More of an East Coast Bloodsucker

In the wake of her sire's death, Betty--or "Bee"--flees to the California coast with the last living member of her clan. Thus the "murder capital of the world" gets two more vampires to feed. [a tlb original character] [fc valerie bertinelli (bee), jill st. john (molly)]

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Sweet Little Bumblebee

Welcome to the roleplaying blog for Betty "Bee" Rosenthal, a vampire OC for the universe of The Lost Boys! I'm the writer/mod/mun, Kei (she/her)!

You can meet the muse(s) HERE! (and find art of them here!)

I've been in various roleplays over the last two decades, and recently fell back in love with this cult classic--thank the spectacular musical for that--and, thus, decided to throw my bhat into the ring.

I'm a long content kind of writer, preferring plots that interweave and tell fun stories, but I can also do short and silly nonsense ("#mini-bee") as it suits me. And I'll do the occasional art piece for key moments just cause I like to.

I have zero preferences between the musical or movie universes, alternate universes, and all those fun things. Anyone specifically from one 'verse or the other will get tagged as "#biker-bee" or "#band-bee" for the movie and musical respectively. AU's or ongoing stories may get their own tags at some point, too!

Content Warning:

By the nature of this universe, expect depictions of blood, violence, emotional manipulation, and toxic relationships of all breeds. There's a lot of red flags here but, hey, vampires. Red is their thing.

Special warning for Bee for past physical and emotional abuse, as well as ongoing struggles with illness and grief for both her and Molly. I will tag potentially triggering content with "cw: (tag)" if you want to dodge it.

Also, while Molly is a flirt (Bee is not), I am not interested and will not be doing into any rp's with sexual content. I am very much over 18, it's just a personal preference. Shipping is alright if there's chemistry, but hoo nelly is there baggage with both these girls.

Lastly:

This ask box is always open, but it is a side account. Expect to be followed by @/keirangoldenwatch rather than this one.

Also, find #[open starters] here!

Hope you enjoy!~

I know what you want from me

Quick Tags:

#band-bee: Musical-verse Bee (I will default to this most often). Follows the musical canon, interacts with musical-specific blogs. And has a higher chance of breaking out into song, because why tf not.

#biker-bee: Movie-verse Bee. Follows movie canon and interacts with movie-specific RP blogs.

#molly&bee: Posts with Molly, Bee's fellow clan member, front and center.

#birds&thebee: Ongoing plot with @arcade-birdie. Also bird reblogs.

#beeintheshadows: A movie-specific, set universe where Michael becomes a vampire, and Bee struggles with the idea of impermanence.

> Michael: @michaelthevamp

> Marko: @boardwalk-anarchist

> David: @bloodyfangsbite

#beelongtosomeone: A role-swap AU, where Bee befriends a vampire Michael, and it's definitely not the beginning of something toxic. You know it's bad when Molly comes off as the stable one.

> Michael: @makeyoufeellikethat

> David: @lostandlookingforthelight

#mini-bee: Small or short-form RP that's in-character. May or may not be considered canon, depending on if it branches.

#sillyness ic: In-character bullshit that is non-canon. Memes, "important" reblogs, and similar nonsense will end up here. Similarly #sillyness ooc is when I'm just being dumb as me, no Bee involved.

#beeblogs: Reblogs that are relevant/fit Bee somehow.

...and more to come!

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Aw, why? Just ‘cause it’s true…” Even as he heard the sharpness in her voice grow he wasn’t above playing with the line…This was something new and something exciting for him…Push and pull, going back and forth. Almost made him feel truly alive even if he knew he was by all means just surviving. For a boy who wanted to survive so badly David didn’t have anything if not a death wish.

“Being a ‘natural’ at something is what we all say to make the hard work sound easy…” He sobered up a little…Introspective and quiet. Had a lot of time for thinking these days it felt like-“But, the climb up is the best part of something…Nothing sweeter than a victory earned-and fought for.”

There the bitterness slipped back into his voice…Thinking of Michael and his cheap win. “The ones of us who care about it most don’t want to be naturals…We want to put in the work for it.” He hummed softly, trying and failing ultimately to match the mindless tune the girl was playing. “I want to play like you someday. Not because I was a natural at it but because I wanted it bad enough to learn. That’s all we can ever do in this world…Learn from those of us who got things to teach.”

The humming began to stop as Molly opened up to him more seriously about her past, wanting to keep up and take all she was saying in.

“You deserved the chance to soar.” It was soft and sympathetic, but he meant it when he said it. That it was something real and taken straight from his heart and given to her. “All of us do.” He was determined to make the best of what she’d given him. “But-you, you gave it your all…” His eyebrows lifted with a softened glance towards Molly. “And the world spat you out for it…” David flinched, eyes darkening as he looked around at anything else with rage on her behalf…Hard to tell at this point if he was talking about himself or her.

With a deep inhale he kept speaking. “Can’t say I don’t relate to that…Been trying to learn, trying to find my shot and take it-and not let go of it until there’s nothing else…I don’t think the world is all that interested in what I’ve got to give it…It crushes us down to the bone. And it takes and it takes from us until one day there’s nothing left for it to have of you…It sucks the life out of me…all of it. It’s tearing me apart and…”

David suddenly looks embarrassed for talking so much.

“This isn’t about me.” He cuts himself off. “It’s about you. Look, what matters is if you got to play for anyone else around you’d be the biggest thing on the boardwalk.” The boy’s smile was more genuine for once. “Don’t just think it but know it.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly flipped him off with the next note she played at his teasing. Then went back to playing quiet, meaningless ditties beneath their conversation. David was so familiar in this moment; another one of the dreamers who couldn't stop, even when it hurt. It was terrible fate that made Molly have to leave her dreams behind, but now she did have a chance to have something resembling it. Even he said as much.

Except for one little obstacle.

Her mouth turned into a sour frown. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot. I'm just pissed off that, right as you may be, there's one shithead that makes it nearly impossible to actually get noticed around here."

"You know who I'm talking about," she huffed as she approached by a couple steps, "Kind of impossible not to, fucker is everyone's so-called 'sweetheart'. Hop down from there, will ya?"

She smiled on that last sentence, and whether or not David did, she rotated the guitar in her arms and offered it back to him.

"If you really wanna play like I do, I can teach you." Molly offered, setting her now empty hands on her hips. "Won't cost me nothing but time, and I've got way too much of that these days."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

Almost as if on a queue his heart felt like it would’ve stopped…He knew exactly who Molly had been talking about-“Santa Carla’s Sweetheart” himself, Michael. Felt like the other boy had been a ghost in his life ever since they met that first night he got into town…Always omnipresent in his mind. A poser…A jackass, but one who’d gotten away with everything he’d ever wanted out of life without having to work for it the way David had. When it felt like every door in the world was closing on him, a new door opened for the other musician. Guess he couldn’t see why…The boy really did have his charms about him, literally-when he wasn’t acting like he was better than everyone else around him. A looker too…Curly hair, plump lips, a broad physique…

“So, we’ve met.” He said coldly, already dismissive of the topic of him…Of Michael.

“Can’t say the boy made much of a good first impression on me.” The blonde was going to leave it there but he couldn’t-He had more to say about Michael to anyone who’d listen to him speak on about it. “Doesn’t take a genius to see the guy can’t play all that well either.”

“Really feel for his fans.” He admitted. “Bet you wouldn’t believe me…But, being at one of his shows feels like being trapped inside your mind with no escape. Maybe it just was for me. Nobody else I’ve met seems to feel that way about him. It was nice until it wasn’t…” The blonde muttered the last part to himself more than to Molly. “Wants me to play with him to make it around here-Plan to go solo and show him. Never wise to groom the competition’s success…Even if something tells me he won’t let me go that easily…”

Almost on command, David got down on his feet to meet her, more than eager and willing to take the guitar from her.

“Sure you want nothing else in return?” It was a normal question he asked-but where it usually would be abrasive it more sounded confused as to why she’d help him out without an ulterior motive…Most of ‘em so far had one. Aspen for a friend, Michael for…Well, whatever it is Michael wants he doesn’t know about yet. Only one besides Molly to be like this to him was Star…“Don’t have much but I want to give you something.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"I believe you."

Molly's face went uncharacteristically calm for a moment, no smile or sharpness or frown. She was approaching a risky topic. She knew Michael was using his powers on that crowd. That was what pissed her off so much in the first place--that he literally could use magic to achieve what took her and the people she'd loved years to reach for, only for so many of them to die before they got there.

Meanwhile Michael turned his "death" into this.

But she couldn't tell David that. She wanted to. She wanted to affirm that he wasn't crazy. Hell, that he could feel it was very interesting--he shouldn't be able to, should he? Maybe that would fade the more he saw those shows, the more he got exposed. That would suck.

Maybe if I word it carefully, I--

There was a rustle of fabric too far away for David to hear, on the pier. But she heard it. Fingernails drumming against a brick wall.

No heartbeat.

You fucking wuss. He'll find out eventually.

Molly finally emoted again, after a couple moments, with a grimace. "Don't get me started on his playing. Fucking 'Four Chords McGee' over there knows ONE melody structure...as if doing anything new or interesting would make him explode or something."

Her brows furrowed. "I wouldn't take that offer if I were you. Not with how much you want to earn that recognition. You can't do it with him."

She had to leave it at that.

"Nah. Told ya, I was just like you when I started out. Only had people who offered to help me, that got me this far," her smile returned, bright and wide and warm, "And, hey! Once you've got it down we can jam!"

"Gimme a few notes, lemme see where you're at?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“I believe you.”

Three simple words, but enough to get him to perk his head back up…Suddenly alert and listening again. Hadn’t expected her to listen or indulge him. He knew it sounded a certain away. Like he’d just been jealous or tired after a long day of traveling…Who would ever choose to believe a guy like him over a guy like Michael? The town was so enamored with him it was almost frightening in its own kind of a way-as much as it fascinated and compelled him towards the boy…Felt like for the first time since he’d gotten here the haze and fog was beginning to lift…It was all beginning to come clear or felt like soon it will and he could see the light up ahead at the end of the dark tunnel he’d been traveling for a long time now alone…

Then someone he didn’t even know was there turned the light back off again.

He could’ve swore it up and down in the pause Molly had something to say to him but she didn’t. If anything that only made him more curious and determined to figure it out. The vague possibility he could be right at all was enough to light a fire inside him worth the thrill of it to chase…

“There’s this girl…Star…”

Even as his shoulders began to sag, his resolve never wavered…Too stubborn really, for his own good at a time like this.

“Should I worry for her now that she’s spending so much time with him?” His mind began to wonder where the girl was now-while she wasn’t with him. He could only hope she wasn’t with Michael alone…

“It’s different than when it’s me…Hanging around him.” David forced a smile. “She’s good…” He didn’t finish that sentence-could’ve sworn it would’ve ended with him wanting to say “I’m not”…

He bursted out into laugher at Molly’s little insult. “All I have to do is play five and I’m already better off than him.” The blonde looked down at the guitar, trying now to focus on the instrument instead of his own internal dread about the boy. “Never trying anything else out sounds boring. The road of music is wide for a reason…Diversity and individuality.”

“Trust me, I’ve made it more than clear I don’t want to buy anything Michael is selling. Doesn’t seem to be taking my no for an answer. Wanted to take me out to dinner and everything…” His cheeks flushed a little bit more than he would’ve liked in front of his fellow Michael detractor.

“Can’t help it he’s obsessed with me.”

“Nice. You’re too kind for a girl who sneaks up behind a guy while he strums in the dark, friend.” He really did want to be her friend…So bad he couldn’t see straight at all even. “Sounds nice to me. Fuck, maybe we can start our own band. Gotta be better than the rest of the local entertainment.”

He strummed a couple of the notes he knew, his heart was racing again. Not from fright, but-embarrassment now knowing how good the girl teaching him really was at it.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Star. Yep, there was the other one she was told was strictly off the menu. Did Michael know the two of them were close? He would probably have an easier time going through Star to get to David than to keep pursuing like the sad dog that he looked like when talking about either of them. But at least she was sure of something. "I doubt he'd ever hurt her, if that's what you mean," Molly offered like a consolation prize, "Guy's as threatening as soggy lint. But anything else?...no idea."

He wouldn't right? Michael hardly ate people, and he didn't turn people--Bee said so herself, and Bee wouldn't want to be around him if he did. Molly wasn't sure why that was such a point of contention but, well, it clearly meant enough to her to gain him her trust.

Molly wasn't as easily swayed.

And after learning the truth of his little shows, she never would be.

She did snicker as David's cheeks darkened, and she wagged a finger in his peripheral like she was about to poke him there. "D'aaaw, for all the shit you're talking, that didn't sound entirely displeased. You're bluuuushin'." Wait, was it too dark for her to be able to see that? Ehh. Maybe he'd read it as her assuming. "For your sake, or at least my sanity, please raise your standards. You could do way better."

She stuck her tongue out at the little jab, then retracted it when he started to play. Molly tilted her head, brows raising. Alright. Not bad for a beginner, but--

"You're pressing too hard," she reached for his hand, "That's why the notes sound weird. You wanna put just enough pressure on the string to get the right sound, but if you press too hard it'll warp. Gotta be a little more gentle with the...neck."

She grinned a little too much at that. And it only got wider when she heard a muffled groan too distant for David to pick up.

Hah.

Molly reigned it in after a couple moments. "Try that again. Just enough pressure to get the right sound. It'll dig into your fingers a little but, hey, callouses are part of the deal."

She'd used to have those. But now her skin didn't even go red when she played. She almost missed it--that physical connection to her instrument that she adored so much.

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Can only hope you’re right…” David murmured. He didn’t want to sound possessive for a girl he’s barely gotten to know…But, the time they’ve had has been some of the best in his life so far. He was protective of her…The way she saw the world so innocently…that starry look in her eyes guiding them both back into the light…He hadn’t ever met anyone like her who got it after all a life on the run takes from you. He just wanted her to be happy, even if that wasn’t with him…As much as the thought sucked to think about. A world where her eyes didn’t shine like that anymore wasn’t a world he wanted to be a part of-And god forbid if Michael was the one who did it to her.

“People aren’t always what they appear to be now, are they?” He smirked at Molly and her own appearances. Most from where he was from would’ve written the girl off as not worth talking to and she’d been nothing but sweet to him so far.

David wasn’t so easily swayed either. He’d been given no reason to trust Michael and only reasons to not…

Something told him the boy wasn’t the best to underestimate for as harmless as he tried to act like he was. All the smartest wolves know how to look like sheep for the girl’s who’d fall for it. Could only hope Star’s starry eyes didn’t blind her long enough to what little flecks of truth he’d already gathered about the brunette of her affections of late.

Ironically, Molly calling him out on it only made him flush worse in spite of himself. It had been so dark he had thought she wouldn’t be able to see him. “If you want to accuse me of a crush you got to have more than that.” He tried to sound confident when really he just sounded like a boy all worked up over a crush on a singer. “Being aware of someone else’s appeal doesn’t mean I’m interested…Would prefer it if I could have someone who doesn’t act like I’m someone to tame or clean up. Probably only offered me a shot for charity and pity points.”

Very maturely of him, he stuck his tongue back out for all the teasing. “Besides, I’d rather have Star if I could…If she’d want me. Doubt I could have both even if I wanted that.”

In spite of himself, David didn’t flinch or pull away under Molly’s touch as she guided him to play better…For some reason he had already given her so much of his trust and she hadn’t failed him with it yet…A little more might’ve not been so bad.

He didn’t get the joke…Just staring at her grin like she’d grown a second head right there in front of him before shaking his own head and going back to playing.

He wasn’t afraid of the pain on his fingers. By no means did he have a low pain tolerance by now-Not with the experiences he’s had…Whatever it was he had it in him. He could take it. He wanted the callouses. A mark on his skin to prove it-how much of a musician he really was.

So, he listened to the girl’s instructions. Trying to be more gentle and kind to his own instrument and himself hoping it would produce a better sound out of it for all involved.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Don't know what you're on about. I'm one of the scariest fuckers on the boardwalk!" Molly hummed at David's jab. She wasn't lying. But for him, right now? Well, he was lucky that he was off the menu, and she was fortunate that she'd still approached him even with that in mind. He was fun. She hadn't had an actual human friend since, well, since she started eating them.

It wasn't even guilt. It was just her own awareness. If she started hanging out with humans, and there was ever an accident where one of them started to bleed...if she hadn't fed...

Her control wavered even on good nights.

Right now, though, it was a risk she was glad she'd taken.

"Ehh, he's pretty, but I'm not into dudes. So I only half get it." Molly said, bluntly, because she saw no reason not to. "But the guy's a prick. So yeah. Shoot for the Star, or however that saying goes?"

David did sound better, taking her advice. She hummed to the chords he played, then with her hand still hovering near his, she started giving little instructions. "Put your index finger here, middle here, ring here..." a strum, "...now index all the way across, and middle here, ring on both of these..." another strum, "...then back to the first..."

