Arlo James

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

He had never met anyone who seemed so excited about the prospect of their blood tasting good before. Abigail seeming positively delighted at the news as Arlo starred at her in some measure of something almost akin to disbelief. Really, he supposed, it was a compliment even if it was a bit bizarre. Maybe she just liked compliments- of any kind. Arlo unable to stop that grin that found his features all the same. Her smile entirely infectious when it came to him. A part of him adoring that it was him that made her smile like that even if it had been about the taste of her blood. His words had been nothing but true all the same. Her blood did taste perfectly good. It wasn't the same as Sebastian's, Arlo mostly sure nothing in the world could compare to that and yet there was a sweetness to Abby's all the same, Arlo quite assured he would be perfectly comfortable feeding off it....even if that was......a weird thought.....to have about your friend. God was he supposed to think of his friends as food? A part of him abhorring the idea even while another part of him remained entirely content to place them in categories by flavour.

That sudden declaration that she required a band-aid so thankfully drew his thoughts away from how his companions tasted, the woman proceeding to display her bitten finger to him only for both his blue eyes to lift upward. That chuckle rising within his throat then as he moved to reach for her hand once more. Arlo gingerly turning it around to face her if only to prove that she hardly needed a bandage. Not when her healing so combined with those coagulants in his saliva that seemed to cease that blood flow just as readily as it stimulated it when he was hungry. Really he should pay more attention to all the things he could do, or at least, all the things his saliva and venom seemed capable of doing. He'd have to ask Sebastian more about that. Maybe even Damon. Not that he was entirely looking forward to seeing Damon again after the last time. The other man was kinda a harsh teacher. His efforts to help Arlo with that control having resulted in him being damn well electrocuted. No part of that had been enjoyable at all. The man scowling at even the thought. Maybe he'd ask Sebastian first. His attention returned to Abby in full as she seemed to inspect her own hand, as if checking he was right, before returning it to her side. Maybe he'd have to get some coloured band-aids anyway. Just for the hell of it. Maybe next time he could take a little more, maybe he could try biting her wrist to see if.......that scowl found his features again. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking about biting her again. God what was wrong with him!? Maybe it was just getting late, or early really. Arlo making that suggestion to walk her home even if he was almost didn't really want to let her go. Still, the idea of her walking alone was significantly worse. That bizarre sort of protectiveness flaring within him once more.

Her sudden assurance that she did have class in the morning and probably should be going saw the man nod before the very idea that he might not have time to walk her home and she could do it alone because she'd done it a million times before saw him scowl all over again. He was being ridiculous, he knew it. Ridiculous and weirdly over-protective in a way he never had been before. Not about anyone. Not even himself and yet the thought of anything happening to her, no matter how small, suddenly seemed as if it was the very center of his universe. Maybe he was being little over-dramatic and yet was he? God, he'd made fun of those other vampires before. The one's with mates or partners or someone they were obsessive over. He'd laughed at how ridiculous they became and yet he hardly found himself laughing now. That near legendary vampiric possessiveness hitting him more powerfully then he'd ever anticipated. His lips parted, Arlo entirely ready to assure he had more then enough time to walk her home before that offer to stay with her readily seemed to steal those words all over again. Stay with her? In....her house? All day?

He could hear that beat to her heart as it quickened. The girl suddenly seeming nervous all over again. Abby glancing down at her feet as that nervousness seemed to tug at Arlo all the same. The man lifting one hand to rub at the back of his neck almost absentmindedly and for something to do with his hands. She was inviting him over. To stay the whole night- or day really- what did that mean? Did that mean something? Best friends stayed over all the time didn't they? Was that what this was? God he wasn't ready for this, he wasn't prepared, he'd planned to stress over it for at least a few days until Thursday when he'd been planning to stay at her place for a little after that shopping trip. He had to say something though. He'd been staring at her for like....five seconds without saying anything. He had to say something or this was going to feel awkward. He'd make her feel awkward and that was the last thing he wanted to do. God he was bad at this. Say something. Anything. Words are good. Any words.

"Sure."

That suddenness of it surprised even him. Arlo blinking momentarily as if attempting to work out where the words had come from before hurriedly finding that smile again as he regarded her. The man hardly making an effort to hide those pointed fangs as he usually did. He'd already kinda bitten her after all, they were surely beyond his pretending he didn't have them.

"I mean, I could stay, if you're cool with it and everything? As long as you have blinds and no one's going to throw sun on me during the day I could crash there."

There was an easy lightness to the words all the same, as if he was just crashing at a mate's place the way he'd done a million times before. After all, that's what he was doing right? One hand ran through that near-black hair again, Arlo shifting to lift himself from the couch, his wallet and keys snatched from the table and tucked into his pocket beside his phone before gesturing for Abby to lead the way. After all, he didn't exactly know where she lived. His blue gaze turned to eye the clock on the wall briefly, the man assured they still had at least a little time before that sun rose. At least, enough so they weren't going to have to run to her place. Arlo shutting the door to his own apartment behind him before following her out and onto that dark, quiet street. At least she was going to get home safe with him here, his form shifting just a little closer to her own as his hands tucked into his pockets. At least he couldn't feel the cold anymore, not really anyway. Everything always felt a little cold to him now. Their feet echoing on that pavement. The city was nicer at this time, far quieter. Arlo glancing briefly towards the woman beside him, that simper finding his lips all the same at her simple presence beside him. She looked good there.

"I'll have to introduce you to the Chocolate Man sometime, I reckon you'd like him. Although I kinda think all women like him......"

His feet scuffed at that pavement with the consideration. Maybe he'd have to make sure Seb kept his powers to himself. Just in case.

"I met another vampire the other night too, she was kinda cool, Petra was her name. I was feeding off her because she lost a bet to me. She got high and started telling me her whole life story, even told me how she got turned and I mean, we vampires really never tell that story, not to anyone. I don't think you'd have liked her much though. I think she was actually trying to kill me for a bit."

It was like an unspoken rule of sorts. The story of how someone became a vampire somehow....off limits. Not that Arlo found he disagreed with that rule of sorts. Even he never spoke of his own. The memory alone forced from his mind before he could consider it. His features instead shifting to something almost perplexed at the consideration that maybe Petra really had been trying to murder him- at least for a little bit. Huh. That grin was flashed towards Abby once more all the same as they rounded that corner, his stride shortened to easily match her own as they walked. That idea of just where he was going to sleep tonight only just having occurred to him. Did she have a guest room or a couch or something? Had she....meant her own bed?

"So this place of yours, is it like....a big house?"

So maybe he was trying to find out how big her place was, or at least, how many bedrooms it had, could he really be blamed? Somehow just where he was sleeping had become suddenly important.