Having a ball in the late 1800's

Amy let out a relieved sob when the assault stopped and her mind was her own again. She was still shaking as a leaf though as she slowly got up. She looked up at Valdez, her eyes filled with tears, when he told her to leave again, only this time in a more gentle voice. She looked down at the unconcious servant and wished that she was skilled enough already to the both of them. She bit down another sob and then slowly started to back away until she was fully out of the hallway.
A different servant helped her with her coat and guided her to the carriage. When she was inside the carriage and alone she started crying for the memories of the mental assault and for the servant she didn't manage to save.

Valdez didn't do much except watch Amy leave, with the help of another servant. After that, he looked at the KO servant once more, than up at the other servant, weighing his options.

The next day, Amy would get a letter.

"Little witch,

I wish to humbly apologize for my behavior. I hope I haven't ruined the moment of vengance for you - I do remember ow so very clearly how unpleasent that can be.

Also, I feel inclinded to tell you that none have died on my account last night. Whoever that lowly servant was, he owes you dearly, even though he'll never know it.

In closing, I wish to point out you are a fine young lady, very determined and bright. This is admirable. Never change.

Highly regarded,

the vampire"

Amy had slept in the next day, or at least that is what she had told her servants. In all actuallity though she had expected a lot of nightmares and with that not much rest in her normal sleeping timespan. And she had been right. Despite the fact that she had stayed in bed longer then normal she felt really exhausted. So she cleared her sheduale for the day and just took a lazy day.
Of course that is when a servant came by with the newspaper, which featured the vomit fest of the party last night, and a letter. She laid the paper besides her and first opened the letter, not recognising the handwriting and curious to who it had come from.
She took a deep and sharp breath when she had finished reading the letter. She immediately tossed it in the lighted fireplace besides her. She was relieved that she had managed to save the servant after all, but it scared her that Valdez managed to send her a letter.
'How does that bastard of a leech know where I live...' she thought silently to herself, ending up with reading the paper just to get her mind of it.

Amy's reaction would surely have put a smile on Valdez' face. Since he'd dropped off the letter*, he'd spent quite some picturing a wide variety of scenario's in which Amy read what he wrote. O well, he thought, I guess I'll never know...

It was, afterall, very unlikely that he'd run into her again. Even for those within the same social class, London proved to be a town big enough to lose each other out of sight for an incredibly long time. And he had no business trying to find her again...

Or... did he?

Admittedly, the possibilities of witchcraft were quite intriging. Imagine the fun he could have with that! He pondered this for a moment. On the one hand, he did want to know about witchcraft, and Amy for that matter. On the other hand, he doubted if the girl would give anything away to him, considering the bad start they'd made. Besides, he could see some danger in bothering someone who possesed the power of witchcraft.

Valdez spent most of the day pondering it, not allwoing him much sleep. Finally he did fall asleep though, and woke up a couple of hours later - having made up his mind.

And so, at the night following the barf-bash, Amy would find an uninvited guest in her house. Valdez would be standing by the window, his back towards the door as he stared outside into the London streets. His posture was very calm, as if he was just waiting for a host that was expected him and would welcome him.

* Not telling how he found her :3

As the day passed Amy's lazy day continued, but when the sun had set she was very tired. She was however still in the library captive by the book she was reading. She was sitting on the floor very close by the lighted fireplace, which was the only real light in the room. She had told her servants that she would manage retiring for the night herself and with that had given them the rest of the night off.
A few more moments passed and she had finished the chapter she had been reading. Memorising the number of the new chapter and page she closed the book and stretched her arms above her head before rubbing her eyes. She turned to look out the window to see how late it had gotten and her eyes went big. For some strange reason her mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that the silhouet by leaning by the window was Valdez. And by that she let out a small yelp before she put a hand over her mouth, uncertain of what to do now.

Turning around, Valdez let out a chuckle at her reaction, raising his hand to his mouth as if to hide his amusement. His other hand he had on his back, in one of those typical 'polite' stances of the time. "Don't be frightened," he said in a calm voice, staying put by the window, "I'm not here to harm you."

He had a small, friendly smile on his face, though he was careful not to show his fangs; he realized she already knew what he was, but figured that any reminder of it might best be avoided.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he added in an apologizing tone.

