박쥐 (rise13eyond and Eternalsinger13)

rise13eyond

Edgebabby
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
Always
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
Horror, fantasy, romance
For most humans the undead and creatures of the night were simply horror stories, although the number of those who knew the truth were growing. Growing and giving into fear, choosing to side with the hunters. It was an understandable thing to fear, although the vast majority of actual vampires were not as much of a threat as they were painted to be, simply wishing to live in peace. Of course some were willing to kill to live, to feed, not unlike humans killing animals for meat. But the idea that a being needed to take from a human still did not sit well with many people.

David for one had been one of them. For a time anyway. His closeness yet fear of death weighed heavily on him until he had met Michael. He remembered that night well. He’d gotten into, and lost, a brawl with a couple of half witted kids who did not seem to believe him when he tried to tell them that China and Japan were not the only countries in East Asia. He himself had been born in South Korea, although had left and not returned since he was only a couple years old. But there seemed to be a lot of idiocy to go around.

Despite the fact that he had lost the fight, Michael, who seemed to be a mysterious yet engaging figure to him, had seen the entire thing and was fairly impressed with David’s tenacity to fight back despite being ill and outnumbered. Of course the first time Michael offered him eternal life he’d laughed and jokingly said “Well you better hurry before I kill over.” He knew full that his family’s lack of funds for treatment meant his days were numbered.

It had taken quite a while for him to be persuaded by Michael. It had taken him a while to believe there was even a war going on. A “private war” Michael had told him, although the words did not seem to go together all that well, it simply meant that the majority of the world’s population was unaware it was going on. Then out of simple desperation he had given in. He certainly didn’t want to die and as he had become bedridden nearly any option was preferable to death.

It was all in the past now and the focus had been shifted entirely on the so called war, because with the rules in place for vampires the human side was winning, and winning fast. Were the vampires desperate? Perhaps. Although a new approach must be taken. Throughout the past the number of humans willing to help had been few, but they had to try.

Michael told David to stay on guard that night, but seeing as the walk from his home to the twenty-four hour drugstore was only minutes he thought to simply make a quick trip.

It was for his mother of course, although he thought she was aging gracefully her body did not seem to agree. It wasn’t even entirely dark yet, the daytime crowds were still headed home for a peaceful evening. Peaceful for them perhaps.

While walking through the door his phone chimed to alert him he had a new text. From Michael. His focus shifted to the screen of his phone as he unknowingly walked into another body who seemed just as preoccupied as he was. His phone slipped from his hand and landed several feet away.

The man in a thick leather jacket offered a simple “Sorry I didn’t see you.”

David shook his head. “Nah, it’s my fault I wasn’t looking.”

They both looked to the side where David’s phone had landed, since the man was closer he was the one to bend down and pick it up. Eyes caught a quick glance at the text conversation on the screen and the man handed it back to him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to look.”

“It’s fine.” David replied as he pocketed the phone for a moment. Except it wasn’t fine. The text he was answering was one warning him of the possibility of a new hunter in the area. Although the term hunter seemed to suggest some kind of supernatural detective who carried stakes and silver bullet guns around underneath a trench coat, they were something much more similar to a high tech spy from a sci-fi movie, yet the term hunter had stuck.

The man gave him one last look with his eyes slightly narrowed before offering one last apology and heading out.

David tried shoving the encounter to the back of his mind as he went on his way, picking up a prescription and then going out himself. He pulled the phone back out again to finish his response as he began his way through a nearly empty parking lot. While he was lost in a battle with autocorrect he stopped in his tracks with the assumption that no one was around to be bothered by him or to bother him. But he’d been wrong. His head turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw the man he’d bumped into. Long before the scenario could register in his head David was shoved into the side of a large white pickup, the man pulled out a cross dangling around his neck that had been hidden beneath his shirt. A head splitting pain surged through his forehead when the man pressed the cross to David’s forehead.

