Chapter Text
Kuervo Natalez-Herrera is.. a lot of things. A winemaker’s son, a brother, a believer.. He’s smart, a dancer, an artist..
..And a vampire.
That last one is a much more recent development. If you’re counting about three years as recent.
To be even more specific, it’s three years, five months, and about seventeen days exactly. Not that anyone’s counting.
..Well, they may be counting, but in a much different way to Kuervo. See, Kuervo’s counting the time passed since it got turned. The rest of the world, the rest of his home of Naya, well.. they all think it’s dead. Murdered, last he heard the story was. It’s sure it hasn’t changed too much since he left.
Not that it wanted to leave, either, but.. the world isn’t really that kind to vampires. Or “monsters” of any kind. Especially not places with such big religious populations as Naya had. Hell, if you had asked Kuervo three years and six months ago, he would’ve told you that vampires were nothing more but stories told to keep children in line.
It tries not to think about all of that too much. He’s found giving too much thought to all of those implications make it far too upset. The bottom line is, really, that he had to upend his entire life and leave the only home it had ever known.
He moved from island to island for a while, only leaving again once it got a bit too careless and comfortable and he feared people might suspect something was odd about it. It took him about two and a half years to figure out how to do all this.. “properly”, for lack of a better term, and he’d managed to hang around the island he currently resided on ever since.
The only downside to this stability, of course, was that it just got… boring. The town was small, and there wasn’t ever much happening. The most it could do was go to the bar or wander around the forests, and there was only so many times you could “wander” somewhere before you had it memorized like the back of your hand.
..That is to say, it always ended up spending most of his time in the bar. Not that it necessarily wanted to, but– really, there was only so much he could do in its.. state! And it was no help that the town itself was just so.. quaint and boring. Not that it was a bad town at all, really! If Kuervo were honest, he’d say it’s probably its favourite out of the places he’s lived so far.
It’s just.. nothing like what it was used to growing up.
Big cities like that are troublesome, though, he always has to chide itself, even worse when you’re meant to be dead.
Regardless of all the frustration and swirling thoughts, as always, he finds itself sitting at the counter in the bar in silence, a drink held in his hand.
..At least, it is like always, until Kuervo takes notice of somebody entering the bar, watching them sit down.
They’re tall, much taller than Kuervo. About a foot or so, if he had to guess, although they look to be around his age. Roughly nineteen or twenty. They’ve got olive skin, a bit darker than Kuervo’s own, brown eyes, and brown hair to match, tied into..
..Kuervo’s got no idea what hairstyle they could have been going for, honestly. The top layer is pulled into a horribly loose attempt at a bun, so he guesses a half-up, half-down look? Although there’s also three small messy braids scattered in the lower half.
Hair critiques aside, it’s quick to take notice of their clothes, too; a loose-fitting green shirt and rather plain brown pants, though the shirt – if Kuervo were to guess again – was an incredibly high-quality material. They’ve got a fair amount of jewelry, too..
..It’s not until they sit down a couple seats down from Kuervo and order a drink that he realizes it’s just been staring at a total stranger for several minutes.
Lord, he feels like a creep.
He’s incredibly interested in the newcomer, though, if only because they’re– well.. new.
..And pretty.
It shakes the latter thought away. He only has to debate with itself for a second before it’s picking up his own glass, moving seats to sit next to them with an incredibly chipper “ Hello! ”
He feels a bit bad at the way its voice makes the stranger startle; he was a bit loud, there, wasn’t he?
The feeling is quickly dispelled, though, when they return the greeting with a wide smile. “Hi to you, too..!” They say with a laugh. “Say– any chance you know if the wine’s good around here?”
They pause after the question, for just a second before they add on further. “..Or cider. Potato, potato. ”
They laugh like bells, he notes. They’ve got an odd bit to their speech, too, something in the way they pronounce “R”s. It’s cute. He kind of wants to hear how they’d say his name.
It’s quick to shake the thoughts away again, giving a small laugh. It’s sure its fangs are visible when he does, but in the lamplight he doubts anyone would notice. “The wine here is amazing, ” it confirms, with a quick nod. “And that’s coming from somebody who doesn’t even drink wine all that often.”
He can’t stop himself from staring again, now that it’s closer to them. He thinks anyone would, really, in its sort of situation; it’s a change in routine, a new person! A pretty person!
..Gosh, he really can’t keep its thoughts off that, huh?
He also finds itself looking at their hair a bit more, though. It’s everything in him not to give in to muscle memory and move to fix it for them, like he’d have done for its sisters in the past. He’s half tempted to ask if he can fix it.
Look– really, it’s not that their hair looks bad..! It just looks– very messily done, like it’ll come down at any second!
..It just settles for making small talk instead. “ So– You’re new.. what brings you out here?”
