######Resting between her lips was the unlit lovely, a strange flavor coming from it that she had never tried before. Humans had certainly known what they were doing in smoking this, just as she did now, and she was growing more and more fond of the human devices, particularly these large papers. Like most from her old pack, she could neither read nor write, or even come close to understanding the concept of the words "EZ Roll" or "Blueberry," but she could see the pretty blue-colored berries on the package it had come in. Never before had she eaten a blueberry, but if this is what they tasted like, then they were certainly worth trying to find. Of course, the marijuana within the blunt helped with the taste, but that was not important. The important thing was, she knew as she sat on the roof of one of the crumbling buildings, kicking her legs through the open night air, that she was feeling alive just from having it in her mouth. The lighter rested under her palm, unused as of yet. It was almost enough. . . But not quite. It would be lit soon.


######The city was a strange place, something she had never seen before in her life. What had possessed her to fight her way up the side of the building, Lolita might never know, but it was nice. The solitude was welcome like an old friend, someone seen so often that it becomes strange when they are not there. Hers was a lonely existence since her death, but she had grown used to the feelings that tugged at what was left of her body. It was like that one warm gust of wind on a freezing winter night, or the very first hit from any of her many pieces. The company of being alone was something she craved, almost as much as she craved the touch of another. So much time had passed since she had been with someone she loved, and never again would that happen, she was sure. There was only one woman out there that Lolita could ever love. . . Regardless, she had been with countless men and women since her death, but it had been a few weeks. The loneliness could only ever feed her insatiable need for the lingering touch, but it could never satisfy her.


######It just wasn't enough, no matter how she seemed to crave the cool, whispy fingers of solitude. In the week and two days since her arrival in the area, she had only met two others; the black and blue female named Cmwfen, and the coyote woman with scars and only one eye. That company, though the brief encounters had done enough to keep her occupied, was lonely, too. The real problem, it seemed, was that Lolita wanted to find others like her. She did not want to be alone forever, but how could she find comfort and company in those that were living? Being among the living was tiring, taxing on her young mind. Everyone thought her to be crazy, suffering some piece of insanity that she knew was not there. It was true, and she would find someone for company, even if she had to try and make someone. Could another dead one be made? She had probably been an accident, because she was certain Pello had wanted to kill her and leave her to rot. She was dead, so he succeeded there, but she kept walking all by her lonesome.

######Inhaling deeply, her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed the smoke to fill her lungs until she was absolutely certain she would burst at any given moment. Only when she was feeling light-headed did she exhale, trained and capable lungs emptying smoothly. It had been at least three months since she had actually coughed as a result of marijuana, very likely due to the amounts that she smoked. Even if she smoked more than the amount it took anyone else to feel buzzed, it took so much more for her to get high. It was unfortunate, really, because it was such a nice feeling, but such is life. Something done too much tends to lose its effectiveness for her, it seemed. Sex was never as good as it had been with Pippa, but she did it so frequently that it may have been because of this. Smoking, of course, was different. Drinking, however, was a very different story, as she did not do it often enough to not feel pleasant when she drank.


######Lifting her head to study the newcomer, she inhaled deeply while nodding in response. Pulling the blunt away from her mouth, she held it out for him to take, accepting the flask with her free hand. "What're you doing up here?" she asked, the words strained by the breath she had been holding and the smoke billowing out around the question. It was genuine curiousity, as she knew what she was doing on the roof of a crumbling building - brooding - but she wondered what may have driven him to the same spot. She studied the silver object in her hands, intrigued by its weight and the contents. Most assuredly it was alcohol, but what kind was more of what she was wondering. There were so many different kinds, some good, and others less than pleasant in taste. The effect was always the same, though, and worth anything to get, so Lolita drank quickly, loving the burn in her throat as the alcohol's warmth spread rapidly throughout her body, right from her nose down to her toes.


######Pleased, Lolita turned to look over her new companion, amused at how easily he had slipped down next to her and how quickly things had been passed. That was always the way with those that were like you; there were never awkward conversations right away. A smoker and a smoker got together, or a drinker and a drinker, and things seemed to happen quickly. There never seemed to be a need for introductions and awkward shuffling of the feet before they got down to business. It was something only those involved could appreciate, of course, but she relished every moment spent with a fellow smoker or drinker. "Neat stuff. . . The tattoos and metal stuff," she added, making it clear that she had been looking at them. They were far more than the one tattoo she had, and they were undeniably cool. There were so many others here with tattoos. Granted, he was only the third person she had met here, but all three had some form of tattoo or weird markings. She might need to consider getting more, in the future. The one she had held meaning, but anything further than that one might not need as deep a meaning, in her opinion.

