The Dark Avenger had actively been avoiding his won studio for a good many evenings. He didn't feel safe there, not personally because Eric knew he was strong enough to crush the vampire with a single touch, but for the sake of the secret he and Macklyn kept. He had to do what was best for his mate at all costs and if that meant an eternity of loneliness then Eric would brave through it without a friend. Lee was gone. John was acting strangely. Peter was suffering. Eric really had no one else to turn to besides his mate, whom he adored dearly, but it wasn't the same as having another friend to be with.
Usually his instinct was dead-on, and he still felt that it was however his trust in John waivered because of their last meeting. Eric knew John's persona had grown dangerous and he couldn't put himself or Macklyn at risk. So he had disappeared from John's life for a while to let the vampire cool down.
At present, he was standing in one of the booths working diligently on one of his guitars. He had come back for the sole purpose of giving the instrument a set-up using his cart and tools he'd placed there for that reason. His fingers worked over the fretboard, free of strings, and he touched lightly at the wood.
Bran sat silently as a shadow above the entranceway to the front hallway, spying John as the vampire entered through the glass doors. Eric had long since removed the bloody symbol from the glass since the neon pink sign did the job quite well. The City had even included a crow symbol for him. It was funny how things worked when you least expected it.
Picking up a pack of strings, Eric began to weave the metallic strips through the body of the guitar, up the neck, and wound them through the pegs.