Chapter Text
The sun rose on Oakhurst as Scott Goldsmith walked through the woods.
He was annoyed, to say the least. His cloak was torn, his feet hurt, and he was back at stage one. His hair, now a luminous blue, was falling into his face, and he had to brush it up every so often as to keep it from obscuring his vision. He no longer had a castle, no longer had a coven, and now that he had gotten far enough into the forest that he could see the trees thinning, he realized he probably didn’t have his town either. All in all, it had been a terrible day.
Oakhurst looked a wreck.
Scott genuinely meant that in the nicest way possible. The walls weren’t really walls anymore, more like half-burnt spikes with the occasional plank untouched. If Scott focused past the walls, he could see the houses were even worse, collapsed shells of themselves. The vegetation had moved in, taking over every nook and corner, and little patches of crops and grass weaved its way through the cobble that had probably been there since before Scott had gone to sleep. He could have sworn he spotted vines on one of the walls, but he really hoped not. Those were incredibly annoying to remove.
All that being said, he thought it looked a lot better than he thought it would be. Honestly, Scott didn’t think Oakhurst would even be here after six hundred years, but apparently it had survived. Barely.
Humans are persistent. He’ll give them that. Always clinging onto life like it’s something important.
Scott grimaced as he got a better look at it, trying to see something salvageable, something he could build up again. There really wasn’t anything to be positive about though. Especially since it seemed like he wasn’t alone.
He tried not to groan as he heard talking inside what used to be a gate, chatter, laughter and yelling flitting across the air. He was surprised at the lack of human activity-these must be a very loud bunch. For all their hollering, Scott could only see thirteen other people, all in their assortment of groups, talking amongst each other. None of them looked like they belonged there. Like a patchwork quilt, each looked like they had come from some far away land, and not a single one looked like they lived there. That made sense-he wouldn’t want to live here either. Scott was slightly relieved about the lack of natives, even if it meant that he couldn’t punish the descendants of the original witch that cursed him. If everyone here was slightly odd, then he wouldn’t seem too unnatural either. Apart from his good looks of course, but there wasn’t much he could, or would, do about that. Tourists always were a little strange. They wouldn’t question someone else if they would be questioned themselves.
Scott looked around, trying to find a group he could join. He was good with people, and he knew it-he had been quite the ruler, back in the day. It still struck a chord that it was a ‘was’ now. He no longer had his power, his estates. He would have to wait and build up strength slowly, when no one was looking. Hopefully he could get some followers here, though there really wasn’t a lot of people. Maybe that was for the best, for themselves and for him. He really didn’t want to get staked again.
His dilemma on which group to join was solved when a girl with red hair and wide eyes came over, smiling and waving. Scott waved back, slightly curious about what she wanted. It was not often that people approached him, though he supposed that had been during the days he had been manor lord. Now, he was just like every other pheasant here. Scott shuddered.
“Hello!!” The bubbly girl said, tilting her head to the side as they shoved their hand out for a handshake. Scott accepted it, caught slightly off guard as they shook it enthusiastically. She had quite a strong grip. “I’m Shelby!! Are you from here? Everyone else seems to be new.”
“No,” Scott said smoothly, recovering quickly. “I’m a noble, from a few towns over. I came here for a fresh start. I’m Scott, by the way. I love your hair!”
The girl-Shelby-seemed unusually happy to hear his name. They either wanted to kill him, or was one of the few people in this world who had a rare talent for optimism. Scott felt like she was the latter, but you could never be too sure. He had been taken by surprise once, it wouldn’t do good to do so again.
Before he could continue the conversation-all allies were good allies, as long as she didn’t do anything to turn the town against them-a man with nice clothes and blonde hair broke apart from one of the groups, the rest of the people scattering with laughter and yelling. He spotted them and made his way over, waving at both Shelby and Scott as he got within hearing distance.
“Are you with bigfoot girl?” the man asked with a clear, high accent. “Are you also off to the woods to look for fairies? I’m Martyn by the way, I don’t think we’ve met.”