“Travel,” comes the stranger’s quick response. They take their glass from the bartender with a thanks, taking a small sip and nodding in what Kuervo can only assume to be some sort of approval at the taste. “..Yeah– that’s basically it. It’s not very interesting.”
They’re only silent for a moment, again, not long enough for Kuervo to respond yet. “Y’know– uh– I wanna see the world! ” Another tiny pause. “..Maybe not the– whole world, but– a substantial portion of it, hopefully! It– It’s your own life, and all that, y’know? I want to go out there and have fun.”
One final little pause.
Geez, they do that a lot. Seems like they never quite know when they’re done with a thought.
“And– I assume you’re from around here, yeah? What’s it like–?”
Kuervo’s silent for a couple seconds. ..Okay.
Now they’re done talking.
“I’ve lived here a while,” Kuervo nods and offers up the vague correction, waving its hand before he takes a sip from its own drink. “..I’m shocked you’ve ended up here! ” He adds on, maybe not spending enough time thinking about how the statement may come off. It shifts to rest his cheek in its hand, watching this stranger very intently as he spoke. “This town isn’t really anything to write home about.. It’s, uh– it’s a little boring, honestly. Not much of anything going on.”
“I was promised good wine,” they respond rather blandly, cutting into their own sentence with an airy little laugh. “They weren’t wrong, I’ll tell ya that!”
..Very.. alcohol-motivated, Kuervo notices.
The stranger takes one final drink from their glass, finishing it off before they’re ordering another one. Kuervo almost feels outclassed, he’s only gotten nearly through the one drink itself!
“..Hey– since you’re familiar, d’you know any places around here I could stay at?” They pause, and Kuervo’s already waiting for them to keep talking again.
“I didn’t really plan an itinerary, but.. hey! You seem trust-worthy enough to recommend one.” Yep.
Kuervo falls quiet for a second, actually finding itself having to think about the question. Well, this place has got an inn built into it, but are there any others?
He casts a glance sideways to the wall, tracing a finger around the rim of its glass before he shakes its head slowly. “Ah– No, ‘fraid this here’s the only place, and, uh–” He pauses and gestures towards the sign posted at the door, and in the window. “They’re all full.”
..It does give Kuervo an idea, though. He feels almost selfish for it, but–
It clears his throat and looks away. “But– Uh–” It rests his hand over its glass. “I’ve, uh– I’ve got a spare room.”
He’s far too shy to actually outright convey the offer, so it hopes that statement gets the point across. It’s.. definitely probably a little odd of him to be doing so, offering a total stranger a room in his house, but–
.. Well, it’s not like it can’t take care of itself! And this guy seems nice, anyways!
The stranger takes a moment to reply. When they do, though, it’s just as chipper a tone as ever. “Yeah! I reckon that’ll do!” A little pause. “..You don’t– mind, right? I don’t wanna feel like I’m.. y’know, intruding or anything.”
Kuervo opens its mouth to respond, but the stranger cuts him off. Right. Wasn’t done talking, then.
They curl one hand around their glass, taking a sip before they speak with a grin. “ You’ll never know if I’m out to get you!~ ”
The sing-song joke is a rather sudden change from their tone before, and Kuervo has to stifle a laugh.
They’re quick to follow it up, though. “Uh– just joking. I can pay, to make up for it? Two hundred okay?”
Kuervo rolls its eyes, hesitating for a split second before he breaks into a wide grin. “Oh, it might be the other way around,” it teases, leaning just a bit closer to them with a laugh. “They say there’s a vampire hangin’ around here, y’know?”
It’s really rather careless with joking about being a vampire. Nobody ever seems to catch on anyways, and those that do always assume he’s joking.
Kuervo sits back in his own seat, looking rather satisfied with its own joke; he takes a small sip from his drink, before it shrugs. “You don’t have to pay me, I’ll just take the company.”
“You really think so, huh?” They ask, mirroring Kuervo’s smile with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh– I’m paying, alright, not just gonna– strut into a stranger’s home without some form of payment! At least let me buy you a drink?”
“I know so,” Kuervo confirms with a nod. He sighs and tilts its head, making a big show out of pretending to think it over.
“Oh, fine.. ” He responds finally. “I guess you can.” It rests its head on his hand as he spoke, staring up at the other.
“Gotta tell me your favourite, then.”
The stranger’s quick to shoot back with that, and it almost makes Kuervo feel a little embarrassed. Duh.
“ And– ” They continue, expression turning almost excited. “You’ve got to tell me what they say about that vampire. I’ve never been to a place with all– those legends.”
That statement actually catches Kuervo a bit off-guard. Seriously? He thought everyone knew those sorts of things.
“..Sangria, usually,” it responds to the first half of their statement. It bites back a grin at their curiosity, though, fangs digging lightly into his own bottom lip.
