TIMING: last week SETTING: outside sofie's office SUMMARY: sofie still has people trying to find her. zane just wanted to check out some antiques
She was in the little store front she rented in Nightfall Grove, sorting through some pieces for a meeting the following day. The client was from out of town, but they had heard about her through a friend of a friend, as people usually did. This time is was Tiffany lamps. Lucky for the man, Sofie had a few. Lucky for Sofie, they could go for a pretty penny. She was about to lock up and go enjoy the rest of her evening when she heard a noise from the back room. She froze. She was fairly certain she’d locked the back door when she’d come in. She stood silently, listening. There was a clank and a hiss of muttered curses. She bolted for the door.
They’d found her- they must have found her. It has been years and she thought she’d been careful- wasn’t she careful? Apparently not, because as she bolted she heard footsteps chasing behind her. Sofie’s feet pounded against the floor and she took off out the door and started running down the street. She got a few yards before she ran directly into someone. Her mind still racing a mile a minute, she didn’t think as her eyes flared red and her fangs grew. She hissed like a cornered animal, and stumbled to get her footing. “Let me go,” was all she said.
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Talking with the antiquities dealer online had brought up stuff Zane had gone some time without thinking about. He’d never had many possession, even back home with his parents, and all the moving around had never given him a chance to change that. The only things he had from his childhood had been the clothes on his back and the memorabilia currently wrapped in a sock and contained to his pocket. He hadn’t tried to look at it after turning, having packaged it away after some warnings from Alma about the effects on the clan. Now, he wondered why he even clung on to the golden cross, not having worn it for five years and never getting the chance to again. Maybe the antique lady was the perfect person to take it off his hands.
While debating the rashness of this decision, Zane didn’t really have time to prepare for another person barrelling full force into him. It was all he could do to not fall down, hands bracing on the woman’s upper arms to steady the both of them. Red eyes stared back at him and fangs glinted in her mouth and for a moment, Zane’s panic overtook the fact that she was like him. Just out in the wild. Panic heightened as he finally spotted why this strange vampire had been running - someone was chasing her. Was it another person who tracked down vampires? Shit.
His own eyes flashed red as he looked down at the stranger, hands moving away from her at the hissed warning. The one in pursuit seemed to slow for a second, clearly evaluation the situation before he was nearing again, now at a slower, more calculated pace. “Follow me,” Zane said without thinking, wanting to grab at her hand but thinking better off it, as he took off down the street, away from the danger. Hoping that she would follow him.
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Red eyes. They had red eyes, like her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to sob in relief or scream at herself that she was going to get some poor unsuspecting vampire killed with her. A hasty glance over her shoulder told her she didn’t have much time. To make any decisions on how to proceed. It was fight or flight, and Sofie knew in a fight she didn’t stand a chance. If she survived the night she was going to ask Metzli to teach her to properly use a knife.
Sofie didn’t hesitate. She let out a strangled “Okay,” and took off down the street after the stranger, hoping that the hunter fell behind or changed their mind. She glanced over her shoulder every so often, to see if they were still being pursued. She scrambled to keep up, and reached out to hold on to the stranger so she wouldn’t lose them. “I’m so sorry,” she managed as they ran. “-Didn’t mean to get you in a mess too,”
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Zane felt the grip on his sweater sleeve which was comforting. It meant that he was neither alone in running away nor had the woman been turned to dust behind him. This was the first vampire he’d met outside of the clan and he was not going to watch her get turned to dust if he could help it. Maybe she was all alone, didn’t have a clan to look after her and make sure she was okay. Speaking of, at this rate Alma would end up giving Zane a chaperone. These run ins were getting way too frequent. Or maybe he just needed to stop being dumb, who knew.
There was no real plan to this running, the closest place he could think of was the University downtown, which might provide them with enough cover or at least a hiding spot. The words suddenly spoken caught him off guard. Sorry? She hadn't really done much, this was just shit timing. “It’s fine,” came the quick reply as he spared her a glance. She looked genuinely guilty. “As long as we don’t die,” he added as they were still being chased.
“Don’t suppose you have any fighting skills?”
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Sofie gave a weak laugh. “No, obtaining some was on my to do list for the week. I guess I should have bumped it up in my schedule.” Wonderful time to make jokes, Sofie. You’re about to die with this poor stranger, but at least your epitaph can say she laughed in the face of death.
