Who: Vanessa and Axel What: Heading out for food Where: Nino's When: 11/9 | Afternoon Warnings: Mentions of blood Status: Complete
Vanessa had ventured out a few times, on her own, within Vallo. There had been a lot of different things for the vampire-human hybrid to run into. Different points in the place that called out to her, but she ignored them. Today, however, Axel had decided to come out with her. Maybe it was some weird sense of duty or maybe it was just that he wanted to. She wasn’t entirely sure with the Marine that stood by her side.
“You getting hungry?”
Even if she wasn’t, not really, she knew that he still got hungrier than she did. Blood sustained her even if she didn’t need it. Though, it also heightened a few of her abilities too. Not something that she wanted to think about. Right now? It was all about exploring and possibly even finding a place to eat, instead of staying in to eat.
“I could eat.” He didn’t feel hunger the way he had before he’d been bitten. Before he’d been turned. Three years he’d spent holed up in the hospital, surviving on whatever he could, rationing what he had to make it last. He’d confronted hunger, and he’d overcome it, found ways to deal with it. And then he’d been bit, and his hunger had been bloodlust. And then he’d been bit again, and while he still required food to function, he didn’t need it like he once had. His body was different, his metabolism had changed because he was no longer straight up human. He didn’t know what he was, now, because he’d been a vampire and then he wasn’t. He was damn near immortal now, though he knew losing his head was one way to kill him for sure.
He wasn’t thinking about that, though. Vanessa mentioned food, and so food was all he could think about. Not Kit Kats. He had full, unrestricted access to them, so long as he actually paid for them. They were no longer a distant memory, a craving for something he might never have again. No, at the moment he was thinking about a big old greasy burger dripping with cheese and sandwiched on a soft bun, paired with fries and a milkshake.
Or pizza. He liked pizza too. And fried chicken. And tacos. He liked a lot of things, actually. He glanced at Vanessa and nodded. “Yeah. I’m hungry.”
There's a hint of amusement out of the young Van Helsing when Axel changes his tone from 'could eat' to the fact that he was hungry. Food was damn good. Something that they hadn't had much of back in their own world. Vampire Apocalypses tended to make food pretty scarce. Even more so if the person was human living among vampires.
She didn't want to think about their world or what it consisted of. The Rising had been a shit show. There had been so much that had gone wrong during it. Like the loss of her daughter. Like dying. Except that she hadn't stayed dead. Her blood wasn't like everyone elses. Her DNA was a bit skewed.
"Grease Bucket or Nino's?" In other words, burgers or pizza. Honestly? Either sounded good. "Maybe some ice cream afterwards."
Grease Bucket or Nino’s. It was a tough choice. Burgers or pizza. He could go for both. He vaguely remembered a pizza burger. They’d advertised them at the ballpark or something. He’d never had one. The idea of it sounded divine, but he was pretty sure the execution would be disastrous. Messy as hell, at any rate.
“I think…” he made a face, thinking. Weighing the options. There was no clear winner, so it really just came down to picking one. Honestly, it was just nice to have a choice to make. To have the options of pizza or burgers or even tacos, or chicken, or a salad. He’d say no thanks to the rabbit food, but the rest of it was definitely A-okay in his book. Or, more to the point, in his stomach. “Nino’s.” He’d be more than content with a burger. He’d be happy with pizza too.
A part of Vanessa wasn't sure if Axel would even be able to choose. They hadn't had a lot of choices back home. Something that she didn't want to think about. Here? They had so many choices it was hard to pick something. Especially where food was concerned. Eventually they'd have to find something to do, figure out jobs and things like that.
"Nino's it is," she says with a brief smile, leading him in that general direction. "Once there we'll have to figure out what we want? I'm going to need to get used to having so many choices here. Same as you, probably."
Axel rolled his shoulders. Choices were something they’d have to get used to again. He felt like they were doing all right, though. And pizza was a fairly easy choice. He liked pepperoni. Any kind of meat, really. And while he wasn’t opposed to vegetables, he didn’t care for them on his pizza.
“Yeah. Well, as far as pizza? Pepperoni suits me fine.”
The longer that they stayed in Vallo the more choices they'd have to make. Pizza was simple. More than simple sometimes and didn't need to get fancy. There was nothing fancy about it. The walk felt amazing. Even if they'd have to get out again and explore more.
"Pepperoni and sausage then?"
“Pepperoni and sausage works for me. Extra cheese.” Because hello. Cheese was something he’d missed. No, he’d missed just about everything. Anything that didn’t come out of a can. He was done with canned foods.
