— come over.

“I, uh…I mean, I dunno. I ain’t ever really had a cat. I had a dog when I was real young. So kind of the same thing, yeah? I guess food and toys and a bed and somethin’ to chew on and…Maybe you’d have better luck askin’ someone who knows for sure.” Hector gave something of an uncertain shrug, an apologetic expression stretching across his face. “I just came in here to…I don’t know. Look around. What I mean is, I ain’t really a pet expert.” He had been caught examining a live insect display, meant to feed reptiles. Maybe he could use them to make a bat trap, he had genuinely thought, as ridiculous as the notion were. But bats ate bugs. Still, if he were a bat, he hoped he would not have to eat bugs, but he had been too chicken to even try the transformation, although by now he was aware of his supposed ability to do it. “Maybe…like, cat nip? That’s like cat weed.” 

It became apparent right away that this person was about as clueless as she was here, but Emily humored him with a slow nod and a puff of a small laugh through her nostrils. “Don’t worry, I can totally ask someone else,” she promised, grateful for his cooperation regardless. She turned to scan the nearest shelf of supplies, though glanced over toward him. “You’re actually more skilled here than me, I’ve never even had a dog. Are you looking at getting another pet or something? Or you just...like to hang out around pet stores? Totally no judgment, I do the same thing with, like, flower shops and stuff. And I don't even really like flowers.”

In her weekly attempt to buy Theo’s unwavering love and attention, Bea was back at the pet shop to grab some new toys (and possibly treats) to bribe him. The hesitant question from the other patron made something light up in Bea’s eyes and she couldn’t help the huge grin from spreading out across her face. “Oh I would definitely start with a litter box, and a few scratching posts, believe me it’ll save most of your furniture in the long run,” she said, trying to remain calm and normal, not some crazy cat lady. Which she definitely wasn’t. “Uhm, I actually have some spare time if you need some help,” she said, shifting her shopping basket from one hand to the other, “I know when I adopted my cat I was back in here every other day trying to make sure I had all the right stuff. People always talk about what a handful dogs are, but never how much effort you have to make for cats,” she said with a laugh.

It felt like something of a standard for customers perusing a pet store to be enthusiastic about animals, though Emily was admittedly surprised by just how enthusiastic this person was. An amused grin stretched onto her lips. “I definitely picked the right person to ask here, huh?” She chuckled, her tense shoulders relaxing at the realization that she was clearly in good hands. Emily hated the idea of inconveniencing anybody, but since she was offering her time here, she figured she’d be stupid to turn it down. “Uh, I mean, if you’re sure? That would actually be awesome, thank you. I don’t even know what kind of cat I’m getting yet, other than I don’t want a kitten. I just wanna make sure I’m prepared with the essentials before bringing them home, you know?”

@darkesthourstarters·

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“Me? Enter a basket?” Kai blinked over at the other at the suggestion. He knew the upcoming Basket Auction was for a good cause and all and spending the afternoon with a stranger could be fun and he’d imagine to be far from the weirdest afternoon he’d ever spent or would spend with a stranger. But, the question remained whether whatever he came up with would be something anyone would even want to go for? “I don’t know. I mean, be honest, do you really think anyone would even bid on it? And what would I even auction of? A free drink at Eclipse?”

“Why not?” Emily shrugged, her insistence almost hypocritical, considering she hadn’t actually entered one herself. The basket auction sounded fun, though, and although the idea of a date definitely wasn’t for her, she was happy to help others out if need be. “You’re totally underestimating the power of free drinks,” she teased, arms folding across her middle and head tilting to the side in thought. “What if you make that free drink a free bottle of, like, wine or champagne or whatever. Throw in a couple glasses and some chocolate covered strawberries and you’ve got yourself a solid date idea.” Her nose scrunched. “If not kinda cheesy... People like cheesy, though. At least if those romcom movies are anything to go by.”

