Wildlife Blind (Attn:Shay - private)

High on adrenalin, Shay managed to stay focused for a change, and watched ever move Alec made. Her ears were also trained on Alec, as he prepared her for a lesson in ‘humankind’.

The diversion she’d let herself be caught up in was more than welcome. Shay’s personal life was a mess, and putting it in order was going to take some doing. The offer to go along on one of her ‘father’s’ haunts couldn’t have come at a better time. For the first time in days she was thinking about things other than herself.

Funny thing too, that, since she anticipated learning a lot about relationships during this session, and was pinning some hope on the outcome assisting her in her own life.

A giggle escaped her lips, as she considered Alec’s methods of protecting his study center. If his set up was ever discovered, she would like to be there to see things go down as he figured they would. However, in the short time she’d come to know Alec, Shay doubted he would leave any loose ends that might result in his being discovered.

Walking almost alongside him, once they’d left the confines of the car, Shay kept just a step or two angled behind Alec. She had no idea where he was taking her, and with her inexperience she felt better following, while keeping an eye on their backs. Not that she expected anything to happen to them, while they were traipsing through Nachton suburbia. But it never hurt to be on the alert, as far as she could tell.

“When will I get to meet Simon?”

She had heard a little bit about the Tacharan leader, and was naturally curious, but hadn’t participated in anything really clan related yet, so her opportunity to see the man had yet to present itself. It never occurred to her though, that she would never meet him. It was all just a matter of time, in her mind. After all, wouldn’t the leader want to at least meet all his charges?

“See…that’s something I’m looking forward to learning…this need people have to impress others. I figure if you have a job to do, and do it as best as you can, that should be your own personal reward. I don’t really get why people need validation from others, or why someone should couch their opinions, unless they were never solicited in the first place, of course.”

Looking around at everything as she kept up with Alec’s stride, Shay felt a little high on excitement. The room they wound up in was just as she had imagined such a room would look like, and even found something about it very familiar. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt as if she’d been there before though.

“But I do understand your logic for keeping your observation secret. I dare say anyone who knew they were being observed would hesitate before doing any number of things they would normally do during a day, or night, if they knew someone was watching.”

Shay grinned, and clasped her hands in front of her, bouncing on the balls of her feet, as she paid attention to the monitors, and the pictures they revealed. How utterly ‘spy-like’ she felt at the moment.

Turning her attention to the woman of the house, Shay watched as she went about straightening up the kitchen. From all appearances, it seemed the family had recently finished a meal. How like Mrs. Cosby the woman looked to Shay, and seeing it on the monitor was just like watching TV!

Heh, what would Dayle think now…knowing Alec was promoting this kind of study. Of course even Shay knew the difference between real life, and that which was scripted, but you had to admit, there were definite similarities.

“And you feed from them as well?”

Alec considered. When would she meet Simon? Well, when Ellis was dead, Marthinus restored, the werewolf threat managed and internal politics within the clan were stable? Surely before then...but how to answer?

"When things calm down a bit he will have a bit more time for the proverbial shaking hands and kissing babies. Bot don't worry - it'll happen sooner rather than later, and Simon's first meetings are much more pleasant than his predecessors. There'll be plenty of time for that, don't worry."

Watching Shay watch Ingrid was a bit strange. He'd spent many hours doing the very same thing that his daughter was doing now - watching one of the family perform a mundane task. But there were intricacies that came with time.

"By the way Ingrid is moving thorough the kitchen, you can tell that she has done something she considered both rewarding and positive. She tends to step in circular motions when she is feeling good about herself or her workings. The song she is humming is something that Holly will hum sometimes when she's happy and alone as well, so it is possible that their moods will be linked. Over time, more intricate behavioral patterns become evident through such observation, and personality can be detected in animals even lower than humans - cats, dogs, snakes and whatnot."

Switching Holly's location onto the main viewer revealed her writing furiously in one of her many journals. Something good was going on, but the cause was not immediately apparent. Flipping to Greg's viewer, it showed he was sitting quietly in his chair, staring ahead with a bit of a look of irritation on his face. He'd been aging a bit more rapidly recently. He wasn't taking the departure of his son well, but this was something...fresher. Something good for Ingrid and Holly, bad for Greg Sr., so it probably had to do with Junior and the new living arrangement.

