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]

"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."