Location: The Daily Drip Status: Open - @darkesthourstarters··

Adrian felt like a conspiracy theorist, sitting in a café, a mug of steaming coffee on the edge of the table, and a whole stack of papers and reports spread out before him while an old beat up laptop was on the seat next to him. To finish the image, he had lost his pen (it was actually hiding behind his ear) and presently Adrian busied himself shifting papers aside while muttering under his breath in a futile attempt to find it.

The café was packed, so when someone loomed over his work, he understood the question quickly, apologising and throwing his laptop on the table in a hurry, wincing as it hit the wood with a sudden high pitched whine that technology really should never make. “Sorry, please, take a seat,” he said glancing at the stranger. “I didn’t mean to… uh, take two.” His brain was so filled with words from the case reports and the ever-present tiredness that came with a long shift that he almost forgot how to string a coherent sentence together. 

Starting to clean away some of the papers so there was more space on the table he glanced at the computer with a touch of anxiety as the screen turned from black to blue with an error message on it “oh these blasted things why can’t they ever work?”

Like most food and drinks, Emily only really drank coffee through habit. (What was the caffeine gonna do, hit her nonexistent bloodstream?) Habitually, she’d hit up The Daily Drip before or after shifts, just to give herself something to do, though she was beginning to regret her decision to attend today, the crowds of irritable coffee-lovers considered. Lifting her tiny 5ft-nothing frame to peer over the unfamiliar heads in search of a potential seat, she soon spotted a familiar face. Weaving through the people in her way, Emily stopped beside Adrián’s table, watching the unknown person he’d just been speaking to walk away.

“What was that about?” She asked with a scrunch of her nose, before motioning toward the seat. “Can I?” Pausing, she glanced toward his computer screen, watching it flash from black to blue. “That doesn’t look healthy.” Barely able to use her own phone, technology definitely was not her thing, but she leaned over to peer at the laptop keys regardless. “Have you tried the trusty turning it off then turning it back on again fix?” Probably not the solution, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Arthur was taken by surprise at Emily’s own surprise, tilting their head curiously. “Ah, sorry. I should have called or something before all of this.” That would have killed the surprise, but maybe that would have stopped them from encountering this awkward conversation. They nodded as Emily went on.“Have you forgotten what today is?” They softly laughed and cock a brow. With all of New York’s chaos, Arthur would not blame her for forgetting. Arthur quickly looked around before they leaned in and whispered. “H-Happy Mother’s Day, Mama.” They stuttered and barked another laugh with a shrug.

“No,” Emily responded quickly. “No, it’s fine. It’s not like you ever need an invitation or anything. You’re always welcome here.” If it were up to her, she’d probably just move him in, but this was a weird situation for both of them, it was something they still had to navigate. Her brows pulled tighter at his question. It definitely wasn’t his birthday, that was something she made a point to silently celebrate every year, same as Theo’s. So, she only looked at him in confusion. Until he went on, anyway. In response, Emily’s jaw dropped slightly, a rush of adoration washing over her. “That’s...that’s today?” she squeaked, voice a little thicker with emotion. Emily quickly cleared her throat, surging forward without question to wrap Arthur in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, apparently not quite ready to let go. “Seriously, Arthur. Thank you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Emily.” Alden chuckled. “Of course. Honest I do. I’d even offer to show you if you were concerned, but that would come off more creepy.” He pulled out his phone, showing her a picture from his living room. “That’s me in my living room. I have a real home. Just a bit of exhaustion kept me from making it to my actual apartment. I promise, I’m fine. Just a bit exhausted and in some desperate need of coffee at the moment if I’m being honest.”

“Likewise.” At this point, considering her aimless wandering, Emily probably wouldn’t have even found the invitation creepy, but she chuckled regardless, bringing her eyes toward his phone screen. “That’s a really good Photoshop,” she teased, though eventually nodded her head. “No, I believe you. You must’ve been really wiped to want to sleep here of all places. Your couch looks a million times more comfortable.” Alden seemed like a nice guy—a genuinely nice guy, not a ‘nice guy’—so as he continued, Emily cut in with a shrug. “I’m kind of just walking around, if you wanted to go grab coffee? I can always go for coffee. Do you have a favorite place? Assuming you’re down for company, that is.”