She riffled through her purse for something she could use. Anything. She was beginning to realize just how little her sire had taught her. We are perfectly safe, ma colombe, why would we need to fight? A voice from ages past whispered through her mind. This is why, Seraphine. Sofie thought in reply. This is why.
She pulled out her keychain with the tiny swiss army knife attached and held it up. “It’s worth a shot?”
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Staring at the tiny knife, Zane evaluated their options. They could keep running, sure. But there’s was also two of them and one of him. Vampires were strong and according to what little information he’d gotten from Alma, pretty hard to kill. Not impossible, obviously, given that he’d witnessed a literal execution just days ago. It wasn’t even like they needed to fight him to the death. Just… scare him off.
“It’s definitely worth something,” Zane agreed, shoving over a trash can they ran past in hopes of slowing him down. “Stop on three and charge at him? Maybe if he thinks we can fight him he’ll run off?” As far as plans went, it wasn’t a good one. Running through the whole town, wondering if he had back up on the way, also wasn’t high on that list. He could grab at something in the vicinity, use it to force the man away, not giving him a chance to stake them or whatever it was he planned on doing.
—--
Sofie watched over her shoulder as the trash can bounced on the side walk, rolling directly into their pursuers path. At least her new companion could keep his head on his shoulders at a time like this. Another glance over her shoulder and she watched the hunter skid to an awkward halt to reroute around the trash and continue his chase.
“It’s as good a plan as any,” Sofie grimaced as she said it. “On three.” She agreed. “One,” God this could go badly. “Two,” if she made it out of this unscathed she was going to invest in security cameras and better locks. “Three!”
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Stomach jolting with anxiety, Zane turned, focus divided between his friend in crisis and the now startled man. The choice of “weapons” wasn’t good but the broken bottle would have to do, snatched up from the sticky ground and immediately held out towards the threat. The man looked more confused than scared, really, which Zane couldn’t blame him for. A small swiss army knife and a broken bottle in the hands of two, clearly very incapable, vampires. What, like Zane was going to tear into his jugular with his teeth? He didn’t even really plan on getting those jagged bottle edges anywhere near the man’s skin if he could help it.
“Back the fuck off.” It was his best attempt at intimidation, a somewhat poor one at that but still. More things to say rattled around his brain, bottle a bit too unsteady in his hand. “There’s two of us now but more on the way,” was what it finally landed on, a bold faced lie but hopefully the intensity of his fear made it sound somewhat believable. He really, really didn’t want this to end in a fight.
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Sofie came to a halt after the word left her mouth. She glanced at her compatriot and his broken bottle. This was either going to go very well for them, or very, very badly. By some miracle she managed not to look surprised at his bluff. No one was coming to help them unless this new vampire had some magical panic button that would have aid on the way. But based on the bottle and the tiny little army knife they had as weapons, that wasn’t very likely.
The hunter skidded to a stop. In the street light Sofie could see them better now. They looked on the young side, and now that they were faced with two vampires who looked ready to bring this to an end, they seemed unsure of themself. They shifted on their feet for a moment, and Sofie took the opportunity to fake a lunge at them. The novice hunter turned and ran, the prospect of more vampires clearly too much for them. She watched as they ran, dumbfounded that it had actually worked. “Thank you,” She said, sounding mystified as she watched them disappear after turning a corner. She finally turned her attention to her new ally. “Thank you. If you hadn’t come up with that, he would have chased me into a corner.”
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Zane stared after the man for a moment too long, muscles still tense with worry as he turned back to the woman. “What? Oh, yeah, no problem. Watch enough movies, you get good at bullshitting, I guess. Good call with the fake out, too.” He watched her for a while, brain finally getting a moment to fully comprehend the situation now that imminent death wasn’t on the agenda. Another vampire, seemingly on her own, and one that hadn’t seemed exactly surprised by the man trying to chase her down and stab her.
Energy swelling up in his limbs now that it had nowhere to go, Zane’s feet were on the move, starting to walk at a considerably slower pace than they’d been traveling just moments before. Getting some more distance between them and the would-be murderer didn’t seem like a bad idea, anyway. “Did you know that guy? Because I saw someone I know get turned into dust by some stranger and he tried to chase me down as well. Is that like… a thing?”
—--
Sofie drew deep breaths into her lungs, even if she didn’t need them. If nothing else, the motion of it was soothing. She shook her head emphatically at his question. “No, not don’t…. At least I hope I don’t.” If she did know who it was, she would have had a much bigger set of issues. “They must have been trailing me, or noticed I kept off hours- I thought I was being careful enough.”