Look, it’s not like he was one to brag about the stuff he had to do! He wasn’t proud, but– you have to make your own fun somehow! And sometimes poking around at people like that was his fun!
“Pretty normal stuff they say, really,” he explains, shrugging lightly. “Everyone says he just– showed up one day! Settled in and then all of a sudden– poof! People and animals and all that start goin’ missing or turnin’ up all out of it and lost half their blood.”
“ Sangria, ” they echo as Kuervo speaks, turning to the bartender and ordering the drink before their attention is back on Kuervo. They shuffle around in their seat, picking one leg up to rest on the opposite knee before they answer.
“That so, huh? You think I should be runnin’ from him, or would he be runnin’ from me? ” They glance away as they joke, covering their mouth. The mischievous smile they give makes Kuervo feel like it must be bright red in the face. “What’s a vampire to do harm, anyways? You don’t seem phased by it, if it’s really such an issue? Is it an issue at all? ”
“Well, I haven’t even seen him yet!” Kuervo responds, shaking its head quickly. “I figure I’m probably in bed way before he starts runnin’ around.”
..Okay– he’s having a hell of a fun time joking around with them like this. They’re silly! They actually play off his jokes, too!
“..Besides– using me as a– a gauge for danger probably isn't a good idea.”
That makes the stranger perk up a bit, laughing as they stare at Kuervo. “ Oh? What’s wrong with it? You seem like you know a lot!”
They look up when the bartender sets Kuervo’s glass down, pushing it over to him with a smile.
Kuervo takes the drink with a quiet thanks, taking a sip before he responds. “Well, some people would say I’m careless,” he jokes. “ Apparently I don’t pay attention to my surroundings.”
He makes air quotes as it says the latter sentence, waving a hand before it’s rolling its eyes. “But I haven’t gotten attacked yet, so–!”
“ Yet, ” they echo him. They finish off their own drink, setting the glass to the side with a faint laugh.
It’s a small moment before they’re turning back to Kuervo, tilting their head and giving him a confused look. “..Say– what’s your
name,
stranger? I don’t actually think we’ve introduced ourselves! Formally, at least. Be good to put a name to the guy that might try to hand me to the village vampire when worst comes to worst, don’tcha think?”
Kuervo, of course, feigns massive offense at the mere suggestion that he would do such a thing. It presses one hand against its chest, staring at the stranger with wide eyes. “I would never do such a thing!!”
“..Kuervo,” it adds in response. “My name’s Kuervo. ..Pretty weird to hear around here, I know.”
Granted, they didn’t give any sort of indication that they
did
find it weird, but Kuervo’s gotten very used to hearing comments like that by now. Regardless, he hopes it’s pretty obvious that he was making a joke, at least. “What about you? Might as well put a name to the guy stayin’ in my house.”
“..
Kuervo,
” they echo, rather obviously having a bit of trouble. They repeat it a couple times under their breath, and Kuervo almost feels..
bad.
Before it can say anything, though, they’re speaking again.
“..I’m Owen. O-W-E-N,” they smile, and it almost makes Kuervo wonder if he should’ve spelled its own name. “Nice meeting you! ..It’s not as pretty as yours, but it does the job, I think.”
He has to fight back a small laugh, regardless, at Owen spelling his name. Probably could’ve figured that one out. It reaches over to shake Owen’s hand, returning the smile with a small “you too”.
“..You can just call me Krow, if Kuervo’s too hard,” it adds on. Honestly, at this point, it’s nearly out of instinct that it even offers, but.. Well, Owen sounded like he actually had trouble with the Rs anyways, so.. Krow might genuinely be easier?
Owen smiles at it. “Alright, then, Krow.” Yeah. That sounded easier. Owen stands up, setting some gold on the counter for the barkeep before he turns back to Kuervo. “ Now— I’m off to go trade and whatnot, unload my ship? Do you fancy comin’ along, or would you rather show me where your place is at before I go?”
“..Your ship? ” Kuervo echoes, really talking to himself more than actually responding to Owen.
..Yeah, it had sort of blanked that.. obviously, Owen had sailed here. It’s an island, they’re surrounded by islands.
..He was tired! Give him a break!
“ Oh– ” It pauses and starts giggling at itself, covering his mouth. He’s quick to finish off his drink, pushing himself to stand and stretching its arms above his head. “Yeah, I’ll come with! Been a while since I’ve seen a proper ship!”
He turns to grin up at Owen, a bit of a cocky expression on his face.
Kind of falters, though, when he realizes how much it has to actually look up at Owen. Yeah, he’s fuck ton taller than Kuervo.
He’s barely even got time to gather its thoughts or its things before Owen’s out the door, Kuervo trailing close behind like a lost puppy to the docks.