iamthefirechild:
iamvictor-roth:
Victor was sitting down on one of the many park benches in Central Park. It was night time, his favorite time of the day. Yet, there were things on his mind that the bottle in his hand was doing to soothe his thoughts. There was a lot going on and it seemed that it was up to him to figure things out. He looked up suddenly, a new scent in the air that he couldn’t quite place. He stared around him, his eyes falling on a girl walking not too far from him and she seemed to be coming his way.
Summer shoved her hands in her pockets, wandering through Central Park. She’d been up to her elbows all day in the aftermath of Sandy (stupid name for a hurricane, anyway; the ones down south were much more like it) and even in her apartment she felt like other peoples’ emotions were closing her in. At least outside, she could look up at the sky, searching for those few very bright stars, and taste winter in the air. When she looked back down, she happened to meet the eyes of a fine-looking fellow cuddling a bottle and looking more than a little tangled in his own troubles. She lifted a hand and waved, smiling, hoping maybe just a smiling face would give the guy a lift of spirits.
Victor saw the girl smile, a small one tugging at his lips. His chameleon eyes warming slightly and it had nothing to do with the liquor in his hands. However, his instincts told him to be cautious. The girl didn’t smell like most humans he’d come across, there was a particular tang to her scent that he could quite place. He stood up, both to greet her and to be prepared to act should the need arise.
” ‘Ello, what’s got you out ‘ere at such a late hour?”
Summer raised her brows at the British accent, tucking her hand back in her pocket. Shaking her hair back, she replied, “Oh, it’s been one of those days. I needed to get out before the walls closed in on me. What about you? I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
The facial ticks signifying her surprise automatically registered in Victor’s mind, he had always been good with reading people, not that this girl’s surprise had been concealed. He decided he liked her and relaxed his posture a bit, not completely but just a little bit. His trademark lazy half smirk graced his mouth. ”Oh, yeah, I know what you mean. No worries, you didn’t disturb me in the slightest. I needed some air as well, I’ve had a recent bit of shocking news and well…it wasn’t the good kind so I’m out ‘ere tryin to sort myself out.” He rocked back on his heels, something he did frequently and put his hand out. “Right I’m sorry, where are my manners? What’s your name? I’m Victor.”
Summer’s smile turned amused as he rattled on. When he offered his hand, she shook it quickly, eyelids flaring at the queer edge to the way he tasted. “I’m Summer. Pleased to meet you, Victor.” Cocking her head to the side, she looked him up and down briefly, saying, “Do you need to talk about it? I know we just met, but sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”
Victor smiled back at her for a bit. In another life he had been carefree and much more playful. There hadn’t been a single person to rouse his playfulness since…..well it’d been a while. Again, he noticed her reaction, and he quickly came to two conclusions. Either she knew what he was and was merely being polite or she had an inkling of something, but there was a curiosity to her facial expressions that mirrored his own. “Ah, well, that’s a funny one there. See, I’d love to talk about it with someone but most people would be runnin for the ‘ills before I even finished. And I’d hate to keep you from your walk but if you’re willing well, then by all means take a seat and ‘ave a drink if you’d like.”
Summer laughed. “I’m not much of a runner, and I doubt you could tell me anything that troubling. I don’t mind stopping to help you out.” Disdaining the bench, she folded cross-legged to the cool, dying grass, perching her elbows on her knees and fixing Victor with a bright, interested gaze. “I’m all ears. Lay it on me, let’s see if we can get you sorted out.”