Before the Winter

@Nova !!

"A Seraphim, a Daemon, a Lycan and a Human, are all standing by the edge of this big cliff; ready to jump off." A feint wooden tap. A clunky but clear click. "The Human steps forward," The voice continued "He spreads his arms, and yells: 'This is for my people!', and jumps off." A few excited snickers, another click. Fourteen seconds left on the clock. The excitement in the air was palpable. "The Lycan's quick to follow, of course.-" An odd combination of a sigh and a gasp from onlookers at the sound of the first tap. Then another wooden tap, and Ulric quickly hit the clock; eleven seconds left on his. "He raises his arms to the skies, and bellows: 'This is for MY people!'. And jumps off." It's quickly Ulric's move again, but he continues his telling; complete with a storytellers calm experience. "Of course now, it's the Daemon's turn." Ulric turns a slight gaze across the board, and meets fiery eyes with blackened pupils, widened in what seemed more like anticipation, than the usual malice one might expect from her kind. "He steps forward half a step." He moved a piece. "Says: 'This is for my people'!" He hits the clock. It's now the Daemons move. "Then he grabs the Seraph, and slings that sucker off the cliff!" Suppressed laughter all around. Ulric's triumphant and charming smile, excited movements; and the Daemon hesitates as she picks up the piece. Enough for her to contemplate the joke, and for air to violently leave her nose as she failed at suppressing the short burst of laughter that quickly followed. All of this, distracting her long enough for her clock to run out. The Daemoness had stopped caring anyway, as she was pretty preoccupied with not couching and laughing her lungs out; all while the small group of her flunkies and random onlookers laughed among themselves, and even clapped. Ulric was declared the winner. To great amusement for the few passers-by, that had gathered out of curiosity; and to a rather confused reaction from the Daemoness' flunkies or 'followers'. They didn't know whether to laugh at the joke, or begrudge the further extension of the contract for Ulric Troy's soul. The Daemoness, however, was still producing a raspy laughter while she was getting up from her cold seat, so that had to be a good sign, right?

"I'm damn near impressed, Ulric." The Daemoness said, still shaking off the laughter, and rising from the stone table where they had just played their quite important game of chess.. The Daemoness was an imposing figure. Excruciatingly tall, long-limbed, and with clear visible distinction of Daemonhood. Not one to hide who or what she was. And not one to shy away from a good joke, apparently. "Another extension to your contract." She snapped two fingers, which was already pretty impressive with her extremely long nails, and from a burst of flame; materialized a piece of charred paper. A contract. With one of her fingernails, she added a short red line besides another, under a mass of text and fine print, as if written with quill and ink. The second extension. She snapped her fingers again, and the contract dissolved in a small burst of flame. "But I never reneg on a deal." She held out her hand towards Ulric, and snapped her finger. This time, from the small burst of flame.. keys appeared. Ulric held out his hand, and the Daemoness gracefully dropped the keys, held between her fingernails, into Ulric's palm. "See you in another eight years, old man." Ulric gripped the small bundle of keys, unperturbed by her sly remark. "Always a pleasure doing business with you, Maeve." Ulric replied with a dry smile. His energy and confidence clear to see as contrast to the agitated and frivolous movements of Maeve's little entourage. The Daemoness scoffed from behind a flashing smile, only to mumble something unintelligible, and leave. A pretty good day. And the weather was nice as well. One of those late-autumn/early-winter days with absolutely clear skies, no wind, a bit of light from the low-hanging noonday sun, yet a cold air making reasonable dressing necessary. A problem he solved with a dark wolly trench coat, around a comfortable long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. The small square they had played on was right besides... exactly, a crossroads. These Daemons liked to be dramatic. A pretty popular route to take from the central city to green beach. And there were a few passers-by. Probably desperate to lick those last few drops of sunlight before the winter. Even if that meant wearing a coat to do so.

This had been a pretty damn productive day, and it was only noon! It would undoubtedly have been a rather disappointing day; had the Daemoness Maeve been allowed to take his soul. Playing chess for a soul or a favor, right besides a rather busy street, wasn't even close to being weird for a man like Ulric. He had dueled a Seraph in a fencing match atop a roof. Wrestling matches and eating competitions with young Lycans. Been toe to toe with very old vampires; who preferred riddles and mind-games to violence and domination. And now that this little match was over, it started to feel just like another typical Thursday again. Though not at all something which detracted from his little content and triumphant smile; as the Daemoness disappeared down an alleyway, and Ulric was left standing admiring the small bundle of keys he had just received. He was contemplating whether or not going to deal with it right away, was a good idea. But was first distracted by the chess board which disappeared in one of Maeve's trademark bursts of flame, a sight which made him smile a bit dryly. And then by the sudden appearance of a bright yet soothing color in his periphery, and the sound of a distinctly female voice.

