Back in his costume, Beren exits the toilet. He walks over to the sink, cleaning his hands while looking in the mirror. He barely does. No wonder when having no reflection, but this way he could watch his new acquaintance. It took some minutes till Etis stepped out of the toilet in her costume. “Oh. Spying on me mister Vampy?” she hugs him from behind. “You shouldn’t do that, if you plan to keep it a secret.” she giggles, pointing on his missing reflection. “We are the only one here, and you identified me anyway.” he sighs. 

Taciturn, Beren walks back to the bar. The barkeeper smiles at him, as he sees Etis with her satisfied expression. “Well, told you, you won’t regret it.” “Was ok.” the mouse responds with his melancholic attitude. Etis giggles. “Well thank you for your help, cutie.” The three tailed foxlike man smiles. “No problem lady. If you need help again, just ask.” 

“Guess that means it’s time to just hang out again.” Beren supports his head on the counter again, listening to the occultic music of the club again.  “Is he always that way?” Etis asks the barkeeper, getting a nod back. “Sadly yes. Not really a party animal. But he’s a regular guest. Even if he never drinks anything and just sit there and chills.”  

The fox took some bottles from his shelf and mixed a drink for the girl. “Here. On the house. Maybe you can get him out of his shell.” the barkeeper smiles. “You seem like the person for something like this. Etis took the drink with a quick “Thanks.”  before sitting to the depressive mouse. 

“..” Beren looks at her, not saying anything. “Feeling better?” she asks him with a cheerful smile. “a bit I guess.” Beren brought something that maybe cold become a smile in the near future, making Etis rolls her eyes. “Drink?” she offers her glass to him, but he just shakes his head. “I never drink.. Cocktails.”  

Etis let out a sigh. “Wanna dance?” she asks him, but instead of waiting for an answer, she just pulls the mouse from his stool and to the dancefloor. The music just changes from some ambient, which the club sometimes play in between their tracks, to a more danceable techno beat, just in time that he couldn’t bluff it out and had to follow her movements. 

“Whooo! Look at this. You really can, if you want mousie!” Etis screams over the music as she gets closer to him, pulling him into another dance move. 

Some hours later 

 "Puh, that was fun. Don’t you think?” Etis has dragged Beren over the dancefloor all the time, now giving him a chance to bail out. “It was ok.” the mouse-boy doesn’t seem to exhausted but he still was in his semi active state. Etis still wasn’t willing to give up. 

“Hey. It’s getting late. Will you bring me home?” she smiles at him. And Beren nods. “If you want.” she rolls her eyes. “Of course, I want. Otherwise I wouldn’t ask.” she takes his arm and pulls him out of the club.  

“So where do you live?” Beren asks her as she reaches the street. “I changed my mind. Why don’t you invite me at your home?” she grin. The mouse tilt his head. “Why should you want to know my home?” he says with a monotone voice, making the girl sigh again. “Dammid boy. Don’t question it. Just do a girl a favor, wouldn’t you?” she pulls him close so their noses touch each other and he could feel her body warm. “Well.” he tries to look away. “If you want.” making Etis giggle. “See, it’s easy.” 

He leads her deeper into the streets of the offside parts of the town. First the streets still were covered with streetlights, but the deeper they were going into the slums, the lesser becomes the working light sources. “Whooh!” Etis makes a funny howl “You don’t plan to pull me into one of that dark alleys and assaults me, didn’t you?”  

“no. But maybe it’s better, to stay close. I’m sure, there are already a lot of people, who would do that to you without batting an eyelash.” he says that with a calm and monotone voice that the fox-girl inevitable gets closer, grapping his arm. “Did that happen more often?”  she asks, earning a quiet nod in return. “More than an outside might can imagine.” 

“And you have no qualms, to lead a poor girl into this dangerous area?” she asks, more curious then really worried. “Not that I had a choice.” the mouse responds. “By the way, we are there.” he points at an old and derelict building. “That’s where you living?” Etis ask surprised, looking upwards the ruinous house. “Mind me asking which floor?” “Thirteenth. Direct under the roof.” Beren answered. “That figures.” Etis responds, making herself ready for the stairs. 

