Chupacabras tired

look

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Truth to be told, Vass was still mentally exhausted. He finally felt better enough to go out and have some fun, maybe grab a snack, because the juiceboxes were just not the same.

The vampire found himself at the bar, staring at his drink with dozy eyes, listening to the poet rambling in the background.

"Mondays are pretty dead, huh..." He asked the person who sat next to him.

outfit

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Night clubs were not his scene. They sounded like a shift waiting to happen and he was already too prone to letting the tiger have his way. It was something he needed to work on. But the root was likely the amount of stress he was under. Lingering. Working two brain-intensive jobs, living with a tiger in his head, feeling a little...aimless? Despite having two jobs he enjoyed.

Mm.

Anyway, he was here because beat poetry night sounded relatively relaxed and it was. Charlie sat at the bar drinking something called a "Slam Punch" which he assumed was blue curacao and vodka and...sprite maybe? It was good so he wasn't complaining.

"Monday nights are work nights," Charlie said astutely and looked over at the younger, eccentric man sitting next to him. "We are clearly living on the edge."

Vass chuckled quietly.

"Absolute mad lads we are." He nodded and then looked at the drink. "It's so blue... Are you secretly dunking mana potions?"

He smelled a cat, so he was safe from fireballs at least.

”It’s their Slam Punch,” Charlie looked past the stranger to make sure he was saying the name right. ”What’s mana?” He gave an interested smile as he looked at the interesting, stinky stranger again.

Potion probably would be a much better name for this. But it wouldn’t fit the theme very well tonight.

Oh, right. Not all middle-aged guys had to constantly keep up with the times, some of them actually aged.

"Well… in fantasy games, these restore your mental fortitude so you can cast more spells." Vass said with a small smile, head resting on his hand. "They are very blue. Funny though, alcohol usually has the opposite effect on mental fortitude."

Restored mental fortitude? Sounded like something that Itxaro would sell in her shop. Charlie lifted his curvy glass to take a look at the drink. And then he lazily took another sip before he set it down, looking tired, but thoughtful about it. Nope. Nothing.

"I'll let you know if it works, but nothing so far." He had been pointlessly nursing it. Mostly because he didn't want to drop another silly amount of money on a second one. He held out his hand, "Charlie."

"Vass." The vampire shook his hand, his own, as per usual, oddly cold. "It's a pleasure."

He ordered himself the same drink, just interested how something so blue would taste like.

"So... How's your night, luv?"

The cold almost stung against the warmth of his own hand. But he didn't need to feel the chill to know that Vass wasn't alive. The tiger was always so weird around the undead. God forbid he saw anything that moved too quickly, though. Maybe vampires just weren't a worthwhile food source. They didn't smell great.

"I came to try and unwind after work." He took another sip of his drink. "But I'm not sure it's working."

Vass received his drink and took a sip of it. Mmm, citrusy! And quite strong, too, damn.

"You have pretty good taste, not gonna lie." He chuckled and returned to the conversation after that little interjection. "Not working? Too bored or too stressed?"

Charlie smiled as his neon taste in beverages was complimented. A smidge of relief, reminding him that this was his time to relax and socialize.

"Stress," he looked at the poet. "What do you do, Vass?" How closely could they relate?

Ah. Well, Vass could at least provide distraction. He was pretty good at this. Some would say, it was basically his job.

"That sucks, but maybe I can save the night." He chuckled and returned to the question. "Like, for living or tonight?"

"Living, but," if he was offering to somehow save Charlie's night-- "Tonight, if you'd rather answer that one." The man who thought himself to be older lifted an eyebrow curiously.

"For living, I'm an actor. But mostly TikToker these days." Vass snorted and shook his head. "Could you believe I was in Phantom of the Opera...?"

Next sip of the drink didn't go so smoothly. He'd need to go to bathroom soon.

"As for tonight, I'm just hanging out. Thought I'd get myself a bit more cultured, but let's be real, this is really damn boring."

He lowered his voice.

"And that guy over here is no Shakespeare."

A TikTok-er. At least he knew what that was. Another thing he'd been trying to learn since it could mean good marketing for the shop. It was decidedly not something he casually used.

An actor, though. He wouldn't begrudge the man for doing what he needed to make a living. Charlie never expected to be in the coffee shop business.

"I wouldn't have guessed," he admitted, eyes a little wide. The actor thing sure. Specifically Phantom of the Opera, though? Never.

"I liked the last one better. You used to act. Why not try your hand on this stage?" Could give him a rush of adrenaline and Charlie figured the very fact that he suggested it would provide a nice distraction.