Immediately he felt like quickly answering the voice in his typical wry and charming way; probably stating that the world had been his teacher, and that the woman he might consider his mother was an altogether different kind of creature. He, of course, ended up staying quiet. It was pretty apparent from the seemingly young woman's tone of voice, movements, and the somewhat leading characteristics of her first question; that she wasn't done commenting. Though he already liked the tone. And therefore couldn't contain a feint smile as he turned both body and eyes towards her, she took a step closer, and her head turned a bit. A slight dumbfounded feeling crept up on him, quite secretly taken away by her energy and expressive nature. To him at least, a rather uncommon thing for him to encounter randomly. For almost the last decade, he had grown accustomed to encounters leaning more on the passively aggressive ones, one might encounter on high street; to the status and dominance driven ones, like the one he had just finished. Or.. just people avoiding him. Once again he had planned on commenting, but her third almost playful question, followed as quickly as the other two before it; and Ulric instead ended up exclaiming a lighthearted brief chuckle as she jumped away. Ulric grasped his keys, tucked them into the inner pockets of his woolly coat, and preceded to calmly button the coat, wrapping his torso and upper body in a dark and comfortable blanket. All while slightly occupied by tracking the movements of a bright-colored coat, containing a woman - a complete stranger - exuding a captivating energy. This time, he couldn't contain himself. "Lady Luck is a fickle mistress." Returning to his typical proverbian slight remarks. He spoke calmly while straightening up, flashing a brief smile, and placing both his hands in his coat's pockets. Though he was undoubtedly warmblooded, pretty much never really felt cold while on Kaleidoscope, and had been to way colder places than this; his still preferred state of being was warm and comfortable. "I was once down on my luck, and I made a desperate deal." He continued, quite honestly, and turned a meaningful gaze and nod towards the small stone table behind him. His expressions mostly limited to shrugs of his shoulder and barely detectable nudges of his elbows. While in the city and public he always limited the space that he occupied, preferring to move as inconspicuously as possible through metropolitan areas. "I'd say it's worked out pretty well so far." An almost cheerful comment followed by a broadened smile. He was pretty content with him self, containing almost a restrained child-like enthusiasm; while still rooted and down to earth.

A car drove by, turning east towards the city, and as Ulric's eyes for but a brief moment got distracted; a slight sensation of deja vu sent the usual small almost comfortable shiver up his spine. Prompting him to keep moving. He slowly and calmly took the few steps separating them, then passed by her, and stopped again in front of the crossing, waiting for the light to turn green. Though he by no means had stopped talking. He had even expected her to follow, oddly enough. "I assume you know what it's like to be down on your luck? Don't tell me you haven't had to sacrifice a little, along the way?" He continued in his still relaxed and open way of doing things. Completely comfortable and honest. And honestly, with Ulric, they could be talking about aliens before they got to crossing the road. As he stood by the crossing and spoke, his upper body, and closest shoulder, had leaned a bit back towards her, and his face slightly turned towards his shoulder. Signaling that is was still her he was talking to. But he immediately assumed the straight and broad shouldered calm stance, hands in his coat, and his eyes turned up towards the red light, that suddenly seemed in no hurry to turn green. All these rules.

Ulric had always thought of himself as rather socially inept, though that was probably far from the truth. But apparently, he was a master. For not many moments passed, before he started to pick up on the small paintings her expressions and behavior painted. The longing gaze at the passing family, the look down, and the slight trembling of her voice. The captivating young woman full of wit and energy he had just been introduced to, had been replaced by one of thoughtful reflection and cynicism. He knew not to speak. For her very behavior had cooled and changed so suddenly, that she seemed now more like a young woman, dying to get something off her chest. Luckily for her, Ulric was more than willing to listen. It tended to happen when you walked this world openly and honestly, from time to time; someone would always respond honestly, and probably end up taken aback by the free expression of their own emotions. Perhaps even surprised by what they had to say. While crossing the road he stayed by her side, making sure to both limit his speed and be certain he listened to all she said. All while a discreet smile glued itself to his lips, rather pleasantly surprised by how open and honest she suddenly had become. And was honestly happy, that this stranger had found enough comfort in his brief presence, to actually be that honest. So, quite frankly, he didn't stray from her side. A bit interested in hearing what she had to say. His eyes meeting hears, as she talked of luck and asked him his opinion.

For a brief moment Ulric stopped and followed her with his eyes as she turned right. He had initially planned to head east by walking straight ahead, but when a slightly broader smile crept its way across his lips, he quickly followed the young lady. Intent on providing his point of view on the matter at hand, and break the silence he had so far kept. Apparently the young lady was headed South, and now so was he. One should never ignore an opportunity to grow, nor an opportunity to help someone else grow. "Seems pretty fair to me." He commented while catching up to her, thinking that he'd left her to her own thoughts for too long. "It would also mean we can't be held fully responsible for our failings, wouldn't it?" As he caught up to her, he quickly adjusted to her speed, cast her an engaging glance; only to then again straighten up and turn his eyes forward. "The fact that you've struggled, doesn't automatically make you noble. And the fact that you've done wrong, doesn't automatically make you decadent or unworthy." He wasn't afraid to speak his mind honestly. Probably another reason why a lot of people tended to avoid him. He followed her gaze, and took a closer look at some of the Solstice decorations. "Sometimes Lady Luck is in bed with someone else. You are never in control of anything other than yourself..." Ulric spoke as if the was no worry in the world, despite the slight bleakness of what he was saying. And calmly studied a few of the decorations in the shop window. "And by worrying and fussing about things or happenings beyond our control, we allow them influence over us, over our lives." He straightened up again, and turned towards her. Still with his hands buried in the woolly pockets. "And that's when we end up in a tunnel... Running on the tracks, when we could be sitting at the drivers seat of our own straight-a freight train towards whatever else the world might throw at us." His slightly old-fashioned and adventurous roots showed itself in the vivid picture he was painting, and by the time he realized what kind of mumbo jumbo he was throwing at this poor young lady; he just ended his small tirade with a clam shrug, and pretty content expression, like he had no idea what he was talking about anyway.