“Phew.” Etis takes a deep breath after she reaches the highest floor. The feels happy, that she finally gets up here. Especially after some of the steps starts to grumble under her feet. “Not the safest place in town.” she states “But the only one, one like me can afford to life.” Beren responds before heating to one of the two doors. 

“If you ever want to visit, for whatever reason, and I’m not home, just kick here.” he points to a spot on the door before kicking against it, making the door jump open. “Not very safe.” the fox girl says. “I have nothing worth stealing anyway.” the mouse answers as he enters. Carefully Etis follows him. 

The room was dark. She fumbles for a light switch, but even after she found one, the room remains dark. “Sorry.” Beran says. “I have no use for electric.” he lights up some candles, who stands on a single table in the middle of the room, suffusing the room with just enough light, to not fall over something. 

Etis looks around, trying to see something in this diffuse light. Her echolocation helps her to navigate, but it was still hard to make out details. Beren just stands in one corner of the room, quiet. Just the flickering light of the candles reflecting in his endless deep, red eyes. “Sorry I hope you don’t mind, if I help myself a bit.” With this words Etis summons a small flame of cold, blue fire above her hand. “Guess a little trick, I can show you.” she smiles 

Finally, she was able to see more. Even if that something wasn’t that much. Besides the table, which was covered with candle wax the only furniture were two chairs and an old cot as well as a rack with four urns on it. “Who’s that?” She asks her host, looking at the unusual decoration. “This..” Beren pauses for a minute. Several. “Friends.” he finally answers his question in a voice, that even sounds depressed for his terms.  

“Oh.” Etis looks away ashamed. “I didn’t want to be too curious. I hope I wasn’t rude.” she sits herself on the old cot, raising dust from the dry mattress. “* cough* How long didn’t you use that thing?” she asks, trying to catch some air. Beren looks at her. “I didn’t need to sleep.” he responds in his old, monotone voice. 

“Can I fetch me some water?” she asks him, still coughing, earning a nod from her host. Quickly she walks to the fridge and opens in, just to be surprised by a deep and dark emptiness. “Oh right. You have no electricity.” she says as she closes the outdated looking unit and went to the faucet, just to be surprised by a brown, heavily iron smelling swill, coming from the pipes.  

“Takes care not to set it on hot, otherwise it will boil you the fur from the skin.” Berens voice coming from behind her. “Sorry I’m not attuned for guests. If I’m not wrong there still should be a bottle in the shelf under the sink.” Quickly Etis catches the bottle and washes down the dust in her throat. 

“Hard not to notice.” she states, siting herself back on the cot, taking care not to raise dust again. “So, why your life here?” she curiously asks while she pointed on the walls were the paint already crumbles and sign of mold were visible. “I know what you think.” Beren sigh. “Vampires have to live in magnificent castles not in crumpling slums. Right?”  

“Oh, I lived in way worse situations some time ago. I just wondered, so I asks.” Beren shakes his head. “I don’t mind. To answer your question. It’s easy. It’s the time we were living in. See, nowadays you need various kind of papers. Who you are, were you come from. Without, there's no legal job. No legal place to living for. So people like I have to see that they can stay at places, were papers aren’t important as long the money is there at the end of the month.” 

“And you don’t have some?” Etis asks. “Nope.” Beren shakes his head. “Hard to explain some stupid guys at some office who you are, when you be like me.” he watches the girl. “But I don’t mind. It’s fine.” “So where did you get your money?” Etis further asks. “Working down at the harbor. Shiping cargo for the mart, one or two times the week. Nightshift, four hours, thirty bucks the day.” 

“Not much.” Etis states as she thinks about the total outcome. “Enough to pay my rent. So it’s fine.” Beren responds. “Mind me asking, why you ask these boring things about a guy like me?” Beren asks her in responds. “Well, I’m just curious.” Etis smiles at him. “You know. Learning more about each other and so. You know, maybe I can help you with your papers, if you want.”  

“Why would you want to learn something about me?” Beren wonders. “I’m just the remnant of a long-lost legend. Nothing worth to care about.” “Oh, I think you’re pretty interesting.” Etis laughs. “And lost legends mostly are the best.” she continues to spray good mood into the room. 