Molly motioned him through a few more chords. Then started quietly singing. She sang slower, fitting the speed David played--it made the song sound a little sad, or maybe bitter, with those lyrics.

"If you want my love...you gotta learn, to treat me with respect."

"If you want my love...love me enough, to drop the strings that you brought."

"If you want my love...then realize--that I ain't some pet that ya bought."

"If you want my love..."

How fitting.

She giggled as she trailed off. "See? Not hard, once you get practice. Though relax your shoulders a bit, I can feel the kink in your neck you're gonna get."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Maybe to everyone else around.” He smiled before lightly nudging her to see what she’d do. “Not-to me.” David knew better to underestimate people he didn’t know all that well…That he didn’t understand and he hadn’t counted Molly out yet…Everyone’s got their secrets after all-Something Santa Carla seemed laced with. But, for now when it came to him she was all bark and no bite and he was more than grateful for it…Not just her taunts but her presence.

Couldn’t remember the last time a lonely night like this was filled with so much joy for him. Maybe he was getting attached too quickly…Already hoping for the days where they hung out more-Playing together like she promised.

He hadn’t been one for believing in promises before.

But, when Molly was the one who gave it it sounded like something he could really believe in.

“Ah, one of those.” He snarked dryly. “My old man would’ve thought you needed a kind of correction for that…” David didn’t know why he said that, but he did. And there was no taking it back now. “Don’t agree with that myself.” He tried to get himself back on track and quickly now. “I promise you I’m not a judging type like that.”

“She’s like a shooting star…Bright as the sky above.” The blonde sounded lovesick-maybe he was. Just wanted her to like him as much as he liked her. “All the movies I grew up on watching tell you the woman’s the one that’s hard to please. Unsurprising it’s actually the man.” He said bluntly, assuming Molly would understand given her own preferences.

Don’t focus on Michael-Focus on Star when his mind was split evenly between the two…Well, right now in the present his mind was focused on following Molly’s motions and movements. Slower-adding a weight to the song that made it heavier than it felt like it had been before.

For the most part he had improved…Managing to ignore his temptations to strum more aggressively.

Hearing this song this way made the storm of emotions worse somehow.

Like it was all about Michael. About how much he hated him….How he envied being him. How he made him feel like a toy to be played with by a higher power.

How badly he just wanted his feelings for the boy to be simple.

Something so easily compartmentalized in a box and forgotten-like he’d been taught was how it was supposed to be growing up.

He listened again, trying to relax his shoulders and what tension there was in them from how he was feeling. “I’ll only get better with more of it too, right?” He tried to stay on the bright side of things for a change.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

He did not know the half of it.

But Molly wasn't going to correct him. She just (gently) batted him back for the nudge. "Shawdup. You're lucky I'm wearing so much powder or I'd really hit ya for seeing me blush. I've got a look to uphold!"

I don't think I can, technically...can we? I should ask Bee.

Or make Michael talk about David again and just watch.

She ignored her own stupid thoughts, snorting derisively at David's slipped comment. "Yours too, huh. My folks cut me off as soon as I said anything. Though, hey, New York was the perfect place to go after that." For a while. She let out a little whistle. "Boy, you're already thinking poetry about her. You're fucked. Good luck, buddy."

Molly gave him two thumbs up and her brightest grin. "Absolutely! Though, constructive critiques aside, are you set on acoustic?" Her hands swapped to open palms, like he'd done when she'd first smacked at him. "No judgment, it's a lovely guitar. But what you've got going on feels more Stevens than Lennon."

She set her hands back on her hips. "You ever wanna go electric, I'll let you try my baby out. She's a Washburn G-2v, candy apple red like--well." Molly tossed her hair a little. "I figure you'd be gentle enough with her to give a turn. Or I'll knock your teeth in if you ain't."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕬h, suit yourself.” He gently tugged on a fly away tuft of blonde hair that always got away from him.

“All a matter of opinion and perspective.”

“Treasure and trash really are the same thing depending on how you look at it, right?” David took to smoothing out the side of his hair next-Not caring if he looked openly vain to Bee. “Can’t all look the same…Then we’d all lose out on the zest of life and individuality.” The older vampire walked a slow circle around the girl to oversee her whole outfit and take in her appearance. “Besides, can’t say I disagree with you-Been around long enough to watch fashion evolve. The librarian look was a good era for girls like you.”

Her passion on the subject was so palpable to him he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Whatever you say.” David held his hands up and arched his back defensively before making a small “o” with his index finger and thumb. “Ya got it, boss...” He let go of the hand gesture to give her a two finger salute and put his palm out. “No keyboards. Really hate it when a new instrument acts like an older one in disguise…Fresh and-fun for a while but never the same. Gotta stick to the classics when you can. Especially with a girl like you.”

“You prefer tradition, don’t you? Sticking to the way things are…”

It wasn’t hard to see it that David disagreed. Very few things about his experience with vampirism had went the traditional way of things he’d been told about. He had been a covenless vampire until he made his own…Wandering the world alone for a long time, betrayed and forsaken by his sire who’d always been close but ever so out of reach for him. He preferred following his own path anyway, making his own rules-freedom his way while guiding the other boys…All of ‘em were lucky to have found each other. Otherwise they might’ve ended up in a more rigid way of running things than how their current leader let them all live. “Catch more flies that way. Honey is sweet…and slippery. Don’t know how stuck you are until it’s too late and the trap closes up on you.”

“Nah, I insist.” He wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it-he hadn’t just been out here for that. “I’d like to know more about the new busy bee in the hive with us.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

And he was circling her. The shark imagery came back again as Bee turned her head to watch David, one brow raised to vanish behind her bangs. "Not sure librarians wear denim jackets," she had to whip her head the other direction to keep her eyes on him--careful not to go too fast, or it'd look unnatural and unnerving to any lingering eyes. She sighed a little wistfully. "If we're being honest, I preferred the sixties. Nothing's long and flowing anymore. But this is closer than, well."

She gestured at David's leather.

Bee had a couple more choice thoughts about keyboards in comparison to pianos, but they snagged when he called her traditional. Her nose scrunched up under the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, fuck off. Dressing modestly and preferring ivory to plastic doesn't make me traditional. Even before I was...this, I was pissing off pearl-clutchers. The bar's just moved outside where I'd personally step. Doesn't mean I'd go back to how it was."

"If I'm giving off that vibe maybe I do need to change something," she grumbled, tucking her hands back into her pockets and slouching just a little, "I want to look older not look like a bluenose."

Her eyes found his again.

He wanted her to stay. That was strange. Worrying, maybe. But assuming he was true to his word, he wasn't planning on hurting her.

How can I trust that?

"...guess I don't have anything else to do. I already ate. And," Bee glanced over her shoulder, "I don't want to just mill around." She returned her attention to David. "So...what else do you guys do around here, 'sides from play?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕸aybe they should more often.” He hit back, flattering her in his gaze. If it was flirting or not was left up to the imagination…The blonde was known to ravish and tease in that way when he could…Even if he meant nothing of substance by it…He gathered the girl likely wasn’t all that interested in him in that way…Living with a female roommate and not liking his style gave him more than enough ammunition to assume something about her…Even if he didn’t say anything about it out loud. “Sixties were a good time. Even if all the hippie garb left a lot to be desired for me specifically…”

He shrugged one shoulder with his head tilted. “Just not my style.”

“Didn’t say there was anything wrong with it.” He repeated, acting above all of Bee’s rage like it was something more amusing to him than anything. “You clearly got your fire to you…I like that.” He kicked his leg up ever so slightly. “If I didn’t think you had anything in you worth acknowledging…That you were a true traditionalist we wouldn’t be talking, friend. Just-acknowledging nobody at my shows look like you.”

“Most of the traditional kinds don’t like my way of doing things…” He thought of both other vampires and the detractors from his style of show alike…Debauched and sultry…No other stop in town like it with its burning passion.

“Never let someone else tell you who to be.”

The blonde rejected her notion…Taking suggestions from him on her style. “Wouldn’t you rather be your own person? My boys and I make up quite the family of eclectic individuals.”

He said it so innocently while grinning at her like a shark again.

“We ride mostly.” David began listing off the things they’d do for fun. “Like to loiter around but the locals don’t take well to that…Could always hang around by the beach.” He offered up to her. “I like watching the sea and the stars.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"You do look like you were made for this era," Bee rolled her eyes at his flattery, waving him off. Not quite for the reasons he suspected, but right now? Close enough. "Though you're the second I've met with colored hair. I'm told it's a bitch to do with no mirror but...I'm tempted."

She relaxed a little again. "Nobody at your show really looks like anybody else, either. Which is probably the best thing about fashion these days. There's patterns but not 'trends', y'know?"

Then she caught onto a word. And something in her eyes went soft again, widening a little, before she averted them. Family. He called his clan a "family". He had one. She'd run into only solo vampires since then, and even if hers hadn't been perfect--no, it had been so far from it she couldn't even pretend--she still missed hers with all her heart.

She missed her with all her heart.

"Betty...?"

For as much as that mattered when their hearts couldn't beat.

"That's...good for you," she murmured, suddenly wishing she had tried harder to leave when she gave him an out. His offer gave her something to move to, though her voice was still quieter than it had been. "A lot of these nights I've just been going out over the water. The stars are clearer here than home but...it's similar enough."

Bee shrugged her shoulders. "That's a yes. If you...really don't mind."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕴t’s a bitch, but it’s fun.” David corrected, wagging his index finger at her mockingly. “It’s…Lucky for me I have more than a few helping hands at my disposal. Though I wouldn’t say I’m bad at it on my own. Could always help you out if you need it. Always got a little time to kill.” The dyed blonde gently grabbed a piece of her hair. “Mmm, got any color you were thinking or still figuring it out?”

“That’s what I love about it.” He said, remaining focused and locked in on the girl’s hair and what would look good on her…Playing hairdresser out of boredom when he really wasn’t one to talk when it came to hair. “My fans are as free as me…Won’t ever find a crowd in this place as unique or captivating in its own right even outside the band of their affections. I like looking out at ‘em. Even the ones we don’t eat.”

“Strike a nerve there?” The other vampire could see it so clear in her face, the softening of her eyes, the way they darted away from him too. “I used to walk the world alone…Then I found my brothers, and my brothers found me…and now we’re all a family.” He kept on going, softly and gently…Crooning-in his words for her.

“We’re not a clan or coven in the traditional sense of the word. But…I did sire my own boys-and Star.”

“Don’t believe in leading with an iron grip but by example. What I do believe in is if you train your birds to fly well enough alone with you, you don’t have to lead that way.”

“They’ll always fly back home to you on their own.”

“It is, isn’t it? Well, we’re a welcoming bunch. Never one to turn down another in need of a family.” When she changed the conversation he wasn’t far behind, never missing a beat. “Ah, a fellow stargazer! So it seems we do have things in common, friend! Always more fun when you’re in good company than when you go it alone…Because then you’re sharing in an experience as much as you are gazing.”

“Don’t mind at all. Like I said, wouldn’t offer something I wasn’t interested in having or taking.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee didn't swat at his hand as he fiddled with her hair, but she had a lot of it. If he went for her bangs maybe she'd flinch but there were so many fly-away curls it hardly registered. "Haven't thought of a color beyond 'not brown'. I hate how it looks now. I just want it lighter without frying it...and not as light as yours?"

She would take anything that wasn't the conversation he was, of course, trying to push for even harder. Without looking back his way Bee started walking down the pier in the direction of the beach. Trying to keep his words from affecting her.

But they were. And she was bad at hiding it. Her shoulders were getting tense, her chin tucking nearer to her chest. Her sharp nails scraped the inside of her pockets. Everything in her heart hardened with that single thread of knowledge.

David hadn't had a clan. He'd made it. He'd sired it.

He cursed them with it.

Her silence broke when he finally stopped talking, her voice cold.

And scared.

"Why would you make anyone do this...? This horrible life...inflicting it on people you care about...you've cursed them with eternity."

But there was bitterness to it, too. Terrified as she was of any vampire willingly putting this curse onto others, even worse was how, still, some part of her was jealous of it. Even if he made it, at least he had it. They had each other. She wanted to claw her stomach open and yank that horrible feeling out because it was wrong.

Nothing was worth siring others.

"You're not saving her! He'll just kill her instead! How could you do this?!"

Nothing is worth making them the same monster as you.

[ihavetohaveyou]

TW: MENTIONS OF ILLNESS AND OVERDOSING

𝕯avid’s face scrunched up in theatrical contraction, eyes narrowing in with a small “hmm” noise escaping his lips. Like an artist observing his next masterpiece in action. “A light brown or darker blonde would really do your features well…Bet all the girls on the boardwalk would kill to look like you…”

The blonde’s eyebrows furrowed up ever so slightly as Bee began to lash out at him for what he’d done…For turning his boys and starting a family for himself-Selfish… As it was-even if he’d never admit the vampire had always been lonely…And he only chose the ones who needed his help-the ones he saw himself in…The kinds who would flourish with the powers he gave them.

It was a gift…To be free and happy forever-They had made their choice when they drank and he welcomed them all in with open arms. Couldn’t see it as an affliction without benefit for the dying or lost like them. They all deserved better than what they would’ve got without him.

“Don’t you see? I helped them.” He said softly, trying to reason with her while he still could.

Course if she couldn’t be it was her loss and not his.

“I really do get your hesitance, Bee…My own sire hadn’t done right by me either.”

“Must got no one to trust besides yourself and your roommate.”

“Think of it-like this…Boys on the pier, eyes dark, beat down by the world…Barely alive-on the verge of death-Overdosing or comatose.”

“Is it so wrong to think…they deserved the change they were always meant to be given? To be who they were meant to be. A life saved isn’t one without sacrifice…Not every war is won the noble way.” He tried to gently grab her hand. “Is it a curse if they’re happy? You came to see us play tonight…I don’t expect you to trust me-or forgive me for what I’ve done nor am I asking for your forgiveness…Just asking how far are any of us willing to go be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

“Sometimes…In the game of survival you have to fight dirty…But! It’s more than worth it for some if not all…”

David lets her go, putting his hands in his pockets and takes a couple steps back.

“It’s your choice. I’m not going to make you or anyone else around do anything they don’t want to. I can stay or I can let you go for now…Whatever you say, I’ll do. There’s no need for a fight or further disturbances.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Perhaps it was strange that she didn't pull her hand away when he reached for it. Her claws were sharp, fingers twitching slightly, but she didn't yank it away. She just listened. Didn't even scoff to correct him on how little she trusted Molly.

It was all the same arguments.

That they would have died without it.

That it was giving them a choice to live.

That it would give them the life they should have had.

That they were going to be happy with forever.

That they had forever.

"That's the only good part of this. We have forever."

Her shoulders shook just once as she forced the air out of her lungs that she didn't need. It kept her from making a sound until he finished.

When he let her go, Bee didn't turn towards him, but brought that hand up to her chest and gripped at the air in front of it, like something should have been there. It wasn't.

She wasn't.

"And what if something happens to you?...you can't say it won't. We're not invulnerable. I've seen us die. So. Many. Times." The words were terse to keep her tone steady. "You'd leave them with an eternity without you. That's not freedom. That's not happiness. That's not a life any of them should have. You'd leave them alone. Without the center of their world, without the person who gave them forever."

She peered over her shoulder just enough to try and catch his face while her eyes stayed mostly hidden behind hair.

Muddy hazel turned gold just from the agony of remembering.

"It's not worth it."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕬h, there it was...In sharing with him they'd found the crux of her hesitance towards him now...He gently squeezed her hand as she spoke back to him-His eyes entirely focused on her and his face sympathetic and kind-The age of experience on a young face like his showing.

It he was being honest it had been something he thought about on the worst of nights...

What his boys would do without him if left alone.

It wasn't a thought he'd like to entertain.

But, it was one he had some nights, even if he always knew to keep it to himself.

Wouldn't want to panic them...

That he was going anywhere someday.

For all their problems he knew they'd come for him and support him always if he called anytime.

He couldn't give Bee an easy answer to a question he hadn't figure out himself yet... The kind of scar that once it’s cut open it bleeds out...All of it. Not so easily stitched back up.

So, he tried to tell her what truth he had.

"I can't promise forever. None of us really can. All I can give...ls time. There's a risk in this life...There's a risk in a mortal life too. The difference is-When it works, it lasts longer than it could when we're alive. Wouldn't you...Rather love and be happy with the time you got then to never have it at all?" His voice ached with his own loss...Experiences he tried to forget. "Can't make that decision for you. It doesn't have to be worth it for you for it to be worth it for some..."

In her opening up, he opened up too...Just a crack, but it was enough. More than he would've given up if she hadn't first.

"If I have to fight to the end of it to stay I will." He opened up his free hand to look at it. "They're my brothers...And-My blood is in their veins but they're a part of me too."