Vanessa had it easy, those first several years. She’d been in a trancelike sleep. A coma, of sorts. She hadn’t been hooked up to an IV, had no food or nourishment at all. But then she’d woken up, and all hell broke loose, in just about every possible way.
"Extra cheese too. You want to order?" She asks with a bit of a smirk. Vanessa knew that if it didn't come in a can then Axel was all for it. That was something that they had to find around the place. A little easy and a little not.
She gives him a small smile when they eventually get to the doors of Nino's," I'll find us a place to sit, unless you want to take it home instead." Which she doubted. Not when they were normally home all the time anyway. Unless, of course, one of them decided to venture out exploring.
Integrating back into a functioning society was going to be challenging at times. Ordering food and finding a table to sit and eat shouldn’t be one of them. It was familiar, even if the memories were distant. Three years in a vampire apocalypse felt like a lifetime.
“It smells good. And it’s doing a pretty good business. That’s promising,” he said once they were settled and waiting for their pizza. Part of him wondered if they shouldn’t take it home, but they needed to get used to being out in public again, so here they were.
The only thing about integrating back into society, for Vanessa, was all the smells. They'd said that she was more vampire than human. Hell, she could even see perfectly in the dark while others had to wait for their eyes to adjust. Even with all of that, she was just glad that she wasn't a full blown vampire. She didn't need blood to survive.
They'd picked a back corner booth, probably due to Axel's training, than anything else. The position allowed him to see both the exit and the entrance. After all, once in the military, always in the military. "It does smell good. Real good." Smelled better than anything from back home, at any rate.
Axel was about to say something when at the next table over, a child had a sharp knife, and innocent of the dangers, swung it around. His father made a grab for it, catching the blade in his hand, and slicing his fingers. Axel saw it out of the corner of his eye, and was about to go and offer to help the guy out, when he noticed Vanessa…
Where Vanessa was sitting it had allowed her to stay hidden from most people. Or, at least, from those she didn't want to see her. It was a habit that she'd gotten into back home. Hiding in plain sight. Axel wasn't that far from her, which she didn't mind.
The smell of blood hit the hybrid pretty damn hard, her eyes going bright red. She grits her teeth and shuts her eyes and tries to lean as far back into the corner of their booth as she could, as if she was trying her best to make herself small.
All she'd wanted was just a nice little outing with Axel. Where they could grab food and enjoy the niceties that Vallo offered them, especially the ones they didn't have back home.
He didn’t make the connection between the blood and Vanessa’s sudden discomfort, but he noticed. Of course he noticed she reacted to something that was happening. “Vanessa? What is it?” he asked, moving toward her. The guy with the cut hand could figure it out himself. Or someone else could help him.
Axel’s focus was entirely on Vanessa, the guy with the injury already forgotten.
A part of the young Van Helsing didn't want to be crowded. However, Axel wasn't some stranger. He was someone that she was close to. Someone who had watched over her for so damn long. Three years. It had been three years in that stupid hospital, by her side. Sometimes she wondered why he hadn't left her there. Even if she knew why.
Those eyes open and it's red eyes that look towards Axel. Bright red eyes. "Him." Those eyes close again, that scent of blood more enticing to her than the smell of the food. She wanted to tell the Marine in front of her to get the food to go, but she also didn't want him away from her.
What if he moved away from her and she went after the man whose hand was bleeding? She didn't want that to happen.
There was no chance Axel was going to leave her side. Not when she was acting like an apex predator about to strike. He'd have her assault him before he risked her attacking anyone else.
"Let's get you out of here." He'd tell an employee they had an emergency and he'd be back for the pizza. He wasn't really concerned about the food. Getting Vanessa out of there was priority.
"Come on. I got you covered." He stood and reached for her to keep her in the circle of his arms.
There was that part of her that didn't want to leave the place. That wanted to grab a hold of the guy behind them, but she refocuses herself. Doing everything in her power to focus on Axel. The way he smelled. Even the feel of his hand taking hers and pulling her out of the booth.
She leans into his side and takes a deep breath, more for her own benefit than his. Taking in his scent and keeping her eyes closed. Last thing they needed was for someone to ask about the red eyes. She hated what the elder vampire had done to her. Yet, at the same time, didn't.
They'd said that unlike her sister, she was more vampire than human. "Sounds like a plan," she whispers. It was hard to focus on just him, but she was trying. Even to the point of letting Axel lead and she didn't like letting anyone lead, but herself.