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The curious thing about life is this: no one knows what the day will bring them. Ordinary days start off the very same as extraordinary ones do. You wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and prepare yourself for the day ahead of you. Everything remains normal; typical, until in a flash it is no longer just a regular day. A day can go from typical to absurd in a single moment.
It’s what makes life so interesting, never knowing what the day ahead has planned for its occupant. Only seers know that, and even then their sight is limited or dependent on outside things.
So it is no surprise when Grian McCraft wakes up on a typical Tuesday morning and assumes it is going to be a normal day. Nothing makes this day any particularly different from the one before it. He gets out of bed and folds his sheets neatly, only to have his spot stolen by two very friendly kitters of his. He rolls his eyes fondly at them and leaves them be. He instead turns his attention to his wardrobe and takes out a pair of clothes to wear.
He dresses himself as he normally would; a red jumper and a pair of dark jeans completed with converse. He follows his morning routine as he typically would, and there are no clues to tell him that this day will not be a normal one. As far as Grian is concerned, today will be a Tuesday like any other.
Humans were not gifted the ability of foresight, or at least not many of them. That is the gift of humanity; the unknown.
After slipping his shoes on, Grian takes one last look at the two slumbering cats on his bed before leaving his room. He leaves the door open behind him and glances over at the room to his right. The bedroom door is open. Turning to walk down the hall, his eyes glance over two doors that lead to separate bathrooms. The white paint on the doors blends in easily with the deep maroon walls.
Taking a left, he walks through the carpeted hallway which opens up into the main space of the apartment. To his right is the kitchen, as well as the dining room. There’s a gap between the kitchen island and the wall of the hallway, allowing Grian to slip in. He heads for the stove, seeing that it’s cooling down. The kettle has been placed off to the side, and Grian reaches for the cabinet above his head, which holds the mugs.
“Tea’s t’ya right.” A voice calls from behind him, and Grian glances behind him. Across the kitchen is a decent sized living space, with a three cushioned couch and a television sitting on top of a table. There’s a coffee table set between the black leather couch and the television, a small circular white rug on the ground. Nestled comfortably on one of the black cushions is Grian’s sister, Pearl. Her long brown hair is cascading down her shoulders, blue eyes focused on the screen in front of her. She holds a mug in her hands, filled with presumably coffee. She’s dressed in her sleepwear still, a baggy hoodie and sweatpants.
Grian’s never felt more envious of her.
“Gotcha.” He responds, reaching for the packet of tea she’s set out for him. He flicks open the kettle and pours hot water into his mug before setting the tea bag inside. Waiting on his tea, he turns his attention to making a quick breakfast for himself. Buttered toast. Delicious.
With a sigh, Grian begrudgingly reaches for the toaster and the bag of bread. If he grabs the bag a little too tightly, no one needs to know. He pops two slices into the toaster and waits. While waiting, he walks over to the kitchen island, leaning on it with his elbows. Soft brown eyes focus on his sister, and whatever she’s watching on the screen that’s caught her attention.
“--Yet another mysterious case of murder has once again stained the streets of Aqua Town. Police say the victim was found at approximately three in the morning by a jogger. The victim was reportedly stabbed to death with severe injuries on the neck. Civilians are being urged to remain indoors at night until this mysterious killer has been found.”
“They’re still going on with this?” Grian comments, lips tilting into a frown. His brows furrow, “This is what, the sixth attack this month? You’d think by now they woulda been caught.”
Pearl shrugs her shoulders, desensitized to the harrowing news report by now. “Well, it’s certainly a tricky fella they’re dealing with!” She responds, taking a sip from her mug. “Or it sounds that way at least.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. We should be more careful at night.” He mutters in response, frowning. “The last thing either of us need is getting attacked.”
Pearl cracks a grin, “What, Daredevil Grian doesn’t want to fight back against authority?” She teases.
Huffing in response, Grian hears the sound of something popping behind him. He turns around and heads for the fridge to grab the butter. “My views on authority have nothing to do with this one.” He retorts, slowly spreading butter onto a slice of toast. “Oooo, do we have any jam?”
“Check the fridge!”
