Huston we have a problem (Nowe)

Since leaving the house of the dean, Freya life had headed in a downward spiral that no one could have ever predicted. While her first intention was to end up in the sewers someplace safe away from the hounds of hell, she had actually found herself in the middle of a rave. It was not the sort of setting that anyone who was feeling messed up in the head should have been at, but once she got her barrings the fae welcomed it with open arms.

It did not matter to anyone that she had no shirt or looked a mess, the fae was instantly welcome into the party and though still not feeling well she jumped into the scene head first. It started with ecstasy and from there it just turned into whatever she could get her hands on. She was able to get new clothes as her life was slowly consumed by the numbing sounds of music and the high intoxicating feeling of drugs and alcohol.

She wasn't sure how long she had traveled with this possy of people, going from one location to the next, partying until people could no longer stand, and then crashing at someone's loft before doing it all again.

Freya was no longer worried about what was going on anywhere as the party life took her over like a bad habit. It was a scene she swore she would never go back to but now it consumed her.

This evening the party promised to be somewhere special and because she was already intoxicated when they arrived she had no idea her party scene had taken her back to the one place she never wanted to be again... The school campus, the catacombs to be exact.

Before arriving here this evening the fae had taken well whatever people were handing out, ecstasy, Xanax, vicodin, and a number of other perscription type pills. She popped them like they were her favorite candy and when they got to the new location of the dance, the fae wasted no time and started drinking to add to the already dangerous concoction of pills sitting in her stomach.

She had not a care in the world as the music started to play and she joined the masses out on the makeshift dance floor. She felt... Well she felt nothing, numb mostly as she continued to dance and take what people were passing around. No one there cared if they were breaking any rules, because well they were all to high or to drunk to really give a damn.

That was probably why no one noticed when one of the school guards came in on their little party. The wolf didn't stay long though because it went to call for backup as the party continued.

With everything else that had been going on recently, the last thing Nowe wanted to hear about was a rave on campus. But the start of this school term seemed to be full of bad news and everything he didn't want to happen to start happening. Fae threatening Evelyn, hellhounds loose in the city, not to mention a new guard (she seemed nice enough, however, and didn't do much without consulting him or Evelyn first so she wasn't a big problem, just new and unfamiliar), plus that angel student that seemed to enjoy following him around to be irritating and now a rave? What next? Was the earth going to open up and swallow the damned school whole? Though he had to admit, he wasn't sure if that would be good or bad all things considered. If it happened, it meant he wouldn't have to deal with things like hellhounds and raves. So when Claire called him she'd first get an earful of colorful German and Italian swearing. "Stay close. I'll bring more reinforcements to break things up and send the little hellions back where they came from. Or to jail. Might be interesting to call the authorities on them." But Evelyn wouldn't want the publicity of a rave on her prestigious campus so he wouldn't call them without her say-so but he was tempted to call and ask her about it. He already knew the answer, however, so he merely contacted a couple individuals he knew would be useful in sending the party-goers on their way and set out for the location Claire had given him.

Not many people noticed him as he slipped into the rave and weaved his way through the crowd to where they had the DJ set up. He waited until he noticed the rest of his reinforcements in place and quite literally tossed the DJ from his little stage and pulled the plug on the music. The lack of music earned him the attention of several people but as he tapped on a microphone to make sure he hadn't killed that too, more people were starting to look his way. "You have thirty seconds to start clearing out of here before my associates and I start forcibly removing you. If you're not all out of this area and off campus in ten minutes we will call the authorities after we've taken care of the bodies. Do I make myself clear?" He questioned, glowering at the group and making very sure they knew he was a vampire, his backup was doing the same, some were Fae in their rather intimidating true forms, others vampires like himself and one or two werewolves besides Claire. The threat of death or the cops being called, even to someone that was high on drugs, was usually enough to send them scurrying for the nearest exit.