“Aww that’s very sweet of her to give that to you. I really love it.” Complimenting her on the ring once more with a sweet smile. “Can I ask what you did for her? Cause a daylight ring is a very special gift, Em. So don’t downplay helping her.” Serena informed her, knowing full well that she was mainly just being nosey more than anything. At Emily’s words Serena looked down, she gave a soft nod. “I understand more than you think.” She lived constantly with someone having to stop her. “Hey, don’t. You didn’t hurt anyone and everything is okay.” Reaching over to Emily and she squeezed her hand. “I did, but mine was certainly tailor to me.” Shuttering at the thought of Aalina once again. “I saw my sister and she has a way of haunting me even while being dead.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Emily smiled fondly. “The little bat it so cool.” Her old daylight ring had been relatively plain, but this one definitely held special meaning. Emily didn’t particularly love attention, it was why she kept her artwork anonymous, so she had no desire to brag about what she’d done for Logan. It was always hard to say no to Serena, though, so she offered a modest smile and a small shrug of her shoulder. “She was in a closet. I guess someone hit her on the head and put her in there? I don’t know. I just found her and brought her back outside so Ilana could heal her. Ilana’s the real hero there, I just did the heavy lifting.” Her eyes dropped toward their hands where Serena covered her own, and Emily offered her another appreciative smile in response. Her expression fell as she went on, though. “What?” Her dead sister? “Dude, that’s... that’s a lot. Are you okay? I mean, I feel like that has to be kind of disturbing, right?”

Time: May 9, 2021

Location: Right outside Emily’s apartment

Time: Morning

Status: Closed

Arthur tried their best not to draw too much attention to themselves as they stepped out of the apartment elevator. They stood tall and dressed as if they were on business yet there was no hiding the pure child-like glee on their face as they quickly walked to Emily’s apartment with a bouquet of cherry blossom flowers. Celebrating Mother’s Day was the last thing Arthur expected doing when settling into New York yet here they are. Last night’s shift was a long, rough one, but they’re not going to let the first Mother’s Day post reunion go unnoticed! Quickly running a hand through their hair, Arthur knocked on the door. “Alright, alright…” Once it did open, the paramedic nervously smiled with a chuckle. “Surprise?”

Emily generally ignored Mother’s Day. Honestly, it was just too hard for her, it reminded her of the two most important people in her life, the ones she hadn’t seen in decades. This year, however, the occasion completely slipped her mind, considering everything she had going on in there already, so when Emily answered the door to the sight of Arthur standing before her, dressed up all adorably smart and holding a bouquet of flowers, she found herself confused for a moment. “Uh, hey,” she greeted with a soft chuckle, eyeing the flowers in his hand. “I’m totally surprised, but...what’s this for?” She paused, quickly adding, “Not that I don’t want you here, obviously. I do.”

“Oh believe me, I’m probably going to need a chiropractor after this impromptu nap, but I guess that goes to show that I can sleep pretty much anywhere. I’m definitely okay, in the sense of I’m not hurt or in any danger, but just a poor excuse for looking after myself at times.” It was exactly why he didn’t have a pet. He could barely remember the need for his own food or sleep. Let alone anyone or anything else’s need. “My sudden waking state didn’t frighten you, did it?” he asked. “I’m Alden by the way.” 

Emily eyed him with a look of concern, slowly nodding along as he spoke. “I mean, you’re preaching to the choir here,” she joked, instinctively checking him over for signs of any obvious injury despite his insistence. “Oh, no, you’re totally good,” she promised, offering him a small yet sincere smile. “Emily,” she returned easily, though paused to tilt her head. “Dude, you have, like, a place you could sleep that’s actually indoors, right?” The city had a large homeless population, and it wasn’t like Emily made a habit of picking people up from the streets—or park benches—but she was already talking to him now, she almost felt a duty.