"That's worth everything to me...To know I could've been there even if it's for a time-than to have never touched their lives. It wouldn't be the same. I'd rather die knowing they'd been loved. That I gave them something before I went and it all ended. I promise the best ride of their lives I can give and family while it lasts. Nothing more or less.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee was a creature of contradictions. "Forever" was a curse, but she couldn't get close to people who would only last a lifetime at most. The idea of family that would stay was beautiful and terrifying for what it could end with. She didn't want to get hurt again.

She couldn't take more scars.

Literally and metaphorically.

But David was being honest. And for at least this moment he sounded as old as he was--however much that was past the youth and beauty they were all cursed with. He was probably older than her. Four or five sires didn't happen in a few decades...or maybe they did? Her perception was skewed. But he felt older than her right now.

That was both comforting and frightening.

Another contradiction.

Bee turned a little more towards him, eyes still bright behind her dark glasses--the faint gleam of them dulled but not completely hidden, save for the boardwalk lights reflecting off them.

"...I can't take another heartbreak," she admitted, and exhaled slowly, "I'm...jealous, that you have each other. As much of a curse as this is, and I could never understand giving it to anyone--even someone who needed it...I...am still so fucking jealous."

A wet laugh left her lips as she brought her hands up, pushing the glasses up so she could rub her eyes. Without them, and with her hair pushed away, she looked so much younger. Hardly out of her teens.

Which she always, consistently, hated.

"Haah. Shit. My rimmel's gonna get everywhere."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕬h, suit yourself.” He gently tugged on a fly away tuft of blonde hair that always got away from him.

“All a matter of opinion and perspective.”

“Treasure and trash really are the same thing depending on how you look at it, right?” David took to smoothing out the side of his hair next-Not caring if he looked openly vain to Bee. “Can’t all look the same…Then we’d all lose out on the zest of life and individuality.” The older vampire walked a slow circle around the girl to oversee her whole outfit and take in her appearance. “Besides, can’t say I disagree with you-Been around long enough to watch fashion evolve. The librarian look was a good era for girls like you.”

Her passion on the subject was so palpable to him he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Whatever you say.” David held his hands up and arched his back defensively before making a small “o” with his index finger and thumb. “Ya got it, boss...” He let go of the hand gesture to give her a two finger salute and put his palm out. “No keyboards. Really hate it when a new instrument acts like an older one in disguise…Fresh and-fun for a while but never the same. Gotta stick to the classics when you can. Especially with a girl like you.”

“You prefer tradition, don’t you? Sticking to the way things are…”

It wasn’t hard to see it that David disagreed. Very few things about his experience with vampirism had went the traditional way of things he’d been told about. He had been a covenless vampire until he made his own…Wandering the world alone for a long time, betrayed and forsaken by his sire who’d always been close but ever so out of reach for him. He preferred following his own path anyway, making his own rules-freedom his way while guiding the other boys…All of ‘em were lucky to have found each other. Otherwise they might’ve ended up in a more rigid way of running things than how their current leader let them all live. “Catch more flies that way. Honey is sweet…and slippery. Don’t know how stuck you are until it’s too late and the trap closes up on you.”

“Nah, I insist.” He wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it-he hadn’t just been out here for that. “I’d like to know more about the new busy bee in the hive with us.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

And he was circling her. The shark imagery came back again as Bee turned her head to watch David, one brow raised to vanish behind her bangs. "Not sure librarians wear denim jackets," she had to whip her head the other direction to keep her eyes on him--careful not to go too fast, or it'd look unnatural and unnerving to any lingering eyes. She sighed a little wistfully. "If we're being honest, I preferred the sixties. Nothing's long and flowing anymore. But this is closer than, well."

She gestured at David's leather.

Bee had a couple more choice thoughts about keyboards in comparison to pianos, but they snagged when he called her traditional. Her nose scrunched up under the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, fuck off. Dressing modestly and preferring ivory to plastic doesn't make me traditional. Even before I was...this, I was pissing off pearl-clutchers. The bar's just moved outside where I'd personally step. Doesn't mean I'd go back to how it was."

"If I'm giving off that vibe maybe I do need to change something," she grumbled, tucking her hands back into her pockets and slouching just a little, "I want to look older not look like a bluenose."

Her eyes found his again.

He wanted her to stay. That was strange. Worrying, maybe. But assuming he was true to his word, he wasn't planning on hurting her.

How can I trust that?

"...guess I don't have anything else to do. I already ate. And," Bee glanced over her shoulder, "I don't want to just mill around." She returned her attention to David. "So...what else do you guys do around here, 'sides from play?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕸aybe they should more often.” He hit back, flattering her in his gaze. If it was flirting or not was left up to the imagination…The blonde was known to ravish and tease in that way when he could…Even if he meant nothing of substance by it…He gathered the girl likely wasn’t all that interested in him in that way…Living with a female roommate and not liking his style gave him more than enough ammunition to assume something about her…Even if he didn’t say anything about it out loud. “Sixties were a good time. Even if all the hippie garb left a lot to be desired for me specifically…”

He shrugged one shoulder with his head tilted. “Just not my style.”

“Didn’t say there was anything wrong with it.” He repeated, acting above all of Bee’s rage like it was something more amusing to him than anything. “You clearly got your fire to you…I like that.” He kicked his leg up ever so slightly. “If I didn’t think you had anything in you worth acknowledging…That you were a true traditionalist we wouldn’t be talking, friend. Just-acknowledging nobody at my shows look like you.”

“Most of the traditional kinds don’t like my way of doing things…” He thought of both other vampires and the detractors from his style of show alike…Debauched and sultry…No other stop in town like it with its burning passion.

“Never let someone else tell you who to be.”

The blonde rejected her notion…Taking suggestions from him on her style. “Wouldn’t you rather be your own person? My boys and I make up quite the family of eclectic individuals.”

He said it so innocently while grinning at her like a shark again.

“We ride mostly.” David began listing off the things they’d do for fun. “Like to loiter around but the locals don’t take well to that…Could always hang around by the beach.” He offered up to her. “I like watching the sea and the stars.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"You do look like you were made for this era," Bee rolled her eyes at his flattery, waving him off. Not quite for the reasons he suspected, but right now? Close enough. "Though you're the second I've met with colored hair. I'm told it's a bitch to do with no mirror but...I'm tempted."

She relaxed a little again. "Nobody at your show really looks like anybody else, either. Which is probably the best thing about fashion these days. There's patterns but not 'trends', y'know?"

Then she caught onto a word. And something in her eyes went soft again, widening a little, before she averted them. Family. He called his clan a "family". He had one. She'd run into only solo vampires since then, and even if hers hadn't been perfect--no, it had been so far from it she couldn't even pretend--she still missed hers with all her heart.

She missed her with all her heart.

"Betty...?"

For as much as that mattered when their hearts couldn't beat.

"That's...good for you," she murmured, suddenly wishing she had tried harder to leave when she gave him an out. His offer gave her something to move to, though her voice was still quieter than it had been. "A lot of these nights I've just been going out over the water. The stars are clearer here than home but...it's similar enough."

Bee shrugged her shoulders. "That's a yes. If you...really don't mind."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕴t’s a bitch, but it’s fun.” David corrected, wagging his index finger at her mockingly. “It’s…Lucky for me I have more than a few helping hands at my disposal. Though I wouldn’t say I’m bad at it on my own. Could always help you out if you need it. Always got a little time to kill.” The dyed blonde gently grabbed a piece of her hair. “Mmm, got any color you were thinking or still figuring it out?”

“That’s what I love about it.” He said, remaining focused and locked in on the girl’s hair and what would look good on her…Playing hairdresser out of boredom when he really wasn’t one to talk when it came to hair. “My fans are as free as me…Won’t ever find a crowd in this place as unique or captivating in its own right even outside the band of their affections. I like looking out at ‘em. Even the ones we don’t eat.”

“Strike a nerve there?” The other vampire could see it so clear in her face, the softening of her eyes, the way they darted away from him too. “I used to walk the world alone…Then I found my brothers, and my brothers found me…and now we’re all a family.” He kept on going, softly and gently…Crooning-in his words for her.

“We’re not a clan or coven in the traditional sense of the word. But…I did sire my own boys-and Star.”

“Don’t believe in leading with an iron grip but by example. What I do believe in is if you train your birds to fly well enough alone with you, you don’t have to lead that way.”

“They’ll always fly back home to you on their own.”

“It is, isn’t it? Well, we’re a welcoming bunch. Never one to turn down another in need of a family.” When she changed the conversation he wasn’t far behind, never missing a beat. “Ah, a fellow stargazer! So it seems we do have things in common, friend! Always more fun when you’re in good company than when you go it alone…Because then you’re sharing in an experience as much as you are gazing.”

“Don’t mind at all. Like I said, wouldn’t offer something I wasn’t interested in having or taking.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee didn't swat at his hand as he fiddled with her hair, but she had a lot of it. If he went for her bangs maybe she'd flinch but there were so many fly-away curls it hardly registered. "Haven't thought of a color beyond 'not brown'. I hate how it looks now. I just want it lighter without frying it...and not as light as yours?"

She would take anything that wasn't the conversation he was, of course, trying to push for even harder. Without looking back his way Bee started walking down the pier in the direction of the beach. Trying to keep his words from affecting her.

But they were. And she was bad at hiding it. Her shoulders were getting tense, her chin tucking nearer to her chest. Her sharp nails scraped the inside of her pockets. Everything in her heart hardened with that single thread of knowledge.

David hadn't had a clan. He'd made it. He'd sired it.

He cursed them with it.

Her silence broke when he finally stopped talking, her voice cold.

And scared.

"Why would you make anyone do this...? This horrible life...inflicting it on people you care about...you've cursed them with eternity."

But there was bitterness to it, too. Terrified as she was of any vampire willingly putting this curse onto others, even worse was how, still, some part of her was jealous of it. Even if he made it, at least he had it. They had each other. She wanted to claw her stomach open and yank that horrible feeling out because it was wrong.

Nothing was worth siring others.

"You're not saving her! He'll just kill her instead! How could you do this?!"

Nothing is worth making them the same monster as you.

[ihavetohaveyou]

TW: MENTIONS OF ILLNESS AND OVERDOSING

𝕯avid’s face scrunched up in theatrical contraction, eyes narrowing in with a small “hmm” noise escaping his lips. Like an artist observing his next masterpiece in action. “A light brown or darker blonde would really do your features well…Bet all the girls on the boardwalk would kill to look like you…”

The blonde’s eyebrows furrowed up ever so slightly as Bee began to lash out at him for what he’d done…For turning his boys and starting a family for himself-Selfish… As it was-even if he’d never admit the vampire had always been lonely…And he only chose the ones who needed his help-the ones he saw himself in…The kinds who would flourish with the powers he gave them.

It was a gift…To be free and happy forever-They had made their choice when they drank and he welcomed them all in with open arms. Couldn’t see it as an affliction without benefit for the dying or lost like them. They all deserved better than what they would’ve got without him.

“Don’t you see? I helped them.” He said softly, trying to reason with her while he still could.

Course if she couldn’t be it was her loss and not his.

“I really do get your hesitance, Bee…My own sire hadn’t done right by me either.”

“Must got no one to trust besides yourself and your roommate.”

“Think of it-like this…Boys on the pier, eyes dark, beat down by the world…Barely alive-on the verge of death-Overdosing or comatose.”

“Is it so wrong to think…they deserved the change they were always meant to be given? To be who they were meant to be. A life saved isn’t one without sacrifice…Not every war is won the noble way.” He tried to gently grab her hand. “Is it a curse if they’re happy? You came to see us play tonight…I don’t expect you to trust me-or forgive me for what I’ve done nor am I asking for your forgiveness…Just asking how far are any of us willing to go be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

“Sometimes…In the game of survival you have to fight dirty…But! It’s more than worth it for some if not all…”

David lets her go, putting his hands in his pockets and takes a couple steps back.

“It’s your choice. I’m not going to make you or anyone else around do anything they don’t want to. I can stay or I can let you go for now…Whatever you say, I’ll do. There’s no need for a fight or further disturbances.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Perhaps it was strange that she didn't pull her hand away when he reached for it. Her claws were sharp, fingers twitching slightly, but she didn't yank it away. She just listened. Didn't even scoff to correct him on how little she trusted Molly.

It was all the same arguments.

That they would have died without it.

That it was giving them a choice to live.

That it would give them the life they should have had.

That they were going to be happy with forever.

That they had forever.

"That's the only good part of this. We have forever."

Her shoulders shook just once as she forced the air out of her lungs that she didn't need. It kept her from making a sound until he finished.

When he let her go, Bee didn't turn towards him, but brought that hand up to her chest and gripped at the air in front of it, like something should have been there. It wasn't.

She wasn't.

"And what if something happens to you?...you can't say it won't. We're not invulnerable. I've seen us die. So. Many. Times." The words were terse to keep her tone steady. "You'd leave them with an eternity without you. That's not freedom. That's not happiness. That's not a life any of them should have. You'd leave them alone. Without the center of their world, without the person who gave them forever."

She peered over her shoulder just enough to try and catch his face while her eyes stayed mostly hidden behind hair.

Muddy hazel turned gold just from the agony of remembering.

"It's not worth it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Aw, why? Just ‘cause it’s true…” Even as he heard the sharpness in her voice grow he wasn’t above playing with the line…This was something new and something exciting for him…Push and pull, going back and forth. Almost made him feel truly alive even if he knew he was by all means just surviving. For a boy who wanted to survive so badly David didn’t have anything if not a death wish.

“Being a ‘natural’ at something is what we all say to make the hard work sound easy…” He sobered up a little…Introspective and quiet. Had a lot of time for thinking these days it felt like-“But, the climb up is the best part of something…Nothing sweeter than a victory earned-and fought for.”

There the bitterness slipped back into his voice…Thinking of Michael and his cheap win. “The ones of us who care about it most don’t want to be naturals…We want to put in the work for it.” He hummed softly, trying and failing ultimately to match the mindless tune the girl was playing. “I want to play like you someday. Not because I was a natural at it but because I wanted it bad enough to learn. That’s all we can ever do in this world…Learn from those of us who got things to teach.”

The humming began to stop as Molly opened up to him more seriously about her past, wanting to keep up and take all she was saying in.

“You deserved the chance to soar.” It was soft and sympathetic, but he meant it when he said it. That it was something real and taken straight from his heart and given to her. “All of us do.” He was determined to make the best of what she’d given him. “But-you, you gave it your all…” His eyebrows lifted with a softened glance towards Molly. “And the world spat you out for it…” David flinched, eyes darkening as he looked around at anything else with rage on her behalf…Hard to tell at this point if he was talking about himself or her.

With a deep inhale he kept speaking. “Can’t say I don’t relate to that…Been trying to learn, trying to find my shot and take it-and not let go of it until there’s nothing else…I don’t think the world is all that interested in what I’ve got to give it…It crushes us down to the bone. And it takes and it takes from us until one day there’s nothing left for it to have of you…It sucks the life out of me…all of it. It’s tearing me apart and…”

David suddenly looks embarrassed for talking so much.

“This isn’t about me.” He cuts himself off. “It’s about you. Look, what matters is if you got to play for anyone else around you’d be the biggest thing on the boardwalk.” The boy’s smile was more genuine for once. “Don’t just think it but know it.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly flipped him off with the next note she played at his teasing. Then went back to playing quiet, meaningless ditties beneath their conversation. David was so familiar in this moment; another one of the dreamers who couldn't stop, even when it hurt. It was terrible fate that made Molly have to leave her dreams behind, but now she did have a chance to have something resembling it. Even he said as much.

Except for one little obstacle.

Her mouth turned into a sour frown. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot. I'm just pissed off that, right as you may be, there's one shithead that makes it nearly impossible to actually get noticed around here."

"You know who I'm talking about," she huffed as she approached by a couple steps, "Kind of impossible not to, fucker is everyone's so-called 'sweetheart'. Hop down from there, will ya?"

She smiled on that last sentence, and whether or not David did, she rotated the guitar in her arms and offered it back to him.

"If you really wanna play like I do, I can teach you." Molly offered, setting her now empty hands on her hips. "Won't cost me nothing but time, and I've got way too much of that these days."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

Almost as if on a queue his heart felt like it would’ve stopped…He knew exactly who Molly had been talking about-“Santa Carla’s Sweetheart” himself, Michael. Felt like the other boy had been a ghost in his life ever since they met that first night he got into town…Always omnipresent in his mind. A poser…A jackass, but one who’d gotten away with everything he’d ever wanted out of life without having to work for it the way David had. When it felt like every door in the world was closing on him, a new door opened for the other musician. Guess he couldn’t see why…The boy really did have his charms about him, literally-when he wasn’t acting like he was better than everyone else around him. A looker too…Curly hair, plump lips, a broad physique…

“So, we’ve met.” He said coldly, already dismissive of the topic of him…Of Michael.

“Can’t say the boy made much of a good first impression on me.” The blonde was going to leave it there but he couldn’t-He had more to say about Michael to anyone who’d listen to him speak on about it. “Doesn’t take a genius to see the guy can’t play all that well either.”