For those that were a little slow to move, a vampire with fangs bared and a weapon suddenly in his hand leaping toward them out of the DJ's box was the kick they needed and he smirked to himself as there was a mass exodus into the tunnels and toward the exits. A few of those that enjoyed tormenting hapless students when they got the chance gave chase to a few of the stragglers. The rest stayed behind to help sort out the foolish few that either didn't care enough to leave or those that were already passed out. But there was one in particular that caught his attention. Though the room was filled with scents and it was hard to distinguish, the description was spot on and he had caught a trace of the familiar scent that Evelyn had set him after not that long ago. He was, admittedly, somewhat surprised to find her at a rave but it also made a certain sort of sense. If she was some crazy hopped up on drugs why wouldn't she give Evelyn Hell? With the situation under control, he waved off the professor that had begun to approach his quarry and instead headed in her direction himself. "You are a hard to find." He told her, moving closer, wary for if she made any move to teleport away from him. He wasn't sure how the charm he'd gotten from a witch associate of his worked. He'd just be told it had to be near the one whose powers he wanted blocked but he wasn't sure how near he needed to be. Not that it mattered, if his sense of smell was anything to go by this one wasn't a condition to do much of anything. "I'm going to need you to come with me. The Dean wishes to speak with you." Though the drunk girl in front of him might not notice it, it was clear from his tone she wasn't going anywhere if he didn't want her to. And if she didn't cooperate there would be a price to pay.

Freya's mind was lost at this time, the music consumed her body as well as her mind and she was swaying to the music that echoed in these hallowed halls. It was intoxicating the way the crowds body moved together, and it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion as the drugs and alcohol mixed together in her body creating a high like she had never felt before. No one noticed, or rather no one cared when more people came into the party, just figuring that word had gotten out and it was more people to join them.

As the music shut off, Freya's mind continued to play the beat, it did to many others as well. They kept dancing until the sounds of screams filled the air, which brought a bit of sobriety to the fae, but not enough to actually get a move on. She just laughed really as people went running past her trying to get to get out because of words that were spoken but she didn't exactly listen to.

She was rounded up with some of the other stragglers and told to stay put, shoved to the floor even, where she didn't stay seated long. Screw this, she was not about to listen to what anyone had to say. She walked over to where they had the beer where she picked up another can, and was there that she was approached by someone who looked familiar, but she didn't really care. "Not that hard apparently." She spoke before taking a drink from the can she had picked up.

Turning, and stumbling a bit, Freya laughed a bit. "You.." She paused as she braced herself on a wall. "You can tell that bitch she can.. Freya stopped again to burp and it took her a moment to collect her thoughts again. What was she talking about... oh yes the dean. "That bitch can kiss my ass." She took another sip of the beer and started to walk back towards the group that she was wrangled up with. She wasn't ready to leave yet.

Oh great, she was going to be snotty. Why did people always want to be snotty smartasses when he needed to take them in? Just once he'd like to have someone actually be afraid of him and give up without a fight. But the ones he was sent after were usually not the type to be afraid of much of anything. It was irritating, but it was also part of his job. He was used to it. "Just what I need, a smartass." He muttered to himself. He didn't really want to hurt her. In his opinion, as drunk as she seemed to be, it wouldn't be quite fair. But if she was insistent on being uncooperative he'd do what was necessary. When she started walking (more like stumbling actually) away, he rolled his eyes and stepped after her. "Come with me and you can tell her yourself. If you don't want to come willingly I can always force the issue." He told her, reaching for her arm to stop her from moving. He wrinkled his nose at the stench of drugs and alcohol tainting her blood and mentally reminded himself that he really couldn't kill her if she puked on his shoes.

"Look, if I had my way you wouldn't still be standing here. You'd be buried somewhere no one would ever find your body and I'd be done with this mess. But Evelyn wants you brought to her and to her you're going to go. If I have to knock you out and tie your ass up I'd be glad to." He added, hoping the charm he wore would actually work and prevent her from teleporting. At least he was close enough he could probably get a hold of her before she did. At least he hoped he could. He wasn't really interested in continuing this game of cat and mouse any longer than necessary. If he could get rid of Freya, that was just one less thing he had to worry about.

Freya made a face as he called her a smart ass, she could be a lot worse then she was being right now, she would say she was being civil at this point. Freya just waved it off, he could think what he wanted about her she didn't care, caring would kill her high and she wasn't about that. "Piss off." She spoke before taking a sip of her beer and it was about then that he touched her. The felines eyes went narrow as she looked at him and a deep growl vibrated through her throat. She turned... stumbled and pointed to him "Don't touch me you freak." She growled, she didn't like people she didn't know touching her. Sure she knew who he was but she didn't know him know him.