Setting the butter knife down, Grian moves to do so. As he opens the fridge, he leans on the door, “Anyways, I’d like to keep myself alive and my blood in my body, thank you very much. Besides, it’s not like we were given a curfew.” His eyes sweep across the shelves within the fridge, scanning for the jam.
“I’ve heard they’re considerin’ it.” Pearl oh so helpfully replies, coming to stand in the kitchen with him. He hears her set her mug down in the sink, the ceramic making a soft clinking noise as it rests on the metal. “Check the door, you goober.”
Grian sticks his tongue out at her before doing exactly as she suggests. His face lights up as he spots the jam. With his jam successfully grabbed, he shuts the fridge and returns to his toast. “You’re serious?”
“Oh one hundred percent. I heard Impulse talking about it a few days ago. He was considering just closing up shop during the night until this whole issue blows over.” Pearl hums, turning on the faucet as she begins to wash her mug. Grian considers it as he twists open the top of the jam, sticking the butter knife in. Looking at the issue from Impulse’s perspective, it would be kind of hard to run a night bar with a curfew.
“Has he decided anything yet?” He asks her, spreading jam on his toast. The butter has already melted, he notes with a soft frown.
“Hmm, not yet. Though he told me I’d be free to leave early if I feel uncomfortable.” She answers. “In fact I think he kind of insisted that I do.” Pearl shrugs her shoulders as she sets the mug aside in the dish drain. “He also told me to tell you to be careful as well.”
Grian nods at her as he takes a bite out of his toast. A simple yet… well, somewhat flavorful breakfast. Pearl giggles quietly, shaking her head. Grian makes for an entertaining sight, with a butter knife in hand and a second slice of toast in the other. The kitchen falls silent for a moment as Pearl moves back to the living room. Grian occupies himself with his toast and tea, moving on from the conversation.
“You know there’s been people saying that the culprit is a vampire with all the neck biting stuff involved.” Pearl tells him, making Grian scoff.
He swallows his toast, “C’mon Pearl, no one actually believes that.”
She frowns at him, “It’s true! Some of the other bartenders were talking about it last night. ”
Grian rolls his eyes in response as he moves to put jam onto his second slice of toast, “And for all we know it could just be some kind of fanatic. You know how serial killers are, they’re obsessed with the dramatics!” He points out to her, waving the butter knife in her direction. “It’s as simple as some vamp obsessed person is going around murdering people because they’re uh – well, obsessed! Vampires aren’t real. They’re just a myth, a story.”
“Riiiight, and so are aliens.” Pearl retorts, no real bite behind her words.
“Says the alien nerd.” Grian teases before chomping on his second slice of toast.
It’s moments like this where he’s grateful Pearl decides to get up with him in the morning. She doesn’t have to, considering Grian is up by seven and out of the door by eight. Pearl doesn’t have to head out until the afternoon. Yet she does anyway, and it makes Grian’s mornings much better.
They fall into a comfortable silence as Grian finishes up his breakfast and tea. Pearl curls up on the couch with a throw blanket wrapped snugly around her as she watches the television. Grian takes a look at the time and nods to himself before wishing her a goodbye and heading out the door.
It was supposed to be a normal day. And yet it ended up being anything but.
Similarly to his morning, work is normal. He’s just a few minutes late as he usually is, but Zedaph is very much used to Grian’s lateness by now. If anything, it’s surprising that Zed is on time for once (though Grian will come to learn that Zed didn’t even go home, he had instead just slept at the office). He’s given a cheerful good morning as he sets his things down on his desk and gets himself set up with his laptop.
The day goes by quite easily as Grian falls into his typical routine.
He spends the first few hours of the day doing research for his new article on carnivorous plants. He gets a bulk of his research done before lunch, beginning his draft just as his break rolls around. Yet he continues to work on his draft even as he snacks on a bag of chips, fingers still typing with speed as the words freely flow.
“Jeez Grian, do you ever stop working?” One of his coworkers asks, and Grian chuckles.
“Of course I do, breaks are important.” He replies, pushing back from his laptop. He leans back in his chair at his desk, turning in his chair to face the other. He meets the dark mossy eyes of Cub. There’s a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose, black bangs swooped to the side of his forehead. “Though I could ask the same of you, Mr. Cub.” Grian retorts with a smile.
