We are not all carefree

[homeless_npc]

Who: Eric, Beryl, Eric's friend Sam
When: Not long after the video game nights start.
What: A deeper look into Eric's life.

"Hey," Eric rumbled softly to Beryl, poking her cheek. Games had run late and she was mostly dozing, head on his leg, as the boys were fighting to the death in Smash Brothers. "Heyyyyy...." pooooke.

She cracked an eye open and grumbled, hissing at him.

It was cute, honestly, "yes yes, hissy face. Could you meet me here tomorrow at like nine?"

"M'at work," she yawned.

"In the morning."

Beryl gave him a DIRTY look then yawned again, "so like...six hours from now?" what the fuck? Who the FUCK did morning stuff these days?!

"You could just stay," he admitted in amusement. "I have the couch you can have here." Perfectly safe!

It didn't feel like a trap? "Hmmm? Why though?"

"I...have a thing to do."

"Ooooo a thing!" Jason cooed over his shoulder, glancing back at them, amused. "You gonna snag a Beryl properly? There's a betting pool..."

Eric snorted and reached forward to smack Jason's head, "fuck you kid. No. I don't screw my friends unless it's an emergency and they agree," he snorted. As in literally starving and maybe bleeding out.

"Awwww, sad times," he mock-pouted just so Nat didn't have to.

Eric smacked him again, good-naturally, then sighed, "these mooks go home though. I don't have room for all of you if I'm not taking them to bed. Volunteers or no." That earned sad looks from Nat and Lani, but, well, he already let them run GED school here and hang out more nights than not these days. He...used to be a grumpy solitary hermit okay?!

"Yeah, sure, I'll stay if you feed me," Beryl yawned.

"I swear you never eat without me these days," he snorted, patting her shoulder happily in thanks.

"You are so filling us in later Beryl!" Jason laughed, holding up his hand sin surrender as his character died a final death. Bah.

"The fuck I am, you don't get rights to my personal shit Jason," Beryl snorted, debating how much energy it would take to smack him as well. Bah. "Eric, smack him again. Then smack Nat because Nat will pout otherwise," she paid attention like that.

Jason got a friendly swat again, but Nat's was firmer. Eric maaaaybe suspected Beryl was sweet on the redhead...firm enough to distract the boy and have Lani crow in victory!

Beryl snickered as the boys jeered or laughed and gathered their things, Lani giving her one last look, "you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Beryl nodded, "stay with the boys tonight?"

"Yeah," Lani blushed slightly. "Call me later?"

"After the errand in the morning," she agreed. They only had each other after all, even if that was shifting, the safeties were the same. Stay in touch. Or stay where they knew the other to be! "I'll be asleeeep!"

"So both of us can be groggy at work!" she smirked, head thunking to the couch properly as Eric stood to find her sheets and a blanket for the couch. "It'll be awesome."

"If I get fewer tips I'm blaming you!" Lani laughed, slinging his arms around the boys as they tumbled out the door.

She snorted, sitting up and stretching before slipping to the floor so the couch could be made up, "my ti hungry dancer cous..."

"He's young," Eric chuckled softly. "And desperate."

"Hey, he's not that much younger than me..."

"You...had to grow up fast," he pointed out quietly. "It's obvious. Lot of fight in you. He grew up softer until he got infected didn't he?"

Beryl chewed the inside of her cheek, considering, then sighed, "maybe. Not exactly soft but...prized. He was the best and the brightest of his siblings. He was going to make our grandparents...a lot of money as a doctor or researcher."

"Not his parents?"

She shook her head, almost hearing the phantom ring and clack of beaded braids like she'd worn then, "no. His mother, my aunt, was...nothing. A tool. A servant. Destined to take care of our grandparents and my parents all her life. The family servant. Like I was suppose to when she died. She almost got away several times, coming back pregnant each time..." and thus, her cousins.

"...why you?"

She shrugged, "only girl."

"That's fucked up," he growled softly, plumping a pillow for her. "Lay down, did you guys burn them to the fucking ground when you left?"

She laughed, flopping back on the couch, "...no. Make them tragic heroes or martyrs? No. We just...left. It's just us now."

"Well, I like you two," he chuckled, "so there's that for what it's worth?"

"Hey, that's worth a lot you know," she grinned as he tucked a quilt under her chin. "Wake me up with coffee or I may bite."

"Duly noted," he chuckled. "Good...morning Beryl."

"Get some rest Ubii man," she countered, closing her eyes as he turned out the lights and went upstairs. Morning came...way too fucking soon. At least he did wave a coffee mug near her face instead of shaking her? "Ugggh."

"I know, I know, sorry," he chuckled, "I promise it won't be often. I only do this...once a month okay?"

"Do what? Pretend you're not nocturnal?" she growled, grabbing the mug and sipping before she managed to open her eyes. He'd been wise enough to add enough milk to cool it from scalding despite her preferences for black...

"Something like that," he agreed, sitting against the couch on the floor and sipping his own mug. "It's...complicated."

"...okay?"

He smiled, and it was a bittersweet, pained thing despite the fact she was only seeing it in profile. "I've...been in this area a long time," he admitted quietly.

Oh, shit. "Old...lover?"

"...not quite," he admitted. "Ready to go?"

"I'm functional. Breakfast?"

"We'll be passing a cafe," he smiled, "trust me." He stood, taking her hand to help her up and heading for the door. They worked in kind of a crap part of town, he lived in a slightly saner area, but he was walking them to that comfortable, worn brick and sagging eaves area that meant long inhabited houses even if there wasn't a lot of money to scrape together. Comfortable, warm, a place where old trees warped the sidewalks and you could imagine grandparents sitting on porches as their kids walked up the drive.

