The New Town Drunk

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle felt bad the whole way home. She truly didn't want to leave Nate there. She knew he would be greatly saddened by that, but she didn't know what she would be able to forgive herself if she yelled at Nate again out of anger. She already knew that either choice her her head was pretty immature, but it was too late to take it back now.

She was walking down the street when she saw a man, walking down the road as well. He looked like he was under the influence of something...but she couldn't tell what. She was just about to walk into the house when she noticed that he wasn't walking the straightest and the last thing she wanted was for him to fall, so she rushed over to him and put both her hands on either side of his arms and smiled up at him.

"Excuse me..but, are you ok? You seem rather off balance and I wouldn't want you to fall..." She stated.

[Bladen Thorne]

Bladen staggered down the sidwalk, knowing that he had too much to drink. No matter. It would pass.

He started wobbling. Oh yes, he should have left that last bottle of booze alone. He didn't think that he would fall, but he was seriously considering sitting down...or at least finding a body of water to fall into.

Suddenly he felt two hands trying to steady him. She smelled of sorceress, but something seemed rather... tasty about her. Blood sometimes prevented hangovers (or so he thought), perhaps this girl could be his next meal.

"Oh, I'm fine," the slightest trace of his cockney accent showed, "I've just 'ad a bit too much to drink 'at's all," he grinned at her, it was one of his lesser creepy grins, one that Thomas would say was like his grin when he was sane, "But why would a nice gal like you try to help me, eh?"

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle noticed that he seemed rather...nice, if someone could put it that way. What really pushed it for her was his grin at her. She smiled back as he just stated that he had too much to drink and asked her why she tried to help him.

"Well, if you would like, my house isn't to far from here..you can stay there until it passes, and I could get you water or something..and as to why I'm helping you? Well...you seem nice enough, and it just felt right..you know?" She continued to smile.

"Oh..and I love your accent...can't put my finger on where it is from though." She giggled and put her shoulder out for him.

"If you like, use me as a brace."

[Bladen Thorne]

There was something about this girl that made Blade sort of like her. Yes, he would not be making her scared out of her mind when he drains her of her blood. Nope nope. She'd go happy. But he wouldn't manipulate her emotions yet.

"That would be nice," he said in reply to going into her home. That would be perfect. No witnesses, "Although I'm not sure if I want wa'ah, or any drink fo' that ma'ah."

"Gawdon Bennet! My accent? Oh right! This shows up when I drink a little much. Picked up in da East Side ov London I did," he slipped into using strange expressions, "I think it's what yew folk would call "cockney."

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle started to walk towards her house as she listened to him talk.

"No, I insist...that way, at least if you fall and hit anything..it will be soft..plus, water will get rid of a potental hangover..I learned that watching the doctors at the hospital." She giggled. She then listened to his story. Her eyebrows flew up as he said what it was.

"I thought so. Cockney...it's very original...and London you say? I've never been there..but I've been told it's a wonderful place." She smiled as she reached her door, unlocked it, then opened the door.

"Be careful ok?" She commented as she walked him over to the couch.

[Bladen Thorne]

"Fine fine..." he chuckled at her insistence of him leaning on her and drinking water, "I'll do as I'm told fer now," he found himself highly amused. Maybe he wouldn't kill her today.

"Lor' luv a duck!" he was using strange expressions again, "London was fine, I guess. I myself am from a small village outside ov London, but I always liked da 'arsher parts ov town be'er. Know what I mean?" he staggered into her house.

"Blimey! What was yaaahr name?" he sat down on her couch, "I'm not sure if I 'eard it. Mine's Bladen Thorne."

He took a quick look around the house. He didn't think that this blonde sorceress was the only one living in it...he thought he smelled another...it was somehow familiar....

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle giggled as she said he would do as he was told. "Well, that is good, I'll be right back to bring you some water." She said as she walked over to to the kitchen, getting some ice then pouring the water.

"Oh and from what you said earlier, I guess I really can relate. Harsher is all I have ever known..but being in a peaceful town like this one is pretty amazing all in itself..." She spoke as she walked back over to Bladen and handed him the water.

"As for my name, it's Annabelle Ventus...but you can call me Belle if you like, everyone else does." She smiled then saw him look around the house out of the corner of his eye.

"Pretty nice huh? I was surprised I could even afford a house like this..but working at the hospital does have benefits..." She smiled then looked back at him.

"Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat....though I'm not as good as Ala...I can make a few things." She snickered.

[Bladen Thorne]

He took the glass of water, and really thought about not drinking it. But, he decided that it couldn't hurt, so he sipped some of it.

"You've 'ad a ruff life?" he chuckled again, "It don't seem like it. You're emoshuns are an' all sweet. Nuff said, yeah?" he took another drink, finding that it made him feel a little better even though he was still quite drunk, "This town is nice though, innit." He was trying to see if she had any negative emotions. He found some that were pretty dark. He was tempted to tweak, but didn't.

"Belle," he tried the name out, "It's a real pleasure mee'ing ya, luv," he nodded his head, "Down right pre'y name you've got."

"So ye werk in da 'ospital, eh?" he grinned that grin again, "In a town like this, I'd say that yewd 'ave plen'y to do."