“Ah, well,” Cub chuckles, an easy going smile forming on his face, “You’ve caught me there.” He shrugs carelessly. “Anyways, we’re all getting lunch from BigB’s. Interested?” He offers, and Grian nods in agreement.
“‘Course! I’d be an idiot to pass up BigB’s.” He grins and Cub returns it.
Cub opens his mouth to respond when he’s stopped by one of their other coworkers, “No way man, it’s totally a vampire!” The sudden exclamation grabs both Cub and Grian’s attention, causing them to both turn around in their seats. “Have you been living under a rock? One guys throat was all mangled!”
“Could’ve be a wolf or something.”
“Like wolves can even be found around here.”
Grian’s brows furrow, he really thought Pearl was just making up those rumors about people assuming the culprit is a vampire. After all, they’re not real, everyone knows that! Though he supposes he shouldn’t be all that surprised. Conspiracy theories will always run rampant, especially with a string of weird murders like this. Still, he thinks it’s a silly theory.
Cub tuts at them and shakes his head, “People these days will really cling to anything to make sense of this whole situation, huh?”
Grian sighs in relief, “I knew not everyone I know was crazy.”
That pulls a laugh from Cub, “Oh believe me Grian, I am crazy. But not crazy enough to believe in something that doesn’t exist.”
“Oh come on Cub, not you too!”
With a soft sigh, Grian pushes himself back from his desk with the familiar sound of wheels rolling against the floor. He raises his arms over his head in an attempt to stretch them. There’s a satisfying ache in his back as he stretches his arms. His eyes survey his desk and the mess of papers before him. Gosh, his eyes feel foggy after reading for so long. But there’s plenty of articles for him to look at, information to gather.
As he pushes himself back from his desk, the view outside the window catches his attention. He sits up straight in his chair as he notices just how dark the sky has gotten without his noticing. Frowning, Grian reaches into his pocket for his phone and turns it on. It’s nearly nine, and he has a few messages from Pearl asking where he is. He winces. The time really got away from him.
Looking around, Grian finds that it’s only himself and one or two other coworkers of his who also decided to stay late.
He stands from his desk, “It’s getting pretty late fellas, I’m gonna head out.” He calls to them as he gathers up his things.
“See ya G.”
“Get home safe!”
Grian waves them both goodbye as he heads out. He stuffs his hands into his pockets as he walks, the door to their building closing shut behind him. He makes sure to let Pearl know he’s on his way home so she doesn’t continue to worry about him. And then, he walks.
The buildings are all different heights, tall and short. They cast their shadows onto the ground, covering Grian in them. The town seems so different at night, ominous and foreboding. It’s a different sight compared to the town during the day. It leaves Grian feeling small in relation to the big town he’s wound up in. If he were anyone else, he might’ve felt intimidated (and he does, just slightly).
With all of the sudden attacks going on, Grian hasn’t gotten many chances to explore the town at night. Granted, it isn’t like he’s made many friends here since he and Pearl moved in. It’s been nearly two months now, and yet the closest thing to a social life Grian has are his coworkers. Yet even then he’d consider them to be acquaintances at best.
He finds it a little funny, considering coming to Aqua Town was his idea. They both wanted to move, to escape their old town. It’s not that there was anything bad there, but they both wanted some kind of fresh start; Aqua Town seemed like the perfect place. Still, it was tough leaving his childhood best friend behind.
“I should call him soon, see what he’s up to.” Grian murmurs to himself, walking down the street. It’s mostly empty, though there’s no surprise there. No one in their right minds would be out right now. But this is what Grian gets for losing track of time.
The streets are mostly dark, considering a good portion of shops are closed for the night. It seems like even without a curfew in place, people are taking it upon themselves to hole up early.
Grian doesn’t blame them.
It’s dangerous to be out; even he feels uneasy about it. He’d like to be home already, sitting with his cats as they play and attack his hands. Though, it isn’t really all that bad. There’s something nice about being out late like this, something peaceful even. It gives him time to reflect on the day as well as time to try and figure out those pesky experiments.