“Talking about legends. You ever heard about shapeshifters?” she asks him. Beren nods. “I read about them. Why?” Etis stands up and covers herself in some kind of magic, standing there with her female features removed after it was gone. “Well, I didn’t want to keep it a secret from you.” he states. 

Berent wasn’t surprised, or if he was, he was very good in not showing it. “I see.” he states. “Hope you don’t mind.” Etis says, keeping up his friendly smile. “Not really.” Beren states in his monotone voice. “Good. I was worried you would freak out if you hear, that you hooked up with someone, who also could be a man.” “I really don’t mind.” Beren states, shaking his head. 

“Oh, you’re one of this kind then.” Etis jokes keeping up his friendly laughing “Well couldn’t have it worse.” he says. “Mind me asking why from all of the visitors on the club you pick me?” Beren interrupts his guest with a question. 

“Oh. That’s a bit complicated.” Etis tries to answer. “Say, did you know a guy, cat, blond fur, scar over his right eye?” Beren shakes his head. “Not that I would know.” “Well. They found him some days before in one of the alleys, his throat cut, no blood found anymore. The watchman speculates, that he ends up in a gang fight and lays there for a week and that his blood was washed down by this. But I sensed some kind of dark influence coming from him. “ Etis explains. 

“I see.” Beren recognize. “And after you see me at the club..” Etis nods. “Exactly.” “Outlaw. No gang. Shoot me three times. Normally after they does, they run away, thinking they may miss or that I’m some kind of undercover cop and have a bullet prove west or something like that.” Beren tells. “But this one was different. He even stepped me in the heart, paralyzing me. Dragged me in that alley to finally rob me.” 

Etis listen to that story. “You can guess how surprised he was, as I come back to live after he remove the knife.” Beren continues. “So you had..?” Etis inquires. Beren just nod. “He attacked me, he even hurts me. And he could even blow my cover. You know, what would happened, if people would know that a vampire would be around? Even one who never had done anything, at least nothing one of them could ever remember?” he looks at Etis. “I know. For this reason.. After that I cut his throat and let him there. Here in the slums nobody minds another victim of the gangs.” 

Etis nods. “I see.” “So, now that you know, what are you going to do?” “Why did you tell me all of that?” Etis asks curious “You want your story, now you have it.” Beren responds. “So you just defense yourself?” Etis assure himself. “More or less.” Beren states. “So against. What are you planning to do?” he asks again. 

Etis just lays down on the coy. “Well I decide tomorrow.” he smiles while covering himself with the old blanked. “It’s already late. Won’t you come in too?” he asks the mouse with a grin. “You’re not afraid, I could do something to you in the night?” Beren tilts his head “Nah. As long I clutch you, I’m sure, nothing will happen. So, move your tail over here or I drag you in!” he laughs. Slowly Beren moves towards him.  

 “Good boy!” Etis says before pulling the vampire into the sheets, taking him in a close spooning position. “See! Now I got you. And besides I can make sure, that no creepy old guy watches me sleep all night.” he laughs. Beren didn’t make a stand against it. He just snuggles against this strange fox, enjoying a warm he hadn’t experienced in centuries. 

At the next morning Etis opens his eyes. At least he thinks it was morning. At least it was hard to tell. The windows were covered in thick clothes, not letting any sun goes thru. Only a window in the roof wasn’t covered, but the thick layer of dirt was at least as thick as them, spoiling the state of the normal windows too. 

“Good morning.” he says, poking the nose of the mouse, who still lays in his arms. “Know you couldn’t run away from me.” he jokes. “Hehe. Maybe.” Beren says, with a hint of a smile on his face. “To answer your question from yesterday. I think you’re a pretty nice dude. I will visit you more often. Just to make sure you don’t do anything stupid again.” he pulls him closer. “And no backtalk, ok?”  

Beren looked at him. “Fine.” he seems to have no choice in it anyway. “Good.” Etis laughs. Try not to die on old age till then.” he jokes before he went to leave. “See you next time!”