The man had clearly suspected him to be a vampire, though tested the theory to play it safe and make sure he wasn’t killing a human.

David gave a surprised yelp though not quite loud enough to make it across the street. His dominant hand grabbed a hold of the man, or rather hunter’s, wrist to yank away the hand pressing the cross against his skin. David’s other hand instinctively rubbed the burn mark the cross had made on his forehead. He let the hunter go as he forgot he was nearly defenseless at the moment. The moment he thought to turn and run the hunter had managed to take a hold him by tightly gripping his throat.

“You don’t want to do this, just turn around and go.” David said through clenched teeth expecting a hypnotic effect to take the wheel.

“Your mind tricks wont work on me.” The hunter said with an air of confidence. The cross was still in his hand pressing against David’s neck. That pain was the least of his worries.

He kicked back but with the cross weakening him the most he could do was flail about. He kept one hand on the hunter’s and reached forward with his other and clawed at his attacker’s face, though his eyes were on the specially made knife in the hunter’s other hand.

Damn. He was screwed at this point, and it was terrifying.
 
It has been a very, very long day. Pizza was quickly becoming Delaney's least favorite food. If people were so picky about everything, why didn't they just stay home and make the food themselves? At least she didn't have to put up with the customers; but boy could she hear the yelling from the kitchen. Terrible, just about every last one of them. 'Why do I even put up with this crap? I could probably make more cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors. Who complains to the manager about that?' She sighed, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and clutching onto the strap as she walked through the parking lot toward her car. Her gaze scanned her surroundings, especially since the sun had nearly set and it was starting to get dark.

'Why did I have to park so far away?'

A loud bang caught her attention, causing the young woman to freeze in her tracks as she tried to figure out where the noise had come from. The parking lot was a lot clearer than it had been that morning, which was both a blessing and a curse. Had she parked closer to the pizza shop, she would be home by now. But if that had happened, she never would have seen the fight that was going on. She couldn't quite make out the appearances of the individuals in question, but it did not look good. She started making her way toward the commotion, sneaking from car to car, shadow to shadow and she tried to see what was going on.

Delaney was across the row from the two men when she could really see the scene. The light of the setting sun and the slightly flickering streetlamps that lit the parking lot made it pretty clear how dire the situation was. A metallic glint in the attacker's hand caught her eye. Was that a knife? 'What do I do?' The longer she hesitated, the less likely she would be able to help. 'Ah, fuck it.' Using the element of surprise, she ran full speed toward the fight. After she had closed the gap, hopefully distracting the man from his victim momentarily, she threw all of her weight into his shoulder in an attempt to knock him away. How well that worked remained to be seen, but she was prepared to kick and punch as necessary. She had been in enough fights to know how to put an end to one relatively quickly. "Get the fuck away from him! What the hell are you doing!?"

'This is stupid- I'm going to get myself killed- what am I doing? But, I mean, what am I supposed to do, just let this guy kill someone?'

To the best of her ability, Delaney tried to put herself between the two males, keeping her focus on the more violent one. The victim didn't seem to be armed, and his attempts to free himself had seemed desperate and ineffective. Either he hadn't seen many fights, or there was a serious strength difference. Either way, she was not just going to stand by and watch someone die. Originally a kidnapping scenario had crossed her mind, but with a blade like that the intention was obviously not to take any prisoners. 'Man, is it a full moon or what? Why is everyone so bloodthirsty today?'
 
David couldn’t have anticipated anyone actually intervening. If anyone had been around he would have expected them to turn a blind eye, that was what he would have recommended anyone do. He would not advise a passerbyer get involved in these affairs. He saw the girl from the corner of his eye and chose to ignore her for the time and focus on the man trying to kill him. He could see the knife and needed to put all his energy into overpowering the hunter.

