Introverts Make Convenient Targets

[brian_campo]

Brian loaded an amp into the van and shoved it across the floorboard. The wheels belonged to Mikey, who bought the vehicle to transport his drums all over town. Now it served as the band’s transportation to and from their practice space and shows. Fully loaded, there wasn’t even room for a copilot, forget about a hapless kid hoping for free candy.

He mopped sweat from his forehead. The gesture made his hair stand at funky angles.

From the back of the Dive, a male voice yelled, “Hey, Brian. I’m gonna get a beer. You comin’ in?”

“Nah, I’m good.” He hopped on the tailgate, electing to sit in the alley by himself. It was rare, but every once in a while, he got sick of the crowd in there. All the body contact with strangers dripping beer and sweat as they squeezed into line at the bar, the odors of pot and crack smoke mingling in the bathroom stalls, and even the noise got to him. It was claustrophobic. He wouldn’t be out there for long – another band was going on in twenty and he wanted to hear their set – so he decided to soak up the privacy while he had a chance.

He tugged his foot onto his knee to inspect a scuff in his boot. An impeccable appearance wasn’t on his must-do list, but the boots were sacred turf. He licked his thumb and rubbed the mark.

[Thread: Open to Tristan]

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[tristan_vamp]

Tristan pulled into the back alley on his motorcycle and cut the engine. He eased the Harley into a slot across the street from a van and swung his leg over, coming to stand next to it. He pulled off his gloves first, pushed them into the pockets of his leather riding jacket, and then pulled off his helmet. He placed it on the right handlebar grip and rolled his shoulders.

He glanced at the van and noticed a guy distracted by his shoe. The vampire's eyes flickered up and around the building. Typical dive. If Tristan hung around long enough in a place like this, he would find what he was looking for. Satisfaction to ease the ache.

Tristan looked right and left. The alley was as empty as a ghost town, except for the kid licking his boots. Tristan stayed by his bike for the moment, resting a hand on the seat. "You with the band," he finally asked, startling the guy.

[brian_campo]

Brian noticed the motorcyclist rolling into a space. The headlamp pierced the poorly lit nooks and crannies of the back entrance and his pupils shrank to blot out the light. Motor noise ripped off the walls of the nightclub. When the driver killed the ignition, the relative quiet made it seem as if he’d stuffed cotton in his ears, a familiar condition after the nights he spent backstage. A physician once suggested that Brian start wearing industrial grade earplugs if he hoped to keep his hearing for the long haul—advice he subsequently ignored.

But he was intent on popping a piece of gravel out of the tread of his shoe, so he didn’t notice that the driver hadn’t disembarked; subconsciously he just assumed the guy walked off and he didn’t hear it.

The question caught him off guard.

He set up and raised his eyebrows. “One of ‘em. How’s it going?”

The foot was lowered.

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan took a step forward, placing himself in the middle of the alley but still within the shadows. He assessed the situation and the man. This guy wasn't what Tristan usually went for. He wasn't the right type of prey. Or at least, not yet. But Tristan stayed wary. He was in complete control of himself so far.

"It's going," he offered a shrug. "Looking for a bit of excitement, I guess." His eyes flickered over the guy once more, appraising him, and seemed to find him wanting. Not as a man, of course. He seemed like a nice guy. That was the problem, thought Tristan. His eyes went beyond the man towards the Dive. He could feel all the hearts thrubbing together as one. He could hear the blood pumping and the breath rushing. Inside, he'd find what he wanted to be satisfied.

[brian_campo]

“Ah.” Brian gave a half nod. “Yeah. I hear ya.”

Well, not really. He’d had enough excitement in the past three weeks to last him a decade, but he could empathize with the blonde guy’s plight. He knew what it meant to get antsy behind closed doors and go out searching for something to take the edge off his nerves or distract him until he got clear. It often came in the form of mystery pills from a musician he knew who was perpetually holding and looking to line his pockets with cash.

He spared a look at the door. The muted thump of bass told him that a DJ was filling the gap between sets.

“It’s crowded tonight,” he said. “Don’t know what you’re into but whatever it is, chances are it’s in there. Good timing, too. The next band’s kind of a big deal around here. They stage a breakup every year just to set themselves up for a reunion show. I want to hate ‘em for it but they’ve got this bad habit of being better than us.”

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan cracked a smile. He was certain what he wanted was inside. Male or Female? Didn't matter. Just hot blood, fresh and dark. That's what he wanted. And the meaner the vessel, the sweeter the taste.

"When it comes to music, I'm pretty flexible. Never really been into punk though. What's your band's style?"

[brian_campo]

“Punk.” Brian smiled. “Good thing you missed us.”

He was making that up and it showed by the slant of his mouth. The telekinetic hauled himself off the tailgate and started rooting through his pockets for a key ring with a dyed purple rabbit’s foot. He had a tendency to forget and lock the keys in with the equipment. It wasn’t easy getting his hands on a wire clothes hanger at 2 a.m. to jimmy the door. One time he tried to think ahead and bring one, but he locked that in the back, too.