“Really feel for his fans.” He admitted. “Bet you wouldn’t believe me…But, being at one of his shows feels like being trapped inside your mind with no escape. Maybe it just was for me. Nobody else I’ve met seems to feel that way about him. It was nice until it wasn’t…” The blonde muttered the last part to himself more than to Molly. “Wants me to play with him to make it around here-Plan to go solo and show him. Never wise to groom the competition’s success…Even if something tells me he won’t let me go that easily…”

Almost on command, David got down on his feet to meet her, more than eager and willing to take the guitar from her.

“Sure you want nothing else in return?” It was a normal question he asked-but where it usually would be abrasive it more sounded confused as to why she’d help him out without an ulterior motive…Most of ‘em so far had one. Aspen for a friend, Michael for…Well, whatever it is Michael wants he doesn’t know about yet. Only one besides Molly to be like this to him was Star…“Don’t have much but I want to give you something.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"I believe you."

Molly's face went uncharacteristically calm for a moment, no smile or sharpness or frown. She was approaching a risky topic. She knew Michael was using his powers on that crowd. That was what pissed her off so much in the first place--that he literally could use magic to achieve what took her and the people she'd loved years to reach for, only for so many of them to die before they got there.

Meanwhile Michael turned his "death" into this.

But she couldn't tell David that. She wanted to. She wanted to affirm that he wasn't crazy. Hell, that he could feel it was very interesting--he shouldn't be able to, should he? Maybe that would fade the more he saw those shows, the more he got exposed. That would suck.

Maybe if I word it carefully, I--

There was a rustle of fabric too far away for David to hear, on the pier. But she heard it. Fingernails drumming against a brick wall.

No heartbeat.

You fucking wuss. He'll find out eventually.

Molly finally emoted again, after a couple moments, with a grimace. "Don't get me started on his playing. Fucking 'Four Chords McGee' over there knows ONE melody structure...as if doing anything new or interesting would make him explode or something."

Her brows furrowed. "I wouldn't take that offer if I were you. Not with how much you want to earn that recognition. You can't do it with him."

She had to leave it at that.

"Nah. Told ya, I was just like you when I started out. Only had people who offered to help me, that got me this far," her smile returned, bright and wide and warm, "And, hey! Once you've got it down we can jam!"

"Gimme a few notes, lemme see where you're at?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“I believe you.”

Three simple words, but enough to get him to perk his head back up…Suddenly alert and listening again. Hadn’t expected her to listen or indulge him. He knew it sounded a certain away. Like he’d just been jealous or tired after a long day of traveling…Who would ever choose to believe a guy like him over a guy like Michael? The town was so enamored with him it was almost frightening in its own kind of a way-as much as it fascinated and compelled him towards the boy…Felt like for the first time since he’d gotten here the haze and fog was beginning to lift…It was all beginning to come clear or felt like soon it will and he could see the light up ahead at the end of the dark tunnel he’d been traveling for a long time now alone…

Then someone he didn’t even know was there turned the light back off again.

He could’ve swore it up and down in the pause Molly had something to say to him but she didn’t. If anything that only made him more curious and determined to figure it out. The vague possibility he could be right at all was enough to light a fire inside him worth the thrill of it to chase…

“There’s this girl…Star…”

Even as his shoulders began to sag, his resolve never wavered…Too stubborn really, for his own good at a time like this.

“Should I worry for her now that she’s spending so much time with him?” His mind began to wonder where the girl was now-while she wasn’t with him. He could only hope she wasn’t with Michael alone…

“It’s different than when it’s me…Hanging around him.” David forced a smile. “She’s good…” He didn’t finish that sentence-could’ve sworn it would’ve ended with him wanting to say “I’m not”…

He bursted out into laugher at Molly’s little insult. “All I have to do is play five and I’m already better off than him.” The blonde looked down at the guitar, trying now to focus on the instrument instead of his own internal dread about the boy. “Never trying anything else out sounds boring. The road of music is wide for a reason…Diversity and individuality.”

“Trust me, I’ve made it more than clear I don’t want to buy anything Michael is selling. Doesn’t seem to be taking my no for an answer. Wanted to take me out to dinner and everything…” His cheeks flushed a little bit more than he would’ve liked in front of his fellow Michael detractor.

“Can’t help it he’s obsessed with me.”

“Nice. You’re too kind for a girl who sneaks up behind a guy while he strums in the dark, friend.” He really did want to be her friend…So bad he couldn’t see straight at all even. “Sounds nice to me. Fuck, maybe we can start our own band. Gotta be better than the rest of the local entertainment.”

He strummed a couple of the notes he knew, his heart was racing again. Not from fright, but-embarrassment now knowing how good the girl teaching him really was at it.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Star. Yep, there was the other one she was told was strictly off the menu. Did Michael know the two of them were close? He would probably have an easier time going through Star to get to David than to keep pursuing like the sad dog that he looked like when talking about either of them. But at least she was sure of something. "I doubt he'd ever hurt her, if that's what you mean," Molly offered like a consolation prize, "Guy's as threatening as soggy lint. But anything else?...no idea."

He wouldn't right? Michael hardly ate people, and he didn't turn people--Bee said so herself, and Bee wouldn't want to be around him if he did. Molly wasn't sure why that was such a point of contention but, well, it clearly meant enough to her to gain him her trust.

Molly wasn't as easily swayed.

And after learning the truth of his little shows, she never would be.

She did snicker as David's cheeks darkened, and she wagged a finger in his peripheral like she was about to poke him there. "D'aaaw, for all the shit you're talking, that didn't sound entirely displeased. You're bluuuushin'." Wait, was it too dark for her to be able to see that? Ehh. Maybe he'd read it as her assuming. "For your sake, or at least my sanity, please raise your standards. You could do way better."

She stuck her tongue out at the little jab, then retracted it when he started to play. Molly tilted her head, brows raising. Alright. Not bad for a beginner, but--

"You're pressing too hard," she reached for his hand, "That's why the notes sound weird. You wanna put just enough pressure on the string to get the right sound, but if you press too hard it'll warp. Gotta be a little more gentle with the...neck."

She grinned a little too much at that. And it only got wider when she heard a muffled groan too distant for David to pick up.

Hah.

Molly reigned it in after a couple moments. "Try that again. Just enough pressure to get the right sound. It'll dig into your fingers a little but, hey, callouses are part of the deal."

She'd used to have those. But now her skin didn't even go red when she played. She almost missed it--that physical connection to her instrument that she adored so much.

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Can only hope you’re right…” David murmured. He didn’t want to sound possessive for a girl he’s barely gotten to know…But, the time they’ve had has been some of the best in his life so far. He was protective of her…The way she saw the world so innocently…that starry look in her eyes guiding them both back into the light…He hadn’t ever met anyone like her who got it after all a life on the run takes from you. He just wanted her to be happy, even if that wasn’t with him…As much as the thought sucked to think about. A world where her eyes didn’t shine like that anymore wasn’t a world he wanted to be a part of-And god forbid if Michael was the one who did it to her.

“People aren’t always what they appear to be now, are they?” He smirked at Molly and her own appearances. Most from where he was from would’ve written the girl off as not worth talking to and she’d been nothing but sweet to him so far.

David wasn’t so easily swayed either. He’d been given no reason to trust Michael and only reasons to not…

Something told him the boy wasn’t the best to underestimate for as harmless as he tried to act like he was. All the smartest wolves know how to look like sheep for the girl’s who’d fall for it. Could only hope Star’s starry eyes didn’t blind her long enough to what little flecks of truth he’d already gathered about the brunette of her affections of late.

Ironically, Molly calling him out on it only made him flush worse in spite of himself. It had been so dark he had thought she wouldn’t be able to see him. “If you want to accuse me of a crush you got to have more than that.” He tried to sound confident when really he just sounded like a boy all worked up over a crush on a singer. “Being aware of someone else’s appeal doesn’t mean I’m interested…Would prefer it if I could have someone who doesn’t act like I’m someone to tame or clean up. Probably only offered me a shot for charity and pity points.”

Very maturely of him, he stuck his tongue back out for all the teasing. “Besides, I’d rather have Star if I could…If she’d want me. Doubt I could have both even if I wanted that.”

In spite of himself, David didn’t flinch or pull away under Molly’s touch as she guided him to play better…For some reason he had already given her so much of his trust and she hadn’t failed him with it yet…A little more might’ve not been so bad.

He didn’t get the joke…Just staring at her grin like she’d grown a second head right there in front of him before shaking his own head and going back to playing.

He wasn’t afraid of the pain on his fingers. By no means did he have a low pain tolerance by now-Not with the experiences he’s had…Whatever it was he had it in him. He could take it. He wanted the callouses. A mark on his skin to prove it-how much of a musician he really was.

So, he listened to the girl’s instructions. Trying to be more gentle and kind to his own instrument and himself hoping it would produce a better sound out of it for all involved.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Don't know what you're on about. I'm one of the scariest fuckers on the boardwalk!" Molly hummed at David's jab. She wasn't lying. But for him, right now? Well, he was lucky that he was off the menu, and she was fortunate that she'd still approached him even with that in mind. He was fun. She hadn't had an actual human friend since, well, since she started eating them.

It wasn't even guilt. It was just her own awareness. If she started hanging out with humans, and there was ever an accident where one of them started to bleed...if she hadn't fed...

Her control wavered even on good nights.

Right now, though, it was a risk she was glad she'd taken.

"Ehh, he's pretty, but I'm not into dudes. So I only half get it." Molly said, bluntly, because she saw no reason not to. "But the guy's a prick. So yeah. Shoot for the Star, or however that saying goes?"

David did sound better, taking her advice. She hummed to the chords he played, then with her hand still hovering near his, she started giving little instructions. "Put your index finger here, middle here, ring here..." a strum, "...now index all the way across, and middle here, ring on both of these..." another strum, "...then back to the first..."

Molly motioned him through a few more chords. Then started quietly singing. She sang slower, fitting the speed David played--it made the song sound a little sad, or maybe bitter, with those lyrics.

"If you want my love...you gotta learn, to treat me with respect."

"If you want my love...love me enough, to drop the strings that you brought."

"If you want my love...then realize--that I ain't some pet that ya bought."

"If you want my love..."

How fitting.

She giggled as she trailed off. "See? Not hard, once you get practice. Though relax your shoulders a bit, I can feel the kink in your neck you're gonna get."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Aw, why? Just ‘cause it’s true…” Even as he heard the sharpness in her voice grow he wasn’t above playing with the line…This was something new and something exciting for him…Push and pull, going back and forth. Almost made him feel truly alive even if he knew he was by all means just surviving. For a boy who wanted to survive so badly David didn’t have anything if not a death wish.

“Being a ‘natural’ at something is what we all say to make the hard work sound easy…” He sobered up a little…Introspective and quiet. Had a lot of time for thinking these days it felt like-“But, the climb up is the best part of something…Nothing sweeter than a victory earned-and fought for.”

There the bitterness slipped back into his voice…Thinking of Michael and his cheap win. “The ones of us who care about it most don’t want to be naturals…We want to put in the work for it.” He hummed softly, trying and failing ultimately to match the mindless tune the girl was playing. “I want to play like you someday. Not because I was a natural at it but because I wanted it bad enough to learn. That’s all we can ever do in this world…Learn from those of us who got things to teach.”

The humming began to stop as Molly opened up to him more seriously about her past, wanting to keep up and take all she was saying in.

“You deserved the chance to soar.” It was soft and sympathetic, but he meant it when he said it. That it was something real and taken straight from his heart and given to her. “All of us do.” He was determined to make the best of what she’d given him. “But-you, you gave it your all…” His eyebrows lifted with a softened glance towards Molly. “And the world spat you out for it…” David flinched, eyes darkening as he looked around at anything else with rage on her behalf…Hard to tell at this point if he was talking about himself or her.

With a deep inhale he kept speaking. “Can’t say I don’t relate to that…Been trying to learn, trying to find my shot and take it-and not let go of it until there’s nothing else…I don’t think the world is all that interested in what I’ve got to give it…It crushes us down to the bone. And it takes and it takes from us until one day there’s nothing left for it to have of you…It sucks the life out of me…all of it. It’s tearing me apart and…”

David suddenly looks embarrassed for talking so much.

“This isn’t about me.” He cuts himself off. “It’s about you. Look, what matters is if you got to play for anyone else around you’d be the biggest thing on the boardwalk.” The boy’s smile was more genuine for once. “Don’t just think it but know it.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly flipped him off with the next note she played at his teasing. Then went back to playing quiet, meaningless ditties beneath their conversation. David was so familiar in this moment; another one of the dreamers who couldn't stop, even when it hurt. It was terrible fate that made Molly have to leave her dreams behind, but now she did have a chance to have something resembling it. Even he said as much.

Except for one little obstacle.

Her mouth turned into a sour frown. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot. I'm just pissed off that, right as you may be, there's one shithead that makes it nearly impossible to actually get noticed around here."

"You know who I'm talking about," she huffed as she approached by a couple steps, "Kind of impossible not to, fucker is everyone's so-called 'sweetheart'. Hop down from there, will ya?"

She smiled on that last sentence, and whether or not David did, she rotated the guitar in her arms and offered it back to him.

"If you really wanna play like I do, I can teach you." Molly offered, setting her now empty hands on her hips. "Won't cost me nothing but time, and I've got way too much of that these days."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

Almost as if on a queue his heart felt like it would’ve stopped…He knew exactly who Molly had been talking about-“Santa Carla’s Sweetheart” himself, Michael. Felt like the other boy had been a ghost in his life ever since they met that first night he got into town…Always omnipresent in his mind. A poser…A jackass, but one who’d gotten away with everything he’d ever wanted out of life without having to work for it the way David had. When it felt like every door in the world was closing on him, a new door opened for the other musician. Guess he couldn’t see why…The boy really did have his charms about him, literally-when he wasn’t acting like he was better than everyone else around him. A looker too…Curly hair, plump lips, a broad physique…

“So, we’ve met.” He said coldly, already dismissive of the topic of him…Of Michael.

“Can’t say the boy made much of a good first impression on me.” The blonde was going to leave it there but he couldn’t-He had more to say about Michael to anyone who’d listen to him speak on about it. “Doesn’t take a genius to see the guy can’t play all that well either.”

“Really feel for his fans.” He admitted. “Bet you wouldn’t believe me…But, being at one of his shows feels like being trapped inside your mind with no escape. Maybe it just was for me. Nobody else I’ve met seems to feel that way about him. It was nice until it wasn’t…” The blonde muttered the last part to himself more than to Molly. “Wants me to play with him to make it around here-Plan to go solo and show him. Never wise to groom the competition’s success…Even if something tells me he won’t let me go that easily…”

Almost on command, David got down on his feet to meet her, more than eager and willing to take the guitar from her.

“Sure you want nothing else in return?” It was a normal question he asked-but where it usually would be abrasive it more sounded confused as to why she’d help him out without an ulterior motive…Most of ‘em so far had one. Aspen for a friend, Michael for…Well, whatever it is Michael wants he doesn’t know about yet. Only one besides Molly to be like this to him was Star…“Don’t have much but I want to give you something.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"I believe you."

Molly's face went uncharacteristically calm for a moment, no smile or sharpness or frown. She was approaching a risky topic. She knew Michael was using his powers on that crowd. That was what pissed her off so much in the first place--that he literally could use magic to achieve what took her and the people she'd loved years to reach for, only for so many of them to die before they got there.

Meanwhile Michael turned his "death" into this.

But she couldn't tell David that. She wanted to. She wanted to affirm that he wasn't crazy. Hell, that he could feel it was very interesting--he shouldn't be able to, should he? Maybe that would fade the more he saw those shows, the more he got exposed. That would suck.

Maybe if I word it carefully, I--

There was a rustle of fabric too far away for David to hear, on the pier. But she heard it. Fingernails drumming against a brick wall.

No heartbeat.

You fucking wuss. He'll find out eventually.

Molly finally emoted again, after a couple moments, with a grimace. "Don't get me started on his playing. Fucking 'Four Chords McGee' over there knows ONE melody structure...as if doing anything new or interesting would make him explode or something."

Her brows furrowed. "I wouldn't take that offer if I were you. Not with how much you want to earn that recognition. You can't do it with him."

She had to leave it at that.

"Nah. Told ya, I was just like you when I started out. Only had people who offered to help me, that got me this far," her smile returned, bright and wide and warm, "And, hey! Once you've got it down we can jam!"

"Gimme a few notes, lemme see where you're at?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“I believe you.”

Three simple words, but enough to get him to perk his head back up…Suddenly alert and listening again. Hadn’t expected her to listen or indulge him. He knew it sounded a certain away. Like he’d just been jealous or tired after a long day of traveling…Who would ever choose to believe a guy like him over a guy like Michael? The town was so enamored with him it was almost frightening in its own kind of a way-as much as it fascinated and compelled him towards the boy…Felt like for the first time since he’d gotten here the haze and fog was beginning to lift…It was all beginning to come clear or felt like soon it will and he could see the light up ahead at the end of the dark tunnel he’d been traveling for a long time now alone…

Then someone he didn’t even know was there turned the light back off again.

