A Morning Visit (attn: Evan)

"Learn to tank, Newb." Evan muttered to his computer screen. He hated seeing a Death Knight as his tank for a dungeon. Some were great, really great, but more were bad, really REALLY bad. He sighed at the computer and then reached over to turn his sound down. Did he just hear something? There was the sound again. He realized that it was the front door. Typing in his 'afk door' message. He then made sure that his druid was backed against a cliff wall and then shadowmelded so that his idiot group couldn't get him killed while he was away.

Jogging to the door, he called out. "Be right there." just in case he had missed more than the first set of knocks. He hitched the loose fitting grey yoga pants higher around his hips and hoped who ever was at the door did not mind his shirtless state.

Checking quickly through the tiny hole, he smiled when he saw who it was. Evan opened the door and took a step back to let in the lonely looking stray that had made his way to his doorstep.

"Hello, Kiyo. Come on in."

Evan noted the sleeping bag over one shoulder and gave the werewolf a concerned look as the man crossed the threshold. "Is everything okay?" Did something happen with the pack that brought him here? He was plenty happy to have Kiyoshi spend time with him, even live here if he liked but Evan hoped everything was going well for the little wolf in his new home.

Kiyo found himself confronted by a wall of rock-hard Evan as the door opened. He blinked, trying not to stare, and then tilted his head slowly up. "Good morning Evan."

His friend moved aside, tacitly inviting him in. Kiyoshi stepped into Evan's home, standing there awkwardly while he tried to figure out what to do with himself.

"Uh... yes. Everything is okay."

Well, now he looked dumb. Why wasn't he sleeping in his room? In his own bed? How was he supposed to explain to Evan why he'd showed up on his doorstep just before sunrise with a sleeping bag and a sad expression?

Kiyoshi fidgeted. "I couldn't sleep," he finally ventured. "Not there. I thought I'd try to go outside but some of them were running tonight."

He bit his lip, unsure how to explain further. "Do you have someplace I can borrow for a few hours? I can sleep downstairs. Just someplace quiet, is all."

That had to sound pathetic. But Kiyo was getting tired and just wanted to relax and sleep soon. He was full of steak and feeling more than a little snoozy.

Evan watched Kiyo while he explained that everything was okay but he was having trouble sleeping... there. He wondered what that meant exactly but his friend had mentioned that there were differences among the werewolves that sometimes made him less welcome than the others. Evan might have to ask Tavi about that some time. She was less likely to take offense at his naive questions than some of her kind. Guillaume might be able to answer also but his friend had not been in Nachton very long and might not know specifics of the pack here like the little Rom would.

He guided Kiyo toward one of the back areas with a gentle hand on his back. The large space had been set up studio style in the common areas, kitchen, dining room and living room all open in one space.

"Hang on a second."

While he was up and out here he could get the space ready for morning. Evan went over to the large front rows of windows that looked out over the landing strips and pulled the heavy curtains closed.

"Uhm, kitchen, dining room and den..." He gestured to the same space with flourish and then a shrug. "There are two bathrooms down there." Evan pointed to a closed hallway. The place was once the control room and offices for the airport so there had once been a men's and women's restroom. They had some of the stalls taken out of each and a shower and bath placed in both instead. "Guillaume's area is over there." He pointed to one large closed off space in the back portion of the house. "And mine is this way." Evan moved towards his private area. "His is nearer to the door since he is more likely to answer it during the day. I'm sorry if you were waiting long. I was...trying to keep my group alive."

He stepped into his own private area and glanced at his screen. Evan noticed that he was back in Darnassus standing on the bed that he had bound himself to. Pressing his push-to-talk button, he asked.

"What happened?"

The answer came back from the warlock fairly quickly, his crisp educated voice sounding amused and bored at the same time. Evan always wondered how Devian managed that.

"The tank felt we were stifling his greatness so he departed to bring his gift for getting his party killed to a group who would greater appreciate it."

Evan chuckled, especially when Dev added. "I am sure you are quite torn up about it and all. It was proving to be an interesting challenge to succeed through the suck but you will forgive the rest of us if we did a little celebratory dance when he left."

"I have a visitor so I will be afk for a bit longer. I am heartbroken about not being able to heal Karnnage but at least I am not alone in my sorrow." Evan sniffed dramatically before turning back to Kiyo.

"Sorry about that. We were doing a dungeon but our tank turned out to be more ego and less skill. Its an unfortunate problem that happens with a lot of them."

Evan walked over to the couch that was behind his desk and pulled on it to make the cushion lay flat, converting the futon from a sofa to a double bed in less than a minute. He loved multipurpose furniture; it saved space. Evan went to the closet and pulled out a couple of quilts and then snatched a pillow from his bed.

"You can sleep in the sleeping bag if you like it better but the sofa is comfortable. I've slept on it more than once." He held up the blankets and pillows that he carried. "It gets fairly cold in here since we keep the nightclub cool for all the dancing and drinking people downstairs." They could turn the AC down once the people left but not off or it would never get cool enough again by nightfall to be comfortable for the crowds when they arrived. Instead they tried for a nice even temperature and covered up or used a space heater, in a cooler months, to deal with the living area above the dance floor. Evan set the blankets and pillow down on the bed.

"I can turn this off if you are ready to sleep." He gestured to the computer. Evan sat back down in his computer chair and swung it around to face to sofa. "Or we can chat if you aren't."

