Allen sat up with a groan, a migrane pounding in his temples. What had happened...? Thinking back, he tried to concentrate past the headache and the gnawing hunger to remember what happened. He'd been walking home... It was dark, he'd just gotten off of work... He'd walked the same route hundreds of times before, walked past the same alleys and side streets... Someone had grabbed him, there was a pain in his neck, he'd felt faint... Everything went dark...

Enjoy your new life... son.

It had been a woman's voice... Though a woman couldn't possibly have been that strong... right?

The burning hunger grew stronger, and Allen was overcome by the intense need for... What? Certainly not his usual dinner of fast-food and a soda... Nothing seemed to appeal to him. At that moment, someone walked past the alleyway and it caught his attention. He could hear the person's heart beating... smell the enticing aroma of...something. The edges of his vision went red, and for a moment, he blacked out.

When he came to, he was horrified. The person, who turned out to be a homeless man, was lying facedown on the ground. Allen could feel something sticky on his hands, and when he looked down, he saw that it was blood. He was on his feet in a flash, backing away from the body. Panicking, he turned and ran. Within minutes, he was in his apartment, sitting against the locked door and breathing hard. What had he done?

Better yet... What was he?

"Asta." Nothing, nope, nothing but the inside of my eyelids... "Asta!" ... huh? "ASTA!"
Seeming to be yanked into awakeness, a young woman with brown hair and bright blue eyes jumped. Her small hands went over her face immediately, as if she were protecting her face and eyes from some unseen danger. In all reality, it was the lights above her head.
"Asta, you got off work an hour ago. Why are you here?"
A wide smile appeared through the hands, and the woman got to her feet. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Although..." the male speaking to her was leaned against the counter top of the main desk, eyes flashing with exuberance. "I don't see why I should let you off, you coming in late and whatnot, then sleeping your entire shift! What if we had a big crowd today? I would have died in the ice cream, while you sat here and snoozed." Asta, the girl he had been speaking to only smiled shyly, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry that I got to bed late last night, and lost many hours of sleep," she retorted at him. He only smiled. "Well, I wasn't the one who came in late last night." He threw a wink at the frowning girl. "Go home."

It didn't take long for Asta to free herself from the small ice cream parlor. She'd been working there for two years now, and it was beginning to become the biggest bore and pain she'd ever experienced. She smiled at the thought of her newest manager being younger than she was as she began her walk home. His name was Zachary, and he was three years younger than she was, ringing in at an ambitious seventeen year old boy.

Stepping off of a curb, Asta smiled pleasantly to herself, making sure no cars were coming before so, of course. The truth was, that even though Asta had a steady income, the income wasn't even enough to really get her anywhere. It wasn't like she'd gone and gotten herself a big degree, so it was hard to actually find a good job..
She sighed as she walked, stuffing her small, petite hands into the pockets of her jacket. Well, she was back to square one, as usual, and on her way to her apartment. As usual.

Allen jerked awake and looked around. He didn't remember falling asleep... The last think he remembered was coming into his apartment... Standing up, he was surprised when he didn't feel stiff or groggy. That gnawing hunger was back, but otherwise... Looking down at himself, he grimaced even as the horror from the night before started to creep back. There were stiff brown stains all over his clothes from the incident with the hobo. Absently, he licked his lips at the faint memory of the tase of his blood, and was surprised when he felt something sharp in his mouth. Eyes widening, he ran to a mirror to look... only to find nothing in the mirror.

"No way..." he breathed, a faint inkling forming in his mind. He couldn't possibly be... a vampire?

Getting dressed in clean clothes, he cautiously ventured out of his apartment. It was dark again... He must have 'slept' all day. He could feel the burning hunger growing, and he began to feel apprehensive. Would he have to kill a human every night? Surely not...?

He left the apartment building slowly, staying close to the shadows of the building almost out of instinct. Hopefully, he wouldn't black out again like he did the night before...

It didn't take long for an unsuspecting member from the local gang wandered up to him, hoping to mug him. Allen stashed the body in the alley, hoping that it wouldn't be found for at least a few days. Then he started back towards his apartment. He was surprised when he ran into someone just before he could get back inside.

"I'm sorry," he said as he helped the person up. It was a girl. She looked vaguely familiar to him, and he figured he must have seen her around town somewhere. "I wasn't paying attention."