Grian sighs softly, glancing up at the sky. The moon is fully out tonight, a bright sphere in the sky. It’s pretty to look at, and it’s a good amount of light. Well, it’s no street lamp but there’s a small glow. It’s enough to keep him from tripping on the sidewalk at least.
In the distance, Grian thinks he hears some kind of howl. He blinks, “It’s not everyday you hear a wolf.” He mumbles, seeming surprised. He wasn’t even aware there are wolves close enough to Aqua Town to be heard like that. Maybe there’s a forest nearby?
Except there’s a second howl, and it sends shivers down Grian’s spine.
He pauses for a moment, and catches something moving in the corner of his eye. It’s gone before he can get a proper look. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end and something tells him to walk quicker. He returns to walking, wondering what exactly he saw. Surely it was a shadow, right? A shadow of a building.
He blames it on the paranoia, on just how many news anchors Pearl watches every morning. “People are saying the culprit’s a vampire.” Grian shakes his head, banishing the thought.
They’re not real, he reminds himself. They’re just made up stories for scaring children. He’s overthinking, and his mind is latching onto ridiculous things because of fear.
He continues his walk, moving with a brisk pace now (why is he forcing himself to walk so fast when it’s probably just his paranoia messing with him?) He doesn’t know if he actually saw something. He may not have, it could’ve just been his eyes playing tricks on him.
It’s dark enough outside after all, and the light from the moon doesn’t do much. There’s hardly any street lamps, and if there are, they’re broken. He doesn’t know what’s lurking in the shadows, if it’s just his imagination or his reality. Frankly, Grian isn’t particularly interested in finding out what it is.
“Crime rates in Aqua Town are low! The city is practically a safe haven!” He remembers telling Pearl. Yet there’s been six murders in under a single month. The murderer still hasn’t been caught. It isn’t safe to be outside late at night and yet here he is, doing exactly that because he lost track of time. And now there might be someone following him for some unknown reason and the very thought makes his skin crawl.
He pushes himself to keep moving because he needs to get home. He has to get home to Pearl. His heart is beating so loudly in his ears that it’s all he can focus on, eyes darting around himself to watch his surroundings. His footsteps feel shaky, uneven, as he steps on the ground. He walks at a quicker pace than before, but otherwise tries to appear unbothered. It’d be bad if–
A noise breaks his train of thought, and despite his urgency to get home, Grian freezes in place.
He’s stopped right underneath a street lamp, one that has a flickering light bulb. There’s a slight buzzing overheard that he hears coming from the busted light bulb, and the flickering only serves to creep him out. Grian never realized just how creepy this town was late at night. He can feel the way his hair stands on end, the way goosebumps run along his arms and back. The feeling makes him grip the strap of his bag as his thoughts run rampant. His heart beats fiercely against his ribcage as if it were a drum drumming along to its very own beat.
He hears a noise again, and had he been in a normal state of mind, he probably would have recognized it. Instead, all the noise does is make him tense.
He feels something brush against his leg and Grian is not afraid to admit that he screamed.
Jumping up in surprise, he immediately tilts his head down to look at whatever had brushed against his leg. When his eyes adjust to the darkness, he finds that the thing brushing against his leg is a cat.
The tension leaves him almost immediately as he lets out a rather large exhale, paranoia and fear being shoved back into a neat little box in his brain. “Goodness, you really spooked me there.” He says, squatting down to the cat’s level. It’s a black cat with striking yellow eyes, and when it looks at Grian, it meows.
He reaches out a hand to the cat, allowing it to sniff. “Oh you’re a handsome fella, eh?” He chuckles when the cat nudges its head against his hand. He moves to pat its head gently, “Were you the one making all that noise?” He asks, as if the cat can answer him.
The only answer he even gets is a rumbling purr, making him chuckle again. In hindsight, he feels a little silly now, panicking like that over what ultimately turned out to be a little kitten. Though he is glad that’s all it turned out to be. He isn’t sure what he would’ve done otherwise. If Pearl was here she’d definitely be teasing him right now.