Scott laughed, trying to hide his bewilderment. He inclined his head, smiling. “Good to meet you Martyn, I’m Scott. Fairies? Bigfoot? I’ve heard nothing of the sort. Then again, it’s good to keep an open mind.”
“Yes!!” Shelby exclaimed, slightly too loudly. “I’m telling you, the monsters and supernatural creatures are real! Like vampires, fairies, bigfoot, fae…. All that stuff!!”
Martyn scoffed. “Alright, sure I guess. Can’t say I believe in it myself. Do you and Avid get along? He’s been throwing garlic at people for fifteen minutes now. Convinced there’s a vampire here or something. Claims he’s a vampire hunter.”
Scott’s ears perked up.
Years ago, he would have brushed it off as not a threat. Clearly, Martyn didn’t believe in vampires, Shelby seemed a little naïve to be dangerous, though then again first impressions could be misleading. But now, Scott was weak, unquestionably so, and a supposed vampire hunter, even a ridiculed one, was a cause for alarm. Scott would need to keep an eye on them.
Scott shrugged, playing the part of polite nobleman. “Well, I’m sure he can’t be that bad. What did you say his name was? Avid? Maybe he’s just a bit over-excited. No vampire, if they do exist, would come here anyway. The place is a mess!!”
Martyn nodded like Scott had said something incredibly wise. “Exactly. There isn’t exactly much here, is there? The whole place looks like it’s been abandoned for centuries. You want to meet Avid? Go towards the screaming. I hope you’re not allergic to garlic.”
And with that, Martyn walked off, yelling at a young woman with dark red hair and a sword at her side. The woman, who looked to be military, flipped him off before being joined by a man with dark curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, olive skin and dark brown eyes. Their gazes met.
“Oh, that’s Owen!” Shelby said, but he wasn’t listening. “Yeah, he’s a little odd.”
The man stared. Scott stared back.
Was it just him, or did the man not get the same instinct to look away as the other humans? He seemed to be half involved in the conversation between Martyn and the military officer, but he still gave him a look that felt like it could watch paint dry. That man could probably stand there glaring forever, Scott decided, and he wouldn’t even need to blink.
If Scott didn’t know better, and of course he did, but still, he would swear the man wasn’t breathing.
The man seemed just as curious at Scott was Scott was at him. Scott simply smiled, waved and walked off, trying to ignore the gaze that burned into his back.
He would need to pay attention to him. He was…. odd. Scott’s gut was never wrong.
But right now, he had a vampire hunter to manipulate.
“Avid is over on the north side of town, I’ll take you there! He really isn’t that crazy, even if he’s convinced all vampires are evil and actively hunting us. I’m sure you’ll like him!! He hasn’t accused anyone yet, so really he can’t be that bad.” Shelby had grabbed his hand and was leading him over to an even larger group of people, smiling and waving cheerily at anyone who caught her eye.
He hasn’t accused anyone yet. That was both good and bad. Good, because it meant that he wasn’t completely off the rails. Bad, because it meant that he still had some credibility amongst the town. But Scott could fix that. All he needed were a couple of whispered sentences, and this Avid would be the town lunatic. Then again, he might not need Scott’s help. He seemed to be doing a pretty good job already.
You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Shelby seemed nice, but if Scott could get the vampire hunter to trust him it would be huge. Who knows? Maybe he could be his first meal, once the town stops being gripped in what is apparently vampire mania. Really, just his luck that the moment he woke up he was in an environment prime to sniffing out creatures like him. Witch hunts did tend to murder a lot of innocents, but more often than not they burned the occasional vampire. Scott suppressed a shudder. Burning was the worst way to go by far.
When they got closer to the group, Scott spotted a tall man, talking just loud enough to be on the verge of shouting with big hand gestures to a man with long browning gray hair, who seems to be in his late forties, and doesn’t seem to be enjoying the conversation very much. Scott doesn’t blame him. He wouldn’t want to be on the end of someone trying to make him go deaf either.