Asta had been watching her feet as she walked, that's when it happened. She suddenly crashed into someone, and with a gasp, she stood looking at him. "No!" she said. "I apologize! I wasn't paying attention! It was totally my fault. I'm so sorry." This was Asta. In her mind, everything was her fault, and sometimes that was true, and other times it wasn't. Now was more of an occasion where both parties could have been responsible, and the blame was on either side. "Sorry.." she repeated. And after that she rushed by him quickly. Asta had a habit of overreacting as well, and it killed her by the time it was all over.

Glancing over her shoulder, Asta sighed, and then continued her way back to her apartment. She was a little over another block away, so it wasn't like she was in any hurry to go. Her face brightened, and her look of anxiousness began to fade, her breathing in deeply to relax herself. Mmmm.. better already!

Allen was a little stunned at the girl's excessive apology.

"Really, it's okay, no harm done," he said. He watched as he ran off, trying to force himself not to follow her. She smelled so good... so delicious... Shaking his head, he went up to his apartment. He stopped in front of the door, surprised to see a note pinned to it. Warily, he read it.

You need to be more careful, fledgeling. Has your sire not taught you how to hunt? Perhaps you need a tutor. Feel free to meet me tomorrow night, if you'd like to learn.

Under the written note was an adress for an intersection not far from the apartment. The note was unsigned.

Allen thought about it for a while. Eventually, he decided to meet the person. If something went wrong, he was fairly confident that he could overpower the person and run. After all, if he could take on a ghetto gang member twice his size, he could take care of just about anything.

Tucking the note away, he was barely able to fall into bed before he knew no more.

After gaining entrance to her home, Asta sighed, and then stepped into her kitchen. It was late, and she was hungry.. and the leftover pasta in the kitchen was looking mighty tasty as she stared blandly into the fridge, and at all of it's contents. Asta closed the fridge eventually, having the covered bowl of pasta at hand. Often times, this is what she would eat; either leftovers, or takeout food from restaurants. Of course, being a single woman, there was no reason for her to cook all that much. It was always for herself, and there was NO need to make a fancy meal for herself. Asta was a simple being, and she liked simple things. Purchasing pre-made food was simple. It also saved her from washing dishes.

Popping the bowl into the microwave, Asta pressed a few buttons and then stood away. What to do tonight...? Maybe she could watch a movie. Better yet, she should rent one! Why didn't she think of that on her way home?! With a now unamused look, Asta took the food from the microwave, and then grabbed her jacket, heading out the door instantaneously. If she remember correctly, there was a small video store up the street that ran late.

Allen woke abruptly and looked around, a bit disoriented. It was (still?) night (again?), and a check to his cell phone told him that it was indeed a different day. Sighing, he flopped back onto his bed. Where had the time all gone? He almost decided to stay in bed, but he felt that burning, gnawing ache building again.

"Ugh," he groaned as he got up and dressed. "This sucks... and I don't even really know what 'this' is..." Then he thought about the note he got the day before. Leaving his apartment, he decided to head to the intersection on the note.

It didn't take him long to get there, and he wasn't very surprised to see the place deserted. He waited a few moments, and then sighed. "Right, just my luck... a prank."

"Not a prank, fledgeling. You should be more observant," a feminine voice said from behind him. He jumped violently, swearing, and turned around to see a girl maybe a little older than he was.

"Where did you come from?" he yelped. "Who ARE you? And why do you keep calling me 'fledgeling'?" The girl gave him a small grin.

"My name is Ana, and I've just been passing through," she replied, effectively side-stepping part of his question. "Where is your sire? Usually, the sire teaches the fledgeling how to hunt, at the very least."

"Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about?" Allen broke in. "Do you know what I am? Are you one, too?"

"If you mean a vampire, then yes," Ana replied. Allen was speechless. Sighing, Ana led him over to a bench and began to explain. By the end of the night, Allen's head was spinning. He was a vampire? There were more? Seeing that he was overwhelmed, Ana told him to go home, promising to meet him at sunset the next day.

Unsteadily, Allen started to make his way back to his apartment. That's when he ran into the girl from the previous night. Literally 'ran into'.

"I'm sorry," he said, helping her up. "I did this last night, too... Are you alright?"