Kiyo watched as Evan pulled the curtains closed, unconsciously noting exactly how his friend did it so if there was a next time, Kiyo could take care of it for him. Part of him didn't really know why he was here... but part of him knew exactly why. He felt like he was imposing, but Evan was so welcoming, accepting his presence without question.

"I wasn't waiting long."

He followed Evan and saw the computer game on his screen, listening with a cocked head as Evan spoke into the mic at some unnamed person. Kiyo raised his eyebrows.

"Tank?"

Kiyoshi watched as Evan pulled out the sofa to turn it into a futon bed. That was better than he had expected; a little out of the way corner to stow his sleeping bag and curl up in would have been fine. He would have been okay sleeping down at the club too, but like usual Evan was warm and welcoming and friendly.

"No, no, you're fine," Kiyo said hastily when Evan said he'd turn the computer off. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

He hopped onto the futon and tucked himself into the corner against the arm, hugging his sleeping bag to him. He did want to talk to Evan, because he enjoyed his company, but if Evan had been busy it would be rude to impose. He certainly couldn't expect Evan to pay full attention to his uninvited visitor.

Kiyo shivered a little; it was cold in here as Evan had said. But with all the blankets and his sleeping bag, too, he doubted he would be cold once he climbed inside of them. He didn't like the cold. Generally he slept curled up under all the blankets he could find in a little cocoon of heat that he suspected would make most people sweat. Kiyoshi was almost never warm though.

"So what are you playing?" He asked as he wiggled his feet out of his shoes and pulled them up under him.

He'd seen a lot of the games at Terminus but still wasn't familiar with all of them. This looked like one of the online roleplaying games a lot of people seemed to like. Kiyo had noted that several of the people who played them seemed to rapidly become absorbed in them, spending hours at the monitors at a time, barely noticing what was going on around them.

He was curious about it but he'd never bothered to buy himself a computer since it seemed likely he'd just lose his job and have to move on again. So the world of computer gaming had remained largely a mystery.

"A tank is a fighter in the game, generally someone who wears a lot of armor and goes in first. They have abilities to keep the attention of whatever we are fighting so that the others don't die while we're all trying to kill whatever monster it is. Anyway I assume its the metal can and the rolling right into battle that earned them the nickname."

He watched Kiyo move to one corner of the bed, still clutching his sleeping bag to his chest. Evan smiled and shrugged about the computer. It was no trouble to stop for the night. He didn't mind; Dev might, who had just gotten online, but the warlock would get over it.

Noticing the little shiver, Evan unfolded one of the blankets and got up and placed it over Kiyoshi's shoulders with a small smile. "I hardly notice the cold." He looked down at himself. "I think I might have been warmer as a human. I can't remember; if so then I must have been intolerable to sleep with." Sinking back into his chair, he added. "But I don't steal the covers!"

Evan looked over at the game and said. "World of Warcraft." He typed a quick message to the guild and then sat his character down. Once it was on the character select, he leaned back so Kiyo could see.

"Here, swap places with me and I will show you." Evan stood up and spun the chair around for Kiyo. He then leaned over it to point at the screen. "There are two factions that aren't very friendly with each other, the Alliance and the Horde. I am playing on the Alliance side." He clicked onto a free character slot and then gestured for Kiyo to take control of the mouse. Pointing at the little face icons on the side, Evan explained. "You can be a human, a dwarf, a night elf, a gnome, a draenei or a worgen...which is Warcraft's version of a werewolf." He looked down at Kiyo. "If they ever come up with a vampire then I might have to try it just for the irony. Anyway, there are also different classes in the game so you pick what you want to do." Evan looked over at Kiyo to make sure his eyes weren't glazing over just yet. "I play a night elf druid. Druids are pretty multi-functional but I prefer to heal with mine though sometimes I like to slink around in cat form and kill things. If you think of it like Lord of the Rings then you've got a lot of the basic job descriptions. Warriors, paladins and death knights are fighters. Rogues are sneaky. Mages and warlocks sling the magic around. Druids, shamans and priests do the healing or damage dealing, depending on what you want to do with them."

He sat down on the edge of the bed then. "Pick something and play with the controls. Oh, you can be a male or female if you like." Evan grinned at Kiyo. "But you might get hit on by lecherous old druids if you're cute so keep that in mind."

Kiyoshi listened to Evan, nodding along as the vampire explained exactly what a tank was and why he thought it was called that. Made sense. It was like the warrior in Gauntlet, sort of. When the taller man got up and unfolded the blanket to drape it around his shoulders Kiyo glanced away quickly, a little embarrassed to be so transparent.

"Thanks," he said, gathering the blanket close and snuggling into it. He tilted his head at Evan, considering. "I think you're plenty warm."

There were, after all, different kinds of warm. Evan was one of the warmest people he'd ever met. Figuratively speaking, of course. Kiyo thought if he was as warm when sleeping he must be irresistible, not intolerable. he tucked that thought away though. It was inappropriate at best. Evan had never indicated a preference either way; Kiyo was sure they didn't know each other well enough for those sorts of things.

When directed to, Kiyo stood and took Evan's chair in front of the computer. He brought the blanket along with him, tucking it around himself and making a little nest as he settled into the chair. Evan leaned over him and Kiyo tried not to be distracted by it. His sensitive nose picked up Evan's scent, though. He smelled like the forest, earthy and loamy. Underneath that were hints of soap, something with herbs. Beneath that, just a tiny hint of the scents Kiyo associated with Terminus, scents that were beginning to smell familiar and homey in spite of the club being what it was. He took a deep breath and tasted all of the flavors as he listened to Evan's voice and watched the screen.

