To be honest the gargoyle wasn't bad, a little flighty and hyper but, in the few hours she'd been with the girl, Ginger  could see her being friends with this one. For starters, she, or gargoyles, didn't drink blood, well not human blood. According to Trina they really enjoyed pigeon blood and the meat. They even used the feathers for decorations so as not a bit of the bird went to waste.

Ginger figured she ate birds too, like chicken, and turkey, potato-patoto, just in the perspective of how one looks at or says it. And who couldn't agree with the 'waste not want not' concept? Gargoyles were like the vegans of the supernatural world, except for the whole meat thing. Ginger actually thought it was kind of cool in all honesty. Because of this feeling Ginger even managed to speak to her, something she'd only done begrudgingly before.

She'd plopped rather messily on the empty bed, thankfully, near a window, a great escape route that took away one of the many problems, the main one being they were on the fifth floor, she'd encountered. And talk about a heavenly fluffy mattress, she'd never had one so good! After sitting in her little slice of happiness she'd noticed the girl staring curiously at her and that along with her 'gargoyles aren't as bad' opinion, is what caused Ginger to ask a question that sparked the largest conversation she'd ever had with a Sup.

"Do you turn into stone and sit on top of buildings?"

Trina giggled and flipped her surprisingly healthy black, shoulder length hair behind her back. Her skin was a pale grayish brown that would almost allow her to pass as mixed, but if anyone looked close enough they would know she wasn't human. If it wasn't that then it would be the red tint to her hawk like black eyes.

"We don't really turn to stone, well most of us don't, only the old ones. The old ones are best at staying still, plus they like it up there. Easy access to pigeons and they can contemplate up there. It's the wind. It lets us think. We do spend a lot of time up there if only because one bird isn't always enough too. And birds aren't so easy to catch if you're movin' about."

Ginger felt the tug of a smirk at the tiny accent that had started to show the more the gargoyle got interested in the conversation. "Is that a hint of an Irish accent?"

Trina smiled. "Most people don't catch it right away. I mean really an Irish gargoyle? Talk about weird. It's where I was born, but I've been in the states so long the accent is practically gone. Only appears when I get excited about things," her chubby cheeks actually turned a pinkish red as she blushed. "Usually happens when I talk about food."

Trina wasn't fat, in fact her body was slender and willowy like a ballet dancer, but her cheeks had that pudgy pixie, but well fed, look. Most humans who knew her were probably envious thinking she could eat whatever she wanted and still maintain her body shape.

"Ginger," Trina managed to pull her out of her thoughts. "I think we'll be great friends!"

Ginger's half pseudo-smile faltered. "Friends?"

Ginger liked Trina. She could talk to her. She wasn't going to kill her... and they were roommates, but friends? That was a long shot.

Trina nodded happily. "It's not easy making friends here. I mean, being elite in the elite is hard, ya know?"

No. I don't know, Ginger thought, but bit her tongue to keep from responding so harshly. This was her chance to get the goods and she wouldn't ruin it by being rude.

"So," Ginger shifted on her bed and crossed her legs, hoping to appear casual, "who are the elite of the elite?"

Trina licked her bottom lip and tapped her chin. "I think you've met at least one already. Hael Masters. His father is like the Alpha of all Alpha's--well, soon-to-be King Alpha. Everybody wants to be on Hael's good side here because while Hael's father has basically been recruited to be the King of Alpha's, it's Hael that they really want. Hael's special, like he can do stuff other wolves can't, I guess. Wolf stuff though, I'm not too up-to-date on that. I probably should start at the very tip-top though. Kerr Riordan, the Seelie fairy prince," Trina exhaled slowly as a shiver racked her body. She placed a hand over her heart and mimicked it thumping through her chest.

Ginger rolled her eyes at Trina's dramatics. "You like this Kerr?"

"Who doesn't? 'Course, he doesn't like my type."

"And what's your type?"

"Duh, gargoyles. He doesn't like werewolves much either. Mainly he sticks to his own kind."

"Not even Sups can progress, eh?" Ginger shook her head.

Trina nodded. "Where do you think humans got that type of mentality? Prejudices are high in our world. So, a-are you human?"

Ginger nodded.

"Unclaimed too?"

Another nod. Ginger bit her lip worrying that the topic of conversation was shifting. "Who else is elite? It's Kerr, Hael, and?"

Trina rubbed her hands over her bent thighs. "You can't stay unclaimed for long."

Ginger's jaw clenched. "Why?"

"It's against the rules. Humans aren't allowed to run free here, plus the dangers of encountering a vampire are high. Especially, with the schedule you chose."

"Light bulb! How 'bout you claim me?"

Trina snorted and shook her head. "I'm not attracted to women."

"What does attraction have to do with it?"

The frown that spread over Trina's face made Ginger worried. "You don't know?"

"I've never been claimed."

Her black eyebrows rose into her hair. "How the hell did you get into this school?"

Ginger eased back against the headboard and shrugged her shoulders. "Someone recommended me. I have a benefactor too," Ginger said, feeling a little bad for lying to her.

At least most of it was true.

Trina slowly nodded, but the deepened frown remained on her face. "I suppose it is true that some humans are better than others at dealing with the elite supernaturals. They probably saw something in you. Who's your benefactor?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Trina heaved a sigh and shook her head, clearly baffled.

"Why does you not being attracted to women matter?"Ginger asked the question again.

"The ritual to bind a human to us isn't sexual, but once the blood transfers happen the bond between slave and owner is very strong and your human is expected to sate all desires."