The second half of his sentence registered in her mind and her face fell. “Oh… oh my goodness I am so sorry.” Her apologies were useless, but what else did she have? “It is ‘a thing’ for us, unfortunately.” She explained. “Our existence isn’t exactly…” Sofie searched for the right word. “Palatable. To some.”
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So it had been a stranger, aware of this woman’s… undeath. Did they have a file somewhere about vampires? How would they even know, Zane hadn’t told anyone outside of his clan so was he on that list now? Had the guy outside the hospital known that he was a vampire and made sure everyone else knew it? Man, he should have told Alma about the encounter with the stranger with the bad knee.
She was apologizing now, for the death of a vampire she hadn’t even known and Zane decided that he liked her. “Right.” It was all he could think to reply. Not palatable. So Zane had a group of people that accepted him now but as a result, his very existence was an offense to others. Excellent… “Guess they skipped that part in the clan introduction,” he added under his breath, finally slowing his walk to meet the stranger’s eyes. “Speaking of, I should probably get back. I’m not a big fighting help but I could walk you to someone from your clan, make sure you get there safe. Oh, uh, Zane. By the way.” He reached out a hand for a lack of a better greeting even though running from death with someone just made him want to hug them.
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Just how new was this vampire Sofie thought to herself, that he doesn’t know about hunters? Or just how lax was his clan on the important details of vampire life? Although she supposed she shouldn’t judge. She knew of hunters when she was still a young creature, but hadn’t accepted the reality of them until years later.
The expression on her face soured for a moment, but settled into something that vaguely resembled a smile. “I’m the only one in my clan around here.” She was the only one in her clan period. “I don’t live too far from here though, just a few blocks away.” Sofie took his hand and shook it. “Sofie, it’s a pleasure.” The discussion of clans had her interest piqued and she couldn’t help but ask. “So what clan are you a part of that they skip the important detail of slayers in the introduction?”
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There was a definite shift in Sofie’s expression as he talked about clans but with the high of surviving death still metaphorically running through his veins, Zane didn’t linger on it. The explanation came, he supposed, in her reply. She was the only one here, which was interesting and also quite sad. Zane couldn’t imagine having to go through everything on his own; getting food, being stuck inside on sunny days, talking to someone about the nagging voice in his head every time he went too long without feeding. “Sorry to hear that.”
Without asking, he had taken on the job of walking her home. As bad as his protection was, at least it had helped her out earlier which was something. The question about his clan made Zane pause, wondering just how hush-hush things were supposed to be. He knew that telling people about town about his newly acquired undeath was a big no but telling other vampires… “I think they’re just trying to ease me in, I guess. They did warn me not to wander about too much but I get restless easy so…” Yeah, it was almost definitely obvious that he’d skipped a whole part of her question but he didn’t know Sofie yet. He liked her, innately trusted her in a way but Alma and the other didn’t feel like his to talk about. “Maybe I should tell them to work on a pamphlet or something. Would probably have made some of this easier. Not that I’m, like, complaining or anything. Just… different, is all.”
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The only answer she provided was a shrug. He was young, or so she assumed. It was best not to scare him with stories like hers when he was just getting started. “It’s alright. You get used to it, I suppose.” Sofie lied. Sofie had never gotten used to it. Not the quiet, not the solitude, not the boredom. Not the little reminders of what she would never get back. None of it.
So when Zane fell in step with her, she was grateful for the companionship. It would be nice to not have to walk home alone. “It’s certainly a change.” She offered a friendly smile, her nerves finally settled. “It takes some time to get used to all of it… How long have you been this way, if you don’t mind my asking?
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Zane nodded along, hoping she was right. That it would start to feel more normal - being able to smell people’s blood, no longer having dreams, not feeling his heart race after a good run, sometimes wondering what it would feel like to actually sink his fangs into something… “Here’s hoping. No turning back, anyway.” Just another of his rash, ill thought out decisions to deal with.
Sofie had a calming effect, he found. Her smile was genuine and it was nice to talk to someone while not having to wonder in the back of your mind what they would taste like. Sure, Zane had that back at the house but at times, he still felt like the new addition. It had been months but for some of the vampires back at the house, it probably seemed like a blip. He was the kid, constantly being reminded about the sun and asked whether or not he’d accidentally eaten someone yet. All jokes, sure, but every one of them chipped away at something unseen. So he hesitated at Sofie’s question, not wanting to get the same patronizing attitude from her, too.
