Someone Like You (Briana)

Corvin ordered a drink the second he stepped foot in the bar. The music pumped a bit obnoxiously and his head hurt enough from work and dealing with his annoyed sisters. As the drink was slid into his hand he took a sip of the bitter liquid, these cold nights got lonlier he surmised as he watched a couple. It had been to long since he'd had anyone to love.

Walking out of one of Chase's favorite book shops with a small stack of new books for her to read when she was feeling better, Briana opted to stop for a small drink. Anything to help her take her mind off everything that had happened in the past six months. First the loss of her love and now her daughter damn near death at St. Mungo's The only bright spot to the whole mess was that Chase was alive and in the hands of the best healers know to wizard-kind.

Slipping into the pub, Briana ordered a cup of tea, something she ordered enough time that the barkeep knew exactly how make it to suit her taste. Taking the steaming cup, she made her way past a small group of men that had their eyes on her the moment she walked in. Walking back, she jumped with one slapped her ass. Turning her brilliant eyes on the men, one dared to ask, "See something you like, lovely?" Disgusted, Briana simply turned to continue heading towards the table she selected as nothing she said was going to matter to the likes of them, and she didn't really feel like destroying the men, even though she was perfectly capable of doing so. Before she could get far, a hard hand grasped her wrist firmly and yanked her closer, making her drop her cup of tea, shattering the cup. "Let me go..." she growled at the man, as her nose was filled with the hard smell of the liquor that hung on him. "Not without a taste, gorgeous," he said before copping a feel of her chest and attempting to kiss her lips.

At the sound of shattering glass Corvin turned in his seat, looking at the barkeep he said "I got this.." the man nodded knowing his regular patron was a auror and one of the best. Getting to his feet he walked over to the man holding a woman captive. "Let her go" he said his voice dark his eyes hard, Corvin was one of those men who could light up the room with his smile but in this moment he could have set the man on fire. "She's mine mate go fekk yaself" he said "Well i asked nicely" corvin grabbed the man's wrist connected to the hand gripped the woman's breast roughly and the sounds of bones being crushed echoed over the music. Screaming in pain he let her go and with a mighty through he whipped him out the front door.

Looking up as another voice joined the group, she glanced back at the one holding her against her will. When he refused after the new man told him to let her go, Briana nearly resolved to take care of him herself, but her savior seemed to have other ideas. As the crunch of bones breaking filled the general area, the hand holding her released and the man cried out in intense pain. Stepping back and rubbing the wrist that had been held, her bright eyes watched at the man was flung like he was nothing from the pub. Letting her senses reach out to this new man, she noticed something odd about him. She couldn't pick up on a pulse, which wasn't anything new in a place like this, but his scent... It was different.... But, how, she couldn't put her finger on. He was strong, that was for damn sure!

"What the fuck, man!" one of the others said, getting to his feet and pulling a dagger from his belt. "If she would just give him what he wanted, there would be no trouble..." he sneered at Briana, who narrowed her cold eyes at him.

Corvin's lip curled "a woman shouldn't have to see to the needs of a man" the man lept at him the knife sinking into his shoulder. his face screwed up in pain "Well you could have lived a little longer" he said with a half grin. Knife still in his shoulder he grabbed the man by his throat, "Apologize to the lady for your words and your friends actions" he growled.

Jumping at the attack, the smell of the man's blood gently touched Briana's nose, and again, just like with his scent, something was off in the aroma of it. His words about women caught her attention some how. It was nice to hear things like that once and while. With a loud gasp, the man struggled to free his throat from the man's grip. "Why should I?" he growled back, "She's just a woman.... Something for men to enjoy..." At his words, a low growl rumbled in Briana's chest. At this moment, she would have given up her 'vegetarian' ways and drained him dry, but the man before her seemed to have it handled.

Throwing a lower punch into the man's gut he flew out the door blood spitting from his lips as he went. "I fucking hate scum" he growled under his breath. Turning to the blonde he said "Are you alright?" pulling the knife from his shoulder he flexed a pit and put a napkin over it.

Just like the one before, this man sent the second one flying out of the pub. The other two didn't waste any time, and quickly removed themselves from the pub before the man could. When he turned to her, asking how she was, Briana nodded to him. "I'm fine. Thank you... You didn't need to do that," she said glancing at her wrist that was bruising from the man's hold on it. Raising her bright eyes to him, she managed a small smile which quickly changed to a wince as he removed the blade and put a napkin to the wound to stem the flow of blood. "I should ask you the same. Are you alright?" she asked, tipping her head at his shoulder.

He smiled at her his eyes turning a lighter shadow blue "nah i'm fine i've had worse from work" pulling his wand from his hip sheath he repaired the cup and the mess. "can i join you?"

"Ummmmm..... Sure. If you like," Briana said, putting her hand under the newly repaired teacup and taking it. As his eyes lightened, she found them nearly memorizing. Motioning for him to follow, she moved to one of the tables in the back near the fireplace. "Yaxley. I'm Briana Yaxley," she said sitting down and setting both the books and the cup of tea on the table. "What do you do, Sir, that you've had worse?" she asked, putting her hand around the cup of hot tea.

