The Dive – Thread 2 (Fenced Patio)

[daniel_stacy]

Daniel sat on a picnic table and watched people meander on and off the fenced patio. The band was loud enough to enjoy outside. A cloud of smoke rose above the heads of people looking for space to swing their arms, or just a break from unwarranted body contact. He rubbed his hands together and considered where he was going to get his next meal. It was possible that some drunk or drugged concert goer would let him feed after the show, and he knew he could wait a couple of hours, if he needed to. In the meantime, he wasn’t going anywhere near the peanuts.

The vampire moved his shoe to read the carvings in the bench.

Eddie Luvs Sheila

Aerosmith Rules!

[Thread: Open to anyone]

Comments

[wolfs_daughter]

"The music," Echo replied easily, and if she made note of the way Holly looped her arm through Daniel's she gave no sign of it. It was hardly her place to tell someone else what to do, no matter how she felt. "This guy Brian told me his band plays here sometimes. I was here once before, but they weren't booked to play."

Did she just assume and take a seat? Her attempt at chitchat had gone unremarked on, and maybe that was for the best. People only talked about the weather when they were uncomfortable. Echo was...uncomfortable was the wrong word. Curious was probably a better term for it. Daniel definitely wasn't breathing, but he didn't act abnormal.

"So what's up?" she asked, her tone less chatty but still non-hostile. "Did you see your stalker again?"

[daniel_stacy]

That brought about a puzzled look. Scratching at his jaw, Daniel frowned in bewilderment at Echo, and then aimed a questioning look at Holly. “That dude who was staring at you in the club?” They had chased him down the alley fruitlessly before heading back indoors and diving into the coat closet.

‘Whoa, don’t think about that, you’ll be half-mast in no time.’

[holiday_pirner]

"One and the same." She picked at a splinter on the picnic table. "Turns out he was hired to 'watch' me." Holly made quote marks in the air.

"And I guess it was a good thing he was, because," she continued, averting her gaze, "a vampire tried to kill me." She said the last bit in a rush.

[wolfs_daughter]

Echo just blinked, first in confusion and then in realization. A tiny frown line appeared between her eyebrows, then smoothed out again as she dropped her gaze a bit to look at Holly's neck. No fang marks. The hybrid drank her cup of beer down to the dregs, tossed the plastic receptacle into an overflowing trash can. She very carefully did not look at Daniel, lest scrutiny make him believe she suspected him. If he cared about Holly, he wouldn't try to hurt her. Right?

"Well, it seems like you got away without a scratch," she said, hooking her thumbs through her belt loops. "Whoever he is, he must be pretty quick on his feet. You're sure he was fully human?"

[daniel_stacy]

"Wait a minute. Why am I just hearing about this now?" Daniel asked.

He was dimly aware it was probably the wrong question to be asking. Things like 'Are you okay?' and 'Who the hell hired him?' and 'Is the vampire dust?' would be better, but impulsiveness got the better of him.

He stared at Holly.

He had a phone. He had a front door. Just how casual did she think this whole liaison was?

He averted his face and ran a hand through the back of his hair, fussing with it to keep his hand busy.

'Ughhhhhh. I'm a chump.'

[holiday_pirner]

Holly looked back at Daniel, and she suddenly felt terrible. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," she answered lamely. Was it a big deal? It had felt like one at the time, but soon after it had felt like nothing more than a bad dream.

"He's human," the brunette answered Echo. "I'm pretty sure of it, anyway."

Then, quiet enough for Daniel's ears, "I'm sorry."