He kept his attention on Evan while he poked through the character races, steadfastly avoiding the werewolf one. He was living the nightmare; if he wanted a fantasy escape it sure wasn't going to be into more of the same. He wanted to pick something as unlike a werewolf as possible. The dwarf seemed just as hairy as one. The draenai had a tail. The human might as well have been a werewolf. That left a gnome or a night elf, and, well, the night elf was just prettier. Besides, if that was the one Evan liked it was good enough for Kiyo.

He clicked on it just as Evan delivered his line about lecherous old druids. Kiyo tried his best to stop it from happening, but he felt his face and everywhere else turn red. It was the idea of being hit on by a lecherous old druid... it'd been a while since anyone had hit on Kiyo.

But, he thought with a little sigh, he supposed that meant choosing the chick since that was sort of what Evan had implied. Why were all the cute ones either straight, or taken? It didn't matter really, Kiyo didn't tend to attract Evan's type anyway... in other words, the kind, hot, generous, hot, friendly, hot, sort. He usually found himself entangled in unhealthy partnerships with someone big and butch who just wanted a tiny little playtoy. It never worked out for him.

Was he desperate enough to blatantly beg to be flirted with, even if it was all meant in play?

Meh, probably. Well, okay. Definitely.

Kiyo clicked the female icon, his cheeks flaming, and hurriedly smashed the random button a few times until his character looked somewhat pleasing to the eye. He did give her blue hair; he liked blue.

He made her a warrior, liking the idea of being the protective sort. Then he had to name her. Kiyoshi figured it'd be easier to use his own name, shortened, so he tried Kiyo and got a message that he couldn't use that name. He tried Yoshi. Same deal. Frowning with determination Kiyo attempted every possible conglomeration of names until he finally gave a little growl and simply named her Kiyoshi. That worked, although he wasn't particularly enamored of seeing himself with boobs and an hourglass figure.

Finally he clicked the 'next' button and found himself zooming in on a brightly colored scene of a forest with purple trees and some houses... in the trees. He stared curiously at it.

"Cool," he said.

Evan watched the selection process with interest, wondering what was going on in Kiyo's head as he clicked through the races. He noticed that the werewolf went no where near the worgen, didn't even click on it out of curiosity. Well, Evan figured that the appeal of fantasy video gaming was being something that you weren't.

The blush was very hard to miss, especially this close. That was interesting and he wondered what he should make of that. Kiyo was embarrassed that he even suggested flirting with him or that he could choose a girl? Or was it something else? Well if he didn't want to be flirted with then he probably shouldn't have picked a female night elf. Evan smirked inwardly and wondered how soon he should introduce Kiyo to the /dance command.

"Now that's asking for trouble." Evan grinned and glanced sideways at his friend. "I suppose it will entice me to heal you more often. Of course I might be watching your toon more than your health bar. I promise to resurrect you if I cause your death by staring at your ass."

He watched the naming process with amusement, not at all surprised that he would have difficulties with Yoshi, which might not even be allowed. Evan made a mental note to introduce Kiyo to Mario Kart some time in the future.

"Ah home." He smiled at the twilight coloured city. "You watch, I'll be right back."

Evan went back out into the common area and grabbed an extra chair from the kitchen table. Bringing it back in the room, he set it down next to Kiyo so he could watch the werewolf play and be potentially helpful at the same time.

"See the guy with the exclamation on his head? He's got a quest for you." Evan pointed to the top right of the screen. "You can also see them on your mini map." The tutorial would sort out many of the questions so he sat back and watched. He always hated listening to the boyfriends trying to be 'helpful' to their non-gamer girlfriends by telling them about everything from the moment they logged into the game. It was usually information overload and it would have gone better if they had just shut up and let their girlfriends figure it out, answering whatever questions they might still have after the tutorial finished. Not that Kiyo was a non-gamer girlfriend or anything... Evan glanced over to the man next to him and smiled to himself. If he kept thinking those thoughts then he would make himself blush.

Kiyo didn't quite know how to respond to Evan. It was an odd conversation, the one they were currently having. On the one hand, he sort of wished Evan were looking at his ass. On the other hand, it was pretty clear that said ass needed to have more female-like curves. That was a pity.

"I guess I'm just trouble then?" he said, phrasing it as a question. His actual ass was clearly not in view... sigh. Maybe he should consider wearing a dress.

Kiyoshi sighed at himself. He was kind of working on a hardcore crush here. He needed to get over it. It wouldn't pay; it never did. And this was his boss. Did it get any more inappropriate? Probably not.

Evan left and returned with a chair as Kiyo watched the intro movie with rapt fascination. He liked the colors of the forest, unrealistic as they were. He looked at the mini map Evan indicated and then began to follow the pop-up boxes as they appeared, guiding him through a quest to kill a certain number of critters. That part was easy. Point and clink, point and click.

He rapidly completed the first handful of quests, turning one in and then jumping, practically falling out of his chair, as there was an obnoxious crashing sound from the computer.

Kiyoshi blinked at the screen and then turned to Evan. "What the fuck was that?"

