[crow]

Alain flipped the sign on the cafe door from closed to open at six sharp, every morning. This was something of a feat in and of itself, considering the Plush Cafe existed in at least three different timezones at any given time. Blake had suggested that Alain follow the growing trend in the coffee business of being open at all hours; after all Alain didn't need sleep like other people did, right? But Alain had steadfastly refused. He liked his downtime when he had it, and while he did like to observe people, he had the feeling he might get sick of them if he saw them any more than he did. There could always be too much of a good thing, a lesson many of his clients had a hard time learning.

The customers filtered in slowly, as they did every morning after opening. Alain greeted them at his counter with a smile. He took their orders while Blake shuffled in and out with trays full of baked goods, loading them still hot and steaming onto the racks. The baker never had more than a silent nod of acknowledgement for the customers. Of the two of them, Blake vastly preferred to leave the customer service to Alain. That suited the barrister just fine, of course. From the counter, he could see the entire cafe laid out before him. He paid the same smiling attentions to everyone who came in and placed an order, but he was always keeping an eye out for the special ones. He didn't know when they would come, or what they would look like, but something about them always drew the eye.

No one of such a nature had shown up just yet, but the day was young, and Alain was patient. The cafe hummed in anticipation beneath his fingers, a not-quite-sound inaudible to everyone save for himself. Soon, it said to him; there would be someone coming, soon.

[Jaykobell]

To most, the day was a lovely one. Just a few thin, puffy clouds floated in the sky, giving a little contrast to the bright sun overhead. Just a small cool breeze to keep the townspeople comfortable in that heat, and by definition, it was a beautiful, perfect day.

To most: but not to him.

He wasn't exactly imposing, by any means, though his short brown hair and his glasses gave him a certain label. He was dressed rather nicely, looking nothing short of a child prodigy attending a rich private school. Ironically enough, all of that couldn't be any further from the truth. Under the looks were enough problems for a lifetime; amongst those problems was the fact he had barely any money, and no longer a place to call home. Not until he fulfilled his promise; not until he could accomplish the task he'd been given.

On a bright day such as this, it was difficult to stay focused. He avoided looking up at the sky, even keeping a hand over his forehead to block the sun as much as possible. He was eternally grateful for the breeze and the winds that stirred up now and again, but those were barely enough to keep him from feeling lightheaded and dizzy. A faint sense of nausea was starting to set in, and the fact he hadn't eaten in a while was only making it worse.

"Time to stop, don't you think?" a little voice told him; and although the boy was alone, a sudden voice speaking to him didn't seem to surprise him.

"No," he replied to the voice, frowning at the godforsaken sun over his head.

"You'll faint if you stay under the sun for too long," the little voice reminded him, and he felt something tickling him behind his neck. "You know that, don't you? Vampires don't like the sun."

"So then?" the boy hissed quietly through gritted teeth, stopping under a building's shadow, just to hide from the sun for a bit. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Some human businesses offer blood," the voice continued, and then the boy felt that tickling sensation moving a little bit through his hair, by the back of his head. "Try asking."

"That's a ridiculous and dangerous idea," the boy pointed out to the disembodied voice, leaning against the building to regain some energy. "What if they don't carry any?"

"You ignore them; make light of it, and leave," the voice said simply, and the tickling sensation stopped. "And then you move on to another business. You have nothing to lose anymore; you know that, don't you?"

There was no response from the boy, apart from an exasperated sigh as he forced himself straight. He waited for the slight dizziness to go away before he started walking again, quite literally walking into the first business he saw: a little thing called the Plush Cafe. The name alone gave the boy a bad feeling in his gut; a business with that cute a name surely wouldn't be offering something like blood as part of their menu.

But it was true, wasn't it? He had nothing to lose anymore.

He stepped inside the little cafe warily, his eyes flicking this way and that. He tried to keep himself from looking nervous or unsure, though his quiet, somewhat introverted behavior made it obvious that he wasn't comfortable being here.

He waited for his turn, approaching the counter when the clients in front of him stepped aside. He tried to stay calm as he walked up to the counter, though he was nervous at the thought of regular customers hearing his order. "Hi," he greeted a little awkwardly, his eyes actively avoiding eye-contact with the one taking the orders. "I... was curious to know if blood is part of your menu," he asked, though he flinched internally at how ridiculous it sounded. He'd tried to speak softly, so the clients around him wouldn't hear it, but even asking the man behind the counter alone was embarrassing enough. He could only hope that his wording had been familiar and casual enough that, in the worst case scenario, the man would think the boy to be a prankster. Maybe brush him off and tell him to get out of his business.

[crow]

Ah, there it was. Alain's gaze sharpened as soon as the boy entered the cafe; this was what he had been waiting for. He was mildly surprised to see that the boy wasn't human. He had no idea what type of being he was, but there was something about his air that marked him as different from one's run-of-the-mill mortals. Of course, that little mystery resolved itself as soon as the boy made his order. "Why yes, of course," Alain said, perfectly calm and nonplussed at the request. "Would you like to tell me how you prefer to take it, or would you like a recommendation? Something cool, perhaps, to help beat the heat?" The thought of drinking blood, especially cold, was nothing short of nauseating to Alain, but then he couldn't stomach anything from an animal, much less a human. As a consummate professional, he also wasn't about to let personal taste get in the way of his service. If they were going to serve one type of supernatural, they may as well endeavor to serve them all; but the question of where Alain got his blood was better unasked.