Asta was jogging. Okay, well, technically it wasn't jogging if you were on your way home from work, right? Asta sighed as she continued along. It was fairly late, so there wasn't anyone around, really... She looked at her feet, watching them bound beneath her body.
She was so tired. Work was terrible, the day was terrible, and yet she was practically running home? Asta deemed herself in need of exercise. She wasn't fat.. yet.. Asta was thin, but she ate like a man, so why not exercise on her way home, right?
It wasn't until she slammed into something and fell to the ground that she realized it wasn't smart to look at her feet. She fell to the pavement, landing promptly on her butt. "It's fine.." she said with a slight laugh as she was lifted to her feet. As she dusted herself off, she looked up to the male, and then cocked her head to the side. "Hey.. I rememeber you.. This is the second time you've run into me now? We're gonna have to start plannin' this stuff."
Asta laughed a little. He was.. cute.. "I'm Asta." She held her hand out, a pleasant smile on her face.

"My name is Allen," he replied. "I'm sorry I ran into you again..." She was really a lovely girl... and she smelled so delicious... Quickly he snapped himself out of it. The sound of her beating heart reminded him that he hadn't hunted at all that night, and he needed to before he could go home. He really didn't want to see what would happen if he went out of control...

((ack~ sorry about the shortness~))

(Tis fine. Mine have been epically short. Dx)

Asta smiled, shrugging a bit. "It's really not your fault. I should have been watching where I was going." Asta had that amazing disposition, that said everything was going to be alright no matter what. She was optimistic. With a smile she sort of stood in the awkward moment, and then finally waved a little. "Well, as much as I hate to say this, this has gone awkward! But not too bad," she smiled, " and I have to get home, so no biggie. I'll run into you later, right?"

(Mine is bad too, darnit. Dx)

((Sorry for taking such a long time to post~))

"My schedule is kind of... nocturnal," Allen said, glancing around. She should really leave... He didn't know how much longer he could keep from dragging her into an alley and draining her. "I don't know how often we'll run into one another..." He thought back to what Ana had told him. The older he got, the better he would get at resisting the bloodlust... theoretically. As it stood, his throat felt as dry as the Sahara and his stomach cramped painfully in hunger. He could literally see the pulse throbbing gently in her neck, and had to force himself not to reach out and grab her. She probably had parents who would miss her if she vanished... not like his own alcoholic mother. He and his sister were lucky to escape when they did, after all... His attention snapped back to Asta when she said something else.

(Tis fine.)

Being oblivious to everything in Allen's head, Asta simply smiled, and then dismissed herself, just like that, rushing by like nothing had ever happened. She was good at that, it seemed. Not once did she look back, and she hurried to her apartment. Mentally, she was scorning herself for acting like an idiot. Asta was never good with one on one situations like that, but still. Asta thought Allen was attractive, therefor she would be the one to be nervous.

Asta stepped up to her door, a sigh escaping her as she pulled her key from her pocket shakily. This is what she got for running. Oh well.
Forcing it into the door, she unlocked it, and then sighed, flicking the lights on, and then heading to the kitchen; her stomach was screaming for food.

After stalking yet another homeless person for a couple of blocks, Allen fed quickly and headed back to his apartment. Ana had told him that he would eventually be able to feed without killing anyone, and he wished that he could do so right now. In the several hours that he'd talked to the older vampire, it seemed that she'd made herself a tutor of sorts. He agreed to meet her again the next night to learn more. He was surprised when he got back into the apartment building to find another note on his door.

Allen-

I've gotten an apartment near yours. My number is 325, and I will have a copy of my key for you tomorrow night. You are welcome to come to me for anything you need. Until tomorrow, fledgeling.

-Ana

Somehow, he wasn't surprised, though he did wonder how she managed to get an apartment so fast, and in the middle of the night. Maybe there was some sort of massive vampire support system, like in the movies? Or maybe she had some sort of awesome vampire hypnosis powers? Shrugging, Allen went back into his room. Still too wired to rest, he stayed up all night playing video games. He was amazed at how fast his reflexes had become, and managed to advance farther in the game than ever. With his curtains closed, he didn't notice how much time had passed until he began to feel that gnawing, empty ache that he had come to associate with hunger. Sighing, he got up and headed out.

He was surprised to see Asta on the street. She must work the graveyard shift, he decided, for her to be out so late every night.

"Fired?!" she cried. "You can't fire me! I've been working here for over two years! I'm your best employee! I--" Asta was practically in tears in the back office of the ice cream shoppe. Zachary stood across from her, eyes on the floor, as the head manager with crossed arms, looked at her with a serious tone on his face. "You..." Asta couldn't even speak, for she didn't know what she could say to make the situation any better for herself, or for Zachary. Then again, he wasn't the one getting fired.