He’s broken out of his thoughts when he feels his lanyard being moved, and he looks down at the cat. It’s staring at his lanyard, paw extending to swat at it. Grian huffs, “No no, that isn’t a toy mate. That’s my ID for work.” He says, gently pushing the cat’s face away.
The cat however, has other ideas, and reaches for Grian’s lanyard again before quite literally pulling it off of his neck. He hears the clasp break as the cat pulls it, his neck flaring up with pain. He yelps in surprise but the cat is taking off before he can do anything about it. “Hey!” He shouts after the darting cat, “I need that!”
Not even thinking twice about it, Grian stands up and runs after the stray. He can’t afford to lose that! Sure, Zed might not mind printing him a new ID, but he’d really rather not ask for another one. So he chases after the cat, all previous fears about walking around at night disappearing.
The cat leads him through town, but he doesn’t recognize any of the buildings. He and Pearl haven’t done much exploring besides a few places close to their apartment. Grian works during the day and Pearl at night, and considering the murders began shortly after they moved to Aqua Town… there hasn’t been much opportunity for them to explain just yet.
He’s determined to get his lanyard back, so he doesn’t waste any time stopping to admire the architecture. He runs across the cobbled road and goes after the cat. Unfortunately for Grian, the cat is quite fast.
Eventually, they run out of Aqua Town itself, just on the outskirts of it. They reach a forest and it gets a little harder to keep track of the cat with all of the greenery around them. It was already a bit difficult with the blanket of night over them, but with things like bushes and tall grass around, it becomes a little more challenging. Regardless, Grian is stubborn, and he refuses to give up.
Except he does end up losing the cat. And when he realizes this, he slows to a stop in the middle of a path. He’s breathing heavily, lungs burning from the overexertion. He casts a glance around the forest, trying to see if he can get any glimpse of the cat. Unfortunately for him, the cat (and his lanyard by extension) is nowhere to be found.
He’s ultimately left with two choices: continue to look for the cat, or turn around and go home. If he’s honest with himself, he really wants to find his lanyard. It’s kind of important, and if there’s even a slim chance that he can get it back, he’s going to take it. Plus Pearl would definitely laugh at him for losing it to a cat.
So Grian pushes onwards, going through the forest. Though this time he walks rather than runs. His ears strain to listen for anything around, but he hears nothing besides the chirping of crickets. He has to step carefully to avoid tripping on roots or stepping on sticks, not wanting to injure himself. That’s the last thing he needs right now.
For now he decides that following the path is his best bet, else he risks getting lost in the forest. And considering he does want to get home at some point tonight, it’s the right choice to make. It may even lead him to the cat, which is definitely a stretch, Grian knows.
The path itself eventually opens up to a front entrance of some kind of manor.
The first thing Grian noticed is how run down it is. Greenery creeps up along the walls, moss seeping into the cracks in the concrete. The windows lining the house are either cracked or the glass is missing. The bushes around the front of the place are overgrown and not at all taken care of. Well, the place is abandoned. The walls are caked in dirt and cracks. The place looks like it’s been untouched for years.
He stands there to stare at it, suddenly overcome with a feeling of unease. He feels like he shouldn’t be here. And just as he’s about to take a step back, his eyes spot something red on the front porch. Grian gasps, “My lanyard!”
Without fully thinking, he heads up the two stairs of the porch, leaning down to pick it up. He sighs in relief and fixes the clasps before putting it back on. Though, he finds it a little odd that the cat is nowhere to be seen. “Where’d the little guy go?” He questions himself, turning around to see if it's in the bushes around. Granted, it’s a little hard to see a black cat in the bushes at night.
His brows furrow at the mystery, but it’s quickly forgotten as he turns back around to look at the door. The once golden doorknob is now rusted due to time, and he wonders if it even works. The paint on the door is chipped, and Grian is almost afraid to push it open out of fear of splinters from the wood.
Of course, during his inspection of the door, it slowly opens with a creaaaak.
Grian stares in shock, the feeling of unease returning. “I definitely should not go inside the creepy run down manor.” He tells himself, already feeling the urge to do so. Curse him and his impulsiveness. Going inside is tempting, really. Especially when the outside of the manor itself looked all gothic in style. He’s curious about the inside.
