Welcome to the large apartment complex where Mr. O'Conner lives. You'll find his residence to be on the topmost floor of the structure, on the penthouse level. There are only a few that call this luxurious space home, and one of the others happens to be Isaiah's baby sister. She tends to come by quite often to make sure her older brother is still alive and kicking.
The penthouses can only be accessed via personal swipe cards, and the O'Conner siblings each have a spare card for each other in case of emergency. The foyer for the penthouse level is only accessible by those with the appropriate swipe cards, or if a bellhop needs to take a deliveryman up. The view from the foyer is breathtaking, much like the views from the rooftop gardens that belong to each penthouse owner.
There is a secret room in all the penthouses, a kind of "basement" cinema, which in theory makes all the penthouses approximately two and a half stories in size. The second story is more like a balcony level that lets you overlook the living area, which is great for dramatic entrances down the staircase.
The Penthouse
First floor
living room / dining room, kitchen, lounge room, bathroom
After the trip to the winery, the last few weeks of winter seemed to pass in a blur for the werewolf known as Isaiah. The careful warning from the vampire Aristoo - a rival in the club scene - had not gone unnoticed, and the werewolf had for the most part seemed rather tense. Still, he'd tried not to let it affect him too much, but there was always a lingering sense when he was on the brink of sleep that his world would soon start to crumble away and he would do something regrettable.
The night at the winery had been his saving grace for his sanity, along with the little flower spirit he shared his home with. Ever since Aiyana had granted him permission to sleep next to her in wolf-form, his heart had grown much fonder for the woman. As much as he tried to suppress his spring-time urges, Isaiah couldn't help but admit he'd pretty much become infatuated by the quiet woman with the soft gaze and gentle voice. Her little garden on his rooftop had easily become his favourite place to relax, and the fresh scent of the plants was a welcome change from the smells of the city below.
With life looking brighter, it didn't take the man by surprise when things started to take a slow turn for the worst. While he'd prayed the vampires warning had been nothing but dramatics to shake him up, Isaiah had found himself increasingly paranoid in the last seven days that passed. As easy as it could have been to pass off the sightings as paranoia, the wolf couldn't deny that a persons scent was hard to ignore as 'paranoia'. Women with raven hair were quite common, but everyone had their own unique scent; every human, creature and spirit. There was no denying it when Isaiah could smell her scent lingering in a shopping mall, probably from hours before he even showed up, or when the smallest trace of it showed up in a crowd but with no sign of her anywhere.
The last few days had begun to really show on the werewolf. Dark shadows had begun to appear under his eyes, and the usual lustre to his chocolate locks had begun to dull. Even his appetite had begun to wane. But still, the man kept up his lie that he was okay, if only to keep Aiyana from the truth for a little while longer. He sported smiles and kind words for the spirit, the little brightness in his slowly darkening life. Spring was usually such a fun time of year for him, but with his mind warped with panic and his heart full of desire that he knew he could never act on, the wolf was starting to suffer.
With a heavy sigh, Isaiah rubbed his face and stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Yet again he’d had another sleepless night, plagued with nightmares from his past that caused him to tense up painfully and feel like he was suffocating. The werewolf longed for the nights in between the nightmares that took him away from the pain, to a peaceful place in his dreamworld where he was lying in a field of the greenest grass he’d ever seen. Even lying awake now in his unhappy state, his imagination could clearly conjure up the smell of fresh grass with hints of wildflowers, and that alone helped the weight atop his chest ease. Normally Isaiah enjoyed the feeling that spring brought along, even if he could do without the constant nagging in the back of his head to find a mate and mark them for life. Normally he would relish in the energy that seemed to lift up his spirit, the lush shine his hair - and fur - suddenly gained, and the twinkle in his eye that spoke of devious fun he wished to have in dimly lit bedrooms. But this year, there was no joy. There was only dull aches throughout his body and mind, painful dreams all thanks to past memories, and the ever persistent cry to find a mate.
Reaching out for his phone, the male checked the time. For once he hadn’t slept later than mid-morning. That was good, that would mean Aiyana might not worry about him, at least for today. 'Aiyana...' Just thinking her name made a warmth rise in his lower abdomen, the corners of his lips struggling to curl up to show some amount of pleasure. Isaiah was sure that without his precious little spirit he would be in a far worse place than he was now. With her around, he had that constant reminder of his happy place, and he wasn’t alone. While he knew his younger sister Helena had bought her to be his assistant, he never could have know just how much he had really needed her help.
Even the simple thought of how kind the spirit had been to him made his body suddenly ache with the desire to hold her close to him.
Groaning quietly in a frustrated manner, Isaiah finally dragged himself out of his bed and forced himself to shower. Spending only enough time under the water to wash himself off, he dressed himself in his current spring fashion trend; lazy. Ripped dark jeans, very old low-cut converse, and an oversized large knit jumper over the top of a plain white tee. It wasn’t fancy and it wasn’t what Aiyana had most likely grown used to seeing him wear, but for now comfort outweighed style. Plus the werewolf was pretty certain that the ‘grungy’ look complimented the shadow that had covered his jawline the last few weeks. It wasn’t anything drastic, but the feeling of being ever so slightly unshaved made Isaiah feel a little more rebellious at the moment, especially since everything else seemed to be unravelling out of control in his life anyway. With his long hair tied back in a simple ponytail at the base of his neck, Isaiah left the safety of his bedroom. Regardless of his emotional state, food always made him feel better.
