[Aiden]

“Hmm...” Aiden pondered as he gazed through the glass display. “I'll take two scoops of mango...and one of vanilla bean...” He was almost tempted to order another scoop of coffee, but immediately quashed the thought. Three scoops was more than enough. “And that's it.” Paying for the total, Aiden left the counter and went outside in search for a good sitting spot. The store was hardly full and there were plenty of open tables, but he wanted to sit outside in the warmth. Even as a human, Aiden still loved to bask under the sun.

Many wire chairs and tables stood outside the store. Nudging one of the chairs, he took a seat, leaned into the back of the chair, and propped a leg against his knee. In eating situations, most people preferred to sit in company, and if that wasn’t available, they’d read the news, or text with their COMs. They liked to look busy. But Aiden was one of the few people who were comfortable with simply staring into space. He ate a spoonful of mango as he observed a mother dragging her child away from a shiny toy store (’it’s a used toy store, dear, you don’t want used toys’…that was a lie, but the child didn’t know any better). He watched as a busy blonde woman dashed through the crowd with too many bags in her hands and a COM clutched between her ear and her shoulder. Across the street, a young couple strolled outside of the jewelry store. They walked with their hands entwined, and the girl was no doubt gushing over the new shiny that her boyfriend just bought for her.

The city seemed peaceful, despite Oisin’s recent decree. Since the death of the marshal’s wife, the City Guard has been chaos, especially when dealing with vampires. Prior to the incident, the majority of the guard had already been wary of vampire attacks. So when Oisin issued the warrants, they sided with their leader and adamantly followed his orders. A few, including Aiden, were very reluctant to take action, and tried their best to mediate encounters. Remembering a recent argument between himself and a fellow colleague, Aiden sighed and stirred his gelato together.

Nearby, an old woman absentmindedly opened her purse to fish for something. Closely, a baseball-capped man glanced toward the woman and tilted his head downward. Aiden's senses prickled. Surely not in broad daylight? But the streets are busy and noisy and he’d easily get lost in the crowd… The suspect lunged for the purse and unceremoniously shoved the woman aside, eliciting a feeble yell from the unfortunate elder. “Aiieee! Thief!”

Blood boiling, Aiden threw his spoon on the table and dashed after the thief. “Stop running, you!” he bellowed, as if word alone would be effective. If anything, it probably made the thief run faster. It was Aiden's day off as City Guard, but he’d be damned if he let the man escape!

[Kiel]

((Hahaha, I like your topic description. ))

“Wah-oof!”

Like, dude. Turning a corner shouldn't be this hard, man, but it took Kiel a second to realise exactly why his butt and his shoulder were suddenly hurting. Somehow, between trotting along one street and turning onto the next, he'd knocked into something or, like, someone, and was now sprawled on the floor with the back of his head resting on some chick's cowboy boot and one of his feet in the air.

“Like, wah?”

Kiel and the chick stared at each other for a second, then, like, she totally realised she was wearing a skirt and harrumph!ed at him like it was his fault he was on the deck. She whipped her foot out from under his head fast enough that he hit the pavement with a wince, his foot hitting the ground at the same time as it cottoned on to the fact that it wasn't going anywhere any time soon, and then Kiel was staring instead at open sky.

“Like, wah.” That totally summed it all up, man.

Mere heartbeats after he'd turned the corner, someone shouted and Kiel frowned. “Like, dude, I'm not runn- Oh, like, dude!”

He didn't think, then. Like, he didn't do much thinking anyway, but, like, you know. Thieves, man. Like, the dude shouting could probably take care of it themselves, but like his dad always said, help was cheap. Usually. Except when it, like, totally cost people their lives and stuff.

But it was mostly cheap.

“Hey, hey, man, that's not cool!” he yelled as he scrabbled onto his feet to chase after the escapee, almost tumbling flat on his face again in his haste to get up. “Thieving's totally for losers, man!”

He was halfway down the street after the dude before he realised. “Wah, you made me drop my hat!”

Except it'd totally be a loser move if he gave up on the thief to rescue his hat.

Like, right?

((Um. Not sure I gave you enough to work with here, so let me know if you need me to edit. ))

[Aiden]

((Taking many liberties with the setting. Also assuming that Kiel runs very fast. If something’s improper, I’ll edit it. ^^))

Like all thieves, this one ran through crowds and made Aiden worry for the safety of other people. But unlike most thieves, this one was abnormally faster than the average Other. A 'Vari? Vampire? Either way, Aiden was startled to find that the thief was getting away so quickly. It would take one of his cat forms to catch up, but he couldn’t afford the time to shift. Dammit.