Shelby yells a greeting and the young man turns around, stopping what he was saying almost immediately as he waved back, smiling at Shelby. His gaze turned to Scott, and his grin dimmed slightly as he looked him up and down. Scott kept his face a mask, giving him a polite smile. Why did everyone here had to have such intense stares? Really, he could beat them in a staring contest, but he didn’t really want to do that since he woke up less than an hour ago. The nerve of these people.
The man walked over. Shelby waved again, even though he was less than a meter away. He greeted them, talking fast in a strange but not unpleasant accent.
“Hi Shelby! Just warning Ren about vampires. We should really all be setting up garlic patches, it keeps them away. And silver! Lots and lots of silver. Not silver farms obviously, but we need to mine lots of it! Who’s your friend? I’m Avid! Do you know that vampires are around here? But don’t worry, I’m going to keep everyone safe!” He stuck his hand out, which Scott accepted with a small smile, meant to look genuine. The kind you don’t see at the political balls Scott honestly didn’t miss all that much. Too much lies for his liking and not enough murder. And if there was murder, it tended to stain the carpet. Quite rude of them.
This must be Avid. Scott looked him up and down, taking him in.
He has grayish-brownish hair, purple-purple?-eyes and has a lanky build. He can meet Scott eye to eye and seems to be roughly the same height as him, which Scott finds slightly annoying, and his jaw has a foolish determined set in it that Scott simply can’t ignore. He’s young, looking about two years younger than Scott, and has the kind of erraticness one would associate with a small fly given cocaine. He’s skittish, but so sure of himself it borders on pride and possibly anger.
He isn’t someone with experience. Scott can tell that right away. His eyes flick down to his stake every now and then, and his eyes flick from Scott to Shelby too quickly for someone who feels like they know what they’re doing. Scott had no idea why he was so on guard. It was a bad thing, too. People on their guard can’t trust someone. People on their guard can’t be caught dead being murdered by a charming and handsome vampire.
Here’s a secret Scott has learned over the years. You will get no one on your side if you are perfect.
The art of manipulation is a subtle thing. What normally tips people off about vampires isn’t their flaws, but their perfectness that comes from being centuries old. Humans don’t like it when someone is good at everything. They have to have a weakness, a flaw. They don’t like monsters they can’t defeat.
Scott, as much as he hates it, has to be flawed. He has to be relatable, and smart about it too. Not enough for it to be a cause of concern, but enough to slip past people’s guards. Flawed people don’t need to be worried about. Flawed people need to be protected. Flawed people know how to charm. And Scott needs to charm Avid.
“Hi, I’m Scott!” Scott says, smiling. “Shelby was talking about you. Vampires, huh? Can’t say I believe, but I like to keep an open mind. You say they’re here?”
Avid looked at him, then his face split into a grin that seemed slightly too wide. “Yup!! Vampires!! It’s good to keep an open mind-you never know what’s out there! But yeah….. Vampires are real, and there are some here. We all have to be really careful, but don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
I strongly doubt that.
Scott gave a light laugh, making sure it wasn’t mean. Avid grew slightly pink. “Well, I’ll have to stick by you then. I take it you’re not from here? I don’t think I’ve met any natives.”
Shelby shook her head before Avid could say anything. “No, Oakhurst was in ruins. Nobody here has lived here before, though I think a couple people have family from here. Like Cleo! They’re the farmer with the red hair, she’s collecting crops. But I think we can rebuild. Anyway, I’ll let you guys chat now, I’m going to go talk to Drift! She likes to keep an open mind too.”
And with that, Shelby ran off, leaving Scott and Avid alone. Or, as alone as they could be, considering that they were in the middle of a busy town.
Avid laughed nervously, and for a second Scott thought he was about to be accused, before Avid paused and tilted his head. His smile never faltered. “Shelby’s something, eh? She’s super nice, she reminds me of someone. Anyway, here’s some garlic! You can use it to fend off vampires!” Avid handed him a piece of garlic. Scott smiled, trying not to make it seem like a grimace as he took it.