It slipped his notice that the girl was running their way until the moment she collided with the man. The force was enough to make him lose balance. His gaze turned to her and the hold he had on David had lessened. Enough for the vampire to break away. David free from the touch of the cross kicked the man away and made a leap for him. The force knocked both to the ground and David used his own weight to his advantage and pinned the man to the ground. The knife had fallen from his grip in the process but he seemed to be reaching into his pocket. David had one hand pressing down on the man’s throat all but cutting off his airway. Once he noticed the man digging in his pocket David grabbed it as well.

Delaney had been nearly forgotten by that point.

The man used his free hand to try and pry David’s fingers away from his neck with little success. David looked down in an almost condescending manner with fangs out the way a dog would to warn off trespassers.

He had to make a reality check to remember that a girl had came out of nowhere to aid him. He was fully prepared to kill the man, but thought better when her figure caught the corner of his eye. She couldn’t be a hunter, and he would have known if she was an ally of his, so she must have just been a random bystander. He couldn’t, or at least wouldn’t, kill the man in front of her, and if the hunter was wise he wouldn’t either.

There was a look between both of them that acknowledged this. The hunter stopped fighting to get whatever item it was he had on him and David relaxed his grip on both throat and wrist. After a moment simply staring back down without getting up to make sure the man wasn’t going to pull a fast one, he rose. He looked around and his foot stepped on the fallen knife so the man couldn’t pick it up. The hunter although clearly angry gave a final glance to both David and Delaney before gathering himself and climbing into the drivers side of the truck. David stepped aside to clear the path for the truck and once it had begun to drive away he picked up the knife carefully by the tip of the handle and slipped it into a large pocket in his pants.

Then he finally looked back at Delaney and acknowledged her presence. “One of us is...or both of us are very lucky.” He said to her.
 
Okay, so maybe he did actually know how to fight. Delaney scrambled out of the way as both of the men ended up on the ground, the roles reversed. She remained frozen for a few moments, but knew she couldn't just stop one and let the other one kill the first. "Seriously guys, break it up!" With the fight on the ground, it was more difficult for her to try to break it up. So she resorted to trying to pull on the younger male's coat. Luckily for David, he was facing away from her, so she was unable to see his fangs or the burns that the cross had left.

Suddenly, the skirmish ceased. She has no clue as to what was going on, and had no context as to why the fight had broken out in the first place. To be honest, she didn't really need to know, nor did she care at the moment. 'I just wanted to go home and eat dinner and sleep. Is that too much to ask?' The glare was ignored, as she expected as much from these guys. Why had she even bothered? It wasn't any of her business. 'Well, at least that will be one less murder on the news tomorrow morning. Hopefully.' Delaney carefully eyed the remaining guy, especially as he pocketed the knife that was almost used to stab him.

“One of us is...or both of us are very lucky.”

"Well I'd say so."
She responded, still trying to catch her breath a bit from the rush of adrenaline. "It seems like there's a lot of that-" She pointed out the truck as it drove out of sight. "Going on for a while. What the hell was so important that you felt the need to be at each other's throats?- You know what, never mind. Forget I asked, I don't really want to know." An exasperated sigh left her lips as she ran one hand through her messy black hair. He looked like he was doing alright, despite the bruising... or was that burns? A trick of the light perhaps? Again, not really her problem. "Are you hurt? Did you hit your head? I'm sure your throat burns like hell." Man, she really was turning into her mom.
 
David was grateful Delaney wasn’t pressing for too many answers. He wouldn’t have told her the truth even if she wanted it. It required too much of an explanation, one he did not want to divulge. Of would have gone of perfectly well to say well you see I’m a vampire…that much alone would be enough to leave her shaking her head in disbelief.

His hand immediately went to the burn on his neck to cover it. He flattened his bangs over his forehead. The still stung a great deal but both would be gone in no time at all. He’d best hide them from his actual mother though. In true mother fashion she was a worry wort. She knew full well what her son was, and although he spared her the more intimate dangerous details of his situation she was also aware of what that entailed. Her love for her son clearly hadn’t changed even as he had. If anything she was happy he was no longer deathly ill.