He could’ve swore it up and down in the pause Molly had something to say to him but she didn’t. If anything that only made him more curious and determined to figure it out. The vague possibility he could be right at all was enough to light a fire inside him worth the thrill of it to chase…

“There’s this girl…Star…”

Even as his shoulders began to sag, his resolve never wavered…Too stubborn really, for his own good at a time like this.

“Should I worry for her now that she’s spending so much time with him?” His mind began to wonder where the girl was now-while she wasn’t with him. He could only hope she wasn’t with Michael alone…

“It’s different than when it’s me…Hanging around him.” David forced a smile. “She’s good…” He didn’t finish that sentence-could’ve sworn it would’ve ended with him wanting to say “I’m not”…

He bursted out into laugher at Molly’s little insult. “All I have to do is play five and I’m already better off than him.” The blonde looked down at the guitar, trying now to focus on the instrument instead of his own internal dread about the boy. “Never trying anything else out sounds boring. The road of music is wide for a reason…Diversity and individuality.”

“Trust me, I’ve made it more than clear I don’t want to buy anything Michael is selling. Doesn’t seem to be taking my no for an answer. Wanted to take me out to dinner and everything…” His cheeks flushed a little bit more than he would’ve liked in front of his fellow Michael detractor.

“Can’t help it he’s obsessed with me.”

“Nice. You’re too kind for a girl who sneaks up behind a guy while he strums in the dark, friend.” He really did want to be her friend…So bad he couldn’t see straight at all even. “Sounds nice to me. Fuck, maybe we can start our own band. Gotta be better than the rest of the local entertainment.”

He strummed a couple of the notes he knew, his heart was racing again. Not from fright, but-embarrassment now knowing how good the girl teaching him really was at it.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Star. Yep, there was the other one she was told was strictly off the menu. Did Michael know the two of them were close? He would probably have an easier time going through Star to get to David than to keep pursuing like the sad dog that he looked like when talking about either of them. But at least she was sure of something. "I doubt he'd ever hurt her, if that's what you mean," Molly offered like a consolation prize, "Guy's as threatening as soggy lint. But anything else?...no idea."

He wouldn't right? Michael hardly ate people, and he didn't turn people--Bee said so herself, and Bee wouldn't want to be around him if he did. Molly wasn't sure why that was such a point of contention but, well, it clearly meant enough to her to gain him her trust.

Molly wasn't as easily swayed.

And after learning the truth of his little shows, she never would be.

She did snicker as David's cheeks darkened, and she wagged a finger in his peripheral like she was about to poke him there. "D'aaaw, for all the shit you're talking, that didn't sound entirely displeased. You're bluuuushin'." Wait, was it too dark for her to be able to see that? Ehh. Maybe he'd read it as her assuming. "For your sake, or at least my sanity, please raise your standards. You could do way better."

She stuck her tongue out at the little jab, then retracted it when he started to play. Molly tilted her head, brows raising. Alright. Not bad for a beginner, but--

"You're pressing too hard," she reached for his hand, "That's why the notes sound weird. You wanna put just enough pressure on the string to get the right sound, but if you press too hard it'll warp. Gotta be a little more gentle with the...neck."

She grinned a little too much at that. And it only got wider when she heard a muffled groan too distant for David to pick up.

Hah.

Molly reigned it in after a couple moments. "Try that again. Just enough pressure to get the right sound. It'll dig into your fingers a little but, hey, callouses are part of the deal."

She'd used to have those. But now her skin didn't even go red when she played. She almost missed it--that physical connection to her instrument that she adored so much.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕬h, suit yourself.” He gently tugged on a fly away tuft of blonde hair that always got away from him.

“All a matter of opinion and perspective.”

“Treasure and trash really are the same thing depending on how you look at it, right?” David took to smoothing out the side of his hair next-Not caring if he looked openly vain to Bee. “Can’t all look the same…Then we’d all lose out on the zest of life and individuality.” The older vampire walked a slow circle around the girl to oversee her whole outfit and take in her appearance. “Besides, can’t say I disagree with you-Been around long enough to watch fashion evolve. The librarian look was a good era for girls like you.”

Her passion on the subject was so palpable to him he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Whatever you say.” David held his hands up and arched his back defensively before making a small “o” with his index finger and thumb. “Ya got it, boss...” He let go of the hand gesture to give her a two finger salute and put his palm out. “No keyboards. Really hate it when a new instrument acts like an older one in disguise…Fresh and-fun for a while but never the same. Gotta stick to the classics when you can. Especially with a girl like you.”

“You prefer tradition, don’t you? Sticking to the way things are…”

It wasn’t hard to see it that David disagreed. Very few things about his experience with vampirism had went the traditional way of things he’d been told about. He had been a covenless vampire until he made his own…Wandering the world alone for a long time, betrayed and forsaken by his sire who’d always been close but ever so out of reach for him. He preferred following his own path anyway, making his own rules-freedom his way while guiding the other boys…All of ‘em were lucky to have found each other. Otherwise they might’ve ended up in a more rigid way of running things than how their current leader let them all live. “Catch more flies that way. Honey is sweet…and slippery. Don’t know how stuck you are until it’s too late and the trap closes up on you.”

“Nah, I insist.” He wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it-he hadn’t just been out here for that. “I’d like to know more about the new busy bee in the hive with us.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

And he was circling her. The shark imagery came back again as Bee turned her head to watch David, one brow raised to vanish behind her bangs. "Not sure librarians wear denim jackets," she had to whip her head the other direction to keep her eyes on him--careful not to go too fast, or it'd look unnatural and unnerving to any lingering eyes. She sighed a little wistfully. "If we're being honest, I preferred the sixties. Nothing's long and flowing anymore. But this is closer than, well."

She gestured at David's leather.

Bee had a couple more choice thoughts about keyboards in comparison to pianos, but they snagged when he called her traditional. Her nose scrunched up under the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, fuck off. Dressing modestly and preferring ivory to plastic doesn't make me traditional. Even before I was...this, I was pissing off pearl-clutchers. The bar's just moved outside where I'd personally step. Doesn't mean I'd go back to how it was."

"If I'm giving off that vibe maybe I do need to change something," she grumbled, tucking her hands back into her pockets and slouching just a little, "I want to look older not look like a bluenose."

Her eyes found his again.

He wanted her to stay. That was strange. Worrying, maybe. But assuming he was true to his word, he wasn't planning on hurting her.

How can I trust that?

"...guess I don't have anything else to do. I already ate. And," Bee glanced over her shoulder, "I don't want to just mill around." She returned her attention to David. "So...what else do you guys do around here, 'sides from play?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕸aybe they should more often.” He hit back, flattering her in his gaze. If it was flirting or not was left up to the imagination…The blonde was known to ravish and tease in that way when he could…Even if he meant nothing of substance by it…He gathered the girl likely wasn’t all that interested in him in that way…Living with a female roommate and not liking his style gave him more than enough ammunition to assume something about her…Even if he didn’t say anything about it out loud. “Sixties were a good time. Even if all the hippie garb left a lot to be desired for me specifically…”

He shrugged one shoulder with his head tilted. “Just not my style.”

“Didn’t say there was anything wrong with it.” He repeated, acting above all of Bee’s rage like it was something more amusing to him than anything. “You clearly got your fire to you…I like that.” He kicked his leg up ever so slightly. “If I didn’t think you had anything in you worth acknowledging…That you were a true traditionalist we wouldn’t be talking, friend. Just-acknowledging nobody at my shows look like you.”

“Most of the traditional kinds don’t like my way of doing things…” He thought of both other vampires and the detractors from his style of show alike…Debauched and sultry…No other stop in town like it with its burning passion.

“Never let someone else tell you who to be.”

The blonde rejected her notion…Taking suggestions from him on her style. “Wouldn’t you rather be your own person? My boys and I make up quite the family of eclectic individuals.”

He said it so innocently while grinning at her like a shark again.

“We ride mostly.” David began listing off the things they’d do for fun. “Like to loiter around but the locals don’t take well to that…Could always hang around by the beach.” He offered up to her. “I like watching the sea and the stars.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"You do look like you were made for this era," Bee rolled her eyes at his flattery, waving him off. Not quite for the reasons he suspected, but right now? Close enough. "Though you're the second I've met with colored hair. I'm told it's a bitch to do with no mirror but...I'm tempted."

She relaxed a little again. "Nobody at your show really looks like anybody else, either. Which is probably the best thing about fashion these days. There's patterns but not 'trends', y'know?"

Then she caught onto a word. And something in her eyes went soft again, widening a little, before she averted them. Family. He called his clan a "family". He had one. She'd run into only solo vampires since then, and even if hers hadn't been perfect--no, it had been so far from it she couldn't even pretend--she still missed hers with all her heart.

She missed her with all her heart.

"Betty...?"

For as much as that mattered when their hearts couldn't beat.

"That's...good for you," she murmured, suddenly wishing she had tried harder to leave when she gave him an out. His offer gave her something to move to, though her voice was still quieter than it had been. "A lot of these nights I've just been going out over the water. The stars are clearer here than home but...it's similar enough."

Bee shrugged her shoulders. "That's a yes. If you...really don't mind."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕴t’s a bitch, but it’s fun.” David corrected, wagging his index finger at her mockingly. “It’s…Lucky for me I have more than a few helping hands at my disposal. Though I wouldn’t say I’m bad at it on my own. Could always help you out if you need it. Always got a little time to kill.” The dyed blonde gently grabbed a piece of her hair. “Mmm, got any color you were thinking or still figuring it out?”

“That’s what I love about it.” He said, remaining focused and locked in on the girl’s hair and what would look good on her…Playing hairdresser out of boredom when he really wasn’t one to talk when it came to hair. “My fans are as free as me…Won’t ever find a crowd in this place as unique or captivating in its own right even outside the band of their affections. I like looking out at ‘em. Even the ones we don’t eat.”

“Strike a nerve there?” The other vampire could see it so clear in her face, the softening of her eyes, the way they darted away from him too. “I used to walk the world alone…Then I found my brothers, and my brothers found me…and now we’re all a family.” He kept on going, softly and gently…Crooning-in his words for her.

“We’re not a clan or coven in the traditional sense of the word. But…I did sire my own boys-and Star.”

“Don’t believe in leading with an iron grip but by example. What I do believe in is if you train your birds to fly well enough alone with you, you don’t have to lead that way.”

“They’ll always fly back home to you on their own.”

“It is, isn’t it? Well, we’re a welcoming bunch. Never one to turn down another in need of a family.” When she changed the conversation he wasn’t far behind, never missing a beat. “Ah, a fellow stargazer! So it seems we do have things in common, friend! Always more fun when you’re in good company than when you go it alone…Because then you’re sharing in an experience as much as you are gazing.”

“Don’t mind at all. Like I said, wouldn’t offer something I wasn’t interested in having or taking.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee didn't swat at his hand as he fiddled with her hair, but she had a lot of it. If he went for her bangs maybe she'd flinch but there were so many fly-away curls it hardly registered. "Haven't thought of a color beyond 'not brown'. I hate how it looks now. I just want it lighter without frying it...and not as light as yours?"

She would take anything that wasn't the conversation he was, of course, trying to push for even harder. Without looking back his way Bee started walking down the pier in the direction of the beach. Trying to keep his words from affecting her.

But they were. And she was bad at hiding it. Her shoulders were getting tense, her chin tucking nearer to her chest. Her sharp nails scraped the inside of her pockets. Everything in her heart hardened with that single thread of knowledge.

David hadn't had a clan. He'd made it. He'd sired it.

He cursed them with it.

Her silence broke when he finally stopped talking, her voice cold.

And scared.

"Why would you make anyone do this...? This horrible life...inflicting it on people you care about...you've cursed them with eternity."

But there was bitterness to it, too. Terrified as she was of any vampire willingly putting this curse onto others, even worse was how, still, some part of her was jealous of it. Even if he made it, at least he had it. They had each other. She wanted to claw her stomach open and yank that horrible feeling out because it was wrong.

Nothing was worth siring others.

"You're not saving her! He'll just kill her instead! How could you do this?!"

Nothing is worth making them the same monster as you.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕬h, suit yourself.” He gently tugged on a fly away tuft of blonde hair that always got away from him.

“All a matter of opinion and perspective.”

“Treasure and trash really are the same thing depending on how you look at it, right?” David took to smoothing out the side of his hair next-Not caring if he looked openly vain to Bee. “Can’t all look the same…Then we’d all lose out on the zest of life and individuality.” The older vampire walked a slow circle around the girl to oversee her whole outfit and take in her appearance. “Besides, can’t say I disagree with you-Been around long enough to watch fashion evolve. The librarian look was a good era for girls like you.”

Her passion on the subject was so palpable to him he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Whatever you say.” David held his hands up and arched his back defensively before making a small “o” with his index finger and thumb. “Ya got it, boss...” He let go of the hand gesture to give her a two finger salute and put his palm out. “No keyboards. Really hate it when a new instrument acts like an older one in disguise…Fresh and-fun for a while but never the same. Gotta stick to the classics when you can. Especially with a girl like you.”

“You prefer tradition, don’t you? Sticking to the way things are…”

It wasn’t hard to see it that David disagreed. Very few things about his experience with vampirism had went the traditional way of things he’d been told about. He had been a covenless vampire until he made his own…Wandering the world alone for a long time, betrayed and forsaken by his sire who’d always been close but ever so out of reach for him. He preferred following his own path anyway, making his own rules-freedom his way while guiding the other boys…All of ‘em were lucky to have found each other. Otherwise they might’ve ended up in a more rigid way of running things than how their current leader let them all live. “Catch more flies that way. Honey is sweet…and slippery. Don’t know how stuck you are until it’s too late and the trap closes up on you.”

“Nah, I insist.” He wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it-he hadn’t just been out here for that. “I’d like to know more about the new busy bee in the hive with us.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

And he was circling her. The shark imagery came back again as Bee turned her head to watch David, one brow raised to vanish behind her bangs. "Not sure librarians wear denim jackets," she had to whip her head the other direction to keep her eyes on him--careful not to go too fast, or it'd look unnatural and unnerving to any lingering eyes. She sighed a little wistfully. "If we're being honest, I preferred the sixties. Nothing's long and flowing anymore. But this is closer than, well."

She gestured at David's leather.

Bee had a couple more choice thoughts about keyboards in comparison to pianos, but they snagged when he called her traditional. Her nose scrunched up under the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, fuck off. Dressing modestly and preferring ivory to plastic doesn't make me traditional. Even before I was...this, I was pissing off pearl-clutchers. The bar's just moved outside where I'd personally step. Doesn't mean I'd go back to how it was."

"If I'm giving off that vibe maybe I do need to change something," she grumbled, tucking her hands back into her pockets and slouching just a little, "I want to look older not look like a bluenose."

Her eyes found his again.

He wanted her to stay. That was strange. Worrying, maybe. But assuming he was true to his word, he wasn't planning on hurting her.

How can I trust that?

"...guess I don't have anything else to do. I already ate. And," Bee glanced over her shoulder, "I don't want to just mill around." She returned her attention to David. "So...what else do you guys do around here, 'sides from play?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕸aybe they should more often.” He hit back, flattering her in his gaze. If it was flirting or not was left up to the imagination…The blonde was known to ravish and tease in that way when he could…Even if he meant nothing of substance by it…He gathered the girl likely wasn’t all that interested in him in that way…Living with a female roommate and not liking his style gave him more than enough ammunition to assume something about her…Even if he didn’t say anything about it out loud. “Sixties were a good time. Even if all the hippie garb left a lot to be desired for me specifically…”

He shrugged one shoulder with his head tilted. “Just not my style.”

“Didn’t say there was anything wrong with it.” He repeated, acting above all of Bee’s rage like it was something more amusing to him than anything. “You clearly got your fire to you…I like that.” He kicked his leg up ever so slightly. “If I didn’t think you had anything in you worth acknowledging…That you were a true traditionalist we wouldn’t be talking, friend. Just-acknowledging nobody at my shows look like you.”

“Most of the traditional kinds don’t like my way of doing things…” He thought of both other vampires and the detractors from his style of show alike…Debauched and sultry…No other stop in town like it with its burning passion.

“Never let someone else tell you who to be.”

The blonde rejected her notion…Taking suggestions from him on her style. “Wouldn’t you rather be your own person? My boys and I make up quite the family of eclectic individuals.”

He said it so innocently while grinning at her like a shark again.

“We ride mostly.” David began listing off the things they’d do for fun. “Like to loiter around but the locals don’t take well to that…Could always hang around by the beach.” He offered up to her. “I like watching the sea and the stars.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"You do look like you were made for this era," Bee rolled her eyes at his flattery, waving him off. Not quite for the reasons he suspected, but right now? Close enough. "Though you're the second I've met with colored hair. I'm told it's a bitch to do with no mirror but...I'm tempted."

