Arlo James

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

He probably didn't need to be so worried about her touching that cactus, after all, the chance of him desiring her blood was, well, more limited than it would be if she was a vampire and yet he could hardly deny that he liked the smell of her. Something about her more appealing than most and yet really he supposed he had already put that down to the simple fact that he liked her. That natural attraction to her making her blood all the more appealing he was sure. Arlo hardly desiring to test himself out with her actually blood spilling from a wound just in case. At least not yet. The man mostly sure he could manage and yet the idea of bringing his Little Bear any harm, whether in human or Panda form was more than he could take. Arlo watching the woman almost nervously then as she toyed with that spiked plant that the vampire had suddenly come to decide was a true and genuine safety hazard. Actually, now that he thought about it, his entire apartment was a safety hazard to her. What if she tripped on a chair? Fell over a box? Hurt herself in the bathroom? What if the tv just...fell on her.....somehow. God. Had the world always been this dangerous?! Was anyone looking into this? What if Sebastian was right and she got abducted or hit by a car or heaven knows what else on her way here?! What if she cut her leg and it got infected and that weird...thing where blood went bad got into her and she died? Let alone a myriad of other diseases she could catch. Arlo's gaze widening slightly as a world of realizations seemed to occur to him. The man near oblivious to how quickly his thoughts had begun to spin within his mind, Arlo having forgotten to breathe entirely in that moment as his gaze remained fixated upon that young woman. The vampire far more relieved than he cared to admit when she wandered away from that plant even despite her 'promises' not to injure herself.

That mention of the new guitar it seemed was enough to draw the woman's attention back away from dangerously spiked plants and other household death traps, the girl inching closer still as he set about attempting to unwrap it from the case. Arlo hardly knowing what he expected in any sense as he pushed that cover aside. The instrument he found nestled within utterly unlike anything he'd ever seen before, his eyes widening once more as both lifted upward in clear surprise, his fingers running over that clear looking surface. Holy shit it was nice. The man utterly unable to prevent that grin that found his feature, that excitement almost palpable as he examined it from near every angle. His fingers at last running over the image of that red panda painted on the surface. Well- that was pretty cute. He could hardly deny that. He'd never seen a guitar with something as, well, quirky as that on it and yet he was fairly sure it only made it all the better. The man promptly declaring his discovery off it- Abigail near beaming in response before that assurance that he loved it saw her hands clap beneath her chin in a gesture so entirely girlish and sweet Arlo could hardly help that grin tugging at his own features once more. Damn she was cute.

That guitar was passed carefully to her then a moment later, Arlo rising from that couch to disappear briefly into his bedroom and return with those amps and cords he needed to have that guitar working just the way it should. He hardly had any off his old guitars anymore and yet he'd managed to hang on to those few extras bits of musical ensemble that went with it. Even if only because amps and speakers could double as chairs if need be. Arlo capable of that practicality when he chose even if it was slightly unconventional. It hardly took any time at all to have that instrument set up just the way he wanted, the vampire returning to the couch then before gesturing to that space beside him for the young woman to make herself comfortable. He'd had a hundred girls sit beside him to play a hundred times before and yet this, somehow, seemed more.....important, even if he wasn't entirely sure why. That request to cover her ears- at least until she got used to the sound- was readily met. Arlo remembering how much she'd seemed to dislike the music from the bar that night. Not that he blamed her for that. That really had been bad and yet he made some effort to protect her hearing all the same as his fingers found those wires- that single, first note a veritable explosion of sound that echoed through the apartment itself and very near threatened to shake those cheap walls.

It had been so, so long and yet how easily that muscle memory returned, the man shifting to play the first song that came to his mind and yet that myriad of music seemed to press at the forefront of his thoughts with increasing ferocity. Arlo shifting almost effortlessly from one song to the next in a medley of music. The vampire's fingers moving across those strings with a near lightning speed and simple assurance. He'd been good as a human, exceptional even, yet those vampiric reflexes added something even more. He could hear that music more sharply, more finely. His reflexes were faster, his fingers moving in a way a humans simply could not to exact those notes. Arlo, perhaps, better than he had ever been even if the man hardly realised it just yet. Nor did the neighbours seem to appreciate it entirely. That banging on the wall followed by what was essentially a forcefully suggested request to 'shut the fucking hell up' readily delivered from next door. Arlo entirely content to hit that wall right back before letting that guitar wail over whatever cussing had surely followed. Blocking the sound from Abby's ears. Well- cussing was hardly acceptable for a woman to have to hear was it? Maybe he shouldn't have annoyed the man- what if he came over here? Arlo letting that music die down then to afford that apartment building its silence once more.

That grin still very much plastered on his features, the vampire barely able to contain himself in the wake of that simple delight that came from having that instrument again. Arlo moving almost entirely without thinking to reach out and embrace that young woman, sweeping her up into that exuberant and affectionate hug- his lips pressing softly to her cheek in that sweet, gentle kiss of affection quite before he even seemed to realise quite what he'd done. That realization settling upon him a moment later. The man mostly sure he would have gone red entirely if he could have. The sudden sound of that soft, bubbling laughter having a way of settling the sudden nerves he seemed to find within himself over that impromptu gesture. Abby seeming almost....delighted by it. Maybe it was.....ok to hug your best friend? Well, if she didn't seem upset he really had no reason to stop did he? That almost lopsided grin tugging at his lips at that exclamation of his name, her arms sliding to rest behind his neck as his own fell to her waist in a gesture that simply felt, well, natural really. Even if he was sure he'd never been more aware of anyone's hands in his life. That assurance he could play at her house saw that surprise touch his features again.

"Really? It wouldn't bother you having me being...well.....loud at your place? Wait, where is your place?"

He was mostly sure he'd never been there, his Little Bear had always come to visit him, not the other way around. Although he supposed really, until this point, he'd assumed she belonged to someone and lived with them or lived in a tree or something. Really he'd probably never thought about it very much at all. Arlo's own features shifting into something almost quizzical then.

"Do you live with anyone? Like a room-mate or something? Maybe it would be better if I played it at your place actually, I doubt Mi would like hearing my music very much. She doesn't like very much at all to be fair. I tried explaining the vampire thing to her recently and she....didn't really take it that well."

That almost sheepish look found his lips then at that admittance, that a night that was maybe better forgotten entirely. After all, it had involved him stabbing himself to prove a point and really that hadn't exactly been his brightest idea. Maybe he was better off not admitting that one to Abby just yet. Let alone Mi's meltdown over the impossibilities of his existence, her belief he was gay right along with her diagnosis that he was out of his mind. Arlo's features frowning slightly once more, his hands still resting gently on her waist, that simple warmth off her body entirely appealing to him. He...liked that closeness, simple though it was.

"Hey, Ab's?"

His blue gaze lifted easily to her own then, his voice, for once seeming to hold those notes of insecurity somewhere nestled within them.

"It doesn't bother you right? The vampire thing? I mean....that doesn't freak you out at all does it? You're not......I dunno......afraid of me right?"