Then she started laughing as he spoke about having things his way, and her being buried some place where no one would find her. "Well, this isn't Burger King and you can't have it your way so..." She brought her hand up and flicked him off before she started walking away again. She wasn't about to do anything the male vampire wanted, or for that fact what the dean wanted either. She had freed herself from that bitch by revealing her secret and well now she was soaking her wounds the only way she knew how. Drugs and alcohol.

Once she made it back over to one of her friends she was slipped another pill, which she popped into her mouth and chased it down with a sip of beer. "Lets go." She spoke as she patted her friends shoulder and then pointed towards the exit. This party was over anyways so there was no need to stick around, she could care less if these people had other plans in mind.

Linking her arm with the fellow raver, Freya began to walk towards the entrance from which they had come in. Maybe they could find someplace else to go and party, hit the clubs.. something. There was no need to kill the high she had going on worry about anyone else but herself, because well it was just herself now.

She. Was. Irritating. And Nowe understood why Evelyn hated the woman. Not that he doubted the level of anger Evelyn had felt toward Freya but now he understood it better. But he was also aware that considering the stress he was under it was no surprise she was able to irritate him so easily. He was already on edge and it made him grumpy. So when she turned to walk out with a friend, he let himself vent some of his frustration and moved with the quickness of being a vampire to catch her and put an end to their stupid little game. "I am done playing games." Was all he said before he hit her hard on the back of the neck, at just the right point to render her unconscious. He didn't much care what the other girl did as he motioned a nearby vampire over. "Find something to tie her up with and make sure that she's tied securely." He instructed, turning the the rest of the group gathered and watched over by the remainder of those that had come to break up the rave. "Get them out of here and off campus, I don't care what you do with them as long as they all wake up come morning." He told them and waved them off to be disposed of as needed.

When he turned back to Freya, the vampire had tied her up securely and Nowe crouched down to get a good look at her face while the vampire he'd given the orders to hovered uncertainly nearby. "I did warn her." He commented, more to himself than to the vampire who nodded. Aye. You did sir. But...sir... Nowe flashed the much younger vampire a dangerous look. "My purpose for seeking this one out is none of your concern. Now go, help the others disperse the rest of this crowd. I'll deal with the girl." And off the young vamp skittered to do as Nowe ordered. And Nowe mentally made a note to have a chat with the vampire about calling him 'sir' in the future. But that could wait, right now, he had one gift wrapped Fae to deliver to the dean.

-- Time Lapse --

It wasn't long before Nowe had Freya hauled out of the catacombs and across campus to Evelyn's home, unknowing of the dangerous concoction of drugs and alcohol in her system though he was aware of the way her heartbeat changed. He was, however, only slightly concerned about it. He saw no reason to care if she died because of what she'd taken. The only reason he was even concerned at all and hadn't just killed her now that he had the opportunity was because Evelyn wanted her alive.

And alive was exactly how she arrived on Evelyn's doorstep, albeit still unconscious from Nowe's strike. But for how much longer he couldn't say. Her heartbeat was erratic and faint and he wondered what sort of poison or drug she might have taken that could actually kill her. Most fae he knew couldn't die of a simple overdose. But then, he didn't know what sort of fae Freya was. She could be more mortal than others for all he knew. He had no idea, nor desire, to try and save her but he did knock urgently on Evelyn's door to alert her to his presence before letting himself and his captive inside.

The blow to the back of the head was all that it took to silence the fae. She fell to the ground like a ton of bricks which couldn't have come at the worst possible time. Just moment before she was hit, she was turning to tell her friend that she didn't feel so good. The pills had mixed in her stomach causing her to get some blurry vision and she really needed to throw up but that wouldn't happen now with her hitting the floor.

The fae's friend tried to explain to the vampires that Freya needed to be woke back up that something was wrong but no one listened to the girl. Instead the girl's mouth was muffled as she was pulled away and they saw to tying Freya up. The worst thing they could have done was gagged the girl's mouth to prevent her from talking again when she woke up. Naturally they thought that the girl would wake up in no time as a blow to the back of the head like that normally knocked people out for minutes at best.

-time lapse-

Even after being thrown over the vampire's shoulder and carried out of the catacombs, the fae remained unconscious and her body had processed more of the deadly concoction of pills and alcohol that she had taken. The first sign of her over dose had been her heart starting to beat erratically and that was followed by a few soft jerks of her body as it tried to throw up but was unable to.