######The grin could not be held at bay with regards his obvious liking of her handiwork, so instead of trying to hide the smile that had formed, Lolita beamed with pride. It was nice to know that what she did was good for someone else, particularly someone who seemed so acclimated to smoking. He was not new to the art, she was certain from watching the way he handled his smoke. She did not understand the word that came after "good" in his praise, but knowing the meaning was not necessary. After all, it seemed that most did not understand tha language she had picked up in her wanderings, but she still enjoyed using it. For her, it was not about what was said, but the way it sounded and the meaning behind it. Since she was assuming that what he said was praise, she was happy without knowing the meaning.


######Accepting it gratefully, she placed the flask on the rooftop between them, since she felt she was done with it. One drink had been enough to send frays of fuzzy warmth throughout every one of her veins. Tapping the ash from the end of the joint, she grinned at the sprinkling bits before lifting it and inhaling once more, repeating the process from before. The wrap she had used was very nice, she noted. The fruity taste enhanced the lovely plant well, and she would have to see if the humans had a smoke shop in this area. That was where she had gotten most of her things - in smoke shops in the various places she had gone. Obviously, the humans would not miss it now, being that they were an extinct species, and she saw it as a waste to not use everything she could from them when it came to the herb that kept her dead body walking this forsaken and cruel earth.


######Exhaling, she held it out for him again, resting her elbow on her leg comfortably. For now, she would be good with only the two hits, since she had already gone through some of her stash earlier in the day. Soon, she would have to begin planting it, as soon as she was certain that she would be staying in Dahlia de Mai for a lengthy period of time. Her other hand reached up to her face, brushing over the tattoo lightly before she ran her fingers through her tangled mane. "Lolita Monroe, and likewise," she offered, her hand falling to rest on her other leg comfortably. Looking out over the ruins of the old human city, she sighed. If she were still walking the earth, was it possible that some of the humans might have died in the same way? It would be strange if it were so, but also it would have been intriguing. "Do you think any of them are still around?" she asked quietly, contemplating the idea. Wouldn't it be funny if she could meet a human, and find company in being dead with a human. What a bizarre thought that was, but also very thought provoking.

######The few thoughts in her mind seemed cloudy, which she was thoroughly enjoying. There had been many that she had met that were nonsmokers, and whether they approved of the herb or not, she had found that they could never quite understand just how amazing it felt when smoking. Turning to face her partner, her eyes widened at the ring of smoke that came from his mouth. She, despite how often she smoked, had never done anything that interesting before. "How'd you do that? It was so cool," Lolita mused, considering whether or not something like that would be easy to do. Admittedly, she had never tried to do any smoking tricks, barely knowing that they existed.


######Pleased with the compliment, the young woman remained silent, unsure of how to answer. It was not something she was good at doing, accepting others compliments. Saying "Thank you" was not out of the question, but it seemed like such a waste of breath to try and thank him. Lolita was not surprised that he did not know an actual answer to her question, but she was a bit perplexed by the idea still. Truthfully, she had not meant a living human, but there was the usual problem; he did not understand what she meant because he could not tell that she was dead. Leaning back and resting the majority of her weight on her wrists, she sighed wistfully. "I don't know. I wonder if there are any of them like me. Like. . . I don't care if they're alive, I just want them walking and talki-wait. Do you think we could understand what they said, if they talked?" This was a very important question, considering she was wondering if she could find company in any of the humans that might still be around. To not be able to talk to them would defeat the entire purpose.

######Lolita studied his mouth intently, wondering if she could ever accomplish such a thing. She could only assume that it took practice to get it right, and she was not particularly interested in getting it wrong, so she would not try any time soon, most likely. Still, she nodded slowly, pursing her lips as he did. It was easy to see how the ring of smoke could happen, but she was unwilling to even test it out until she was alone. There was no sense in looking foolish in front of others when the same could be accomplished in her own company. Rurik pulled out two strange things, handing her one and lighting the other for himself. She studied it curiously; it smelled strange, and she had never seen one of these, let alone smoked one. Her hand still rested on the lighter by her side, but she did not raise it yet, wary of the strange stick. Of course, if Rurik did it, then she could, too, as they had just drank and smoked together, but the stick was so very strange to her. It could wait for her, if she decided to smoke it. The smoothness and sturdiness of the object in her hand was so different in comparison to the rough, rolled edges of a joint. It was nearly impossible to come close to rolling something as smooth and nice-looking as the thing he had given her.