“I’m fine.” He said nonchalantly. He had much bigger things to worry about. “Thanks by the way. It’s hard to fight back when...” Well when he had silver stuck to his skin, but that was of course something he had better not try and explain. “I hope you don’t get in any trouble because of that.” He meant it, although she seemed to be able to hold her own, or was at least willing to try.

He needed allies, human allies. But he just shook his head to tell himself to drop that thought. He would have to report this to the rest of the ‘clan’.

[This is close to my usual post length.]
 
Delaney noted the fact that he was hiding the wounds... if they were actually wounds, she really couldn't tell. Was he trying to put up a brave front now? "Alright, if you insist." She sighed, digging through her bag momentarily looking for her car keys. Her gaze shifted every so often in his direction as he continued to speak, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Any subtle shifts in her direction, an attempt to reach out toward her. 'After all of that, I highly doubt he's going to try to kidnap me. Or if he is, he's going to have a hell of a fight on his hands after I just helped save his sorry ass.'

“I hope you don’t get in any trouble because of that.”

The young woman rolled her eyes. "What doesn't get you in trouble these days, honestly." She muttered, finally finding the lanyard that her keys were connected to. "And you're welcome. I'm just glad you made it out alive. It seems like there are more bodies found every day. I knew we should have moved to the countryside." With a sigh, she flipped the lanyard around the wrist, the car key held securely between her fingers. "I really should be heading home. It's getting dark, and I am starving." Her body turned slightly away from him to search again for her car, though she kept a close watch on his movements. The blue sedan was several rows from where she had been before she headed over to investigate the fight... so, probably five rows away, just out of the streetlamps light. 'I really should have gotten here earlier. I would have gotten a better parking spot.'

"What direction are you heading?" Delaney asked, turning back toward him. "My car is all the way over there, but if we're heading in the same direction I suppose I don't mind the company. Watch each other's backs, perhaps." More or less, it was to watch hers. If she could keep track of where he was, he had less of a chance sneaking up on her. It was less out of friendliness, more out of caution. Her eyes studied him for a moment. He didn't seem to be in any immediate rush to leave the parking lot, but he could also just be trying to catch his breath after the fight. Get his thoughts together. Not that a half lit parking lot was the best place to do that. If he refused her offer to walk with her, she would pretend to check her phone while he headed to a point that she could see him while she was heading to the car. If he came with her, she would keep him at her side, if not slightly in front.

'I really don't think he should be a threat. Hell, he looks like he might be younger than me even.'
 
He really couldn’t argue with that; he had more than his fair share of trouble. Although given that Delaney probably had no idea what was going on in the shadows she was likely just referring to crime in general. Which was true enough, if it wasn’t one crime it was another. Such was the world now. He couldn’t promise himself he wouldn’t have any more trouble that night. He’d been figured out, by midnight the hunters would probably know his name, who his friends and family were, and even where he lived. The problem wouldn’t even stop at him. His entire clan would be in danger. Although he figured his mother would probably be alright, it was rare for a hunter to kill or even go after another human.

Dropping his phone was a huge mistake. In the day and age of wi-fi all this information was a click away. He should have tried to get a name or something out of the man, that way they might at least be on even ground.

“Just a couple of blocks south.” He said pointing in that general direction. “I live pretty close.” It was tempting to go with her anyway. For her protection, for his, for the simple novelty of having company. In any case he was interested in her, her willingness to fight, to put herself in harms way to protect someone else. Qualities like those would be useful. “What was your name?” It was a reasonable question wasn’t it? He might want to contact her in the future.
 