Ulric was, honestly, slightly dumbfounded by how quickly things moved in the company of this young lady. One moment he had acquired the keys from Maeve(after having played for his soul), then engaged in a rather interesting conversation, and now he was headed into a coffee shop. A place were he would never have gone on his own. Quite frankly... Ulric disliked the city. And almost everything about it. He, of course, enjoyed teaching, his apartment, and The Institute. Enjoyed the company of the people, contacts and friends he had there. But there was too much... red tape. Too compartmentalized. With too many lines in the ground, too many borders and rules. Too much authority. Almost every single minute he spent in this City, he felt like he was being treated like an idiot. Stop here. Go there. And every time this so-called civilization insulted his intelligence and agency, some idiot around the corner was ready to shame him into submission should he not do as everyone else did. No wonder he often felt old. But still.. there was charm. Culture and togetherness. Faculties of higher learning and knowledge. Libraries! Young people full of life and a real sense of adventure! A discreet smile was quick to replace his initially rather skeptical look at the coffee shop, and he calmly and gracefully entered with a thankful nod, as she was holding the door. ... Only then to eventually wrinkle his eyebrows at the myriad of options he now had, and the veritable swarm of decisions he would have to make. Apparently spending his time traveling, reading, writing and teaching - with the odd sprinkle of moonlight activities - was enough to make Ulric completely unable to keep up with the times, so to speak. "Hm." Ulric thoughtfully pondered what to ask the young barista for. He settled on asking for a cup of hot chocolate, which apparently, was not on the menu. He then braced himself for the myriad of complimentary offers undoubtedly coming his way. Whipped cream? No thanks. How about some cookies? Another no thanks. The young barista was kind and helpful, but Ulric couldn't completely conceal his slightly irritated mood. Which of course, at the sight of Ulric's disgruntled brow, made the young barista skip the many other questions probably in store. It all ended happily, however, and Ulric ended up holding a cup of bland and regular hot chocolate, which apparently was cocoa or something, in barista jargon. This City...

There was, though, always a cool air around Ulric, so to speak. He took things one step at a time. And now that his life was rather uncomplicated - as compared to pretty much most of his life - he had learned to stay in the moment, and never rushed. On his way to the table chosen by the young lady, he unbuttoned his woolly coat and curiously scanned their surroundings. A discreet smile completed what could only be described as a look of both contentment and curiosity, as was his wont. When they reached their table, he quickly placed his cup on the table corner, and let his coat slide down his shoulders; only to then hang it on the back of his chair. As Ulric was sitting down, the young lady introduced herself and hold out her hand. Instinctively, Ulric refrained from sitting down; until he had given her a firm handshake. "Ulric Troy." Short and precise, and always with a handshake. Ulric then sat down. He made sure he was sitting close enough to the table. Pulled the sleeves of his comfortable shirt to his elbows, and dragged the cup closer to him. He then, quite unceremoniously, took a large swig of the still flaming hot chocolate like it was nothing, and savored the taste. Probably a benefit of being a Fenix. After haven taken in his surroundings, savored his delicious cup of hot chocolate, and let himself be distracted by a few people walking past outside; he turned to the lady who had introduced herself as Nova. "What's on your mind, Nova?" The warm cup stayed in between his hands, and his eyes stayed locked at her.

Ulric was, quite frankly, worried about this young lady. She seemed confused and perhaps starved of confidentiality. Like she wanted to open up to someone, yet didn't know how. Ulric couldn't exactly brag about having had many of this kind of encounters, but it had happened. Sometimes people just needed to open up. And Ulric was never too occupied - or apathetic enough - to wave such people off. He had a penchant for reading people as if they were books, and something was off about this Nova. Like a... Co-dependent spirit slowly dying in loneliness and isolation. He, though, had to abrupt his rather engaging look at her; when she apparently thoughtlessly decided to play with her finger. Ulric barely contained what ended up as a discreet smile, while he slightly raised his eyebrows at the sight; and let himself be distracted by the street outside instead. Lightheartedly annoyed by how quickly his thoughts turned from concern for Nova, to thoughts of rather... vivid suggestion. Before finally deciding to break her rather lengthy silence.

It was easy to figure out when to speak, and not to speak. Ulric was used to listening and learning, and understood that most of what she said; she simply needed to air. And all she needed from him, was to listen. And he did, patiently. His eyes slightly narrowed as they were fixed on the speaking Nova. "Of course I have..." He answered both nonchalantly, and honestly. With a slight sprinkle of his almost trademarked calm expression and tone. Ulric didn't elaborate further. He doubted she wanted to listen to one of his anecdotes. Although they were great! ... He didn't follow her to this coffee shop to talk her ear off. Ulric had, perhaps, a slight tendency for being a little patronizing. Often took people under his wing, so to speak. Did what he could to help and support those in his life who could really need it. And certainly wasn't afraid of putting his good name on the line to help, or even take a bit of responsibility for others; even if it meant getting disappointed from time to time. He was a free spirit. Often he got sorely disappointed by how his almost naive and adrenaline-junkie-ish behavior could land him in trouble, but the good he did and could do; was most certainly worth a few knocks to his pride and reputation. He had, afterall, helped raise a powerful Daemon girl from the age of 5 to 9, while on the run. You quickly learned how to keep your cool, and gauge the intentions of others. Suddenly Ulric smiled a bit broader at her question and flashed a few of his teeth, bit colored by his previous swig of hot chocolate. He straightened up, kept his hands around his cup, and looked at her again. Recalling back to what she had said earlier about not being in control of herself; his mind went in one direction... The good ol' chemestry of the Old Ones. "Does this person have a name?" He asked, almost in a confronting manner. What he belied didn't matter. What mattered was cutting through the nonsense and getting to the core. Ulric tended to be a bit over-analytic. Especially if his body was inactive, his mind went all kinds of places. And his reasoning told him she either had a classic case of bad-boy-jitters, or that she perhaps had even suffered abuse of some sort.