If Aiden was envious of the thief’s speed, he didn’t let that slow him down. Instead, he clenched his teeth and ran faster. He'd hate to go back empty-handed to the woman---she looked so startled and dismayed. Amid the chaos, somebody else started to chase after the thief, and despite protests about thieving, losers, and lost hats, the civilian was actually gaining distance.

Imagine three dots lined up on the map of Alexshire. The first two dots (the thief and the maybe-familiar-looking-guy) are getting farther from dot three (Aiden). Though dot two is keeping up with dot one’s speed, it isn’t getting any closer. Finally, the dots are on 11th Street and heading towards a junction with Archon Alley.

Passing that intersection would take them into the dark side of Alexshire, where the thief no doubt has friends who’d throw a guardsman off this chase. Lawbreakers thrived in the dark zone, and most people avoided it for a reason. Even a fully-armed watchman would think twice before entering the parts of it. If the thief entered the dark zone, the old woman’s purse would be lost. Xanth forbid that familiar-looking-civilian from going in.

An apple cart slid into Aiden’s peripheral vision, and he hastily grabbed two of its contents. Muttering a hasty ‘Cityguard.I’llbeback,’ Aiden kept running through the crowd until there was only the familiar-looking-guy and the thief lined in front of him. He may be slower, but he wasn’t going to give up. With a stance that hinted of baseball in high school, Aiden hesitated only briefly before he wound his arm back and lobbed the apple.

The first one missed by a foot, but the second one caught the thief’s shoulder. The thief stumbled. Maybe missing-hat-guy would catch the thief now and help Aiden help the old lady. Anyway, he had to catch up! Again, he chased after the thief and missing-hat-guy.

[Kiel]

At first, like, Kiel totally thought someone was lobbing things at him, and he totally tried to spin mid-air to yell “Hey, hey, I'm the good guy here!” Before he could turn, he almost tripped, and his brain caught on to the whole thing being a bad idea, so he figured he ought to concentrate on the task at hand.

“Like, dude, if Shane were here, you'd be toast, man!” He was kinda glad she wasn't, though. He didn't want her getting her, and, like, you know. 'Kin didn't do well in the daylight, apparently. Not that he'd given her chance to prove that to him or anything, he didn' want to take chances, not since her mom went all 'rawr'-y on him while she was giving him the warning. Like my mom, man. Don't want to cross that chick...

And, like, Shane might manage to sneak her way through early morning shadows to join him at work when he was being Zeph's slave, but being Marty's meant a lot of outdoor work. Totally different ball-game, and -

“Wah! That's mean, man!” he yelped as he was forced to leap over an overturned stack of crates. The dude he was chasing wanted that purse, for sers, man, but he'd made a total booboo, hahahahaha. Taking time out of his speedy getaway to put Kiel off had instead put Kiel closer, so it wasn't long before Kiel was throwing himself at the dude's ankles with a wild “Wahoooooo!”

And then yelping like a kicked puppy when he discovered that he now had a big, booted foot where his face had been.

His head jerked back, and Kiel flopped onto his back, cradling his chin and howling. Okay, so, like, he wasn't the bravest dude in the neighbourhood, okay, but, like, dude, “Man, that hurts!”

Still, he'd at least delayed the thief a little bit, although it wasn't long after kicking Kiel in the face that he was back on his feet, staggering a little, and running off again.

“Owwww.”

(( He'll be up in a second and will recommence the chase if Aiden doesn't catch the guy. He just needs to wallow in his pain and self-pity for a moment. ))

[Aiden]

Throughout the streets, people yelped, stared, and sputtered in outrage when a darkly-dressed blur crashed into crates and haphazardly emptied inventory onto the cobblestones. Cursing as he hopped over and ducked from obstacles, Aiden was sorely tempted to throw something else at the thief. But knowing his luck today, he'd probably hit a civilian.

Miraculously, his crime-fighting partner leapt and succeeded at bowling the thief over. As the other two figures fought on the ground, Aiden was almost caught up and was just about to lend a hand when the thief kicked the 'Vari in the face. He winced in sympathy, but didn't slow down. The thief had gotten up and was regaining speed.

Tons of property damaged, a civilian injured...some poor old lady scared out of her wits... As Aiden loomed behind the thief, he pounced. Normally, he'd attack first with one of his tonfas, but since today was his off-day, he didn't have any. Both fell to the ground, and they scuffled as Aiden twisted the thief’s arm, only to be caught off guard by a backward-headbutt to the chin. He reeled back from the impact, but his grip only tightened. Cursing loudly, he mercilessly shoved the thief face-first into the cobblestone. His jaw hurt like hell, his eyes smarted, and he could feel a headache coming. “Put your other hand where I can see it, and drop the purse…” he snarled.