If it was only a few blocks away, it was tempting to offer him a ride. He had just been attacked after all, what if it happened again? 'That's reckless. I really shouldn't be offering free rides to strangers. That'll get me killed.' "At least you don't have too far to go." She started so back slowly toward the direction of her car, seeing if he would follow and continue the conversation or cut it short to go off on his own. "I'm heading east down the main road, unfortunately." She motioned over her shoulder toward the main street of the city. As he asked her name, she hesitated. It was idle talk. What harm could it do to tell him her first name? He couldn't get much information from that. "Delaney. And yours?" He wasn't acting odd. He seemed honestly curious. She took another step back, glancing over her shoulder at her vehicle in the distance then back to the guy as she tried to indicate that she wanted to start heading in that direction. "We can talk while I head to my car, if you're not in a rush to return home."

(Sorry it's a bit on the shorter side. Not much to say with idle awkward chit chat)
 
David hesitated at first to move any farther away from home. He wondered if it would be wise to give her his name, but it would be rude not to after she had given hers. He supposed he could give her a fake name, but what would be the point? “David.” He finally said. He had more or less given her a nickname. He never went by his legal name, not that it mattered at this point, the person associated with that name was legally dead on all documents.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and felt the knife in one ans the packet of new pills in the other. His mother had waited this long surely she could wait a few more minutes. He shrugged and began to walk her way. He slowed down his pace once he reached her and walked along side her.

“So what were you doing out and about?” She seemed dressed fairly casual and must have been alone, so she likely wasn’t on a date or anything of the sort. But what did he know?

[Well you know write however much or little you need to.]
 
"David." Delaney repeated softly. "I would say it's nice to meet you, but given the circumstances perhaps that isn't the best phrase." She half laughed at her own comment. Who would have thought she'd end up saving someone today- or any day really? When do you expect to come across a fight and save someone's life. One would hope you'd never have to. As he moved forward to walk alongside her, she turned so she was facing in the direction of her vehicle and began on her way.

“So what were you doing out and about?”

"I was heading home from work." She answered. "Luckily, I don't work the night shift. I don't know how people manage to do that. They must be used to sleeping during the day or something to be awake that late." Again, another small laugh. "As much as I wished my car was closer, I'm glad the parking lot had been so crowded this morning. Otherwise you would have been out of luck. Honestly, this city doesn't need more bloodshed. Those that aren't found dead at sunrise end up at the hospital, the ER has been running overtime. Not that it usually doesn't, but still. It's awful." She wondered if her mom was going to be at home tonight, or still at work. The poor woman had been running herself into the ground with the upticks of violence. "I suppose there's not much peace to be found anymore. Or safety." She mused momentarily, then realized she was rambling. "What about you? Why are you out here?"
 
David had to laugh a bit along with her. The way they met wasn’t ideal, but at least they had met. Really it had been a stroke of luck for him, or at least it would have had he believed in such things as luck. The universe wasn’t intentionally working for or against him. Although at times it might feel like everything was out to get him. But when the majority of the world thought you were an abomination of nature it could be hard not to think that way.

He couldn’t imagine a peace filled life. He felt like he’d been running and running since the day he was born and might never be able to stop. In all honesty he just wanted the mess with the hunters to be over. Of course he wanted those he cared about to live a safely and happily, but he didn’t really care how that happened. He soldiered on the way he did because it was expected of him and he couldn’t find a very good excuse to stop.

“Well some people don’t mind that kind of lifestyle.” It had taken him a while to get used to staying in throughout the day and only heading out once the sun had set. But since he’d been living that way for roughly forty years it was harder to imagine anything else. “We live in a death filled world that’s for sure.” Crime may have been a better word to use but he did not regret saying death instead. That was how he viewed it anyway. “I was just picking up something at the drugstore for my mom.” He pulled the packet out of his pocket for a second then stuffed it back in. “She’s not in the best health and I wanted to get out of the house anyway.”
 
"Yeah, I suppose some people are just night owls." Delaney shook her head. "I could never do it. I like the sunlight too much. Though a nice thunderstorm every now and then is wonderful too. Everything is too foreboding at night for me." A brief twinge of heat flashed over her as grief stricken thoughts crossed her mind, but she pushed them away. 'I couldn't have done anything.' His next comment was didn't exactly help the situation. She did not respond, keeping her eyes on the car as they neared it. She needed something to distract her. Her fingers clutched the keys tight as she struggled to push back the brewing thoughts.