As Nova chose to hide her face in her folded arms, Ulric stayed as he was. It was understandable to him, even though he pretty much had no idea what was going on. At least nothing other than how Nova was feeling. He took a silent sip and listened, and realized he had no idea what she was, exactly. That little detail, unfortunately, could change a lot. Perhaps a Seraph? Nothing about her eyes would suggest Fenix or Lycan. Her mumbling distracted him from his own clockwork thinking, and he discreetly leaned a bit closer to hear her words. Not at all marked by how she was behaving. He recognized that, that was for certain, and a distant memory made him smile a bit, as he kept his eyes at Nova. He almost missed her whisper, or well, he did miss most of it... But some words reached his ears. Free, family, and curse. Pretty much. Not jumping to any conclusions, he kept listening without answering. She had reached out. He was there for her. Given how Ulric often taught or told others, this wasn't the time for him to draw on old wisdom and experience, in an effort to give her a thoughtful answer. Nor did he just sit an nod like some pleasing peasant, neither confirming or denying her words and small outcries. Ulric knew this was going to lead somewhere, and he was just along for the ride. So he kept calm and quiet, content with simply being there with her. Even though she was a stranger, something obviously troubled her, and leaving her to wallow in her thoughts alone in public, wasn't right. Sure, there was a lot to say... but this was not the right time to say it.

That last part got Ulric a bit confused, though. And feels like he didn't even have time to digest her words, before Nova suddenly raised her face from the table. His brows wrinkled at her expression. She appeared so lost... and Ulric refused to greet such an expression with one of useless empathy or pity. No, Ulric smiled discreetly as he let his gaze meet hers. At this moment he had hoped that she would calm down and let her rational mind engage in conversation, but once again; she surprised him by how quickly things could develop in her company. "Nova, this is n-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, before she was on her way to the door; and Ulric simply finished with a sigh. From his seat at the table, he curiously spotted Nova walking briskly North, yet wasn't in a hurry to catch up with her. He sincerely doubted that him running after her, trying to calm her down - would actually calm her down. So he simply stayed seated at the table, and looked around shortly. He was oddly certain that their paths would cross again. And would certainly keep an eye out. But frankly... no chance in abyssus was he just gonna storm after her. The little episode had of course caught the attention of the few guests in the shop. But nothing Ulric couldn't successfully ignore as he reached out and grabbed one of the cookies Nova had ordered; yet hadn't eaten. He unsuccessfully tried dipping the cookie in the meager remains of his own cup of hot chocolate; and so finally decided to simply drink the rest of the cocoa in a quick swig, and then eat the cookie whole. Only to leave the shop again after about five minutes. This place wasn't so bad.

There were way too many units in his wallet, for him to go and leave it somewhere. Not that he had ever had the tendency towards forgetfulness.. maybe he was just getting old? Either way, it certainly surprised Ulric a bit when a young woman caught up to him on the street, claiming he had dropped his money. He only just got to thinking how a few whiffs of a pipe would do him some good, before a small hand touched his arm, and demanded his attention. He calmly turned, and with slightly wrinkled eyebrows he searched his coat for his wallet, before finally spotting it in the hand of... Nelinha? "Thank you, kindly." A discreet smile colored his slightly grizzled face, as he patiently waited for her to elaborate on something he already knew. It would be a shame to say this city lacked in beautiful young ladies, but none of them sported quite the same mop of dark hair, as little Nelinha did. Well, apparently not little anymore. He could have sworn it was just yesterday he last visited Hector, and some dark cloud barely hovering over the ground would disappear around some corner. It wasn't until this very moment he noticed the slight tint to her eyes. A Lycan? Hector hadn't mentioned that. He had mentioned, though, that one of his kids had gotten into the Institute, or something like that. But there were so many of Hector's 'kids', how was Ulric supposed to keep up? Though... his relationship with Hector was one of a more professional manner. Professionally, Ulric has contributed and aided much to the temple city and it's regular congregation. Personally though, Ulric had been a nuisance to the Temples when he was a boy, and was known as a good old fashioned trouble maker. So Ulric couldn't really blame Hector for never having included him more in his family life. "Nelinha," he repeated, confirming that he knew. "I remember, though it's certainly been a while." The most polite and appropriate way of which he knew, to not draw too much attention to the fact that she certainly had grown... and the fact that the two of them, just now, had exchanged more words than they ever had before. He was still slightly surprised by seeing her all of a sudden, happily of course, but not the young girl he remembered. Maybe he was getting old.