“Owowow! You’re hurtingletgo!” The thief whined, and on the last word, his voice cracked and sounded more like a duck’s honk than any other Elysian language. The lanky miscreant was not very old at all. Eyebrows furrowing, Aiden leaned back and loosened his hold. His eyes narrowed as he picked up the woman's purse. “Haven't your elders taught you better than to steal? Picking on a frail old---”

Abruptly, the thief's foot struck out in a kick. It caught Aiden in the knee and he fell on his behind. He scrambled to get up, but the kid was already sprinting and far gone.

Knowing his luck today, at least he got the purse back...

[Kiel]

Kiel was up and racing not long after Aiden passed, but jogged to a stop and leaned over with a hand on one knee and the other rubbing his still-aching jaw when it looked like the thief had been caught. He wasn't far away, just enough to stop him from sitting on the thief by way of revenge, but, like, lurched forward a bit when Aiden took a head to the chin.

“Hahahaha, dude, that's so lame, man, you aren't going anywhe-augh! Hey, hey, get back here!” Launching himself into another sprint, Kiel skidded to a halt half-way down the street. “Dude. That's so lame, man.” Even lamer that he had to go back to the Guard and be all, like, "Yeah, um, hi. No, I lost him".

“I totally lost my hat for nothing, man, that's so lame, so lame.”

Sulking, Kiel slunk his way back to Aiden, eyeing he uniform grumpily. As soon as he caught a look at the dude's face, his fit of the grumps turned into shock, then a grimace of disappointment. “Hey! Like, dude, you're the dude that totally ditched me in the tunnels, man! Like, that was so not cool, man, it was way creepy down there and I got stuck to this, like, web thing, right, and this huge kumo came after me and I had to be all rescued and stuff. So lame, man, I was meant to be all heroic and stuff, you know? Where'd you go, anyway? I hope you fell down a ditch or something, man.”

He didn't really. He wasn't vindictive or anything, not to think like that, but he could sure pout like the best of them.

((I explained Aiden's withdrawal from Down in the Dark by saying they got separated in the darkness and never found each other again, so while Kiel doesn't really think Aiden abandoned him, that's what he's talking about. ¬_¬))

[Aiden]

As he stood and waited for Kiel to return, Aiden finally got a good look at the 'Vari and gaped. “Ah! It's you!” A while ago, Aiden had been partnered with Kiel for a kumo-hunt, but somehow lost track of the 'vari while walking through the caverns. While the 'vari ranted, Aiden felt his face redden with embarrassment.

“I hope you fell down a ditch or something, man.”

“Hey, that's not nice!” Aiden cut in with a miffed expression. It had already been a blow to his rep for losing the 'vari in the caves, and the sentinel had given him lots of words about that, too. “I dunno how I lost you cause I assumed you were following. Well I know I was walking really fast, and I kinda tuned you out since you were talking so much so I didn't know-” he caught himself when he realized how stupid and rude it sounded, and sheepishly looked at the ground.

Okay. So Kiel had more rights to being miffed than Aiden, especially now that Aiden admitted to not really noticing. Glancing back at Kiel, he smiled awkwardly and tried to start over. “Look, I'm sorry that I lost you. But I swear I looked for you the moment I saw you were gone. I walked around for ages too, and everybody was already celebrating how you'd defeated the kumo by the time I got out.”

Aiden rubbed his neck sheepishly before continuing, “I'm glad you made it though, and you did a good job...I guess I messed up, so you can punch me if you want, and then we can grab a drink or something.” Aiden grimaced and, with an arm looped through the purse, tucked both hands into his pockets. He didn't look forward to that first part, but that's how most people settled things back home, anyway. Or maybe just his brothers.

[Kiel]

Kiel had several reactions all at once.

Shame at being called out on hoping someone got hurt, which, like, he never meant but probably came with bad karma anyway.

Irritation that the dude hadn't noticed when he got lost, 'cause that totally meant he hadn't been listening to a word Kiel was saying and he hated having that pointed out. Like, you know, he knew he talked too much, man, but if he could help it he wouldn't be Kiel, you know? The dude could have just told him to be quiet. Like Zeph usually did. Not that Kiel normally listened, until the big hairball glared at him, and even then he only zipped his lip for a few seconds, but, like, dude, he could take a hint.

Eventually.

Maybe.