As they arrived to the dean's home, the fae had started to sweat, which was not natural for her but it was another sign of the fae's overdose. She had also become even more of a dead weight against the man's shoulder as they arrived and was just more of a sign of the trouble she was in. Funny thing was the fae, even though unconscious, in her head she was almost in a state of relief that the pain would be over soon. There was also the fact that she wouldn't have to worry about finding a new home or worrying about the attachment to the dean either. It was finally over, or so she thought.

Nowe knew Evelyn was stressed, which was why he hadn't brought the rave to her attention and had, for the most part, tried to keep from bothering her with any of the more trivial matters himself and the other guards could deal with without her ever needing to know about them. He could fill her in on those little instances later and face her irritation that he hadn't told her sooner when things had settled down. But finding this girl, this was something she would want to know about. But with every step Nowe was more and more aware that something was wrong with the girl. She should be awake by now. Her heartbeat should be normal, not erratic and thready. If she died on campus, especially with news crews prowling looking for any bit of gossip they could find, it would reflect badly on the school and on Evelyn. Why he hadn't thought of that before or why he was thinking of it now he couldn't say but the thought crossed his mind and he mentally warned Freya not to die because he'd find a way to bring her back and kill her himself.


As Evelyn approached, Nowe moved to lay the girl down on the couch. "We broke up a rave in the catacombs and she was one of the foolish few that didn't leave when....persuaded to do so. When I saw her, I knew I should bring her here." He frowned down at the girl as he removed the gag from her mouth. She really should have woken up by now. He hadn't hit her all that hard. Had she taken some manner of poison or was it just the combination of drugs in her system. "She did not come willingly and I hit her but something's not right. I didn't hit her hard and she should be awake by now. I don't know what she's taken but it's not doing her any good. I don't know if she can die of an overdose but...." He trailed off as he turned to Evelyn and shrugged, he knew what sort of poisions could kill fae but the effect of drugs on a fae's system wasn't something he'd bothered to learn about. "If you don't want her to die in your living room we need to get the toxins out of her system. Any suggestions on how to do that? Or do I drag her out into the woods and leave her as a victim of an overdose?" He questioned and glanced back at Freya. He'd do whatever Evelyn wanted him to do; he just needed to know what she had planned.

Freya's body had only gotten weaker, and when she was placed on the couch her head fell to the side the moment the gag was removed. She wasn't waking up, as a matter of fact she was slipping into a coma like state at this point. The fae was blissfully unaware of that dangers she was in as she laid there looking at peace. Her thoughts were.. Well they were rather strange.

With the drugs in her system her brain felt as though she were still at the party, and not currently resting in the home of Evelyn once more. Unlike when she was bit, there was no flashing of her life before her eyes, just a fae lost in a rave partying.

At some point she thought she heard voices but were far to faint over the music the pounded in her head. Instead of worry about the voices though she let the music sweep her away as her body started to convulse, thanks to everything she had forced down her throat. For days all she had wanted was to end her sadness and pain she felt in her chest, and it would seem as though she had finally taken enough to do that.

Evelyn was worried, that much was very obvious and Nowe knew they wouldn't be letting the girl die. He didn't know why, not that long ago Evelyn wanted her dead and now she was worried. And not just because the death would be in her own home where it would be much harder to explain. At Evelyn's order, he gave her a curious look but grabbed Freya and positioned her so it would be easy to get her from the couch to the bathroom. "Yes ma'am. How are we going to make her vomit though? And do you think it will work? I know you don't drink your blood fresh...." He said, pausing as he dragged Freya into the bathroom and sort of propped her up near the toilet. "As I was saying, you don't drink your blood fresh from the source. But to get all the drugs out of her system we may have to." He wasn't exactly saying it out loud but he was offering to be the one to drink Freya's blood, even though he detested the taste of blood when it was hopped up on drugs and whatever the hell else today's kids took at parties. Of course, Evelyn could just as easily decide to do the drinking herself and leave him to clean up the mess.

Freya remained unresponsive as the dean tapped on her cheek and called out her name. She was far to gone to even know that someone was talking to her at this point. The drugs and the images in her head just made her continue to believe that she was dancing at a party having the time of her life. Sure, things were slowing down the music wasn't so loud and it seemed like everything was getting distant but it didn't mean much to the unconscious fae.

Then she felt her body jerk as she was pulled from the couch and dragged into the bathroom, that was when the fae started to suspect that something was wrong. Still, she didn't become conscious at least not completely, a slight groaned escaped her as she was moved into the bathroom, a sign that she wasn't lost yet.

