Arlo James

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

It was by far one of her more enthusiastic greetings, that Panda waddling along to the end of the fire escape before leaping into his outstretched arms with all the faith and trust in the world. It was basically the most enthusiastic greeting he'd had all week. Mi never greeted him like that. Not that he supposed he wanted her too. His housemate leaping into his arms would have been, well, strange at best. The woman often more content to glare at him when he stumbled out of his room after the sun went down before trying to force feed him whatever she'd cooked only to glare at him when he stumbled home and interrupted her early morning study sessions. As if she hadn't studied for five thousand hours already. She had to have read the whole goddamn textbook in that time he was sure. What else was there left to read?! Still, he supposed, it hardly mattered. Someone was happy to see him at least. His Little Bear always seeming happy to see him, actually. His hand fondly rubbing at that fur behind her ear, eliciting that purring sound from her that he was pretty sure meant she was happy as she pressed into his chest. Arlo not unwilling to admit he liked that body heat and maybe, sometimes, he consider trying to convince her to stay for the day and heat him while he fell asleep or....died- whatever way you wanted to look at it. There really was no way to ask a girl to do that. Panda or otherwise. The thought brushed from his mind as he prompted that question to her. That ready bark drawing a chuckle from his lips as she made her way up his chest, nuzzling against his cheek in a way he found pretty adorable really before wrapping herself about his neck the way she usually did.

"Guess that means your coming then, eh?"

His hand lifted to touch to her ear again before tucking into his own pockets to head down that street, making his way further away from those residential areas and out towards those nightclubs and bars that surely wouldn't open for a few hours yet. He paused a moment, fishing that address from his pocket, peering at that writing he'd scrawled earlier. Just what sort of place this was he hardly knew but who was he to turn down a few extra dollars more...honestly earned then his normal fashion? He paused on the kerb, glancing both ways before crossing over the street and heading down the pavement, the man moving effortlessly in and out of those few people still hurrying home from work. Their blood failing to hold any appeal to him, Arlo ignoring their mortal bodies almost entirely. The man content, instead, to fill his companion in on that week that had passed.

"I finally found that other vampire you know, the one I told you smelled really amazing? Turned out to be a pretty cool guy actually. Let me feed off him and everything, we went to this party and he even got me....er....cake. He got me this really good slice of cake."

Laid. Laid was what he had gotten and yet for some reason admitting that to the Panda seemed, well, in poor taste somehow. Arlo not entirely sure what stopped him from saying it and yet it just seemed impolite to say it to a lady somehow. Even a Panda. That way she had scowled at him that night in the park when he had talked about those other girls flickering briefly within his mind before he brushed it aside. The man effortlessly replacing 'laid' with 'cake' because cake seemed to tie in with party pretty well. His lips tugging into a grin all the same. Those baritone lyrics continuing but a moment later as they headed further down the street.

"You should see this guy though. I dunno if it was the accent or his fancy-ass clothing or what but he kept picking up girls. I mean- I saw a woman cross the street to throw herself at him. Man was a legend. I didn't tell him that of course, be he was, I might have even made a friend. Well, another friend that is, I have you- of course."

A passing woman afforded him a curious look, her eyes widening all the more at the sight of the Little Bear curled around his neck and the vampire in full conversation with it. Arlo long having come to ignore those curious looks before he crossed another street, pressing further into down town now before turning onto a street almost overflowing with bars and clubs and jazz halls. Shit. He was going to have to be careful here. This was exactly the sort of turf other vampires liked to lay claim too. He reached automatically for that oversized hood, pulling it up and over to conceal both himself and his pet before following the street down to that address, Arlo doing his best to conceal any sense of nervousness at being in an area he didn't know well. The man hardly willing to worry Little Bear. Content to act as if he was entirely comfortable with the situation. His well-worn sneakers came to rest outside that brand new looking bar, one hand pressed on the door, pushing it open before stepping inside. A low whistle slipping from his lips at that interior. It certainly was new. No one had ever had a bar fight, thrown up on it, spilled drinks on it or bled on it yet. The floor far to clean and far too....non-sticky. Give it time.

"Hello?"

He called softly, it seemed almost empty, a sudden sound from a room behind the stage set up for a live band drew his attention, a young blonde man in his early twenties stepping out a moment later to cross the floor towards him. Didn't think you were going to show! His held out his hand, Arlo moving to take it, shaking it easily. It had been months since he'd last seen Tim. Running into the guy at the train station last week having proven to be a stroke of luck and Deju Vu all at once, hearing that the man was working at a new bar and might have a bit of work for him only adding to that. The blonde suddenly seeming to notice the Panda curled about his neck. Bro, you've got some sort of like....fox on you. You know that's a health code violation right? The comment alone seeing Arlo scowl.

"It's not a fox, it's a Panda. My Panda, actually. Look, I'll keep her out of sight alright, she's cool, don't worry about her."

It was the first time he'd ever felt almost....territorial. The man in front of him not even another vampire and yet that flare caught Arlo off guard all the same. His species, he knew, was possessive by nature and yet for this was the first time he'd ever felt truly possessive over anyone....ever. That look upon his face readily seeing Tim back down all the same. Fine, whatever, can you not look at me like that? Just don't tell the big boss. Who the 'big boss' was remained to be seen, Arlo merely shrugging his shoulders before gesturing to that stage in the centre, eyeing those instruments.

"So what's this job you need doing? You need me to...play something?"

There almost...almost that hint of hope somewhere within his voice. Tim glancing from that stage and back to Arlo again. It was strange, really, the other man almost smelled nervous. That predatory part of Arlo aware of it even if he hardly reacted to it. Then again, opening night jitters were sure to get the hold of the best of them he supposed. Tim shaking his head. Not exactly, come this way. His blue gaze flicked briefly to Little Bear's own, moving to follow after Tim across that floor and into one of those back rooms behind this stage. This room quite frankly what Arlo was sure was a storage closet for instruments and amps and cords and speakers, one eye lifting it he regarded Tim again. We just need you to haul boxes basically. All this stuff needs packing away, moved on and off the stage between sets and stuff.

"You want me to be a roadie?"
You wanted money Arlo, this gets you money.
"How much are we talking, by the way, if I do decide to move all this stuff."
I'll go ask the big boss now. You want the job or not?
"Yeah, I guess."

He didn't want it. Not at all and yet he supposed he was already here. A sigh drawn from his lips as Tim left, Arlo watching him go, shutting that door behind him and leaving Arlo and his pet alone in the room, the man letting his toe tap against subwoofer. Shaking that hood softly from his head to let his Little Bear look around the room in turn.

"I dunno what's got him all jumpy. He doesn't usually smell nervous like that. Whatever. Well, where do you think we should start? At least we might get to hear some music."