There was a whole bunch of other stuff, too. Like, pride that he'd been praised by Therians who didn't like outsiders, and embarrassment that they'd totally got the wrong idae. He'd been rescued, man. Rescued, rescued! Like a damsel in distress or something, so lame. But that flame-haired fox had still given him the credit, and he was miffed about that too. Like, he was awesome, man, he didn't need to steal someone else's rep, you know? He'd have some of his own, sooner or later. Not that he hadn't helped, but, like, you know.

So he blinked at Aiden for a second, mouth open to hotly deny being "not nice", and to counter the dude's reasoning, but then in the end he just grinned and slapped at the dude's back. “Hahahahahaha, for sers, man, I can hit you? Aw, but that's no fun, no fun! You gotta be all, like, run away-ey and stuff, you know? Hey, hey, I'm glad you're okay, like, that kumo was bad-ass for sers, man. Like, not that I was scared or anything, you know, I totally rocked, man. All stuck to the wall and stuff, and I was rescued by a foxy chick, too, hahahahaha, can you believe that? Like, she was a fox-shifter and a fox, a hottie, and they threw this stuff to burn the web off or melt it like acid or something so it was, like, hot, hot, hot! Hahahahaha.”

Barely pausing for breath, he glanced down at the handbag on Aiden's arm and snickered. “You look like a girl, man, a girl! Hahahahahaha, wanna date? Hahaha, don't say yes, don't say yes, I gotta boyfriend, man, he's way scary. But, like, I'm totally in for a drink, man, but, like, I gotta save my hat, okay?”

[Aiden]

For the days after the kumo's defeat, the caves had been filled with stories of Kiel's battle with the kumo. There must have been truth to the stories, and Aiden believed all of it. So when Kiel laughed it off and insisted on being useless, Aiden chuckled at how modest Kiel was trying to be. “No seriously, great job man. Whatever you did, you saved the shifters from a lot of trouble. A lot. Haha, and lucky you being helped by a foxy lady.”

Talking to Kiel was like talking to a two-year-old on too much easter chocolates. As always, Aiden struggled to keep up with the babble, but he found the hyperness contagious. Chuckling at the boyfriend joke, Aiden shook his head and replied, “Naw let's not annoy your boyfriend. I hope he's not psychopath scary? 'Cause we try to lock those kinds up. Just kidding! But yeah let's get something after we retrieve your hat and return this purse before somebody thinks I'm trying to crossdress or something. Whatever the lady's carrying, the bag weighs like a couple of bricks.” The poor woman must be frantic about her lost belongings, too.

The lady must have left the jeweler's by now, so as they backtracked through the streets, Aiden reached into his pocket and whipped out his COM. Pressing speed dial for his office, Aiden waited until he heard a voice. “Yeah this is Aiden. I've got a large purple purse that a woman lost on 2nd Street.....No I didn't catch the thief...She's there? 'Kay I'll come drop it off.”

As he got off the phone, he grinned wryly at Kiel. “Mind coming with me to the guard office? Just gotta drop off this purse. You can say hi to the lady you helped! You're really good at this hero thing you know? Is that your secret job or something?”

((Geh. This post was all dialogue! Sorry I'll be better next time. D:))

[Kiel]

“Hahahaha, thanks, man, I'm awesome, I'm awesome.”

He tried to be quiet while Aiden was on the COM. The effort turned into a fidget session as he tagged along, so he was jingling change in the knee pocket of his left leg with one hand, and rummaging with the other for a snack in his right knee pocket, when Aiden asked if he wanted to go with him.

“Hahahaha, sure, sure, I'll go with you, I never saw inside a Guard office before, I bet it's, like, way cool, right? Hahahaha, I should totally, like, advertise my services and be all, like, "rawr" at the monsters and stuff, you know?” Kiel wasn't self-deluded enough to take himself seriously, but he had to admit it was totally cool having someone besides himself and family singing his praises. “Zeph's totally training me up, you know, and, like, I'm pretty sure I've decided on my next weapon and I'm doing okay, so, like, I could totally be all heroic and stuff, you know?” He just needed practise. Or, like, Zeph said he needed to focus more, but that was never going to happen, hahaha.

“So, like, dude, you like hot dogs, man? I could totally go for a hot dog right now. Like, not an actual dog, 'cause that'd be totally gross and way cruel, but, like, you know, those sausage things? Ooh, with mustard and ketchup and onions and, hey, hey, you think it'd be weird to ask for an egg on mine?”

[Aiden]

“Alright, cool. Yeah the place is great, and the only monster in the office is our captain, especially when he hasn't had his coffee.” He snickered. Their captain was a ticking time bomb in the mornings and had a perpetual frown. But the captain treated everybody equally regardless of circumstances, or in the recent times, vampirism. The majority of the guard was unfortunately very supportive of the Marshal, so Aiden was glad of the few higher-ups who were more moderate in their dealings with vampires.

