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Dead of Night

Character 1 is a centuries old vampire. Not the sparkly kind, not the ancient type that lurks in old tombs. No, vampires are modern and can walk around during daylight. They still feel pain from the sun but it doesn’t turn them to ashes, that’s a very dramatic myth. They don’t like garlic, but it won’t repel them like holy water, and so on.

Mallory Tristan is a regular human, mortal. Mallory has no idea vampires exist, thinking they’re just mythical creatures who can turn into bats during stories or movies.

They first met around 9pm at a little coffee shop when Tristan needed to pull an all-nighter and it was the closest place he could get caffeine. Something about this guy interested Character 1 and he began his regular hunting routine when he quickly realized Mallory wasn’t going to be easy prey.

Character 1 would have to befriend Mallory if he was ever going to get a sip of blood from this guy, and it was infuriating because as time went on Mallory gained more pull from Character 1 and it was oh so hard not to just… take a quick bite.

“You only wanna come and see me when it's dark”

Mallory sat quietly at his desk. His phone screen flickered on for a moment to let him know he had a notification, but it wasn’t important. It never was at this ungodly hour of the night. He had his arms on the desk, his right hand running through his hair as he stared at the papers in front of him. The words were getting incoherent the longer he stared at them.

He couldn’t keep going like this. He grabbed his phone and tapped in his password quickly.. A little too quickly, it took him four tries before it actually unlocked. He clicked on Google and looked for the nearest coffee shop. Not even that, just anywhere he could get caffeine. “Moonlight Mornings” sounded like a good place, and it had good ratings so he chose that establishment.

With the directions memorized, Tristan grabbed his keys on the way out the door. He had about fifteen minutes of walking to get there but the wind felt nice and cool against his skin as he went. It smelled like fresh rain, some puddles scattered here and there. The cafe looked welcoming with its dark cottagecore thing going on. He couldn’t tell if the building itself had an eerie vibe or he was just freaking himself out for no reason but without a second thought he was already entering.

It was bigger than he expected on the inside, and cozy enough to momentarily distract him from his earlier hesitation. There wasn’t really anyone there, as you’d expect. Though, there was this one guy sitting at one of the further tables. He walked up to the counter, where there was already a barista waiting.

“Hey there. I’d like a caffè mocha, please.” Mallory ordered politely. He took a quick glance at the display counter, spotting his favourite type of donut just sitting there.. Uneaten. What a crime. He broke down and added it to his order with a quick, “And a boston cream donut, too.”

The barista took his money and he moved to wait. He shifted position to face the other person subtly, wanting to watch him without them noticing while he pretended to look at the design of the place. People watching was a good enough pastime, maybe this guy was doing something interesting.. Whatever that could be in a cafe.

"Friendly guy.." Mallory breathed, barely aware he even spoke out loud. Luckily, the stranger was out of earshot for a human so he shouldn't be able to hear what Tristan had said.

He turned back to the counter, watching the barista make his drink quietly. That one wasn't going to be fun, and the glare gave off the energy Mallory would find himself in a fight with a stranger if he kept looking. And by God would that be an absurd situation to get into while sleep deprived.

Mallory thanked the worker as he took his drink and little paper bag containing his sweet treat. He headed towards the door, making a soft pleased sound when he took a sip of his caffè mocha. It tasted a little more on the chocolate side than coffee, which was something he enjoyed. He wouldn’t have minded either way but mentally it made him mark Moonlight Mornings as a potential new favourite spot.

He got outside and the weather decided to fuck him over. It started to rain, which was all well and good when it started as a drizzle and it wasn’t a huge deal. But, it became a little more annoying when he realized it wasn’t going to stay light. He was going to get soaked by the time he arrived home again.

“God dammit..” Tristan muttered. He had a choice, either run home and hope for the best or turn back and stay in the cafe like a wet dog. Wet dog it was. He turned around, walking begrudgingly back into the building. He slid into one of the nearest chairs to the door, watching the rain pick up and effectively trap him if he wanted to stay relatively dry still.

Mallory sat quietly on his chair, his mood a little more soured because of the rain. Although, he did enjoy the rain so it wasn't all bad. He just hated the wetness of it after it already attacked him. At least he had managed to avoid the worst of it.

He took a bite of his boston cream donut, keeping it partially in the to-go bag he was given so it wouldn't touch his hands. Something about actually holding it was weird to him. He was there for the taste, not the feel of the food.

Mallory looked up as he saw the stranger approaching him, nodding along as he chewed to the first sentence spoken. He was taken off guard by how straight forward this new guy was, a slight blush painting his cheeks as he realized he had been caught while trying to be subtle about it.

"Mallory." He introduced himself, keeping it short while he finished what he had in his mouth as quickly as possible now that he had to talk. "I, uh... I didn't mean to stare."

"Yeah.. It's a new place for me. Took a shot in the dark to try it because I needed a quick coffee." Mallory nodded, listening to Jayden talk. The drink was starting to work, the caffeine keeping him awake. He'd probably have to get more whenever it wore off.

"It's a nice place. The drinks are great so far, although I only have my caffè mocha. Only tried one drink but honestly, even if I just had to sit here and relax it's nice for that as well." He murmured. Mallory glanced outside, checking how hard the rain is. It seems to still be going strong, leaving no way out for him. Which shouldn't be surprising because it hadn't been very long since his last check in.