William Holloway

I'm a devil in disguise

What a façade it was for William to hold his hands up in that gesture of innocence, and how he knew it. While it was true he had no intention of hurting the young woman in front of him, her safety was certainly not one he could guarantee. The madness raged inside the Hunter, rearing its ugly head in ways that William had never thought possible. He knew, just as he'd known for two hundred years, that allowing anyone into his life would put them in danger. He knew so well that it was better to be alone than to risk hurting anyone. And yet, despite that knowledge, despite that he had lived that way for nearly two centuries, something had changed upon his return to Sacrosanct. The Dark Hunter was no longer content to live in isolation, to be alone. Where he had previously met the inhabitants of the cities he traveled to with distance and paranoia, now he was trying to be... friendly? It was that need to connect with people that had William shrugging out of that woolen coat, the heavy black fabric handed over to the young woman. It was certainly not the first time recently that his very presence had inspired hesitation, and yet William was desperate to be anything but the monster he knew himself to be.

William stood patiently as she inspected the threading on his coat, fearful almost that if he moved too quickly he might spook her. There was some level of concern for the girl that existed within the Hunter. It was perhaps an anomaly for his kind to feel such concern for the girl - the fact that she was most certainly a Were had not escaped him - and yet Will had never seen the point in ending the lives of his fellow supernaturals. But one look at the girl told him all that he needed to know, even if she hadn't said it: this girl had nowhere to go, and from the looks of it, didn't have anything more than the clothing on her back. His voice was soft as he vocalized this desire to know where she was going, followed immediately with that insistence that he had a safe place to call home - and one that she was welcome to come call her own, too, if she wanted. It was an insane notion to bring home a stranger, and yet... The apartment that had been provided to him was beautiful and luxurious, it really was. But it often felt as lonely as his jail cell. Perhaps... just maybe... it didn't have to be. William's tone was soft as he continued, his words laced with boyish naivety that maybe he could a friend and not a foe for a change. Maybe he could make some kind of life for himself here. A life that didn't make him miserable. There was something about the girl that made him want to help her, to talk to her, to befriend her.

The girl in front of him hardly seemed phased until the mention of shopping slipped from his lips. William followed her gaze to her bare feet; the very idea of skin on the pavement caused a shiver to run down his spine. Even with the warmth of his coat, she had to be freezing. "A coat like that one, or a better one," William offered a shrug to her words. Truthfully, the Englishman didn't mind if she kept the coat that he'd handed over. When you'd been running for as long as he had, possessions held little value. It was his insistence that he wouldn't harm her - which were empty words, really, he had found he held little control over his actions, even if he didn't want to harm her at all - that prompted a reaction from the woman. Her words prompted a soft snort of laughter to leave the Englishman. Removing his arms would, he had to admit, remedy the problem he held. Though, admittedly, he had no desire to live his life that way either.

Even despite her interest in shopping, he was not prepared for Aislinn to accept his offer. The corner of William's mouth twitched up in a smile as he nodded. "I think some clothes and shoes, first. Then I'll show you where I live." Briefly, he considered offering her his arm as they walked as he would have done for his mother or his sister, but he quickly reconsidered given her initial reaction to him. Instead, he motioned towards the path. "This way," He prompted before he began walking, knowing well that the park was certainly not the best place to procure her a wardrobe, unless she could fashion things out of leaves and twigs. William was silent as he led her through the park and towards the small, local shops that he knew would better suit her. In fact, William did not speak again until he'd navigated them into a small boutique, the man opening the door to the shop for her with careful motions not to touch her. "I... err... I'm afraid I will not be much help in picking out suitable clothing. But I'll try to be as helpful as you need, Aislinn."