He really ought to set up observation there as well.

"Greg Senior is a creature of habit - he has a routine and hates being removed from it. From the looks of things, he is still dealing with changes that have been going on. He's a poor coper, whereas Ingrid is much more comfortable with change as long as it is good or something she perceives as good. Holly is much more chaotic - she will pick fights just to spice things up."

Shay noted the movements Alec described, and refocused her eyes on the daughter, when she was brought into view. Both women were attractive, by Shay’s standards, and the familial resemblance was strong.

For a few seconds Shay wondered if she had any kin she looked like, and, had she and her biological mother shared similarities? Having no memories to base emotional ties on, Shay quickly dismissed the thoughts, and moved her eyes to the father.

“So is what you’re saying that the mom and daughter have become used to the son’s absence much more quickly than the father has? Do you have any reasons why that might be? Were the father and son very close…is he missing the companionship of his son? Did the mother, daughter, and son not get along well? Or are the mother and daughter just overall happier because they know the boy is happier?”

It was very interesting to realize just how much one person’s behavior could influence the moods, and behaviors of others in such a dramatic way. And Shay looked at Alec again with slightly different eyes, as she saw in him a wondrous ability to understand humans.

“How long have you been watching these people?”

He hadn't meant to skip Shay's last question, so he doubled back.

"Yes - I started with Greg Senior after I fed on him after he got off from work one night. The only one I've not yet tasted is Holly - she is the lightest sleeper, but I expect with Greg Junior gone she'll enter the rotation as well. I keep their schedules handy so that I can feed from the one with the least inconvenient overlap. I also do not tap the same well more than once a month to preserve their health. I could go more if I had dire need since I have kept them healthy, but it is best to keep the stock strong so that you can take if you need. Repeat bite victims can develop a dependency and health trouble if not monitored closely, and since I have no intention of having a Familiar relationship with any of them at this point it is best to err on the side of caution."

Shay's questions were good - she would be a quick study.

"The relationship is a bit more complex. The mother and daughter are happy for the boy's discovery of his sexuality and selection of a mate. They are pleased that he is pleased and that there will be additional nesting going on should their couplings be successful. Humans bear their young live rather than select them, which you probably already know. They do mate for pleasure like our kind, but in their case it is also to propagate their species, which is supposedly the primary drive though I've little evidence to support that claim of human scientists.

The mother is also happy because it is a new ground on which to alter the mindset of her mate. He is a racist...the closest analog for us would be hating someone simply because they were Anantya or Evenhet, but even that is a poor example. It would really be more like you hating Jan and Nova because they were of Ellis' bloodline rather than Ginnie's. There seems to be a good reason for it in his mind, but his refusal to discuss it is apparently a very old thorn.

And yes - good job. The father and son were very close until the boy chose this mate his father feels is of poor lineage. He is certainly missing the companionship, and also, in his mind, wishing he could find a better mate for his son. He wishes him well, in his way. Now, the father is alone in a house with two females who are reveling in what they view as his failure. He has spent too much time recently in his dark thoughts, and he is now aging more rapidly. Much of the vitality has left his step, and things weigh on him. He is much less combative and is resigned to the fact that he has failed his son and no one else cares."

Watching Senior for a moment, Alec pondered what would bring him down. He suspected disease. Best not to feed from him - allow him his strength. Perhaps he would find the will to live. If not, his departure would be more painless than a long struggle with some degenerative ailment. What he did not understand is that Holly did not see the turmoil, and Ingrid seemed aware but ultimately uncaring. Strange for an otherwise compassionate creature.

"I've been watching them pretty much since my arrival here."

Though her eyes never moved from the monitors, Shay heard every word Alec said. The novelty of watching real people move about in their real lives, was a lot more satisfying than any television show. It was like watching Alec’s own, personal reality tv, and Shay tried to absorb it all.