Sighing at Emily’s words, while she knew she was right and Logan hadn’t directly been the cause of all of this, she was the one who hosted the party and set all of this in motion. “Thanks for saying that.” Not wanting to have to deal with an awkward silence between them, even if she didn’t believe it or accept it right now, it helped prevent that. “I would have.” She would have done anything in her power to protect those around her. “At least it will help someone out.” She was glad that she could help more than just Leo and Emily, even if it was a round about way. Smiling as Emily swapped out the rings for her new bat one. “It honestly looks so amazing.” Admiring the ring and how awesome it looked on Emily’s hand. “I’m hoping so.” She was at least thankful that she’d gotten closer to a few people as a result of this party. “I’m glad you’re okay. Do you want to talk about what happened with you?” She didn’t know all the details or what exactly Emily had done that required apologizes. “I don’t. I wish I could give you more answers, but everything is still being collected and organized. I have the list of people who were hurt, but nothing past that. Do you have any theories?”

While she still wanted to press, to really try to drive it into Logan that this wasn’t her fault, she knew it really didn’t matter; Logan was probably going to blame herself regardless. Emily only offered her a sincere smile and a small nod of her head, rather than pushing further. “It does,” she agreed, smiling fondly at the new ring, before bringing her focus back to Logan. “Oh, no,” she shook her head, “I don’t think there’s even anything to talk about. I drank a potion and I lost control, but Jack was there and he pulled me back, so I guess whatever was going to happen, he stopped it,” Emily explained with a weak smile. She definitely was not going to be getting into the events before the potion had taken over. Especially not with someone she knew was close to Jackson. She listened to Logan’s response, her nose wrinkling in thought. “That has to be so frustrating. I don’t have any theories, no. I mean, obviously someone screwed with the potions, but I don’t know who. Were there people there who weren’t invited?” Emily paused for a moment, eyes widening. “Wait, you don’t think it was, like, someone we actually know, right? Like, one of the guests?” Worried about overstepping, she quickly backtracked. “You know what, sorry, we totally don’t have to talk about this. I know it has, like, nothing to do with me, I guess I was just curious.”

Vada nodded her attention on her daughter more so than the woman behind them now that she had confirmed she was okay, “Yeah, we get embarrassed more than anything and that’s okay.” She nodded, “crying over split ice cream though won’t change the fact that it’s split though but taking mom’s is always an option.” She chuckled wiping the damp hair from her daughter’s cheeks where her tears had caught and stuck the little curls there. Vada looked back at the other and nodded before Remi could sound, “Banilla.” Vada smiled at her daughter before standing, “thank you, you definitely don’t have though. It’s no big deal.”

“No, it’s okay. Like I said, I was going in there anyway,” she sent the other woman a polite smile, before glancing down toward the little girl. “Vanilla it is. That’s my favorite, too.” It wasn’t like Emily had anywhere else to be or anything else to do, so holding up a finger to signal that she’d be right back, she ducked into Happy Scoops, emerging moments later with two helpings of vanilla ice cream. Figuring she wasn’t trying to teach her daughter to take things from strangers, Emily handed it over to the woman to give to her instead, keeping the other for herself. “I totally get how kids are. I’m a mom.” It felt weird to say so aloud; in fact, it was the first time she’d done so in over a century. It filled her with a sense of odd discomfort, but Emily pushed her expression to something neutral, before offering her a smile. “I’m Emily, by the way. I promise I’m not, like, a weirdo or anything. I realize how weird this whole interaction has been.”