As she was propped up against the toilet the girl made a face a sign that she was at least becoming semi conscious. It wasn't long after she was propped up that the girl came too if only for a moment as she puked up the contents of her stomach, luckily she had been position at the toilet properly, or it would have been a mess.

Freya didn't stay awake though, it was more like a brief moment of clarity before she ended of slumping back over, almost falling off the toilet as she went back to an unconscious state. At least at this point the drugs were out of her stomach now it was just the stuff in her system that needed tended to, as the fae was still not in the clear.

Nowe was somewhat glad when Freya came to enough to throw up on her own. It meant neither he nor Evelyn had to do it. Not that a bit of vomit would bother him, he'd often been covered in blood and other such bodily fluids before. But that didn't mean he wanted someone to puke on him either. He stayed off to the side and quiet as Evelyn cleaned the girl's mouth but narrowed his gaze at the Dean when she spoke. "Like what?" He hated when Evelyn kept secrets. Not that he could blame her, they all had secrets of varying sorts, and he certainly wouldn't pry into her personal life if she didn't want him to and he had no reason to, but that still didn't mean he liked it when he didn't know things that could potentially be important.

He didn't like where this was going and almost stopped Evelyn when she brought Freya's wrist up to her mouth. Was it within his right to stop her and do the deed himself? It wasn't like drinking Freya's blood would hurt Evelyn in the sense that he needed to protect her from it. But it was also the first time (as far as he knew) in a very long time she'd drank fresh blood and he knew going back to bagged blood would be difficult for her. But he hesitated a moment too long with his internal dilemma and before he could say or do anything, Evelyn had sunk her fangs into the girl's wrist. He muttered something in German and stepped closer, ready to intervene if he needed to. "Evelyn? You need to stop now." He prompted gently when he felt she had had enough but he could still see it took a great amount of willpower for Evelyn to back away and he was immediately between her and Freya even before she spoke. "I think it best if you wait in the living room, Evelyn." He kept his voice calm and neutral, giving nothing away as he watched her for a moment. He couldn't move Freya until he was sure Evelyn was okay. He highly doubted Evelyn would lose enough composure to pounce on Freya while he was moving her but he preferred to be sure rather than take a chance.

Once Evelyn was alright for the time being, Nowe was able to move Freya into the bedroom and made her as comfortable as possible on the bed. He silently warned her that she better still be there when he came back because if he had to hunt her down again he was going to hurt her. Once he had Freya settled, he went back to see to Evelyn and find out what, exactly, was going on.

((I left it open for Evelyn to leave the bathroom and for Freya to be untied at some point. You're free to assume that Nowe untied Freya while he was getting her settled into the bed and that he sort of took Evelyn to the living room to be sure she was out of the way. I didn't want to just assume anything so I left it up for you guys to decide.))

One thing was for sure, Freya would not remember any of what took place where once she woke up. As a matter of fact she would likely be asleep for days while her body recovered from the over dose. She had done a number on herself, mixing drugs and alcohol that no sane person would mix, then again Freya had not been doing drugs for sport. She actually had a purpose, one that was met and taken from her the moment she had thrown up in the toilet.

Okay, it wasn't Freya's smartest move ever, but being a fae, having emotions came with complications and she knew what her life had been like when she used drugs casually and she wanted that back. Of course the more she drank and the more she did drugs the more her feelings would get to her so she took more. At least now she was in a place where she would be watched and wouldn't move from this over dose to another binge anytime soon.

Thanks to puking and the blood that was pulled from her body, Freya was going to survive her OD. Now that her stomach had been purged and the high toxic levels in her blood had been somewhat removed it was just a matter of waiting.

Her body was still pale as she was lifted off the bathroom floor, but her heart beat was more regulated as she was carried off and laid upon the bed to rest. Her body stayed in whatever position it was placed in, by Nowe and she just laid there sleeping off the drugs and alcohol.

((This pretty much wraps up Freya, unless Nowe is going to be around when she wakes up which wouldn't be for a couple of days at least. The only thing being her body going through detox but that doesn't have to be posted out. I'll leave it up to you all if you two want to continue this one or not.))

