[Open] A Night On the Town.....

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel watched Katelyn trace her glass as she spoke, “I know that it would have been such an honor to know such a man like him.” Nate bit back a laugh thinking, 'You have no idea.' Just as that thought crossed through his mind Katelyn turned to look at him. She seemed to study his eyes as if she were trying to figure them out. He was just about to mention contacts when Katelyn asked if he would like to leave. Nate was slightly taken back because it was out of character for the women he knew to be so forward. Nate also recognized that it took a certain amount of confidence for Katelyn to put herself out like that. It also caused a smile to grace Nathaniel’s face at the realization that she trusted him enough to leave a club with him.

Nate bowed his head to Katelyn with his smile still in place and held out his arm, “It would be an honor m’lady.” At that point Nate knew that he was laying it on a little thick but he did so with a small laugh knowing that Katelyn would see it as a joke. “Perhaps we could walk around town, it seems like a beautiful night.”

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn laughed and took his arm. It was nice to see a man that had some sense of respect for girls, even if he was doing so in somewhat of a joking manner. That also showed he had a sense of humor, which Katelyn greatly appreciated. Humor was one thing she really enjoyed. "Walking around town sounds like a perfect thing to do," she said happily. "I'm not one for crowds anyways, they make me kind of nervous if I'm too crowded." Her last comment made her laugh a little at the irony since she was used to performing in front of large crowds on a regular basis. It was standing in crowds that made her angsty.

As they walked out of the club, Katelyn looked up at the night sky where the stars were just beginning to twinkle through the black sky. "Don't you just love when the stars are visible through the black of the night?" she asked, looking at Nate. Katelyn thought about all the starless nights she had gone through earlier in the last year, especially after Josiah died. He had been one of her closest friends and a drunk driver killed him. Josiah had been totally sober and he was the one who died. That made no sense to Katleyn, but now, over a year later, she was actually finding peace with that.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

In his human life if a woman like Kate had taken his arm Nathaniel’s heart would have beat out of his chest. As it were Nathaniel’s smile grew slightly as they left the bar. "I'm not one for crowds anyways, they make me kind of nervous if I'm too crowded." He looked down and grinned at Kate with the carefree attitude, “I would be more then glad to protect you from the raging crowds.” Nathaniel knew however that those words carried far more weight then Katelyn would ever realize.

Nate smiled as Katelyn’s focus seemed to turn to the heaven’s above. "Don't you just love when the stars are visible through the black of the night?” After she asked her question Kate turned to look at Nathaniel. He knew that he was probably being seen as rude when he did not immediately respond but Nate was caught up in reflecting on Kate’s history. ‘Too much sadness for such a short life.’ Nate thought to himself. It was clear that Kate's two friends that he had met before were the rocks in her life, and he was glad to see those bright places in Katelyn's life. He finally glanced at Katelyn and looked up to the sky as they walked along. A grin crept along his face as he meant each word he spoke, “I think they are the best paintings that anyone could offer.”

[Katelyn Taylor]

Hearing that Nate would protect her from the crowds definitely caught her attention and she had no idea how to verbally respond to something like that. No guy had ever taken so much as the time of day to treat her how a lady should be treated. It was always some jerk that wanted her strictly for her looks. But Nate, he was different. Katelyn could sense that. He is unlike any man I have ever met, she thought to herself. Usually guys as attractive as him end up being mindless jerks with an agenda, but he seems genuine. That was a first for Katelyn. Never before had she ever thought that about any guy she knew.

