come out come out wherever you are

[bitterchill]

Ari patrols most nights. He frequently whistles as he does so. He's on friendly terms with many of the people of the town, though some of them think he's a dangerous weirdo. (They're not wrong, but it's not very polite to say it outright like that.)

Vampires still come to Sunnydale. Because it's Sunnydale, and because vampires are idiots. The ones who live here already, though, have picked up a habit of either visiting the kosher butcher's or the bite shop, or moving to LA. Or having their heads ripped off by an excessively cheerful blonde half-Kal'shekk witch.

Speaking of the kosher butcher's, he pops his head into that alleyway. Maybe he'll see Mr. Ray, that nice vampire chap who comes by for some fresh cow's blood every Thursday. (Ari acts cheerfully oblivious to the fact that every vampire he knows is blind terrified of him. Some of them are alright when he keeps them from eating people; being unrepentantly amoral doesn't have to mean you're not a nice person.)

Comments

[bitterchill]

"Well, you're pretty, and I'll tell you that as much as you like. I could write you a sonnet! It won't be any good, but I'll do it."

[unmarred]

Mark laughs. "You're adorable."

[bitterchill]

"I could say the same to you! You are without a doubt the cutest vampire I've ever met. It helps you've got that vague pacifism thing going."

[unmarred]

"Pacifism might be stretching the point. I did kill the man who turned me. And a regrettable number of his fanatical cultists, both before and after."

[bitterchill]

"You're new to the whole supernatural world thing, so you may not have context on that: By vampiric standards, you're the next best thing to Gandhi. And I did say vague pacifism."

[unmarred]

"I've picked up on the trend, but I can't figure out why."

[bitterchill]

"Common wisdom says you're actually a demonic parasite who imitates the soul of the human you were made from. Not sure I buy into that, but every vampire I've met but you has completely lacked any sense of morality, hence the threats. So there is that."

[unmarred]

"I don't feel like a demonic parasite. As far as I can tell, turning into a vampire had no effect on my personality at all."

[bitterchill]

"In that case, it would seem you're a very fortunate mutant. I wonder if you have a soul? Not that it'd be easy to test that without looking up some ridiculous ancient ritual, probably."

[unmarred]

...He cracks up.

[bitterchill]

Ari vaguely wishes he knew what makes Mark laugh when he does; it'd be a nice look into his head. In lieu of that, he's willing to laugh along.

[unmarred]

"Anyway, I should probably get what I came for and get out of here. I assume you're not going to give me a hard time about stealing. All the most feasible alternatives involve murder."

He commences raiding the supply of animal blood.

[bitterchill]

"Oh, please. Do I look like the police?"

The police are an entity Ari has encountered mostly in their capacity as disposable victims of various demonic entities. This is their primary function in Sunnydale.

[unmarred]

"Happily, no."

All right, he's stocked up. Off he goes. Ari is welcome to follow him.

[bitterchill]

He does so! Patrol is mostly a formality in late summer; vampires are just as miserable in the heat as humans, and the nights are too short to get much of anything done. There could be demons or an apocalypse cult or something, but there could always be demons or an apocalypse cult or something.

[unmarred]

"Are you planning to follow me back to my crypt?"

[bitterchill]

"If you'd like. I've got a roommate, but she's used to me coming back at odd hours. Congratulations on finding a crypt in the lurking season, by the way, the market's murder. I was expecting the sewers."

[unmarred]

"It's not a very comfortable crypt. Bit out of the way, too."

[bitterchill]

"If you'd found a comfortable crypt I'd accuse you of divinity. And I don't mind a walk."

[unmarred]

"Well, all right then."

[bitterchill]

Ari follows cheerfully. This is looking like a very good night.

[unmarred]

"I can't offer much in the way of hospitality, I'm afraid. Lost all my worldly possessions in the vampire cult incident."

[bitterchill]

"That happened to me one time. Worldly possessions are overrated anyway."

[unmarred]

"Yeah? Where'd yours go?"

[bitterchill]

"Left in the hell dimension where I grew up when I was unceremoniously dumped into Southern California. Showed up naked, covered in fresh burns, and without a penny or a word of English to my name. Fortunately one of the cops at the time was a demon who knew a bit of Ak'Kal'shak, so he was able to get me a passport saying I was from a tiny post-Soviet country and teach me enough English to get taught the rest. Nice guy. Pity he got killed by that rampaging Daklon Beast."