As soon as William headed towards the bar, Alice turned as if to go back out the door. To keep her from fleeing, Vlad placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her forward, ignoring the part of him that advised against using her. He snapped his fingers at the bartender and motioned at a plate of oyster crackers. Eating something would calm her down and settle her nerves.
āThanks,ā she said, after taking a bite. āSo…uh…youāre here because you like baking?” She gave him a doubtful look.
His reasons were his own. He narrowed his eyes and gave a short answer. āSomething like that.ā
She smiled. āItās okay if you hate it. Itās not actually my thing either.ā
What? Why couldnāt she stop saying things that surprised…and (if he was being honest) intrigued him.
āWhy compete then?ā he snapped.
āWhy watch? I donāt think vampires are big on eating pastries,ā Alice shot back.
Pastries! He barked a laugh. āAnd what do you think vampires eat?ā
Alice shrugged. āYouāre my first vampire. You tell me. Though Iām gonna go out on a limb and say it doesnāt come with icing.ā
Was she flirting with him?
āWhy Alice ‘Not madame,’ I’m surprised that you don’t know what’s on the menu…ā he replied, giving her a long look with a hint of mischief in his voice.
Sages! She was flirting with him and now he was flirting with her.
He tried not to enjoy it–this feeling he had around her but it seemed that he was helpless to stop it. He liked that he didn’t have to pretend to be mortal. He liked how relaxed she was with him, the way her hair swung in a mass of unruly curls and the expanse of skin he could not stop staring at. He liked…
…he liked Alice.
Vlad took an unnecessary breath, unsure if that thought came from him or his conscience.
The more they talked, the more he found–to his horror–that not only was he enjoying himself, he didn’t want it end.
Alice laughed when he told her how he drank plasma out of a glass in order to appear civilized. “But how else would you drink it?” she pointed out, “I mean, laying someone out on a table every time you get thirsty doesn’t seem very practical.” Vlad nodded in agreement as if he had not, mere weeks ago, bemoaned the absence of that very thing.
But Vlad didn’t mind. In fact, when he thought about having a photo of Alice so easily accessible, he found his stance on cell phones wavering.
She teased him when he complained about technology and hearing the vibrations of the electric lights. “So I guess that’s a no to taking a picture with my cell phone? Wait, will you even show up in a picture?” she asked, before arguing with herself about whether or not it was a rude question. But Vlad didn’t mind. In fact, when he thought about having a photo of Alice so easily accessible, he found his stance on cell phones wavering.
She got a kick out of the fact that he hadnāt been to a New Yearās party in at least a century. “Bringing merriment to sims near and far always means a massive hangover…and regrets about who you wake up next to,” she quipped. And Vlad found himself smiling at her old fashioned turn of phrase and wondering exactly who she had woken up next to so he could hunt them down.
He learned that she was from a place called StrangerVille where her parents worked for the military–her mother as a scientist and father doing something in covert operations. When he asked her what, exactly that meant she just arched an eyebrow in a perfect dramatic imitation of him and said, āNah, if I told you, Iād have to kill you.ā
At that statement, Vlad laughed so hard that William turned and gave him a quizzical look.
It took him a moment to regain his composure.
āBut really though, why compete if you donāt want to bake?ā he asked.
āBecause I want to win the prize. Then I can sell it and…uh…get some stuff I need. Itās probably worth a lot.ā
She gave a half-hearted shrug, but her eyes were too earnest. Vlad experienced a flood of emotions all tugging him in different directions. Her statement was a reminder of his plan and of how far off course he had gotten.
He swallowed around the acrid taste in his mouth as he turned from her. āYou have no idea.ā
Hah! I’m beginning to appreciate the characters more, especially Vlad ping-ponging between throwing shade at everything, including the banners—leave the banners alone, for chrissakes—and learning what emotions are over 500 years too late. Jimena is totally the contestant who’s going to stay on the show for far too long because she causes drama.
Is one of the women in the vests Summer Holiday?
LOL it is 100% Summer Holiday. I have enough extras in this story that Iāve been raiding the premades. I like to imagine that she really enjoys her job while her roommate is fucking miserable.
Itās been so fun to write Vlad discovering what it is to feel things and to have a desire to understand his emotions.
Oh man, Jimena. Have I got plans for her!
Eeee! This was so fantastic. Making Vlad really grow on me, I’m loving his inner battle! Was that Jimena person confusing her with someone, or did she just use her as a random pawn to stir drama and secure herself a ticket? Either way, who cares, worked out in everyone’s favour!
And Vlad will be a judge@. I did not expect that, but yay!
Oh man, I canāt answer that question without spoiling things that come up later in the story. But I am glad that you are enjoying Vladās journey from bloodthirsty sociopath to slightly befuddled, lovesick fool.
Oh yes, I’m enjoying lovesick Vlad a lot!
I’m moving at a snail’s pace here but hey, slow and steady wins the race, right? š
I’m loving Vlad in this chapter. He’s really been growing on me lately but this chapter takes the cake, I think. And lol, the plot twist of him being a judge! That owl statue is as good as his, especially if he “lets” Alice win. He won’t even have to seduce her then – she’s already smitten with him. š¤£
HAHA! YES! I love when Vlad grows on people. Its a journey, though! I mean, I think no matter what role he was serving in the contest, Vlad would still find a reason to aboslutely āhaveā to seduce Alice.
Umm, Iām grateful youāre creeping along at a snailās pace! Iām trying to finish the last few chapters of Baking By Death Book One and its taking a little while! š
All’s fair in love and baked goods. That’s the expression anyways, right? It may have taken me far too long in the story to realize this, but both Vlad and Alice have an internal struggle. Alice’s is Ben and Vlad is his conscience. And BOTH are trying to rid themselves of *that* part of them. Interesting.
In regards to why each of them are there, neither are fooling the other, but they’re both so sprung on each other that they’re not really digging THAT deep about the matter.
Jimena is a twat. Got that out of the way.
Does William have a turn on for glasses?
“That throat would be the death of him” – I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t *just* an idiom, but rather foreshadowing.
I AM WORKING BACKWARDS AND I’M SORRY.
First off, it did not take you too long at all! Haha, I was learning a lot with this first story and full confession, this is about the part where that started coalesce for me too and I tried to make it more obvious.
I wanted Vlad and Alice to be drawn together because of their mutual desires for the same thingālove and acceptance, I thought that would go a long way towards helping them understand each other. I mean, there’s gotta be a reason they click, right?
You’re totally right about them not digging too deeply! Partially, this is me being tricky, partially this is me trying to be true to real life. We are all protagonists in our own stories so our goals and interests take precedence over someone else’s.
Oof, I think you are gonna hate Jimena more before the story is done.
Why yes, William does have a thing for glasses. His husband was a scholar. Now, I’m not going to say he’s in a death sprial of constantly trying to recreate the relationship he had with his dead scholar human husband but always pursuing men who seem nerdy but…
Hehe. Vlad is just horny for sinking his fangs into her throat. And also, other things that will be revealed and omg stop me from spoiling!!!!
I love that we are slowly approaching the levels of epic flirting that makes The Strauds’ bar scene live in my head rent free. (I still hope to some day be able to write something like that.)
Also Vlad, I can’t handle any more of these smouldering looks and wicked smiles. Staaahp. Actually, don’t. Please never stop.
<3 this fills my heart omg