Vlad was silent for a moment, masking his hesitation by pretending to study the menu, even though he'd almost memorized it by now and knew exactly what he was going to order. "You could say I did not get along very well with my parents," he said finally. "You can imagine, then, the sorts of things I said when I chose to vocalize how I felt. However... I could never tolerate anyone else speaking ill of them in my presence. It was more of an issue with my mother than my father."
The landlord troubled him, mainly because the man knew things he shouldn't have - things he had no way of knowing - and yet he knew them anyway. It was dangerous, and Vlad didn't like knowing that someone had that power over him. "There is something strange about him. He is no ordinary landlord, that much is certain."
He couldn't help but smile as he watched her - it had been far too long since he had taken anyone out to dinner, never mind a woman. He'd forgotten that this sort of lifestyle might be strange to some people, since it was all he'd ever known. "Choose whatever you like, Helena."