Starling Pond Uber it up!

Blair would pull open the Uber app, finding someone who was named @Abraham who had some pretty good reviews and seemed like he would be ok from his app profile, so why not send the request to him and hope that he wasn't busy for the next five hours.

Hi, could you please pick me up from Starling pond in Starling Hills, please?

Blair

She would hit send and let the app do its work as she went to what felt like the start of the park so that she wouldn't be hard to spot- if nothing else she might have to call a taxi but those were much more expensive than she liked so she was crossing her fingers for this one.

Uber traffic was still slow going for the last few weeks, but Abraham found it worked well enough as chill time still. So the good old Hyundai rolled on to Starling Hills, picking up some chick named Blair.

Huh.

That was a name he knew. Because. That was the chick that Asha had almost turned but hadn't turned. And she could blow up hospitals. This probably wasn't the same person though probably there were like a million Blairs in the world right yeah?!

The park wasn't packed, so he pulled into the lot nearby, glancing at his phone to double check the location and looking out to see if she'd approach.

Assuming she got in, he'd greet with a standard:

"Hey. Blair?"

She would wait, playing with her phone a bit until a matching car drove up. A sigh left her, thank goodness, she wasn't walking all the way back Ridgefield.

The pale girl would go to the car and slip inside the car and give the man a little bit of a smile, "yea, that's me. You're Abraham, right? " she ask him curiously. Once he answered, she would smile some, "Thanks for coming to get me, saved me a long walk," Blair told him but her tone was a bit tired and worn out, her head hurting from her psychic booming and just stress of thinking of how to make it up to her friend whom she had an argument with.

"Oh uhm sorry, I need to get to Ridgefield. There's a motel between the mall and museum, that's where I need to get to please," she asked him. It wasn't a great place but it was a place.

She wondered if she should keep talking or just try and stay a silent mouse- it was honestly hard to decide right now as she wasn't sure if he was a talker or not. First impression though was that he seemed nice- ao, why not take a crack at it, "Evening been well?" Blair asked him curiously.

There were two kinds of passengers: strong silent types and chatterboxes. There didn't tend to be much in between. It wouldn't take much to guess which one she was.

She thanked him, something he always found kind of sweet and also ridiculous since he was getting paid to do this, after all. But he'd never piss on gratitude, so he smiled and nodded instead. Going downtown when it wasn't broad daylight was not his favorite thing, but it meant he just wouldn't pick up any new passengers while he was down there. It was a fucking bummer, considering the kind of money that came from Ridgefield, but.

Didn't want a vampire in his car, didn't want to get shit from Uber for rejecting a passenger if he didn't have to.

"Yeah," he said. "Quiet, but that's alright. You?"

It took her just a moment to settle in, placing her purse next to her and buckling because well she did have some safety sense about her if she was in a car. She should have ridden her motorcycle but opted for a walk.

She would start to play with her long hair, "Ever have one of those weeks or two where your brain just says to heck with behaving normally? That's me right now. The walk helped but landed me up here and walking alone again is not on my to-do list." Blair told him with a little smile.

Blair would unbraid and run her fingers through her long silvery-white hair, "Looking forward to the carnival?" she asked him curiously, that was a good topic, the carnival was going and so far it had been pretty good in her opinion.

Alright but like uhhhh.

Okay. Abraham considered the information he had here.

Misbehaving brain: point for explosion Blair. Living in a motel: point for some other random Blair. The jaguar was awake in his head, snorting, pacing. What if she blew up the car, roo roo :(((

He glanced back in the rear view for a moment as they got going. Christ, she was pale.

"Yeah, it's something to do. Not much of a ride person, but there's some good food out there. You visiting town for the fair or something?"

Since the motel and all.

"I'm excited to try some of the fair food myself, I heard there was going to be an ice cream set up but I'll have to explore to see what they have for the savory end," she said as she did wonder what else was going to be there.

Carnival food was like a constant cheat day that you could work off while exploring and having fun with the rides and just seeing all that was there to offer there.

The question about the visiting made her shake her head, "Oh no, I'm staying there until I can find an apartment or rent one with someone- it's a never-ending hunt but I'm pretty hopeful I'll find something soon," she told him. Blair was always optimistic about moving from the motel to an actual place that she could settle down.

"Have a favorite food there that you're looking forward to?" Blair asked curiously, her fingers combing through her hair a little more before she started a four-strand braid on her hair.

This chick bounced between topics like it was her job. Food, motel, back to food. It didn't leave him with an opportunity to ask the ten thousand questions he had about why people came to a place before they had somewhere legit to stay. But maybe she had somewhere and had been evicted or something. Shitty life.

"The Terrace has good food out there and it's where my girlfriend works so I technically have to say it's my favorite. But."

Don't tell anyone this, Blair.

"I think I'm most hyped for funnel cake. Just straight up mound of powdered sugar."