Aiden grinned sideways at Kiel. “Careful with the advertising though, 'cause they'll definitely want you on board. Since the last month, the city's been recruiting new guards like crazy. But I'll put in a good word for you if you're interested in joining.” Aiden had known Kiel for only a short time, but he was confident of the 'vari's skills, though he couldn't tell if the guy would seriously consider the job or not. Tons of wide-eyed recruits have gone through the watch, only to find that justice and heroism wasn't always as shiny and appreciated as they thought it'd be. The NA Watch had one of the highest employee turnover rates in the main land.

As Kiel started rambling about food and hotdogs, Aiden looked around thoughtfully for an idea of where they might get some food. Though he just had ice cream, he was already hungry again. “I'm cool with the eggs, but no way am I putting mustard and onions on my food.” That stuff's gross. “But yeah like hot dogs! I eat almost anything.” And he wasn't joking either. Aiden once lost track of himself in cat form and accidentally ate a rat.

Remembering how Kiel had just mentioned a familiar name, Aiden grinned hopefully. “So hey, some guy named Zeph's been training you? As in Zephyr Cairbre?” He hadn't seen or heard from that guy in ages! They'd been good working buddies a few years ago, so Aiden was pretty excited to hear about the 'vari.

[Kiel]

“Wah, for sers, man, you know Zeph? That's awesome, awesome, you're, like, the first guy I met that's not all, like, "wah, he's a monster", hahahahaha.”

Kiel had laughed when Aiden joked about his boss, and his stomach had rumbled enthusiastically when he realised Aiden was just like him. Monstrous appetites totally should stick together, you know? But then, the dude was a Therian, so, like, he didn't need to apologise for being hungry all the time. Total suck.

He'd shrugged and grinned when the dude offered to put in a good word, though, like he wasn't serious, but he actually was considering it. Like, he loved being a courier, but Marty was being real mean lately and it wasn't like he could live on basic wages for ever, you know? He made enough to get by himself, but he had Shane to feed now, too, and when he got his dragon his expenses would shoot the roof, so a better-paying job sounded like an awesome idea. He didn't think he'd make a good Guard, though, somehow. Like, they walked a lot, which was cool, but it seemed like a job that needed focus, and not something where he could just pop to the ice cream parlour when he was hungry, you know?

Although, like, Aiden seemed to make it work, and he had the same problem with food, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem after all.

Kiel had even opened his mouth to ask more about the job when Aiden asked about Zeph, and he forgot all about money in favour of extol the awesomeness that was his boyfriend. “Hahahahaha, he's my boss, you know, at his store? You know he has a store, right? Anyway, like, hahahahaha, he makes me serve the customers 'cause he's totally bad at it, hahaha. His weapons are awesome, though, man, you seen them? They're, like, works of art, hahahaa. Here, here, lookit, he made my katana and my knives, my knives!” To show them off, he stopped walking and made a great, jiggling show of unsheathing his katana with one hand and a throwing knife from his sword belt with the other. Despite his months of practise - years, even, with his father's sword before this - his movements still seemed awkward and jerky even to him, but that could totally be 'cause he was trying to do too much at once, hahahaha. “Aren't they awesome?”

[Aiden]

When he realized that they were talking about the same person, Aiden's grin widened and he nodded enthusiastically as Kiel started rambling about Zeph and the smithery. It was good new to hear that Zeph still owned that store...that 'vari had always been the best weapons-person that Aiden knew. But then again, Zeph had the worst patience with people...ever. So it was probably a good thing that he'd hired somebody to help at the store.

“Here, here, lookit, he made my katana and my knives, my knives!””

Kiel unsheathed the knives with hyperness that was nearly akin to a child running around with scissors. Out of reflex, Aiden side-stepped to distance himself and waited until the sword-juggling-had stopped before he went closer to examine the blades. The throwing knives looked like Zeph's generic ones, but the katana was somthing quite different. “Dang, that's one fancy katana.” Reaching out to touch the ornamented katana handle, Aiden peered closely at the dragon's muzzle. The face of the metallic serpent was drawn into an eternal scowl, and Aiden could tell that a good amount of work had been put into making the tufts of fur look realistic. It was art. “I have no clue about sword stuff, but that looks like one awesome sword.”