He stared at the screen. Then he realized he'd just gotten a level. He cleared his throat, trying to recover from his surprise with some kind of class. Or grace. Or, really, anything. "Okay. I got it. Level two. Did I win Warcraft? Am I ready for the big boss at the end of the level?"

Right about then another character ran by, stopped, backtracked, and stood in front of Kiyo's character. They e-stared at each other for a few minutes before a speech bubble appeared over the newcomer's character.

Can u help me plz?

Kiyo blinked. And then quickly figured out how to respond.

Sure, with what?

There was another pregnant pause while the other player answered.

I need u 2 kill a guy.

Kiyo considered and then answered.

Okay. I can help you.

The other player cheered at him and then typed again.

Ok he's here.

Kiyo followed the other toon away from the area he'd been in, up a hill, and outside of a gate. Here the other player pointed at a big guy sitting on a wolf mount.

This guy.

Kiyo glanced at Evan. The dude on the wolf was all red, and Kiyo had played enough video games to know you didn't attack the big red thing. It was instant death.

"Clearly." Evan laughed, turning to glance at Kiyo before returning his gaze to the computer. If there was ever a soul on the earth that seemed less like trouble than Kiyoshi then Evan had yet to meet them.

He nearly fell out of his chair laughing when Kiyo jumped at the sound of the level up noise. Evan covered his mouth with his hand and found the serious face fairly quickly. His shoulders still shook, but only a little.

"There are eighty five levels so far. You've won the ability to pick up more quests." Evan smiled at him.

It was very sweet of Kiyo to go help some other newb with whatever the needy little beggar wanted but couldn't accomplish. Most likely some kid who had a group quest or just a named mob that he couldn't take on his own.

He watched the exchange, frowning slightly when he saw the guy leading Kiyo out of the immediate newbie area. When he saw what awaited at their destination, Evan reached over and put a hand on Kiyoshi's arm to keep him from attacking 'the mob' that waited on his mount. The alarmed gesture seemed unnecessary. Apparently Kiyo was not newb enough to attack before looking at what the opponent con'ed.

"That is a player." He glowered at the large orc sitting on his warg. "He's flagged for pvp so you can hit him but when you do he'll kill you because he's a much higher level. The little jerk is trying to catch some new alliance player off guard and get them killed. We call those griefers and no one likes them."

Sliding closer to Kiyo, he said. "Let's see what we can do to make his day a little more interesting." He leaned over the keyboard and typed out something that sounded uncertain.

"Uhm, He looks hard. Are you sure we can take him with just the two of us?"

He pressed the push to talk button. "Hey Dev, you still there? I was showing my friend the game. There is a Hordie here griefing newbies just outside of Shadowglen. He's obviously bored. Think you can give him something to do?

Devian replied with a chuckle, "That poor guy! He's having to search the newbie zones for entertainment. We should show him some Alliance hospitality. I'm on my way. Now where did my pocket mage go...?"

Evan leaned back and smiled at Kiyo apologetically for reaching over him and taking over his keyboard and character. "Sorry about that. I really hate bullies." Normally he would enjoy coming and dueling the guy himself but if Kiyo logged out then they would know someone higher level was coming. Instead he hoped they would hang around with the unguilded level two player who seemed genuinely new long enough for his friends to show up. "Stall him if you like or leave...either one, just don't hit him."

He would be tempted to joke around with the guy who could understand him. I can't hit him! He's my father! Or I would love to but he's my babydaddy and I need the child support. Or something else equally odd. They would both decide he was not a new and therefore not fun to play with and, if they were smart, they would move on.

Kiyoshi looked down at the very solid hand on his arm. And then, damn it, he felt himself blushing again. He ducked his head, letting his hair fall forward a bit to hopefully hide it some. Nothing said 'awkward' like demonstrating your unrequited blossoming crush to the object of your almost-affections. Kiyo didn't know if that was the deal, really, he just knew that he liked Evan a lot.

He got himself under control; Kiyo was great at hiding things but not so hot when those things were his feelings. Maybe that was why he just tried to stay private. He stared at the screen for a second while Evan made plans with someone unknown, hoping his boss hadn't noticed his faux pas.

"Stall him huh? Okay."

Kiyo glanced at Evan and nodded. Turning back to the screen he noticed the guy he was supposed to be helping had answered Evan.

"He is hard thats why I need u to tank him. Ur a warrior"

Kiyoshi looked down at his keyboard.

"How?"

The other guy took a moment. "U just hit him like u did b4"

Kiyo thought for a second. "But you want me to tank."

"Yes."

"I wasn't tanking before, I was just hitting stuff."

"Right."

"So how do I tank?"

A few more moments of silence. "U just hit him."

Thus ensued a very long involved argument or discussion about what tanking was and how it might or might not be different from simply walking up to something and bashing it on the head. When that topic wore down Kiyo attempted to form a master two person strategy that involved this so-called tanking and some interesting positioning of his new friend.

In the meantime, he was running out of tactics. He hoped Evan's friend showed up soon.

Evan smiled at Kiyo and the round robin line of questioning that was probably frustrating the hell out of this guy but sounded very genuine. His talk of positioning and tactics was perfect; it had him chuckling quietly as the other 'newbie' dutifully stood where Kiyo told him to stand in order to be ready to 'help'.

He poked his friend gently in the shoulder and pointed behind the big guy that was waiting patiently like a good NPC. Devian had just landed and immediately began casting.