As they walked out onto the streets of Port Angeles, she looked back at him and smiled for his comment on the sky. He spoke truth; there was no better painting in her mind than the night sky. The heavens above made it just for them. "When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me that God finger painted the sky each night," she said quietly. "He said that each star was for a little girl like me, special and unique." After the words left her mouth, she immediately had no idea why she said that since she had known Nate for all of a few days. But, somehow it felt right. That was something else that utterly confused her, but she decided that it was too late to take anything back now.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel was sure that it would be close to heaven what he was experiencing right now. He had the honor of escorting a beautiful woman through the town. The only problem is the desire that was nagging at Nate to drink her blood. ‘Oh besides wanting to kill her we have no problems.’ Nathaniel snorted inside of his mind as that thought passed through his mind. Nathaniel knew though that he would never drink her blood, it would go against everything that he believed for his entire life.

Nathaniel smiled as Kate shared an obviously special memory from her childhood. Nate looked over at Katelyn and smiled. He watched her for a moment then Nate looked back to the stars, “I believe that tale.” They were passing a blooming bush, Nate plucked one of the flowers. He held it out to Katelyn and a grin on his face, “The only problem with that idea is there would be only one star in the sky. I do not believe there is another person like you in this world.”

[Katelyn Taylor]

Seeing the flower Nathaniel held out for her made Katelyn blush even more. Brushing back a whisp of her blonde hair behind her ear, she reached out for the flower. "You really do know how to make a girl blush," she said, almost laughing. When her hand grazed his, she almost jerked. His hand was freezing, like an icicle. Looking back at him, she laughed and said, "You must be really cold natured. Your hands are like ice." She reached out and gently took the flower from his hand, placing it in her hair gently.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel spoke with a small grin on his face as Katelyn reached for the flower, “I apologize Kate that was not my intention.” He was once again fighting back the burning that was beginning in the back of his throat. Nate was thankful that he had eaten not long ago, otherwise this would turn into a horrible situation on both ends. Distraction came as Katelyn commented on how cold his hands were. Nathaniel had spoken the lie so often the last four hundred years that is was one of the only lies that came naturally to him, “I hear that often. My mother after we moved to the states used to joke and say that I carried Britian’s winter with me always. That way I could never become homesick.” Nate shrugged and laughed a little, “I know that it is not true but it is one of the few things I can remember about her.” That at least could be accounted as the truth, Nate could hardly remember what his mother looked like. He remebered at the least that he had been loved as a child and his parents had cared about him.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn smiled at his explanation for his cold hands. "Is your mother no longer around?" she asked, looking into those golden eyes once more. Each time she looked into them, she somehow seemed to grow used to them, like they were as natural as her own blue ones. That was when she realized how insensitive her question was. "Oh god, I'm so sorry...that question was really inappropriate. I tend to just blurt things out when I don't really mean to," she quickly apologized, blushing again at her own stupidity. Great going there Kate...just great, she mentally bashed herself. "I also tend to babble on...it's this habit that I have and it's really hard to stop once I've started...so, I'm just going to shut up now before my mouth gets me into anymore trouble than it already has." Katelyn was almost certain that her face was many, many shades of crimson by then so she shut her mouth while she was semi-ahead on that front.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel nodded as Katelyn asked about his mother. Before he could have a chance to speak his response Kate rushed into an apology. Katelyn in her blurting apology she also mentioned that she tended to blurt things out. Nate swallowed down laughter as Katelyn finished speaking it would be rude of him to make Katelyn feel anymore flustered then she obviously felt. ‘Damn yourself Nathaniel Pierce!’ Nathaniel cursed himself inside his mind as he was once again focused on her blushing face. As a gentlemen Nathaniel’s job at the present was to make sure that Katelyn was no longer embarrassed. “It is alright you are only curious. I take no offense to your asking about it. My mother and father passed away in a car accident when I was eighteen. It was not long after graduation so it put off college for that first semester. Besides I find your speech endearing.”

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn smiled again at the thought that her speech was "endearing" to Nathaniel. No one had ever told her that before, not even anyone as close to her as her parents or friends. It was single-handedly the sweetest thing she had ever heard. "That has to be a horrible thing to go through at that point in your life," she said, thinking of if she were to lose either of her parents at her age. "I know that when I lost my friend Josiah, it was hard to put my life back together again." Thinking of Josiah was hard on Katelyn. He had been like her twin brother from another family.