Ulric of course noticed her slightly withdrawn behavior. Even that small bite in her lip. From the very moment he met someone, he started reading them. All kinds of fascinating small details. Her nails that he caught a glimpse of when he got his wallet back. Her chuckle without explanation. Her following words, though, surprised him a bit again. Though, as before, not something he made a show of. Instead Ulric straightened up a bit, slightly lowered his chin, and kept his eyes locked intently on her. Trying to figure out the intentions behind her sudden words, while also keeping a sort of... canine staredown. Ulric had spent a fair amount of time around Lycans, and even knew how to communicate wordlessly with some of them. At least, to some extent. Like he did now, with Nelinha. Many Lycans, like many canines, felt challenged when faced with prolonged eye contact. Ulric, through this lesser 'challenge', wanted to make certain that SHE was certain of what she was suggesting. He could certainly think of several particular things a young woman her age would be suggesting... "One good turn deserves another." Ulric stated, rather calm, while thoughtfully shaking his wallet between his fingers before stuffing it in his woolly coat. "Tell you what." Ulric broke his gaze from her, and looked in the window to the coffee shop for a thoughtful moment. "When you're done here, I'll be waiting." He looked at her again. "And I'll walk you home?" A mixture of a statement and a question. If she had no objections, of course.

Nelinha, Hector's girl, had done Ulric a service. The wallet that she had just handed him, contained more than 10.000 Units. Units he'd need later that day. And any act of kindness deserved a return, after all. Walking her home after her shift seemed a sensible suggestion, and one that would hopefully turn in a direction away from the inner city. Escorting her home, rather than to some club. Content that he could possibly repay her in the form of a hopefully quiet walk home, rather than in some dank club with thumping music. It was entertaining, however, when people always assumed him to be a disgruntled parent or even manager, sometimes. Seemed having become a bit older, weathered and grizzled, lent to his authority. They should have seen him when he was a kid. "Skinny little sack of bones", or "spineless runt", Mallobaude used to say. Feeling a bit nostalgic, the thought made Ulric smile a bit to himself as he stood outside the coffee shop, waiting for Nelinha. He'd managed to pass the time effectively by running a few errands. Ulric always kept himself busy, until something else demanded his attention, that was. He stuffed the tobacco into the short pipe, while keeping his eyes up. Sunset... Another con about the city. You could never see the horizon. He caught the pipe between his slightly flashed teeth, and quickly lit it with a match. The smoke enveloped the cold air around him, and through it, he finally saw Nelinha. He was in no real hurry. The woolly and highly comfortable coat was wrapped around him and buttoned; nicely insulating his body heat, so the cold didn't really bother him. The sky was still clear, but something told him the wind would pick up a bit later. "Let's go, then."

With one hand in his pocket, and the other holding a pipe still gently smoking; he calmly walked beside Nelinha. Consciously keeping her on his right hand side, with him between the road and her. He had the right to be a bit old fashioned, right? A few more times the pipe came to his lips, and a thick smoke enveloped the air around his head. looking down a bit at the young Nelinha at his side. Gods, he felt old. "I've been doing great, thank you." He replied, almost automatically. He had never been good at answering questions like that. A question like that was almost always automatic in nature. People who engaged in such smalltalk usually had no idea where they would want the conversation to go, or to lead. He waived it aside, and quickly forgot her question like it was nothing. Only then to turn his eyes down towards her again. "So..." He began, with his eyes again firmly attached to the horizon. A slightly thoughtful look in his eyes, as well as the discreet almost permanent smile. "A job at a coffee shop." He continued. "And I hear you've been attending The Institute under my nose?" He quickly gazed at her, only to then take a last whiff of his pipe; before deftly pressing the tobacco and pipe weed with his thumb, letting out the smoke through his nostrils, while putting the pipe back in his pocket. No longer smoking. "You must be keeping yourself busy?" He added and just kept walking. He tried adjusting his speed at bit to hers, so that his wandering legs wouldn't just carry him away. He at least wanted the chance to learn more about her. And not waste their fine late afternoon walk with empty words and formalities. Not quite done with his slightly engaging questions, he looked at her again, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully; only to then again straighten up. "What gets you up in the morning? What makes it all worth it?" He then finally ended, and the discreet smile on his lips grew a bit wider. He liked putting people off a bit with unorthodox questions. Questions that usually demanded a thoughtful answer, and threw people a bit off from their comfort zone. Giving a better look into the person he would be conversing with at the time. Now it was Nelinha's turn to feel the watchful and analyzing gaze of old professor Troy, and answer his weird questions. Not mentioning his work at the temples. Many students at the Institute had begun actively avoiding Ulric on the Institute grounds; fearing that Ulric might strike up a engaging conversation that might reveal a bit more than they were actually willing to share. And then of course the young students that always seemed to want to talk to him, or listen to him recall his many adventures. Or anyone of the myriad of gorgeous young women, brilliant students to seductive immortals, who from time to time came onto him quite enthusiastically. Or maybe he liked that kind of attention... One thing that at least wasn't constantly reminding him of how old he was.

Smoking his pipe, and the exotic pipe weed therein, was somewhat of a daily habit for him. Never cigarettes, though. He was trying to stay healthy, after all. And he never whipped out his pipe more than once or twice a day. An acquired taste, you might call it, and more for the taste and effect, rather than from addiction. Addiction was a form of slavery, and not something Ulric would consciously subject himself to. But when it came to the sensitivities of others, he frankly didn't care. He knew how to maneuver society, but it's rules and directives mattered very little to him. "Safety" was a non-word. Describing more a sense of entropy and stagnation, rather than growth and development. Being safe and secure, was not something he particularly wanted. But the more quiet and calm nature of his current life, was something he'd taken a real liking to. Oddly enough, constantly risking ones life and limbs in search of knowledge and adventure, could actually get a bit tiring from time to time. Ulric of course immediately understood her words, and nodded in a meaningful way to her words. "I see." There was nothing more to add. And suddenly it got to him how HE might be a bit... irritating for some people like her. His life so far, filled with experiences, might actually make people a bit insecure around him. Mirroring themselves in his own accomplishments, perhaps feeling like they wasted their time in comparison to him.