"That's Dev. No doubt there's a mage around here somewhere."

The first few spells landed and the 'npc' began to search around wildly for the person hitting him who was very obviously not the low level warrior. By then it was too late. The warlock's pet was all over him and a multitude of DoT's were steadily killing him. It turned out there was another horde around as well, a rogue had been in hiding in case things with the newbs got out of hand. However, he didn't appear to expect to be roasted with mage spells while trying to shank Dev in the back.

"Nasty thing about a warlock's spells...they just keep on working."

He pointed to the orc fighter who just fell over despite Devian's attention having turned more toward frantically trying to save his own robe wearing skin rather than actually trying to kill the fighter. When the entire showy burst of battle was done the two casters waved to nightelf Kiyoshi.

"So...was I standing in the right position? I'm not sure." Dev typed out. "No, wait. I'm supposed to be standing where you are." The blond human ran over to the mage. "Now you're supposed to stand ninety degrees to my left, closing one eye and hopping on one leg...if you don't do it right then the whole thing's a bust."

Evan looked at Kiyoshi. "I am so glad they take themselves so seriously. It would be hell to have to raid with a bunch of jokers."

Kiyo was glad his stalling antics seemed to amuse Evan. He would admit to having a little bit of fun now that Evan had explained this to him. It wasn't very nice of them, trying to get low level players killed for their own entertainment.

While the fun ensued Kiyo watched while running around in tiny circles. He saw the big red guy go down before he could get very far. He also saw another player pop out of nowhere and halfway fuck up the warlock, Evan's friend Dev. It was short-lived though; Dev got away before dying while someone else lit the second attacker on fire... literally.

After the show was over Kiyo looked around for the guy who had acted as a lure but he appeared to have vanished in the fireworks. Clearly the gig was up and he'd either run off or logged when it became clear that Kiyoshi had friends with big guns. That was a shame; Kiyo was hoping to renew their discussion on tactics.

Fortunately the warlock, Devian, and his mage friend, Tymm (Kiyo laughed at that one... the Magician Tim? Someone watched too much Python), were both more than willing to participate in the planning session. Kiyo boggled as Dev positioned himself and Tymm bounced up and down obligingly in the indicated spot.

"More DoTs! Okay stop DoTs!" the mage said. Kiyoshi didn't understand the reference but it seemed to be some kind of inside joke. He moved over to the two and looked at them. They were decked out in some really cool looking armor.

"Thanks for your help," he said to them.

Turning to Evan Kiyo smiled. "Yeah, they must be really tough to take anywhere."

It must be good to have friends even if they were just in a game. Kiyo waited nearby in case Evan wanted to say anything else to them but it seemed likely that they'd probably just want to go find something else fun.

After a few seconds the mage stopped bouncing and turned to Kiyo. "Do you need help with anything else? Need a port, or some firepower?"

Kiyoshi looked at Evan again, not sure what was being offered.

Evan shook his head at the two guild mates who were chatting amongst themselves about things that would not make sense to anyone but another wow player.

Devian answered Tymm with more from the same youtube video that nearly every warcraft player had seen at some point.

"Now hit it very hard, very fast! Whatever the fuck you do, do not stand next to other people!"

They turned to Kiyoshi and looked at her to see if there was anything that they could help with now that the horde guys were gone.

Evan smiled at Kiyo's remark giving him a long suffering sigh. "Yes, like children. Really dangerous children...so don't tell them I said that."

He looked at his friend and shrugged. "Tymm's wanting to know if you need help or maybe a portal that will take you to other cities. Tell him Evan says a portal to Darnassus and a guild invite wouldn't go amiss." Leaning back in his chair, he explained. "When you get there we can then bind you in the city so its easy to get to nice useful places like the bank, the merchants, the inn... handy civilization type things. We can also pull you out some bags from the guild bank."

Realizing that he had been remiss on his host type duties, he asked. "Would you like anything to drink? I don't have much here other than water but Guillaume probably has something else if you would like me to look." Water was something that Evan was still willing to drink. It might not do a lot for him as a vampire but it still tasted refreshing and pure. He did not feel he was wasting it and nothing died so that he could indulge in a frivolous comfort.

"I am sorry I don't have much to offer in the way of food. I'd let you nibble on me...but that really only works for my kind so I suppose I've got nuthin." He held up his empty hands and shrugged apologetically. He then realized that sounded worse than he had intended. Well, why not add fuel to that fire. "Of course you could still nibble on me if you like. I'd just suggest you not draw blood." Evan grinned widely.

Kiyoshi relayed Evan's message to the friendly mage. He blinked as a pop up box showed up on his screen inviting him to a group. He affirmed it and then clicked the portal the mage cast which would take him to this city Evan approved of where he could... do whatever else it was that Evan wanted him to do. He didn't mind; in fact he appreciated the direction. Kiyo did not enjoy bumbling around in a huge game like this with no clue, and if Evan had tips for him he'd gladly take them.

When Evan offered him something to drink Kiyo shook his head. "Oh no... thanks. I'm okay, really. I got something before I came over, with Tavi." Evan knew he'd been with her from the text.

Evan's next words made him blink at his boss for a moment before the blush was back in full force. Bad enough he had that image in mind, but Evan being sort of cute and flirty just made it that much worse. He was sure the vampire was just being friendly; Evan was like that. He'd made it clear previously that he was attracted to women. The mixed signals, though, had Kiyo feeling completely off balance.

