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Shadows dance across Oakhurst as its denizens move about, quietly exchanged greetings lost to the crackle of torch fire. Owen watches from high above it all, pacing the surrounding wall. One foot in front of the other, he circles the small town. He hates it. Hates them. Somehow, Oakhurst's new citizens are just as bad as the last.
Maybe he should be surprised that the clinic's lights are still shining bright. He knows for a fact that Legundo has been up since the crack of dawn patching people up. Somehow, though, he's not. Despite being human, the doctor has always felt… familiar.
Though he may be but a mortal man, Legundo is a creature of the night.
Owen gracefully leaps from his perch onto the roof of the clinic. For just the briefest of moments, the sound inside the building stills. He can't help but smile, always amused by the man's sharp senses.
The voice that reaches his ears is quiet, clearly spoken for him alone.
"I'm not shouting at my roof all night like a lunatic. This town has enough of those as it is."
After a quick check to ensure no one else is scurrying about, Owen drops down and ducks inside the clinic, shedding his invisibility like a cloak as he steps inside.
Legundo has his back to him, busy cleaning his surgical tools.
Neither of them speak. Owen creeps closer. He can hear the doctor's heart kick up into a gallop, can smell the barest hint of sweat, of fear. He moves even closer. The hair on the back of the doctor's neck is standing up. He can see goosebumps forming.
"What do you want, Owen?" Legundo asks quietly.
Nothing. For once, he truly didn't come to Oakhurst with any real intent. The castle just felt wrong sometimes. The air feels stale compared to what he's used to. The tension could get unbearable, especially if Scott was in a particularly bad mood.
Though he postures in front of the man himself, Owen is keenly aware of the gap between them. Scott is older, and only growing more powerful now with a steady source of fresh blood. He's the head of a coven, one Owen isn't a part of.
Legundo spares Owen a glance over his shoulder, brow knitting together. The tools get set down. He moves slowly, gently placing bare hands on Owens arms. His eyes study the vampire's face.
Owen wonders what he's looking for. Something to pity, surely. Some emotion Legundo can twist and use to humanize Owen in his mind. Whatever it is, he won't find it. He allows the doctor the scrutinize him, meeting his gaze head on.
His voice is soft, when he speaks. Kind, open, inviting.
"Are you alright?"
Owen scoffs and finally shakes out of Legundo's grasp, "I'm undead, doc. Anything that's wrong with me would be out of your wheelhouse anyways."
Legundo chuckles, shaking his head, "I suppose that's true."
Though his tone is jesting, he sounds sad.
"Are you?" Owen finds himself asking.
They're both startled by the question. His posture shifts into something defensive even as Legundo begins to smile.
"I'm fine. Fatigued, naturally. You and your friends have been keeping me plenty busy."
"They're not—!" Owen cuts himself off, eyes narrowing into slits.
Friends? No. He's no longer under the delusion of gaining a family. They're hardly even allies anymore. Legundo doesn't need to know that, though. It's probably better if he doesn't, him and his ilk are more intimidating as a united force.
"Owen," all the humour has left the room. Tension is coiled into every bone of the doctor's body as he continues, "Why are you here?"
Irrational anger floods his veins.
"I was here first," Owen hisses. He steps forward, pushing into Legundo's space, "I was here before any of you were even a thought in your parents minds. You all invaded my home. If anyone has the right to be here, its me."
By the time he's finished speaking, they're practically nose to nose. Despite not needing to, Owen finds himself breathing heavily, blood boiling. To his great annoyance, Legundo continues to study him. Observe him, like he's a butterfly pinned to a board.
"I didn't mean Oakhurst, I meant here. Why did you come to my house, Owen?"
Because Legundo is fun. He's clever, far more so than most of the current residents. Not only that, though, he's witty. His tongue is sharp, easily throwing barbs at the others. He's strong. Physically, of course, which Owen can appreciate, but mentally as well. The doctor has seen horrors unlike any others, has been victim to the cruelties man can unleash on one another, and yet he's still capable of kindness.
Louis was the same.
Owen startles back, shifting back towards the door in the blink of an eye. Legundo's eyes track him, but he doesn't move. His expression remains placid. Its infuriating.
Worst of all, he doesn't have an answer.
Not really.
Walking atop the wall is surveillance of Oakhurst and its residents. It allows him to gather information to protect himself from both the humans and Scott's wrath.
Entering town is risky. Dangerous, even
But he truly has no reason to visit the doctor, especially now when tensions are so high.
His hesitation is plain to see.
"You know what I think? I think you're lonely. Too monstrous for humans, too human for the vampires."
Owen bristles, "You know nothing—"
"I know," Legundo raises his voice to speak over him, "what its like to be something other. I know what its like to be a monster wearing a man's skin. And I think you recognize that, and resonate with it."
He does. Like him, the doctor doesn't fit in. He doesn't click with the others, a jarring note to the rest of the town's harmony.
Hesitantly, Owen steps closer. Maybe he can still convince Legundo to join them — join him. If he can just get him to embrace the gift of an eternal life, they could…
bam bam bam
"They attacked me, doc!" Avid whines through the door.
Owen scents the air.
There is the barest hint of copper, no stronger than the smell that lingers under the disinfectant that comes with being in the clinc. If Avid is truly hurt, it must only be the faintest of scratches. His lip curls in distaste.
Legundo locks eyes with him as he responds, "Have you tried not aggravating them?"
Avid's whining grows louder briefly before he's evidently escorted home by another town member.
Owen is quiet when he speaks.
"That was a perfect opportunity, you know."
To his surprise, Legundo looks almost offended at the idea. He steps closer, putting a firm hand on his shoulder.
"If I had any say in it, you wouldn't need to suffer anymore. The least I can do is not harm you myself."
He doesn't know what to say to that. The silence drags. After a too long pause, Legundo pulls his hand away.
"Besides, Avid would probably start testing me for vampirism if he caught you in here."
Owen can't help but notice how cold his shoulder feels without the warmth of the doctor's hand on him. Some primal part of him wants to latch onto Legundo, to coil around him like a snake, until that heat reaches his frozen core.
He knows better, though. Resists the urge.
"I should leave," he says instead.
Legundo grabs a random item off his table and moves towards the door.
"I'll miss you."
The words are spoken solemnly. A vow. The truth, honest and pure. Undeniable.
Owen doesn't get a chance to respond before Legundo cracks open his door. Instinctively, he pulls together his invisibly. He escapes through the door the doctor is keeping open, running a hand along Legundo's arm as he goes. A silent thanks. He gets the pleasure of watching the man shiver for a moment under his touch.
"Drift!" Legundo calls out, waving a roll of bandages, "Do you need more?"
"Please," Drift begs, scooting out from her house, "I don't know how he goes through them so quickly."
While they're distracted, Owen leaps out of town, steadily making his way back to the castle.
It'll be a new day soon.