Ulric followed her calmly, and as much as was possible; he kept his eyes towards her. Interested in not just her words, but also her expressions. Hiding something from Ulric could be a difficult prospect, but Nelinha seemed quite open and honest, which surprised him a bit. Her words on money and material goods immediately tempted him to preach on the worthless nature of material wealth, but another word caught his attention instead. "Medication?" He thoughtfully asked, narrowing his eyes a bit curiously. "I'm sorry to hear that." He quickly added, realizing that he would probably not be able to understand. Ulric couldn't remember that last time he had been sick. One of his quick fevers could even help stay warm in his sleeping bag. So it wasn't all that bad being a Fenix. Anyone beholden on medication in order to live a life resembling normality was a person Ulric deeply pitied. And learning that Nelinha might have such issues, troubled him a bit. "You seem to be taking good care of yourself, regardless." He added instead of commenting further on her possible 'condition', more interested in keeping the tone light and honest. "Could use a sandwich, though." Ulric added lightheartedly and low-key with his eyes fixed on the road in front of them. Her broken nails meant nothing. He'd been in way over his head, and in way worse condition. Starvation, thirst, danger. Loneliness, isolation, and heartbreak. He knew it all. In fact, maybe a little too well. But not exactly a reassuring thing for someone down on their luck to hear. Her question on family made Ulric smile a bit. "No." he replied with a light and discreet chuckle. But his eyes betrayed him, turning a bit to the ground in a thoughtful moment. For a second he wanted to say that he was too old. That his time had come and gone, and that raising a family of his own seemed an unlikely scenario. He didn't exactly feel like potentially dying while his child was growing up, or becoming too old and senile to actually teach them anything of value when they grew old enough. In fact, he strongly suspected that his active lifestyle might even have hastened his aging a bit. Who knew... a heart attack might be looming. "I have been blessed to have met wonderful people in my day. Great friends..." He grew thoughtful again for a tiny moment. "Turns out, you can't do whatever you please and go whereever you wish to go; without leaving something behind." He added, and kept from looking at her. But of course, didn't refrain from speaking a bit metaphorically and proverbian. He had wanted a family for almost as long as he could remember. First with Amelia, his first love. And after she'd left this world, guess he'd just kept moving. Guess things just didn't turn out that way. A bit... concerned that he hadn't procreated. Hadn't had children so far. Was he even fertile? With all the nonsense that had been done to his body over the years, it wouldn't exactly surprise him. The thought of having a woman in his life, and giving her responsibility and authority over his desires, seemed oddly tempting on one hand. Who wouldn't want a beautiful young woman taking care of you? Nurturing you? On the other, though... Establishing such a life would mena sacrificing the freedom and self-determination that drove his every move. Having to stand accountable to someone other than himself, was not a tempting prospect involved in a committed relationship. The worst part probably was that he could have such a life, if he wanted. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that if he truly wanted to share his life with a young woman or beautiful lady, he could. But to compromise his own independent spirit was not something he was willing to do. So a fully committed relationship had pretty much gone out the window as soon as he had developed a taste for freedom. Not exactly something easy to explain.

With Lycans, in his experience, there really was nothing you could expect. They were unpredictable. Sometimes wildly aggressive, hostile, and withdrawn. Other times, open and social. Her words came off to him as a bit defensive and proud. As if shame or pity would bury or blind her, and so perhaps she failed to see the difference between the two. Ulric, however, doubted she could do anything shy of transforming, that would put him off his firmly planted feet. So he more or less ignored her small lash with a discreet smile, and silence. Hector had done a great job with her, it seemed; and as long as she took care of herself, he really didn't worry that much. About anyone, in fact. People could and should take care of themselves, or at least learn how to. Or be taught how to. The innately philosophical apathy that was within him, had been a great tool for him to focus on his own work and interests, while enabling him to deal with things openly and honestly, without being sucked into it. Suffice to say; Ulric could often come off as the most engaged and welcoming person ever... when he in truth, could be the absolute opposite. He believed in doing the right thing, always helping, even going out of his own way to help... But he wasn't on a payroll to do so. He did so because he believed it made the world a richer place, because he believed it to be the right thing to do, and ultimately because he believed it would enrich his own spirit and life. If Nelinha asserted her independence, he would understand far better than most others she could ever meet.