[Jaykobell]

He'd steeled himself this whole time to receive a scolding of some sort. Business owners didn't quite appreciate customers coming in to make fun of them or their business, and what kind of human asked for blood for an order? Granted, he wasn't a human, but it wasn't exactly something he flaunted to others.

He stared quietly for a few solid seconds when the owner gave him answer. "I... It is?" He was literally staring at the other man in disbelief, it being emphasized more so by the fact the owner hadn't even questioned his order. Was... the request for blood such a common one? Or was this man just exceptionally good at hiding his own emotions and thoughts of disgusting at the thought of a person drinking blood?

The man even went so far as to suggest how to eat it, which further surprised the boy. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, looking down and breaking eye contact with the man behind the counter. "I... I can try that, sure," he replied, a little unsure, as he let go of his head and looked up at the man again.

As he looked back up, his eyes shifted to the side, and he frowned just a little bit, seemingly to nothing. With a swift movement, the boy slapped the back of his neck, the slap echoing for a moment. He left his hand there for a few seconds before saying, "Sorry. I think a mosquito was sitting there."

[crow]

Ah, so the boy hadn't known. Alain chuckled quietly to himself as he prepared the drink. Many of the non-humans who came here knew a little about the nature of its services, but occasionally one wandered in without a clue. He had no idea how the word got out about the place, or how anyone found it, for all that he had built the shop. By now, it must have developed some magic of its own, and maybe it went looking for people just like he himself did.

Putting a cap on the finished drink, he handed it to the boy. "Oh, was there one? Very sorry about that. Here, have this on the house to make up for it." He didn't usually give out his drinks for so trifling an issue, but if a customer was special, they inevitably had bigger things on their plates. A few dollars here and there made no difference to Alain. He paused, studying his customer closely. He looked awkward and unsure, but then many boys did; perhaps vampirism--- or whatever it was--- didn't make much of a difference in that regard. "I hope you'll excuse me saying so, but you don't seem to get out much. May I ask what the occasion is?"

[Jaykobell]

He was a little embarrassed when he heard the man chuckle, fidgeting a little bit as he scratched the back of his head.

But the order did come, looking like any other thing on the menu. He carefully took the cup from the counter, but when the man apologized for the mosquito and offered the drink for free, the boy gasped. "Wh... N-no, I have money," he said quickly, looking positively baffled at the situation. "It's not your fault." As he spoke, he visibly winced, feeling another strong bite in his neck. He couldn't slap whatever it was, this time, because before he knew it, the man would offer him the whole menu for free. No, he would have to brush it off and make up a white lie if the older man asked about it.

He was shuffling in his pockets for money, when the man spoke again. The boy blinked, looking up, and stopping his hand from shuffling. "I'm... sorry?" he asked, pausing with his mouth opened just slightly, as he struggled to react to that question. "I'm... not sure what you mean by that," he added awkwardly, feeling embarrassed at admitting even that. He sighed at his own comment at that moment, looking upset and exasperated. "I... N-never mind." He gripped the cup handed to him earlier, avoiding eye contact with the man behind the counter. "Thank you... for the drink," he said awkwardly, leaving a random amount of change on the counter. He had no idea if it would be enough to pay for the drink or if it were too much, but it didn't matter.

He scurried off to the nearest table he could find, or rather, the first secluded table he could find. The more alone he could be, the more he could go unnoticed, the better it would be. He would gulp down the drink and scurry away from the cafe. He had to go, to do what he'd promised he would do. He needed to do that task, for his own sake. For the sake of...

He started snarfing down the drink, trying to distract himself. He immediately regretted it, feeling a brain freeze coming after having drank that cold blood way too quickly. He grimaced visibly, rubbing and pinching his forehead. How... undignified this whole thing was...

[crow]

There was another pause as Alain regarded the boy, which dragged on a bit too long to be comfortable, but in the end the barrister smiled again. "Suit yourself," he said with a shrug, collecting the change. It disappeared into a pocket on his person somewhere, rather than the cash register, but the motion was quick and fluid enough to escape notice unless someone were specifically looking for it. He had no choice but to greet the next customer that came, and then the next. As he made their drinks, he played the encounter over again in his head, looking for clues.

Evidently he had said the wrong thing, but then that was nothing new. When the Cafe pointed out a customer as special, it generally wasn't very specific, and Alain had to figure things out as he went. 'Vampire' and 'awkward' didn't strike him as too much out of the ordinary, though most of his human customers would probably beg to differ.