The Terrace, that one sounded familiar and his girlfriend. She was quiet for a moment as she let that just sink in and then her eyes went wide. Yep, she felt like a thick dunce this was Ashas boyfriend she had mentioned!

"You're a good boyfriend to say that though," she told him with a smile. Crud should she say that she knows Asha? Would that make it weird?

The sudden admittance of the sugary treat had her just grinning and then trying to not laugh, "Oh gosh yes...I hope they have the cinnamon sugar elephant ears that take up like four plates and make you regret life and need a dentist appointment that week, they're so good." Blair told him and now she was getting hungry talking about food- that didn't help things.

Though she didn't want to keep much from someone who had helped her- even indirectly at least. She looked at him, thinking for a moment as she was debating on what to say and after a moment she settled on the simple, "Uhm, might sound a little random but I am pretty sure you're my friend's boyfriend who helped me out a couple of weeks ago, getting my bike?" she would ask him tentatively.

He was a good boyfriend! Sometimes! Not all the time at all, but. Abraham could do okay at least on occasion. Back to funnel cake talk, and honestly it was kind of disturbing the degree to which he could eat without regret now.

Well, okay. Maybe not fully without regret, but with less regret than anyone in the same situation ought to feel.

And then it happened. The confirmation. The question. The moment of terrifying truth.

This was exploding Blair. The one who could blow up a hospital. Sitting here in his car. Should he very carefully go the speed limit so he didn't startle her or roll the usual five over so that he could get this ride over with faster?

Jesus fuck don't blow up his car, please. The jaguar made a lot of not helpful sounds.

"Uh, yeah. That's me. You... doing alright after all that?"

DON'T BLOW UP HIS CAR

Blair wanted to try all the sweet foods covered in various sugars and even deep fried though she was sure after all she was going to feel sick if she ate as much as she wanted. Though what was life without a few tummy aches in pursuit of yummy treats to make you feel better?

Yep, this was him and this was Asha's boyfriend and she really didn't want to upset him because she felt bad enough about Asha and was pretty sure the bad emotions from that would just not be fun.

His question made her nod, "Getting there, still healing up and trying to not be so jumpy." she told him, maybe that was a bad set of words, did he know what she could do? She really had no clue if Asha told him she was psychic or not and she had no clue if he was scared of her or not because she didn't know how to read someone she just met. "Thank you for getting it and i'm sorry for whatever trouble I caused for you getting it... all that happening was just- well I didn't know and now I do, just guess I wish I didn't find out the hard way," Blair admitted to him, rubbing the bite mark again. It was itchy as it healed and the stitches were mildly annoying but they were almost healed up.

Haha jumpy exploding psychic in his car no fucking worries, pal. Abraham's heart bounced around in his chest. Why did this freak him out so fucking bad? Also why did Asha make friends with people who blew shit up?

You know who never exploded hospitals? Other weres.

"It's alright. Wasn't too much work considering what you went through," he said. Abraham left out the part where he'd been super adamant about not helping her! Because it sounds like Asha had kindly left it out, too.

"Least you made it out. Vampires are real shitheads."

Uhhhh language, Abraham.

"Still, I knew I was asking a lot in general because I didn't want to deal with a hospital or police," she told him. She had her reasons, as wild as they were but she didn't want to even step foot inside a hospital-even if something was missing she probably would try to avoid it at the moment.

Blair would nod at that one, "Yes. Have you...have you had issues with vampires as well? Thanks to some advice, I'm carrying a lighter around though it seems silly that a small flame could detur them." Blair told him with a small shake of her head but the swearing actually made her smile and chuckle a little bit since she rarely if ever swore herself. "Asha helped a lot, she's given me a job as well...is there something she likes that I could make or do for thanks? That she would like?" Blair would ask- if anyone should know it would be him, right?

Abraham had more than a few issues with vampires. He couldn't go into things like the time he'd kind of murdered one! Or how some of his earliest were memories involved getting terrorized by one!

For better or worse, Blair continued on, and he wasn't left with much opportunity to comment on vampires. That was fine and for the best, honestly. She fell into something he'd heard before: people wanting to get on Asha's good side. Christ. She had some kind of dynamic with humans.

"Staying out of trouble is probably the best thing in the world you can do," he said. "If she gives you advice, follow it. That'll make her happier than anything. She'll feel bad if you get her a gift or something while you're still trying to find a place to live."

Blair listened to him, giving a small nod before just giving a little nod, "Alright, I can do that and I wouldn't want her to feel bad- maybe I'll draw another thing for her, she let me sketch her in the botanical gardens." Blair told him with a little smile.

That was a good memory, yep she was going to just be apologizing later and just going to work her backside off to prove that she was fine and could handle her ability and maybe if she was given the chance to get rid of her powers. She didn't want people to be scared of her when they learned about her ability- which honestly she just felt everyone was scared or freaked out about her once they knew, though she didn't think Asha was freaked out about her- least she never showed it if she was.

Oh, there. Perfect. He laughed a little.

