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]

"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."