That he also shared the act of feeding with them, made it that much more personal, and lent an even more intimate air to the experience. Had she been able to observe the woman in the salon like this, Shay may have seen what the woman had been up to, and not been surprised to imbibe blood full of medication. Yet she knew this kind of set up must have taken tremendous time and money, and wouldn’t really be practical for everyone, or even possible. Considering everything that had to be done, including the logistics of the water pump house, Shay imagined Alec had been somewhat lucky in this endeavor.

His take on how the people felt about the boy leaving the household was interesting to consider. It also brought up a thought that Shay had yet to realize. For all the television shows she’d been watching, similar in their dealings with the lives of others, she really hadn’t done a lot of analyzing. For the most part she had just accepted those people in their given situations, and paid more attention to the situations themselves, rather than why the people dealt with them as they did. Some of the details she picked up anyway, almost like osmosis, but she now knew she’d wasted a lot of time paying attention to the superficial, when she could have been doing what Alec was doing in trying to get into the heads of the people she watched.

Some of the things Alec mentioned, Shay already knew of course. Humans had live babies, and had sex for sex sake. That matter, how she just knew some things, and didn’t know others, had been a curious point as long as she could remember. She no longer really concerned herself about it though, having just accepted the fact for what it was. Waking up, as if from a long sleep, and remembering almost everything but who you were, and what you felt about everything was just how Shay was. No amount of analyzing that, would give her any answers.

Racism…now that was a subject Shay just couldn’t wrap her mind around.

“I don’t get that at all. From what I can see, people are people, whether they have blue eyes, red hair, one leg, brown skin…unless one person gives you reason to dislike them…say…they spit on you, or steal your car…I don’t understand why anyone would hate them because of the way they looked, or for what they believed in. I don’t see Jewish people going around forcing others to believe their ways, so why would anyone hate them, just because of what they believe?”

Shay had watched some very interesting documentaries on the Holocaust, trying to get a better understanding of this particular idea, and never had come to terms with it. Racism was just totally illogical in her mind.

“And how could Ingrid find someone like Greg Senior attractive, when she isn’t racist? Could you love Ginnie like you do, if she hated someone just because they had slanted eyes, or believed in one kind of god over another?”

Shay now burned with the need to know Alec’s perspective on this issue.

“And another thing…why does the father care who his son loves? No one told him he had to love the girl too. If his son finds something in this girl that he feels strongly about, wouldn’t it be better if everyone just accepted that and left him alone to love her?”

So many questions, so many thoughts, and images filled Shay’s mind.

Ahh, -isms. Always a lovely topic.

"I think the -isms are mostly human constructs. I cannot find evidence for them elsewhere. What I believe, and seems to be a generally acceptable theory, is that the feelings are based out of a fear complex. Since most humans erroneously believe that they are the top of the food chain, they focus their fears inward rather than outward. For all of their historical focus on exploration, they seem to generally fear the unknown, and the -isms all focus on groups that the individual does not belong to.

In some cases, like Greg Senior, the motivator is a personal event. He was involved in military activity in Asia, and doesn't like that subset of humanity as a result. On the other side of things, as a middle aged white male, statistically he should be generally prejudiced against Africans, but is not. Perhaps the unreasoning hatred is something humans require and they haven't thought about making it into something more healthy. People with fewer motivating events seem to have more -isms, but that is something I am still watching.

Religious intolerance makes more sense to me - it is similar to the tensions between the clans. Each group feels that they are right and that they have the keys to a better way of life. The difficulty is that the system of belief does not allow for the possibility of other people being right. So you have people that are telling you that you are wrong...when you know at the core of your being that you are right. I can understand the friction there."

Grinning, Alec nodded. Her question about Ginnie was an excellent one, and easy to answer.

"Certainly, and I do. Ginnie is very devoutly religious, and continues in her belief and practice. I do not have the same framework of creation by skipping my human phase of development and fail to see the point in a lot of the religious practices. As a result, she might have more difficulty with people from other religious backgrounds, and I'd be comfortable with that since I understand the motivator there.

That touches on...well, emotional connection. People can't really decide on who they are drawn to. Sometimes it is someone very similar, other times it is someone very different. Some people have patterns of traits that they look for, others do not. Some people choose exclusively from one sex or another, others do not. As an example, Simon is drawn to someone not even of his own species, but Carol fills a need for Simon in a way that perhaps no other creature on the planet could."