His search came up empty, so Brian leaned into the van to look around. He spotted purple fuzz dangling off a garment hook and stretched to grab the ring. “It’s actually dark wave.” It sounded like he was speaking from the back of a closet. “Try joining a punk outfit when you play keyboard.”

He emerged and shut the back door. “The next group’s electro. Lots of Goths in there.”

Based on the outfit the guy was wearing, Brian didn’t think he’d have a problem with it.

“You been here before?”

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan watched the guy rooting around in his pockets and then inside the van. The vampire took a step closer to watch as the guy finally seemed to locate what he was looking for. Was that a rabbit's foot? For real? Tristan suppressed a guffaw and then nodded.

"A few times. I don't come for the music, however. I come for... the food." Tristan grinned. He wasn't talking about nachos and pretzels. His tongue grazed his teeth, his fangs not yet showing. "And I suppose the beer and atmosphere ain't so bad."

[brian_campo]

Brian recoiled.

What the hell? Had the guy just licked his teeth? He swore he saw the tip of his tongue. He couldn’t explain why the smile and the lingual gesture were so off-putting, but it made his skin crawl. It was either a really weird appreciation for bar food, a sexual innuendo – not completely out of place at this club – or he was...

‘We’re not alone.’ Valerie’s voice teased at his memory.

His stomach dropped. It felt just like that long moment when a roller coaster car reached the peak of the first hill and slipped down the other side. Stay calm. He slowly stuffed the keys in his pocket. “If you uh… if you want something harder, ask for a headbanger. It tastes like toxic waste but it knocks you on your ass.”

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan's smile stretched ever so, giving him an evil look. He sensed the guy's energy change... smelled it. Not exactly fear, but... wariness.

"Not my type," Tristan shrugged. The answer applied to the drink as well as the guy.

Tristan walked past the van and headed towards the rear door of the Dive. "I'd offer to buy you a drink, but... it seems you are rushing off." Besides, Tristan preferred to drink alone. He was on the hunt, and couldn't feed with this boy under foot. "Maybe I'll see ya around."

[brian_campo]

“Yeah.”

Brian stared at the vampire’s back as he disappeared in the club. When the door closed, he slumped against the van in relief. A cold sweat had broken out on his skin. He leaned over and rested his weight on his kneecaps. Jesus, why didn’t he ask Valerie how common those things were? Two in one week?

He was safe but he didn’t feel right. Should he pull the fire alarm and get everybody out? Or would that just cause panic and make it easier for a vampire to drag a victim into a corner? Either way, there was no chance in hell he could let his band mates out of his sight.

Brian straightened up and wiped his mouth.

Okay.

Easy.

He would go inside to find his buddies and keep an eye on the vampire. He’d figure it out from there.

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan entered the din of noise and sweat and stale alcohol. It was dark, just as he liked it. He went to the bar and ordered a dark beer, settling himself there on a stool. Slowly he pivoted on his seat as the bottle met his lips, and surveyed the crowd.

Loud band on stage. A full dance floor with grinding and giggling and groping and stumbling. Full tables full of couples sharing food and drink and laughter. He noted a dark table in the corner with a man and woman locked in an intense conversation. By the non verbals he saw, they were breaking up. It was definitely an intense, emotional argument. The vampire's eyes moved on. He still hadn't found what he was looking for.

But he would. It might take time, but he'd find his prey. He settled in and ordered a second beer.

[brian_campo]

Brian opened the back door and went back inside the club. He cut through a cloud of smoke and people until he reached the backstage area. He started counting faces he knew: Mikey, Seth, Maddy, James, all in various states of inebriation. Maddy had taken her shirt off again and was sitting Indian-style atop a speaker, holding court in her bra: her frequent proclamation was that her breasts were so tiny, it wasn’t a public offense.

All accounted for.

Brian went back into the throng and looked for the blonde vampire. It was too crowded; he couldn’t see shit. “Hey, man, sorry about this, I need to borrow your stool!” he shouted in an ear, pointing at the floor to try to pantomime what he meant. Brian leaned on the guy’s shoulder and stood on the rungs. He spotted the vampire at the bar. “Thanks,” he said and headed in that direction.

‘Yeah, and what the hell are you going to do when you get there? Ask him to leave?’

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan was enjoying his second beer and glancing around the crowd when someone caught his eye. His focus narrowed.

Ah, yes... perhaps?

She was definitely a prostitute. The guy with her? Tristan thought it might be her pimp. He was angry. He had the skin of her arm caught between two fingers in a grip so tight he could see the red flush from here.

He had the typical look. Big necklace, flashy rings... jewelry that few could afford. Baggy jeans, red high tops, and a black tank top. Tristan knew he'd find a weapon or two on the grease ball too. He waited. The pimp would eventually drag his girl out. And that's when Tristan would follow.

Tristan wiped his mouth after taking another gulp and then noticed the guy from the van... the one with the purple rabbit foot fetish... coming towards him in the crowd. The vampire frowned. He kept one eye on his prey, and one eye on the approaching roadie... or whatever he was.