He hums in contemplation. If the place is abandoned, then surely he isn’t going to disturb anyone, and no one will even know that he’s been here! He can go in, have a quick look around, and then head home. Maybe get some pictures for Pearl.
“Forget how bad of an idea this might be, I’m going into the creepy manor.” He steps inside after that, pausing to look around the entrance.
The inside looks rather similar to the outside, just a little more rundown. There’s chunks of the walls missing, exposing the insides. There isn’t a single light, but if Grian looks closely at the ground, he can see holes in the floorboards. “Whoa… this place looks like it’s right out of a horror movie.” He breathes, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He snaps some photos for Pearl. If this is only the foyer of the manor, he can only imagine what the rest of the place looks like.
Just as he moves to walk further inside, there’s the sound of wind whooshing through the air, and he feels a draft right by his ear. He jumps as he hears a loud slam behind him. Frantic, Grian twists around only to find the door shut behind him. To his amazement the door looks completely different. The wood looks almost freshly painted. The golden knob is free of rust, shiny and sparkling. He hears another soft whooshing behind him, and he’s forced to turn around again, just to see the candles lining the walls light up one by one.
He stares in awe as more light begins to grant him proper sight in the room, and he’s startled by how different it all looks. Gone are the missing chunks of wall and holes in the floor. The inside looks perfectly fine now. The wooden floors are carpeted and the walls are clean, the paint coats looking fresh and neat. Paintings hang on the walls, accompanied by little tables with vases of lively flowers underneath.
“What in the world is going on here?” He asks, feeling a little lightheaded. Is he dreaming? Surely he must be. There’s no way an abandoned building would look this nice inside! And the candles! They don’t just light up on their own!
“That’s what I’d like to know.” A second voice joins him, and Grian looks up to see a man in front of him.
The figure standing before him is tall, with maybe a foot of height over him. The man wears a black tailcoat, one that’s shorter in the front and longer in the back. The lapels and collar are red rather than black, and have a red swirling pattern to them.
Under the unbuttoned tailcoat is a white shirt, the collar hugging the man’s neck. Wrapped around it is a cravat, with a red band as well as a ruby red gem in the middle of it. Accompanied by this are black pants and equally black shoes.
But perhaps what garners Grian’s attention the most is the man’s face. At first glance, his eyes look like an incredibly dark brown color. Upon further inspection, he sees flakes of red in his eyes. His long black hair is tied in a loose ponytail with a red ribbon near the end. The ponytail rests on his left shoulder, bangs also brushed to the same side. In his right ear is an earring, one that dangles. The chain is silver with a red rhombus shape hanging off the end of the chain.
He’s…. really pretty.
Grian stares at the man’s ears, seeing that they’re… pointed at the end. He’s never seen that before, not in real life at least.
“I’ll ask this once. Who are you?” The man asks, lips pulled down into a frown. It almost looks funny with his mustache, and Grian probably would’ve laughed. Probably, if he wasn’t so frazzled by the man’s sudden appearance. “Most humans know not to approach this house, let alone break in.” His eyes narrow dangerously on Grian, flashing red.
Grian feels his breath catch in his throat as he stares at the looming figure in front of him. What his eyes focus on is the shining red eyes that seem to pin him down by stare alone. That eye color… it definitely isn’t natural. Is he wearing contacts? Surely that must be it.
“People are saying the culprit’s a vampire.”
“A vampire.”
For a moment, his eyes drop down to the man's half open mouth, spotting two sharp fangs peeking out from behind his lips. "You've got to be joking." He murmurs, voice shaking as he slowly begins to process the existence of the man in front of him.
The first thing that tears through him is fear, of course it is. Every human alive knows what a vampire is, what they do. He could very likely be killed – blood drained from him much like the victims of the murders (and is that a thought he doesn’t want to entertain right now). Vampires, powerful creatures of the night that feed on humans as they please. He has every reason to be afraid.
Yet that fear is overpowered by curiosity. He’s… curious about the vampire. He’s the first (and only) vampire that Grian has ever met before. Grian has always let his curiosity lead him, much like Pearl. As he stands in front of a real life vampire, he finds himself wanting to know about him, about his very existence. If vampires are real, what does that mean for other creatures? Werewolves? Zombies? Ghosts? Are they real too?