"No, I'm not 'ungry, but I appreciate da offer," he found her to be quite amusing. Did she not have a lick of sense in her? Surely she knew that he was a vampire. He felt a little blood lust, but chose not to satisfy it on her. Not yet, anyway.
"Now did yew say "Ala?"" Could it be Alavda? He had known Alavda way back in the 1600s. She was only 16 when he first saw her. Pretty thing she was, "Does what 'appen ter be short fer 'Alavda' by any chance?"

[Annabelle Ventus]

"Yeah, I have that effect on people..a lot of people don't believe me when I tell them I've been through a lot, but I have." She smirked and smiled more when Bladen complimented her name.

"Well, thank you, your name is pretty awesome too. And are you sure? Not even any blood packets? As I said, working at a hospital has its benefits. Also helps when your roommate is a vampire too." She giggle then heard him ask if Ala was Alavda.

"Um...yeah, wait...how did you know her name?" Annabelle asked then noticed the emotions around Bladen get slightly more tense.

"No worries, I mean...unless you know the guy that's after her...then I guess it could be bad...but was is the possibility of you knowing that guy?" She smiled, but had a strange feeling what she said was pretty much the truth.

[Bladen Thorne]

Bladen laughed, some of his insanity showed through, "It's easy to hide. But sometimes you can see what someone has been through. The haunted look in the eyes, for example. You don't have that look," his accent dropped down to a normal British accent, "You have a certain negative edge to your emotions though," he loved to talk about emotions.

"Ah," he was glad to see that she was not the stereotypical dumb blonde, "No, I'll be fine for now. I prefer it fresh. No worries though, I won't be taking your blood," not today at least.

"I know her name because I met her when she was sixteen. Her father was trying to marry her off, so I came with my friend as a potential suitor," he had to laugh at her saying that some guy was after Alavda, "Oh yes, I knew the guy. He's been my friend for ages. Thomas Steele ring a bell? Yeah, he was quite taken with the gel," his cockney showed again slightly, "So I backed off. There was a pretty bird in England that I wanted anyways," the thought of his late wife made him want rum, "But I'm not going to talk about her. Say, do you know if Alavda will be by? Like to say hello to her I would," he had no intentions of taking her on Thomas' behalf.

[Annabelle Ventus]

Annabelle nodded when he said he was ok when it came to getting him anything else. "If you say so, just don't feel shy to ask for anything ok?" She stated then heard him bring up emotions and her eyes sparkled as he said he could tell she had a negative edge on her emotions.

"You can sense emotions too? I thought I was alone on that..." She commented then listened to his story on Ala, and how he actually did know Thomas. She then herself felt his emotions take a turn downwards after he brought up his "pretty bird in England". She would have asked, but felt that it wasn't the right time to, plus, she really didn't know him very well.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you knew Thomas...and I guess, it's not that bad..and you aren't after my blood, so that is good too.." She smiled then thought for a second when he asked if Ala would be home.

"I don't know...I didn't get to see her before I left the school...sorry..." She said, rubbing the back of her head.

[Bladen Thorne]

"That and more," he replied, "I love to analyse them. You know, it's interesting how different someone can become if you tweak with their emotional state," he seriously was thinking about altering Belle's emotions, but didn't feel like it yet.

"I certainly do know Thomas," that grin showed up again, "But how do you know that I don't want your blood, hm?" he chuckled, "A pretty blonde thing like you looks pre'y tasty."

When she said she didn't know when Alavda would be getting home, he just shook his head, "You're alright. I'll see her sooner or later, depending if Thomas gets her back or not. Or I could just run into her, I guess."

[Annabelle Ventus]

"You can alter emotions? That sounds rather fancy...must have been slightly scary when you found out you could do that though...at least, I know I would have freaked out." Annabelle commented then when she heard him ask why she didn't think he wanted her blood, she just giggled.

"Well, if you did, you would have already..I mean, I'm betting you are still thinking about it, but just aren't." She smiled the slightly frowned at Bladen's next comment.

"Oh no...I don't think she's going to get back with him...I would rather her not as well...after I found out everything, he almost disgusts me. What makes it worse is, even if he does want her...he waited so long to try to find her, it's just...not right.." She explained then decided to finally sit in a chair by Bladen.

[Bladen Thorne]

"That I can," it was fancy. He simply enjoyed the process, "Scary?" he first found out about his ability in his early teens. The funny thing was, it did scare him. Until he learned to control it, he didn't know if someone was behaving the way they did because of him, or it was their natural state of mind. When he finally did, he had a lot of fun playing with peoples heads, "Nah, it wasn't scary at all," he lied smoothly. He only chuckled at her comment on him not drinking her blood yet.

"Oh, you'll never know with her," he looked directly at Belle, "She was always happiest with him. Trust me on that," a corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk, "As for him not trying to find her until now...you're wrong. He's been looking for her for three centuries. It's harder than you think to find someone who's constantly on the move." his cockney accent had disappeared completely.

[Annabelle Ventus]

"Not scary at all? Well, then you must have a badge of courage somewhere...I would like to have as much courage as that some day...one day..." Belle sighed then looked up at him as she chuckled and explained the situation with Thomas and Ala.

"...He's been looking for her for three centuries? ...My gosh...then can you answer me something if you know that...? Why did he leave her in the first place?" She asked, now rather curious again.