As David mentioned his sickly mother, however, Delaney forced herself back to reality. "That's very kind of you. I'm sorry she's not well." She shifted the keys in her hand, unlocking the sedan as they crossed the row in front of it. "I'll let you head off then. Sorry to delay you." Opening the door and tossing the keys onto the seat, she turned to give David a farewell. "Best of luck. Be careful out there." There was moment of hesitation before she settled in behind the wheel and started up the car. The motor sputtered temporarily, and she muttered a curse under her breath before it evened itself out. Giving a final wave, she drove off into the night.
 
“Pity.” David said to himself once Delaney’s back was to him. Someone who liked the sun so much would have a very hard time adjusting to being a vampire. Not that he thought about turning her, he had laid down rules for himself, just to make himself feel like a better person.

“It’s fine.” He said with a shake of his head. “You did pretty much save my life after all.”

He began to walk away then stopped a few feet away and watched the car drive off and away. He had a good feeling about her. Perhaps Delaney had something to offer, or some way she could be useful. Of course he couldn’t know for sure yet, or even if she’d be willing to join the fight. So first things first, he’d have to get closer to her. Finding an excuse to do that without giving himself away would be the biggest problem. Although he didn’t even have a last name, he had no way to contact her. She said she was heading home after work, she must work nearby. How hard would it be to figure that out? Deciding to put the thought to rest for the time being and headed home.

His mother, Clair, was sitting on the couch with her nose in a book. The sound of him opening and closing the door caught her attention. “That took a bit longer than you said it would.” Se said looking up and at him.

“Sorry.” He said as he leaned down to give her a little hug. “I started talking and got distracted.”

Clair patted him without looking and sat her book to the side. Once her eyes turned to him she saw the fading red mark the cross made on his neck. Her fingers lightly brushed it while she held a look of concern.

“What happened there?” She had a fairly good guess in her head but David not wanting to worry her just shook his head.

“Nothing really. Oh...” He pulled the packet out of his pocket and handed it to her. “These are yours.”

“Thanks.” A heavy sigh followed. “I must be getting very old, I’m tired.” She tried to make it sound like a joke but it didn’t ease his concern. “I think I’ll head to be early.”

“Alright, I’ve got some things to do.”

She gave him a goodnight kiss on the cheek and left the front room to go to her bedroom. David flopped down on the couch and pulled out his phone then dialed Michael. He relayed what happened giving unnecessary detail on irrelevant things and having to stop to answer questions about details that actually mattered. Before he got around to make any suggestion involving Delaney, Michael insisted they at least give her a chance. Michael said he’d dig up whatever he could about her and get back to him. Since David was the one to meet her then it made sense for him to be the one to recruit her. He had no idea how Michael got his intel, probably through a lot of internet surfing, whatever he did is was a bit creepy, but it was effective so he didn’t complain.

Later that night his phone made a little ding for its text alert. Michael had managed to find a Delaney in town, no address but the name of the pizzeria Delaney worked at along with a last name. David looked her up to make sure it was the right Delaney, but how many Delaneys could there be?

Alright, he’d go order a pizza one evening and hope to run into her. Soon preferably, even if everyone seemed relaxed, they all sat on the edge, appearing normal out of necessity.

David set an alarm to wake him up earlier than usual to be sure he would catch Delaney at work. The sun was still out but had sunk enough to keep the streets under the shadows. He stepped into the pizzeria only glancing around quickly, wondering if she was there that evening and if she worked up front. All he could really do was hope and cross his fingers.
 
It didn't take Delaney more than a few minutes to arrive at her house, parking the car in the lot next to apartment building. The lights in the windows were on, so at least someone was still awake. Probably Kara working on another painting, or her father, up late doing paperwork. Her gaze scanned the parking lot for the blue minivan, but had no such luck locating it. A sigh fell from her lips. 'Probably another emergency.' She locked the car behind her and went inside, heading up to the second floor and shifting her purse off of her shoulder.