He needed time. The Cafe would take care of that. The line grew shorter--- or rather, new customers stopped coming in, and shortly he was done with the queue. He glanced over at the boy with the blood drink just in time to see him nearly inhale the thing, which went about as well as could be expected. Alain winced in sympathy, but he was also a little glad for it. It gave him an excuse to close in.

"Are you alright? Please, drink a little more slowly. There's no need to hurry yourself," he said, taking the seat opposite the boy at the table he had chosen.

[Jaykobell]

Part of him had forgotten that this was a cold drink, while the other had said to just ignore that fact entirely. He should've listened to the former, but the latter had a much stronger hold on his emotions. And speaking of those, he really needed to drown them out, whether literally or figuratively, and losing himself in his drink had seemed like a good idea. He'd almost lost the desire to drink it now, but his hunger reminded him that he needed this if he wanted to keep on moving forward.

He jumped just a bit when the man from earlier spoke to him, right before calmly sitting down in the seat opposite the boy. The embarrassment came right back, and once again, he couldn't hold eye contact with the barrister. To be honest, he hadn't expected him to come talk to him again; that rushed exit just moments ago had been rather impolite, if not flat out rude.

When he was suggested to drink more slowly, the boy didn't say anything. He just stared at the cup in his hands, one finger tapping it occasionally, as he struggled to not reply anything. "I can't," he eventually said, unable to control all those pent emotions; the ones that made him feel insecure, the ones that just wanted to be heard, whether by someone familiar or a complete stranger. "I have somewhere to be," he added, and while he would've taken a sip from the drink, if only to make things less awkward, he felt a little uncomfortable doing so while the man was looking at him.

[crow]

It was obvious that the boy was ill at ease, though Alain still couldn't tell what that was, exactly. A little of it was Alain himself, but not enough. There was something else there, loud enough that he could almost hear it. He wasn't a telepath, but on occasion that inhuman aspect of him allowed him little intuitive hints about the people he was talking to, and in this case he sensed something that felt a like... a third party.

None of it was any use to him though, as long as the boy resisted. Alain wondered how much he could tell him without scaring him away. "I know it isn't any of my business, but you seem..." Human words briefly failed him as he tried to find one to describe the boy. He settled for, "Ill at ease. Are you certain you don't want to take a moment's rest, at least?" What he wanted to say was that time wasn't an issue here; the Cafe existed quietly outside its influence, though most of its customers never stayed long enough to notice. However, for whatever reason, that knowledge tended to unsettle rather than reassure others, so Alain kept it to himself.

Carefully, he added, "If you need a sympathetic ear, I am on break. I don't know how much it means coming from a stranger, but I know from experience that youth and... other things can be particularly trying." He indicated the boy's drink; he didn't know what it felt like to be vampiric, exactly, but he wasn't human himself. Hopefully that would be close enough.

[Jaykobell]

The boy continued to stare at his cup, the drink inside slowly making his hands numb. Not quite so much, but he could definitely feel them getting colder and stiffer from the cold that seeped through the cup. From the man's side of things, it was hard to tell if the boy had even listened to him at all, his eyes fixed ever so perfectly on the drink.

But he heard the words very clearly, and his mind pondered them. The man wasn't wrong: he was ill at ease, as he'd put it, and the boy did want to talk. The problem was that he didn't quite know how much he could say at all. Could he say what he had to do? He couldn't afford anyone to get in his way, or anyone to try to stop him, or to prevent someone about it. This was just a little cafe, so honestly, the odds of this man knowing his family or his society was unlikely. Then again, could his curiosity be because he had recognized him? Had people from his home been looking for him? Maybe, but all the way here? He was far and deep into human society. Some businesses carried blood items for vampires nowadays, so the drink alone wasn't enough to accuse the man of anything.

It took a handful of solid minutes for him to collect his thoughts; although he hadn't managed to do that at all, to be honest. He eventually sighed, eyes still fixed on the cup. His only sign of life had been his occasional tapping of his finger against the foam cup. "I can't stay long," he said quietly, almost as if he were afraid that someone would hear him. "I have to be somewhere," he repeated, giving the barrister the same answer as earlier. "I... I have something to do... for someone," he added, keeping his voice quiet. Maybe the barrister wasn't an undercover vampire or an enemy in general, but he didn't need someone from his society to hear this. What he had to do had been settled "under the table", as one would say, and he couldn't afford to jeopardize that opportunity.

[crow]

"Ah," said Alain, listening to the boy. Cenhelm spoke so little. Alain had initially chalked it up to shyness, but the vagueness of his wording now suggested something else, possibly more sinister. The smile briefly slipped from his face. Generally he tried not to judge those he spoke to, since all he sought was knowledge, and in all his years living amongst humans and their derivatives, he still felt himself an outsider looking in. Still, the idea that harm was being brought to a child always troubled him.

All the sympathy in the world wouldn't help if he couldn't get this boy to trust him a little though. "You're safe here," he said, looking around at the cafe walls. "We grant sanctuary to all our customers. And if it's time you need, well, we have plenty of that. You didn't think this was just any shop, did you? What with our menu and all." Alain motioned to Cenhelm's drink.