Arlo James

See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch

Arlo felt his eyes lift upward in curiosity as Cadance insisted that her receptionist wasn't exactly the friendliest of guys and that she was pretty damn sure he wasn't going to make it as her employee. It was probably for the best really. His agent had said the guy was pretty impolite and that she'd had trouble even understanding what he wanted. Neither were exactly traits most people wanted in, well, reception. Arlo's head nodded in agreement before Cadance settled back within her chair, that conversation shifted toward those vampire bars and the turf wars that had very nearly torn them apart. That discontent in the vampire community wasn't exactly a secret after all. Hell, the newspapers had published stories on it. Not that Arlo was exactly sure how much he believed. The papers continually claimed to have 'a source' that often turned out to be no one at all. They'd done the same when they reported on him. Still- the idea of a vampire bar wasn't exactly his sort of scene. It was hard enough dodging his prey when they were alone. He didn't need a damn bar full of the angry bastards coming at him. Cadence was quick to insist that Blue Moon Lagoon, in the very least, had gone through a change in management after that latest round of turf wars. One that meant he hardly had to worry about vampires. Huh. That was handy. Maybe they could work something out then. Local gigs were always the easiest after all. The very notion that this might have been a set up so hardly occurring to the distinctly good natured man.

Any further conversation on that bar however was all but ended by the sudden high-pitched scream of the waitress. Arlo was nearly certain he'd lost the hearing in his overly-sensitive ears and yet fangirl screaming was at least one thing he'd almost become used to again after those years away from the stage. The young woman was all but bursting with excitement as Arlo eyed her, the man managing to offer her a polite smile as she inquired after that autograph. Arlo was mostly sure he had nothing for her to sign except maybe a napkin. That, it seemed, was entirely satisfying to the young woman as she fled back inside without having taken their order at all. Huh. Well that was new. A soft chuckle rose within Arlo's throat all the same, one hand lifted to brush aside that tousled hair that threatened to fall agianst his eyes. His run here having somewhat...disheveled his appearance more then he'd intended. Not that Cadance seemed to mind. She was pretty chill- for a manager. Hell, she was proving to be the kinda person he enjoyed spending time with. Although it still would have been nice for them to actually get some food. Maybe he should wave at the waitress to get her attention? Arlo's hand lifted in an effort to draw the young woman back over to them, Cadence's warning all but died on her lips. The young woman was too late to stop him as he waved- only for the waitress to grin excitedly and wave back. Shit. He was stuck. How did he stop waving now? This was not going as planned. He was going to die here. Stop. Stop waving. Arlo nearly awkwardly offered that waitress another grin before, finally, returning his arm to himself. Only for Cadence to insist he'd damned them both. Arlo offered her a near sheepish grin.

"I know. I should have seen it coming."

His head shook slightly at his own social faux pas. He'd have to tell Abby about this later. She'd find it hilarious. She always did. That conversation shifted back towards business then. Arlo was nearly relieved to have an excuse to turn politely away from that still excitable waitress as his gaze returned to the striking violet of Cadence's own. Music. Now that was a topic he knew about. One he could talk about for hours if someone would let him- and one he suspected Cadence understood as well. The woman across from him seemed to near light up as she spoke about those instruments and the feeling of being on stage. Her efforts to describe those sensations sounded exactly like someone who not only lived them- but loved them as well. How damn easy it was to spot another musician. That very notion alone prompted the return of that grin to Arlo's own features. Whatever question she had been trying to ask him was all but forgotten in the wake of his own intrigue in her and what she'd played. Cadence seemed to hesitate for a moment- as if his question had somehow caught her off guard. As if she hadn't realised how passionately she'd been talking about the stage. He knew that feeling well. I was so...easy to get lost in a conversation about music. Sometimes you forgot there were even other people there. That near knowing simper found his lips in response before Cadance seemed to recover long enough to insist she played guitar and sung vocals- even if it had been a long time ago. Arlo's own head shook lightly as he settled further back within his chair.

"Some of the best guitarists in the world were self taught. There's something more...natural in learning to play your own way you know? No one ever plays like anyone else. Sure we can all learn the same riff but none of us will ever play it exactly like the other. I kinda love that about guitars. Everyone has a style. Did you write your own songs? I've been working on a couple this past week. I don't sing them myself but other artists keep asking me to write for them, so I do."

Arlo's shoulders lifted in a loose shrug, as if writing for some of the world most famous performers was so hardly a big deal. The vampire equally content to ignore his own recent placing in the rock and roll hall of fame and that very suggestion by most of the music world that he was, by far, one of the greatest guitarists the world had ever seen. Arlo, instead, far more intrigued by the violet eyed woman before him and that story he was nearly sure she was reluctant to tell. Maybe she was embarrassed? Hell, he was pretty embarrassed about his own early career.....and life......and personality. It made him near cringe to think of it now. Maybe it was better that he didn't. Cadence spoke vaguely about the set up of this Blue Lagoon place and her desire to bring back that live music. It sounded an easy enough gig. One without any vampires. Arlo' was content to nod his agreement before that query of his own request seemed to snap Cadence's attention back to him again. Huh. Maybe she was used to musicians making really weird requests. That wouldn't be unusual. This one though he was sure she could fulfil. Abby came to all his shows after all. Arlo near certain it wouldn't be too difficult to have a backstage area just for her. Somewhere she wasn't at risk of benign crushed by a giant crowd. Arlo reached for his phone once more- the Crusnik easily flicking it on before opening those favoured pictures of his girlfriend and himself before turning them around for Cadence to see. Abigail, in either panda or human form, so hardly took up much room. She'd be no problem to have right?