Standing here, Grian feels the beginnings of his world beginning to turn over. And he wants to know more. You know what they say about the curious cat, after all.
The man looks at him with a frown, “I am most certainly not joking. Now answer my question or else.”
Grian’s head snaps up and he slowly takes a few steps backwards. Man has he really managed to screw the pooch with this one. His back hits the very much still shut door and he jumps. This really isn’t what he expected out of today. Vampires are real. Great. Lovely. Amazing. And he’s stumbled right into the home of one. As curious as he is, he doesn’t particularly feel like dying to one tonight. “L-Look uh…. Count? Dracula? Are you Dracula?”
The vampire stares at him in bewilderment, “What? No, my name is Mumbo.” He replies, waving his hand dismissively. “And I’m not a Count. Neither is Dracula. In fact, he’s not even real. He’s a story you humans made up centuries ago.”
Mumbo… Well with a name like that, the vampire seems a tad less intimidating. Grian shakes his head, “Uh, alright…. Mumbo, look, I’m terribly sorry about uh… infringing upon your home, truly. But if you could uh, just let me go and forget this ever happened that’d be absolutely lovely.”
The vampire, Mumbo, stares at Grian with an unimpressed quirk of his brow. “You realize that you’re trying to bargain with a vampire, right? I have no reason to let you go.” He points out, and Grian winces.
He knows that the vampire is right. He’s got no reason why he can’t just kill Grian right here and now. Does he have anything he can offer in exchange for his life? The only things Grian has on him are his bag and cellphone, neither of which he thinks would appeal to a vampire. If only he had vials of blood or something.
(Though it makes Grian curious, the way Mumbo doesn’t seem to be immediately attacking him. If he’s angry that Grian broke into his home, then wouldn’t he immediately be on the offensive? Wouldn’t he want Grian dealt with as soon as possible? Why is he making conversation?)
“I uh–” Something brushes against his leg and Grian looks down. “Oh, hey there you are!” He exclaims as he sees the cat. Mumbo momentarily forgotten, Grian leans down to pet the cat’s head. “I was worried when you just kinda vanished on me.” The cat eagerly leans up into his touch, the purring beginning all over again.
Mumbo seems absolutely stumped as he watches Grian ignore him to pet a stray cat. His mouth hangs open just slightly, a flash of recognition on his face, followed by realization. The vampire sighs after a moment, gloved fingers moving to pinch the bridge of his nose. He mutters something under his breath before addressing Grian, “Get out before I change my mind.”
Grian lifts his head up to look at Mumbo in shock. The vampire’s brows are pinched together, lips pulled down in a firm frown. “Sorry, what?”
“I said get out. Go. Leave.” Mumbo grumbles, “Look, this was clearly a misunderstanding. And killing you would be far too messy anyways. I don’t have the patience to deal with a human tonight.” He adds, sending chills down Grian’s spine. “Goodness tonight is turning out to be incredibly pants.”
For some reason, Grian feels frozen in place. He’s just… going to let him go, just like that? He looks down at the cat currently rubbing its head against him, and he bites his lip. He really shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Mumbo looks at him, watching the way he just sits there with cold, bored red eyes. “I’m not going to say it again, human. Get. Out.” His voice is low with a warning, nearly gravely.
That gets Grian to move, as he hurriedly rises and gives him a hasty wave, “R-Right, well! Lovely meeting you Mumbo, goodbye!” He says before quickly making his way to the exit. He hurries down the stairs of the porch, and takes a glance behind him. He sees the cat moving to nuzzle Mumbo’s leg as the door shuts. He looks away with a shiver.
Grian is quick to make his way out of the forest, retracing his steps to get back into Aqua Town. And the whole way home, he thinks. There’s a lot to process, that’s for sure. But there’s one thought that sticks with Grian the entire time.
He kind of wants to go back.
Immediately, he shakes his head, “No, Grian, absolutely not!” He tells himself harshly. “I may be curious but I’m not curious enough to turn around and go knocking on the door of a vampire’s home to ask him questions. Especially after being threatened.”
Still, he’s curious. Very curious.