Smiling warmly, Alec continued to answer the barrage of questions. The last set fell into an area that he was beginning to understand. Family politics and motivators.

"There are many reasons why Greg Senior would care who Junior loves. First, as a member of a group that has either wronged or been wronged by Senior, Junior will have access to a point of view that could poison him against Senior. Also, he will be surrounded on a more regular basis with people from what Senior views as a negative background. The fact that they didn't have a choice in it doesn't matter. It would be similar to not wanting your child to grow up to be an interrogator, or a taxicab driver or something that you decide isn't a worthy occupation. He also cares because he is entering into an area he feels he cannot advise on - how can he help his son with questions of love and appreciation if he doesn't even respect the recipient of those practices? The temptation for sabotage becomes present, which leads to self-loathing.

We can see that it might be better that he just left well enough alone, but that takes its toll as well. Parents of all species feel a need for involvement in the lives of their children. Leaving things alone, not shaping and steering their development allows the child increasingly into areas that the parent has no love for or no experience with. If they cannot give valuable advice, they feel less useful as a parent. No one likes to feel obsolete, and it increases feelings of inadequacy. They are, of course, incorrect, but most people cannot help but feel that way.

Parents want more for their children than they do for themselves. They wish to see them succeed in ways that are sometimes quite odd. I'm sure that as you grow older, you'll find that Ginnie and I both subscribe to some very strange behaviors in the quest to help you be a better person. I apologize for cramping your style in advance, but we'll just be trying to do right by you. Remember that."

Placing a gloved hand on her shoulder, he smiled and continued to watch the monitors.

Shay was a rapt listener, as Alec gave her explanations, and his own opinions on things. Her admiration for him grew, as she recognized, and understood the reasons he provided for why people felt the way they did. Though she didn't agree, and thought humans wasted too much time in these thoughts, it still helped her to grasp the concepts somewhat better.

She shook her head in amazement, as Alec gave a motive for the observed father's animosity towards his son's lover.

"That's like if my 'killer' had brown eyes, I should now hate everyone with brown eyes...ludicrous..."Â?

Her opinion didn't change either, when Alec then told her how Ginnie was also prejudiced against people of other religions. In fact hearing such a thing both saddened, and angered Shay. That her mother had such notions was just beyond comprehension.
Yet she didn't feel like she could run right out and confront Ginnie on that matter. The woman, who truly did feel as close to a mother to Shay as she believed was possible, seemed to have been going through some stress lately. Since Shay believed herself to be the cause, she had been trying her damnedest to be cautious around the woman.

No...if Ginnie felt that way, then Shay would just accept it, and try not to let it bother her. It wouldn't change anything Shay felt for Ginnie, so what would be the point anyway?

The next subject had Shay forgetting all about the previous one, for now anyway. Why was she so attracted to Dayle? She had mulled over that question several times herself, and hadn't come up with any real answer.

Sure Dayle was gorgeous, and had a body Shay could still feel if she closed her eyes and imagined. That the blonde woman was bright was also a given, and Shay had learned a lot from her. Of course too, it was true that Shay hadn't met anyone to compare the lovely Brit to, not in the sense of attraction anyway. She didn't rule out chemistry, or any of the fore-mentioned reasons, yet neither was she at ease with them. It was definitely something Shay would need to consider again, but later.

Alec's fatherly concern was touching, and his hand on Shay's shoulder made her smile. Even in the way of small touches, Shay never seemed to tire of physical contact with people. At least not when it came to Ginnie, Dayle, or Alec. She took the opportunity to reach up and place her hand over his, for a short squeeze. The touch was interpreted as a sign of affection, and Shay thrived on it.

"Oh I'll remember it alright, and I'll try not to fight you, but even though in many ways I'm still a youth, I'm also a full grown woman."Â?

She was smiling and winking, so she hoped he knew she hadn't gotten upset at his words of caution.

"Remember that!"Â?

She briefly stuck her tongue out at her father, in a manner too childish to support her previous statement; however, it was all in good fun.

Her focus was directed back to a monitor then, as it appeared the younger female was preparing for bed. Shay moved closer to that particular monitor as the nude body of a teenager presented itself in her direction. Glancing at Alec, Shay shot him a look of mock disapproval.

