theoderich

Patryk shook her head “Nah, it’s good.” She didn’t actually feel like she did anything besides making sure he could stand up, there was nothing really worth thanking in her eyes. “The temptation was strong but I you know, I pulled through.” She smiled, bright expression “You sure you’re gunna be alright? You still look-er unwell.” She looked around them seeing if any other tourists were around,  “Why not stop at the- bloodbank is it?”

“Sorry, do you mind if I…?” He holds to groceries up, indicating wanting to help her. Not that she was carrying so much she needed help, though it made a good enough excuse. His eyebrows raised, started from her obvious recognition. Can everyone here tell he’s a vampire? Is it obvious, or some sort of acquired skill? “Oh, well, well— it’s empty. Apparently. Which seems pretty…. I should have realized that was a possibility to happen, you know? It’s just been a couple days, but. I’ll figure something out tomorrow mo—night, tomorrow night.”

        Leaning down Bellamy picked up the remaining packages before she paused. “Wait, did someone open up a new blood doll diner?” Bella asked, stepping forward. “You know that’s so uncool, like you have an idea for something and it’s amazing and then people just fucking take your shit,” she continued before he could even answer, shaking her head. It was one thing to sell bagged blood at a bar to keep the vampires happy but a whole other thing to steal her idea…no matter how basic it was. To Bellamy it was like someone had entered her territory and she would need to defend it. Fortunately she hadn’t gone full blown angry yet, he hadn’t confirmed anything after all. “I even keep my place relatively cheap and still people are so rude.”

“I don’t think so— blood doll diner? There are…. Are you saying there’s a diner for blood- that you own? Oh.” Theoderich’s mind was reeling, a bit. This did make things a bit easier, didn’t it? He could even feel civilized again, maybe. He thought of himself, sitting at a table, alone, among a room full of vampires and realized that maybe it might not be the fun solution he thought at first. “As…. far as I’m aware, no one’s copied you. I’m just. New. Sorry for confusing you.”

Ruby stood when he did, helping him brush the gravel from his shirt. “I’m Ruby, by the way. Are you new here?” She couldn’t recall seeing him around town, although that wasn’t saying much. 

“Oh! Nice to meet you, too.” He pushes his hand in front of her, used to formalities. “My name is Theoderich. Just Theo is fine, though. I’m, well, I am new- is it obvious?” he tongued at his still unfamiliar-fangs, felt his stomach pull. He did need to feed soon, probably. He didn’t really know how long he could go, taking pulls from the blood stored in bags whenever he felt an odd sort of peckishness- his hunger he felt primarily in his chest, not in his stomach, these days.

 Upon contact her brows shot up at the sudden recognition. Yeah, definitely vampire.  Back in England there were few supernaturals she interacted with, if at all. To say Sumner was a drastic departure would be nothing short of an understatement.  “Ohhh…” She glanced in the direction of where the stranger went, “Not your friend yet, right…” honestly she felt a bit slow for taking this long to figure it out.Well, no matter. She hoisted him up, his weight being much lighter than expected. “You alright to stand?”

“I think I’ll be fine. Thanks for the help— and for not just, well, laughing.” He wipes his hands on his pants, shrugging as he goes.

“Suit yourself,” Ephram shrugs finally. taking a long step back. Theo doesn’t like to be touched, that much he’s made clear. Physical contact is a natural for Ephram, an offshoot of Southern hospitality, but he won’t press the matter. He shoves his hands in his pockets and turns halfway, nodding in the other direction. “There’s a cheap blood place down yonder if you’re still lookin’. If you ain’t, then – good luck huntin’, Theo.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs, frustrated. He hikes the hood on his jacket over his head and starts walking with purpose. Home. He’ll give it another go tomorrow, or look around for whatever “blood place” was around.

         “For me it was wonderful,” she answered when he apologised, grin still on her face. Unlike the slender male before her Bellamy was not shy, no chance of her stumbling over her words like that. Least not in this setting. “I don’t need help,” Bellamy said since she had obviously been carrying them on her own before. “I would like help if you’re offering though it kind of seems like you need help. Normally I trip on like branches, roots of trees and stuff like that in the woods, I mean, you were running on flat ground, what on Earth did you trip on? Why were you even running so quickly?” Bellamy questioned. Her own manners were nonexistant which was why she still hadn’t shared her name or asked for his. Half the time Bellamy just assumed people knew who she was based on the poster up and around for her restaurant Erzebet’s and her spa Antoinette’s where she was the model. Bellamy Barnes considered herself famous…town famous which obviously meant very few people recognised her but it was enough to give her a big head about it.