Amy's frightened expression soon made place for a glare when Valdez chuckled and told her not be frightened. She got up to her feet, not trusting her unexpected guest in the least.
"Don't lie to me," she answered in a voice that sounded a lot braver then she actually felt, "If you didn't want to startle me you would not have sneaked into my house in the middle of the night. You would have come by the front door where I would I have told you to go to hell and then all would have been right with the world. To put it simple get out of my house leech."
She stood there by the fireplace her arms crossed in front of her chest. Hating herself for a moment to not have used the time she had had while she sun had been up to memorise spells that would be usefull against a dark haired vampire. But mainly she hated Valdez for stalking her and breaking and entering.

Valdez' grin disappeared a little as Amy made it abundantly clear that he wasn't welcome. He tilted his head, frowning a little disconcerted at her unpleasentness; "please," he replied putting his hand in his side, "I already apologized for my cure behavior earlier. There's really no need to be so cold."

Amy's glare just turned a few degrees colder, and with that the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as well.
"Apology not accepted," she answered, "Now get out of my house before I help you."

Valdez sighed, rubbing his right temple; "and here I thought I'd made it clear that you'll do best in staying on my good side..."

He took a step towards her, his expression darkening; "either way I must inform you that I do not intend on leaving."
Then he smiled again, his expression brightening - with the exception of his eyes, which still had a diabolical glow in them: "but tell me what I want to know, and I'll be out of your house and out of your life immediatly afterwards... for good."

Amy wanted very much to take a step backwards when Valdez had taken a step towards her, but she stood her ground. She focussed on gathering energy in her hands and keeping it there, so that she could use it immediately when needed.
"What do you want to know this time," she asked annoyed that playing along was her best option.

Valdez was pleased that Amy played along, but he was still on his guard - Amy didn't seem like the type to roll over so easily. And his caution for her brought to mind his first question: "that attack you used yesterday... to help the servant... what was that?"

It took a few moments before Amy could place which attack Valdez had meant. Assuming he was referring to the energy ball and not the potions she created one in her hands, a small one that is.
"You mean this?" she asked moving her hands around the ball a little, "It's an energy ball and on contact you can compare it to the damage a lighting flash does on impact."

Valdez' eyes widened curiously as Amy formed the energy ball, though he still maintained an air of caution as well.
"Really?" he mused without looking back up at Amy, "and how does one create an energy ball like that?"

What he was really aiming for was knowing whether or not he would be able to do it too, or whether it required something special. And if so, what it was that enabled Amy to do it either way...

Amy raised her brows when Valdez actually asked her how somone creates an energy ball. Being convinced that he wouldn't be capable of it even if she explained it step by step she decided to keep it simple.
"By being capable of magic," she answered with a bit of duh in her voice, "And before you ask you can't learn to be capable of magic. And you can't change into being capable of magic, at least not that I know. You need to be born with the capability."

"I see," Valdez replied, a little annoyed by Amy informing him that he'd never be able to conjure up an energy ball like that, and very annoyed by the way she put it.

"You really know how to bring disappointing news," he remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "you should find work at the terminal ward of Great Ormond Street Hospital*."

Then, after a moment of silence he concluded - thinking out loud: "but you are capable of it so... that makes you a witch... right?" He let out a chuckle, grinning tauntingly at her; "and here you are giving me a hard time for being a vampire!"

* Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of London, founded in 1852.

"And you should go back to hell where you belong," Amy responded at Valdez his 'job suggestion'. She let the ball of energy dissapear, but kept the unfocused energy in her hands. She still didn't trust Valdez to just leave when he had would run out of his list of questions. Let alone leave for good.
"Yes I am a witch," she stated knowing that if it would come out she would be in serious trouble, "and yes I'm giving you a hard time, but not just because you're a vampire. Mainly because you are a sophisticated bastard who enjoys the fact that people have to die for his survival."

Valdez just let out a muffled chuckle again. Ooh, if he got a nickle for every time someone'd told him to go to hell... He'd be even richer!

He was a little surprised though when Amy so honestly admitted she indeed was a witch. Her hostile words afterwards were completely expected though.

Raising a brow he asked; "would you think more kindly of me if I was ripped with guilt for... well, surviving?"
Then, a sharp look on his face, he went on; "you don't see me judging you for poisoning several dozens of innocent party guests for your silly revenge. Then don't judge me for taking a liking for doing what I have to do."

After saying that he relaxed though, his shoulders slumped a bit from the high-up state they were in before. Finally he sighed, and replied: "so no witch craft for me then? Pitty."
He thought about it some more, then asked; "how did you learn to do this anyway?"