Walking a little ways further, Katelyn decided that it was time to talk about Josiah to someone. "You see, I used to be a pretty bad party girl...one of the worst in fact," she began slowly. "My friends would have to come get me and hide it from my parents while I sobered up. That all changed the night my friend Josiah died. We had been hanging out at my house with some of our friends, no alcohol involved at all, and it was time for him to go home. I kept begging him to stay because I had a bad feeling about something and could not put my finger on it." Katelyn stopped and sighed for a moment, unsure of how to say what she wanted. Ultimately, she decided just to say it. "Josiah left my house and got about a mile away when his car was hit head-on by a drunk driver. It killed him instantly and left the driver of the other car with minor injuries. The guy got a year jail time and five years probation...petty change and a slap on the wrist for killing my friend." Katelyn stopped and folded her hands, scared of how Nathaniel would react since it was a lot to dump on someone after only knowing them for a short time.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel patiently listened as Katelyn related herself to Nate. He took in a sharp but albeit unnecessary breath as Katelyn told the heartbreaking story about her friend Josiah. Some how there was a piece of Nate that was not surprised as Kate spoke about her past. He was proud though that she was able to put that life behind her but he was upset that it took something like Josiah’s death to change it. He could also tell that Katelyn depended greatly on her friends and from their previous encounter Nathaniel knew that Lucy and Kenzie were nice enough. Nate was also thankful that Katelyn had those two young women in her life to keep her together.

After Katelyn finished telling her story to Nate he pulled her gently to a stop. For a moment he was unsure of what to say to Katelyn which was a rarity especially since he had been speaking over four hundred years. “I wish with all of my being that your friend could come back. I am sure that because he was friends with you he was a good man. He did not deserve the end that he received.” Nate let go of Katelyn’s arm for a moment and before he stopped himself Nathaniel put a chilled hand on the side of her face. He brushed his thumb along her cheek bone.

Nate sighed and was slightly unfocused as he spoke, “You are too young to know that kind of sadness; I wish you every happiness in this world if it would take away that pain. Unfortunately I know the pain you feel and it takes more than happy memories to ease the passing of a friend.” Nathaniel sighed and dropped his hand from Katelyn’s face and he nodded back the way that they had come, “I think that we should probably get you home soon. I apologize for keeping you out so late.” Nathaniel held his arm out to escort Kate back to her car, “Would you allow me to escort you back?”

[Katelyn Taylor]

Feeling Nate's hand on the side of her face sent chills down Katelyn's spine; althought, not because his hand was cold. This was the first time any guy had ever touched her like this-with such gentleness and tenderness. At first, Katelyn was unsure of how to react since this had never happened before, but eventually her nerves settled down and she grew to enjoy the touch. His voice and words were comforting to the pain she felt from speaking about Josiah for the first time in a while. However, he dropped his hand all too soon. And the thought of separating from him for the night was becoming something she did not wish to face.

Katelyn took his arm and smiled. "How about we go somewhere we can sit for a while?" she asked, hoping he would say yes. "My parents aren't expecting me home until two since it is a weekend and it's only after ten right now." For the first time in a while, she was glad her curfew was at two in the morning on weekends. She wanted to get to know Nate a little better since he seemed so...intriguing to her.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

“What if we went to the park?” asked Nathaniel as they began walking back. “It would do no good for you to get in trouble.” Nathaniel was quiet for a few moment as he reflected over what he had seen in Katelyn’s life. There were a lot of things packed into seventeen years of life. He gathered easily that the most important things in her life were her friends, family, and dancing. It was a benefit that he was able to see what had happened in Katelyn’s life, but as it was he had to pretend that he knew nothing. That was the only disadvantage to speaking with a human that could not know what his gift was. “You mentioned your parents and friends a few moments ago, why don’t you tell me about them?”