“Thanks Avid,” he said smoothly, putting it in his pocket. “I won’t eat it for now, but I want to grow a garden later. Then we can have a lot more, right? And anyway, the rest of town needs to be protected too.”
Honestly, that excuse was so flimsy it wouldn’t fool a toddler, but Avid seemed to accept it fairly easily. He nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, good idea! We should make one. And-oh, wow, the sun set a lot faster than I imagined.”
Scott looked around. Indeed, the sun was setting, oranges and yellows coating the sky. The sky was mostly still bright, but he could see people fixing up the houses already, doubtless not wanting to be shelterless for the night. As he looked around, he realized that there wasn’t enough houses for everyone. People were pairing up to go look for houses, pointing out the ones they wanted as people built shelter.
Scott’s smirk turned sharper. He had an idea.
He turned back to Avid, but before he could ask his question, Avid blurted it out first.
“Do you want to be roommates?”
Scott froze, surprise pausing him for a moment before he recovered. Avid, too, seemed surprised, even though he was the one that said it. Scott could see the embarrassment setting in, so before he could do something like backtrack and laugh it off, colour flooding to his cheeks, Scott gave another smile. “I would love to be your roommate. Shall we pick a house?”
Avids smile turned slightly softer as he nodded. He looked to the side, towards the forest, then back towards Scott. “Do you want to? You seem like you have a good eye for what would make a good home. I’ll go to the wood- I’m sure I can convince someone to help me carry them over.”
Scott agreed, and that smile turned that little bit too sharp. Avid smiled back, and walked away.
Already turning his back on him.
Good.
~~~
Before Scott knew it, he and Avid had some semblance of a house, with a bed and everything. Only one, but Scott wouldn’t be sleeping. He would feign insomnia, or something like it, to get around it. Hopefully Avid wouldn’t go screaming that he was a creature of the undead to the cows they had in their yard.
Avid was standing in the distance, talking to Shelby’s roommate, Drift, who was staring at the sky in curiosity. Avid had started yelling when the blood-red moon had came out, convinced it was vampires and the like. For once, he was putting the blame in the wrong place. Though Scott supposed that the moon may be trying to warn them, if such a thing were possible, but he doubted it. It would be futile, anyway. The towns attitudes were exactly as he had hoped - dismissive and skeptical of Avid and the thought of vampires in general.
The towns doctor, a man named Legundo, had told Avid off for what he thought was nonsense, talking about how this happened occasionally and there was a perfectly rational explanation. He seemed the logical, calm type, quick to dismiss supernatural threats. Scott could respect men like him, but a part of him would always be slightly arrogant when it came to them. Here he was, a creature that defied explanation. How do you explain away him, doctor?
Avid came over, deciding that the town clearly wasn’t going to take the threat seriously. “We need to get inside,” he proclaimed to Scott, glancing over his shoulder while keeping one hand on his stake. “This is a warning. I always know when vampires are near.”
Yet again, Scott internally scoffed, missing Avids shuttered expression for a moment as he looked at him, something broken entering his eyes before he walked past him to get into the house.
“I don’t expect you to believe me,” he said, and Scott would have called it fake sadness if this wasn’t Avid. He was already shaping up to be incredibly naïve. “The only one who did is… not here right now. But we need to get the silver in the house! We don’t want any vampires getting in, do we? Believe me, I know!”
Scott humored him, giving him a small smile. It was almost too easy to read him, like he was desperate for someone to believe him. Scott could understand that, a little bit. Humans folded so easily. All he had to do was not seem to be too invested to the rest of the town, but seem attentive to Avid, and he would be walking the golden line. Avid couldn’t be allowed to grow to be too much of a threat.
Who knows, maybe Avid will want to go on a walk with him to the woods soon? It’s been so long since he’s had some fun.