He was one of those few men that looked better with long hair instead
of short. To go with his wavy moonshine-colored strands, was a well
toned figure with delicate looking limbs. On this particular evening, he
awoke from his sleep, still groggy. The sun had set two hours earlier,
and night now had a firm hold on the world. The man’s name was Cassius
Dormante, and he was one of the few that are held captive by the night
for as long as they live. At least, that was so in the past. Due to the
evolution and progression of mankind, along with much advancement in
almost every field of science, vampires now had an amazing tolerance for
sunlight. According to the evolutionary experts, vampires had to evolve
along with humans in order to survive. All I know is they had acquired
many new abilities, most of which we humans know nothing about. This, of
course, is due to the fact that vampires keep themselves hidden among
us.
Cassius, unlike most vampires of his lifetime, still preferred the night to day. He lived in the basement of an old apartment building, well kept for its age, and worked as a host all through the night. On his way to work he would catch a bite to eat, almost always a homeless person, but every so often he would stumble upon a gourmet meal that had either passed out due to intoxication or a mugging. He preferred the mugged people to the drunk ones because they didn’t have a weird aftertaste to them.
This evening of his started out like any other. On his way to work, he found a hobo to satisfy his stomach. When he reached the host club at which he worked, he quickly dressed in a sharp yet casual way which fit his host persona. Now, most people would be attracted to a vampire’s unearthly beauty, thus making them excellent entertainers, but he didn’t wish for unwanted attention. Hence, over the years he had learned to control the part in vampires that deeply attracts humans. This attraction pheromone (there is no technical name for it, so that’s what I call it) they exude kind of works like the Deep Sea Angler Fish’s lighted lure, or a bug zapper’s glow. His popularity as a host was always within the top twenty-five percent of the club; his ego would stand for nothing less. Being just as competitive as any other vampire, however, required he hold the top spot every now and then, but not with such consistence as to draw unwanted attention.
This particular evening he happened to have an unwelcome guest. She had the look of wealth; her jewelry and designer clothing she wore with casual ease, but he immediately felt irritated from her presence. She was a relative with whom he could never get along because of her annoying personality.
“Good evening, Cassius.” She sat down next to him with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“… Good evening.”
Lighting a cigarette, she took a long drag, “How have you been? You seem to be doing well enough financially.” She gestured elegantly around the club with the hand that held the cigarette.
Cassius kept his face masked, “… What brings you here?”
“Can’t a family member visit without a reason?” she pouted, with her customary childlike innocence.
“Yes, but you never do, Pricilla. So, spit it out so I can get back to work.”
Pricilla switched back to her icy features, “Everyone is complaining because you’ve skipped our family reunion ten years in a row. They are demanding that you come to this one.”
“You… came here to tell me that?”
“I drew the short straw. So, I am now charged with bringing you even if I have to use brute force.” She drew on the cigarette looking slightly annoyed. “Honestly, why anyone cares about you at all is truly unbelievably mystifying to me. Especially since you don’t even try to attend our reunions, or visit anyone in the family unless you have to.” She rubbed out her cigarette in the ash tray. “I’ll be picking you up bright and early tomorrow morning. Don’t run away.” She gave herself a quick look over in her compact, before leaving with an arrogant sway.
Cassius was edgy for the rest of the evening. He couldn’t help but let some irritation show, which made him abrupt and unusually harsh. His pheromone control had slipped; he was enticing the women around him effortlessly. Work, which had long ago lost its luster, seemed to end too soon. The thought that tomorrow he would have to see Pricilla again was like back when sunlight was intolerable and dawn was only moments away. He finally reached home, seeing the sunrise for the first time in a long while, and went straight to bed, hoping that when he woke up it would all be a bad dream.
Unfortunately, that was not to be so…
Cassius, unlike most vampires of his lifetime, still preferred the night to day. He lived in the basement of an old apartment building, well kept for its age, and worked as a host all through the night. On his way to work he would catch a bite to eat, almost always a homeless person, but every so often he would stumble upon a gourmet meal that had either passed out due to intoxication or a mugging. He preferred the mugged people to the drunk ones because they didn’t have a weird aftertaste to them.
This evening of his started out like any other. On his way to work, he found a hobo to satisfy his stomach. When he reached the host club at which he worked, he quickly dressed in a sharp yet casual way which fit his host persona. Now, most people would be attracted to a vampire’s unearthly beauty, thus making them excellent entertainers, but he didn’t wish for unwanted attention. Hence, over the years he had learned to control the part in vampires that deeply attracts humans. This attraction pheromone (there is no technical name for it, so that’s what I call it) they exude kind of works like the Deep Sea Angler Fish’s lighted lure, or a bug zapper’s glow. His popularity as a host was always within the top twenty-five percent of the club; his ego would stand for nothing less. Being just as competitive as any other vampire, however, required he hold the top spot every now and then, but not with such consistence as to draw unwanted attention.
This particular evening he happened to have an unwelcome guest. She had the look of wealth; her jewelry and designer clothing she wore with casual ease, but he immediately felt irritated from her presence. She was a relative with whom he could never get along because of her annoying personality.
“Good evening, Cassius.” She sat down next to him with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“… Good evening.”
Lighting a cigarette, she took a long drag, “How have you been? You seem to be doing well enough financially.” She gestured elegantly around the club with the hand that held the cigarette.
Cassius kept his face masked, “… What brings you here?”
“Can’t a family member visit without a reason?” she pouted, with her customary childlike innocence.
“Yes, but you never do, Pricilla. So, spit it out so I can get back to work.”
Pricilla switched back to her icy features, “Everyone is complaining because you’ve skipped our family reunion ten years in a row. They are demanding that you come to this one.”
“You… came here to tell me that?”
“I drew the short straw. So, I am now charged with bringing you even if I have to use brute force.” She drew on the cigarette looking slightly annoyed. “Honestly, why anyone cares about you at all is truly unbelievably mystifying to me. Especially since you don’t even try to attend our reunions, or visit anyone in the family unless you have to.” She rubbed out her cigarette in the ash tray. “I’ll be picking you up bright and early tomorrow morning. Don’t run away.” She gave herself a quick look over in her compact, before leaving with an arrogant sway.
Cassius was edgy for the rest of the evening. He couldn’t help but let some irritation show, which made him abrupt and unusually harsh. His pheromone control had slipped; he was enticing the women around him effortlessly. Work, which had long ago lost its luster, seemed to end too soon. The thought that tomorrow he would have to see Pricilla again was like back when sunlight was intolerable and dawn was only moments away. He finally reached home, seeing the sunrise for the first time in a long while, and went straight to bed, hoping that when he woke up it would all be a bad dream.
Unfortunately, that was not to be so…
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