She relaxed a little again. "Nobody at your show really looks like anybody else, either. Which is probably the best thing about fashion these days. There's patterns but not 'trends', y'know?"

Then she caught onto a word. And something in her eyes went soft again, widening a little, before she averted them. Family. He called his clan a "family". He had one. She'd run into only solo vampires since then, and even if hers hadn't been perfect--no, it had been so far from it she couldn't even pretend--she still missed hers with all her heart.

She missed her with all her heart.

"Betty...?"

For as much as that mattered when their hearts couldn't beat.

"That's...good for you," she murmured, suddenly wishing she had tried harder to leave when she gave him an out. His offer gave her something to move to, though her voice was still quieter than it had been. "A lot of these nights I've just been going out over the water. The stars are clearer here than home but...it's similar enough."

Bee shrugged her shoulders. "That's a yes. If you...really don't mind."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Aw, why? Just ‘cause it’s true…” Even as he heard the sharpness in her voice grow he wasn’t above playing with the line…This was something new and something exciting for him…Push and pull, going back and forth. Almost made him feel truly alive even if he knew he was by all means just surviving. For a boy who wanted to survive so badly David didn’t have anything if not a death wish.

“Being a ‘natural’ at something is what we all say to make the hard work sound easy…” He sobered up a little…Introspective and quiet. Had a lot of time for thinking these days it felt like-“But, the climb up is the best part of something…Nothing sweeter than a victory earned-and fought for.”

There the bitterness slipped back into his voice…Thinking of Michael and his cheap win. “The ones of us who care about it most don’t want to be naturals…We want to put in the work for it.” He hummed softly, trying and failing ultimately to match the mindless tune the girl was playing. “I want to play like you someday. Not because I was a natural at it but because I wanted it bad enough to learn. That’s all we can ever do in this world…Learn from those of us who got things to teach.”

The humming began to stop as Molly opened up to him more seriously about her past, wanting to keep up and take all she was saying in.

“You deserved the chance to soar.” It was soft and sympathetic, but he meant it when he said it. That it was something real and taken straight from his heart and given to her. “All of us do.” He was determined to make the best of what she’d given him. “But-you, you gave it your all…” His eyebrows lifted with a softened glance towards Molly. “And the world spat you out for it…” David flinched, eyes darkening as he looked around at anything else with rage on her behalf…Hard to tell at this point if he was talking about himself or her.

With a deep inhale he kept speaking. “Can’t say I don’t relate to that…Been trying to learn, trying to find my shot and take it-and not let go of it until there’s nothing else…I don’t think the world is all that interested in what I’ve got to give it…It crushes us down to the bone. And it takes and it takes from us until one day there’s nothing left for it to have of you…It sucks the life out of me…all of it. It’s tearing me apart and…”

David suddenly looks embarrassed for talking so much.

“This isn’t about me.” He cuts himself off. “It’s about you. Look, what matters is if you got to play for anyone else around you’d be the biggest thing on the boardwalk.” The boy’s smile was more genuine for once. “Don’t just think it but know it.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly flipped him off with the next note she played at his teasing. Then went back to playing quiet, meaningless ditties beneath their conversation. David was so familiar in this moment; another one of the dreamers who couldn't stop, even when it hurt. It was terrible fate that made Molly have to leave her dreams behind, but now she did have a chance to have something resembling it. Even he said as much.

Except for one little obstacle.

Her mouth turned into a sour frown. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot. I'm just pissed off that, right as you may be, there's one shithead that makes it nearly impossible to actually get noticed around here."

"You know who I'm talking about," she huffed as she approached by a couple steps, "Kind of impossible not to, fucker is everyone's so-called 'sweetheart'. Hop down from there, will ya?"

She smiled on that last sentence, and whether or not David did, she rotated the guitar in her arms and offered it back to him.

"If you really wanna play like I do, I can teach you." Molly offered, setting her now empty hands on her hips. "Won't cost me nothing but time, and I've got way too much of that these days."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

Almost as if on a queue his heart felt like it would’ve stopped…He knew exactly who Molly had been talking about-“Santa Carla’s Sweetheart” himself, Michael. Felt like the other boy had been a ghost in his life ever since they met that first night he got into town…Always omnipresent in his mind. A poser…A jackass, but one who’d gotten away with everything he’d ever wanted out of life without having to work for it the way David had. When it felt like every door in the world was closing on him, a new door opened for the other musician. Guess he couldn’t see why…The boy really did have his charms about him, literally-when he wasn’t acting like he was better than everyone else around him. A looker too…Curly hair, plump lips, a broad physique…

“So, we’ve met.” He said coldly, already dismissive of the topic of him…Of Michael.

“Can’t say the boy made much of a good first impression on me.” The blonde was going to leave it there but he couldn’t-He had more to say about Michael to anyone who’d listen to him speak on about it. “Doesn’t take a genius to see the guy can’t play all that well either.”

“Really feel for his fans.” He admitted. “Bet you wouldn’t believe me…But, being at one of his shows feels like being trapped inside your mind with no escape. Maybe it just was for me. Nobody else I’ve met seems to feel that way about him. It was nice until it wasn’t…” The blonde muttered the last part to himself more than to Molly. “Wants me to play with him to make it around here-Plan to go solo and show him. Never wise to groom the competition’s success…Even if something tells me he won’t let me go that easily…”

Almost on command, David got down on his feet to meet her, more than eager and willing to take the guitar from her.

“Sure you want nothing else in return?” It was a normal question he asked-but where it usually would be abrasive it more sounded confused as to why she’d help him out without an ulterior motive…Most of ‘em so far had one. Aspen for a friend, Michael for…Well, whatever it is Michael wants he doesn’t know about yet. Only one besides Molly to be like this to him was Star…“Don’t have much but I want to give you something.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"I believe you."

Molly's face went uncharacteristically calm for a moment, no smile or sharpness or frown. She was approaching a risky topic. She knew Michael was using his powers on that crowd. That was what pissed her off so much in the first place--that he literally could use magic to achieve what took her and the people she'd loved years to reach for, only for so many of them to die before they got there.

Meanwhile Michael turned his "death" into this.

But she couldn't tell David that. She wanted to. She wanted to affirm that he wasn't crazy. Hell, that he could feel it was very interesting--he shouldn't be able to, should he? Maybe that would fade the more he saw those shows, the more he got exposed. That would suck.

Maybe if I word it carefully, I--

There was a rustle of fabric too far away for David to hear, on the pier. But she heard it. Fingernails drumming against a brick wall.

No heartbeat.

You fucking wuss. He'll find out eventually.

Molly finally emoted again, after a couple moments, with a grimace. "Don't get me started on his playing. Fucking 'Four Chords McGee' over there knows ONE melody structure...as if doing anything new or interesting would make him explode or something."

Her brows furrowed. "I wouldn't take that offer if I were you. Not with how much you want to earn that recognition. You can't do it with him."

She had to leave it at that.

"Nah. Told ya, I was just like you when I started out. Only had people who offered to help me, that got me this far," her smile returned, bright and wide and warm, "And, hey! Once you've got it down we can jam!"

"Gimme a few notes, lemme see where you're at?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Aw, why? Just ‘cause it’s true…” Even as he heard the sharpness in her voice grow he wasn’t above playing with the line…This was something new and something exciting for him…Push and pull, going back and forth. Almost made him feel truly alive even if he knew he was by all means just surviving. For a boy who wanted to survive so badly David didn’t have anything if not a death wish.

“Being a ‘natural’ at something is what we all say to make the hard work sound easy…” He sobered up a little…Introspective and quiet. Had a lot of time for thinking these days it felt like-“But, the climb up is the best part of something…Nothing sweeter than a victory earned-and fought for.”

There the bitterness slipped back into his voice…Thinking of Michael and his cheap win. “The ones of us who care about it most don’t want to be naturals…We want to put in the work for it.” He hummed softly, trying and failing ultimately to match the mindless tune the girl was playing. “I want to play like you someday. Not because I was a natural at it but because I wanted it bad enough to learn. That’s all we can ever do in this world…Learn from those of us who got things to teach.”

The humming began to stop as Molly opened up to him more seriously about her past, wanting to keep up and take all she was saying in.

“You deserved the chance to soar.” It was soft and sympathetic, but he meant it when he said it. That it was something real and taken straight from his heart and given to her. “All of us do.” He was determined to make the best of what she’d given him. “But-you, you gave it your all…” His eyebrows lifted with a softened glance towards Molly. “And the world spat you out for it…” David flinched, eyes darkening as he looked around at anything else with rage on her behalf…Hard to tell at this point if he was talking about himself or her.

With a deep inhale he kept speaking. “Can’t say I don’t relate to that…Been trying to learn, trying to find my shot and take it-and not let go of it until there’s nothing else…I don’t think the world is all that interested in what I’ve got to give it…It crushes us down to the bone. And it takes and it takes from us until one day there’s nothing left for it to have of you…It sucks the life out of me…all of it. It’s tearing me apart and…”

David suddenly looks embarrassed for talking so much.

“This isn’t about me.” He cuts himself off. “It’s about you. Look, what matters is if you got to play for anyone else around you’d be the biggest thing on the boardwalk.” The boy’s smile was more genuine for once. “Don’t just think it but know it.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly flipped him off with the next note she played at his teasing. Then went back to playing quiet, meaningless ditties beneath their conversation. David was so familiar in this moment; another one of the dreamers who couldn't stop, even when it hurt. It was terrible fate that made Molly have to leave her dreams behind, but now she did have a chance to have something resembling it. Even he said as much.

Except for one little obstacle.

Her mouth turned into a sour frown. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot. I'm just pissed off that, right as you may be, there's one shithead that makes it nearly impossible to actually get noticed around here."

"You know who I'm talking about," she huffed as she approached by a couple steps, "Kind of impossible not to, fucker is everyone's so-called 'sweetheart'. Hop down from there, will ya?"

She smiled on that last sentence, and whether or not David did, she rotated the guitar in her arms and offered it back to him.

"If you really wanna play like I do, I can teach you." Molly offered, setting her now empty hands on her hips. "Won't cost me nothing but time, and I've got way too much of that these days."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[ihavetohaveyou]

“𝕬h, suit yourself.” He gently tugged on a fly away tuft of blonde hair that always got away from him.

“All a matter of opinion and perspective.”

“Treasure and trash really are the same thing depending on how you look at it, right?” David took to smoothing out the side of his hair next-Not caring if he looked openly vain to Bee. “Can’t all look the same…Then we’d all lose out on the zest of life and individuality.” The older vampire walked a slow circle around the girl to oversee her whole outfit and take in her appearance. “Besides, can’t say I disagree with you-Been around long enough to watch fashion evolve. The librarian look was a good era for girls like you.”

Her passion on the subject was so palpable to him he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Whatever you say.” David held his hands up and arched his back defensively before making a small “o” with his index finger and thumb. “Ya got it, boss...” He let go of the hand gesture to give her a two finger salute and put his palm out. “No keyboards. Really hate it when a new instrument acts like an older one in disguise…Fresh and-fun for a while but never the same. Gotta stick to the classics when you can. Especially with a girl like you.”

“You prefer tradition, don’t you? Sticking to the way things are…”

It wasn’t hard to see it that David disagreed. Very few things about his experience with vampirism had went the traditional way of things he’d been told about. He had been a covenless vampire until he made his own…Wandering the world alone for a long time, betrayed and forsaken by his sire who’d always been close but ever so out of reach for him. He preferred following his own path anyway, making his own rules-freedom his way while guiding the other boys…All of ‘em were lucky to have found each other. Otherwise they might’ve ended up in a more rigid way of running things than how their current leader let them all live. “Catch more flies that way. Honey is sweet…and slippery. Don’t know how stuck you are until it’s too late and the trap closes up on you.”

“Nah, I insist.” He wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it-he hadn’t just been out here for that. “I’d like to know more about the new busy bee in the hive with us.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

And he was circling her. The shark imagery came back again as Bee turned her head to watch David, one brow raised to vanish behind her bangs. "Not sure librarians wear denim jackets," she had to whip her head the other direction to keep her eyes on him--careful not to go too fast, or it'd look unnatural and unnerving to any lingering eyes. She sighed a little wistfully. "If we're being honest, I preferred the sixties. Nothing's long and flowing anymore. But this is closer than, well."

She gestured at David's leather.

Bee had a couple more choice thoughts about keyboards in comparison to pianos, but they snagged when he called her traditional. Her nose scrunched up under the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, fuck off. Dressing modestly and preferring ivory to plastic doesn't make me traditional. Even before I was...this, I was pissing off pearl-clutchers. The bar's just moved outside where I'd personally step. Doesn't mean I'd go back to how it was."

"If I'm giving off that vibe maybe I do need to change something," she grumbled, tucking her hands back into her pockets and slouching just a little, "I want to look older not look like a bluenose."

Her eyes found his again.

He wanted her to stay. That was strange. Worrying, maybe. But assuming he was true to his word, he wasn't planning on hurting her.

How can I trust that?

"...guess I don't have anything else to do. I already ate. And," Bee glanced over her shoulder, "I don't want to just mill around." She returned her attention to David. "So...what else do you guys do around here, 'sides from play?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The combination of the girl's cackling and her taking his guitar away was enough to send David recoiling back into himself. He knew when he challenged her she'd take his guitar for herself, didn't make it easier to watch...There was a fear there inherent. That thing might as well have been his prized possession-the one thing beside his house key he'd kept from his home...Been told many times he could've probably sold it for a better life but the boy was a sentimental type underneath it all. Never really was a decision, not much of a choice in his mind to keep it.

But, he'd gone on to let another musician play it in spite of himself.

What parts of him were already warming up to Molly only grew warmer seeing her take so much care of his stuff-the respect she put on the strings and guitar. He knew she could've taken it and run, or broken it before his very eyes just to hurt him but she didn't...lt was in seeing that that it finally got his heart rate back down fully-the mutual connection for the music they shared even if he wasn't anywhere as skilled in it.

And skilled the girl was, almost would've made him jealous himself if he wasn't so impressed by her skill. Molly looked to be in her element so completely even in the less than stellar conditions of playing a rock song on acoustic-feeling the music she played in her bones and in her veins…Kept him on the edge of his seat. A song like that played with fervor and passion in her breath. How free she really was by comparison to him. He could only hope to ever look half as loose as she did...Must've been everything he could've wanted and more.

When she finished up the blonde was beaming, chuckling and clapping for her like she was the best guitarist he ever saw play.

"Bravo! Bravo!" David roared with excitement, tapping his foot against the bottom of the seat-as rickety as it was.

"You're a natural."

He was so giddy with a childish kind of glee rushing inside he'd already completely forgotten why he chose that song in the first place...

"How did you ever learn how to do it?"

The boy asked in a sly and playful manner, resting his cheek on his hand with a lazy grin...But, it was a genuine question of how the girl got to be where she was now and how he could get there himself. Just didn't want to look pathetic for asking.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Of course she was going to take a bow with David clapping, keeping her hands on the guitar but crossing her legs as she dipped her head for a moment. His heart was calm now, though it had picked up a comfortable amount as she sang. Good. He didn't see her as a threat.

That would usually be a bad thing for the humans around her. But Molly wasn't trying to hurt him. And, right now, she genuinely wouldn't have wanted to even if Michael hadn't said anything.

"Oooh, I hate that word," she said a little sharper, but still smiling, fingers now mindlessly, quietly strumming, "Like, yeah, there are some who are 'naturals' at other stuff, but I've sure never met one who played an instrument. It takes work!"

Molly's eyes softened and her smile lessened, as she dropped her eyes to the guitar instead of David.

"I've been playing since I was...sixteen? And singing for even longer. 'bout nine years ago I went up to NYC, trying to get into the Actor's Workshop or something. But the art schools were all shuttin' down because of the economy." She tapped her long red nails against the body. "I worked my ass off for the chance at an audition--somewhere, anywhere, that'd take me. Took a year and a half to get a callback. And even then, I didn't get past that for another year. It sucked ass."

"But going out and trying, I met a lotta folks with more experience who gave me pointers. Were able to hang out and practice. Celebrate when someone got into a show, or attend someone's live gig at a club...shit like that keeps you going."

Her smile faded.

"...you probably know what the scene's like up there, now, don't you? Least I'd hope so. It ain't called an epidemic for nothing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

• Closed Starter for: @catch-more-bees-with-honey

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊ ♫ ˚⊹

David had been looking for a quiet place.

Ever since he first got into town he’d been taken in by the loud and bustling world of the boardwalk-Really was easy to get lost in it…The bright neon lights, the acts and performers forever playing a tune to carry on out with you, the games too expensive to play with what little money he had left to his name. The pop of something bright against the inky black of the cold, dead Santa Carla nights. But, he also knew it that there was something artificial to the way it all was-chintzy and fake, determined to sell you on something that wasn’t really all that real. As fun as it was for a time he began to ache for something that didn’t feel so counterfeit or deceptive if you weren’t a local desensitized.

