Arlo James

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

There was something almost....shifty about those animals. They seemed almost skittish like deer and yet far more powerful. That giant of a horse Alexander rode near made the ground shake beneath his feet, Arlo hardly willing to get any closer then necessary to a creature so much larger then himself- vampire or not he had no desire to get bitten or trampled. Frankly he was surprised Sebastian seemed so calm about it all. He could hardly say he would have been the same if Abby had insisted on riding one of those very creatures. It was only after Alexander announced they were heading off that Arlo chose to step out from behind his vampiric companion to watch those horses disappear over the hill and down into that forest, his features frowning slightly at those words Sebastian had offered his retreating companion.

"What does Ma Bichette mean?"

Was that another language? It sounded like it. Maybe it was some sort of horse riding term. Arlo shifted easily closer to that fence in turn, one foot stepping on that lower railing only for the younger vampire to easily swing himself upward to sit on the top railing of that fence while Seb lent against it and his own legs hung down. At least his socks were out of the grass now. His blue gaze turned readily back to the other vampire then as Sebastian made some effort to assure him Dorian had been riding for, well, basically forever as far as Arlo was concerned. The Fae Monarch's age practically ancient and yet he offered his companion that near dubious look all the same. Was trutsing his husband to an animal that only sometimes came back a truly good idea? Still, he supposed, that was Seb's choice and not his own. Arlo following Sebastian's gaze to that remaining horse in the paddock over, that animal looking longingly down the trail the other horses had disappeared down. Sebastian very near inclined to do the same thing. That lopsided, toothy grin worked its way onto Arlo's features before his hand simply reached out to shove the other vampires shoulder.

"Your not any fucking better, bud."

The words were nothing short of teasing, that chuckle rising within Arlo's throat all the same as he settled on that fence once more. The man waiting until Sebastian's attention had at least mostly returned to him before he offered that information about the papers he'd managed to find, his head nodding in assurance to Seb's question before he asked after that honeymoon. That's what friends did right? Asked about each others vacations? Really he supposed he could have read about Seb's. Every magazine under the damn sun had reported on it or supposedly interviewed the pair about it. Still, he might as well get it straight from the source, Abby would no doubt want him to tell her all about it when he saw her tomorrow. Women, it seemed, had a great fascination in knowing what other couples did on holidays although why Arlo was sure he might never know. He had heard about those polar nights, at least, Patrick had spoken about them once. A night that practically didn't end. God he'd love to see that one day. His very thoughts on that interrupted by Sebastian's insistence they had hung out on the beaches, that near curious look finding his features again.

"You went to the beach at night?"

The beach, after all, was one of those few places Arlo had hardly bothered returning to after his own 'death' so to speak. After all, the beach was for swimming and sun-baking. Really the beach was all about the damn sun, that particular element as closed off to himself as he believed it was for Sebastian in turn. The Crusnik near baffled by why on earth Sebastian and Dorian would want to hang around the beach after dark. How many moonlight walks could you take? Still, he supposed, maybe they enjoyed it. Arlo's head shaking slightly before that mention of another dog saw the surprise return to his features.

"Is he around? You'll have to show him to me before I go. I haven't seen Max for a bit either."

He had been there, after all, the night Sebastian had made that impromptu decision to buy that puppy from their victim on the street- largely thanks to the sheer amount of his own venom coursing through the man's system. Still, he was mostly sure Seb didn' regret it. That pup would be ten times better off here then it ever would have been with that other guy anyway. Hell, Arlo was mostly sure he'd have let Seb adopt him if he'd wanted. He was mostly sure he could get used to living in a place where servants brought you everything you wanted. Maybe he'd enjoyed that palace to much. Still, that very mention of Abby had a way of coaxing that grin to his lips. God, he was just about as hopeless as Seb was when it came to his Little Bear. The sheer mention of her name enough to prompt that grin, even as Sebastian addressed that new painting hanging in the hallway, the other vampire insisting it was 'abstract' art and not at all supposed to be anything.

"Well it's bloody abstract alright, bud. Very...er.....arty."

His utter lack of knowledge on art in any sense was surely abundantly clear as he made some effort to compliment that piece the pair had chosen. Arlo himself mostly sure that describing art as arty was not the best of compliments and yet he was damn well trying, wasn't he? Maybe it would be better if they moved away from the painting before Seb could ask him what he thought about any other pictures the pair had. Arlo instead seizing on that query about Abby,one hand lifting to push some of his own dark hair from his eyes as he did.

"Ab's is good though. We had a great time at that palace of yours and I'm getting more jobs offers then I know what to do with. Money isn't a problem for the first time in my goddamn life and it's pretty great. She came with me to my parents place to get the papers though and that....didn't go so great. Ab's and I are fine, I just mean my parents were, well, my sister was.....they don't really want anything to do with me anymore and they made it pretty clear, I guess. You know what the stupid thing is, bud? Abby was upset for me. I haven't had anyone be upset for me for, god, years and I was more mad that they had upset her then about anything they said to me. Still, we stayed at a hotel for a few days and that was pretty nice."

He was good at it. At that. At pretending things hardly bothered him as much as they did. Arlo attempting that smile that hardly reached his eyes, as if brushing that entire incident aside was by far the best way to deal with it when clearly that wound still smarted. Still, this was one of the very things he'd wanted to ask Seb about and now seemed as good a time as any. With his own maker long since dead Sebastian was the next best thing. The Prince had lived long enough to know those things Arlo didn't and, more then that, Seb was, well, a good guy. His first real friend in a damn long time.

"That's one of the things I wanted to ask ya about anyway. Me and Abby. The more time I spend with her, the more stuff we do together and the closer we get its like....christ, I don't even know how to say this."

He paused once more, how the hell did he describe this without sounding like some sort of bloody predator? Which, really, he supposed he was and yet that was beside the point. Arlo glancing down at the grass for several moments before letting his blue gaze find Seb's own as the other vampire lent beside him.

"It's like I'm.....obsessed with her and I know, I know how that sounds, I promise I don't want to hurt her or anything. It's completely the opposite. I'm obsessed about her being safe. All the time. More than that I'm weirdly.....territorial over her. Someone only has to look at her the wrong way and it makes me....lets go with cranky. I haven't even slept with her yet and god knows how much worse i'll be after that. Seriously, is this a vampire thing? I swear I was never like this with girls when I was human. Either that or I really need to see like a doctor or something because this isn't a normal reaction I'm pretty sure. Don't go telling her I told you this either, I don't want to freak her out. It's just- I'm freaking myself out a little. My roommate hit Abby with a broom one time and I actually hissed at her like a fucking demon cat. It scared me more, I think, because for a whole second there I thought about ripping my roomates head off her shoulders and that....ain't me. At least not normally- but I thought about killing her..."

Those final words were quieter than the first, that admittance one Arlo had made to no one else and one he was almost damn well ashamed off and yet if he couldn't tell another vampire then who could he tell? Hell, maybe Seb would say this wasn't a vampire thing at all and he really needed to find himself a psychologist. Arlo's gaze lifted back to the other vampire then, the Crusnik almost wary of that reaction he might get even if he was mostly sure he trusted Seb to keep that secret.