“Not… not long. Which you probably already guessed seeing as I don’t seem to know shit.” He laughed but it fell flat, the condescending undertone reminding him to shove it all back in. No need to overshare with this still-stranger about the most likely unnecessary worries over his new life. “You?”
—-
A snort of a laugh erupted from Sofie. “Well, it was a hint. But don’t feel bad. I’m well past my three hundredth birthday, and I’m still learning some things.” She was careful to keep her voice low. It didn’t seem like anyone was around to eavesdrop on their little conversation, but since their introductions had been made while on the run from a slayer, Sofie wasn’t about to take any unnecessary risks.
“Though if it helps, I suppose you could look at it this way.” She began, looking over at the younger vampire as they walked along. “You were a human all your life. You existed in that state for many years. Did you have being a human completely figured out? Can you say beyond a shadow of a doubt you knew exactly how you would react in any possible scenario? Do you know for certain exactly how many years you would live for?” She shrugged. “It’s not so different existing like this. Unless you plan to spend your now elongated existence doing scientific studies on how you and others of our kind function, you will still be in the comfortably uncomfortable camp of not having all of the answers.” Sofie cocked her head to the side. “Did that make sense, or have I just confused you more?”
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Three hundred? Zane couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around living out a whole human lifetime, much less three of them. “You don’t look a day over a hundred?” he replied sheepishly, not sure how else to process this information. He knew that Alma, for instance, was definitely older than she looked but he’d never heard a number this big in regards to years actually lived said out loud before. Questions were already bubbling up in his chest but this wasn’t the time.
He listened carefully as Sofie spoke, now fully feeling the weight of three hundred years of knowledge. Zane had gone through more than a few existential crises considering his age but realizing that your life wouldn’t end with the world imploding left a lot of things to think about. It had been a stroke of luck to even find a career that he actually enjoyed, seeing as his twelve year old self hadn’t been wondering about what he wanted to be or do when he grew up.
“Definitely still confused but… comforted, I guess? I don’t know, just… ten years ago I thought I wouldn’t make it to twenty and now I have all this time and no idea if I’m spending it right or even if I made the right choice-” Zane cut himself off, feeling the uncomfortable spiral spinning out of control in his head before he reigned it in. “Sorry. Side effect from almost dying just now, I think. You’re… really nice to talk to. Thank you.”
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A delighted laugh rang out, echoing down the empty street. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” She grinned. Sofie knew full well she had surprised him with her age. Most people didn’t think the young woman standing beside them on the street had been around since the time the state they were in was still a colony.
A sympathetic smile unfolded on her face. She could remember back to the start. The memories had grown fuzzy with time, but she still remembered the cyclone of questions that had swirled around in her mind. Time had provided some clarity, but even now she still had questions and what-ifs. She had more what-ifs than anything else in the world.
“You’ll never be entirely sure it was the right choice.” She sighed, patting him gently on the shoulder. “It was the choice you made. From that choice are endless strings of different futures. But you can’t untangle the knots you’ve made on your string. You just have to keep making new choices, making your string longer as you tie it to new choices.” She shook her head, tossing off the melancholy. “Well, so are you. You can talk to me anytime. I’m sure your clan has plenty of answers on the way they do things. But if you ever want an outsider's perspective, you’re always welcome to mine.”
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It was an odd one, this feeling of instant connection with a complete stranger. Zane could count on one hand the number of facts he currently knew about Sofie but it seemed that running from a weapon together made things like facts matter less. It was as if he knew all he needed to at this moment and apparently, so did she. As of right now, she was the only person on earth that knew about his real identity and, however vaguely, his struggles with it. Confiding in someone had been nice. It had never felt right, talking to the rest of his clan about this as they all seemed so comfortable in their skin, so sure in their purpose. Talking about it would have only made Zane feel like more of an outlier than he already did. But Sofie seemed to be some kind of outcast herself.
The gentle shoulder pat was comforting in so many ways and never before had he been so grateful for a situation that made him fear for his life. Not that he’d had that many life threatening situations before but the numbers were really racking up these past few months. “I think an outsider’s perspective will definitely come in handy.” Zane smiled, feeling the last of the night’s panic simmer away in the woman’s presence. The offer seemed like a genuine one and he would definitely be taking her up on it.