So, of all the places he could’ve possibly gone on to chase that feeling he’d chosen underneath the forgotten pier.

From below you could hear the faint and-deathly echo of the life that came from above…The reflection of the lights in this place’s underbelly and all its shadows…The shore and the sea far enough away from him to feel like he was livin’ large even for just a second of his fleeting finite youth and time. By comparison to the neons and the glows, this dark center to it all felt tempting…like every home he’d ever known since fleeing his own. Could’ve stayed here all night if he wanted to…Sitting in a lifeguard chair decrepit-and abandoned to rot with the paint chipping off…Whoever was stationed there evidently hadn’t been back for a long time. And-with the over abundance and saturation of missing posters scattered around the streets he had chosen to call home now he didn’t doubt that for a second either.

His posture was askew, hunched over a guitar and strumming, not only that but he was caught mumbling what could be described at best as nonsense to himself about what he had been playing. Didn’t sound satisfied with it at all…Rarely ever was when he had a say.

The feeling of peace and calm inside from being in his own form or a natural habitat was eventually engulfed by another one instead…The dread of being watched by someone he couldn’t see. Not an unfamiliar feeling to the boy…People liked to watch the running kinds like him. Could’ve been a thief-a killer, or a cop in the night. All might as well be the same difference to him. His head perked up, eyes on high alert as he checked his surrounding premises for anyone else around him in a state of paranoid frantic-grip on his guitar ever so slightly tightening up like he’d rather fight than be separated from it.

With a sudden change in directions and tactic, he tried to loosen his posture back up and return to playing like what he’d done hadn’t happened. “Whoever it is you are out here. I’m not interested.” He mumbled defiantly and indifferent…In spite of already giving himself away he tried to pretend like the fear in his eyes hadn’t ever been real from the start.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly hadn't been looking for anyone, despite her usual nightly activities. Her hunger was on the back burner as she waltzed away from the boardwalk that she was getting more and more accustomed to. It wasn't Coney Island, and it really wasn't the city itself, but that was part of the fun. That and the sea, which she did wish she could have seen in all its bright blue beauty in the sun...alas, she would make due with the black waves, and how the moon shone silver on it when it grew full.

She'd intended on doing just that. Just walking along the shore where it was dark, and quiet, and far from people.

The sound of a guitar and quietly murmured words nearly went overlooked as she walked with unnatural silence along the old pier. Just another musician hoping to find a break here. She did like guitars. Maybe if he had a nice one she'd--

Aha?

Molly perched herself on the railing, sitting with her heels hooked into the second rung, looking down with a new sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

When she'd agreed to stay with him, he had a few people that were strictly off limits.

And she'd found one of them.

He's got better perception than most I'll give him that, she thought, grinning as she watched David's shoulders tense and him briefly look around. But he still missed me. Human night vision sucks.

Maybe Michael will fix that.

But for now...

"Not interested in a lady listening to you play?" Molly chimed in return, and she tapped her heel against the rails to bring attention to herself. Her smile was wide, and bright, but not the sharp one she wore with prey. There was a genuine delight in it. She did love the guitar. Anyone who made music was already on her good side.

That would never change.

"Guess I can find another pier, then...or you could keep going." She hummed. "I was enjoying it."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

The human was taken back immediately at the identity of the figure watching him. It was a girl-one around his size at that too…Smiling brightly…The way any of them who really liked the music did when met with it. He felt more at ease in knowing it was someone like him in that way, seldom solace found in the kindred-even if the tension inside him hadn’t gone away entirely. He knew better than most that looks could be deceiving, he himself often underestimated by people as someone unworthy of their time. For that reason he knew it would’ve been foolish of him to act like the girl was innocent when he had no reason to.

As much as he wanted to tell himself she was someone he could trust, that he’d actually found a fan in the most…bizarre and unexpected of circumstances.

He’d be lying if he said something about the whole thing didn’t feel about right. Maybe he’d have to be more specific…Very few things about Santa Carla felt right to him especially after he’d made the mistake? of encountering Michael a couple nights before…

The yearning in him wanted to believe she was being genuine.

Desperate enough to forget and pretend he was willing to indulge what he shouldn’t. Another person to test out all the personas and theatrics on. Hoping one day he’d get the charm right. Maybe then he’d have half the attention and respect as the brunette everyone here seemed obsessed with…

“Like what you see there?” He smirked with raised up brows. “Plenty more where that came from…”

“Ever been told it’s not that nice to sneak up on a musician at work?”

For all the games and playing around, David was readjusting himself in his chair ever subtly-more than ready to run if the girl ever gave him the inkling of a reason to-more than the gut he was trying to ignore.

“Don’t go, friend.”

He tried to sound friendly and inviting, beckoning her towards him-but it came out more pathetic sounding than he would’ve liked.

“More than interested.” He smiled with a mischievous wave. “Haven’t had a fan before.” The boy winked at her. “Must be my lucky day…If you go then you’re missing out on being early to the next big thing around and you wouldn’t want that…” With a sly expression he leaned over the armrest, palm of his hand rested on his chin in lazy comfort. “Right?”

He could only hope the charade worked on her.

The tension in every muscle of his form still hadn’t ceased and his other hand was still gripping the guitar…

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly giggled as David found her, and he changed his tune almost immediately. Almost. She could hear his heart still beating a touch too fast, startled like a rabbit. But that was good instincts on him.

She could've jumped the ten or so feet from the railing to the sand, but that wouldn't have been "normal" enough. So Molly rotated, briefly straddling the railing before hoping back down into the pier. "Did I sneak up on ya? Or were you too lost in the groove to hear me?" As she went down to the ladder she let her heavy heels thunk against the wood like she was proving a point.

Down the ladder she went, hopping off the last couple rungs, and then Molly was strolling across the sand towards him. She grinned up at him atop his perch as she came up to its side. "Oh yeah? I'd love to be ahead of the curb. This next big thing got a name? Hmm?"

The guitar was nice. Gotta go with the classics. Though she could see symbols drawn atop where the neck and body overlapped. What were those for?

She placed a hand on the wooden legs of the lifeguard stand and leaned a little closer, her other hand resting on her waist.

"Your first fan's name is Molly, FYI."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

He hasn’t expected the girl to get any closer to him in spite of David making the call to draw her near out of an attempt at faux friendliness. As if to make more space between them and making himself look larger, he stood up in the seat.

“Nice to be graced by your presence, Molly.” The blonde said affably, a buzzy and humming lilt to his voice even as his heart continued to race. “Nothing wrong with getting lost in the music.” He chuckled, fighting back a more biting retort at her expense. “Don’t we all come to somewhere like this to get lost? In a moment-in ourselves…in something else-forever.” He’s getting better at the wisdom speech he’s gotta admit it to himself…

“I’m David.” Still a lie-but the more he said it, the less it felt like one and the more it just became his name. Though he remained apprehensive when the time came to give his stage name a last name. Future problem for a later time.

“Came here to make a name for myself…Gonna wreck this place’s music scene and be something this town’s never gonna forget as long as I’m around.

“Easier to get on board now than it will be later.” He kept up the playful tones even if the dread of her coming any closer continued to rear its head his way.

“I’d play forever if I could.” There was almost a wistfulness-a peek of the raw and unadulterated truth that drove him in a whole monologue of facade.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Oooh, he's philosophical and cute," Molly teased, her voice too warm for it to be mocking, "Nice t' meetcha too, David."

Her blue eyes were gray in the dark, looking up at him as he stood--she could relate, she'd gotten these tall-as-fuck heels for a reason--and gave her the barest minimum of a reason for being here. He was far, far, far from the first of his kind that she'd met. New York ate up aspiring actors, musicians, and all sorts of artists. Hell, she'd been one once herself, before she got lucky.

Santa Carla was smaller, in comparison, but its artists suffered the same way here as they did back home. Everyone was one lucky break away from their dreams coming true. She knew so many others who deserved it. But David was the one in front of her.

And she didn't know if he was among them.

Yet.

Calm down, bunny, I'm not gonna eat you tonight.

"You make it big enough, and you'll be heard 'round the world, forever. Even when you're gone." Molly mused, staying still, but not too much--breathing steadily, swaying ever so slightly like she needed to balance between the lean and her heels. Things that still felt natural to her. Things that made her less uncanny that her others. "Music's beautiful like that, ain't it?"

"How long've you been playing guitar? I've been doin' it on and off for years, myself," she tilted her head back to look at his face, "Though my true love'll always be singing."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

“Glad there’s someone out there who thinks so.” He teased her right back. “Bet you get told a lot how cute you are…Seen buttons who wish they were half of what you are now.”

David didn’t know why he said that outside of the knowledge most of the musicians he looked up to were naturals in the way of flirtation. He’d already met two people so far who seemed interested in him outside of Molly…Though he’d call it “interested” in different ways. Star was a storybook romance waiting to happen for a guy like him. And well, he didn’t know what to make of Michael and what his hidden away intentions were yet-not too unlike the girl he was talking to.

He’d been traveling the world for a while now, for whatever reason he refuse to say…and in that time he’d realized just how hard it was to make your break when everyone else around was trying to do the same…Wasn’t special in it but he had something to prove in how one of a kind he was outside of it.

He just had to find his chance…

And when he did?

He couldn’t afford to let it go, at whatever cost he had to pay to keep it.

“That’s a part of the appeal, isn’t it? Making your mark on the world when you know your time is fleeting? Most of us only have so much time before we run out…If I have to die someday at least something of me will still be out there immortal and-perfectly in tune…For those of us always on the run, there’s something particularly enthusing about the thought of something that stays the same when we can’t. It never dies and it never changes…”

He knew his mind had gone off to a dark place so he pulled back, trying to answer her question without playing into the morbid even if it looked like the girl could more than handle it-what he was saying unaware of what she was. “Not long, aspiring and learning…Ah, well we don’t knock a singer. I’m not a picky type, I’d play just about anything to get my feet off the ground at first. Aware how this town has an amount of guitarists better than me now even if I have to compete with them for the attention later.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly did scoff at David's rebuttal. "Cute" was not a word she used to describe herself, or one others used very often if at all. If she weren't wearing pale powder on her face--and had blood to, y'know, go to her cheeks--she might've blushed at it. "Shush."

She turned and leaned closer, her hands coming to rest on the arm of the lifeguard seat, sharp red-painted nails tapping at the old chipped wood. He did have that old soul that the better musicians carried; a longing to leave a mark wasn't always a good thing, but when that mark was music? Molly understood.

Even if, now, her old idea of "immortality" was out of sync with the rest of her. There would never be her, in her old age, listening fondly to her greatest hits.

Not that there would have been even before she turned.

She wanted to ask more about his music, the sound he wanted to make and if he had any songs already. Or ask about Michael because she just knew that was who he was talking about. But something he said rubbed her wrong, and her smile twisted into a brief, stung scowl. "The fuck? 'Don't knock a singer'? I bet I still play better than you do, kid."

He was probably younger than her--she was frozen at twenty-six, and he didn't look older than that himself.

Molly lightly slapped the back of her hand against his boot, her grin coming back sharper. It was hardly anything. If she actually used any strength she might've hurt him. "Gimme a song then. C'mon. Keep my attention, if you want some so badly."

[lostandlookingforthelight]

For a small moment, David started to worry he’d said something wrong or offensive. Wouldn’t have been all that shocking if he did. The boy had a certain ability for being unable to read a room it seemed-so much as he’d heard from others more judging and cruel.

For a runaway of his cynicism he had to only hope for the best…His gaze turning away from the possible mistake he’d made but hadn’t taken accountability for and focused in on her nails…red and sharp…could’ve been for the aesthetic of it. Could’ve been something else entirely. He still wasn’t over what Michael had managed to do to his mind that show. He felt hypnotized in a more literal sense of the word than the advertising on the flyer said.

None of this was what he bargained for when he only just arrived, that much was for certain…The blonde had always been observant, a trait that got him as much trouble as it did get him out of it.

Especially when nothing in the world seemed to add up to him anymore.

The instant the girl got argumentative, he stuck his hands up and out defensively…A reflex from his life before he had to unlearn as it meant he took his hands off his guitar. As much as he wanted to apologize he couldn’t help but be curious to hear Molly play after she’d built herself up as someone so great.

“If Ya Want My Luv? Joan Jett, got any of that? Seems like you would now…” He snarked with a challenge, taking a long look at how she dresses. Not that he was judging. He’d tried to look like a rockstar on an album cover, but he didn’t have the resources to pull off the look yet. Maybe one day he would if he kept saving up.

He’d never experienced a banter like this, he imagined it’s what it must be like to play fight with a sibling or family member…Hmm, maybe? He wouldn’t know…Didn’t have any siblings nor anyone growing up like that. Just seemed like how it would be from the movies he grew up on. His father was fucking obsessed with movies. Convinced now as a young adult his dad’s obsession made it impossible for him to be well-adjusted. How many times can a boy be told about the cinematic importance of Nosferatu before he’s having to convince himself under a pier in California that monsters of the undead variety aren’t real?

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly let out a brief cackle at David's defensive pose, and with his challenge she snatched the guitar from his lap--quick, but she didn't just grab it by the neck like a lunatic, she picked it up and lowered the body it into her other hand before bothering to position it right. Had to treat instruments well, especially other people's.

She'd knock the head off anyone who hurt her baby.

"Good golly, how'd you figure that one out," she mused as she started tuning the strings a bit. It was a lovely guitar, even if acoustic wasn't her go-to anymore. Molly hummed notes to herself as she got the right sounds from each string. Most of it had been fine, but a few were slightly off. Normal beginner mistake.

Rather than asking for a pick, she started to strum. It would've sounded better with the rumble and power an electric guitar had, but it was still unmistakably the right tabs for the chorus. Eyes closed she swayed and tapped her toes in the sand, and drew in a breath.

"If ya want my love, ya gotta learn to treat me with respect!"

"If ya want my love, love me enough to drop the strings that ya brought!"

"If ya want my love, then realize that I ain't some pet that ya bought!"

"If ya want my love..."

She trailed off with the last note and opened her eyes, grinning up at David on his perch. "Not the best song for acoustic, buuuut was that enough of a taste for you?"

[boardwalk-anarchist]

M so cute

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

There's a similar vibe here. Might be the image quality.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

[ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 @ihavetohaveyou ]

Bee ran the pad of her thumb along the edge of her lip, and checked it for red, as she walked down the boardwalk. She usually fed closer to midnight, but some high-off-their-ass tourists had been wandering around right outside the apartment, just as the sun set. Before she'd even been finished getting ready, Molly had lured them up.

The generosity was a little suspicious, but Bee wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth this time.

It did mean she kept checking her mouth for more than just stray lipstick. Even if the color would make any lingering blood look like a smudge, she was paranoid. But it was dark. Nobody would notice if there was a spot she missed, right? How good was human night vision again? Hers had been so bad, she didn't have a good baseline.

I should have made Molly check. Again.

Nobody looked her way as she went through the boardwalk, lights reflecting off her glasses, and the crowds were easy to swerve through. There seemed to be a gathering further away from the shops; a stage, a crowd, a show of some sorts. Bee lingered nearby, but didn't immediately join the line.

By the posters...looks like a rock band? More Mol's scene than mine. She loves a crowd.

But we used to go to shows all the time, even before...

Bee took some money out of her jacket pocket, loose singles from tonight's catch, and paid at the door for entry. Even if she did stick out a little, dressed more like a TA than a rocker, nobody was looking her way anyway--all eyes were on the stage.

The night was already unusual.

What harm was there in one concert?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕴f David was anything at all it was observant-especially when out on stage. When you were like him, performing the same shows and routines over and over again now your eyes were more often than not drawn out to the crowd in front of you…The same but different every night under the artificiality of the neon stage lights and amped up by the soaring music they played.

But, it would be a lie if he said his prowling eyes and provocative behaviors were entirely of an innocent kind of motivation…

The vampire, even at his most free and expressive on stage for a flock of fans gathered to adore and indulge was still a predator first and foremost-scouring the scene looking for attention from anyone who wouldn’t be missed-someone in enough awe to come backstage with him no questions asked or with no worries impossible to assuage…It wasn’t personal, just business for their kind-had a hunger inside and brothers to feed too…The easiest food was the ones that came so willingly even if it lacked in the thrill of the chase.

Where his attention landed instead wasn’t where he would’ve expected it to be on a night like this.

There was a girl who stuck out especially among their ranks-she wasn’t dressed like the rest of ‘em…Her glasses reflected off the lights making her practically unmissable to him-though his enhanced visions made it so he could see the small smudge of red on her lips…Could’ve been the dark lipstick she wore or something else hidden in plain sight. Either way, call him intrigued by everything he saw in her-All he wanted to do now was find out more when he could.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

“Good night Santa Carla! Give it up for the band! See you next week! Good night!”

After the show, David took to wanting to fulfill his own interests…Ever curious and nosy…Desperate for entertainment to satiate his own boredom.