"Dad! Honestly! You watch all this too, do you? Whatever must mother think?"Â?

The naked girl held no real appeal, once the surprise value had worn off. Shay guessed it might be the same for Alec. She knew he and Ginnie were committed in some way, and didn't truthfully think he'd be tempted by someone else, any more than she had been. The girl had a striking body, but Shay felt no pull towards her.

"Will you feed from any of them tonight?"Â?

Raising an eyebrow at the monitors, Alec briefly wondered what Shay was meaning, then realized it must have to do with the nude form of Holly on screen. It was interesting - until Shay had underlined the fact, he had never viewed the girl as a sexual creature. With a clinical eye, he watched her form for a few moments and pondered. The majority of his kind also fed in a way that he did not. His preferred methods were through surprise violence and feeding from sleeping victims, whereas it seemed the bulk of vampiredom, especially on the female side of things, fed through sensual baiting and capture. It was a weakness in his repertoire that stemmed from his low view on humanity. He would have to do something about that lack of breadth.

But not with Holly, most likely. She resembled Greg Sr. in many ways that would be distracting.

"Until you mentioned it I'd never really considered her a sexual creature. She has yet to really go down that path. But yes, I watch everything except when the house is empty. And I am uncertain what your mother might think - she knows I study humanity, though not in all of the particulars. She has never been here, for example. I suspect it would only serve to underline how different we are from each other in a fundamental way. She has centuries of study and a lifetime of human understanding. It is possible that it would only serve to illustrate that I do not have either. She knows that, but in the past those illustrations have caused her sadness for some reason. Unlike your mother, you are in a rare position to both appreciate and benefit from the practices."

Pondering the feeding question, he shrugged.

"Perhaps. I will need to eat this evening, and this will be the easiest moment. Both Holly and Ingrid's schedules are clear in the near future unless something has changed. I could show you one of my preferred methods of feeding, if you like. Most of our kind seem to think little of it, and it is rarely practiced for some reason. Some think of it as cowardly or weak and others find it invasive, but it is low risk and poses the least threat to revealing our kind to humans...it is low risk to the human as well, as they have plenty of time to restore their strength as they sleep. Most people don't appreciate thieves until they are in need of one, I've found. Someone who steals life is therefore placed in somewhat low regard, though technically all of our kind are guilty of it by any measure."

When it came out in the South that the new blank slate vampire was also feeding off of sleeping victims, the amount of ridicule and conflict Alec was involved in went up a couple of notches. It seemed that most of them didn't appreciate the difficulty that a sireless amnesiac provided. Couple that with the sandman tendencies, and things got rough. They all selectively forgot how he had been found and didn't appreciate the reduction in his feral attitudes. So short sighted.

"I'd encourage you not to share the fact that I feed from the sleeping. Though I may encourage you to do so, I wouldn't necessarily mention it to others, either. Some people are...sensitive about it."

Alec's worth increased yet again, for what normal straight man in his right mind could ignore such a young, supple body, unless they were of the highest caliber? Either he was remarkably monogamous of mind and character, or...perhaps it was that he hadn't had years since birth to have such ideas burned upon his brain. Certainly the media gave the impression that all men were such highly sexual beings, that few, if any had much else on their minds.

Feeling somewhat special, that Alec had shared something with her that he's shared with no other, Shay nodded enthusiastically in agreement to the 'secret' keeping. This would be something only she shared with her father...a connection no one else had. Why that stuck out as such an accomplishment, she couldn't figure out at the moment, but it did. That, and the fact that she understood Alec, possibly in a way that Ginnie couldn't, since Shay and he also shared the affliction of the lost past. Shay wondered if Ginnie also felt sad about her missing links.

"I'd like that...seeing how you feed..."Â? Yet as she listened to yet another explanation, Shay's anger returned.

"And yet prejudice rears its ugly head once again. Why don't people just live their own lives and leave others to do the same? You can trust me Alec...I will never reveal this place, nor your feeding practices to anyone."Â?

