Gabe (unexpectedturn) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-03-15 18:13:00 |
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Kanuna had come into Summerview with only about $40, which he’d burned buying new pencils and some late-night dinners at the local diner. He needed some quick cash so he could pick up a pay-as-you-go cell phone in order to be available in case Samuel needed him. It would also be nice if he could remain in contact with some of the people he was meeting. He wasn’t ashamed of his state of poverty, but he didn’t like admitting to people that he didn’t even own a cell phone, and he wasn’t about to ask Samuel for a loan.
So that Saturday evening after the sun went down, he was standing on a corner at a busy intersection on Main Street, guitar in hand, beanie cap turned upside down with some seed money in it to get people going. He was strumming an acoustic version of Jason Mraz’s song I’m Yours, his honeyed voice carrying well over the sound of passing cars. He wasn't making eye contact with people who were passing, knowing from experience that it could intimidate or pressure them, and that people didn't like that. Instead he was focusing on his strumming and the simply enjoying the act of performing. It had honestly been a really long time since Gabe had last set foot in Summerview but coming home had definitely been the right decision especially as he was lucky to have friends like Luke who just got it without a lot of explanation. Still he was going a little stir crazy sitting in doors just waiting for the sun to set so he could actually step out and enjoy familiarising himself with the town he'd grown up in as an aspiring witch. He'd already run into a few familiar faces and they'd commented on how different he looked which he supposed wasn't a lie. He was taller, broader, blonde and had a very distinct style about him and a swagger which he'd possessed when he was younger but maturity it seemed had improved it and given him a very distinct presence. It was as he turned the corner onto Main Street that he became aware of a busker, a very non-human busker if his nose was any indication, and not a bad one either. Slipping his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans Gabe headed on over and stood amongst the small crowd as they watched the man perform. Not too bad on the eyes either so that probably helped the appeal. Gabe snorted quietly and reached into his pocket to dig out some cash, dropping it into the beanie. The song came to an end and the crowd clapped politely and started to disperse. Kanuna took a bow and while down, scooped up the beanie, holding it out to the people who still milled around. "For a good cause! Fund the arts!" He didn't get many takers, but had noticed the blond man had dropped bills in, rather than coins, and zeroed in on the individual. "Hey!" he called out, shouldering his instrument by the neck and jogging to catch up to Gabe. "Thanks for the donation. I'm Kanuna." He stuck his hand out in front of the man who, judging by his smell, the lack of body odor in general that would be produced by functioning sweat glands, was a vampire. Gabe had in fact set off after having left his cash in the beanie hat though paused when he realised the busker was calling out to him and now playing catch up. "Gotta support struggling artists," Gabe replied with a lift of his shoulder before he reached out and took Kanuna's hand in his own. "I'm Gabriel but pretty much everybody calls me Gabe. Less of a mouthful." He was picking up on a scent for sure, one he wasn't overly familiar with, but one he'd been taught to associate with wolf. "Gabe," Kanuna repeated the name and briefly sized up the vampire. The touch of his hand confirmed it. There was no pulse in that arm. "You're the first vampire I've meet at Summerview," he offered in observation, then smirked. "How does that make you feel?" Gabe drew his hand back and tucked it into his jacket pockets, a considering expression written across his sharp features. "That's a lot of pressure not going to lie." His lips tugged into an easy smile. "I mean what if I make a bad first impression and mar your views on all the other vampires running around here." Gabe's smile was encouraging. You never could tell who you'd offend by something you said that you thought was harmless. "Guess there's no stopping it now, is there? We've already begun." He chuckled and nodded at the direction Gabe had been walking. "Where you headed on a Saturday night?" "I think we'd be letting everybody down if we did," Gabe returned with a further disarming smile. "And I wasn't really headed anywhere in particular. Just wandering for the sake of wandering." He ran a hand through his hair. "Getting a