He shook his head. "Oh it's okay, really. I mean I shouldn't have dropped by here unexpectedly. I should have asked before coming."

He blanched at his own words. "Over here."

Oh god, that only made it sound worse. Kiyo stared at Evan for a moment and then dragged his eyes back to the screen, where he typed another thank you to Tymm the Mage with fingers that hit several keys at once, causing him to backspace repeatedly. He was a slow enough typer as it was... now, feeling embarrassed and awkward, he might as well have been bashing his forehead on the keyboard.

He wished he could just sink through the floor and disappear into the club below. There was no way Evan could be comfortable with his presence when Kiyo was being so... inappropriate. He glanced over at his sleeping bag. Maybe he should go to bed and just try again tomorrow night, the whole 'being normal' thing. It really wasn't going well now. He tugged the edges of the blanket closer over his shoulders and tried very hard to disappear but alas, no luck.

Evan watched Kiyo turn a deep shade of red and thought it was really very cute. Then he felt bad for having caused it. He listened to the stammered refusal/apology and bite his lip to keep from chuckling at awkward phrasing that dawned on Kiyo after he said it.

He reached out and took the werewolf by the shoulders. "Its okay." Evan smiled reassuringly. "I'm happy you're here and you are welcome to stay here any time you like." He would just stock some food in the fridge, raw meat as he recalled. They could go down to the kitchens at Terminus and find something. It just wasn't a quick jaunt and he would not want to leave some chef without some food he had plans for.

"Oh, I remember there is...delivery." He had never had a cause to use such a service. "But if you're sure you aren't hungry then we'll just not worry about the nibbling." Evan squeezed Kiyo's shoulders once more to assure him that he was just joking and not going to jump him in his sleep or anything uncivilized before letting him go and sitting back...not that he wouldn't mind the jumping or the nibbling... His eyes lingered on Kiyo a little longer before he finally roused himself to move on to other thoughts.

"I'll be right back then." Evan went out and poured himself a glass of ice cold filtered water and brought back another with him. He set it down out of the way of the keyboard but where Kiyo could reach it. "In case you change your mind."

Sitting back down in the chair, Evan leaned back and pulled the other quilt off the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. It wasn't for the warmth, he didn't really feel very cold, but because it made the chair more comfortable, besides it was cozier this way. It would be even more cozy in his desk chair with Kiyo in his lap... of course that wasn't something he should really be thinking about. Though all the blushing did make him wonder just what was going through Kiyo's mind. Still that was something he would rather be very sure about before acting upon. The werewolf had a good job with them and it sounded like he might need a place to stay; Evan would hate to be too forward and mess those things up for Kiyo by making him feel awkward, or worse, like he was obligated.

Holding onto his water glass with one hand and the blanket with the other, he smiled at Kiyo. "Now, where were we?"

"I'm really all right," Kiyo said sincerely. "Tavi and I had steaks. I won't be hungry for a few hours."

Evan's hands were warm on his shoulders; Kiyoshi could feel them, warm and solid and reassuring. Would he ever be able to handle an awkward situation with such grace? It seemed unlikely, especially when he was forever causing them. As Evan got up and moved away Kiyo slumped in the chair, huffing a little sigh of frustration at himself. Evan's eyes on him had him nervous. What was his boss thinking? He didn't expect anything... after all, Evan was his employer. Anything that might happen, even in Kiyo's wildest fantasies, was bound to be awkward and difficult. He had to figure out how to get a grip on himself or he'd screw up another job - and this time for reasons he couldn't blame on the full moon. Evan's thoughts were probably not on the same thing as Kiyo's anyway. It seemed far likelier that Evan might be wondering how to get Kiyo out of his hair than into his bedroom. More was the pity.

Evan placed a glass of water nearby and Kiyo smiled at him, wondering briefly if he could manage to drown in it and thus avoid further stupid comments. Evan was thoughtful and kind. Kiyo didn't know any other vampires but he could only imagine that Evan was something of an exception among his own kind. Kiyo knew the stories, sure, but he was open-minded. Particularly when he himself did not fit the mold of the typical werewolf.

He appreciated that Evan had broken up the tense atmosphere Kiyo had caused. He turned to Evan and nodded his chin at the computer screen. "We were someplace called Darnassus, is where."

Kiyo reached behind him and gathered his long hair up so he wouldn't continue to sit on it. He twisted it all behind him and tied it in a sloppy knot at the nape of his neck, where it came loose again almost immediately. Ah well, it was out from under him. He turned back to his screen, ready to follow where Evan pointed as he watched the green text of the guild he had joined roll along in front of him. The conversation was light and friendly; it looked like there were a lot of people playing and they all seemed to get along.

Could he belong to a group like this? If he played an online game like this one, would it matter what he was or who he was? If no one really knew him then he could just be part of the crowd and not make any waves.

The idea was appealing. But Kiyoshi liked his life, for the most part... did he want to spend hours on a computer trying to fit in when he couldn't manage it outside of that environment?

Well, it would give him something to think about anyway.

"Ah right, my favorite city." Evan smiled and leaned forward. "Here's the inn keeper. I personally hop up on the bed here and ask her to bind me there so I have a nice comfy place to camp out in." He smiled and shrugged, slightly embarrassed. It was silly really. The character didn't care one way or the other but he minded. Many times his little choices only amused him but he was paying the monthly fee so he could be a closet roleplayer if he wanted to be. "Camping in an inn gives you more rested experience each time you camp out. I suppose the sleep is more restful when you're not worried about something eating your face in the middle of the night." In theory anyway. Evan used to enjoy sleeping outdoors and missed it.