"Well then I guess it's good that I'm saving myself for someone. Sex won't be an issue. So claim me."

Trina shook her head. "I don't want you to be my human slave. I want you to be my friend and not because you have to. That's what the bond does. It's very close to what you humans are most familiar with in our world--when a werewolf finds his or her mate. It's similar but not that strong."

"Yeah, how does that work?" Ginger asked, mentally hitting herself from straying even farther from the topic she really wanted to talk about.

"It isn't love at first sight like it's written in romance novels. For a werewolf or shifter to find their mate they have to exchange bodily fluids."

Ginger wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

Trina threw her head back and laughed. It was almost melodic, but the gravelly growl that seemed to wrap around the noise made it harder to enjoy musically. "It doesn't have to be sex. Blood is also just as potent, but you'll only know after it's taken place and not even that is instant. It takes up to three days for the mating mark to appear."

"Mating mark?"

"Mm," Trina nodded and sighed dreamily. "I would love to have a mating mark. It's a little different for gargoyles though. Because we live so long our bodies mature at a slower pace including our blood... I won't be able to even consider trying to find my mate for another one-hundred years. I guess there was one special case, but that's only happened once."

"What does a mating mark look like?"

"It's different for everyone. My da's is a Celtic knot with leaves at the curling ending tips. Mum's is the same."

"So it's not just werewolves?"

"Of course not. If humans had a little more magic in their blood it could happen for them too, but it's too diluted. It's just not strong enough."

Ginger frowned as Lucca's face flashed into her mind. "Is there a way to make it stronger?"

Trina giggled. "You humans are ever the romantic type. You want the one, huh? The only way to do it for humans is to either have the other half of their brain awaken--which is almost impossible--or to get in contact with a witch willing to help and I'm sure you know how dangerous they are."

Their acidic blood and desire to consume children--any children, human or not--for extra abilities made them feared throughout the supernatural and human community, at least for the humans that know about them. Consuming children fat gives them the ability to fly, consuming the kids soul kept them young, the skin, meat, and blood of the child makes them unstoppable, but none of it's forever. Unusual kidnappings, disappeared without a trace... those were the kids taken by witches. The one thing the witches didn't consume were the bones, but grinding them into dust and using them in spells, particularly the skulls of baby boys, amplified the power of that spell ten times. Ginger was fairly certain different genders did different things for the witch too. For example, the fat of an unbaptized male would allow the witch flight for a longer period of time than that of a girl.

Ginger shuddered. If she never came across a witch again she could die happy. "There aren't any witches here, are there?"

Trina grimaced, but nodded. "There's only four. The were only allowed in because they're young and their families are known for walking the line between good and evil. They actively fight the pull, I guess. That doesn't mean the personalities of those four is great though."

"Are witches demons?" Ginger asked. It was something that had always bothered her because she could never find a definitive answer.

Trina held her nail bitten hand up and waved it back and forth like a teeter-totter. "Kind of, but not really. It's a little confusing, but this is where your human lore gets it wrong. A human can not be a real witch, they can practice the arts, but a witch has never, and will never be human or have anything in common with a human. Once that witch starts dabbling, the magicks darkens their soul bit-by-bit. Each evil spell gets them marked, like a counting slash mark, just on their souls. If that witch is killed those marks determine if they'll be a demons slave or if they have the power to turn demon."

"So what, they get to live again?"

Trina shrugged. "Basically. Witches aren't immortal. They have longer life spans than a human, but five hundred is the oldest a witch has ever gotten to. The desire to be immortal is one of the reasons they turn to the dark magicks."

"I don't understand that. I would never want to be immortal."

"I'm immortal. What so wrong with that?"

Ginger's mouth dropped. "Gargoyles are immortal?"

Trina nodded. "When we turn to stone we stop aging. I guess a gargoyle could die of old age if they never shifted to stone, but like I said, the clarity that comes afterwards is like a cleansing diet to us. So, whatcha got against us immortals?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just--living forever? There's too much pain in this world for me to want that."

Trina offered an understanding smile and slowly got to her feet. It was a change from her earlier movements which had been hyper. Now she was almost sluggish. Ginger wondered if Trina sat still long enough if her body started the shift to stone of it's own accord. That was something she'd have to ask another time.

"Are you leaving?" Ginger asked.

Trina patted her stomach. "Duty calls."

Just as Trina's hand landed on the door knob, Ginger shot out one last question. "Wait, Trina, what do you know about Succubi?"

Trina shrugged. "I don't know much. I mean other than they aren't a part of this dimension anymore. They left about--" she paused and squinted her eyes as she thought, "sixteen years ago."

Sixteen years ago? Ginger's heart thumped in her chest and she felt like she'd been suffocated. "Why did they leave?"

"They were being hunted by humans, vampires, witches and fairies."

"I can guess why the humans would hunt them, but why vampires, witches, and fairies?"

"I think it had something to do with their blood. I heard Da at a meeting, a few days after it had happened, on how it's like a humans heroin to them."

"Whoa. Wait how old are you if you remember that sixteen-years ago."

"I'm fifty-six."

Ginger covered her mouth as she coughed into her hand.

Trina lifted her head up and squared her shoulders. "In human years that's old, but in gargoyle years I'm still a baby."

"Some baby!"

Trina giggled and then winked at Ginger as she left.

Ginger rubbed at her temples and settled deeper into the feather-like mattress. It had been a busy day, so when her eyelids drooped she sighed and let sleep take her.