feel for the Summerview that is now and not the Summerview from my memories all those years ago." "Oh yeah?" Kanuna asked with interest, falling into an easy pace with Gabe. "So you're an old timer returning?" He eyed Gabe more closely, trying to play a little game he liked to play with vampires called 'guess the decade'. Sometimes it was 'guess the century', because those blood suckers could live to be insanely old. Gabe tipped his head back and let loose with a laugh before he shook his head. "I wouldn't go that far." He smirked as he glanced over at Kanuna. "I was born and raised here, left when I was 18 and then at 25 I ran afoul of a vampire and now I'm 27 so not that old." Though if he played his cards right he could live to be a grand old age. It was a really weird thing to think about. Kanuna liked the sound of the other man's laugh and he joined in with a chuckle of his own. "Ah, I see. So that makes you..." He stopped himself, chewing on his lower lip a moment as he debated the wisdom in bringing this up. "A fangling," he finally said. "Still not exactly in perfect control. Which is fine!" he was quick to raise his hands in a gesture of defense. "I was the same way once as a young wolf. Just curious. How'd you get turned? Is your sire here teaching you the ropes?" There was an old legend that vampires were supposed to hate werewolves, be opposed to their mere existence, not associate with them. But within the Cherokee tribe, that hadn't been taught. Caution was taught, of course. Caution was taught about many of the supernatural races. Kanuna didn't carry a personal grudge against people he'd never met who were turned with or without their own permission. A fangling? That was a new one to Gabe though it was clear that Kanuna hadn’t meant anything offensive by it. “That is a very long story. It involves fashion, a beautiful but very unhinged model who took a compliment too seriously, stalking, a restraining order and then when told directly that nothing would ever happen an attack which was nothing short of brutal.” He rubbed a hand over the side of his neck where Glory’s fangs had basically ripped into his flesh, puncturing the jugular and even to this day he could still remember what it felt like to have the life drained out of him. He still had nightmares. Vividly so. He shook his head. “I was introduced to what I am by the sire of my sire. Spent the last two years learning control and working on the whole... bloodlust thing.” Jesus they still sounded so surreal to say. He had learned however that if he fed on other supernaturals or the magically inclined he didn’t need to feed as often. “So golden lesson? Be careful who you compliment.” "Noted..." Kanuna said once Gabe had finished with his tale. "Of course, looking at the brightside, now you're much better equipped to take on someone who wants to rip your throat out, eh?" He chuckled and looked uneasily at Gabe, still trying to feel him out. "Want to get a coffee or something? If that's still something vampires pretend to enjoy," he smirked. “There is that,” Gabe admitted with a rueful smile. “And I’m told I’ll look good for the rest of however long my eternal life is.” Downside? Watching everybody he loved die around him. Hell, he could go for something stronger than a coffee thanks to that grim thought but it would do. He offered Kanuna a cheek dumpling smile. “It is something I still enjoy so no pretending involved. Let’s do it.” "Great!" Kanuna shook the beanie and the spare change rattled. "My treat," he winked. Really, it was Gabe's treat, since he'd already put the dollars in, but Kanuna didn't bring that up. He started leading them towards the corner cafe. "And hey, for the record? I know it's cocky to say you look good, but," he ran his eyes down Gabe's figure and returned to his gaze. "You do look pretty fucking good." Gabe trailed after the other and then smirked ever so slightly when Kanuna complimented him. He wasn’t arrogant, that wasn’t his thing, but who didn’t enjoy being told they looked good? “Mm, well, coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment.” He snagged the door of the cafe and pulled it open, relieved it was a public space or there might have been an awkward moment around invitation. "Coming from me, huh?" Kanuna chuckled and stepped inside. "You can tell by looking at me that I'm a man with taste, right? I mean, this is the latest hobo fashion." He dangled his frayed sleeve. He got into the line to order but didn't need to check the menu. It wasn't the coffee he was here for. "Where you staying?" "Oh I wasn't talking about your taste," Gabe assured him with a smirk as he gave Kanuna an obvious once over to indicate why he trusted the other's opinion. He settled into the line