######It was nice to have someone listen to what she had to say, even if they did not seem to quite understand what she meant. That was no matter, as very few were able to bring themselves to her level and understand what she went through and the way she thought. Even though he did not seem to completely understand her way of thinking, he did not, at least, call her crazy yet. That was an improvement over most, even those that she smoked or drank with. "Do you think that's like a different language? I don't know much about high-speak and low-speak and stuff. I never tried to talk to a deer or something, but Én is tud beszélni egy másik nyelven, így talán a hasonló?" she questioned, by way of example. She did not expect that it would be difficult for him to understand her meaning, even if he did not know the words she spoke. A word he had used earlier was unknown to her, and he also had a strange accent, so perhaps he could even relate and would know whether it was like speaking a different language than those beside you. That was something that could be learned. Her siblings and her family could not speak the second language that she could, as it had been learned during her travels after her death. In that case, it would be possible for her to learn this low-speech business, and maybe even human-speech, if she ever did find one to talk to. That would be an adventure, indeed.

######There was nothing she enjoyed more than to feel as free and as light as she did when she smoked, something she found even more enjoyable than her motley of sexual adventures. Truthfully, if she could find a way to experience that one amazing part of sex through smoking, Lolita was certain she would never touch another being again. It had been different with Pippa, of course. That was something she could never deny, but her memories never quite lived up to the way she was feeling at that moment. Something she did so frequently alone had become a social subject for her at the drop of a hat; she could not remember the last time she had smoked, or even drank, with another. Generally, it was her lonely self, trying to keep from dipping into the swells of complete depression. As long as she kept herself on one side of that fine line, everything was okay.


######Rurik's definition of a long time was probably vastly different than her own. For Lolita, a long time could only be defined as the end of time, whenever that happened. It was possible there would never even be such a thing, or maybe the luperci would do to themselves as the humans had done, but she hoped that would not be the case. Watching the entire species die out would be hard enough, but what if she did not disappear with the rest of them, since she was already dead? Shuddering at the thought, she shook her head slightly, trying to clear the thought from the depths of her mind. "I do not wish to smoke another substance until the end of time, but I suppose one time will cannot hurt anything too much." Lifting the lighter, she deftly lit the tobacco stick between her lips, inhaling as she did so. It felt different than marijuana did, and it tasted much more pungent. Exhaling slowly, she studied the burning stick between her fingers, trying to determine if it was something she could enjoy. Perhaps it was an acquired taste that she just did not have yet.


######Her green eyes lit up at the familiar tongue, an excited smiled forming at his obvious knowledge of languages. Though some of the words he spoke were unfamiliar, they were easy to guess, sounding similar enough to their English counterparts that she did not have to do much thinking to determine their probable meaning. "Beszélsz magyar! Ön az egyetlen tudom, hogy aki nem!" she exclaimed, excited as she was. Obviously, it was not completely truthful. Someone had taught her the language in her travels, as it was not one spoken in her birth pack, but she could not even remember what the teacher looked like, let alone their name or how they had become acquainted. "Do you travel a lot?" It seemed like it would be a very likely explanation for why he knew so many languages, and it seemed like a very exciting life. Some months had been spent travelling, but Lolita could never find things to keep her entertained while moving, and it was terribly lonely. Settling generally seemed like the best idea, if only to keep herself surrounded by those that she could pretend were close to her and cared about her, or even knew her.

######Once was very likely enough for her when it came to the tobacco sticks, Lolita had decided. The taste was very different from her beloved marijuana, the smell significantly more bitter, and it did not make her feel the same way. If it mimicked the effects perfectly, she might have been interested in smoking these more, but she was content to stick to her own herb. It was still worth it, in her opinion, to have tried it. Now she knew that it was not something she much cared for, and she had the experience to back up such a claim. It was not like those who claimed to dslike smoking when they had never tried it, and Lolita was always willing to try something at least once to decide if she wanted to continue the habit or not, or if it needed more testing.


