William Holloway

I'm a devil in disguise

If there was anything that William was beginning to understand about the city of Sacrosanct, it was that no one seemed to watch where they were going. People always seemed to be glancing down at their phones or lost in their own worlds, hardly focused on the path ahead of them. His own sound of surprise echoed the rather feminine one of the body that he'd collided with, though at least it seemed he had fared better than the girl that had collided into him. He, at least, was on his feet, where she had landed on the ground. Those light colored eyes seemed confused back up on him, the girl seeming equally as stunned to be in her position as William was to see her in it. How... ungentlemanly of him to not catch her, even though he was sure their collision had been no fault of his own! Still, those social practices so engrained into his very core had him reaching out to help her up, the apology ready on his lips before it was so abruptly... interrupted. The apology fell from his lips, his brow furrowing in confusion as he let his hand fall limply at his side. What?

William watched, not stepping any closer to her, as she scrambled to her feet, and only then did he note her... unusual appearance. The lacy dress she wore was stained with actual age, not like those dresses girls wore now that were created to look old, and entirely inappropriate for the frigid temperatures that the Winter months carried. Her feet were bare, too, which certainly didn't help things. The young girl was obviously cold, the poor thing shivering down to her very core. William held his hands up, that gesture of innocence one he hoped would gain some trust between himself and the girl who looked as though she could murder him with that sharp gaze of hers. His promise to not touch her hardly seemed to gain him any favors, and yet she didn't immediately run from him either, did she? Slowly, as if he were afraid he might spook her, he shrugged his arms out of his woolen peacoat, holding it out to her in a way that made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of touching her without her permission.

With the way that she stared at the heavy fabric, William fully expected her to turn her nose up to his clothing, and yet the Dark Hunter made no effort to remove his offering. "It's okay," He urged, pleased to see her slowly reach out and take the fabric into her own hands. The chill bit into William's own skin as he stood, tucking his hands into his pockets as he watched her. At least some of his own body heat should keep her warm, and she certainly needed it more than he did. At least he had shoes! William remained silent as she pulled the jacket upon herself, inspecting the fabric as though it was entirely foreign to her. A small, wry smile curved upon William's lips as she drew the fabric further around herself. With her fair hair and blue eyes, the jacket seemed impossibly dark against her pale skin. She was a pretty thing, and it seemed as if she radiated light from her very essence. She certainly didn't seem like any Were he'd ever met, and yet his instincts were certain that was exactly what she was.

Her tone seemed entirely skeptical of him as she spoke, and it was that alone that kept William from commenting that not knowing where you were was the very definition of lost. At least the Englishman had enough sense to not be sarcastic with the young woman who looked at him as if he were a demon from Hell itself. "I'm not from here either," William said slowly, that English lilt certainly giving away his true origins. "But I live here now. And I do have a safe place, with heat and blankets that would keep you warm." For a moment, William hesitated, considering that it might not be a good idea to take home a stranger. But she was clearly alone, and cold, and had just admitted that she had nowhere else to go. What was he to do, leave her in the cold? "You can come with me, if you want. We can get you some shoes and your own coat - or you could keep that one if you like. And then you can stay with me until you do have somewhere safe to go to, since you don't have one... yet." The Englishman ended his sentence with that same word she'd used, that smile once again spreading across his features as he watched, awaiting some sign of acceptance from the blonde. "I'm William, but my friends call me Will. I promise, I won't... I won't hurt you."