@fangbites
He’d spent the last few days working on some independent projects while he took advantage of the unusually low activity at the funeral home. His dreams lately had been especially daunting, and while he was normally able to deal with the influence of the Blood Tree as well as anyone else, he had been sleeping even more unwell than usual. In the nights where he’d been stirred, it was unusual for hi to be able to fall back asleep, more often than not August was left with little more than his own thoughts. The night was the perfect time for reflection, and the stars under the new year seemed to be no different.
He’d hadn’t expected to hear from Kolya again so soon after what had transpired between them, and maybe it was pride that kept the vampire from facing the witch directly, but a small tube of antiseptic cream on his doorstep was all the evidence that August needed. However poorly August had treated the vampire, Kolya felt remorse over his actions, and truthfully there was a part of him that did as well. Though, if pressed, he’d blame it on some emotional hangover brought on by the compulsion, despite the fact he’d started on vervain the day after his conversation with Kolya in the mausoleum.
There was really only place he liked to go to when he was like this, it wasn’t some macabre witch location, he wasn’t going to cast some sacred circle and offer his soul for sacrifice in some dark ritual. He went to one of the few places where it was easy to tune out and go some place else. Restless Rebels flashed in neon lights over the arcade game where he stood, furiously tapping the action and block commands in a classic edition of Street Fighter. His dad had liked classic video games, at least he thought, he’d made up some details about his parents when he was a kid so it was hard sometimes to pick out the real memories from the more elaborate dreams a childhood imagination could put together.
He felt the other’s presence just on the outskirts of his mind’s eye and there was no small part of him that wondered if he should leave. Or, maybe Kolya had seen him through the window? It was weirdly embarrassing to be found at the arcade, he liked to go late at night, there wasn’t usually too many people there. At least none that he would recognize.
His fingers kept moving in quick repetition as he moved, jumped, kicked, and special attacked his way to another win. A smirk on his lips as his eyes flickered from the screen towards Kolya, “thanks for the care package,” his eyes moved to the faint marks that were still on his now unbandaged wrist, “think it really helped the whole healing process.”