Pottering around the kitchen, he looked over to the little succulent perched in it’s bowl of black river pebbles. As much as he’d tried to put his foot down about plants anywhere in the house that wasn’t her bedroom, or the first floor lounge room balcony, the odd little potted plant had made it’s way onto various tables in various rooms. The agave plant didn’t actually look out of place, and after learning that there was a type of agave that made tequila, it was pretty easy for Aiyana to have her way and place the plant on the counter. Not to mention the house did smell better, even if he wouldn’t voice that fact out loud. It smelled… fresher. Cleaner.
Staring at the huge slice of toast he’d overloaded with cream cheese, smoked salmon, avocado and rocket leaves, he decided to scoop some of the mixed berries that permanently occupied his fridge into a bowl. He’d never been big on fruit, but the smell of the berries reminded him of Aiyana, so they were hard to ignore these days. With the sun steadily streaming through the window, Isaiah headed to the garden they’d created on the roof. No longer just a collection of plants in pots, the man had worked hard to turn the corner they’d picked out when she first arrived into a proper relaxation area that overlooked the pool. He’d even found the energy to have an eco fuel fire pit installed, with a fancy decorative wrought iron fence and metal cover for when it wasn’t in use. It was like a little secret surprise for guests, if they were to ever have any that was. With the trickle of the fountain that he’d insisted they put there for ambience, the man got comfortable on one of the large outdoor chairs they’d bought. Again, a compromise item; she could have a reasonable amount of plants in that space, as long as he could make it look organised and functional. Ironically, the two things that seemed to elude him after completing the area. Sighing, plucking at stray leaves of rocket from his toast, Isaiah wondered how long this feeling would last. Would he actually have to cave and tell Helena? Would he have to sink low enough to talk to Aristoo to find out details he didn’t think he wanted to know? The thought of actively trying to find out if she really was back made his stomach tighten painfully, but if it came down to doing so to protect Aiyana, then he’d take the plunge. Sighing heavily this time, the male finally began to eat his breakfast. Shame he’d forgotten to make a cup of coffee too.
The flower spirit experienced a surprising amount of growth in the past weeks. Or perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all, with her desire to learn and how eager the siblings were to teach her whatever she asked. It was still too much to ask her to work any sort of technology, save for the water faucets and turning the television on and off. Late at night, if she couldn't sleep and her eyes were too tired to try to read, she would turn it on and it would already be on another nature documentary for her to watch. But Aiyana was a fast learner and she had age on her side, if not experience. She hadn't told either sibling anything about herself, save for what she allowed to slip to Isaiah that one night, and preferred it that way. If they had any interest, they hadn't shown it and she was grateful for it. The past was too painful and she had no wish to dredge those memories even further to the surface. Instead, she focused her efforts on the present - and that included Isaiah and his deteriorating behavior. Perhaps he thought he hid it well enough from the flower spirit, but she knew when a soul was in pain. She certainly had enough experience. He didn't respond to any direct questions, so she did her best to circumvent his self-isolation with attention. Telling him stories, asking him for them in return, studying reading and doing her best to keep him on some sort of schedule...Aiyana wasn't certain how much effect her efforts were having, but she tried.
Neither had explained spring to her. Of course, once the weather turned, so did the flower spirit. She practically bloomed as the flowers came to life and the weather warmed. Being in a happy environment, able to be healthy and free, was already changing the white-haired woman. Now that nature was on her side as well, she was radiant, sometimes literally glowing if she sat on the roof in the sun long enough. It had been so many years since she had been able to enjoy the first breaths of spring, Aiyana was oblivious to Isaiah's moods for the first few days of it, too caught up in the marvelousness of being able to be herself. If she was at her full strength, she might have brought spring to the entire coastline without even realizing at - as it was, there were many neighbors enjoying the sudden blooms from their own plants and around the city. Once she had recovered from the initial burst and returned to her senses, able to tear herself from the sun and growth, she realized that not all was right with the wolf. Aiyana had expected him to be happy for the season change - instead, he seemed to grow more and more miserable, and more and more reclusive, not even getting out of bed until later and later into the day, despite her best efforts. Helena had made herself scarce, for reasons Aiyana didn't know or understand, so she was left to try to handle the emotional mess on her own.
Nothing seemed to work and the patient woman was on the verge of frustration, an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. She wanted to shake some sense into Isaiah, only she didn't know what was wrong. His wounds were deep, she knew that much, not something she could shake out of him. Aiyana wondered if this was what his sister was talking about when she'd asked her to watch over her brother - this odd change in spring. Of course, she knew about the vampire maiden, but that was literally all she knew - the woman's existence and a broken heart, that was it. Neither had said a word to her about it after Isaiah's small confession and the flower spirit was afraid that asking would open the wounds too deep and too fast to heal. So her days had been spent trying to do something for the wolf, unaware of any effect she had on him, and simply trying to lift his spirits somehow.
Coming downstairs in another floral dress, hair in a ponytail for once, Aiyana didn't smell coffee. So she was surprised by Isaiah's presence in the kitchen, usually the smell she disliked heralded his awakenings in the afternoons. It wasn't even lunchtime, but she was pleased to see he had food in front of him. Maybe today would be a better day? "Do you want me to start coffee?" Aiyana asked, going over to the machine in anticipation of the 'yes'. She'd learned that to try to help him - it had taken her a few times, but luckily it was simple enough that she wasn't too intimidated to learn.
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