"I'm home."
"Dinner's in the microwave." Came the response from the couch. Her father sat in the living room, head in his hands, papers strewn across the coffee table and a half eaten plate of spaghetti on the small side table. Half of it was forms and spreadsheets. The other half had the all too familiar picture of her older brother, Vincent. The strange tingling warmth pricked her fingertips as a brief wave of sadness washed over her. Delaney quietly made her way into the kitchen and reheated the leftovers. "Granger ended up ordering the wrong pizza again. Extra olives this time." She called, trying to make a lighthearted joke. Their downstairs neighbor was known for forgetting that he doesn't like olives. Unlike most customers, who would whine and complain, he liked to laugh it off, and it had become a running gag for them. He was good friends with her parents, though the stress of the past few months had kept the lunches to a minimum. There was no reaction from her father, and she returned her attention back to the microwave.

Taking her plate with her, she decided to leave the living room undisturbed and lightly tapped on her sister's door. It was quiet, but she could just barely make out the quiet murmur of music that indicated her sibling was still awake. "May I come in?" "If you want to watch paint dry, go ahead." As expected, Kara was sitting at her easel, paintbrush in hand. This time it was a scenic forest landscape. Certainly not award winning, but artistic was certainly not one of Delaney's traits, so she couldn't really critique. She closed the door gently behind her and sat down at desk. "How was school?" Momentary silence. "It was fine. How was work?" The typically deflection. "A pain in the ass, as always. By your tone, I'd guess school wasn't much better?" At least she got a little bit of a smile out of Kara that time. "What's this one for?" "My friend. She wanted something to put in her room." "Ah. Outdoorsy type?" "Absolute nature freak.You'll never believe what she brought to class today! A jar of butterflies! I'm not talking a little jar, it was HUGE! I couldn't even count how many there were. It had to weigh a ton!"

'That's better.' Delaney listened quietly as her sister continued to regale her with stories, glad at least someone had some good going on. After a little while, she went off to her room, making sure to be quiet in case Lucy was already asleep. Since Kara had gotten the smallest bedroom, and Vincent was the only boy of the bunch, she had been sharing her room with her baby sister for the past year or so. The eight year old was usually asleep before sunset, and could sleep until noon. Either that, or she'd be up at the crack of dawn wanting to play games or watch tv. Sure enough, Lucy was already tucked into bed when she got to the room. It had certainly been a long day.


The following day was not much better. Two of the waitresses that were scheduled to work called out sick, and one of the other cooks offered to be in the kitchen to help. This left Delaney with the job of both finishing up the pizzas as well as delivering them to the customers that were eating at the shop. At least she wasn't on delivery duty. Not that this was much better. And there was only an hour or so to go, so it wasn't much longer before she could make her escape for the evening. She was rushing out of the kitchen, balancing two pizzas with a tray stand on her arm when she caught sight of David out of the corner of her eye. She didn't really react to him, focused on the task at hand. She placed one of the pizza pans on the table before setting up the tray and placing the other one down. "Where are the pineapple and the veggie pizzas?" "The other two will be right out." 'I only have two arms.' "And could we get refills? We've been waiting for nearly half an hour." "Yes, of course. I'll be right back." She collected the cups, trying to remember which drink was which, casting a glance in David's direction before disappearing into the kitchen again.
 
David only managed to catch Delaney’s eyes for a brief second bit it was long enough for him to be satisfied and conclude that she had seen him and remembered who he was. It had been easy for him to recognize her as the girl from the previous night quickly. Although she seemed busy and he probably wouldn’t get a word with her right then. At least not a casual word. He wasn’t even sure what her position was so that half a second look might be all he got. In that case he would need to wait around until her shift was over or she was on a break.