beside Kanuna and did look at the menu because it had been a very long time since he'd last set foot in the diner and the menu could have changed. "A friend's house because my family all left the island a while back so the family home was sold and I am effectively relying on the kindness of a friend. You?" "Oh. Oh." Kanuna chuckled as he correctly interpreted the look Gabe gave him. "Well then. Finally someone who appreciates me for my assets." It was fun being with someone he could flirt with who flirted back. He was liking Gabe more and more. "Same, actually!" Kanuna folded his arms and leaned against the wall where the line was curving. "I think I try his and his roommate's patience a bit, but so far I've still got a place to lay my head. What do you plan on doing now that you're back here? Getting a job somewhere?" "Happy to oblige." Gabe smiled over at Kanuna before he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I'm a freelance photographer so I'll probably be able to find work in Atlantic city and I have some clients who work with me over the internet so I can actually work from wherever." He angled his face to look over at Kanuna. "What about you?" “Ah, the digital age,” Kanuna sighed expressively like he was about to launch into poetry. Instead, he just shrugged. “I never did get much of a hang of it.” When asked the same question, Kanuna shook his head. “Nah. I’m not one for logging hours and collecting a paycheck.” Or paying taxes or needing healthcare or a 401k. It all seemed excessive for someone who’d lived as he’d lived for so long. “I’m here because of my friend. He works at the tattoo place and seems to be liking it here.” He was eager to get the conversation turned back to Gabe before he had to cop to being essentially a vagabond. “What kind of photography do you do?” "Tattoos?" Gabe repeated, definitely perking up at the mention of those. He himself was inked, the upper right bicep which wasn't immediately visible unless he lifted his arm. Gabe definitely was not opposed to getting more. That was a good question, he didn't really have a speciality but he did lean towards people more often than not. He found capturing people in film be it physical or digital fascinating but even more so when they didn't know they were being photographed. It was then you really got to see the person. "Before I moved back home I was photographing New York fashion week and that sort of thing so you could say I enjoy people." "Fashion Week?" Kanuna's eyebrows rose, impressed. "Damn. So you're like, the real deal. Not one of those photographers that tries to make money off a hobby." He moved away from the wall when the line moved ahead and stepped up to the counter to give his order, asking for a simple black coffee, then stepped back for Gabe to place his order. He wandered a little further away so that when it came time to pay, Gabe was the one at the counter. With an innocent expression, Kanuna stood off to the side waiting for their order to be called out. When Gabe rejoined him, he asked, "Do you enjoy people because you can eat them, or..." He smirked, speaking quietly. “Thankfully not or I’m sure my family would never let me live it down,” Gabe answered with a smirk before he stepped up and asked for a coffee and a pastry because he might be a vampire but he still had a soft spot for those. He turned in time to catch that “innocent” expression on Kanuna’s face and snorted. “Well, I couldn’t eat people until two years ago so before that I was a total people person.” He took the first bite out of his pastry before trailing off to grab them a table. Their coffee order was ready in a matter of moments and Kanuna picked up his and trailed after Gabe. "How do you do it?" He asked curiously, sitting across from him. "I mean, the actual logistics of it. How often do you need to feed, do you always feed from humans or do you switch it up, that sort of thing." He'd never had the nerve to ask a vampire these questions before, as his hackles seemed to raise more often around the undead than they did normal people. But Gabe was right, he was a people person and was setting Kanuna at ease." “Depends,” Gabe offered as he shrugged out of his jacket and rested it across the back of his chair. “Mostly who I’m with.” Neck for some, wrist for others, and the occasional few that had a thing for their inner thigh. Everybody liked it a little differently. “And so far? For me? It’s every couple of days. Still working on the whole...” He trailed off and gestured vaguely to his mouth. “Bloodlust thing.” Gabe did have it under control though. He wouldn’t have been let go by the vampire that had taken him under his wing if he hadn’t mastered that but still it was a challenge. “Humans aren’t nearly