“I— I, well.” He paused, taking his time to scrape his hands off on his pants to get the dirt off them, his face contorting from the sensation of his scrapes being rubbed further. “I just- lost balance. I was trying to meet a friend. For dinner. I’m late.” He did what he could to sound sure of himself. It was funny, anyways, for himself. There was a part of him wanting to be honest, but a larger part of him wanting to save face, no matter how much her presence felt more like he might as well just come out with the truth. He shrugged at her, what can you do, and leaned down to start picking up some of her boxes off the ground.

When she nearly fell over someone as they literally skidded across the street in front of her, Ruby cursed. But then she sighed. “Are you alright?” stooping down to look into the man’s face. 

“Well, I’ve been better,” he says, honestly. “I— well.” He has the sense of mind to feel embarrassed at planting into the asphalt, though of late it feels familiar- making a fool of himself, and having no idea how to actually do anything. An awful change of pace, though Theoderich didn’t have much frame of reference for how he normally acted after since age sixteen. “I was trying to… say hi to a friend,” he says weakly. It’s a sorry excuse for a cover, though Theoderich didn’t know what he could and could not say, these days. Theoderich supports himself with his hands while he stands, wincing all the while and letting his balance settle back in.

Ephram stepped closer still and reached out to take firm, gentle hold of Theo’s pointed chin in one big hand, tipping his head up to inspect the raw red scrapes along his otherwise smooth face. “You’ll need some blood if that’s gonna heal up,” he observed. “Human blood, I reckon. If you ain’t got your sea legs for huntin’ tourists yet, there’s plenty of folks in town who don’t mind donatin’ a pint or two here and there. For vampires in need.”

“I can find them myself, then.” He isn’t quite foolish enough to turn his back and walk away, though he stands his ground and stares at Ephram, eyes narrowed. “I’ll be fine on my own, now, thanks.”

Sticking out his hand, he said, “Name’s Ephram. I’m a witch, in case that makes any difference. He tilted his head up, regarding Theoderich through narrowed blue eyes down the length of his long nose, and said, “You need to hunt? Or would you be all right with drinkin’ previously-harvested blood? If you got money you could to to Erzebet’s and hire yourself a blood doll.” He grinned. “My best friend owns the place but that ain’t the reason I’m shillin’ it, honest.”

“I’m Theo,” he said, brusquely, patting himself down as if there weren’t a ringing in his ears and a sinking feeling in his stomach. It took a half a minute to realize Ephram was offering him decent advice. Ah, shit. “I’m— I’m fine for now, thank you. Well, I’m still-  that isn’t an awful suggestion. Thank you.” He smiled back at him, a tug to his lips an apology. “Well. Harvested blood has been alright for me so far. I’m not sure… I don’t mean to…” He swallowed his pride, “I’m new,” he left out the ‘to all of this’ sitting behind his teeth, “and I’m not quite sure I make enough for that.” He wasn’t about to ask his parents for more money. It already felt like a leash, the allowance showing up in his checking account every month.

Placing her groceries down and squatting down beside him, Patryk eyed the stranger quizzically, a smirk playing at her lips. “You alright down there? Bet your face is a right mess.” She glanced up; the other person was completely out of sight. “Guessing they weren’t your friend then huh.”

“Do you, do you mind?” he holds his hand out, sitting half-up, balanced on his elbow and looking up at them with a face full of regret before wincing and settling on a blank smile, holding to his request for help. Theoderich forgot too often he was on his own now, too bent on trusting everyone with his life after almost half a decade of it, no matter how much he reminded himself he technically held the same potential danger to others, now.

        “That was classic!” Bellamy said as she finished crossing the road to reach the vampire. Looking at him on the ground as he seemed to awkwardly begin licking his teeth within his mouth. “Seriously, I do that all the time, I didn’t know it looked so funny,” she said, dropping the myriad of boxes she had in her tiny arms, little hands sitting out of the huge fur coat showing off long black false nails and too much Cartier for one girl. The boxes themselves didn’t make a lot of noise, they were all filled with either clothes or shoes so only rumbled a little as they landed beside him and in front of her. “You should get up though,” Bellamy said, holding out one of her cold hands.

“I, ah…. I’m sorry you had to see that. For my sake, anyways.” The most he could do is try to seem composed. “Are you- sorry. Rather- do you need… help?” he gestures vaguely to the boxes around them, his jacket pointing towards them, manners already out the window from his fluster.