To Ulrics mind, there was still some ways to go. They weren't even near Hectors house, yet. And he, after all, expected to be escorting her back home to the Summers residence. To him, there was still plenty of time to reflect and converse with Nelinha. Therefore, he kept quiet and listened patiently to her, as she apparently decided to open up a bit to him. "No he did not." He answered shortly, leading her on a bit. He knew she was only asking because she would probably be telling him a few moments from then. And even though he had plenty to say, he instead let her speak freely without interruption. While she confessed and talked to him, Ulric kept a little closer. Both his hands still calmly placed in his coat pockets, while he glanced down to her as often as possible. He wrinkled his eyebrows and straightened up as soon as he made the connection between her father... and him. He didn't see much resemblance, of course. But immediately understood how her feelings towards him might have been highly affected by her relationship and history with her biological father. Nothing new there, to be frank. As a man of high masculinity, so to speak, a lot of hatred and discontent from especially young people came his way. Challenges of any kind. As if he was a personification of an old world no longer welcome. He immediately wanted to tell her how being masculine was overrated, because it made you disposable. It made you a target. A simple cog and gear in the machine of civilization. When shit hit the fan, men like him would be the first responders, so to speak. The first to die. The first to be killed. The first to be discarded when the world no longer needed masculine men or no longer valued them. Either he was a pathetic looser, or he was a privileged white guy who hadn't earned what he'd gotten in life. The fact that he was handsome, useful, and wealthy was pretty much some of the only things that gave him value. Self-determination was, to him at least, the only way a masculine man could live in a modern society, without being a disposable tool or easily replaceable lover to a sexually liberated and promiscuous woman with twenty other options. All while being told that some girl around the corner was brave for sharing her frustrations, while he had crossed the mysterious green sea. This city. But he of course stayed quiet a few more minutes. Choosing not to focus on her points towards his masculinity, or her fear of the same. "My parents were drug addicts..." He then finally said. Choosing instead to focus on their similarities. "When I was five, my mother sold me for a fix." Ulric wrinkled his eyebrows again. "And that's how I ended up being raised at the Temple from the age of five." He glanced at her, smiled faintly, and kept walking. If only she knew how many times he'd shared his story, she might not think it that significant that he'd tell her. His life wasn't some cheap soap opera. His secrets were non-existent, and his history was like an open book. The trouble wasn't leaning about Ulric, it was figuring out how to apply the knowledge of him and his history, to not get on his bad side. He always expected people to listen, and remember. He liked talking and conversing, but he didn't just talk to compete with the singing birds. If the people listening to him didn't remember at least the significance of his words, then there would be no reason for speaking them in the first place. Ulric smiled suddenly to himself shortly after his words, and turned a thoughtful gaze towards the road in front of them. Reminded of words of wisdom from the grumpy old vampyre. "At least puberty proved both you and your father wrong." He commented and glanced at her with a meaningful smile. "For as long as I can remember, people have been trying to kill me." He then suddenly added, like it was nothing, and just kept walking. "Bullets, injections, claws and fangs. Everything.." He wrinkled his brows a bit. "People like your biological father will always be blind and ignorant, because they fail to understand how their own malicious intent harm themselves." He started out. "Their words and hearts hollowed by malcontent hatred projected outwards in anger and ignorance." He didn't look at her. He instead spoke as he walked, almost like he was preaching. He had a tendency toward doing that. "Aversion probably struck your father, the same as it did you..." Ulric turned a glance down towards her with a smile as warm as he could muster in the cold weather. "But unlike your father, or anyone of those pricks who tried to kill me; you seem to have carried the blows of life, without souring yourself or others in the progress." He looked straight ahead again. Still with his discreet and content smile on his lips. "I've learned to pity those who do us harm. For they are more lost than we. And their desperate attempts to control their worlds, only serve to expose precisely how powerless they are."

The usual discreet smile of contentment remained on his lips, during and after she called him out for being condescending. Yeah, he'd heard that before. In his infinite wisdom Ulric had thought he was connecting with the young lady. He thought the knowledge of his own circumstances as a child, would serve to remind her that all things passed. As with pain. Granted, his little tirade of philosophical mumbo jumbo was perhaps a bit uncalled for, but once again, Ulric had thought she would take his words into account, even if she didn't understand them completely. And therein lay his own fault. For it was perhaps doubtful that Ulric himself understood completely her relationship with her father, or the nature of her transition from 'Tristan' to Nelinha. He still didn't understand completely, and still only assumed that her father had been disappointing by having a daughter, and let his disappointment cause her harm. He didn't know squat about this sort of thing. And quite frankly, he didn't care. Another of his many faults. He lived by the decree of nature, by the chemistry of the Old Ones. Past, present, and future, were all one and the same; the present. Many people seemed to forget that philosophy was a last resort, of sorts. That the masculine stoicism that resided within him, also lead to a from of spiritual apathy. He had long since learned to let go of just about everything. Status, power, wealth, love; it mattered not a single thing to him. Knowledge, virtue, and growth, now that was his calling. Nelinha was a bright and hard working young woman, and Ulric liked her. But not for a single second was he afraid of saying anything that would push her away. Whether or not people were a part of his life and experience, was more up to the individual, rather than him. He would cherish and protect anyone who earned themselves a part in his life, but wouldn't shed a single tear if they left, or if he lost them. At least not anymore. THAT, was the nature of living in the moment completely. The things within his reach and under his control, were sacred and cherished. Everything else, bore no importance or consequence to him. As a Fenix, you understood more than any other creature, that life itself bore great consequences and conditions. He would never be judged by a myriad of clergy or gods, each with their own opinions or values. It was either a return to life with no memories, or an eternity in the White Void, should Faeth Herself see fit. And since her guiding hand was enigmatic at beast, he had no other choice but to carve a path though life on his own.