When Valdez mentioned that a lot of innocent partyguests had been the victim of her little revenge Amy couldn't stop herself from looking down. It had been one of the things that had kept her busy for a long time even before she had done anything. But in the end she had done it, mainly because nobody would really get harmed. Still Valdez was a vampire and clearly enjoyed the suffering he caused by being what he was. She could accept killing as a necessity for surviving. She wouldn't accept killing as a necessity for surviving while also enjoying it.
Valdez's next question pulled her out of her thoughts and made her lift her head again. The question didn't surprised her, it would be one of the questions she would have asked herself if rolls where turned.
"Trial and error," she answered with a small shrug, "a lot of error... Some things go instinctively other things take a lot of practise. Some things I already seem to know other things I learn from reading the right books."

Valdez couldn't help but grinning amused when Amy said she'd learned through trial and error - mainly error. For a moment he considered asking her about more details, just to add to the mental image he was forming of it, but he finally decided to keep it to grinning.

When Amy mentioned she got some of her skills from reading the right books, Valdez' eyes automatically turned to the book Amy had just been reading. "And how would you get these 'right' books?" he asked her.

By this stage he'd started slowly phasing through the room, his legs getting tired from standing still in one place. He didn't head for Amy, but rather he strolled up and down on his half of the room, assuming Amy would get a little nervous if he'd get too close to her. "I'm curious... do you know any other people with magic abilities?"

Amy's eyes followed Valdez's when his gaze went to the book she had just been reading. It took her a moment to understand why he was looking at the book, seeing as it was just a normal book. But when she did put two and two together she half wondered if she could use his ignorance over it's contence in her advantage if needed.
Her eyes snapped back to Valdez when he started moving, she was somewhat relieved that he sticked to passing up and down without coming any closer to her.
"I get the right books from a bookstore," she answered calmly, "most have a spell on them that keep them hidden from eyes they aren't meant for, but as a witch I can see them. And sometimes people just think them poetry books or children books."
When Valdez asked her if she knew anyone else that was capable of magic she couldn't stop herself from looking down. A wishfull expression on her face.
"No," she asnwered, "I don't and before you ask no my parents really aren't capable of magic."

Valdez listened with genuine interest to Amy's explanation about the books from which she got her magic knowledge. He'd never have imagined but... that was actually really clever!

After making a mental to note to remember that for future utility, he turned his attention back to Amy. What surprised him was her stating that she didn't know anyone else with magical capabilities. Or rather, it was the way how she said it that caught him by surprise; it was actually quite heart-filled, emotional and vulnerable how she stated that, especially the part about her parents being non-magical. This seemed like a tempting nerve to strike (read: stamp on, scrape off his shoe by the edge of the sidewalk, then laugh at as it disappears along with rainwater down the gutter) but something stopped him.

Instead he tilted his head at her moment of honesty and replied; "that must be rather lonesome...?" The odd thing - at least, I imagine Amy finding this pretty out of the expected - was that he seemed genuinly sympathetic for a moment.

Amy looked up in surprised confusion when Valdez said that it must be lonesome. She was uncertain of how she had to react to that. She had expected him to laugh at her or make fun of it or even just get angry and call her a liar. She had never expected him to more or less sympathize with her.
"It is..." she answered, "when I think about it too much... But why do you want to know any of this?"

Valdez was pleased to find that Amy actually responded normally, instead of shooting him down out of hand. A gentle smile came over him, and he stopped his phasing for a moment to look her in the eye.

"That sounds recognizable," he replied in an almost innocent voice, "as for why I ask you all of this... well, for starters: I've never met a witch before, nor have I ever encountered magic before last night...I'm curious to learn more about that - even though it will do me in person little good. Besides, you still are one of the few, if not the only interesting person I've met since arriving in this misserably grey country. I'd say that's enough reason to want to ask some questions, right?"

He paused for a moment, then added with a slightly self-aware grin: "I do apologize for the surprise visit, but I was quite certain that if I'd try a more traditional way of coming by, you'd slam the door in my face and... well, like you said, would tell me to go to hell."

On the one hand Amy could sort of see Valdez's point in being curious, but on the other she so wished her would bother someone else with his curiousity. When he actually apologized for his unexpected, and unwelcome, visit she raised her brows. It was very true she would not have let him in if he had would have used any different approach, but that made his presence only all the more annoying.
"Why are you here," she was the thing she asked though, "Here in England I mean. Why are you here if you hate it so much."