WHO Diana von Klimburg OT William Hughes WHAT Two old friends meet again WHERE Obscura Books WHEN Thursday, May 18th, 2017 (9:50 PM)
It was just approaching closing time when he and the single employee he kept at this hour had finished informing the few patrons left that they'd be closing in ten minutes. William was anxious to get the shop closed and cleaned so that he could head over to Eden and take the edge off that the bagged blood he obtained did not always do. Pulling the pocketwatch from his waistcoat pocket, he glanced at the time once again, a flash of annoyance shooting across his face because only a minute had passed since his return to the front, making it 9:50.
The vampire forced himself to suppress a sigh when the door hit the bell that hung over it, signaling the arrival of another customer. Yet, despite his ability to keep from sighing, William was unable to keep his irritation out of his voice.
"Good evening, madam," William could tell the patron was female from the sound of her footfalls, "Obscura will be closing in..." He had looked up to see who had entered the shop only to lose his voice when the intimately familiar visage of an old friend stood on the other side of the front counter, that insufferably charming smile on lips that he had difficulty resisting. If he had the ability to visibly pale at the sight of Diana von Klimburg, he would have. Instead, William reacted by sinking onto the stool set out to give his employees a slight break when they had work to do at the counter. Visibly swallowing, the younger vampire leaned forward slightly to rest folded hands on the counter. Taking an unnecessary, but calming deep breath, William slowly exhaled it before murmuring.
"Ms. von Klimburg." William was, as always, so polite. "How might I assist you this evening?" A smile he didn't feel in that moment spread across his face before the expression died into his typical neutral mask.
Diana had been biding her time when it came to rekindling her relationships in Havenwood. After Flynnwood, who was always the first to know of anything that happened in town, had come Elijah, a natural choice given how close they had once been. William had been a bit of a surprise; after his sudden disappearance, she had eventually learned the reason why, and from time to time would casually dispatch assassins after his maker as retribution. Those assassins would usually end up dead, which she largely expected; it was more about sending a message of her displeasure than actively demonstrating it. William hadn't been of any critical strategic value, other than his potential for joining her ranks. No, her seduction of him had largely been a source of entertainment when she first arrived in Havenwood, until her sights had fallen on Elijah.
But now, here she was, stepping into his shop with swift, graceful push of the door. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him; he'd changed so little, she was sure if she closed her eyes she could still describe every detail from memory. She made a mental note to save the idea as a potential exercise in drawing out Elijah's jealousy.
She'd chosen a simple outfit to call on William, albeit one intended to spark his imagination, especially since she'd decided to do so at his store. The stilettos she'd paired with the dress added a subtle extra swing to her hips as she made her way to the counter, not bothering to hide her amusement at William's apparent surprise. He could be polite, he could try to play it cool, but she already had him where she wanted him.
"Mister Hughes," she said warmly, letting her elbows rest on the counter as she leaned in, giving him just the barest hint of an extra peek down the plunging neckline of her dress. "I can't tell you how happy I was to discover that you'd come back to Havenwood. It's simply not the same without you."
But, in the end, even that had gotten out of hand and while he'd been livid that James had ordered him away, not only away from his Maker but Diana, with time he ended up being grateful. He was away from the clutches of his father and his nefarious plan… and Diana's negative influence. Sometimes, William wondered if his Maker knew more than he let on about his progeny's relationship with the other vampire. At any rate, despite the pleasant memories Diana had conjured up, her presence signaled a dark time in his life that William did not want to revisit.
"Impeccably dressed as always, Ms. von Klimburg," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. As he spoke, he tried to find a chink in her mind to get into and discover the reason for her reappearance, but as he suspected, her mind was a fortress. William had no doubt that the much older vampire had encountered many a telepath in her life as to find a way to defend herself against them. When he couldn't obtain any information from her in that matter, his attention returned to the task he had been focused until she'd walked into his store.
Pulling his pocketwatch from his vest to check the time once more, it was returned to its home as he said, "If you're here to purchase a book, I suggest finding and making your selection soon. The shop closes in approximately eight minutes." As if to emphasize the point, a stamp was pressed to the inside cover of the book he'd pulled into his hands, it's price scrawled in pen so that some upstart teenager couldn't erase it.
Diana returned his disingenuous smile with a genuine one of her own, albeit one not entirely inspired for her fondness for him. No, it was spurred by her amusement that even after all the time they'd spent together, she could still feel him tapping at the edges of her mind, searching for a way in he knew very well didn't exist. He always had been a quietly tenacious one.
"Eight minutes?" she sighed, playing up her disappointment. "That's hardly enough time for us to catch up, isn't it?"
She laid a perfectly manicured hand over his, her fingers leaving light strokes against his skin. "But as it happens, I did come in for your... professional assistance."
In a moment her demeanor had changed; still friendly but now more reserved, her hand withdrawing as she started to slowly meander about the shop. Her hands clasped together at the small of her back as she browsed the merchandise near the front of the shop, taking in the odd assortment of books he'd chosen to sell. Part of her was surprised he managed to stay in business; then again, Havenwood had always been a strange sort of place. It was what kept them all coming back.