Not a world she...felt like she belonged in anymore, much less Eric. Was this where he fed when he wasn't at the club?

He squeezed her hand when she shivered, then led to her a small corner cafe as promised, getting her a whole half bag of chocolate croissants and ham and cheese rolls to go. "This will..seem odd and I'm sorry but please hold questions?"

She blinked, then nodded as they wandered back outside to settle at a bench in the park, his seat by an inlaid chessboard. Before too long a man wandered slowly in their direction, steps slow but firm, and cane helping against any uneven pavement, "ah, Eric," the man smiled, a tear leaking from the corner of his eye.

Eric smiled, "Sam, this is my friend Beryl."

The man looked her over, a stooped, wrinkle man with earthy toned skin and hair white and wild under a flatcap, any friend of Eric is a friend of mine," he chuckled, then coughed in a phlegmy manner before sitting down at the board.

"Pleased to meet you?" she blinked, offering him a croissant.

"No thank you dear," he smiled, "I've a...strict diet these days. No bread, isn't that terrible?" he chuckled, reaching across to pat Eric's hand softly. "Has he told you about me?"

"...no," she admitted.

"I thought he was a demon," Sam laughed, making the opening move and touching the timer. "Come to taunt me after..."

"He lost his love."

"You say it so simply," the man chided, giving a warm laugh at that, "say it proper, you wear my beloved's facae hmmm?"

"I always do, for everyone," he admitted quietly, opening his game as well.

"Standing there, aged as I last saw my love..." Sam mused softly, eyes properly watering now, "and still meeting me here each month despite his family forcing him to wed and carry on the name and all..."

Beryl blinked, "that's...that happens," she agreed.

"My Thomas," Sam smiled, "I wish you could see Eric as I do, a man who went through the war beside me and drank in my cot as the shells rained down..." he chuckled, coughing again. "I...see him so often now, my Thomas. Corner of my eye usually, but it means he's close doesn't it?"

"...yes, I'm sorry," Eric admitted gently.

"I'm glad he's waiting for me," the man smiled. "I actually was so angry to see Eric the day after Thomas's funeral, I decided to hunt him," Sam laughed.

"It was fun," Eric assured.

"Mmmm, perhaps to you, but it made me feel electric and hot again, like being behind enemies lines, to hunt a demon. Sadly, I knew jack shit about demons...or ubii."

"Sadly?" Eric laughed, poking the man's forehead.

"...okay, well, thankfully, but I was still so very angry!" he grinned. "I wasn't used to my attack plans failing!"

"Holy water," Eric confided to Beryl in amusement. "And silver..."

"And you still looked like Thomas. I...couldn't bring myself to hurt him," Sam snickered.

"Oh you tried, the bed was in pieces after..." Eric drawled.

"Mmmm, that wasn't an attack though..."

Beryl couldn't help snickering at that, amused. "Active...secret lovers?" she guessed.

Sam nodded, "yeah, it was...not a time where two men could, well..." obviously. "I used to hate his wife so very much. And then, well, I pitied her." How not? Married to a man that didn't love her, simply did her duty and had a son to carry on the name.

Eric traced a finger along the man's cheek, smiling, "you loved him fiercely, and I respect that."

"It's tasty?" Sam teased, eyes sparkling.

"Mmmm, it's like cotton candy, real love instead of lust. tasty, active, but not as fulfilling to live off of without the sex?" Eric smiled. "Together it's addictive, but..."

"Your kind doesn't get that," he sighed. "I'm so sorry for you in that Eric."

"There's rare people who see US," her friend admitted. "They're great friends, and help us find proper love sometimes..."

Beryl blinked, he'd said similar before but well, that she saw the hunk of dancer with horns, and she didn't WANT him, well, "wait what?"

Eric laughed, tapping the game timer again, "you see me, but not everyone who sees ubii is...safe? We can be seduced by those who want to lure us, and real friends help against...lies that we can't see because we WANT so very much to be...loved."

Sam nodded, "it's what they need to breed as I understand it," he admitted, "but people that can see them are...as varied as anyone else. Some are just 'eh', some are friends, some lie and harvest their organs for profit!"

Beryl glanced between them, shocked, "what?"

"We are really potent aphrodisiacs," Eric admitted with a grin. "You find people who can see creatures like us that have been trained as hunters and well..."

"People," Sam corrected firmly. "You're no creature, Eric, no mere monster would grant me the quiet time with my love's image that you do with nothing in return."

"I..."

Sam snorted, poking Eric's leg with his cane, "haven't been paid for these mornings with me in a fair number of years, and yet here you are. You are my friend, whether I see you or no young man. And you are introducing me to your newest friend. I'm honored."

"He hates being vulnerable," Beryl noted to Sam, amused. "Men."

"Men," Sam agreed easily, laughing. "Checkmate."

"Fuck."

"Don't worry Eric, my Thomas only ever humored me with these games, he was terrible at Chess too," Sam chuckled, standing and reaching over to lay his hand atop Eric's head. "Next month?"

"Of course," Eric smiled, tilting his head to kiss the old man's hand then watching the man stump off slowly. "He's..."

"A good guy," Beryl grinned.

"Yeah. We aren't just sex monsters," he breathed.

"I know," she assured. "And this guy needed...closure. I'm glad he's your friend."

"Me too," Eric smiled, leaning on her. "Me too."