as satisfying and the sensation of being full isn’t quite the same as supernaturals.” "Really?" Kanuna was genuinely surprised. He'd never heard that before. "So my blood would be more fulfilling than a human's? Huh." He chewed that over in his mind as he dangled his coffee cup from two fingers, supported by the brim, and then took a sip. "So how do you find people to, uh... you know, offer it up?" “Exactly.” Gabe broke off a piece of pastry before popping it into his mouth. “And that’s a little more complicated. It’s not like out in the world past Summerview you can just tell people what you are so it’s about having the right contacts.” He reached over to add some sugar to his coffee. “Here? It’s finding people who wouldn’t be snacking on them.” It could be if he wanted be quite pleasurable and he imagined it would make sex a lot more fun but he hadn’t had sex since he’d been turned for fear of vamping out. Kanuna watched the bit of pastry disappear into Gabe's mouth and reflected on that. He wanted to stop himself from asking, he really did, but compulsion wasn't something Kanuna liked to control when it came to his curiosity. "Have you eaten since coming?" Gabe’s gaze lifted to regard Kanuna through his lashes before he cleared his throat. “Well, I brought a supply with me until I could get setup with y’know donors.” Because honestly packaged blood was definitely not as good as the real deal. “That supply is dwindling so I need to get my ass into gear.” Luke had offered but that was Luke, an old friend, he wasn’t taking the risk with his life. "Hm, I see." Kanuna had a slow smile spread on his lips and he quirked an eyebrow at Gabe before taking another sip of his coffee. Try as he might to shake off that curiosity that kept egging him on, Kanuna was failing miserably. Still, he was going to make Gabe fill in the blanks. "I'm sure there's a willing participant around." He commented offhandedly, gesturing to the packed cafe. "All these walking meals. So many choices." Whatever will you do?" Setting his coffee down, he shifted to unstrap the guitar and lean it against his own chair., using the move to keep himself distracted from asking the questions he really wanted to ask. Of himself and of Gabe. Gabe didn’t know Kanuna very well but he did know people and right now Kanuna was giving him the vibe that he wouldn’t exactly mind being a walking buffet though admittedly it sounded a lot less sexy when he thought about it that way. “Is that right?” He replied in turn, keeping very much with the tone of the conversation. “I mean what are the chances that somebody in here might be willing to offer up a vein?” "I dunno," Kanuna made a show of surveying the cafe and spotted a woman sitting alone with her laptop open, typing away. "She'd do it. She looks like the kinky type. Probably writing a vampire romance novel as we speak." He nodded towards the woman and then smirked at Gabe. As tempting as it was, Kanuna was reluctant to outright offer his own blood. It felt weak, almost, just handing himself over to be someone else's meal, particularly a vampire. Biting was something wolves did to protect themselves but also to show dominance during play and during actual fights. Also during mating. Willingly letting a vampire bite him was something he was wrestling with in his mind. Not that it was unappealing. Gabe leaned to the right to peer around Kanuna at the woman alone at her laptop and he gave her an appraising look. "Maybe, maybe not. Don't want to judge a book by its cover." He sipped at his coffee and helped himself to a further piece of pastry before he held up a long index finger, getting to his feet and with all the confidence in the world he walked over to talk to the woman at the laptop. The exchange was clearly easy and effortless, Gabe smiled and she blushed, there was laughter and a tucking of hair behind her ear. Kanuna watched in surprise when Gabe got up and went around to the woman. That sonova bitch... He leaned back to observe the interaction, absolutely floored that the woman not only didn't mind the interruption, but seemed to be quite flattered by it. "Well I'll be damned." He muttered to himself, shaking his head and swiping the rest of Gabe's pastry to munch while he watched. The conversation between Gabe and the woman continued for a few moments and there was a touch to Gabe's forearm and a leaning in body language that Gabe shifted to accommodate smoothly and easily. Eventually the woman sat back and ripped out a piece of paper from her nearby notebook where she scribbled down her number and passed it over to Gabe. Gabe who took it with a further smile and tucked it into the back pocket of his rather complimentary jeans. Now with the number secured Gabe bid her