[brian_campo]

Brian rubbed his mouth. He couldn’t explain it, but felt it the minute the vampire spotted him. Alarm bells howled in his head but he kept up his approach. ‘Easy. Easy.’ The word was becoming a chant in his head. ‘He’s not going to bite me out in the open. Is he? Perfect. I’m approaching a vampire and I have no idea what he might be willing to do in public.’ His tongue was dry and his stomach churned. He wished he knew some of those breathing exercises Valerie talked about.

As he reached the vampire and faced him, Brian had never felt less imposing in his life.

“Hey, man,” he leaned closer and projected his voice, but not so loud as to notify anybody else. Even yelling above the music, Brian sounded like a pacifist. “I know what you are. I don’t want any trouble. If you’re here for a beer, great, but if you want to bite somebody, take it somewhere else.”

‘Holy shit. I’m going to die.’ As he tamped down the urge to freak out, Brian recognized the feeling welling up in his body. It was like taking a handful of stimulants and trying to make himself sit still. If the situation got out of hand, something was going to give.

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan finished his beer and then leaned back on his stool as Brian practically begged Tristan to back off. Instead, Tristan laughed. He could feel the fear rolling off of the guy. He sounded like a little kid asking the bully not to steal his lunch money. Tristan found it so absurd, he had to laugh. Then he held up his hands, palms out, in a pacifying gesture.

"Hey, don't worry, kid. Your friends are safe." The vampire's eyes narrowed as he saw his prey out of the corner of his eye. The pimp was dragging the girl by her elbow now, towards a side door. "I don't go for vanilla," he quipped.

[brian_campo]

Brian followed the vampire’s eyes to the couple near the door. He recognized them. The guy was a lowlife and the girl was usually too strung out to put together a sentence; naturally they were a couple. Drugged prostitution aside, neither one of them needed to have their throats ripped out in an alley. He didn’t know what was in it for the vampire. Maybe he had a thing for skinny girls with track marks. Maybe he was into vigilante justice. One way or the other, it wasn’t good.

He tried again. “This isn’t your turf,” he said. “Leave it alone.”

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan felt his friendly attitude starting to fade. He waved at the bartender and ordered two beers. He slid one to his new 'friend' and took a sip from his own. He quirked an eyebrow at the younger man. "Actually, this is my turf. Has been for a long time. Longer than it's been yours, I'd wager." He noticed his prey pause by the rear door and lean against the wall. Their heads were together but it was still easy to see the pimp was arguing with the girl. "I'm not going hurt anyone that doesn't deserve it," the vampire sneered. "It's no concern of yours." He put his beer down and stood from his seat. "Besides, how would you stop me? Just leave it be, kid. Turn around and go back with the other roadies, and mind your own business."

[brian_campo]

Alright. That was the last straw. Brian shook his head.

“I’m not a fucking roadie,” he said. He ignored the beer. Did that actually work? What kind of person would take a beer from a vampire and walk off, knowing the consequences for another human being?

“I’ve been playing this club for six years and I’ve never seen you in here. This isn’t your turf and that’s not your job.” He aimed a thumb over his shoulder. “We take care of our own here. In a few minutes, that guy’ll get his ass kicked and she’ll defend him. He’ll get arrested and thrown into jail and she’ll bail him out,” he said. “I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m trying to keep you from ripping somebody to shreds in the parking lot. You can’t respect that?”

Standing up, the vampire was about two inches taller than him. ‘He's right. What am I going to do?’

“Then maybe I deserve it, too.” Brian shrugged.

On the bar behind them, beer began to oscillate and slosh over the lip of the mug.

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan stared at the kid. He didn't notice the beer on the bar, or the couple as they left out the door, nor did he hear the crowd. He just stared at the kid for a long moment. "Maybe you do," Tristan whispered. Then he shrugged. "You do realize that there are other parking lots, and other worthy prey?" And frankly, Tristan thought, there were many humans not worthy to draw breath. He'd met more honorable demons on many occasions. But arguing with this 'roadie' would be a waste of time.

The vampire didn't want to escalate anything with this kid. He actually admired the guy. He had balls. Plus, Tristan didn't really want that much attention turned on him in this moment.

He respected this guy's courage, and as Tristan had said, there were many more 'meals' to be found. Annoyance aside, Tristan wasn't stupid enough to continue this into a scene.

And damn, he'd liked this bar. Ah well.

[brian_campo]

Brian watched the couple clear out and turned back to the vampire. “Yeah. I can’t do anything about that.” He let out a sigh. Until then, he didn’t even realize he wasn’t breathing. He wondered if it was a weird reaction to standing so close to a man who didn’t do it.

“I’ll get out of your way,” he said.

He left the vampire standing beside the bar. Whatever happened, he couldn’t control, but at least he could sleep at night.

[tristan_vamp]

Tristan watched the kid walk away. He hadn't touched the beer so Tristan grabbed it and pounded it down, setting the now empty bottle down next to his own. He sighed and looked around. "Shit," he muttered. It just wasn't in him anymore. Not here.

Then a small smile crossed his face. Heck, the night was still young!