Andrew smiled and nodded, keeping the charm at its current level as it seemed to be working. He wasn’t sure what could have happened to this girl to cause this, but he planned on finding out, once he could be sure she was safe and she was a little more up to talking. He carefully reached up and removed the sunglasses from his face so that she could see his eyes. He was hoping seeing his eyes would help humanize him, and maybe give her somewhere to focus on. “I understand.” And, in a way, he did. Four hundred years ago he’d woken up confused and alone, with a cold that went way more than bone deep and urges that he somehow knew were monstrous. No matter how many years he put between that night and him, he could still remember it as clearly as ever. He probably always would. So when he said he understood, there was a sincerity there that had nothing at all to do with his influence.
Carefully, moving slowly so as not to startle her, Andrew took a small step forward and to the side. The distance between them was maintained with the step to the side, but he was slightly closer to the wall now. He knew the distance would be important until he could really be sure she was calm, but hopefully the charm had done enough to keep her from being startled by him being closer to the wall. “My name is Andrew. I know you’re confused. I can help you, I want to help you. I promise I can take you to somewhere safe. I just need you be calm and to trust me a little bit. Can you do that?” He thought about the way her voice sounded, hoarse and maybe a little pained, and added, “I know talking is hard, so if you need to, just nod or shake your head for now, alright?”