"She's still alive and her heartbeat is steady. But she's weak. Only time will tell if her body's strong enough to overcome the toxins she put in it." Since they got most of the drugs out of her system, she was probably safe. But he had no idea how long it would be before she woke up or even if she would wake up. He met her gaze calmly. Sure he was annoyed she had been keeping things from him but that was really no reason to let her know he was angry. She might have a perfectly good reason for it. He wasn't sure how to really respond to her explanation. If it was personal stuff, it really wasn't any of his business but something had been bothering her and he did wish she'd talked to him about it. If nothing else, maybe it would have made her feel better.

"You said as much earlier. You know I try to let you have your personal space and I don't pry into things that are none of my concern but I get the feeling this is something I should have known. So why keep it from me?" He questioned, stepping closer and giving her a concerned look. She was the only one, aside from Victor, who got to see those true emotions from him. "Sometimes it's better to talk things out with someone else. You can't do everything alone." He shrugged and opened his arms in a gesture of surrender. "I am someone who's willing to do absolutely anything you ask and yet you insist on trying to keep me at arm's length when it comes to a lot of things. I know I'm little more than a glorified security guard in the eyes of the mortals and your personal guard and pet assassin in the eyes of the supernatural community but I am also your friend and I hate it when you seem to forget that. How am I supposed to help you if you don't let me?" He couldn't hide the traces of hurt and anger in his voice. He had never wanted Evelyn to know just how much he'd come to care for her. But every time they talked, the more Evelyn put herself in danger or did something he could have helped with, it bothered him just a little bit more and it showed more. He knew she would never feel the same care and concern for him, and he accepted that. Which was why he'd never seen fit to tell her and to keep his emotions hidden. What she didn't know, wouldn't hurt her. The only thing he could see happening if he did tell her was for her to fire him; or at the very least push him to the very outer fringes of her life where he would be next to useless as her guardian.

He could understand Evelyn needing some time to figure a few things out by herself. And really, he didn't know how long ago any of this had happened. A couple days? A week? Maybe Evelyn would have told him in a day or two. Maybe she never would have told him. There were a lot of things he didn't know about this entire situation. And if he was honest, he could have been paying more attention too. "I can understand that. With everything going on I failed to notice something was bothering you. I might have asked about it sooner if I'd seen you were troubled." But he'd been so wrapped up in making sure Hellhounds didn't eat the students or the staff, tailing Claire to learn her routines, trying to get rid of the angel that kept following him around and trying to find Freya that he had neglected his duties as Evelyn's friend.

When she walked up to him, he looked up at her (she was a few inches taller than he was) and met her gaze. Oh yes, she tried her damnedest to do absolutely everything for herself. And he let her try. But he was always there to help her when she realized she needed it and he always would be. "I know I'm not but that is what you let the students and staff see. They see you and they see your guard. They don't see me as your friend." Which, in his opinion, made it easy for Evelyn to forget he was more than just her bodyguard. "I think we all have that problem sometimes. Though the younger you are the more you think you know. Funny how the shorter lived races grow out of that quicker than others. Though there are some," Here he gave Evelyn a pointed look. "That never grow out of it. You're independent. You don't like needing other people. It's part of who you are. I try and step back and let you do things your own way even when you do things I don't agree with or that I would have done differently. But I'm always there when you need me. But I don't always know when that is because you don't like admitting when you're wrong or that you need help." He gave her look that said he'd long since grown used to sitting back and waiting until he was needed to step in. When she agreed to explain everything, he motioned for her to sit. "Then start from the beginning." He told her, trying to make it an invitation rather than an order.

Evelyn could tell him not to blame himself for all of eternity but for some things, he just couldn't help it. This, wasn't exactly one of those things. Sure, it bothered him now that he hadn't noticed something was wrong and said something to her sooner but he also knew at some point he would have. Besides, they were talking about it now. It wasn't as if this was something he should have noticed years ago and hadn't. "I won't. I was just thinking out loud in a sense." He idly waved the comment off and gave her a small half-smile.

Of course, she had a point about their friendship potentially being used as a weakness. But any scenario he could think of where someone would threaten one of them to get the other to do something didn't work out in his mind. If they had Evelyn, Nowe had other options (not to mention the other guards) instead of giving in to their demands. If they had him, well, he supposed it would depend on the demand but Evelyn knew that he would give his life in protection of her and the school. It wouldn't be an easy choice, but if it came down to that situation, he would tell her to let him die and not do what their enemies wanted. "I understand why things are the way they are. I don't know why it even bothers me but sometimes it does." He couldn't help those odd moments where little things like that affected him. Mostly, he kept his feelings like that to himself and he shrugged. "Sometimes the elderly need to be reminded of things. They forget things a lot." He told her in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. He really shouldn't be bothering Evelyn with his issues. She had enough other, more important things to worry about than his feelings.