The girl at the register saw him though and assumed he was there for pizza. He might as well be, he couldn’t really admit to stalking right off, so he might as well pretend that was what he came for. A more likely story than being a vampire out to recruit humans to aid him.

“Hi, what can I get you.” The girl at the register piped up. She had on a smile that was obviously fake and she had to stand up straight when she had previously been leaning against the counter appearing tired and bored.

“Can I get a small vegetarian?” He asked. He didn’t mind eating actual food, although pizza wasn’t his favourite, but his mother would eat it and she wasn’t exactly a meat lover.

“Is that all?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright that will be $6.99 plus tax.”

David pulled out his wallet and thumbed through it looking for cash, except his eyes were traveling around looking for Delaney again. Since he didn’t see her he just pulled out a ten and handed it to the cashier.

“There will be about a fifteen minute wait.” She said as she handed him change.

David only nodded to her as he stuffed it all back into his pocket. He sat at the nearest table to wait and kept his eyes peeled on the lookout for Delaney. He hoped his hunch was right, that she would be useful. And he hoped she would accept. All he really had to do right that moment was get in contact with her, he couldn’t very well tell her everything in such a public place.
 
Delaney reappeared with the second pizza and a platter of newly filled drinks for the loudly talking table of teenagers, then rushed back into the kitchen again to fetch another order. She noted the fresh slip of paper; veggie, huh. She peeked discretely out into the cafe for a moment. Yup, he was still there. Perhaps that was his order. How lonely, eating a pizza by yourself. Or maybe he would just take it and head back home to eat with his mother. "Funny seeing you here." She said as she approached David's table with a partially genuine smile. "Would you like anything to drink?" The conversation was kept short, as there was a lot to be done, but she was mostly trying to sense if there was anything off about him. After all, she didn't recall ever seeing him around here before... then again, she was usually confined to the kitchens, so she wouldn't particularly be the best judge of that. But it was oddly convenient that the night after she saved him he suddenly shows up around closing time to grab a pizza. She hadn't told him where she worked... the uniform, maybe? But she was wearing her jacket, she thought. It had been pretty cold. Everything about this seemed off.

Once David's order was finished, Delaney brought the pizza out and glanced to the clock. '40 minutes left.' It had been a very busy day, she'd worked an extra shift. Maybe management would let her head out early? "Are you planning on eating that here, by yourself, or should I get you a box to bring home?" She asked absentmindedly, more eager to leave than anything else. Either way, box or no box, she was told to remain until the end of her shift; though she was excused from helping close up shop for once. Once 9 pm came around, she was out the door and heading for the parking lot with a one track mind.
 
The distinct sound of Delaney’s footsteps reached his ear long before he bothered to look up and see her. David had his immediate attention on the phone in his hands. He only looked up after she spoke, and pretended to have just noticed her then.
“Well when you want pizza, you want pizza.” He shrugged. Of course them running into each other here wasn’t in any way a coincidence. Not that she needed to know it right this moment. “Nah.” He finally answered her question. “I’ve got plenty of pop in the fridge.” Whether he did or didn’t wasn’t actually known to him because he rarely got into it and his mother didn’t care what she drank.
He supposed she ran into a lot of people, mainly teens and young men who could, or would at least attempt to eat an entire pizza all on their own. He wasn’t one of them, he probably wouldn’t eat any of the pizza at all. “Do I look like I would?” He pretended to give himself a look over. “Yeah a box would be good.”
After she left and brought the box back he gave her a brief thanks only as a customer and ran the pizza back home, but he was there only long enough to tell to his mother he had it and that he had something to do. Then ran back to the pizzeria. He was sure he could get back at least in time to meet Delaney as she left.
He’d been right more or less. He’d only made it back a couple minutes before he caught her leaving through the back door. “Hey!” He shouted after her. He followed at the pace of a slow jog only waving his hand once her head had turned towards his voice. “I thought I should give you more of a proper thanks, for you know saving me and all.”