Hos oblivious Arlo was to that...distress that momentarily seemed to grip the woman across from him. The Crusnik instead far more taken with eyeing those photographs of his companion before Cadence readily agreed it would be no problem to have Abigail with him. Great. She'd love that night out, he was sure of it. Cadence was quick to insist those photographs however were far too sweet for her liking- that very notion prompting a chuckle from Arlo himself as he moved to put that phone away. Too sweet for a girl like her? What a strange thing to say. Arlo's own head tilted slightly, that amusement hardly fading from his features all the same despite that curiosity that lingered.

"A girl like you? I used to think someone like Abby would be too sweet for me to. I was pretty...er....hardcore back in the day you know? Big into shit I shouldn't be into. When you meet the right person tough you kinda....become who they need you to be. You know?"

Maybe she didn't know. Maybe Cadence hadn't met that person yet. She would though, he was sure. A girl that looked like her? Dudes didn't exactly say no to that. The woman was quick to draw his attention to that menu then with the insistence it was vampire friendly. Her shoddy receptionist really hadn't filled her in then. This was awkward. Arlo could hardly help the way he lifted one hand to rub near nervously at the back of his neck. He'd never been comfortable admitting what he was, at least, not out loud. Not where some vampire might hear him and try to get the first strike in and yet this wasn't going to work unless Cadence understood. That attempt to explain his, well, species, seemed to prompt some level of bafflement in the woman.Cadence suddenly seemed to stare at him like he had five heads. Great. This was going so well. Cadence blinked several times. Arlo content to feel only more awkward before she suddenly declared this explained a lot. Did it? The woman hardly elaborated on just what that explained before questioning whether or not he was some sort of vampire....bogeyman. Well, that was new. Although really that wasn't exactly inaccurate. Huh. She was right. Arlo's head nodded.

"Yeah, that's not a bad way of putting it really. My venom brings them down in a few seconds. It works on all species actually, humans included, but it works the best on vampires. I bite, my venom takes like two seconds to work, I feed while they can't fight back, then I piss off before they wake up. I never kill them or anything. They are so fucking mad once the sedative wears off though. Some of them are scared of me- they run away as soon as they realise what I am. Some of them try to fight me, get me before i can get them you know? Half the time I'm not even hungry. I'm just...walking by and they jump me. Couple years ago though, this whole coven came after me. I had to leave town."

Arlo's head shook lightly at the very memory, a frown of sorts tugged at his features before his blue gaze shifted upward to meet Cadence's own again.

"Other species don't want to be friends with a vampire- they take off before I can explain and vampires don't want me around either because their worried i'm going to eat them which, look, I probably am. Makes finding company pretty fucking hard though. Took me a while to find some people not freaked out by me."

'A while' was putting it lightly. It had taken....years before he'd found Abigail and Seb and Dorian. Still, he supposed, life had gotten better. Even if it had been slow to get started. That grin was quick to return to his features all the same. Arlocommenting after that pizza and pasta. They were italian right? Dorian would kill him if he got this wrong. Cadence's query of what he would have gotten from this place when he was human prompted his gaze down to that menu.

"I'd have eaten the whole damn menu when I was human. Like literally, I'd have ordered all of it. I was a weird human. I was also kinda stoned a lot and, you know, munchies. Im not too old though im like....forty something."

That grin tugged at his lips again. An easy chuckle rising within his throat before his blue gaze shifted back down to the menu. What did he want? What was the most likely not to make him sick? Cadence pushed back abruptly from her own seat then with that command he guard the table. Arlo blinked momentarily, watching as the raven-haired woman strode into that restaurant only to emerge with a waitress a few moments later. Ha! She'd managed to find someone. She really was a manager. That lighthearted sarcasm prompted a grin to Arlo's own lips once more before that waitress offered the specials. Cadence chose that appetizer before declaring she'd have what he was having. Shit just got real. He had to pick something.

"Ummmmm."

God this was a big menu. So many Italian words. Why did they have to write the names of all the dishes in Italian? Arlo's gaze swept over that menu once more before at last pointing to one of those dishes.

"I guess we'll have that Scaloppina.....di pollo?"

Was that how you said it? The waitress was quick to write that order down before heading back inside. Arlo watched her go before turning back to his companion.

"I don't even know what I ordered. If this is like frogs legs or something weird i'm sorry in advance."

That notion that frogs legs were a distinctly French dish had hardly occurred to him. Arlo quickly shook off that concern all the same as his attention returned to Cadence.

"You know, no one tells you this stuff when you become a vampire but it's like....bloody hard to eat human food again. For the first like decade even the smell of it will probably make you sick, as you get older some of those foods you loved as a human start to be appealing again but you only want little bits of it. It takes forever, apparently, before you want any human food at all. If you see a vampire just chowing down on a regular meal then he's probably at least a century old and he's probably eating something he loved as a human. Is that the same for Were's? Although I suppose if you were born a Were it isn't. Do you ever just want to eat...whatever it is your animal side eats?"