Vass gave him a cat-like smile now. Mmmm...

"Tempting, tempting..." He murmured and finished his drink. "You know what? I'll show everyone the entertainment, then. But first..."

Bathroom. He wouldn't puke on stage, that would have been embarrassing and he was a professional.

"Excuse me for a moment."

But he was back soon. Just in time as the poet finished, so he took the stage and grabbed the microphone.

Ok, Charlie would believe the Phantom thing now. Vass so confidently agreed to the challenge and Charlie would sit and sip patiently while he went to do whatever it was he planned.

When Vass reappeared, Charlie gave a supportive clap from the bar to egg on the other patrons who joined in.

Now, Vass himself was no poet. But he knew how to make the words come to life. It was his job for the longest time. Be it with a song or speech, a movement or expression.

The poem of his choosing was Poe's 'A dream within a dream' and he became a hero of it's story for one moment.

At first he sounded as if he talked to a friend, but soon his speech became more tortured. In the end, it was all passage of time and who else knew better the pain of it, but someone who didn't age. Who all but was forced to see those grains of golden sand slipping from his grasp.

"Is all that we see or seem..." his final words barely a whisper, eyes almost fearful. "But a dream within a dream?"

And just like that, as if a switch was flipped in his head, Vass returned to his default, blasé persona. With a cat-like smirk, he bowed when some people clapped. And he was off the stage, like a sort of phantom.

Charlie watched, quickly rapt by the performance. It wasn't long. What an interesting thing to memorize (thought the man who knew equations and pointless animal facts). When the end was reached it almost felt inappropriate to clap, but he would as Vass left the stage, quieting his applause as the man rejoined him.

"That was unexpected. I didn't believe you when you said you were in Phantom of the Opera, but I do now." Charlie picked up his drink to give the orator a silent cheers.

Vass chuckled and ordered himself another drink. Because hell, why not.

"You haven't seen me sing yet, but it seemed a bit inappropriate for a quiet poetry night." He said, keeping that lazy smirk on his face. "I hope you've enjoyed it, though."

The vampire was always happy to provide some entertainment and distraction.

"Maybe so." Charlie half-shrugged as he rattled the rest of his drink through the straw. He wouldn't get another.

"Hopefully you've inspired the other performers," A woman took the stage and began reading from a journal. It was heartfelt. Clearly original. Sad. If he had an ounce of creativity in his body, Charlie might have tried to find the words to try his hand. It might've been cathartic. But he would just let the emotions of others try to soothe his own. "She's quite good." He decided, keeping his voice low.

Vass listened and relaxed, enjoyed his drink. Looked at the stage and smiled. He liked how earnest it was, the rhythm was good, too.

"She is. I hope someone recognizes that." He said quietly.

Charlie wasn't sure if that was a jab at him, but he would take it as one and summon the bartender over. "You can put her next drink on my tab. You don't need to tell her it was me." In fact, he would prefer it that way.

The bartender nodded and would wander off waiting to fulfill his duty.

"Living on the edge," Charlie chuckled to Vass.

Vass smiled and did the same deed. But asked to remain completely anonymous. Didn't wanted to come off as a minor celebrity swinging his dick at someone.

"Is doing a random act of kindness really living on the edge? Thought we should normalize this."

"We shouldn't need to be personally thanked for our kindnesses," Charlie noted with a smile. "But I just didn't want to leave the wrong impression."

Vampires and other weres only. He supposed that really narrowed his friend pool.

"Ahhh..." Vass chuckled now. Oh, Charlie didn't wanted her to think he's hitting on her. "A piece of advice, date a vampire. We're immune and we also stay perfectly preserved for ages."

Wink!

Charlie didn’t know exactly how to feel about the wink. Clearly it was playful. And Vass had a point. But, also—

”You all have a smell.” He said with a straight face. ”I guess it’s something to get used to.” Nose blindness.

”But, um. No, it’s probably better I not.” In general. Not Vass.

Gaaaaaaaasp! Vass faked offense, covering his mouth. How dare you!

"Well, my boyfriend got used to it!" He said with a pout.

"I'm sure it's something one can get used to," he shrugged and glanced over at the bartender as the woman approached the bar. "Nose blind."

"Awful." Vass sighed and shook his head, just being playful here. "But... speaking of my boyfriend..."

He looked down at the phone.

"I should probably get home before he gets worried..."

Charlie chuckled half-heartedly.

"Don't let me keep you," he advised and drank the rest of his watered down beverage. "you should think about getting back into acting." Would be his parting advice.

"I do think about that... Have a nice rest of the evening." Vass flashed him a smile before leaving.

Well, he had some fun...