For but a short moment, Ulric imagined grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, pushing her against the nearest hard surface, and explaining a few things to her. A bit of tough love could do wonders, after all. But he wasn't nearly proud enough to actually do such a thing just because she was acting out. Doing something like that would only be for the benefit of his own ego, rather than to help her. He really felt old sometimes. When she then apologized, he simply looked at her with his smile. A bit overbearingly, in fact. Something she probably wouldn't like, but once again; he was not in control of her. "I admit, I don't exactly understand your relationship with your biological father. And perhaps I was a bit quick to offer wisdom." With a small nod, he paused, thoughtfully. But stopped himself from elaborating further, and left it at that. He wanted to tell her that her pride wasn't the antidote for the shame that was still in her, and that pride would only lead to more shame. But telling a young woman that she needed to be more humble, wasn't exactly a good idea in this day and age. Especially not for a man like him. He doubted there was anything he could do or say to help her, that wouldn't make her feel inadequate or like he was lecturing her. She obviously still feared him more than she respected him, and thus any wisdom from his mouth probably wouldn't do anything but provoke her ire even more. As Ulric was following her to her door, and watching her awkwardly fiddle with her keys; he felt a bit... disappointed. But whether he was disappointed in himself, Nelinha, or even Hector... was unclear. One thing was clear, though. Nelinha had much to learn. And many things to figure out on her own. When she then asked him if he wanted to come inside, he understood a bit more. Experience had taught him that a cup of tea usually didn't end at the tea, and that she might be hoping for more than just a conversation. Of course, he wouldn't just blurt out, that a vigorous tumble in her bed-sheets probably wouldn't do anything to bridge the gap between them. His uncertainty regarding her transition, certainly didn't help in this regard. AND he had no intentions of actually letting her know that he thought she wanted the comfort of sex and validation, from a masculine man... which seemed a bit obvious to him, since her own biological father probably hadn't given her anything other than pain. Even though he could probably benefit from a little tumble in the hay. Perhaps being desired and cherished by a masculine man, felt the same to women; as the tenderness and care of a feminine woman felt to many a man. "Unfortunately, I have a few things I still need to take care of tonight. There's no rest for the wicked, after all." He answered calmly and with a smile, but without removing his gaze from her. One of his hands finally reached out from his pocket, and into his coat. He fished out his wallet, and then reached out to her with a simple calling card from the Institute. With his number written on it. "Since my infinite wisdom is falling on deaf ears." He hoped that the sarcasm was enough for her to understand. "I'll instead repay you in a bit more traditional sense." He put the wallet away again, and kept his eyes on her. "If there's ever anything you need, anything I might be able to help you with... Then don't hesitate to call me. Consider it a favor, if you want." He kept his eyes on her, almost staring with slightly wrinkled eyebrows. "There's one thing I want in return, though..." He quite deliberately sounded a bit mysterious, and let her reach her own conclusions, before he then spread out his arms with a smile. "A hug." Quite frankly... Her youthful outrage and small lashing out, hadn't improved his view of her. She was still young, prideful, and inexperienced. In his eyes, she knew just about nothing, and certainly not nearly as much as she thought she did. Life would be one long and hard lesson for the young Lycan, if she didn't let go of both her pride and shame. The wisdom of old age rarely meant a damn thing to 'kids' who thought they already knew everything they needed to know. But, he was certain that she'd get there. In time. With or without his 'help'.

Being very well aware of the innate abilities of Lycans, Ulric deliberately made sure not to make direct contact with her skin as they embraced. Ulric had also lived in isolation in the Temple of Fenix for almost two years as a young boy. As soon as the priestesses of Fenix had realized that touching him could result in entering The Blue Dream - back when he had no control - they had forbidden direct contact until he had learned to control his abilities. A long time ago, sure, but it still marked him from time to time. Resulting in often unwittingly drawing away from people, even when he didn't mean to. He usually didn't greet people with a handshake, either. When you, like Ulric, had spent quite a lot of time among Daemons or Lycans; you quickly learned that direct touch could actually be dangerous. Greeting an Empusa with a handshake, for instance, could(and had) result in blackouts and lost time. Not exactly pleasant. With Nelinha, however, it was rather pleasant. He had asked for the hug, because he didn't want her to fear him. And as he calmly let his arms gently wrap around her, he realized that this might have been the first time the two of them had ever had any sort of physical contact. To someone as over-analytical as Ulric, it actually meant a lot. Especially since the two of them might have gotten off on the wrong foot during their meeting this afternoon. Ulric wasn't in any particular hurry to end the embrace, so when he faintly heard her mumbling against his shoulder, he actually tightened his embrace of her just a little bit to sort of signal the end of it. "Good." He answered rather simply and pretty much undeterred by her words, or even why she might have felt the need to express them. As they then finally ended the hug, and re-established the tactful distance between them; Ulric nonetheless quickly let both his hands rest outstretched a moment on her shoulders. "Means I was wrong, and that you're not stupid." He added to his earlier word, and then let go of her completely, only to once again put his hands back in the pockets of his woolly coat. As always, he kept his eyes on her, and tilted his head just slightly. "I'd rather you hate me, than fear me." He said calmly, and then slightly motioned to stepping away from the entrance to her apartment building. "Though..." He then added with a mischievous smile. "I'd appreciate it, if you forgot how annoying I've been today when the full moon comes along." He almost scoffed a bit to suppress his own youthful laughter. A youthfulness that anyhow showed itself in how deftly he stepped away, and then simply started walking away. He was a rather unceremonious person, and with his back turned to her, and while walking; he raised his hand above his head and shoulder. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, Nelinha. Take care." Oddly enough, Ulric had actually learned something this day. To be himself. When he had thought she needed wisdom, he had acted the teacher and guide. Obviously to no great effect. And before long, he had disappeared down the rundown streets, humming a little melody. His earlier disappointment had been replaced by contentment. Hopefully Nelinha had come to realize... that he was flawed.

//Da end