner of his lips ticked into a smirk as he leaned towards the blond slowly.

"I guess you've figured me out..." Cade said, voice low and trailing as he made quite a show of eyeing Storm's lips. He reached out, fingertips almost close enough to touch the other man's cheek. "You're just so..." and then he paused, eyes flicking back up to meet Storm's briefly just before pulling back and breaking down into a chuckling fit. "Fun," he finished with a grin, then promptly hopped out of the car.

"Come on, Monsieur. Let's go. We've got reservations waiting," he stated, and was soon leading them into the mall, wending this way and that until they were finally shown to their table at Limewood.

[bloodhigh]

"Just a BMW," he repeated. "Nothing special." He'd have to tell Cade later that that was still pretty special, as far as he was concerned.

Of course, the offer going up to five whole thousand threw him even further, only flustering the human further as he asked his question. He figured it was important, after all. If that was what Cade wanted, he'd rather know in advance. Storm, after all, saw no reason anyone would pay so much just for the apparent pleasure of his company.

Nothing could have prepared him, though, for Cade's reaction. He blinked, stunned as the vampire's lips curled into a smirk, as dark eyes dragged over him, fingers reached for his cheek...

...only to pull away as Cade started to laugh. Storm's cheeks reddened further even as he laughed too, shaking his head and following the older man out of the car. "You're ridiculous," he informed him over the car's roof, raising both eyebrows. "Really, totally ridiculous." But he was smiling - a natural, easy smile, a kind that he probably hadn't found on his face in quite a while now. "I would have thought being over a century old would have made you more mature."

Had he heard the earlier question over his internal confusion, Storm would have told Cade that no, he hadn't been to the mall. He did his shopping online - it was easier. And so as it was, he was forced to follow the other, letting him lead from the entrance all the way to the restaurant. It didn't look as upper-class as he expected from someone wearing a wedding uniform, but at the same time, something about the place was so totally Cade's style. It was elegant in a rustic kind of way, simple but with its own charm. Storm wondered idly if Cade's living spaces were similar in any way.

"Wow, this looks really amazing," he commented, voice light as they were seated. "And something smells fucking delicious."

[vibrantdecay]

"Mm, so I've been told," he readily agreed in an easy manner over being called ridiculous. "You would think, but where's the fun in being mature and serious all the time? I do enough of that at work."

For good measure, Cade had left behind his suit jacket and tie during the drive over, and the figure he cut in a dress shirt with a loose collar was a lot less severe for a walk through the mall. Still. Next to Storm, Cade supposed he still looked like a lawyer about to hit the bar after a long work week. And as they sat, he let the thought entertain him - what would Storm look like in a suit worth the amount he was ready to hand over to the latter for the night? Being taller surely had its merits. Cade had his work clothes tailored to fit, but he still couldn't pull off certain looks.

The curious child in him delighted in the idea of Storm the mannequin.

Instead, he smiled at his companion's comments, turning to their server for a quick address. "Champagne, dear, none of that iced water. We'll order in a moment."

And with the waitress dispatched, Cade's attention returned to Storm, pausing to sniff at the air for a moment. The downside of being a vampire meant picking up on every little scent around him - it wasn't enough to clue him in. "Yeah? Sweet or savoury?" He asked, opening up the menu in front of him.

"I'm thinking seafood platter as an appetiser. What do you think? ... ah, you haven't answered if you enjoy seafood, come to think of it. Are you allergic to anything?"

[bloodhigh]

Storm wasn't sure why Cade was looking at him with that weird, contemplative smile. He just knew that it was happening, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He was just about to ask what was on the other's mind when the server appeared, and his vampire companion asked for champagne instead of iced water. As ridiculous as Cade had been being a few moments ago, he was now refined, elegant, the picture of class and sophistication. Storm was amazed.

"It's savory," he replied, when the question came. "Some kind of meat, I think. It's hard to pick up exactly... my nose has never been good." He laughed. "All I know is that it smells good."

Shifting a little so he could peer over the top of Cade's menu, rather than open one of his own, Storm watched as the other man found an option for them, and glanced up at him with a smile. "Yeah, I like seafood. I'm not allergic... I've never found anything I'm allergic to." Then again, Storm hadn't really had the widest variety of meals in his life. He'd been too much of a shut-in to eat often with his grandparents, instead resorting to cups of instant ramyeon, and nowadays he only really ate when he had to do so. He chose not to mention that much.

"What were you smiling about before, Grandpa?" he asked then, settling back into his seat and picking up his own copy of the menu to leaf through. "You looked kind of creepy."

[vibrantdecay]

"Some kind of meat," Cade repeated with a slight nod. "We'll get their best meat dishes for you to sample, then."

It was odd, or it should be odd, that Storm decided to peek at his menu instead of opening the one placed in front of him. Odder still, that Cade did not find the act too invasive when he normally hated his personal space invaded. The last time this happened... but he shook that memory out of his mind - this was not the time and place, and that was nothing but a part of his past now. For a man who made a living from history, Cade had always been a lot more invested in the here and now.

