He wasn't sure if he would agree that it was easy to be cruel - not initially. But like anything, it became easier with time, and once someone embarked down that road it was difficult to change direction. In his case, being kind was far from easy, and yet somehow he still managed it. Sometimes he wondered why - especially when it concerned Boyd - even though his skeptics would argue that he had some ulterior motive. People like Shane really did give him too much credit sometimes.
Vlad laughed at the thought of anyone calling him a harmless little kitten, and in all honesty that was the last thing he ever wanted to be compared to. "Ah, now I see. I suppose gentler and kinder makes more sense." Personally he didn't care if some people never saw past their own stubborn ideas of him, because the people who mattered were the ones who knew there was more than his fearsome exterior. "Does that mean I should only be like this with you, then?" His voice returned to its previous teasing tone as he gave her a gentle kiss.
He was surprised by her question, having anticipated a number of possibilities except that one. "My birthday?" They usually never mattered, and sometimes he barely even managed to remember the date. "It is near the end of June - the twenty-eighth." He shook his head, laughing. "I do not need anything Helena. But since we are on this particular topic - when is your birthday?"