Where Do I Start? (Tag Anyone)

Terra had to admit, she was nervous. She hadn't been around that many other supernatural people in one place before. Besides, even though she had powers, she was still as human as the next person. But, she was determined to do good in this place, no matter who she was or what came her way. After getting settled in, she decided to explore the place a bit. Knowing this place like the back of her hand would come in handy in case she got into a sticky situation. Not that Terra was the type of girl who looked for trouble, but it usually ended up finding her in some way, shape, or form.

Vlad was wandering through the hall, admiring the artwork hanging there. He never got tired of some of his older passtimes. Just then, he accidentally walked into someone. It was a young girl he didn't recognize. Perhaps a new student?
"Forgive me, I didn't know anyone else was here." the Count apologized.

"Agh!" Terra jumped when someone ran into her and she spun around, her mind automatically thinking that someone was about to attack her. But it was just a teacher, nothing more. Terra sighed, relaxing a bit. I've gotta stop being paranoid, she thought. I'm safe here. Nobody's going to hurt me here. "Oh, no, it's...fine," she muttered, looking at her feet as her blonde hair shadowed some of her face.

"I don't believe I've seen you here before. What is your name, young miss?" Vlad asked, tilting her head up so she could look at him.

The guy certainly spoke formally. Almost made Terra think of posh British guys she saw on TV sometimes. She felt him tilt her chin up and she got goosebumps at feeling how cold his skin was. Was this guy human? Probably not, from what she had heard about this school. But she couldn't tell what exactly he was. "Terra," she replied. "How about you?"

"I am Count Vladislaus Draculea, child. Most everyone here simply calls me Vlad." he replied with a bow. "You may know me because of a famous novel."

"Wait, so...you're, like, the Dracula?" Terra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like, suck people's blood, turn into a bat, sleep in coffins Dracula?" Terra's knowledge on actual vampires was a bit limited. All she knew about them she learned from movies or books.

Her description of him made him laugh. The Count didn't often hear him described that way.
"Yes, that was me. But I will say that young Englishman never did get my surname right." Vlad joked.

"Oh." Funny. Dracula was always the bad guy in the books. But this guy seemed nice, at the moment. "So...you're not gonna suck my blood or anything, are you?" she asked. She figured he wouldn't, but she just wanted to be sure. One of the hard lessons she had learned in life was that you could never be too careful.

Vlad blinked at her question. That was always the first thing humans asked when they learned who he was. Classic paranoia at its best.
"Terra, my dear, I am not going to drink your blood. Unlike most vampires, I have trained myself to go for over a week without blood to sustain myself and have recently fed. Besides, I promised myself that I would never bring that bloodlust into the school halls." Vlad explained.

"Whoa. That's kinda cool." At least Vlad cared about controlling his bloodlust enough not to hurt other people. Terra tried as hard as she could to control her powers, but usually ended up failing half the time, especially when she was upset. "Is it hard to control?" she asked curiously.

"It was in the beginning. The more I tried, the harder it seemed to get. Then I tried giving myself very small ammounts of blood, to make myself get used to not feeding as often as other vampires. When I tried resisting again, it became easier. I finally controlled it when I decided I would master my hunger instead of letting it master me." Vlad explained.

Terra bit her lip. If bloodlust was as hard to control as Vlad was describing, she wondered how hard it would be to control her own powers. It sounded like a lot of hard work. Terra had been trying for years, but she still couldn't get the knack of it. Maybe she never would. But a small part of her always hoped that she would, someday. "Well, that's, pretty inspirational," she said, not knowing what else to say. "I mean, for, other kids who are going through the same problem."

Vlad was no fool. Even when he was human, he had learned to read between the lines in situations. Terra might not have said that, unless she was having a problem herself.
"Do you know someone who is having control issues?" he asked, eying her carefully.

Terra felt herself getting nervous with the way Vlad was looking at her. Don't tell me he can read minds too, she thought. Or maybe her body language was speaking loudly enough for him to notice. "It's...nothing," she said, trying to change the topic. "It's no big deal." Months of being on her own had made it hard for her to talk about any problems she had, let alone ask for help with them.

"You know Terra, if there's anything I've learned from my years as a vampire, it's that those who have trouble controlling gifts they have don't fully accept it as apart of them. That's what I meant about mastering my hunger instead of letting it master me. The more someone fights against it, the more this ability resists. It's only when they embrace this power as part of who they are that they can finally handle it." Vlad informed her.

Terra brushed her hair back, quiet for a moment after what Vlad said. She wasn't sure if she could really embrace her powers. People had always alienated her because of them. Slade had found her because of them, and made her into a criminal. How could you embrace something when it practically ruined your life? "I'll...keep that in mind," she simply said.

"Make sure you do. And please let whoever has this problem know that they are not alone here. Many of us here came to get a better handle on their abilities, and some of us are in hiding because of what we are. Surely, you will find someone you can identify with." Vlad told her as he moved her hair out of her face, his voice a little somber.

"Maybe," was all Terra said. Sure, she would make friends if she could, but that wasn't her top priority. Her main focus right now was to make sure that she was safely hidden, and that Slade couldn't find her. That had been her main drive for a long time, and it looked like it was going to stay that way a while longer.

The Count could tell that Terra seemed very subdued. She seemed to be a runaway, what with her low confidence and all. It made her approach others very cautiously.
'What kind of life have you been treated to?' Vlad wondered to himself.

It seemed like Vlad wanted to know a bit more about her, which Terra wasn't sure she was comfortable in revealing at the moment. She had just met the guy, for crying out loud! Of course, people were naturally curious, so Terra had learned how to somehow answer their questions without thinking too much of her past. "Just a nomad's life, for lack of a better word," she replied, shrugging. "You know, going from place to place, meeting new people every day, never staying in one place for very long. That sort of thing, you know?"

"Hmm. I suppose I live that sort of life as well, though not by choice. There are still some out there who hunt creatures of the night. I seem to be their number one goal." Vlad informed her.

Terra just nodded, knowing how that felt. Most of the time, when people found out about her powers, they just labeled her as a freak or a weirdo. At least the people here at this school seemed a bit more accepting.

"I'm hoping to leave that behind me for the time being. At least here, I have semblance of normalcy." Vlad went on. Well...normal except for the fact that almost everyone there was a supernatural being.

"Yeah, me too," Terra said, seeing how she and Vlad were sort of similar. They were both hunted, in some way, and were hoping to start over here. She hesitated with her next question before finally asking "Did you...do anything bad...before you came here?" Terra had done a lot of bad things while she was with Slade, and some more bad things in her efforts to get away from him. Most of it hadn't been pretty.