Arthur allowed Emily to reach out, letting her hand fall over his. He’s here. “The Kaplan Clan? I became a member a while ago though I’ve only gotten myself really acquainted with Ms.Kaplan. Well, Ms.Kaplan and now you, I suppose.” He liked to think that if they hadn’t reunited now, they would have met later down the line. Admittedly, reuniting in the middle of a clan meeting would have been more awkward and this was the better alternative. Though he chuckled at Emily’s initial shock, Arthur quickly shut his mouth and reeled his head back once he noticed what looks to be discomfort. Oh. With the years that gone by, Arthur thought she would be more comfortable talking about herself. But it made sense. They both came from a family that would have never accepted or respected either of them. Arthur hummed and nodded as Emily confirmed her romantic status, choosing not to press on it further. In fact, something else had Arthur pressing further- “Wait. Brycen?” Arthur cocked a brow with wide eyes, looking around the apartment for traces of him. “Brycen Reed? I know him; we share night shifts sometimes!” He laughed. “I never knew he had a roommate. Hell, I’m not even sure he’s aware of The Council and everything…Is he?”

Comforted by the fact he didn’t pull away, Emily sat with her hand resting over the top of his, allowing herself to soak in the fact that he was actually here, that this wasn’t somehow in her head. “Really?” It wasn’t like she kept up with the whole clan, but the idea that they were both a part of it and hadn’t crossed paths before now was crazy to her. Glad to have seemingly bypassed the uncomfortable sexuality conversation, Emily nodded, eyes widening at his revelation. “Really? You work together?” she puffed a laugh of disbelief. “Dude, that’s so weird.” Emily caught her more casual tone, pausing briefly. It was difficult to know how she was supposed to act here; Arthur really was a fully grown man, it was instinct for her to treat him as such, even if it still felt totally foreign to her. “Yeah, he only moved in here super recently, we were friends for a while before that, though.” Her head tilted in response to his question. “Brycen is...he’s not like us exactly, but he’s like us in the, uh, not totally human sense,” she explained slowly, wondering if she was crossing a line by divulging information about her roommate that she shouldn’t.

Arthur shyly shrugged. “More or less, yes. I came to help.” He never liked to sound as if he were stroking his own ego, but it was true. That’s why he’s here. Yet, Arthur sighed and averted his eyes away from Emily. She’s right: There is always going to be work to be done. He can’t just leave yet that hasn’t stopped him before. But, things were different in New York. He now has family here and to leave flesh and blood behind once again…Arthur simply sighed and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I’ll be here for now.” He’ll consider later when it comes around. Right now, he was in his mother’s apartment and considering taking a seat. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.” With a sound invitation, Arthur went on ahead to take a seat on the couch, further inspecting the living space. Arthur also considered asking about the night she died, but today was already so emotional. Maybe it would be best to save it for the next time they meet. A prospect of next time sparked joy in Arthur. The man didn’t have any other questions until he remembered what she said earlier. “Oh, earlier you mentioned a ‘we’. ‘Until we have to move again’.” Arthur leaned forward in his seat, grin turned mischievous. “Does that mean you have…y’know.” He tilts his head. “A girlfriend? Girlfriends?” He snickered. Arthur had seen her sketches as a child and remembered the last argument she had with Chester. He couldn’t help but be nosey over his mother’s affairs after all this time. 

The last time Emily had been around Arthur, he was a ten year old little boy and she was the adult, she called the shots. It struck her that she couldn’t do that anymore, that he was his own person and he made his own decisions, so no matter how much she wanted to push and tell him that she couldn’t just let him leave, she decided to take his response for now. It was going to be an adjustment, but they’d figure it out, so Emily simply nodded. Following along to the couch, she perched down in the space beside him, wanting to reach out and take his hand, but again, she wasn’t trying to push. So she just sat, watching him carefully. Her eyes widened as he went on, though. “Wait, what?” Emily questioned with a little too much panic to her tone. “A girlfriend? No, I don’t have a—I’m not—” she trailed off. What was she going to do, lie to him? That was easy enough with everybody else, but Arthur wasn’t just anybody. Still, she licked her lips, trying to avoid explaining that particular aspect of herself further. “I mean the clan. The Kaplan clan. One of the members found me the night I died, she turned me. I’ve been with them ever since, we move around whenever we have to.” As for the other situation—the girlfriend one—Emily wanted to get that out of his head. “I’m single. I used to live here with my friend and his daughter, but they recently moved out of town, so I moved two new roommates in, Ryan and Brycen. It’s not anything like that, though. Just roommates.”