“You missed a spot.” He’d come up from behind her, the girl…who’d been grabbing his attention tonight-as he tapped on his own face where the spot was on hers. “Haven’t seen you around before…” For someone who’d been quick to initiate a cheeky jumpscare without cause nor reason his overall attitude towards her for the time being was affable and kind.

“First show with us?” He looked down at his own hand then back up at her face.

David beamed. “If only we could be so lucky.”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

The music was good. Bee had forgotten the excitement that came with a live performance, or maybe she had never experienced it quite like this. Heartbeats matching the speed of the drums, people bouncing on their heels, shouting along just quiet enough to be swallowed by the vocals. She kept looking between the crowd and the stage.

And the band themselves...well, they definitely looked the part. Were they locals? Or here on tour? Bee hummed along to the chorus the second time around, tapping her fingers idly against her hip, trying to match the chords in her head.

These lyrics are fun. I can hear Molly singing them at some point.

Maybe I'll bring her, if they're doing another show...

Why do I feel watched?

She pushed that thought aside. The show was wrapping up, the crowd was applauding and whooping and whistling, and Bee gave her own little cheer that was lost in the rest of it.

Before long she was sliding her hands back in her jacket to move towards the entrance before it got swarmed.

She didn't make it very far. A voice came up right behind her, speaking to her, and Bee did a full body flinch before stepping quickly forward and spinning around.

It's noisy, sure, but how did I not hear--?!

His face, and the words he said, registered at different times. Bee blinked her wide eyes at the singer, before her bemusement was broken by the rest of it. Her hand jumped from her pocket to her mouth, mirroring where he was pointing on his face, and swiped.

She looked down and muttered a small "shit" as she smudged it between her fingers. It pilled and flaked off her skin. "Thanks. Um. I'm pretty new in town, so...unlikely you would have."

"Yeah. Not really my usual scene. But I'm glad I came." Bee pursed her lips into an awkward little smile as she placed her hand back in her pocket. "It was a bash. Have you done a lot of shows?"

Do you always approach random people from your audience?

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid’s grin only widened when the girl’s eyes grew so wide at his presence…Jumpy…Oh, must’ve been one of the shy fans! Those always were the sweetest ones…His favorites to meet and mingle with-So nervous to meet their idol it would’ve had his heart turn to mush if he still had one that beat. He knew it wasn’t very polite of him to have come up behind her like this. But, what was it if not entertaining? And that’s what really mattered most to him right now at a time like this.

Don’t think he didn’t notice the panic in her face when he called out the fresh red stain on the side of her mouth either…That alone was more than enough to garner his brow arching and his eyes widening out with further curiosity to explore. He’d already began to wonder given her reaction if the girl was one of them but wanted to prove the theory first before starting up with all the accusations that come with that-wouldn’t want to blow his own cover to a mortal in case of not.

“Don’t be afraid.” He cooed. “I’m not one for judging-Messy eater, friend or did ya get lucky after the show tonight?”

It was framed as a playful tease but there was a faint tinge of something else thinly hidden away in the question.

“You’ll get used to it…This place.” The vampire kept up the jovial and mundane conversation where he could. “Lived here a long time and-the charms of it never really do go away on you…”

“Glad you came to join us too.” He nudged her shoulder before placing his fist under his chin. “Sounds like we got a new fan in you! Isn’t that just the most exciting thing left in the world to me?”

“Never ungrateful for the fans…They’re the reason we all play.” David’s expression grew into more of a smirk-a secret in it he wasn’t sharing now or ever to someone who couldn’t figure it out all on their own for themselves.

“Oh, the band’s nothing new for us…” He waved his hand flippantly. “Been playing for as long as this town can remember. Got lots of experience with a crowd-No wonder all of our shows are the way they are…”

Though in truth for all the joys in disassociation and forgetfulness he could do with the extra stimulation-why would he be here chatting up someone without much use or interest to him if not?

“I’m David.” The platinum blonde vampire raised his arms out wide before giving one of ‘em for her to shake. “Didn’t catch your name? Haven’t told it to me yet…Newer places are always better when you have connections in with the locals, girl.”

This whole conversation he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her once-it was almost unsettling how locked in on her those beady eyes he had were. Couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her-Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about anything like that but himself.

He pulled away to start feeling a tuft of fly-away hair that always framed his face, turning around before ultimately turning back to face her with another toothy and cheeky grin.

“If it’s not your usual scene then why were you there?”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee snorted quietly. Maybe she was mishearing, but she could swear there was something behind it. She wasn't about to say anything straight, though, in case she was wrong. "Biiiit of both, really," she said, vaguely, and jumped to the next subject quickly. "Might come to more with my roommate. She'll love it. 'specially your guitarist."

So they were locals and long-time performers...though he didn't look older than her. Was he being hyperbolic? Or he just had that kind of face and looked younger than he was.

Or it was something else.

She took the nudge a little worse with that thought in mind, her smile becoming tense.

"Bee. Well, Betty, but I prefer 'Bee'." She took his hand to shake, cool skin finding a similar lack of warmth. If she held a little longer maybe she could feel a pulse. But the thought of him doing the same made her forgo that idea and let go. Quickly. "And I'd argue keeping your distance is safer in the long term. City's got a reputation, doesn't it?"

I don't want trouble.

If I'm right--I hope I'm not--this is the trouble.

Why did I even...

Before she could ask the question in her head, David did so out loud, and Bee paused. Rather than meeting those deceptively sharp eyes she found herself looking at the posters still in view.

And her uneasy smile slid off.

"One show won't hurt, Betty! C'mon!"

"...was just reminded of someone that loved live music," she said, voice quiet, before it steadied. She kept her gaze averted. "That's all."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕯avid wasn’t oblivious to her trying to move on from the subject at hand as quickly as possible…What was that if not a trick he often pulled? It was more than enough to draw his suspicions back onto her though they were quickly dropped again to keep up the friendly conversation. “Oh, there’s two of you? It’s wise to keep in good company-Hope to see you both around here soon.”

“Marko! Our second eldest after me-excellent at playing guitar if I may add…Proud of him.” It was clear he meant it when he said it too-a subtle but unmistakably fondness coming over and out of him at the mention of his brother and the freedom to talk about him.

Didn’t think there was anyone out there in the world bigger fans of his boys than him.

Even if he did like it when the band’s attention was focused on as more of a-team effort or about him. The blonde was known to get possessive of his own when they got fawned over too much for his own taste or liking.

“Ah, you’re one of them…Those believer kinds.” His grin widened as he clapped his hands like she just said something funny to him, or had given the vampire a birthday present in her hesitance and words…Her lack of pulse and cool skin in their handshake had sold it for him. He knew what she was. All he had to do was wait and see how long it took for her to catch onto him too-Wasn’t one to hide his nature to the rest of his kind anyway. “Can’t believe everything you hear now, can you? All the dramatics about the town’s reputation to sell shit to the tourists…Wouldn’t say I don’t lean into it when I can…Fans dig a band with a gimmick…”

He’d heard her comment about maintaining distance too.

Wasn’t an accident he was ignoring it.

Instead he got closer.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Trust me, Bee-you’re safe when you’re around me.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Have my…connections and abilities around here.”

“I used to love music too.” He sympathized.

“Nothing I wanted more than to play it forever…”

“And now I do. Guess it was good of me I managed to fulfill that dream…Ever tried playing for yourself at all? Could help you with the feeling.” He suggested while moving his arms back behind him.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Two of you" grouped her and Molly in a way that she found amusing, given all the differences between herself and her roommate, but she held it back. She didn't want to go into more detail about Molly with him yet. Especially as he drew nearer, grinning like a shark. Bee took half a step back and flexed her hands in her pockets.

"Is 'dramatics' the word you'd use for all the missing persons posters?"

If she'd had any doubts before, she didn't as he kept talking.

"I play piano. Played. Don't have room for one right now."

She did, however, roll her shoulder out from beneath his hand.

"And I apologize," her tone was quiet and terse, her jaw tense, "But people like us haven't given me much reason to trust you on that. So allow me my skepticism. It's gotten me this far."

However.

Her eyes watched him through her lenses, muddy hazel made darker by the tinted glass.

He doesn't feel like him.

"...I really should have known with those lyrics." A very slight, very wry smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. "Good song, but...a tad on the nose, ain't it?"

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰very time Bee moved away, David took a kind of delight in her hesitance and nerves. Come on, they were of the same world and breed…She didn’t have to be so nervous around him. The more timid and reserved she was the more he wanted to test the limit of how long she’d let him before running off or trying to do something more concrete about it…He only bit back for food or entertainment, didn’t think he was one of the worst ones out there to meet for that reason. His friendliness often mistaken for threat…

All he could do now was shrug at the accusation about the town’s over abundance of missing people he knew were never coming back alive.

“Just the way things are. Every town’s got its secrets…” His smile didn’t change or move. He knew better than to carry pity and grief for what was already long gone by now…He hadn’t cared much in a long time about the life of a meal before him.

He looked to be impressed she played. “Ah, one of my favorite instruments.” David hummed, sounding pleased by her answer given.

“Always a classical guy, should play for me sometimes when we’ve got the time and means. Let’s see what you’ve got when not drowning in your own inhibition and fear.”

“Skepticism among our folks isn’t an unfair thing to have.” The platinum blonde nodded. “Known-a lot of us have been burned out by our sires or bad experiences with each other.”

“I can assure you there are worse ones out there to meet than me.”

A strange thing to say given how unnatural everything about David from his cryptic voice to his sly posturing all the way to his rarely un-grinning face was…unsettling to some. But, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true or-something he’d never experienced himself hands on…

Didn’t mean he wasn’t doing everything he could to be friendly to an interesting and fresh face around here either.

“Nobody’s figured it out who wasn’t of this life before. Think it’s a part of the gimmick…Performing in a place like this provides us our benefits like that one…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Bee gave a begrudging tilt of her head, lips making a lopsided frown. Fair. She really couldn't judge Santa Carla for it's reputation. Hundreds of people died in the city every day. It was just a matter of deaths per capita.

I still feel exposed hunting outside of dark alleys and side-streets.

She blinked twice at David's delight in her answer. Then let out a small snort, her hand leaving her pocket to cover her mouth and nose. "You? You like classical?? Sorry, just--" she lowered her hand and gestured to all of him, her smile a bit easier as she exhaled a quiet giggle, "I know it's a look but...the discrepancy is really fucking funny."

"You'd have to find me a piano, to start with," Bee shrugged, "And I may be rusty. It's been a few years."

It was a lie, rather than modesty. She'd had half a century with ivory keys, she knew what she was doing. Playing for strangers, though...

Strangers who were similar in ways most people would never be.

And David was right.

There were much worse things she could find than just a vampire.

"So...you get a lot of take-out, instead of shopping around," Bee interpreted what he meant, then tapped her chin with her finger, "Not a bad gig, really. So. If I weren't like you, were you going to try to get me backstage?...not sure if I would be flattered or offended if true. Both?"

She kept the hint of slyness from her smile with practiced effort.

"Probably both."

[ihavetohaveyou]

𝕰ven if Bee was uncomfortable with it, David found much enjoyment and pleasure in hunting around in Santa Carla’s alleys and prowling the streets at night looking for a meal to eat…Was more fun when there was a challenge to it…A thrill at the risk of being caught by another mortal-just meant more for him eventually.

It was the main reason he’d come up to talk to the girl after all.

Hearing Bee’s disbelief garnered her a pout, the platinum blonde vampire turning around in a circle on his heels…Really showing every inch and crevice of his overall look with a playful kind of deliberation. “Aw, but the fans dig it-how I look.” He snarked dryly, holding one of his arms out gracefully with his palm out while his back rested was turned to her, a look of snide snootiness overtaking him that wasn’t all that real to begin with. “Can’t say you don’t like it too…At least a little bit.” He was being cocky, but she already told him she liked the show after all…How could he not hold that one over her head a little?

“Looks…can be deceiving. Especially for one of our own…We all got a nature to hide if we-want to eat without being hunted or slain.”

David snapped his fingers, a triumphant expression across his face as he held his arms up in the air. “We got a deal then? Only if I can get you a piano to play…The good shit, no counterfeit or broken ones. Wouldn’t make you settle for any less than you deserve if I have it my way, girl.”

“Don’t be afraid…I’m not one for judging-Especially if you’re even half as good at it as I think you are.”

He had a feeling she was nervous to play in front of someone else…He had been before too in the past…Something they might’ve shared in common outside of what they are.

“All you need is a little encouragement and-someone to bet on your gifts…”

“Don’t take it personally, bumblebee.” He dismissed her claims with a flippant wave of his fingers, even if it really was obvious what his intentions with her were. Ah, she really was like a bumblebee-sweet and stinging alike. He liked that about her…Rather refreshing thing to see around. “We must feed our own ways…”

It’s not like the fans would mind, they all wanted his affection…and, in a way he was giving it to ‘em. If only they saw it the way he did. Getting to die happy, noticed by your idol hardly was a bad way to go out…

“Both would be preferred, friend.” He smirked back. “Means I haven’t pulled you away from my grasp yet…”

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Hey, I knocked the smile off his face. For three seconds.

Small victories.

Bee's snickering continued as David gave her a little twirl. Even if she liked the show, the aesthetic was definitely more to Molly's taste than hers. "The ripped clothes look just isn't for me," she tutted like a disapproving parent, but it was severely undercut by said snickers, "Or the accessories. Sorry. Last decade's fashion was more my style, if you couldn't tell.."

She fumbled slightly as he took her up on the offer to play, if he could get a piano. She had to raise a finger to add to the conditions, "And no keyboards. Not unless it's got eighty-eight keys. Sixty-one is not the same, dammit." Her lips pursed into a line at the premature praise. She wasn't a proud woman, or vain enough to fall for it.

But it had been a very long time.

"I'm sure your honeyed words get you plenty of flies." Bee scoffed at the nickname, and David's smirk. "But don't get too smug about it. It breaks the illusion." Though what even was the point of them, if they were both clear that she wasn't prey? It was...nice, talking to him, she could admit that much. But her expectations of meeting the local coven had been negative enough that anything would have been a pleasant surprise. So maybe she was biased. And maybe he would turn it around when there wasn't a crowd.

"Don't let me keep you from your dinner, if that's what you were actually looking for."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

@sapphiregem01 Gotcha back >:D ))

Have your two very excitable lads shouting about their "new recruit" ))

[makeyoufeellikethat]

"Forgot how hard looking for a new guitar could be.. Not to mention how expensive they're getting nowadays. Anyone have tips for guitar shopping? My guitar's lasted me awhile, but she'll only get me so far.."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Ooh! Ooooh! I can help with that, and I've been needing to get new strings!"

"What're you looking for, Mikey? Still going classic or you thinkin' of getting something crazy? Heheh."

[makeyoufeellikethat]

"How well-timed.. I'm not looking for anything too different from what I already have. I can only restring and fix mine up so much before it starts giving out on me.. And I'm dangerously close to that point now."

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"Whaaaaaat, not going for a Flying V? Shake it up a little, 'sweetheart', give your audience something to think about!...if they even can." She snickers.

"It totally depends on if you wanna use an acoustic, or an electric guitar? There's hybrids, too. I feel like a Hammer XT would suit you pretty well if you're not just getting another dread."

[makeyoufeellikethat]

"You know it wouldn't fit the vibe I go for in my shows.. The fans are used to what I've already established, no need to 'shake it up' or something." The last part only warrants a pointed look.

"Um.. I guess acoustic? It's all I've ever had.." He looks increasingly lost. "But I.. guess whatever you thinks would work best could be fine too? I think? Maybe I'll just browse a bit before I make any sort of decision-"

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

Molly just kind of stares at him, and shakes her head with a tense smile. "Oh, sure! Cause your musical identity is what they're coming for! Not like it's impossible to disappoint them!"

"ANYWAY. Fine. But can we at least get something that isn't a default dreadnought. Like. Get a fender in black or cherry red or something."

"Act like you give a shit about what you're holding on stage, 'stead of just going along with it."

[makeyoufeellikethat]

Michael stares back blankly, before making the smart decision of looking away and shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I like what I have in place, so I don't wanna change too much.."

"Sure, like I said, I'm good with whatever you think is best. But now that I think about it, will the alternatives be expensive too? Maybe it would best if I just go with the uh.. dreadnought."

.. He'll pretend he didn't hear that.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"See, this is where you not knowing shit is even worse. A dread is going to be more expensive than a fender. By several hundred bucks. You can literally look at a price tag and find that out."

[makeyoufeellikethat]

".. Oh." There's a long pause, and Michael would certainly be red-faced if he was still alive. "Uh- Then.. I guess we're going with a fender!" He's definitely faking that chipper voice of his, almost cracking as he speaks.

[catch-more-bees-with-honey]

"A'ight, wicked. Let's get you a fender. And if you insist on acoustic, I can get it a pickup...if you don't know what that means, 'sweetheart', just trust me."

"You want a light color to suit your 'image' or what."