"A drawing is perfect," he said. Abraham almost suggested drawing cat form, too, but decided he wasn't sure if he was really supposed to know about that. Because was he a jaguar? Unclear!

"But in general you probably don't have to gift her anything. She's happy with friendship and all that."

He rolled the car to a stop for a red light, drumming his fingers lightly on the streets wheel.

The laugh made her smile a bit, guess she said something right!

Maybe she would finish the goofy sketch she had going, it honestly was honestly going to be one of her favorite looks of a jaguar that she had. An idea did crop up in her head but she wasn't sure if he would think it was weird or not, it was something she'd done before but she had learned that just drawing someone without permission.

"I can relate to that, friendship is worth more than anything to me honestly. It's hard to find good friends that you can trust and talk to," she told him. She had learned that the hard way and she wanted to keep the friends she was starting to make.

"Can I ask something, it could be kind of silly since we just met," she asked. Yes it was vague but yah know she was horrible at asking drawing questions- this is why she was setting up a booth at the fair.

Abraham briefly pondered his own valuation of friendship. Honestly, if he could just stick with Wallace and Jamaal for a lifetime, he'd... probably be fine? (Asha didn't count as a friend. Because more than a friend, obviously.)

But chicks seemed different about all that. Abraham didn't really overthink friendship. It just kind of was.

That question, though. Who could resist that bait.

"Uhhhh sure," he said, flicking on the turn signal.

Oh! He agreed to let her ask, yes!

"Well since I'll be drawing something for her, mind if I put you in that drawing too? Just add you into the sketch itself, if you're ok with that?" Blair would ask him, hoping it didn't sound weird.

She had done a couple of couple sketches together so she knew how that worked out and what not but she hoped that it would be seen as a nice gesture from her and a thanks to the both of them for helping her- she was still trying to think of something for April as well.

Awh shit.

Abraham was not really an art kind of guy! In general he wasn't super into himself existing outside of him... self. But. He also recognized saying no here maybe him a real dickhead.

And maybe she'd get mad and blow up HIS CAR and also A HOSPITAL.

"Uhhh, sure. I imagine you probably need a reference or something? Asha's got photos of us on her Instagram I think, I can get you her username or whatever."

Unless she was just going to draw his eyes from the rear view mirror.

Thought about crocodile guy calling him Kind Eyes. Heh.

That made her smile, "I actually have it, she wanted to follow me and vice versa when she learned I did art so but thank you! I wanted to ask since some people don't like it and I understand that." she told him.

Awesome! She had another project to focus on that was going to help her focus and she needed that, she also needed to figure out what she was going to do about the detective who was probably going to look her up- she had too many issues it felt like UGH ><

"Thank you though, I like having various art projects to do, so thanks. You could probably find the picture I drew of Asha on her Instagram if you ever wanted to see it," she told him with a smile. She was honestly in a better mood, less upset, she had a set goal in mind and was going to achieve it. What she was though, was tired and she hoped that she might actually get a snooze when she got back to her motel.

If Abraham was being real, he did not use Instagram. He could see like two scrolls down Asha's before it asked him to log in, and he didn't have an account anyway, so. That was as far as he ever got!

But it was nice of Blair to offer, and nice that she was doing art and all that.

"I'll have to check it out," he said.

At the end of the day, he... was still not really into the idea of human friendships. Which maybe made him some kind of monster, but. Well.

Wasn't he?

Blair was a nice kid and so far she hadn't blown up his car. But that didn't mean she wouldn't blow up another one. Fuckin' supernatural shit.

"Hope life eases up for you and an apartment opens up soon and all that. Looks like we'll be at the motel here pretty shortly."

Blair smiled at that, leaning back in her seat a bit but she could never just get comfortable in cars. She was almost done with this ride and then it would be done and she'd be able to flop in bed.

She honestly was a little surprised when he said that, her cheeks turning a bit pink as she gave a smile, "Thanks, I'm still optimistic about things, even with the bad just...trying to keep that mindset is a challenge at times," she said with a laugh before sitting up and adjusting her bag some.

Blair would pull out her cell phone, already giving him five stars, even if he wasn't Asha's boyfriend, he was nice and deserved to get whatever business he could. She probably would, if she needed a ride again, ask for his uber again since she felt at least a bit comfortable with him and not as on edge as she might be with others- and she blew up some ice on the lake so it was fine for the moment.

Staying positive was definitely not Abraham's expertise. He didn't think it needed to be, to be truthful. But good on this kid for trying to put the work in for optimism. He supposed some people did need it to be happy.

"Good on you for trying," he said, which was the kind of nice thing you said to nice people.

She'd been kind enough, but he would be glad to get her out of the car. Due to the explosion thing. Hopefully she wasn't going to go blow up a motel.

He peered out as she left, keeping an eye out for any vampiric motherfucker who might show up. (Question: Why hadn't she exploded the vampire?)

When it didn't look like she'd get snatched, Abraham would be on his way, keen to be out of Ridgefield toward the evening.