Blood and Tears

..He really didn't want any of her services? Just her company? That was it? Sure? ....Yeah, this was a thing. Valerie nodded as he noted the night chills. She hoped the other ladies were doing alright. Even now, she worried about them more than her own well-being. In this case it was fine though; the gentleman Van was looking after her health. They arrived at the diner. It was decently populated but not crazy packed. He held open the door for her. This didn't surprise her in the least bit. The mention of age made her smirk a little.

"Nice to know that I've still got it even after three hundred years."

She teased as she stepped into the diner. The large coat hid her raunchy outfit well, though it left a few observers with the question of what she was wearing underneath. Not knowing where his booth was, she stopped and glanced back at him. Val got a good look of his features as he walked in. The inside of the diner provided more light. She acquired quite the handsome catch. Surely he had a line of ladies after him. So what made her so intriguing?

"I hope you don't find my appetite unappealing...I'm a dragon and well, I admit it's been a...while since I've ate."

As in she couldn't remember the last time she had food.

@Aedan Drago

"I see..."

Valerie's knowledge on the vampire diet was limited. There were a few vampire girls Daddy snatched up, so she knew that there were blood-based foods but not the specifics on how to create them. She most certainly had no idea how vampire bloodlines worked; there was no room to care about one's family in her workplace. Daddy forced them all to give that up. He wouldn't even let them use their old names. Valerie knew that her name was not originally Valerie, but without holding the only piece she had left of her past family she could not recall what her name was.

She sat down within the booth and crossed her legs like a proper lady. Sure enough, coffee was immediately served to the pair. The woman nodded in appreciation to the server and turned to the cup of coffee in front of her. She blew over the hot drink and casually sipped it. One gulp warmed up her entire body. She was drinking it black pretty much. However, she felt tempted to indulge herself. Thus she found herself adding some sugar to the drink and stirring it. Then she took another sip. Yes, this would be good.

Her attention shifted to the menu. Her hands put the mug down and picked up the menu. She flipped it open to read inside. Many of the foods appeared to be quite filling but possibly fattening. However, she was so starving that she could care less about calorie count right now. The hooker just hoped her pimp wouldn't magically show up to kick her ass. That would be very unpleasant. Was this vampire gentleman a fighter? She knew very little about Van besides the fact that he was kind.

"How often do you come here?"

Might as well start off with a simple question.

@Aedan Drago

"Oh? I've been here for over three centuries now."

She watched Manta Carlos grow and thrive as she remained in Daddy's servitude. She was performing the same job for three hundred years and only had her responsibility list grow. She felt weary of letting people have their way with her for money as she thought about how the other girls were doing and what she could afford to give them for dinner. Such an exhausting job....if it were her choice, she'd leave and never come back. However, she felt greatly dependent on the pimp. He clothed her, fed her, and drilled into her head that he was the best guardian for her.

Van Thurstan challenged that thought, but she wondered if he would be remotely interested in her like that. Just because he found her intriguing didn't mean that he wanted to have a relationship with her. Who would want to be with a burden like her? Valerie couldn't imagine someone looking after her like Daddy....sort of did. Her eyes were blind to her own self-worth; they could not see the advanced skills that she utilized every day. She felt like a little girl just trying to make her parents happy.

Val took in the information, but the hooker's mind got caught up with her various issues. Anxiety clung to her heart. She felt compelled to respond after yet another compliment.

"I think that would have been more unfortunate for me than for you. I can't see how my presence has impacted you so much."

She flicked her hair back. The moving strands caused her neck and jaw to be more visible. It was difficult to see, but there was slight redness at the jaw. It was a past bruise that quickly healed up. It didn't quite fit with the occasional blush on her cheeks. After being revealed in a split second, the hair returned to its default position and covered up the mostly healed injury once more. The woman sipped her coffee once more.

@Aedan Drago

A historian? That was interesting. Valerie took an interest in the past due to multiple reasons. She wouldn't mind hearing about some of the information he had to offer her. After all, he sounded like he had a lot of experience to back up his findings. Perhaps he had written records somewhere for her to read. Reading was a hobby she enjoyed, but as of late she found it hard to acquire the time. She was really being pushed to the brink....so having a handsome vampire compliment her made her time all the more pleasant.

She actually forgot all about the injury, so when he mentioned it, she froze.

"....I guess the 'I fell' excuse wouldn't work, huh?"

The hooker laughed sadly. She was reminded of her troubled lifestyle. Her eyes stopped looking at Van and focused on the side of the booth.

"....Daddy did this to me. I messed up his drink, so he hit me. It was my fault....I should know how to fix his drink by now."

The woman was alarmingly quick to blame herself for his abuse. Clearly this was a cause for concern. She shifted about uncomfortably in her chair.

@Aedan Drago

Suddenly her chin was lifted. This made her stop looking away. Her purple eyes gazed into his dark eyes. There was such warmth and concern inside his eyes. It was as comfy as his coat if not even more so. How could she have been this fortunate? There was no way he could be this nice. There had to be something up. Was there? Did he have skeletons in the closet? ....Hard to say without staring into his mind, and she...honestly didn't want to. Thanks to her empathy powers, she was able to feel his emotions. They were genuine.

Finally she found a good man out there after so many years of dealing with a horrible one.

His declaration made her eyes tear up. This was the kindest thing someone had ever done for her. Valerie wanted to hug him so badly right now.

"You would go through all of that trouble for me? My Daddy.....he has a sweet side, but he often....he's often like a monster. And it's not easy to know what triggers him. I've been tip-toeing around for over three hundred years now."

Her bottom lip trembled.

"I'm doing the best I can....but I always seem to mess up. Are you sure it isn't my fault?"

@Aedan Drago