"It was one time.." She said, her eyes moving to Zach now. "Nothing even happened... Zach, tell him nothing happened!"

It had been a while back again, and Asta had a bit too much to drink before she came in to work. She came onto Zach after work, and things did happen. However, no clothing had been removed.. so...

"Zach, tell him!" But Zachary was quiet as he stood off to the side. Zachary was trying to save his own job when he'd told Mornman, the store manager, that Asta had come into work under the influence one day, and jumped on him in the back. What he didn't tell Mornman was that he'd jumped back.

-

Asta was sitting on the steps to her apartment, face in her knees and arms. She'd just gotten home, and already, she refused to go inside. What was the point? She was going to have to move somewhere cheaper now, anyway. A small sob escaped her throat, and then she was quietly crying once more.
Well, this is what she got, she supposed. One mistake, and now she had no job...

Allen blinked when he saw that Asta was sitting out on the stoop of her apartment building. She was crying... something must have happened. Fighting with himself for a moment, he decided to go over and see what was wrong.

"Asta...?" he ventured cautiously. "Is something wrong?" Mentally, he kicked himself. Of course something was wrong, idiot, or else she wouldn't be crying! He could smell the salt of her tears, and he could see the hitching breaths making her body tremble. Slowly he went over and sat down next to her. "What happened?"

She had jumped to hear his voice, but she didn't look up. This was bad timing, was what it was. Of all people that she was continuing to see on a daily basis, Allen was turning into one of them. But only at night.
Asta curled tighter within herself, trying to avoid the possibility of Allen seeing her red, bloodshot eyes, and flustered face, Asta looked bad when she cried, she thought.

"I was fired... today.." her voice was quiet, and though she hated the way she looked when she cried, Asta wiped her eyes and face and looked at him. "I've been working there for two years.. I don't have a college diploma.. I'm going to lose the apartment, and.." Another small noise escaped her. "I don't want to drag you into my life.."

"Fired?" Allen asked. He wondered why, but then figured it was her business. No sense in sticking his nose in. He knew that the comic shop he had worked at was looking for more people... especially since his abrupt 'departure.' "Well... I know this guy at the comic shop in the mall... I had to quit, but he still owes me a favor or two, if you're looking for a job..."

Mentally, Allen was kicking himself. It would be a miracle if she took him up on the offer... After all, she barely knew him. Still, if she told Bill that he'd recommended the job to her... Maybe Allen could help her a bit. It was just a little thing, but it was still something positive to try to balance all of the negative things he'd had to do. He cringed inside when he remembered the drunk homeless people he'd drained.

Looking up to Allen slightly, Asta paused. Here was this man, this guy she didn't know, trying to help her out. Asta wiped her eyes more, and then slowly, a small smile appeared on her face. A job was a job. "Th-- that would be great.." Asta hadn't been expecting this.. It was so nice and refreshing to find someone who actually seemed to give a flying damn about someone other than themselves. Like Zach.
Wiping her eyes more, Asta laughed a little, and suddenly threw her arms around Allen, holding onto him briefly. "It would mean the world to me.." she said softly, soon pulling away. "Really, it would."

(So short. Dx)

Allen stiffened when Asta hugged him, surprised. She was so warm, and he could feel her pulse right under her skin... he could even hear her heart beating. Carefully, he returned the hug.

"Bill owes me a favor anyways," he repeated, unsure what else to say. "He's a pretty good guy to work for, and he always manages to get passes to all of the good concerts and conventions." Allen took a careful, shallow breath. Asta smelled so good... It reminded him that he hadn't fed yet, and the gnawing hunger grew. Gritting his teeth, he forced the feeling down. If he could pull off two whole days of video games without eating, he could keep from biting Asta. It was so hard, though...

"Allen, there you are!"

Allen jumped when heard Ana's voice. What was she doing here?!

"Honestly, Allen, you tell me to meet you and then don't show up? Some cousin you are!"

Allen blinked and looked up at her. Instead of moving with ancient, regal grace, Ana looked just like a typical teenager. It was a little unnerving, if Allen was being honest with himself. Glancing at Asta, he waited for her reaction.