Her attitude now was one of 'huffiness'. It wasn't bad enough that someone had turned her father, in much the same way she'd been turned, but then to turn up their noses as a person sought methods to survive just seemed...ludicrous...yet again.

Letting go of her anger, for her father's sake, Shay turned her body, and attentions to him directly.

"I'm ready whenever you are."Â?

At her sudden outburst, Alec chuckled.

"I am sorry. I have always accepted and understood the hates that people feel as unstoppable forces. I am laughing because that's two things that you've taught me this evening when I'm supposed to be teaching you. Creatures tend toward change. Why wouldn't prejudice?"

Shaking his head, he kept the smile.

"This place isn't the issue so much as the aspects of feeding. You'll be able to better see from here the procedure than if you were with me. I'll be entering through the guest bathroom and will proceed to the master bedroom. I'll be feeding from Ingrid this evening. Afterward, you can ask any questions you might have."

Heading out through the main portion of the house, Alec made sure his gloves were clean and pulled one of his gray nylon masks over his head. He went through the backyard and over the fence silently, arriving at the bathroom window. The procedure was simple - with a quick swipe of a lined file, the window was open and he was pulling himself in. Hovering, he pulled slips over his shoes - the ground was a bit moist, and it wouldn't do to leave footprints all over their house. Easing his weight down, he expanded his hearing throughout the house as he closed the window.

From the sounds of things, Holly was still squirming about and was not yet asleep. It was a distant possibility that she would get up, but even when being quiet she was plenty loud enough for him to hear from several rooms away. She had been the last to retire, and both Greg and Ingrid were breathing in the patterns of their pre-REM sleep...her "Thhh" sounds, and Greg's deeper respirations that came before he hit his snoring phase. Padding imperceptibly down the hall, he reached the door. It would be well oiled, but Shay would be watching...best to be thorough.

Pulling a tiny vial from behind his belt, he treated the hinges and gave them a short time to soak in. Turning the knob with geologic slowness, he opened the door and entered the room low to the ground. Crawling across the room on his fingertips and toes, he left as few contact points as possible coming to Ingrid's side of the bed. Peering up at the covers, he imagined he looked a bit like a ferret looking for snakes. Seeing the shape that betrayed the angle of Ingrid's arm, he slowly rolled back the cover.

Taking it gingerly, he exerted slight pressure, which caused her to shift slightly in her sleep into a more comfortable position...with her arm more fully extended. Rolling his mask up slightly, he bit softly into the flesh of her wrist - she let out a slightly displeased respiration initially, then it began to change. He sipped slowly - too much at once would cause too much euphoria, and wake her. Taking gradually, he heard her breathing grow slightly huskier and less drawn out. Having taken his fill, he left her arm as it was, making sure that there was no mess, rolled back the covers and backed out of the room, sealing the door behind him.

Remembering that their porch light was off, Alec headed to the front door. Listening, there didn't seem to be any traffic and the light patterns were such that no one would see anyone leave without that light on. Exiting via the easiest route, he locked the door behind him and headed back to Shay.

"Of course."Â? Shay muttered. Why had she thought she'd be going with him, when the monitoring system was a much more effective way of observing him in action? Silly notion.

Once Alec had departed, Shay mused further on his comment. She had taught him something...how odd that she could do such a thing, when she knew so little. Shay did have to admit to herself, it was a little heady to think such a thing was possible. In the time it took for Alec to leave their confines, until he again appeared on a monitor, the novice vampire considered the possibility of teaching Ginnie, and Dayle as well. Maybe with her being so 'new' she was able to see things in lights the others had long since blocked out.

Snapped out of her introspections, Shay again watched her father, and studied everything she saw...and heard. It was clear that one reason Alec was so good at what he did, was due to his ability to stealth. Had she not seen him moving about the house as she did, she doubted she could have detected him at all. Her hearing was keen, and she had begun relying on it a lot more lately, especially in instances where sight was hindered. So if she couldn't hear him, she felt safe that the family wouldn't either.

Transfixed, Shay's eyes moved with the shadowed one on the screen in front of her. She nodded as she watched her father oil the door, and wait a few seconds before entering the bedroom. When he finally did go into the room, he again moved like the fog, as it creeps across a large field...slowly, with purpose, and silent.