######To think of all the places he may have been in the world made her envious. Coming here had been the first time she had seen the ocean in her lifetime. All of her wanderings had taken place on this one continent, and she had only learned her now preferred language by coming across a pack that had migrated from Hungary to live in an area among the mountains that spanned a large portion of the continent south of her birth pack. She had enjoyed travelling, but it had been too lonely for her. "Tell me about all the places you've been," she sighed dreamily, thinking of all the possible places he would have knowledge of. The words were envious, a sign of how much she wished she knew more about the world and the places she could visit, as well as the others in various places. Customs and languages were vastly different in various places, and she wished she had been able to happily continue travelling the world alone.

######Lolita was curious about the world at large, both the places one could go and the other creatures that could be met. It almost disappointed her to know that Rurik had exciting stories to share, when she most certainly did not. If she only had something interesting to share, some small burst of knowledge of something in the world that could not be found here, then she would have gladly spoken up. She had never been to any interesting places, and it seemed that he was already a fan of her usual habits, so she could not introduce him to those things. Being with him realize that, despite everything she had gone through and done, she was terribly inexperienced when it came to the world around them. She had always thought herself to know something of the world, as she was no longer a complete part of it and therefore could look at it in some obscure view, but she was, evidently, not as right as she might have hoped.


######Listening to him talk and enjoying his thick accent (it was so interesting!), Lolita leaned back to lay flat on her back, stretching her arms far above her head on the cool surface of the building's top. With a wistful sigh, she studied the stars above them, imagining what the view might look like from where he was from. She had never sailed, either, though she had a vague idea of how such things worked. It must have been such an exciting way to travel, especially compared to the bland walking she had spent her time doing. "I think I would like that," she responded, already thinking of the things she would do, the countless things he could surely show her. It had not been something she had given much thought, the idea of how long she would be staying in this area. There was nothing rooting her down in Dahlia de Mai, except for the comfort of distanced company.

######Jade eyes followed the sweeping gesture of his hand, taking in the wonderous sight. The height of the building brought them closer to the stars, but Lolita believed it was not close enough. Someday, she wanted to dance with the stars, to get away from the Earth's boundaries and break free. Of anyone else, she deserved that. She deserved to let her soul roam free throughout the universe. All of the other dead ones were granted such a luxury, and it was dreadfully unfair that she was left to spend the rest of eternity chained to this hunk of land and never have the option of flying away. The best option seemed to be travelling, the idea planted in her mind now that Rurik had suggested it. Lolita turned her head towards him and smiled wistfully; if only he knew where she truly wanted to go.


######Where would she choose as her first destination? The world was so vast, so full of wonder that she could not begin to think of the places she had not gone to yet. "First, I would want to go to Alaska. . . Or almost there, anyway. The part of Canada that is closest to it," she corrected, her thoughts straying to her sister. "I have unfinished business there." Thankfully for the current mood, her thoughts did not immediately stray to her brother and her uncle, both of which she had sworn to get back for the pain they had caused her so much pain. Her thoughts only turned to her sister, but she was not going to admit that now. They would simply find Pippa and take her with them. "Where would we go next?" Going back to her old pack was her only idea, but surely Rurik would have plenty of places in mind for them to go after Lolita found Pippa, and then delivered her revenge.

######It was very sweet of him to offer to fight for her, but Lolita doubted that anyone would really be able to fight against her dreadful brother. As it was, Pello was not worth the time and effort that it would take to fight him, and the creamy woman would not allow Rurik to even try. Now her sister, however. . . Pippa was worth everything. “I’ve been wronged a lot,” she mused quietly, “but she’s been hurt more.” If Rurik could only meet Lolita’s lovely sister, then he would understand. Then the three of them could travel together to Russia to find whomever the silver man wanted to find. They could sail the world together, see various places, and learn about other areas. Lolita was not full of worldly knowledge at all, but she was certain that she could become that way with a little bit of time and travel with the Russian.

######“Is your family big?” she wondered out loud, unaccustomed to such an idea. Her family had been a bizarre combination of strange relationships, stuck in the middle of a huge pack. Lolita was curious to know what it was like to have a big, happy family, as he seemed to be from. “My old pack, we very rarely used our shifted forms, but now I don’t have a choice. What is that like?” she asked also, assuming that the Russians were fond of their shifted forms. Dining and drinking in the way he had expressed it seemed to her that it was most likely to occur in a two-legged form, rather than the form their ancestors had been limited to. After Russia, of course, she had no idea where they would go, as she knew nothing of the world. “Where else is interesting? I have never been anywhere else,” she added, hoping he would not be ashamed of her lack of experience with the world.