Arthur shook his head. “Mama-” He bit his tongue. Calling her by her actual name was going to take some getting use to as well.  “Emily, don’t worry about the name. I still get confused myself on occasion. Take as much time as you need.” As he stood and listened, his hands unconsciously went to his daylight ring, fiddling and rolling it around his finger nervously. Her pride over Theo’s protection was appreciated but the pit in his stomach at the subject was unshakeable. Arthur swallowed hard. “I see.” She’s been moving around as well though it was probably not as chaotic and sparse as his travels across the other side of the world. Speaking of which. “I’m currently staying in Staten Island. I heard about everything that happened last New Years. I knew there was trouble brewing so I circled back to America from the Netherlands.” Admittedly, that took longer than he expected, cutting old ties and all, but he was here now. As to if he will stay? “…If you’re like me as you suggest then you know Staten Island’s population.There’s work to be done. I’ll be here as long as I am needed.” As soon as he isn’t, he’ll vanish just as he did everywhere else. But she doesn’t need to know that. Not right now. Or ever if he’s lucky. “But, it’s true then? I realize that it’s kind of stupid at this point.” A nervous chuckle left him with a grin. “But, you share the same condition as I do? Vampirism?” What a funny situation. Truly like mother like son.

It had been so long now, almost two hundred years in fact, since Emily had heard anybody call her that. It sent a shot of nostalgia rushing through her bones. She understood that it might be weird for him to use it now, though. She’d done the math, he was technically older than her. He was a fully grown man, while she was still technically a woman who hadn’t quite reached thirty. Still, it felt weird to hear him refer to her as Emily, but she’d get used to it, just like she’d get used to Arthur. “So you came all the way back here because you wanted to help people?” Emily questioned, that feeling of pride swirling throughout her again. It wasn’t like she could even take credit for the man Arthur had become, she’d only been around for ten years of his life, but she was beyond proud. “There’s always going to be work to be done,” she pressed, perhaps speaking out of turn as she continued. “But you can’t just leave, not when...not now.” A look of pleading overtook her eyes, though it softened as he went on, and she couldn’t help but quietly chuckle at the eloquent way he put it. “Yeah, the same condition,” she nodded, figuring it was kind of obvious. How else would they both be here, neither having aged past their deaths? Pausing as she realized they were still standing by the door, Emily motioned toward the couch. “Do you want to sit down? I don’t know if you have any questions, but you can ask me anything you want to.”

location: outside happy scoops status: open time: afternoon

“Probably not the best time to eat ice cream but it’s warming up and treat was well deserved.” She said with a smile to her daughter heading in the direction they had come from on their adventure outside before it happened and the ice cream cone hit the ground and all hell broke lose. “Oh man,” she said with a tsk kneeling down to sooth the crying girl but looking up at the person she had run into in her blind happiness, “Sorry about that. She didn’t get it on you did she? She gets a little over excited about ice cream.” She gave a sad smile and nodded at the little girl handing her ice cream cone off to her, “Easy fix, sometimes.” She said after standing back up and sighing, “if she would have been a few years younger again it probably would have been a melt down.”

@darkesthourstarters·

It kind of felt like Emily had been seeing parents with their children everywhere these days—or at least noticing them more. It probably made sense, her own situation considered. She knew how kids could be, though, so she wasn’t put out by the scene going on directly in front of her. “No, no, I’m all good,” Emily promised, glancing down at her still clean outfit. She cast a glance to the little girl, offering her a warm smile. “You dropped your ice cream? I always do that, it’s the worst, isn’t it?” She didn’t actually eat ice cream herself, but anything to give off the illusion of relating. “What’s your favorite flavor? I was just heading inside, I bet they’ll let me grab a second one if I ask them really nicely.” Emily lifted her gaze toward who she assumed was the girl’s mother, hoping it was okay.