He tilted his head to indicate that they should keep walking, and continued toward the office. “If what you've got is something that he usually makes, he's gotten fancier with his stuff. It’s awesome his business has grown, though. We all thought it was a shame that he left PD, but it looks like he made a good decision. Hm, I should drop by the store sometime, grab a few training weapons for the newbies...”

A handful of guard houses stood in strategic locations of Elysia. This one was situated atop a minor slope, and it stood separate from the other sprawling city buildings. As they climbed the concrete steps, Aiden grinned and asked (mostly jokingly), “So…d’ya have that elevator pitch about your skills yet?”

There was a squeal of excitement and the patter of feet. The elderly woman from the market street hobbled toward them with the expression of utmost relief. “Oh, thank you thank you!” the lines on her face deepened as she grinned widely and accepted the purse from Aiden’s outstretched hands. After briefly looking through her belongings, she clutched the purse tightly and smiled at Aiden, then Kiel. “I don’t know what I could’ve done if you two fine gentlemen hadn’t come back with my belongings…thank you two so much. Everything’s still in there.”

“I take it you didn’t catch the thief?” A gruff voice sounded nearby. Their captain. Towering at nearly six and a half feet tall behind the old lady, the muscular anyeli crossed his arms as though he was disappointed at the lack of a captured criminal. However, his expression showed approval as he glanced at the purse in the woman’s arms.

[Kiel]

“Wah!” PD? Like, Zeph was a Guard? Like, for sers?

Kiel was still reeling over this when the old lady thanked them. Like, he knew next to nothing about Zeph's past, man. Even, like, the recent stuff, and the Guardsman thing had to be recent (in 'Vari terms) since Therians didn't live all that long and Aiden was already in his twenties. Like, Kiel was kinda used to the idea of never knowing Zeph outside of his own experience of the guy. He joked that he was the only guy who could stay with the hairball long-term because where Kiel could take life day-to-day without breaking a sweat, most folk had to be in on the before-time. And, like, you know, Kiel was always the one doing the talking so he didn't usually even have a chance to miss not knowing more about the dude.

Besides, since they started dating, Zeph had tried to be a bit more forthcoming. Okay, so Kiel had to whine it out of him and little bits of his past fell out like pizzicato notes on a violin, but for some reason it really bugged him that he didn't know Zeph had been this amazing.

Like, he'd pretty much figured the dude was awesome, but this was Guard-some, you know?

“I knew it!” Kiel yelled and pumped the air with one fist, having paid no attention whatsoever to the elderly lady's thanks or the unnoticed appearance of Aiden's boss. “I knew he was a hero! Man, that's awesome, it's aweso-wah! Dude! Don't sneak up on a dude like that, man, that's, like, sneaky!”

Well, like, since he hadn't noticed Aiden's boss, it had to be Aiden's boss's fault, right?

[Aiden]

When he saw Kiel's reaction, Aiden was a little bit disappointed when he realized that Zephyr hadn't talked about the guard. Aiden thought that Zeph had enjoyed kicking criminal butt and stuff to want talk about it. With Dora, the three of them had helped keep the city in order for a while, and they'd had a few interesting cases that were worth re-telling. Then again, Zeph was never talkative about himself, at least not with the rest of the guard.

He quickly stood to attention when he heard his captain, and nearly cringed at Kiel's---for lack of a better word---decorum. Aiden nodded a polite goodbye to the old woman before saying, “No I didn't, sir. Sorry, sir.” The captain was eyeing Kiel in a one-raised-eyebrow sort of way, so Aiden tried to fix that first impression for Kiel.

“Kiel” he motioned toward the 'vari, “nearly caught the thief, but the guy was too fast and disappeared toward Archon. We got the purse though.” He felt like he was mentioning the obvious, and grinned despite the captain's scrutiny. Other than the shame of being thrown onto his backside, Aiden didn't feel too bad about the thief getting away. The guard existed primarily to protect civilians. And anyway, their budget was hardly big enough to keep petty thieves locked in cells.

“Good,” the captain affirmed before extending a hand toward Kiel. “Theo Loukas. Are you a new transfer? I never forget a face in the guard.”

“Actually, he's civilian, sir.” Aiden corrected hastily. “Remember the shifter killings back in October? And I told you it was a kumo? Well, Kiel helped kill that kumo in the Rowan Caverns.”

[Kiel]

Kiel was used to that look, man, but it still stung every time. Like, the village elders back home, especially, had been good at giving that look, but even kids his own age had sometimes thought he was weird and uncivilised or something. He totally loved Aiden for sticking up for him, though.