"See the big tree with the animal faces in it?" Evan nodded his head toward the screen. "Around to one side there are people that are the personal bankers and then the vaults off to the side are the guild bank. Tymm or Devian will have to get you some bags out." They had only made him a junior member. He was on Evan's account, which would need to change if he wanted to play, but they didn't know him. "More bag space, more stuff." He was sure Kiyo had played enough games to know all about the inventory shuffle that happened quite often. Do I want this? Really? Is it more important than this other thing I picked up? More space meant going back to sell less often which meant more questing which meant higher levels faster. Bags were wonderful things.

"Welcome to Nocturnal." Evan smiled. "I couldn't resist." He said by way of explanation. "Its actually a very large and well run guild...if I do say so myself." He was only an officer here on WoW but he did run the Nocturnal chapter on Everquest II. The guild started back in ancient times before graphics cards were important and MUDs were the cool nerd past time. "We've become quite the online family."

"That reminds me." Leaning over, he pressed the push to talk while Kiyo was running through Darnassus."Hey Dev, how did your move go?" He turned to Kiyoshi. "Devian moves around a lot. He just moved somewhere new but I haven't been on much lately while Terminus was being readied for opening. " He opened the mic again and asked "Where was it you moved this time?" Evan knew that Dev had problems with his family. The man was pretty private but after years of gaming together it was amazing what things you learned about someone in small snippets of conversation.

"It went alright. I am mostly settled. I'm you neighbor now, you git, I told you that ages ago."

Evan smacked his forehead and looked at Kiyo. "So he did." He pressed the push to talk once more. "You should come by Terminus sometime and have a drink then. Guild mate special."

"What's that? Twice as much?"

"Depends on which bartender you get."

"You know someone....wait a minute..." Evan could see the warlock running along in his brightly coloured robe. He stopped in front of Kiyoshi's character and stared at her for a moment. Evan always thought it was interesting that you could know someone was staring on the other side of a screen somewhere but there were times when it was just obvious.

"Kiyoshi?" Devian jumped up and down excitedly once or twice and then cheered at the nightelf. "I thought that name seemed familiar for some reason. "I apologize for disturbing your peaceful camp out." Evan looked over at his friend sitting next to him. "You know this clown?" At the same time, Devian's voice was heard saying. "Of course I cannot think of anything less peaceful than hanging out with Ahkan. He probably tells jokes in his sleep."

Evan pouted and glanced over at Kiyo. "...Maybe."

Kiyoshi followed Evan's instructions and ran into the inn. It was simple enough to understand the binding thing. He copied Evan's procedure, climbing onto the bed before talking to the innkeeper.

"I guess getting my face eaten off is bad," he said. It wasn't something Kiyo had ever worried about. Normally, he was the one in danger of eating someone's face. He tried not to think about that. The one time he had been threatened when he'd been on his own outside... he swallowed and shook his head slightly.

Running down to the bank he nodded at Evan. Bags were great things in any game, usually. There was never enough room. He did a double take at the guild tag over his head and grinned wryly. "Nocturnal, huh? That's ironic."

The idea of being an online family was sort of appealing. Kiyo thought it must be nice to be able to talk to the same people no matter where you went, to be recognized and welcomed by one community who knew you and didn't expect you to change. He looked on as Evan spoke to Dev again and this time the little nagging feeling in the back of his head spoke up when Dev answered. If he hadn't been busy being star-struck by Evan before Kiyoshi might have recognized it sooner.

It was a little bit different coming through the speakers of Evan's computer but Devian was Greer. Kiyo felt his eyes grow wide and he shook his head slightly as the character came closer. How could it possibly be that small a world? It wasn't that he didn't want to know anyone but it would be hard to see this as an escape of any sort when he was running into Packmates he knew... and would immediately submit to.

Kiyo took a deep breath as he was recognized, as he inevitably must be even in the guise of a cute-assed female night elf. Greer had seemed nice. It would be fine. He couldn't resist looking around on the screen though, just in case any other wolves were lurking about, playing video games.

He leaned forward, hitting the button for the mic and said softly, "Hi Greer. It's okay, it was nice to meet you."

Releasing the button Kiyo looked up at Evan and mumbled, "Yeah I just met him tonight. He's nice."

Pushing the button once more Kiyoshi said, "Uh... I'll let you know."

Then as he released it once more he realized he'd implied he would be sleeping with Evan. He blinked at the mic and then looked at Evan once more, eyes wide. It was one thing to be stupid when they were sitting in Evan's home but another altogether when Kiyo was doing so in front of others... so to speak.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it to sound like that."

He toyed with the edges of the blanket he'd gripped in now-white knuckles. Why couldn't he have said something witty to Greer? Something charming and cute about how lawyers needed their beauty sleep or something? Kiyo did just fine behind the bar at Terminus but when it came to members of his Pack he was a hopeless case. Even the nice ones like Greer and Tavi.

"Last I checked, yes, that was bad." Evan chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Yep, couldn't help myself. There is Bad Moon Rising...if you're feeling the need for some irony but we're better, friendlier, more amazing, more handsome, and much snappier dressers. I might be biased, just a smidge." He held up his fingers to indicate just how minute that amount was.

