Who: Hal Yorke and Lauren Drake What: Teaching her how to live Where: A Club in Kansas City When: Night of the 21st Rating: TBD as we go, its Lord Harry Status: In Progress
Lauren Drake. The little one night stand that had gotten so lucky. She'd been made stronger, better. If only Mitchell hadn't abandoned her, shattered her confidance, had the poor girl begging to be let die. He was a dammed idiot but Hal had promised he'd play nicely. He wouldn't kill anyone, wouldn't make Mitchell dance to his tune. Not yet at least. But this, oh this would hurt so perfectly, him, Lydia, Alex. Oh yes, he'd far from forgotten about the ghost still clinging to visibility. She'd gone all poltergeist which was fun, but he'd decided not to attract her attention directly. Hounds, he could put down like the dogs they were, ghosts, well not even an Old One had strength like that.
But he'd hurt them in his own way, amuse himself until the battle was done. And then he supposed there'd be a reckoning. Or they'd all be taken home which was more likely.
Hal had found her the perfect outfit, made his very own Eliza Dolittle out of the girl. And he'd take his time with her, make her his very own little history maker, just like Cutler could have been with the right guidence. And unlike the failing vampires of this world Hal was very aware that they were simply better. Which is why all of this would be so easy. Every world had that subset, the ones that wanted to be what they were, the ones who made their faces pale and dressed like victorian corpses. All red lipped and cinched waist and everything he knew would make it easy to pull them in.
He couldn't deny that was the part he liked most.
Lauren however wore a dress she'd picked and he'd approved of and sat beside him now as the car got close to the club he'd chosen, his hand resting lightly at her knee. Oh he'd not said anything about it, simply made casual conversation, telling her how well she looked, how proud she should be of herself for breaking away from the lies, all of it. As much as Other Hal was a spluttering mess around woman, he was not. Perhaps it was a defence mechanism on behalf of the good one. So they wouldn't get close enough, so they wouldn't tempt him. God how did he ever crawl his way back to the surface time and time again. It was disgusting.
The car pulled in to the curb and Hal took her hand.