Licking her lips, Shay's mouth opened instinctively when Alec put his lips to the mother's wrist. Though she preferred the succulent neck of her victims, she vowed to try the wrist next time, and see if it might be something she could get used to. Visually she could see the advantages, and that, combined with the overall exhilarating mood of the night set her to bouncing on her feet again. She gripped the sides of the monitor as she peered into the deep gray room, and noticed in her inattention Alec had left.

Locating him on another monitor, she watched until he disappeared yet again, and she presumed he was returning to the room where she waited.

"Oh my god, but that was truly a ballet Alec! The way you move around in the house, almost as if choreographed...I am so impressed."Â?

Not that it took that much to impress Shay, and seeing this was Alec doing the deed, he already had built in points toward Shay's accounting of his actions. Biting her lower lip, eyes wide with fascination, Shay threw herself at the man, and hugged him,

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been such a phenomenal night! I feel like I've just been given such a gift!"Â? Releasing her hold on Alec, Shay stepped back, and stood with her hands again clasped in front of her, trying not to bounce.

"Can I try?"Â?

It didn't matter if it was this family, or some random house...Shay really wanted to give the whole process a try. Plus watching Alec feed stirred her own needs.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, he cocked his head. There were a couple of complications that it would bring up, as well as a few missing skills. He didn't want to deny her the opportunity, but he needed to underline the catch points.

"We...could. There are some skills that you may not be up to par on that you will want to practice should you use this method of feeding regularly. Obviously, knowing one's target is very helpful - going into a house to find a couple reading in bed is a Very Bad Thing as it changes the scene from a quiet nibble that no one knows about to a violent feeding that will certainly garner a police investigation. The second is method of entry and how to spot alarm systems. A successful feeding can still be botched if they have a silent alarm. Finally, the control to keep the blood flow slow...if you take too much, the pleasure will wake your victim, who will then react in unpredictable ways."

Smiling, he pointed to the monitor in Ingrid and Greg's bedroom where the couple was engaging in some sleepy foreplay.

"When done correctly, there can be some very pleasant side affects for spouses, though."

Considering for a moment longer, Alec nodded.

"I have a prospective location we could use, but know that if something goes wrong at any point that the occupants will need to die without hesitation. There is no security on their unit, but any noises of conflict will cause complications. On the upside, the lack of security removes one of the three problems. Sometimes they even leave the garage door open and the door to the house is trivial. Your call - there are plenty of other things that we can do this evening, as well."

Turning once again to the monitors, he switched them off. Things were getting a bit steamy in the Mullar household.

"Well that's what I'm here for...learning!"Â?

Shay threw a casual wink Alec's way, with reference to all the little side lessons she was picking up tonight, in addition to those things Alec specifically intended to teach her. Watching to strangers having sex had become a bit boring to Shay, but when she equated the act to a result of what Alec had done, it took on a totally different aspect. The idea was now quite different from what she had watched on the 'Spice' channel.

"I'm not sure I'll make a habit out of this kind of feeding, though for now the excitement of it's novelty intrigues me. I have to admit I do kind of like the 'chase' of prey that is awake...but then I've not really done much of that either."Â?

For the most part Shay still got the bulk of her nutrition from a bag. More and more that option was becoming less appealing, and with each human feeding she found herself pulled further into that direction. The feel of her fangs as they punctured the skin, then slid into the flesh...the blood oozing into her mouth, warm, both salty, and sweet, and slightly intoxicating...then the sensation that began to build within her as the warmth spread throughout her veins.

Having gone off on a bit of a daydream, Shay blushed, and smiled at Alec when she became aware of what she'd done.

"I need more opportunity, and training, so I'm putting myself into your hands. I can feed later. What's next?"Â?

Forcing her hunger pangs away, Shay made the decision to see what else her dad had up his sleeves for her. She could eat anytime...her time with Alec was less prevalent.

Alec figured it was time for an essential.

"Next is possibly the most crucial set of skills you could develop. How to properly create and enjoy things in an ice cream shoppe."

Putting everything into energy saving mode, he secured the location as they made their way out. It was always a good time for the arcade.

((ooc: Alec and Shay out, continued in the Arcade))