He settled on the couch and listened while Evelyn told her story, only interrupting if he had a question he wanted to ask or if he wanted her to clarify something for him. He was silent for a long moment after she spoke, letting his mind digest everything he'd been told. So Freya was the cat (and now he knew why her blood had smelled somewhat familiar, it had smelled like cat though not enough like Chamomile for him to make the connection). Her tears could heal the injured students which was more of a curiosity item for him than anything else. At least now he knew where the cure had come from. He didn't like that no one seemed to have been present when the hellhound had attacked and wondered where Claire and Katerina had been at the time. Not doing their jobs that was for sure. He'd been dealing with a hellhound of his own so he couldn't have helped anyway. But the idea of Freya having romantic feelings for Evelyn was what really had him puzzled. Not because he couldn't imagine anyone loving Evelyn, he did in a way, but more he had no idea what to tell her in response. "I don't know if she's been staying on campus or if she just ended up here because that's where the party was. That is something you'll have to ask her. As to her feelings for you, I cannot tell you what to do about that. This is a trial I cannot help you through; if only because I don't know how." He had never really experienced love. Even what he felt for Evelyn wasn't quite what he thought love was supposed to be. So how did someone who knew next to nothing about love and relationships give advice to someone who needed it? The simple answer was that they didn't.

"You say that as if it's some sort of gift. I still feel things, yes, but I understand the feelings less and less with each passing year. Things I know shouldn't affect me do and I cannot explain why. Like this. I know why we put on this charade for the public and I know that it shouldn't be something I worry about. So why do I worry? Why do I care when I know I shouldn't?" That was what he couldn't explain. He didn't think older vampires simply didn't feel, more that they had better control over their feelings than the younger vamps or the shorter lived races. They could hide their emotions behind a mask and no one would ever know what they were feeling or thinking. But maybe he was an exception and the fact he still felt anything at all was, indeed, as much a gift as Evelyn seemed to think it was. "I shouldn't bother you with things like that though. You have better things to worry about than my hurt feelings." He gave a light shrug at that. If Evelyn truly wanted him to tell her things like this, he would, but not every time something came up. He'd make an effort but chances are he would still keep things to himself. It was something he'd done for a long time, changing that habit would take ages, if it ever happened. He wasn't sure what to say to reassure her she wouldn't simply lose her feelings the way she seemed the fear. Which is why he didn't say anything though he did wish there was something he could do to help ease her fear.

He frowned at her a bit when she said he wasn't elderly and sniffed as if he thought she was being silly. "You're only saying that because you don't want to be considered old yourself." It wouldn't be quite as obvious that Nowe was teasing in return but Evelyn knew him well enough to notice the small tell-tale signs that he couldn't hide no matter how he tried. "Doomed to a life spent alone it would seem. But I think, in your case, it may be by choice." It was a subtle scolding. Nowe had long ago accepted the fact that he wouldn't feel any sort of true and lasting love. But maybe no one ever had that. Except for werewolves who had found their soul mates but that was something only werewolves would ever deal with. Soul mates didn't exist for other races, he was sure of it. "You cared for her as a cat. She saw you as more than just the Dean. She saw you as Evelyn Varrow, the woman you were in your younger life. She may not be as confused as you think." He hadn't spoke to Freya but if she thought she loved Evelyn he could believe it. He loved her too, after all, though not in the same way it seemed that Freya did. He was working himself up to give what little advice he could. If it worked, it worked if it didn't, Evelyn would hopefully not be too angry with him. "Talk to her at the very least. You've spoken to me in the past about being worried you would lose your emotions, but by closing yourself off and not letting people in your life, you risk doing exactly that. You can't close your heart and not let yourself feel if you don't want to lose the very feelings you are hiding from the world. I am well aware you have given up on men but Freya is, first and foremost, a woman. They know their own hearts, and those of the people around them, which makes them better suited to relationships than men." He had no idea how his suggestion would be received. He wasn't even sure how he felt about it, though he never would have suggested it if he didn't feel it would be a good thing for Evelyn.