Although, like, totally not in a gay way since he was pretty sure that'd make Zeph come down here and pummel them both into the ground. Although again, like, how would Zeph even know if Kiel had feelings for another dude or girl? Not that Kiel had feelings for another dude, man, that was weird and -

“What he said, man.” As Aiden outlined how they knew each other, Kiel preened like a puffed-up imp dragon, totally grinning. “Hahahaha, I helped, I helped.” He didn't admit that he'd "helped" by being the bait, though.

Like, at least not for the first five seconds.

“I was totally awesome as bait, though, man.” This was aimed more at himself than at Aiden or his boss, a way to give himself a verbal and much-needed pat on the back, but, like, “Lucas? Like, that's such a cool name, man. I know a guy called Lucas but it's his first name. Like, he's not that friendly, but I think he's just misunderstood or something, you know? Hey, hey, have you ever heard of a glaring club? Like, Luc totally said him and Zeph were in it, right, but I don't think he's telling the truth, but, like, if he is I totally wanna spy on them or something.”

Pause to realise he was in the company of law officers and that "spying" was probably illegal.

“Like, not actual spy spying, man, I just wanna see if Zeph actually has any friends, hahahahaha. Hey, hey, where'd the old lady go?”

[Aiden]

For a moment, the captain almost seemed impressed by Kiel's accomplishment. Both eyebrows raised in surprise, Theo uncrossed his arms as if to reassess his opinion of Kiel...

“I was totally awesome as bait, though, man. Lucas? Like, that's such a cool name, man. I know a guy called Lucas but it's his first name. Like he's not that friendly, but I think he's just misunderstood or something...”

It was almost comical how quickly the captain's expressiorganizedon deadpanned. Feeling the need to facepalm, Aiden could only smile weakly as Kiel attempted to engage their captain into conversation about some other Loukas. This was not the time for Kiel to act modest, or talk a teenager. Aiden felt bad for thinking like that, but seeing the way that the captain was looking at them both, raised eyebrows and all, Aiden was kinda unsure whether he should have brought Kiel into the office.

He squashed that thought. Kiel was a fun person, and was definitely qualified for guard. Aiden was sure of that. And in defense of Kiel, Aiden had his talkative moments too. But he knew when to filter his sentences around no-nonsense-people like the captain. Then again, Kiel seemed like the person who could get on anybody's good side---he managed to get Zeph to train him, didn't he? However, the captain was crossing his arms again.

“Hey, hey, have you ever heard of a glaring club?...said him and Zeph were in it...”

Anyhow, good guardsmen came from all sorts of places. The captain knows that, and he'd understand Kiel. Deciding to let the two talk a bit more, Aiden glanced idly at the busy office. A group of guardsmen were gathering beside a nearby cubicle. They were muttering things to each other, and including phrases of 'resisting arrest', 'vamps' and 'backup'.

Not noticing the going-ons behind him, the captain replied drily, and growing impatient of the babble, “No, I have not heard of a glaring club. And if there was one, I wouldn't wish to hear of it, actually.” If Zeph's name rolled past his ears, it didn't ring any bells. Zephyr had probably worked in a different district.

There was a momentary pause, and Aiden took it as a chance to cut in. “Oh, the lady left a few seconds ago. Said that since she got her purse back, she'd go pick up her grandkids.” If Kiel seemed offended by the captain, he tried to send the ‘vari an our captain’s always like this look.

“Hn. Good thing you got the purse back, young man,” Theo nodded toward Kiel in acknowledgement. As noisy and hyper as Kiel was, Theo respected the 'vari for taking initiative against crime on his own. That kind of energy was rare, even in the guard. Theo would be an unworthy captain if he didn't know which of his officers were the hard-working ones, and which ones spent too much time reading magazines during their rounds. And he knew enough to admit that the New Alexandrian guard was spread too thin, that the slackers didn’t help that, and that most of the hard-working ones wasted too much of their time chasing vampires these days. “You must be fast if you caught the purse before Aiden did. Our Aiden's a pretty quick runner.”

Ah, a compliment to both of them. Cue one sheepish, and slightly relieved, grin from Aiden.

((Totally don't know where we're going, and the post somehow grew very long...xP))

[Kiel]

Kiel... didn't have the sense to know when he was putting his foot in it, and honestly, while he thought being a guard would be super-cool awesome-tastic, he didn't really think anyone would let him do it, you know? Like, he was always being told by pretty much, like, everyone that he needed to focus more, and while he could do jobs like shop assistant and courier 'cause they totally used his high points, something like being a guard seemed like it was more responsibility than he could handle.

So he had no idea that Aiden was using this as a kind of interview, but he was aware he'd done something bad when the boss got that pinched look on his face all over again. He wanted to ask, “Like, what'd I do?” but thankfully had better things to do.