And in the here and now, Storm was asking a question which only prompted an amused laugh from the curator. "Just musing," he said, his smile slightly enigmatic this time around, then swiftly changed the subject as his features brightened. "See anything you like, yet? A cocktail? Dessert for later?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Cade spotted their waitress returning with their champagne. Truthfully, the drink itself was the only thing he found refined in this establishment. Situated so close to the beach and with a casual decor and ambience, it wasn't exactly Cade's first choice, preferring the higher-priced end of the spectrum. But the food was good, and he figured Storm would feel a lot less out of place in a relaxed atmosphere. All the better to try figure the boy out, of course.

[bloodhigh]

He would have asked what exactly Cade was musing over, looking at him in such a weird way, but he let it go now that he was settled back in his own chair, flipping through his menu. "So much of this stuff looks really good," he admitted, in response to Cade's question. He leaned over again to point out the dessert he was looking at. "Usually I go for chocolaty stuff, but in the absence of... the baba cake looks pretty good." He sat back, flipping to the cocktails. "And maybe... a burnt orange rum punch?" Something about the flavors seemed to fit well. "Have you tried any of them? What's the best?"

While he didn't know the other's intentions with bringing him here, he did indeed feel comfortable. It was more high-end than anything Storm was used to, but the charm of the place was appealing enough to reel him in, along with the salt scent on the breeze. He felt somewhat under-dressed, though. Storm was starting to realize that if he was going to let Cade take him places, he was going to have to get some more formal clothes. (Not as formal as the vampire's wedding clothes, of course, but more formal than skinny jeans and a scoop-necked shirt.)

The waitress was back, now, and Storm smiled, holding his glass up just a little. "Are you the toasting type?" He seemed like the toasting type.

[vibrantdecay]

In truth, Cade wasn't all that particular about toasting. Habitually, he usually drank alone, wrapped up in a book on his couch. The times that he did drink in company were few, and he often let the other party decide. And as it were, Storm seemed to belong to those who did toast, so he followed suit with an agreeable smile.

"I can be, if you want," he said, lifting his flute to mimic the other man. "To you, Monsieur, and may you see as many of Hong Kong's sights as possible from this evening on." He took a sip after Storm made his own toast.

Another gesture to their server, hovering nearby, and Cade easily relayed their orders, making sure to include Storm's own choices first with the addition of beef ribs and roast chicken for entrées. "We can get something with chocolate after this, if you have cravings," he suggested when the waitress left with their menus, and glanced towards the windows where the beach could be seen in the near distance. "Mm. Looks like it's a nice night to be out, too."

If Cade had any insight to the thoughts in Storm's mind, he would readily counter with an offer to spruce up the other's wardrobe. But he was not a mind reader, and instead leaned back in his chair comfortably to idly fold up his sleeves. "So tell me. Why the name Storm?"

[bloodhigh]

Storm, in actuality, didn't want. He was bad with words, most of the time, and really he'd only raised his glass because he thought it was the 'classy' thing to do - and that, therefore, Cade would be the type to do it. So when Cade made that comment before his toast, the human couldn't help but stare miserably for a few seconds. But the vampire was waiting, and so Storm offered a small smile, following with his own toast: "And to you, Grandpa, and whatever weird curiosity of yours that I piqued enough to turn you into my personal tour guide." He sipped, and then added: "Can we never do that again, please."

He sat in silence as Cade relayed their orders, and then smiled at the comment about chocolate cravings. Maybe in the past, that would have been true of him. But while he still enjoyed chocolate, the only real cravings he had now were for the sweet metallic tang of a vampire's blood. Naturally, he wasn't going to say that, though, and so he instead followed Cade's gaze, nodding. "Yeah, the weather does seem nice."

The topic changed then, and the next question took him a little off-guard. Usually, when he said Storm was his name, not just a nickname, people stopped questioning. Of course, he didn't think any of them were stupid enough to believe that his parents had given him the name from birth, but it at least got them off his case. Cade, though... well, Storm had already noted the vampire's curiosity, both mentally and verbally. He supposed he couldn't really blame him.

"I was born during a cyclone," he told Cade, leaning back, eyes dropping to watch as his fingers twisted together on the tabletop. "In Australia. So, Storm." He smiled wryly, looking back up a moment later. "I'm gonna guess you haven't always been Cade, either."

[vibrantdecay]

Storm's little request after the toast brought a laugh to Cade's lips, and he nodded with a slight shrug. "As you wish." It didn't matter to him either way, after all.

With Cade, when it came to exchanging personal information, it wasn't always tit for tat. Everything came with caveats, and for someone who kept the details of his own history very, very private, it wasn't a surprise when most people find it frustrating when he refused to share. Cade was masterful at subject changes, sidetracking conversations to his advantage, but even he could not lessen the disappointment in others being unable to know as much about him as he did about them.

Cade had never disputed that he was selfish and greedy to a fault.

So when Storm reflected the question back at him in a similarly casual fashion, Cade simply smiled, mind already running through the many different ways he could either divert the attention, or respond with a generic answer. He fingered the rim of his champagne glass, and chose a mixture of both.

"No, I haven't always been. But I will say it doesn't carry quite as fascinating a story as yours does. An Australian cyclone, huh?" He paused, looking at Storm in a slightly different perspective. "Was that where you were before coming to live here?"