[There are, thankfully, no more incidents like the one with the young vampires of earlier. They keep their distance, now, and she learns the merits of plucking a safe drink of her own and simply keeping it in her hand for the duration — one trick circumvented, courtesy of experience. When she separates from Alucard, her wandering usually takes her back to the spells being worked around the yard; she's in the process of puzzling one out when one of the older vampires wanders over to politely engage her, and she quickly comes to like him, even if he is a bit funny in his behaviors.
James is, if not explicitly kind to her, at the very least courteous. Once or twice he makes a thoughtless passing comment about humans that makes her cringe a little inside, but they quickly hit it off when he starts to ruminate on the war, and she doesn't actually realize which one he means until he brings up an old Speaker acquaintance of his — Paul Revere.
Time goes by quickly after that. She warms to James a little more when he catches her hand in his and pats it with the other, making her promise to attend the next event so that they can continue their conversation. The night grows darker and darker, until at last it gets close to dawn, and the various denizens of the night take that as their cue to leave.
At last, when she returns to Alucard's side and goodbyes are being exchanged, she can take the liberty of leaning on him a little by feigning sleepiness, now that it's only Theodora and her relations there to see. And it's sleepiness that stops being so feigned once they're back in Alucard's car, and she goes boneless with weariness in her seat while he spirits them back toward home at last.]
...Alucard. There won't be any vampires in the daylight, will there?
[Dawn is breaking, as they drive. She lifts her head and looks at him, slow and drowsy and reminiscent of slow-burning embers and fireglow.]
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James is, if not explicitly kind to her, at the very least courteous. Once or twice he makes a thoughtless passing comment about humans that makes her cringe a little inside, but they quickly hit it off when he starts to ruminate on the war, and she doesn't actually realize which one he means until he brings up an old Speaker acquaintance of his — Paul Revere.
Time goes by quickly after that. She warms to James a little more when he catches her hand in his and pats it with the other, making her promise to attend the next event so that they can continue their conversation. The night grows darker and darker, until at last it gets close to dawn, and the various denizens of the night take that as their cue to leave.
At last, when she returns to Alucard's side and goodbyes are being exchanged, she can take the liberty of leaning on him a little by feigning sleepiness, now that it's only Theodora and her relations there to see. And it's sleepiness that stops being so feigned once they're back in Alucard's car, and she goes boneless with weariness in her seat while he spirits them back toward home at last.]
...Alucard. There won't be any vampires in the daylight, will there?
[Dawn is breaking, as they drive. She lifts her head and looks at him, slow and drowsy and reminiscent of slow-burning embers and fireglow.]
Pull the car over? Just for a minute.