Before Ana came up, Asta looked and felt excited for the job to come. It was going to be something new and exciting, and something that brought money to her small, single-sized table.
As she smiled at the male, she felt herself jump a bit. Looking up, Asta felt a small pang of disappointment fill her. There was a female. Standing in front of her. Talking to Allen.
And he was late to meeting her... Asta smiled pleasantly, but it was only a fake smile.. However, when she heard the word 'cousin', she felt herself becoming content again.

"OH! I didn't mean to keep him.. I'm sorry.." Asta wiped at her eyes once more, trying to make herself not look quite so pathetic. "I didn't mean to.." With a more genuine smile on her face, Asta stood. "Call me, okay?" she asked. And with a quick whisk, Asta had a pen out, and was already writing her name and phone number on Allen's arm.

With a nod to the both of them, and a sweet smile, Asta was off once again, just as quickly as she showed up. This time, right in front of them, in her apartment.

Allen watched the emotions flicker quickly across Asta's face. Excitement... joy... surprise, sorrow, intrigue... and then contentment. He was amazed, could girls really feel so many things within such a tiny span of time? How did their heads not explode? It was almost enough to distract him from the terrible hunger that was growing in the pit of his stomach. Quickly, he tuned back in just in time to hear Ana's response.

"Oh, no, it's fine, really!" she said brightly, no trace of her former elegant self. "I didn't know my cousin had such a nice girlfriend." Allen could hear an odd stress on the phrase 'nice girlfriend', and vaguely wondered what Ana was trying to say. He watched as Asta wrote her number on his arm and then flitted back inside. Then he rounded on Ana.

"What was that all about?" he demanded. Instantly, Ana's bubbly teenage facade was gone.

"You might not realize it yet, fledgeling, but you were about thirty seconds from draining that girl," she replied coolly. "That would have been bad. You'll thank me for this later."

"Thank you for what? And will you stop calling me that?" Allen asked. Ana gave him a genuine grin.

"I was called 'fledgeling' until I turned a hundred, Allen," she replied. "It's become very nearly tradition. Now come, you and I need to hunt. Tonight, I will show you how to feed without killing."

Immediately, Allen's mood brightened. This is what he'd been waiting for!

Six 'donors' later, he headed back to his apartment feeling sated and oddly happy. After writing Asta's number down and stowing it in a safe place, he fell onto his bed and dropped immediately into a long, peaceful rest.

The next morning when Asta awoke, she decided to clean. And she did clean, all day long. By the time the night had come around, Asta was out walking. She was becoming somewhat of a night owl lately, and in all honesty, since she'd run into Allen the second time.. she'd been hoping to run into him again. And now, with a happy smile on her face, Asta was walking happily, humming to herself. This was how she was choosing to preoccupy herself until Allen called. If he ever called.

With a sigh, Asta took a seat on one of the nearby benches, her eyes closing as she reclined back. Asta felt butterflies in her stomach... butterflies weren't good. She frowned at that one.
Butterflies for Asta only meant one thing, and she pushed the thought away from herself as fast as it came to her.

When Allen woke, it was just past sunset. He wasn't sure HOW he knew that the sun had set, but he did. Freshening up, he headed out of his apartment for the night. He was quickly getting used to a nocturnal schedule. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be, now that he knew that he didn't have to kill people to survive. Ana had warned him that it would take practice, but he was confident that he could do it.

He had just left his apartment building when he saw a familiar figure sitting in the park. Grinning, he went up behind her where she was sitting on a bench.

"Evening, Asta," he said, grinning.

With a gasp, Asta jumped, and then broke out into giggles once she noticed who it was. "Hi," she said, her bubbly personality emerging, just like it always did. "You scared me!" Well obviously, Asta. With a bright smile on her face, Asta scooted a good foot over on the bench, making room for the male.

Asta had yet to notice the 'coincidence' of seeing Allen at night ONLY. She hadn't put two and two together, not like there WAS anything to put together. As far as she knew, he just worked the night shift like she did. She looked just as odd as he did about being the only one out.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Allen apologized. "I just saw you and wanted to say hello." Sitting down next to her, he tried his best to ignore how delicious she smelled, and how tempting her heartbeat sounded. Ana had warned him about the bloodlust, and how it would go out of control if he let it. Resolutely, he clamped down on the urge to feed on Asta. She was a nice girl, and didn't deserve such a thing to happen to her. "What brings you out here this late? I thought girls roamed in packs at night or something like that." Here, he gave her a sheepish, embarassed grin. "I have an older sister, but she isn't much of a socialite."