Like “Wah!” at the thought that a glaring club wasn't interesting enough for boss-captain dude. Kiel would totally have launched into a diatribe about just how awesome such a club would be and why, which would probably have led off on a tangent about how awesome Zeph himself was, but then Loukas actually complimented him. Or Aiden. Or, like, someone.

Kiel didn't think he'd ever seen a Therian look flustered like that. It was kinda cute, you know, like that dumb-surprised look Shane got when she pounced on something only to realise it had gotten away and she couldn't figure out how 'cause she was totally the awesomest hunter in the realms and why didn't the thing know that? “Hahahahahaha, thanks, man! Thanks, it's true, I'm awesome, I'm awesome, hahahaha. Like, but for sers, man, I'm totally sorry the dude got away, you know? Like, you think the old lady would have beaten him up with her handbag or something if we'd brought him back? Hahahahaha, I wish I could have seen that, you know? But, like, hey, hey, Aiden, man, we going for that hot dog? I'm starving, starving!”

And, totally not meaning any disrespect at all, Kiel hopped towards the Therian and away from his boss, waving over his shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Theo!”

[Aiden]

It wasn't like he never got compliments, but he still felt his face heat up from the voice of approval. He appreciated recognition, especially if it came from his superiors...but he's always had trouble dealing with it.“Thanks, sir. But I'm not that quick of a runner, really. I mean, if I were I'd have caught the guy. I mean I guess I'm most of the time, and it prolly came from sprinting in baseball and-” he caught himself spouting nonsense and quickly cut it short “er, thanks.”

Flustered, he tucked both hands into his pockets as Kiel continued to talk to Theo. As the 'vari started talking about food, Aiden was reminded of his own hunger. He had ice cream a while ago, yah, but he was hungry again. “Haha, yah I'm starving too. I'll be leaving then, sir, unless you need help?” Some of the officers who had been talking about vampires looked like they were getting ready to reach the site. Frankly, Aiden didn't wish to be in any part of this vampire-hunting business, but as an officer he felt obligated to offer his help.

From the weeks since the new vampire laws were written, Theo had noticed Aiden's aversion to singling out and questioning otherwise-innocent vampires. So when Theo saw Aiden glance at the officers gathering forces to deal with the vampire situation, he gave the therian some brownie points for offering to help anyway. Shaking his head, Theo shooed Aiden and Kiel toward the door with a waving motion. “Pleasure to meet you too, Kiel. And Aiden, it's your day off. I want you to enjoy it and keep out of this office.” It was Theo's duty to stay here and suffer the prattle of overzealous witchhunters, but Aiden had no such obligation.

With a smile that betrayed a hint of relief, Aiden replied, “Alright, sir. I'll see you Wednesday.”

Following Kiel out the door, Aiden waited they were a out of hearing distance before saying, “Cool guy, yeah? Anyway where dya want to eat? There's a great place owned by Aunt Emmie's on Fifth Street. The hotdog stand on Cheefle is pretty good too. Or if you know another place just walk and I'll follow. At this point I think I can eat anything.”

[Kiel]

“Gasp!” Yes. Kiel actually said that, like a total dork, hahahahahaha. “You know Fritz? Man, that's aewsome, that's awesome. I totally go there all the time when I want a hot dog. Like, he jokes that he puts real dogs in but I saw someone try to sell him one once and he was all, like, "ew no way", man. Although he was kinda eyeing a firefox weirdly one time, too, but I think that's just 'cause his glass eye was being all upside down or something.”

Hopping around by degrees, Kiel turned himself to face the direction of Cheefle Street, and then held out an arm like he would for Phenny before realising that, wait, Aiden was a dude. To cover the dorky move, Kiel instead flapped his arm like a wing and made chicken noises. “Bakawk! Kawk! This way, this way, let's go!”

Changing the subject right back to Aiden's job, Kiel grinned. “So you like being a Guard, man? That's so cool, you know, I love the uniform. I tried getting Zeph to buy me a uniform once, thinking it'd be awesome if I was all, like, dressed up when I sold his stuff, and he was all, like, "I'll get you a uniform" but the way he said it made me think he was gonna roast me alive for his supper so I didn't bug him again until the next day and then he threw this girly apron at me and told me to wear it and said that was my uniform and I was all, like, "Wah! No way! I'm a guy, I'm a guy!" and he glared at me again. But I never wore it,” he added, like that meant Zeph had totally lost the battle even though he'd probably only done it to shut Kiel up. “Hahahahahaha, he lost, he lost!

Is it good hours, man?”