Blood and Tears

As the tears flowed down her face, the gentleman cleaned them off with the napkin. There were no words that could describe her feelings at that moment. She felt a combination of relieved, stunned, and....happy? It was as if the invisible boulder on her back was steadily being lifted. She worked too hard for too long, and all she truly wanted was for it to stop. She desperately wanted to escape, but her fear kept her from even thinking of the possibility. Now that Van Thurstan was here though....

"I...I admit I'm very scared, but.....I want out. I want to escape."

Valerie was shocked at herself. How could she even say that? Leave Daddy? But he said he was the only one that could help her in this world. The only one that could care for her. Everyone else would throw her to the side like a used tissue. But yet this man....this vampire challenged that. He just met her, and he was going out of his way to save her. What was going on? Was this the start of a new story for her? A story that didn't leave her trapped in eternal misery?

She at least wanted to see this through to the end.

"It...it'd be nice if I could get food first."

Her pimp didn't feed her. He left the food distribution to her, and her selflessness made it so she fed everyone else before herself. That waiter seemed to be taking a while....

@Aedan Drago

Valerie nodded in agreement after he released her chin. Thinking about it, that was the first time anyone had held her face like that. Whenever the pimp held her head, both of his hands grasped the sides of her head tightly. Sometimes she was scared he'd crush her skull in the palms of his hands. There was no telling with the volatile djinn. Notably she was a dragon so that'd take a considerable amount of strength but still....

The waiter arrived to take their orders. Turns out he was standing there the whole time. Whoops. He must have not wanted to interrupt the two of them. That was much appreciated really. They needed at least a bit of emotional release. The woman elected to just go all out due to Thurstan's insistence.

"Sure, I'll have....."

She ended up listing about a third of the menu's food with a cappuccino. This was not the place to be drinking alcohol. She much preferred a warm drink instead. Of course now it was time for the vampire to make his selection. The woman blushed with embarrassment at the gentleman, flashing him an apologetic look. Hopefully that wouldn't put a dent in his finances. Then again he could afford to pay over double what she charged so...

@Aedan Drago

At least Van didn't seem to mind....however, the waiter would probably have to get some help carrying that out. Unless the waiter happened to be a giant or something; the writer of this post didn't know and was too lazy to declare it so. He mentioned a cook that could make great blood dishes. That would interest her if she was a blood drinker, but unfortunately she wasn't. She didn't have an interest in devouring blood and wondered if she could even digest large amounts. Hm...probably. Dragons could consume a lot of items.

Thankfully the conversation now shifted to being about the gentleman. She wanted to learn more about her potential hero. He chose to talk about his teaching. It seemed he had a real passion for teaching students and guiding young ones. That was quite admirable; to Val, this was an attractive trait. She did enjoy raising the girls but....if only she had a choice to stop their fate from being a life of prostitution. Seeing those little girls grow up to be forced into sex work by Daddy in their teens broke her heart repeatedly. She had to endure that for three hundred years....it was a wonder she hadn't snapped or lost her empathy.

"I would agree with that. It seems you really enjoy teaching. I happen to like children and have a lot of experience raising young girls."

A sigh escaped her lips.

"But Daddy makes the executive decisions, if you know what I mean....so how long have you been teaching for? And what specifically about vampires do you teach? I would think your background as a historian would be put into use somehow."

Her eyes locked onto him with pure interest.

@Aedan Drago

Van Thurstan talked about his teaching. He revealed that his mentoring experiences were outside of a formal classroom until now. Clearly the school felt that he had the qualifications to be teaching to a class of students; why else would he able to work at the academy? Her purple eyes locked onto him as he continued. Three weeks....she thought about her own level of knowledge and interest in caring for minors. While she didn't think being a teacher was her thing, she wondered if there was another way she could pass on her knowledge. Admittedly she did dream about having a family and being a mother....but what was the likelihood of that?

Vampire Bloodlines was the subject he taught. Vampires had families just like how dragons had clans, but she didn't know the specifics. As much as she would take the class, that would make her relationship with him weird. She elected to simply learn about it from him outside of the course. Maybe he also had reading material on the subject. She enjoyed reading quite a bit. It was about the only thing that would relax her after a hard day. The woman recalled a few times where she read to a little girl at Daddy's house. That was always pleasant.

"Wow...so a war veteran too? You're just full of surprises. So what are your hobbies? I enjoy reading. Sometimes I slip away into my room, lock the door, and read a few pages of classic literature."

The appetizers and drinks arrived, but Val's gaze remained on Van. She examined the finer details of his face. He really drew in her interest. Her eyes scanned him as if they wanted a crisp clear picture of what he looked like. It was difficult for her to forget things thanks to her powers. For better and for worse. This time it was for better.

@Aedan Drago

Another avid reader? Not surprising considering he was a historian. Those that had an invested interest in history also tended to have an interest in books. He even gave her one. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the title. Valerie often had to borrow books from the library. It's not like Daddy would give her any. He educated her enough to be attractive to wealthier clients then stopped bothering. He was surprised and somewhat pleased for selfish reasons that she continued to educate herself. Really it was less for him and more for her. She just liked learning.

"Thank you so much. I don't get to own a lot of books unfortunately. I'll be sure to read it repeatedly."

A light chuckle escaped her lips as the book was slipped into her bag. The next subject was movies. He apparently liked seeing them. She thought about a nice pleasant movie night with snacks and a television. There was also the option of going out to the theater. Hopefully the audience there would have a level of courtesy.

"Watching movies would be nice....I generally don't get to see many movies. It's the cinematography that interests me the most really. I've always found video and pictures fascinating."

She whipped out a few old pictures of herself in fancy attire befitting the 1920s and the 1940s. She forgot that there was also a risque image mixed in with her in nothing but lingerie and a garterbelt. Daddy was drunk and being very perverted that night.

"I would gladly read those records if you'd allow me. I'm a very curious sort."

As for the last bit...

"I feel that I'm the lucky one. A lovely gentleman is feeding me and giving me pleasant conversation. It's rare that I get to eat much, let alone this....men typically use their money for a roll in the hay with me."

@Aedan Drago