Evan looked from Kiyoshi to Devian on the screen and back again. Dev apologized to interrupting Kiyo's camping. The werewolf had said some pack mates had been running tonight. Putting two and two together, Devian's life, the bits that he knew, started to make sense.

"Yes, Dev's a good guy...for a warlock." Evan smiled. "Really though, I've known him for a long time and he has always been a good friend. Tymm too, though we've seen him less lately. I think he's gone and gotten a life or something, Traitorous Bastard."

He listened to Kiyo tell Greer that it was nice to meet him and that the interruption was fine. He also answered the question of him talking in his sleep. Evan stared back at Kiyoshi, knowing that the response had not come out the way he had meant it to sound. A small smile slowly formed on his lips and then a little bubble of laughter escaped.

Dev, who had gone silent, finally answered. "I.... see." There as another paused and then. "Ahkan, you scoundrel, I always pictured you as a skirt chaser."

Evan placed a soothing hand on Kiyo's shoulder and smiled, wanting to comfort his extremely shy friend. "Its okay. I don't think Dev is taking it seriously." It was hard to tell; this was one of those times where it would have been nice to see the other person's expression.

Twisting to reach over to the push to talk with his other hand, Evan grinned and winked at Kiyo. "Why? Are you jealous, Dev?"

The wry voice with its crisp accent popped back immediately. "Perhaps, a little." It confessed and then added. "Kiyoshi is quite handsome."

Evan harrumphed softly at being one upped by the Brit and answered truthfully. "So he is. And I chase what is worth chasing."

Dev's tone changed when he replied, becoming quieter and more serious. "Well, I do not know if you are being serious or just having a spot of fun but be good to him." Evan looked over at Kiyo to see what he made of that request. "I would hate to have to duel you."

Squeezing Kiyo's shoulder once more, Evan hit the push to talk. "We are just friends, Dev, but I will keep that in mind." The need to add a witty reply or to say he would win such a duel was lessened by the warlock's serious tone, so rarely heard. He turned to Kiyoshi. "It seems you made a friend."

He slid his hand off the werewolf's shoulder and sat back in the chair. Evan nodded toward the screen as Devian threw up a trade window. Inside it bags began to appear, then a sword and then a shield.

"I know you are just starting and you are on his account. I can make you some armor if you want to continue playing. Alright, I really must go get that sleep I mentioned earlier. Justice waits for no man...or so I've always been told." Dev's character sat down near the bank in Darnassus. "You kids have fun."

Evan took up his water glass again and drank a large swallow. "Shiny." He commented on the items. "Shall we try to get you back to the newbie area in one piece?"

Kiyo was relieved when Evan laughed at his words. Lucky for him Evan was that sort of person... friendly, kind, not particularly given to taking offense at slight provocations that Kiyo had noticed. he breathed a little sigh of relief which was tempered by Greer's response on the other end of the mic.

He went a little pale when Evan said he didn't think the other man was taking it seriously. What if he was? There were plenty of people who would have a negative opinion about two guys having sleepovers. He should really watch his mouth - he could inadvertently bring a world of hurt down on Evan and that would be a cruel way to repay him for all of his kindness.

Evan's hand upon his shoulder was reassuring, and the vampire did not look particularly upset, although Kiyo wasn't sure he'd ever seen it to know it.

Evan joked back at Greer and Kiyo felt himself turning a deep shade of red when his looks came into question. Now he was pretty sure they were screwing with him. maybe. Greer sounded quite serious but Kiyo didn't know him well yet. It could just be how he was.

He didn't know if he could get any brighter when Evan agreed and implied Kiyo was worth chasing. He was so confused. Evan was still just being nice, right? Or was Kiyoshi mistaken? He had no idea. It would be good.. very good... to be thought handsome by his boss. His boss... it seemed like too much to contemplate for the time being so he closed his eyes briefly and tried to make the redness go away, a feat that wasn't easy when Evan's hand was burning a hole through the blanket covering his shoulder. He unconsciously leaned toward Evan as his hand fell away, then righted himself as he opened his eyes.

"We only just met," he mumbled. "He was nice though." How could they be friends if they'd met two hours ago? The thought was a good one, however. Kiyo wouldn't have minded having a friend like the handsome, intelligent, funny Greer. People like him didn't generally hang out with people like Kiyo though. Kiyo still wasn't sure why Evan hadn't managed to find something else to go do. he was just too polite, likely. He stifled a little sigh at being labeled a friend by Evan, though... polite or not, Kiyo was happy to be categorized as such. Unreasonably so, when it was Evan doing the labeling.

Finally they moved away from him as a topic of conversation and back to the more neutral ground of gaming. Kiyo accepted the items Greer passed to him and thanked him. "Good night Dev," he said, using Greer's character name. "Thanks again."

Kiyo turned back to Evan, raising his eyes to him and then looking quickly back to the screen. "Whatever you think best."

He followed Evan's directions out of the city, following the road indicated. His thoughts were whirling while he did and several times he blundered into creatures that did, indeed, want to eat his face. He managed to get away by running, however, and soon found himself back in safer territory.

The entire time he was very conscious of Evan next to him. Kiyo wasn't sure how to handle that; best just to let the whole crush thing go. He'd be grateful for a friend. Now if only he could stop turning red whenever he became the object of Evan's attention for more than thirty seconds.