"Valkyrie, Corvinus Valkyrie" he said sitting down "I'm an auror i get tossed through windows and cursed into oblivion day to day. Not exagerating really" he said as the barkeep brough him a beer "thanks for taking care of them Valk" the old man said, smiling at the barkeep he shook his head "its no problem mate, you know i'll lalways step in" he pat the man's hand as he left. Taking the beer he drank a sip of it feeling releif.

"Corvinus... It's a pleasure," Briana said, letting his name roll around in her mind. "That would explain how you took care of those men without a second thought. Thank you again," she said taking a sip of her tea as the barkeep came over and the two men discussed the situation that Corvinus had just taken care of for them. "Sorry about that, Professor," he said with a tip of his head. "It's quite alright. No harm, no foul," Briana said, giving him a tender smile.

"Professor!" he said with a laugh "thats where i know your name from you have a daughter and you teach at hogwarts" he sipped at his beer as the man left "I have two sisters well girls i raise and call them my sisters there twins. Soray and Cinna Valkyrie, first years"

"Well, you certainly know a fair amount about me," Briana mused as the man across from her told how he knows about her. "Soraya and Cinnia.... Yes! I know them! Great girls, both of them. Though, Soraya tends to be a little more, how would you say, less focused then her sister. But, both are wonderful to have in class," she told him with a light laugh. "How do you know of me and my daughter?" Briana asked tipping her head and holding her cup to her lips.

He nodded rolling his eyes "when i got the owl saying she was a ravenclaw i owled back saying are you sure?" he laughed "shes always been all play and no work" at her question his face drew a bit "I met her briefly, when I found her after the hunters got her.." he said his expression soft but his eyes lit with the memory. "She talked to me while i held her, kept telling me she needed her mum before she succumbed."

Briana slowly lowered her cup, resting her arms on the table. He had been there that day, had cared for her baby. She had wanted her. Chase knew her end was near in that moment, but he cared for her when Briana couldn't. The same monsters that took her fiance... Dropping her eyes, she flexed her jaw a few times before speaking. "You brought her to St. Mungo's?" she asked, raising them to him, immense pain filling them. As the firelight danced across her face, a light kiss of circles under her eyes could be seen. She hadn't been sleeping much, nor feeding properly since Chase had become a victim of their violence. "Thank you for caring for her," Briana said softly.

Reaching across the table he gripped her hand gently "your a wonderful mom, i can tell you've been doing your best given the situatuion" he said softly "i'm going to find them, they wont hurt anyone else" he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb a small serious yet comforting smile.

Giving his hand a small squeeze, she managed a small smile. "Thank you, Corvinus. I do what I can, but let's just say, it hasn't been easy. I try my best to be the best mother I can be for her," she said fondly, thinking of her little girl broken and powerless in St. Mungo's and her helpless to help her. "Are there many Aurors that hunt them as you do?" she asked, feeling his gentle touch on the back of her hand. The gesture was simple, but comforting, something she's not felt in a long while.

"Well...theres no one else like me in the ranks of the aurors" he confessed "though i can see you havent figured it out yet" he winked playfully at her and ordered them some wine. Pouring two glasses he slid one to her "your rather new arent you?"

...you haven't figured it out yet... His wink as well as what he said made Briana pause. Her brow furrowed as she thought about what he meant. There weren't others like him on the force, his scent being different, his blood smelling different, his...lack of a pulse? Briana's eyes lit up as she figured it out when he mentioned that she was new. "You're.... You're a vampire...." she whispered, leaning in slightly. Other than her mother and a small handful of others, it wasn't everyday that Briana came across others like herself.

Sipping at his wine he nodded "As are you" he grinned brightly at her "though i'd guess you've been one for only fifteen years or so, i've been one far longer.." he drank more of his wine refilling his cup "i can tell by your scent your vegetarian, that lifestyle never really worked for me"

Briana was stunned. He had picked up on so much in such a short time. Nodding, she picked up the glass of wine he had poured her and drank. "16 years this fall," Briana confirmed. She couldn't believe it had been so long already. Granted, 16 years to an immortal was nothing. As he said, she was pretty new. "I've just have too much love for humanity to feed freely on humans," Briana explained. "Though...there are times when I wish it wasn't so," she added, glancing at the dark marks on her wrist and thinking about the dark circles under her eyes. If he fed on humans, neither marks would mar her porcelain skin. "You say you are older. How much?" she asked.

"Five hundred fifty two years old" he said she was beautiful and seeing the burises on her slim wrists made his jaw tighten a bit. "I've been around awhile my sisters always say i'm collecting dust"

He was certainly older than she was, but not nearly as old as her mother. His comment about his sisters made Briana laugh lightly. She could just imagine both of them saying something like that about him. She was glad that Chase never said anything quite like that, however, she wouldn't put it past her. "There are days that the years seem to just fly by, and others that seem to take their ow eternity," she said pausing to think to herself that this year was one of those slow years. "Forgive me for being unable to pick you out right off," she said, feeling what could have been a blush form in her cheeks that only warmed all the further when she let her eyes linger on his handsome face for several moments. Briana would have thought that by now, she would be able to pick one like her out of a croud in a heartbeat...

Levelling her with his charming smile he shrugged "it takes centuries of practice to do you'll figure it out." he released her hand instantly missing how it felt to hold it. A little flustered he looked down at his drink "When you head home may i walk you? i know you can handle yourself but just call me old fashioned"