goodbye and returned to the table where Kanuna had apparently helped himself to his pastry though he said nothing, wasn't like he needed pastry to survive after all. "So, not a vampire romance novelist." Licking his fingers free of any leftover sugary sweetness from Gabe's dessert, Kanuna raised an eyebrow at the vampire. "I can see you don't need any help in the food department, you mensch." He chuckled and sipped his coffee. "Do you have a favorite flavor?" “I might have died but I assure you I’m very much alive,” Gabe replied with a smirk before he sipped at his coffee. The woman as nice as she was unfortunately wouldn’t make for much of a meal as he could tell without even tasting her that her blood wouldn’t be enough to satisfy. Sex however? Well that was another matter. “I think I’m still trying to work on that. Fae taste pretty good.” "Hmmm, I don't know any fae here. Not yet. I could keep my ear to the ground for you." Kanuna offered and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, mug of coffee between them, at an angle to the table. He scanned the room for any other potentials. "Does it matter to you what their gender is?" Gabe shook his head and pushed his hand into his hair, rubbing through it idly. “No, it really doesn’t.” And it didn’t, not to Gabe. "Okay. How about the barista? Baristo?" Kanuna smiled and sipped his coffee. "He looks jittery enough for everyone in here. You wouldn't need to finish your coffee if you fed from him." The words had drawn a few glances their way and Kanuna responded by winking at the other patrons. Gabe passed a considering look at the guy behind the counter and shook his head. “Too skinny, definitely wouldn’t be able to take enough from him.” He waved his hand. “I’ll figure it out.” "Well damn, how much do you need?" Kanuna laughed and turned back towards Gabe, taking an assessing look at his build and size from across the table. "Ever heard of overeating? Pretty sure vamps can do it, too. It's called portion control, Gabe." He chuckled. "What about me?" He sipped as soon as he asked it, but his eyebrow was quirked up and he was listening. Gabe had at this point leaned back, arms lifted to rest across the back of chair he was sat in which simply accentuated his broad shoulders. When Kanuna said what he did the vampire gave the other a considering look. “You’d definitely beat out the barista.” "Hm," Kanuna murmured speculatively as though they were discussing whether or not it would rain tonight. He sipped another swallow of the coffee and tilted his head in the direction of the woman. "What about her? Would I win over her, too?" A cursory once over was given of Kanuna before the same was given to the woman whose number was burning a hole in his back pocket before he gave a teasing grin. “I dunno, I think she’s prettier.” Kanuna blinked, and then caught on to the teasing angle of Gabe's grin. "Wowwww. Okay. Offer revoked, then." He leaned back and crossed his legs, turning part way again in his chair. "I hope you both are happy together." Gabe chuckled and tipped his head. “Aw, don’t be like that. You’re plenty pretty just you know...” he trailed off, flashed his teeth and just winked. "'Plenty pretty'," Kanuna repeated with a scoff. "No, I get it. She's got boobs and I'm too flat chested. I get it." He was smirking behind his mock outrage. "Guess I'd have to make up for where I'm lacking in other ways." “What can I say?” Gabe retorted with a smirk. “I like a good handful.” In more ways than one but Gabe held his tongue on that matter. The blonde rubbed a hand through his hair and gave an agreeing nod. “Mhm, that’ll definitely need to happen.” Kanuna nearly snorted out his sip of coffee at the handful comment as his mind went immediately to other meanings. He cleared his throat and studied Gabe a moment, considering what the man might or might not think he was agreeing to, exactly. "Well, when you get desperate enough, I guess," he laughed and pulled a napkin over, finding a mostly worn down from extended use pencil from his jacket pocket to write with, "then get in touch. Just tell my friend Samuel that you're looking for me and he'll pass on the message." Kanuna passed over the napkin that now had Sam's cell number on it. He really needed to get his own sometime. Then Kanuna stood up and collected his guitar. He smiled at vampire as he adjusted the strap. "Thanks for the coffee, Gabe. See you around." Gabe took the number, regarded it for a moment before tucking it away into his pocket. “I’ll see you around, Kanuna.” He offered a lift of his hand in parting along with a killer smile before as the wolf left the woman Gabe had been speaking to before sidled into his spot. Honestly it wasn’t even cold. Some people. No respect. |